Watching Shikondell's retreating back, Milian opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
Yes, what right did she have to say?
Had she ever helped Shikondell, back then or now?
Suddenly, she sowhat understood why Shikondell's attitude toward Winnie was so different from her own.
She had known Shikondell early and was even of the sa race, yet this fellow golden elf who had known Shikondell for so many years had abandoned them in their mont of crisis.
Winnie, on the other hand, had only known Shikondell for less than a year and was even a foreigner from a completely different culture, yet from the very mont they t, he had sincerely helped Shikondell without failure, and even now, it was he who shouldered the burden and pulled Shikondell back from the edge of collapse.
As for her, she had barely helped at all, just as she hadn't back then.
True aid in hardship overcos lavish gifts in prosperity. When Shikondell was in her greatest peril, it was always Winnie who reached out to save her, never her, nor any other golden elves.
Her own race hesitated, fearing for their lives and weighed down by various considerations, unable to assist the moon elves. But as an outsider, Winnie, sharing the sa experiences and storing feelings with Shikondell, never abandoned her.
Her own race might hesitate due to various reasons, but Winnie will always help Shikondell.
That human was right, he truly practiced what he preached, and achieved that exactly.
For a mont, Milian's view of Winnie changed, and at the sa ti, curiosity arose within her.
That blue-haired human... wasn't quite the sa as the rumored persona, was he?
After parting ways with Milian, Shikondell hurried without delay toward the dormitory in the direction her mory recalled.
Before leaving the church, Shikondell saw the statue of the goddess Varelis at the courtyard gate and suddenly froze.
She realized the goddess statue looked really similar to the cherry-haired girl from her dreams.
Right, Winnie was a descendant of the Varelis family, carrying the bloodline of the goddess Varelis.
But Winnie was a dead vein, his bloodline completely dormant, showing no signs at all, which led to constant false rumors circulating externally.
Shikondell fell silent.
In her previous dream, the Winnie she had seen was a cherry-haired beauty, possessing the standard features of the Varelis family.
If that were true, then perhaps it makes sense why Winnie had transford into that form.
If that dream were real, everything would seem logical and coherent.
Yet, everyone had told her that her dreams were false.
Faced with this, Shikondell felt at a loss.
However, one thing still didn't add up. Although relying on the elven royal family's powerful senses, Shikondell felt that the cherry-haired girl in her dream was strangely familiar; she couldn't explain why their personalities were so different.
The more she thought, the more Shikondell felt her mind approaching overload. Everything seed to make sense, yet simultaneously contradicted itself. It was simply too strange, far beyond the complexity she could handle.
It felt... so complicated.
Shikondell realized she couldn't untangle these conflicting yet reasonable threads, couldn't extract the truth from this tangled, intricate knot.
What if she just asked Winnie directly? Would he tell her the truth?
Shikondell couldn't help but think.
Perhaps driven by a desire for a definite answer, Shikondell now desperately wanted to see Winnie.
No, perhaps she didn't really want that answer. Maybe she just wanted to see that long-missed face now, exchange a few words with him, and let her anxious heart finally settle.
By the ti these thoughts crossed her mind, she had already reached the first-year dormitory area, quickly walking into the zone designated for the top fifty students. Shikondell walked smoothly along this path she had traversed hundreds of tis, the road to ho.
Usually, she walks this route either returning from the academy with Winnie, or going out alone to buy groceries and daily necessities.
Although she had lived here for less than a year, this place already felt sowhat like ho.
Now that she thought about it, whether human or elf, the reason one would miss a place was simply because it held familiar and cherished people. Although the feelings differed, they shared the sa warmth, like even after the worst day, returning here would restore you to full strength by the next morning.
Just seeing these familiar buildings brought mories flooding back, the countless monts she had spent living with that blue-haired young man since entering Carillian Academy.
Shikondell realized it was because of him that this place felt like ho, just as her holand carried mories of her deceased family and dear friends.
But now, everything has changed.
In the end, people were what truly mattered. Without them, what aning would there be empty ho holding?
Shikondell once again recalled the words the cherry blossom haired girl had spoken in her previous dream: Don't indulge in dead mories or lost things. Treasure the people before you, and live every day well, that was the greatest respect and rembrance for them.
'Virtue 100.'
Current Virtue points: 8584.
Shikondell had already entered their dormitory area, but for so reason, this familiar path felt unusually slow, so she tried her best to quicken her pace.
Upon reaching the familiar house, Shikondell took the steps three at a ti, pulled out her Carillian student card, and opened the door.
"Winnie, I'm back," Shikondell said as she pushed open the door and walked in, just as she used to when returning from grocery shopping, announcing her arrival to the empty room.
However, no response ca as she had imagined.
She looked at the familiar furnishings, the scene frozen exactly as it was on the day they had left.
"Winnie?" Shikondell called out again, still receiving no reply. The room was empty.
Shikondell pressed her lips together. Although she longed to rush inside imdiately, she still had to remove her shoes. She hadn't changed clothes since being rescued from the Cube Subspace, nor had she had the ti.
The situation had been too urgent, technically, she had been in critical condition. Milian, aware of Shikondell's condition, had done her best to prevent the nuns from coming into further contact with Shikondell, to avoid exposing Shikondell's true gender.
