“All right, everyone! This is it—just one more rehearsal and we’re done! Since this is the last one, please focus!”
Now the opening and closing ceremony rehearsal for the upcoming Celestial Festival was practically here.
Several students who had even skipped classes and the staff who had been working tirelessly on this event for weeks seemed to regain energy at the mention of the final rehearsal. What had been sluggish movements now picked up speed across the board.
“Lighting team, please let us know when you’re ready.”
“We’re ready! Just give us the signal, and we’ll begin.”
Two individuals responded promptly to the director overseeing the rehearsal.
It seemed as if they’d worked very hard preparing for this final rehearsal; their shoulders sagged, and dark circles underlined their eyes.
Even though their responses were quick, their voices carried an almost invisible, yet heavy weariness that could drain the listener.
Yet, for some reason, these two looked familiar.
Just at a glance, one could deduce that they were mages, and since I wasn’t particularly acquainted with many mages, I thought hard about where I’d seen them before.
Aside from a few professors teaching magic, there weren’t more than a handful I’d ever encountered.
That prompted me to scrutinize them closely and try to recall where I might have met these two mages.
Scanning my memories, I delved further into the past to solve this mystery.
Was it from last semester? No, not that. Perhaps it was during the winter break? Nope, not that either. Then what about the first semester?
Ah!
Suddenly, their identities clicked into place.
They were those assistant mage instructors who had summoned the virtual monsters for the simulation combat during the midterm exams of the first semester.
I had struggled to recognize them because their hairstyles had grown longer, their figures appeared thinner, and their aura had dimmed.
Out of empathy and gratitude, I gave them a slight bow, despite their preoccupation with their tasks. They were too drained to notice, but I hadn’t expected them to.
“Alright, everyone, prepare yourselves… Let’s begin the final opening ceremony rehearsal!”
The leader’s voice, accompanied by a clap of hands, marked the commencement.
The surrounding lights dimmed out, leaving only the spotlight trained on me, as the hero, and Mariel as the saint. We walked slowly side by side down the center pathway.
The lights followed our movements precisely, without any error. The beginning practices had been far from perfect, with lights flickering or falling behind, or stepping ahead of our movements—proof that repetition truly eliminates impossibilities.
Of course, there were moments when the two assistant mages collapsed from magical exhaustion, but with a saint present, their health wasn’t a significant concern.
…Probably.
“Great! Perfectly done! Everyone has worked very hard. Please keep today’s rehearsal in mind and review it separately so you can remember. Remember, there will be no group practices until the Celestial Festival itself, so don’t neglect your personal practice!”
Satisfied with the results, the director nodded with approval, raising his voice to commend the crowd.
“Today was yet another hard day’s work, Hero!”
“I suppose, but in my case, stamina’s all that’s left. I should be thanking you instead, Saint Mariel, though you don’t seem even remotely tired.”
Though we had spent hours repeating the same actions in practice, Mariel appeared not only unexhausted but even more energetic than me.
“Ho ho… Don’t underestimate me. I’m training in many areas!”
Mariel pulled up her sleeve with an air of pride but revealed arms that were, unsurprisingly, quite slender for all her “training.”
“Aah, is that supposed to be a challenge? That would be sacrilege against Saint Mariel!”
My expression must have betrayed my skepticism, because Mariel pouted and swung her empty hand in a mock-slash.
“Jab! Jab! What about now? Still not impressed? My knight trainee buddies all think highly of my skills!”
Hmm…. If Mariel had something in her hand, it might have looked more convincing, but swinging at nothing but air certainly didn’t inspire much confidence.
“Ugh. Disbelieving a saint like you? I’ll report you to Goddess Serena!”
“At this point, given that the goddess’s statue is right in front of us—it’s not likely she’d bother with such trivial matters.”
We were boldly bickering in front of Goddess Serena’s statue, but there was no way she hadn’t heard us.
“Hmph! I’ve known Goddess Serena far longer than you. If she’s anyone’s side, it’s mine, right?”
Then she stuck her tongue out at me. In that moment, I couldn’t help but think of Anne. Would she disapprove, or would Mariel?
