Perhaps the fierce blizzard last night had exhausted the energy of the forest itself.
Come morning, everything had gone still.
The snow had stopped. The wind had quieted.
Sunlight filtered softly through the canopy, casting dappled shadows across the white-blanketed earth.
A serene stillness had settled over the woods.
Rikuto opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Emilia's beautiful face.
The morning light streamed in through the window, casting a gentle glow over her silver-white hair.
At that moment, he could even make out the delicate flicker of her eyelashes as she blinked.
Noticing that Rikuto had woken up, Emilia—who had been crouched by the window—quickly averted her gaze, flustered.
But then, a moment later, she turned back again.
"Good morning, Rikuto."
The silver-haired girl smiled brightly at him, a kind of radiant happiness lighting up her expression.
"Good morning, Emilia," Rikuto replied, looking at her with a mix of fondness and amusement.
"…So, would you mind letting me get up now?"
He glanced at the girl still sitting by the bed, inadvertently pinning down one corner of the blanket as she watched him intently.
"Oh! You're getting up?" she said, flustered.
"Should I—uh, should I give you some privacy?"
"Puck told me that boys and girls are different…"
She fidgeted nervously, peeking at Rikuto with a guilty look.
"No need," Rikuto chuckled. "It's too cold. I didn't even take my clothes off."
He lifted the blanket, calmly suppressing the usual… morning reaction, and got out of bed.
"Wait… Emilia, don't tell me you've been watching me sleep since last night?"
"W-what? Of course not!" she exclaimed, puffing out her cheeks. "That's insulting, Rikuto."
"I just… happened to wake up early and saw you sleeping, so I got curious and came to take a look."
But her shifting gaze and gradually shrinking voice betrayed her.
Her pretty face practically had the word guilty written all over it.
The truth was—yes, Emilia had come over in the morning to watch him sleep.
But not out of curiosity.
It was out of fear.
Fear that what happened last night—saving him, talking to him—had all been just a dream.
Fear that he'd vanish the moment morning came.
Rikuto was the first person she'd ever met who was willing to talk to her this much.
No revulsion. No fear.
Just warmth. A faint trace of affection.
For someone like Emilia—always shunned and feared—that was the first time she'd ever received such kindness from another person.
That night, she'd tossed and turned restlessly in bed.
Sneaking over again and again to check that Rikuto hadn't disappeared.
That he was sleeping well.
That the cold floor wasn't making him suffer.
It wasn't until deep into the night, completely exhausted, that she'd finally drifted off.
But the moment she woke up, she rushed to his side—afraid that the one person she'd finally connected with… would be gone.
"…You're way too cute for your own good," Rikuto muttered under his breath.
"Cute? Are you talking about me?" Emilia's eyes lit up with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.
"T-that's too much, Rikuto. I—I'm not really… the cute type."
She lowered her head, visibly flustered by the compliment.
Since waking from her icy slumber, she'd only ever been feared.
No one had ever looked at her and called her "cute."
Not with a face that others found so terrifying.
Rikuto: "…"
"Emilia, you really have no sense of self-awareness."
"Sense of what?" she blinked, puzzled.
Her wide, innocent violet eyes were filled with confusion.
She clearly had no idea what he meant.
Rikuto shrugged.
"It's a slang term. It means… some people don't realize how strong or attractive they are. They just say whatever comes to mind, and it ends up throwing everyone around them off balance."
"In your case—it means you don't realize how beautiful and captivating you are, and it's a serious hazard to others."
He spoke with mock seriousness, shaking his head as he explained.
And just like that, Emilia's face flushed a deep red.
She instantly crouched down, hiding her face in her hands and turning her back to him.
"Rikuto, you're the one who says all these embarrassing things with zero self-awareness!"
She pouted, grumbling like a little girl.
"…You learn fast," Rikuto said, chuckling at her reaction.
Just as he was about to tease her more—
Countless glowing particles began to gather in the room.
A familiar fuzzy form took shape.
Puck reappeared, yawning midair.
"Haaah~"
Hovering lazily, the cat spirit rubbed his eyes with a paw.
"Good morning, Emilia. Morning, Rikuto."
"Good morning, Puck," they both replied in unison.
Puck floated lazily, then tilted his head.
"So… what was all that just now?"
"Ah, nothing serious," Rikuto said.
He gave a quick summary of his earlier banter with Emilia.
As he finished, Puck propped his tiny chin on his paw and nodded with exaggerated seriousness.
"Emilia, I think Rikuto was absolutely right just now."
"You definitely have no idea how cute you are."
He said this with a stern cat face, looking directly at her.
"Ugh… not you too, Puck…"
Emilia pouted, cheeks puffed in protest, then shot Rikuto an exasperated look.
"This is all your fault!"
"Yes, yes, I take full responsibility."
Rikuto bowed theatrically. "Dearest Emilia, I accept your punishment with honor."
That sudden display caught her completely off guard.
Having never been treated with such warmth, Emilia panicked, clearly flustered again.
"I—I'm going to wash up now!
I'm not talking to you or Puck anymore!"
Throwing on a cloak, she bolted out of the room in a rush.
And just like that, only Rikuto and Puck remained.
"You really are good with words, Rikuto," Puck said cheerfully, still floating in the air.
"It's thanks to your excellent support, Mr. Puck." Rikuto smiled politely.
"So… now that the mood's brightened, can I finally start learning magic?"
"Of course," Puck replied with a grin. "After all, you really did cheer Emilia up."
The tiny spirit swirled through the air happily.
"Anyone normal would be smitten by someone like Emilia," Rikuto added seriously.
"She really is the cutest."
"Naturally. She's the best."
But then, Puck's expression suddenly sharpened.
His soft cat face grew dangerous, eyes narrowing.
"But just so you know—Emilia's mental age is only around seven."
"You'd better be very careful, Rikuto."
He spoke the words slowly, with unmistakable warning.
Rikuto: "…"
Before Rikuto could even respond, Puck placed a tiny paw on his forehead.
"I'll start by unlocking your Gate."
"Try to sense it and take control of it."
With that, a soft stream of mana flowed from Puck into Rikuto's body—scouting, probing.
But before the process could even reach halfway—
"Huh?!"
Puck's expression froze.
"Rikuto, I… I can't find your Gate."
The floating spirit tilted his head, thoroughly baffled.
It was the first time he had ever seen someone without a Gate.