Leaving all the troublesome matters to my “former self,” I leisurely indulged in only my student life. After getting used to this mean streaked life, I enjoyed the things I hadn’t been able to do back then.

I also practiced tennis a lot in secret. Thanks to that, I was able to win the competition during sports festival with Anita. I was so happy. Well, the important Anita, right after the closing ceremony ended, cried out, “Where did Cecily go!?” and rushed off to search for her, barely taking any time to enjoy the moment. I deliberately gave her misleading eyewitness information and adjusted the timing so that she wouldn’t witness that scene of carnage.

Naturally, I was confident that I could get perfect scores on my exams if I took them seriously, but I restrained myself to a moderate level. I didn’t want to stand out, I’d be troubled if the genuine Eivind confront me again.

As for summer vacation, I decided to follow his example and travel alone. Honestly, I considered meeting up with him, but if I did that, wouldn’t it seem like I was eager to see him? I didn’t have the confidence I’d be able to avoid the matter if I were pressed about it, so I gave up on the idea.

But in exchange, I had an interesting encounter.

“Are you a lost child, perhaps?”

It was when I tried visiting Anita’s home, something I wasn’t able to do during my first summer vacation. Along the middle of a country road, I called out to a person who was not a small child but a beautiful blonde noblewoman. She unmistakably looked like someone unfamiliar with the world, walking alone with a parasol, glancing around nervously.

“Uhm, well…”

To me, a person about the same age as her own daughter, she timidly and awkwardly averted her gaze.

Oh dear, you really are a handful.

However, I was the one who had been looked after by her daughter. It happened just when I, for the sake of the beloved, very beloved, her, said, “This way,” and tried to take her hand.

“Ow…”

I stopped walking at her small cry of pain.

I followed the lady’s gaze downward and… discovered high heels, something completely unsuited for travel. Maybe she has blisters?

“Really, what a bothersome Mama.”

Thus, I had no choice but to heal the potential blisters with magic. While Mama might be able to heal it herself, unfortunately, it’s a fact that magic is faster.

Just as I was about to ask, “That should do it, right?” Mama was staring at me wide-eyed.

“Are you… a friend of Cecily’s?”

“Hm?”

It would have been one thing if she were simply surprised that someone as young as me could perform a perfect healing spell, but…

Eh, why is she mentioning Cecily’s name here?

As it was summer vacation, I was wearing a typical, one-piece dress appropriate for my age. While the sleeves and skirt were a bit too long for summer, my being a student at the same magic academy as Cecily and everyone else shouldn’t have been obvious at a glance.

As I blinked in surprise, Mama once again timidly began to avert her gaze.

“Uhm, excuse me if I was mistaken… It’s just, I recently saw my daughter again after a long time, and her way of speaking had changed a little… it was, similar to yours… I wondered if maybe she’d been influenced by you…”

Come to think of it, there was a time when I sat on Papa’s lap in front of Mama, and Cecily herself had been mimicking the way I talked…

Of course, my current form was “Hana,” but “Hana” herself wasn’t a friend of Cecily’s or anything like that.

Even so, I gave Cecily-mama a warm smile.

Then, for the first time, she smiled.

“Thank you. Cecily must be very happy with a good friend like you.”

Was I truly a “good friend”?

After all, I was a villain who took advantage of Cecily during a moment of weakness and possessed her.

What I did for her… I might’ve given her a push, but in the end, the one who changed her circumstances was Cecily herself. As for me, I was just using Cecily’s body to do as I pleased.

In fact, I hadn’t really done anything once the second semester started.

Cecily herself was the one who got close to Mark through their fireworks research, and it was also Cecily herself who slapped him for being pathetic. The internship was a hectic time too, but that was simply me dragged her into my own problems.

While having such thoughts, my youth as Hana flowed along peacefully. I was finally chosen to play the lead role at the school festival. It was exactly the kind of thing I had dreamed of. When I told the two classmates I’d become friends with, they were overjoyed and even went so far as to say, “We’ll provide your costume ourselves!” I had to respectfully decline, as it was a student-run school event. Still, I was delighted by their sentiments.

The performance itself ended without any trouble, and the two of them gave me a bouquet of flowers so large, I couldn’t even carry it. Even my classmates in the audience gave me a standing ovation.

Off on the side of the stage, my “former self” was getting ridiculously excited over the bouquets she received from Anita and Eivind.

Afterward, I spent the rest of the school festival’s schedule peacefully and leisurely up until it was finally time for the fireworks during the after-festival celebration.

“Sorry, I have a prior engagement.”

When I politely declined, my two friends started squealing in excitement.

Actually, I didn’t have any plans or anything. Just, there was a lot behind these fireworks. I just thought I’d take my time and watch them alone.

Now then, where should I watch them from? Somewhere quiet and away from others would be good. Eivind’s lab might be empty right now. After all, Eivind was supposed to be up in the clocktower during the fireworks.

“Oh, that reminds me, Hana was—”

“Gue—ss who?”

There hadn’t been the slightest sign of anyone being behind me, until my eyes were suddenly covered.

I forcefully removed the hands away from my eyes and I looked up. A handsome young man, radiating a mature charm unthinkable for someone only 18 years of age smiled down at me with utter delight.

“Eivind?!”

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