“This forgiveness won’t come easily! I don’t forgive easily!”
Mariel turned her head dramatically, pretending to be mad. However, her darting eyes betrayed her pouty demeanor.
“Still… There’s a way to fix this…”
After several sidelong glances, Mariel finally whispered the core of the matter.
“If you buy me a coffee at the café nearby, maybe the saint will be calmer…”
Our saint’s wrath proved surprisingly cheap.
Of course, I thought it but didn’t dare to say it out loud.
“Sure, that’s the least I can do. Let’s make it the most expensive on the menu, as an apology. Shall we go?”
Given that café drinks were all relatively pricey in any case, it wasn’t a problem for me to treat Mariel to a coffee.
As soon as I finished my sentence, Mariel’s mood completely changed. She clung to my arm cheerfully.
“Hehe! Well, let’s hurry! It’s our date, hero and saint!”
It might be just a light joke to her, but as a male, I couldn’t help but feel a flutter in my chest.
I tried hard not to let my heartbeat reveal my unease as Mariel’s arm lingered around mine, and we moved toward the café.
*
…What exactly am I looking at?
In my hand was the receipt for the beverages I’d just paid for.
Ordinarily, I would have simply crumpled it and tossed it into the trash can, but my eyes remained fixated on the small print.
Mariel had followed my advice and ordered the most expensive drink on the menu.
I’d never heard of it, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. After all, how much damage could a drink do?
However, Mariel didn’t stop there. She started chatting animatedly with the café staff who were taking the order.
Words I’d never heard before flew out of her mouth while the café worker’s hands scribbled furiously.
By the time Mariel was done, I feared the worker might have forgotten their original notes.
Then the worker recited everything back to confirm, leading to a new stream of conversation.
I stood there in a daze, handing over coins while the worker rattled off the total cost.
It wasn’t until I received the receipt that I snapped back into reality.
…How could a single drink be more expensive than most desserts?
Caught off guard by the expense, I had only myself to blame.
“Alright, while the drinks are being prepared, let’s take a seat?”
Instead of looking exhausted from ordering, Mariel seemed even more energetic than before, grabbing my hand to lead the way.
“Hehe… It’s been a while since we’ve just relaxed together like this.”
“Yeah, rehearsals kept us busy, and we’ve both had our hands full catching up on missed classes.”
Thanks to Selian and Yuli’s help, I managed to keep up with my studies. I wasn’t sure about Mariel.
“Ugh… You’ll understand next year, junior, but starting from the sophomore year—it’s terrible. The difficult curriculum combined with the mountains of assignments will drive you crazy…”
Mariel grimaced as she recalled her experiences, shaking her head. Imagining myself in her predicament next year made me a bit anxious, though this is not my current concern.
Stay strong, future me!
“Still, it’s nice to have this time with you, junior. Call on me whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed!”
I wanted to challenge the use of the word “date,” but there was no reason to turn a light-hearted joke into an awkward situation.
“Sure. Whenever you need this old body of mine, just let me know.”
I spread my arms slightly and shrugged, turning it into a joke.
“Ahh…”
Mariel seemed startled, her eyes wide as she voiced a faint exclamation. I couldn’t figure what had startled her as I reviewed my words, but they didn’t seem out of place.
“It’s… It’s fine! It’s normal for a saint and hero to bond! Yeah. Absolutely normal.”
“Senior, shh, shh…”
Even if everyone knows the truth about our roles, drawing attention like this with our saint and hero labels would create unnecessary problems.
So, I glanced around quickly to ensure no one overheard her comments.
Luckily, the café was empty at that moment, and a few scattered patrons were too engaged in their own conversations to notice.
“Oh! Here’s our order. I’ll grab it, just wait here.”
Unaware of my discomfort, Mariel swiftly stood and walked off with a spring in her step toward the counter.
Though she seems light-hearted now, having been an assassin in the past and knowing I’m a hero makes her behavior look trivial in comparison.
“Huh…?”
Suddenly, a familiar voice called from behind.
However, for some strange reason, this seemingly ordinary voice put me on edge, and a cold sweat trickled down my neck.
What… What is this? Even facing demons didn’t make me this tense!
