Because he was continuously going through fierce battles since he became a member of Seven Dragon Paladins, fatigue was piling up inside him, but thanks to Elixir it felt like everything was recovered.

If, there was some kind of strange secret in Lux’s body──.

「Tsu....」

*Bzz* Lux’s sight was covered with static like sandstorm and the sight of the aid room was erased.

Again.

Recently scenes of something that shouldn’t exist in his memory would emerge at the back of his mind.

If there was anything that felt out of place in his body, there was just that.

「Aruji, sama?」

「....Nn. No, it’s nothing.」

Lux noticed Yoruka’s voice calling him and he returned to his senses.

In any case, he didn’t understand anything fully about it in the current situation.

「Then, do your best in the matter of fashion without forcing yourself okay?」

「Yes. I will consult with Noct-san and others so that I will be able to answer Aruji-sama’s expectation.」

Lux left the aid room after receiving a favorable reply.

For the time being it seemed he was able to handle his discussion with Yoruka well, so he sighed in relieve.

He avoided staying for long and returned to his room temporarily. Next he would follow the memo and visited the girls who were his dear companions.

「With this──I have a rough idea of what present to give Aruji-sama.」

After Lux left, Yoruka made such mutter that was filled with implication and stared outside the window.

Lux didn’t notice three girls were standing watch from the garden ahead of her gaze.

–

After parting from Yoruka, Lux finished two Academy chores in the afternoon──and the evening arrived.

The sun set faster due to the winter. Lux moved his legs toward the Academy’s practice ground in order to meet Celis.

He imagined that she was training in the practice ground like usual, but he only found the Triad in their pilot suit there looking completely exhausted.

「Glad you could make it, Lux-chin. You are latee」

「It’s unfortunate, but the girl you set your sight on had returned to the girl dormitory.」

「Yes. If it’s Celis-senpai, she already bathed and returned to the girl dormitory.」

Tillfur, Sharis, and Noct returned an answer in turn before Lux asked.

He understood that they guessed he was coming to visit Celis seeing how he came to the practice ground in this time.

But,

「Thank you. But, putting that aside──everyone, what are you doing?」

The three were breathing hard while lying on the ground tiredly.

Their fatigued state that was unthinkable from normal Drag-Ride training shocked Lux, but the three showed a smile of acting strong telling him he didn’t need to be concerned.

「It’s great and all that the princess strengthened our Drag-Ride for us, but from there it’s difficult to skillfully use EX-type Drag-Ride. Even with Celis’s guidance, we aren’t able to overcome this difficulty in a brief space of time.」

Sharis smiled while lying down on the ground with gasping breath all along.

The Triad finally succeeded in wearing the reinforced type general purpose Drag-Ride also because of Lisha’s tuning that matched the Drag-Ride to the three’s body, but as expected it was difficult for them to use it well.

And so, they trained with Celis till exhaustion.

It was understandable.

Not just in piloting Drag-Ride, Celis was also first class in fundamental stamina and mental concentration. And then she was even receiving severe special education in fencing and martial art since her childhood.

It was to the degree that even the current Lux couldn’t keep up with her training.

「Now, we don’t want our unsightly figure to be watched all the time. Go to where she is. Surely she is in her room already.」

「Thank you very much. But, is everyone alright? It will be cold if you three keep staying here like that──」

Lux sent them a worrying gaze, but Sharis shook her head powerlessly.

「We will accept just your feeling. There is no way we whose role is to manage the pact of those girls can do any transgression.」

「Yes.....?」

「Aaa! Geez Sharis, that is a secret agreement you knoow!」

「Yes. Anyway we are alright, so go to Celis-senpai’s place.」

Tillfur lost her composure hearing Shari’s mysterious sentence.

Noct put that aside and told him that blandly while still laying down.

「I, I get it. Everyone, don’t force yourself too much.」

Lux said that while tilting his head in puzzlement, then he headed to the girl dormitory.

He headed to the floor of the third years, but he was nervous because there were a lot of female seniors around there.

He knocked the room of Celis where she should be alone right now, but there was no reply.

Lux wondered whether she was away, but there was a presence inside.

When he twisted the door knob and opened it, Celis was standing inside in her uniform.

「──But, in the end I couldn’t deny it. I also wish to obtain the chance to give him present. As the captain, being infatuated in this period of time is something that I oughtn’t to do, I understand that but....」

「Celis-senpai?」

Was she doing monologue like usual when she had no one to talk to?

It looked like there was no cat, bird, or even flower in front of her, but he also couldn’t see anyone else.

When Lux called out while feeling such anxiety, Celis turned around in panic.

「....-!? Lu, Lux!? Since where you are there? It’s not permitted entering the room quietly like that!」

「I, I’m sorry. There was no reply even when I knocked so──」

Lux apologized while smiling wryly. In respond Celis’s cheeks reddened.

