Yuuto slowly let go of Umi's hand, then stood up again.
"So? Was that enough to satisfy you?"
His tone was light.
Umi snapped out of her daze—her face bright red, head bowed low like a kettle about to boil over.
Honoka immediately stood up and came closer, full of excitement.
"S-so you really are a fairy!?"
Kotori also stood up and walked over, eyes sparkling.
Umi was still sitting, holding her burning face.
"Yes," Yuuto answered casually. "Like I said before… I'm a fairy."
Kotori blinked slowly, looking a bit disappointed.
"So you're not a magician…?"
Yuuto chuckled a little.
"Hey, since when can't a knight also be a magician?"
He snapped his fingers.
Click.
At once, a gentle wind swirled around the three girls, rising and falling like a dance.
"Woooaaah…" Kotori lit up. Her hair was slightly lifted by the wind, her face like she'd just received a present.
"So, what do you think, Kotori? About my wind."
Kotori jolted.
"E-eh!? W-what did you say!?"
Yuuto repeated, soft but clear, "I asked, what do you think of my wind, Kotori."
Kotori's face instantly turned red.
'H-he called my first name… on our first meeting…' her thoughts spun.
"Y-yes! Y-yes! It's very good!" she answered quickly.
Yuuto just blinked in confusion, then turned to Honoka—who was spinning around, playing with the wind like a little kid.
Then he saw Umi slowly approaching, still embarrassed but trying to stay calm.
"By the way, what are you three going to do now?" Yuuto asked while looking at the evening sky that was starting to darken.
"Aren't you supposed to go home? It's already late."
Umi immediately looked up—panicking.
"Ah!? It's already this late!?"
She hurriedly pulled Honoka out of the wind.
"Honoka! Let's go home!"
"Eeeehh but I still want to play!!"
"No buts! It's already late!" Umi pointed firmly at the sky.
Honoka puffed her cheeks, but finally gave in.
She turned to Yuuto and ran toward him again.
"Um… Mister Fairy! Do you mind if we come here every day!?"
Yuuto raised an eyebrow.
He thought for a moment.
'…Hmmm. Why not? They seem fun.'
He looked at Kotori and Umi.
"Do you two want to come as well?"
"Yes yes yes! Of course I want to!" Kotori quickly raised her hand.
Umi bowed her head nervously behind Honoka.
When Yuuto looked at her, she jumped a little.
"A-and I… do too."
Yuuto gave a small smile.
"Alright. You can come… but there is one condition."
"Condition?" Honoka asked.
"Don't tell anyone about this place.
If you break that… I'll leave. And this place will disappear, and we'll never meet again."
All three of them stiffened.
"…W-we can do that," Honoka answered quickly.
"I won't tell anyone either," Kotori added.
"M-me too…" Umi nodded while biting her lip.
"Good." Yuuto nodded.
He snapped his fingers again.
Click.
A faint glowing circle appeared under their feet—then disappeared.
"Now. You can enter and leave this place as you like."
Honoka beamed.
"Really!?"
"Yes. You're free to come anytime."
"Then, we'll go home for today!" Honoka said, waving her hand.
Yuuto nodded.
But suddenly—
"Ah, wait."
He snapped his fingers.
Click.
"What is it, Melusine-san?" Kotori asked, tilting her head.
Honoka and Umi also turned to look.
From within the grass, three large roots appeared, moving gently. At the end of each root… there was a beautiful bracelet.
The bracelets were soft gold, decorated with pale pink cherry blossom petals that looked alive.
Small clear gems hung between them—sparkling.
Kotori, Honoka, and Umi were stunned.
Yuuto raised his hand and gave a small smile.
"Here. Please take them."
Honoka immediately grabbed hers, eyes shining like a child at a festival.
"Woooow~ it's so pretty! What is this!?"
Umi took hers carefully.
"A-a bracelet?"
"Yes, a bracelet. But it's not just an ordinary bracelet."
Yuuto pointed at them one by one.
"If you're ever in danger… just pull this bracelet until it breaks, and I'll come."
Kotori, who was usually gentle, looked at him in surprise.
"Eh… thank you. But… why go this far for us?"
Yuuto smiled mischievously.
"There's no way I'd let girls as cute as you walk home without an escort, right? Especially since it's already night. Honestly, I wanted to walk you home… but I have something important to do."
Honoka puffed her cheeks.
"Muuu~ Melusine, you really like to tease, huh!"
But she couldn't hide her smile.
Yuuto laughed.
"Hahaha~ Well, do you not like being teased by me? Should I stop then?"
Honoka froze, her face turning red, and took a step back.
"N-not… like that…" Umi was about to explode; she quickly turned her face away and muttered,
"Not… really either…" Kotori whispered faintly, her face also red.