Her clothes and socks hadn't been changed in a long ti. There hadn't been an opportunity before. After entering the Cube Subspace, she had been constantly running, even encountering monts where she couldn't escape, after which she lost consciousness. When she awoke, she had already been rescued, leaving only fragnted mories. That must have been when Dark Shikondell appeared.
But after that, Dark Shikondell never reappeared, seemingly restricted by a ti limit, unable to manifest again.
After removing her shoes, Shikondell put on her own slippers. She glanced at the dust on the floor, not much, as if soone had recently tidied up, albeit sowhat carelessly with limited experience.
It must have been Winnie who cleaned.
Shikondell stepped into this ho she hadn't returned to in so long. Since her holand fell, she had unconsciously co to regard this place as her second ho, so much so that when she had longed for ho inside the Cube Subspace, it was this place she thought of.
Now, she is finally back.
She entered the living room, no one in the living room, kitchen, or study.
Ascending to the second floor, Shikondell first pushed open her own bedroom door, feeling like a wanderer who had finally returned ho after a long journey.
It still felt warm.
Approaching her bed, she saw several stars hanging on the blue walls, decorations Winnie had bought for her during a shopping trip.
Opening the wardrobe, inside were clothes she had purchased with Winnie during their sumr vacation trip to the Calla capital, mostly neutral styles, wearable by both genders.
Leaving her room, Shikondell approached Winnie's bedroom door, opened it, and as expected, found it completely empty. That familiar figure was not inside.
Winnie wasn't ho.
Otherwise, he would have responded when she called earlier.
Shikondell rarely entered Winnie's room, even when he wasn't around, she rarely went in. After all, this was Winnie's private space, just as Winnie never entered her room without permission.
Perhaps because she had been away for so long, today Shikondell unusually took the ti to look around Winnie's room. Textbooks lay scattered on the desk, along with various study supplies like paper and pens.
Like any other boy, Winnie didn't particularly bother tidying up, leaving clothes tossed on the bed.
In Winnie's own words: "If I don't tidy things up, I can find them. Once I organize them, I can't find anything."
In the corner sat a card case, neatly filled with cards. Elsewhere in the room, many of Winnie's collected cards could also be seen.
The room carried that familiar, comforting scent she knew so well, mixed with the faint sll of cheap, low-quality perfu, the kind Winnie frequently used.
'Virtue 40.'
Current virtue: 8624.
So Winnie wasn't in the dorm?
Because she was so dirty, Shikondell didn't sit in Winnie's chair. After confirming Winnie truly wasn't in the dorm, she wandered around his room for a few monts before stepping out and returning to the living room.
But where could Winnie be now?
Shikondell desperately wanted to see Winnie, yet had no idea where he currently was.
In any case, she should take a shower first, she was far too dirty.
Could it be that after returning ho last night, Winnie had been too worried about her to sleep, so he went out to do other things to distract himself?
Or perhaps he had so urgent matter to attend to?
Shikondell pondered possible answers.
Unbeknownst to her, all her guesses were wrong.
At this mont, in the council student office.
"Could this student please deliver this form to the president?"
"These docunts, weren't they supposed to be on the president's desk last night?" The student council mber at the front desk frowned as he received the file.
"This is a temporary docunt. Not urgent, though," the submitting student replied.
"Fine, but the president isn't here today. She's working from ho. I'll pass it to the acting vice president later."
"Huh?" Hearing this, the student handing in the docunts looked surprised. "The president isn't here today?"
That was news. After all, throughout the entire student council, even the entire Carillian Academy, everyone knew that Mirexia was a diligent student council president who never missed a day of work.
She wouldn't skip unless she was too ill to get out of bed, sotis even then, she would still work.
"What's strange about that? You don't know about the study trip incident a while back? Ugh, that whole ss left everything in chaos. Right now, all first and second years are on vacation while the academy handles the aftermath. There were quite a few casualties, after all." The student council mber raised an eyebrow.
"So what if President Mirexia takes a few days off? She works so hard normally. When sothing unavoidable happens, resting a few days is understood."
"No, it's just... it doesn't quite fit President Mirexia's character. Still, a few days off might do her good."
At this very mont, in Mirexia's mansion, on the second floor.
"Dear Mirexia~ It's been a few days. My tea-making skills have improved, you know." Unbeknownst to Shikondell, the girl she longed for was now sitting elegantly in the villa's second-floor study, dressed in a clean female student uniform and white rabbit slippers, chatting with Mirexia, her words laced with a hint of flirtation, her eyes, filled with both sacred purity and alluring charm, gleaming with a playful glint.
Mirexia said nothing, silently lifting the teacup to her lips for a sip.
'virtue 80.'
Current virtue: 8704.
"Why are you suddenly calling that?" Mirexia averted her gaze, avoiding the srizing cherry-haired girl before her.
"What's wrong? Others can call you that, so can't I, your childhood friend, call you that too?~" Vanessa giggled, continuing to tease Mirexia.
"Of course not," Mirexia denied.
"I think the nickna suits you well, just as cute as you are. It really fits, Mirexia. How about from now on, I'll call you Dear Mirexia?" Vanessa propped her cheek on her hand, half-joking.
It has been a while since she last teased her adorable childhood friend. Now that Shikondell's issue was resolved, and her cooldown isn't over yet, she couldn't transform back, she had nowhere else to go, couldn't stay there, so Vanessa had taken so invisibility potion, spread her wings, and landed on Mirexia's balcony before dawn, waking her up.
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