"What are you doing? You woke me up."
Still dressed in an adorable white pajama set, Serie looked half-asleep.
Shichen had bought those pajamas for her himself—and he'd even helped her put them on.
"Go to bed earlier next time. I just need a small favor." He pinched her cheek to wake her up a little.
"What? You actually need my help for something? Hah." Even with her cheek being pinched, Serie still managed to sneer.
"Frieren can't sign up. Vouch for her."
"Sign up?" Serie blinked, only now realizing she was standing in the main hall of the Magic Association.
Everyone around them was staring at her in utter shock.
"…"
Internally, she felt a little awkward, but her face stayed completely calm.
"Frieren's that useless?"
"I'm stronger than you," Frieren shot back.
"Hah. You can't even register on your own—what can you do?" Serie mocked her.
"I can stay by Shichen's side forever."
"Oh? You've got guts, talking to me like that." Serie crossed her arms and stared her down.
"Of course I do. I'm super brave, okay?" Frieren put her hands on her hips and refused to back down.
"…What exactly are you two doing?" Shichen said irritably, flicking both of them on the forehead.
"Mm…"
"Ow…"
"Serie, just hurry up and register her."
"Doesn't she have her Holy Wand certification?" Serie asked, annoyed.
"The receptionist doesn't recognize that thing."
"Then that's Frieren's problem. Who told her not to go get a fifth-class mage certificate first?"
"When would she have had time? She was with me the whole time."
"Tch." Serie clicked her tongue, even more annoyed now.
"Alright, enough. Everyone's watching. Just deal with it and go back to sleep." Shichen rubbed her head to calm her down.
"Fine. Since you asked." Serie strutted over to the front desk.
"S-Serie-sama…" The receptionist looked terrified.
"With me personally verifying Frieren's strength, that should be enough to let her sign up, right?" Serie asked coolly, not even bothering to really look at her.
"N-No problem!" The receptionist immediately started entering Frieren's registration.
"There. Done." Serie came back, her eyes on Shichen's hand.
"Good. Nicely done." Shichen rubbed her head again.
"Then I'm going back to sleep. Frieren, don't fail." Serie glanced at Frieren and vanished on the spot.
"Looks like I really have to get serious," Frieren said, her eyes burning with rare enthusiasm.
"Alright, let's go. The exam's still more than a month away. Let's enjoy the city first."
Shichen led the way outside, and the others followed.
"Um…"
Once they were out of the Magic Association, Übel sped up and came to Shichen's side.
"What is it?" he asked.
"That was really… Serie-sama?" Übel asked, still unable to believe it.
"Who else would it be?"
"It's just…"
It all felt unreal. That spoiled, tsundere, almost spoiled-little-girl attitude—that was the legendary Great Mage?
If Übel hadn't already known who Shichen and the others were, she never would have believed it.
In her mind, a Great Mage should have been imposing and untouchable.
But just now, Serie had been wearing cute pajamas, acting spoiled with Shichen, bickering with Frieren—she hadn't looked like a Great Mage at all.
She'd looked like a tiny girl.
It completely shattered all of Übel's assumptions.
"Heh. So what kind of Serie were you expecting?" Shichen asked with a smile when he saw the disbelief all over her face.
"At least… a little more imposing…"
"Serie is imposing. In front of outsiders, she's proud and arrogant as hell. And honestly, she has every right to be."
The longest-lived Great Mage in the world—if someone like that didn't act proud, then no one had the right to.
"But the way she just acted…" Übel trailed off.
"Well, she was with me. Special circumstances." Shichen couldn't help sounding a little smug.
That proud, impossible old girl had been completely subdued by him. Of course he was going to feel smug about it.
"Special circumstances…" Übel nodded slowly.
Girls in love really did get a little stupid—she understood that much.
She just hadn't experienced it for herself, so she couldn't fully grasp it.
But if even the strongest Great Mage, Serie, could act that soft and girlish, then maybe romance really was something special.
She kind of wanted to try it herself.
"What's with that look?" Suddenly Fern stepped between them, clutching Shichen's arm and glaring at Übel.
"Hm?"
Übel blinked, then realized—Fern was jealous.
She smiled.
"Nothing at all~"
"You're not allowed to get ideas about Shichen-sama!"
"You're awfully defensive. That kind of possessiveness can get you hated, you know~" Übel teased.
"Hated… Shichen-sama, would you dislike me for that?" Fern immediately turned to him and asked in a small, careful voice.
"No. Fern gets jealous in a really cute way. I like it." Shichen smiled and reassured her.
"That's good…" Fern visibly relaxed, then shot Übel a smug glare. "Trying to drive a wedge between me and Shichen-sama…"
"That's a little unfair. You're the one who doesn't trust him."
"Don't think you can trick me again!"
"I'm not trying to~ But honestly, you don't need to be so wary of me. Shouldn't you be more wary of Serie-sama and Frieren-sama? Aren't they your real rivals?"
"Them… that's different!"
"Why? Because you came later? Because you feel embarrassed? Because you feel insecure?" Übel teased.
"You…!"
"Alright, alright, enough. Why are you two already arguing? Get along. There's a good chance you'll end up on the same team in the exam," Shichen cut in.
"You know the exam format?" Übel asked immediately, curious.
Given Shichen's relationship with Serie, she thought he might really know.
"I don't."
"Then why say that?"
"It's just a possibility. What if? Besides, aren't we traveling companions right now?"
"But she has ideas about Shichen-sama…" Fern puffed out her cheeks.
"Relax. If you don't trust her, at least trust me. Or do you not trust yourself? You've got way more charm than Übel does," Shichen said, soothing her.
"Shichen-sama…" Fern looked blissfully happy.
"So your charm is greater than mine, huh…" Übel smiled, but didn't argue.
That wasn't what she actually thought, though.
"Women are terrifying…" Stark, walking behind them, had already covered his ears and stopped listening.
The two of them weren't even really fighting, but just hearing them talk felt strangely terrifying to him.
No wonder Shichen could handle it all without panic.
And if anything, it only strengthened his resolve to stay single forever.
Just imagining misunderstandings with a future partner, all the endless questions and sulking, was enough to give him a headache.
Was that something he could handle?
Absolutely not.
The best way to avoid that kind of disaster was simple: don't start at all.
"Stark, whatever you do, don't turn out like Shichen. Just stay the way you are," Frieren said with a grin.
Watching Fern argue with someone else made her happy.
"Don't worry, Frieren. I'm absolutely not going to turn out like that. Being alone is way easier!" Stark declared, patting his chest.
"Uh… just don't turn into Eisen instead."