Yuuto saw their expressions and liked them—like he'd found a new source of amusement.
They finally put on the bracelets, each of them.
Yuuto nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright… see you tomorrow, Honoka, Kotori, and Umi."
The three of them walked out of the warehouse. The sky was already filled with stars.
Honoka lifted her bracelet toward the sky.
"This is so pretty…"
Kotori smiled happily.
"I didn't think… our little detour would let us meet a fairy lord, just like in a storybook, right, Umi-chan?"
"Y-yeah…" Umi turned her face away, cheeks still red as she remembered Yuuto.
Kotori furrowed her brows.
"Hmmm… but it feels like… we're forgetting something…"
Honoka stopped.
Her eyes widened.
"OH!? THE CAKE!!!"
Kotori & Umi: "Ah!"
And the three of them ran frantically toward the cake shop—they finally remembered their original reason for coming here.
---
"I'm home…"
Yuuto took off his shoes and let out a long breath.
From the living room, someone greeted him.
"Welcome back, Master."
The Touko doll stood straight like a statue, only its eyes moving to follow Yuuto.
Yuuto glanced at it briefly, then gave a small nod.
"Good work. You may deactivate."
"Yes, Master."
The doll stopped moving instantly.
Yuuto walked past it and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
---
In the Bathroom
Warm water filled the bathtub.
Yuuto leaned back, opening his flip phone with a sigh.
"This is weird… my reward should have already shown up in the group. So why is Merlin-sensei… so quiet?"
He opened the chat log.
One second later—
"WHAT THE HELL!!"
Yuuto almost dropped his phone into the water.
---
Time passed.
Yuuto was now sitting on the living room sofa, phone open, his face annoyed and confused at the same time.
The group log was full of messages.
---
Chat Group
[Irene Belserion]
"Let me repeat. So what you mean is, you're saying you weren't the one who sent the messages we got earlier?"
[Yuuto]
"Yes."
[Kuroneko]
"And you got the Genuine Fae bloodline. The most dangerous of all fae. As a reward."
[Yuuto]
"…Yes."
[Yamato]
"And you were FORCED to accept it?"
[Yuuto]
"Yes."
[Hatsune Miku]
"If that's the case… then Lady Avalon and Irene's theory is correct."
[Lady Avalon]
"Yes. Just as Irene and I guessed—the Group has its own consciousness. Something that manages the rewards without a fixed rule."
[Hatsune Miku]
"…That's scary."
[Irene Belserion]
"If the 'group' can force things, that can be a problem too."
[Lady Avalon]
"Yuuto, get some sleep. I'll think this through."
[Yuuto]
"Alright, sensei."
---
Yuuto closed his phone.
He set it on the table and lay back on the sofa.
"Sensei… this is really strange. Why is she keeping so quiet?"
He stood up, walked to his room, and got ready to sleep.
"Forget it. I'll deal with it tomorrow."
He turned off the light.
---
In a shining white room, Lady Avalon stood gripping her staff. Magic power flowed from her body—she rarely ever looked this serious.
"This… is not funny at all."
Her tone made the crystals in the room tremble.
"My dear student, the one I've worked so hard to keep from losing his humanity, is being messed with…"
Lady Avalon's eyes narrowed, her magical aura condensing.
"Whoever did this… I'll make sure they pay for making the Mage of Avalon get serious."
She opened her flip phone.
"I need to contact Miku."
But before she could dial, her phone rang.
Hatsune Miku was calling.
"Oh. Perfect timing," Lady Avalon muttered.
She answered.
---
Miku:
"Hello, Lady Avalon. Are you alright?"
Lady Avalon:
"Yes, I'm fine. How about you?"
Miku:
"Me? I'm fine too. But… you were too quiet earlier when you heard about Yuuto's reward. Is something wrong?"
Lady Avalon:
"…No. Nothing's wrong. His reward… is actually good. I'll explain it later."
Miku:
"In that case, I'm relieved."
Lady Avalon:
"Miku, I have a request."
Miku:
"Oh? Go ahead."
Lady Avalon:
"Can you watch over Yuuto for the next ten days? If you're not too busy."
Miku:
"Alright. I'll do it. Besides… it's been a while since I last met Yuuto in person."
Lady Avalon smiled softly.
"Thank you, Miku."
The call ended.
---
After the Call
The room fell quiet.
Lady Avalon looked down at her staff, her expression darkening.
"Void on one side…"
She clenched her fist.
"…and Genuine Fae on the other."
"Two things… that clearly oppose each other."
One is emptiness and silence, and the other is chaos and noise.
Lady Avalon closed her eyes and took a long breath.
"I hope… Arthur's soul can protect you, my student."