The moment their gazes met, the boy's mind went completely blank.
He even seemed to forget how to breathe.
A soundless silence stretched on for a long time.
Only after quite a while…
Did the golden-haired, golden-eyed girl blink.
The boy, stiff as a stone statue, slowly turned his body to the right—turning his back to the person standing just a step away.
And then—
"G-go-me-na-sa——i~~~~"
Dragging out an extraordinarily long apology, the white rabbit boy bolted.
He ran as if sparks and lightning were flying beneath his feet, not daring to look back even once.
It wasn't because some terrifying beast was chasing him from behind.
Rather… the nameless emotions surging within his heart were on the verge of overflowing—of exploding.
Flustered? Pure and innocent?
Perhaps both.
In any case, the boy didn't want that overly radiant person to see the ugly duckling he was right now.
At the same time…
"Just as I thought, he's a really interesting person."
The golden-haired, golden-eyed girl in a white dress crossed her arms, the corners of her lips curling upward slightly.
She didn't chase after the frightened "rabbit."
Even though, with her current physical capabilities, she could have easily toyed with him at will.
She merely narrowed her eyes faintly, a mysterious and dangerous expression appearing on her face—one that inexplicably reminded people of a certain 'pink fairy lady♪' with a delightfully mischievous streak.
Well… whether back on Earth or in this world, there were always girls with a little devilish side who enjoyed teasing shy, adorable boys—then laughing sweetly with half-lidded eyes.
Just at that moment…
"Lumine, why did you suddenly run so far ahead?"
Tione and the others caught up as well.
Following Lumine's line of sight, they too saw the white rabbit boy fleeing in panic toward the distance.
Ais seemed to sense something—
"Like a 'rabbit.'"
"Right?"
Lumine leaned closer to the expressionless girl and said meaningfully, "Compared to those adventurers who keep letting out creepy 'heh-heh-heh~' laughs, boys this pure are way more fun."
The moment she finished saying that—
"Ah-choo!"
Far away in the Dungeon, Renjiro, Aether, and Welf—who were grinding monsters like mad—sneezed at the same time.
Not long after…
"Hm? Lumine happened to run into the rabbit boy?"
Renjiro exchanged a look with Aether. "That's pretty interesting. Bell at this stage really does just run away whenever a pretty girl gets close, huh~"
There was laughter in both their eyes.
But… it could only be called unconscious prejudice—or perhaps being too clever for their own good.
Including Lumine, none of the current trinity ever considered that…
The future of this world had already begun to change, silently and imperceptibly.
And from that, a completely unforeseen possibility had been born.
The fateful encounter had shifted onto a different track.
========
One day later…
The white rabbit boy, dark circles hanging under his eyes, hadn't slept a wink the night before.
He simply couldn't fall asleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, his mind filled with that face—too dazzling, too close, gentle and approachable… and strangely warm (?).
He couldn't shake it off.
Ever since stepping into Orario, the boy had endured countless cold stares over the past few days.
His initial excitement and fearless ignorance had long since been ground away by cruel reality.
And yet, that person was different…
Because their eyes had met, he could be certain—she truly had been looking at him.
No contempt. No mockery.
Just a trace of goodwill.
He should have been the one to step forward and thank her—yet she was the one who spoke first.
She didn't seem to remember who he was.
"That makes sense… a 'hero' saves so many people. How could she remember everyone?"
The boy comforted himself like that.
But still… two days ago, that very hero who saved the entire continent had said he was "interesting."
"Emmmm~"
He didn't know exactly how he felt right now.
He only felt a little lightheaded… as if floating.
"Knock knock knock~"
"Hey—"
The thoughts swirling in his mind were forcefully interrupted by a rough knock on the door.
Having calmed down slightly, the boy hurried out of bed to open it.
The innkeeper stood outside.
"Today's the fourth day already. If you want to extend your stay, three more days will be two thousand five hundred valis."
"Eh?"
Hearing that price, the boy froze.
Because even by the innkeeper's previous quoted rate, it should only have been two thousand four hundred valis.
After all, big-city prices were supposedly eight hundred valis per night—or so he believed.
So why…
"What are you spacing out for?"
The innkeeper spoke as if it were only natural. "You originally said you'd stay three days. Extending now means there's one less room I could've reserved for other guests… the extra is a handling fee."
The naïve boy thought about it from the innkeeper's perspective and felt it made sense.
Right—he was the one causing trouble.
He didn't think much for himself at all.
After hesitating briefly, he pulled out his coin pouch and handed over nearly all the valis he had.
"Thank you. I'll stay another three days."
This time, it was the innkeeper who fell silent.
But the boy didn't look at his expression.
He quickly changed his clothes and hurried outside.
Because—
"I don't have money for food anymore."
"I have to find a familia to join as soon as possible."
"Otherwise, in three days, I'll be sleeping on the streets."
In his haste, the boy failed to notice the change in expression on the innkeeper's face.
Its name was: a pang of conscience.
=======
That morning—
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
At the entrance to the Dian Cecht Familia's headquarters, Airmid—dressed in a pale pink long skirt with a white base—greeted the golden-haired, golden-eyed girl who had been waiting by the street for quite some time.
As she walked closer—
"Uh, Miss Airmid… is this your casual outfit?"
"Yes. This is also what I wear when compounding medicines."
The silver-haired, violet-eyed beauty sounded slightly puzzled. "Is something wrong with it?"
"..."
So… it was still workwear.
Lumine decided not to dwell on it and promptly changed the subject. "You're really not busy today?"
"Yes. I worked overtime yesterday and arranged today's tasks in advance."
"Cough, cough~"
For some reason, hearing her say this so calmly made Lumine's liver ache in sympathy.
"An-anyway, today you'll follow my plan."
Lumine patted her chest confidently. "I've already rented a cooking room. No need for breakfast—we'll go straight to tasting my cooking."
"For the whole day ahead, I'll be counting on you."
"Mm. I look forward to it."
Airmid, too, showed a smile filled with anticipation.