Shout out to Mc54322 and Anikong for the pledges.
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"Miss Nichiji Sumire, do you have a place to stay after being discharged from the hospital?" Nozomi asked gently, his voice laced with genuine concern. "If not… would you consider coming to Sakurasou?"
Before Sumire could answer, Sanshokuin Sumireko crossed her arms and gave Nozomi an unimpressed pout. "Oi, Nozomi! Don't rush things like that!"
She shot him a glare sharp enough to cut paper. "Pansy and I are already living together. Can't you give her time to adjust before you start making offers?"
Nozomi scratched his head, a sheepish smile playing at his lips. "Okay, okay. Sakurasou will always be open to you—whenever you're ready."
Nichiji Sumire—nicknamed "Pansy"—giggled quietly and covered her mouth, clearly amused by the exchange. "Also, stop calling me 'Miss Nichiji Sumire.' You're way too formal, Nozomi. You're our benefactor… you can just call me Sumire-chan. Or even Pansy, like Sumireko does."
"Alright then, Sumire-chan it is." Nozomi nodded immediately, accepting the nickname with no hesitation.
That nickname, Pansy, was special—bestowed upon her by someone important in the past. In the original story, it had been Jouro (Kisaragi Amatsuyu) who gave it to her. There was also Taiyo Ōga, the guy who used to spy on Sumireko in the library back when they were still awkward first-years.
Whether someone like Jouro even existed in this world was still unclear. Tomoya Aki had reportedly died young, so the timeline was already getting fuzzy. Still, Nozomi made a mental note to investigate later. He had a strange feeling that Pansy's awakening wasn't something that should be taken lightly.
When Pansy heard him casually call her "Sumire-chan," her face flushed with heat. She leaned over to Sumireko and whispered, "Has your boyfriend always been this shameless?"
"Pretty much," Sumireko replied with a mischievous glint in her eye. "He's bold and honest. Isn't that better than some shady guy full of lies?"
Pansy smiled faintly. "Yeah… a man with too many lies is the worst."
Technically, Pansy could go by Sumireko too, since that was her full name—but with Sumireko already being her closest friend, it would've made things unnecessarily confusing. That's why she only allowed people she trusted to call her "Sumireko-chan" or "Sumire-chan."
Under the reluctant gaze of the attending doctor—who clearly wanted her to stay for further tests—Nozomi took responsibility and escorted both girls out of the hospital. There was no way he'd let Pansy remain there and be treated like some kind of lab rat. A miracle recovery was bound to attract unwanted attention.
Afterward, he walked the two girls all the way to Sumireko's house. Once they were safely inside, he gave a polite wave and turned back toward Sakurasou.
Pansy headed to the bathroom first, taking a long hot shower to wash away the last remnants of the hospital. When she stepped out wrapped in the scent of floral soap and wearing Sumireko's oversized pajamas, she looked relaxed—almost like the entire coma ordeal had never happened.
Sumireko walked over and gently took her hand, guiding her to the couch. "Pansy… don't worry about anything else for now. Just rest. This place is your home too."
Pansy's expression softened, her voice almost a whisper. "Sumireko… thank you."
She had lost everything. Her parents had died in the car accident, and she'd been left in a vegetative state. Since then, none of her extended relatives or so-called friends had reached out—no one wanted to deal with a girl who'd been labeled a hopeless case.
The driver had paid a compensation fee, but every yen had gone into her hospital bills. And now… she had nothing. No money, no home.
Except for Sumireko.
It was Sumireko who had footed the bills during her coma, who had visited her daily, and who had never once given up hope. And for what? Because Pansy had pushed her out of the way in that split second during the crash. If she hadn't, Sumireko might have been the one lying motionless in that hospital bed… or worse.
Now, with tears threatening to fall, Pansy looked at her with deep gratitude. "You really are a silly girl. But thank you… I'm alright now."
She gave a faint smile. "Besides, I still have some money saved up that no one knows about. And don't forget—it was me who taught you how to do your eyeliner properly. I'm your big sis, remember?"