Perhaps he should say as expected, she was usually awe-inspiring, but this side of her was lovely.

「That’s, is senpai worried about something? I will listen if senpai is alright with me though?」

Yes.

He came here in order to check on Celis.

For some reason the girls wouldn’t call out to Lux until the day of the holy night festival, so he was going to call out to them one by one and check on them instead.

「N-, no! Rather than worry, this is a part of my self-tempering so....!」

Lux thought that her figure which immediately acted strong was lovable.

「Is that so, -wait, looking closer isn’t there a mirror on the wall!? Is Celis-senpai finally starting to talk to yourself now!?」

「Sa, saying it like that is not permitted-! That make it sound like even a doll won’t listen to me talking!」

Could it be she was finally starting to talk to her other self because she had no partner to open her heart to about her worry?, Lux thought, but it seemed that wasn’t it.

「That’s, this is just a rehearsal. In order to convey my own opinion when the time come──」

「Could it be, it’s about the aide work?」

Celis was serving as the aide of Lux who was a member of Seven Dragon Paladins that were the representatives of each country in the world alliance.

During this time for a while there would be no direct battle and a lot of war council instead. As long as the standoff with Soffice Xfer was continuing, there would be a lot of chance of conference still.

And then, the new kingdom that had one of the remaining Ruins that hadn’t been liberated within its territory would surely be put in predicament.

At that time what matter wouldn’t be just fighting strength, but also the skill in making speech at meeting. She must be trying to become Lux’s strength in such time too.

Although, he also felt like the content of her speech just now seemed different from that.

「That too. My forte is in individual fight, but from strategic point of view, I still cannot be called as satisfactory, so although I don’t think that the disadvantageous situation of the new kingdom can be overturned, but if I learn about the history and force of each country, even I might be able to be of slight assistance for Lux.」

「........」

「Wha, what’s the matter Lux? Did I say anything stra──」

「No. I’m just thinking, that Celis-senpai is amazing as expected.」

Lux’s expression loosened into a smile while he formed those words.

Even though it was already splendid even with her just playing active role enough as the strongest Drag-Ride of the Academy, and as an aide of Seven Dragon Paladins, she was thinking further than that and polished herself.

Such continuous thick effort wasn’t something that anyone could do.

「But, please don’t force yourself too much. It might not be suitable to say this in this time of emergency but, Celis-senpai too has become able to consult with your surrounding little by little.」

「Wha-...., that’s, Lux is unfair. Even if I am told that by you who is forcing yourself harder than anyone else, there is no persuasiveness in it.」

「No, I too have no such awareness though....」

While saying that, he rethought himself that certainly it might be so if it was in the meaning of forcing oneself.

As expected, both of them might be similar.

「Then, this is a rare chance, how about we take a breather after this? It’s a good timing that I have just finished with my chores for today.」

「I, is that so!? Then I have a place that I wish to see──」

Celis unusually made a suggestion, which Lux accepted.

With thick outfit to keep out the cold and tea pot in hand, they headed to the rooftop of the girl dormitory.

Under the cold weather, the two stood side by side on the rooftop space.

「This place──I found it in the past. When my worry piled up without me being able to tell anyone, I often pondered alone here.」

It seemed that there was no cloud today, they were able to look up at the night sky that was sprinkled with stardust.

The ultramarine sky with transparent atmosphere was a scene that somehow made the heart to be fired up.

「──It’s, beautiful.」

It was a flowery word that was really trite, but Lux couldn’t think of any other word.

It wasn’t just beautiful, it felt like this sky and starlight cleared the heart and made one’s own existence to stand out in the dark──such thought was coming and going.

That they were just a tiny existence after all.

That even with that understanding, the light of their life was burning like the stars.

Celis was letting out a white sigh beside him while looking up to the sky with a quiet smile.

「That’s...., you don’t need to worry. I’m also changing little by little.」

「Eh....?」

「It’s about the training. Recently the Triad said that they want to become strong and accompany my training. From there it’s transmitted to the other members of Syvalles too. They will be tired and finish up in the middle, but right now I’m already able to open my heart to everyone more than the past. I am able to convey my true self.」

「I’m glad....」

「Lux is visiting me like this because you are worried about that isn’t it? Though it’s a bit pathetic that a junior is worrying about my interaction with other people.」

「Such thing──」

「No, I feel happy that you come to meet me right now. For me who was fighting alone all this time, I never thought that having someone who will let me to rely on them will be this pleasant.」

「........」

He watched from the side the face of Celis who was watching the star while sipping the tea they brought.

The dignified face of the girl that was illuminated by faint light looked really beautiful.

「-....!?」

Then, cold wind blew at that timing that caused Lux to shiver.

Celis who saw that immediately took her own muffler, got closer to his side and wrapped it around his neck.

「Ce, Celis-senpai!?」

「Thi, this is-....I have no ulterior motive! It will be me failure as yo, your aide, if you catch a cold in the middle of the standby-」

Even though her tone was disordered and her cheeks reddened, she leaned closely at Lux’s side with a resolute tone.

And so, Lux couldn’t think of any other option than to accept her words.

(No wait, her chest is inadvertently touching....)

Celis’s breasts that were bulging out greatly inside her uniform were touching him with her this close.

The soft elasticity that was distinctive even through the thick clothes was making Lux’s heart to beat fast. Celis who didn’t notice that smiled.

「As I thought...., it’s like that.」

「Eh....?」

Celis’s sudden muttering caused Lux to tilt his head.

Then this lovable older aide continued her words with gentle smile.

「The me in the past continued to work hard due to my sense of duty. In order to make up for my failure toward my teacher Wade-sensei──your grandfather, I tried to act righteously so I won’t make a mistake....」

That was the Celis before meeting Lux and opening her heart.

She performed steady effort as the eldest daughter of one of the four great nobles, and as a Drag-Knight from her strong sense of duty that was too strong and her past trauma.

「My hard work at that time was difficult but comfortable. Because when I am absorbed with training, when I’m acting righteously following the norm, I’ll be able to forget my own sin.」

「Such thing──」

Strictly speaking, Celis’s sin didn’t exist since the start.

There was no one who could find fault in the matter of Lux’s grandfather speaking about the old empire’s wrongdoing.

Lux meeting unhappiness as the result was something that couldn’t even be imagined, and the event that resulted from that was nothing more than a mere coincidence.

「Yes. But now, I’m not looking for such comfort from doing training. Because I was able to find a reason to advance forward that is more important than that.」

「........」

Saying that, Celis kept leaning closely beside Lux while sending him a gaze that was overflowing with gentleness and warm passion.

「It’s thanks to you, Lux. When I am working hard because I want to be a senpai that you can respect, to be an aide that you can rely on, I realized that it’s an objective that is worth doing. That’s why, I can open my heart with everyone else too, including the Triad. I’m grateful, really──I’m glad, being able to meet you in this Academy.」

「....tsu!?」

Celis’s voice sounded comfortable, and her smiling face looked happy.

The moment he saw it from this close, *throb*, the pulse of Lux’s heart jumped and his blood flow quickened.

He was happy.

He had no place to belong in the old empire, he desperately worked hard to be recognized, and lived until now as the chore prince. Such him was being told those words right now.

His chest was filled with emotion to the brim. He couldn’t speak any word.

Even though he came because he was concerned with Celis, it was him instead who was getting encouraged.

He felt grateful at such existence of Celis, at the same time warmth was filling his heart.

「That’s....it’s me who is really thankful. Please support me for these two months until the matter of Sacred Eclipse is settled.」

「That’s....not permitted.」

「Eh....?」

Lux completely thought that she would immediately nod in agreement, so he was spontaneously flustered with this reply.

But, he noticed her true intention after seeing her side face that looked sulky and he hurriedly corrected himself.

「Err, please take care of me from here on too all the way.」

「──Yes, I permit it. Please allow me to act as your senpai.」

Seeing her abruptly smiling caused Lux to watch in fascination.

His distance with Celis became close and a feeling that was like an impulse welled up inside him.

But then, Celis cut off her word momentarily and she silently stood up from that spot.

She formed a smile that looked frustrated and a bit regretful, then she continued.

「Let’s meet again later Lux. I, if I continue like this, it’s, that will be betrayal to everyone else.」

「Betrayal, what do you mean──?」

「Tha, that is a secret! E, even I have something that I cannot tell Lux. If it’s a promise with those girls, who are harboring the same feeling....」

Lux tilted his head at Celis’s flustered tone.

Could it be, this was related with the so called 『pact』 that the Triad mentioned?

「I give you that muffler as the present to you for the holy night festival. Then, excuse me.」

After exchanging only those words, the two returned from the rooftop to the girl dormitory and parted from each other.

Lux took a deep breath alone and looked up to the night sky from the window in the corridor.

Thanks to Celis, the wall inside Lux himself was broken.

Because of that, he was able to understand that the good will of the girls was surpassing mere friendship and respect.

He merely didn’t say it because he couldn’t relax his focus in this time where the world was in the brink of danger.

However──if this battle was over.

If they were able to overcome the world destruction by Sacred Eclipse.

「I have to, give my answer huh....」

Lux returned to his room after muttering that alone.

The stars were continuing to shine above the dormitory even with its light off.