Sumireko grinned and nodded. "Of course. But if you ever run into trouble, you better tell me. Nozomi and I will help you. No more secrets."
"I promise," Pansy said, voice steady. "You're the only person I have now… so I'm not going to pretend everything's fine when it's not."
"For now, just rest for a few days. School can wait. You've already gone through enough."
…
Nozomi returned to Sakurasou just as the afternoon sun cast golden streaks through the windows. The quiet hum of the house welcomed him like an old friend—until a certain high-pitched voice rang out from upstairs.
"Nozomi! Get up here, quick!"
He looked up, raising an eyebrow. A white-haired girl with twin ponytails peeked down from the third floor, waving energetically.
"What is it now, Frieren?" he asked, already climbing the stairs.
Without another word, she spun around and vanished into her room. Nozomi followed her in, where he was immediately greeted by the scent of wild herbs and something faintly electric in the air. He stepped inside just as Frieren turned to him with a mischievous smile.
With a quick motion, she summoned her staff—a beautifully carved wand pulsing with magic energy. In an instant, a glowing magic circle flared to life beneath her feet. The air trembled as arcane words from an ancient tongue floated into the void, swirling like dancing fireflies.
Then, with a flick of her wrist, Frieren tossed several cards into the air, each shimmering with a soft glow. As they hovered midair, she channeled a wave of mana into them, causing the runes on their surfaces to glow brighter.
"Voilà! The fruits of my recent research—Card Magic!" she announced proudly.
"Card… magic?" Nozomi blinked in surprise.
Frieren nodded, clearly excited. "Yup! I've been studying that grimoire you gave me. Turns out, this spell allows me to infuse magic into cards—completely from scratch! Each one can be loaded with a spell and activated just by throwing it. There are passive cards, too—like these."
She handed him a small stack of cards. Their surfaces shimmered with protective glyphs. "These are shield cards. Defensive types. If you give them to people you want to protect, the magic will activate automatically when they're in danger."
Nozomi's eyes lit up.
This was perfect.
Ever since he started getting missions from the system, he'd worried about the girls around him—what if something happened before he could reach them, or before the system even assigned the task? These cards… they could be lifesavers.
"It's like giving everyone their own little guardian angel," he murmured, gripping the cards. "Frieren… this is incredible."
"If you want more, I can make a few extra sets," she added with a smirk.
Without warning, Nozomi stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a tight, warm hug.
"Wha—Nozomi!" Frieren's ears twitched, and her voice cracked from surprise.
"I just… I wanted to thank you. Really." His voice was soft. "Because of that healing potion you gave me, Sumireko's friend finally woke up. I owe you for that too."
Frieren's pale cheeks flushed a vivid pink, her heart pounding faster than she cared to admit. "W-Well, healing is my specialty. It's not a big deal. If it hadn't worked, I could've just healed her myself."
"I might take you up on that someday," Nozomi said with a playful grin, reaching up to gently pat one of her snowy ponytails.
The sensation made her ears twitch again. For elves, emotions weren't supposed to show so easily—but Frieren wasn't immune to the heat rising to her face. Elves were known for being cold and distant, especially when it came to affection. Her own master was practically a walking glacier.
But Nozomi… Nozomi was different. He was bold, unrestrained, shameless even.
And maybe… just maybe, that was exactly why he made her heart flutter in a way no one had before.
In her long, solitary life filled with spellwork and studies, not a single man had dared to act so forward with her. But Nozomi? He not only dared—he did it with ease.
Of course, Nozomi hadn't hugged her just to thank her. Sure, he felt grateful… but deep down, he also just wanted to hold her close.
They'd shared physical contact before—nothing too serious, but enough to blur boundaries. To him, a hug like this wasn't meaningless. It was a step toward deepening their bond, one little moment at a time.
Still, Nozomi knew not to push his luck.
After about a minute, he let her go, stepping back with a smile. Frieren blinked at him, still slightly dazed.
She was a top-tier elf mage—possibly the strongest in this entire realm. If he crossed the line, she could probably vaporize him in an instant.
"Slow and steady," Nozomi thought to himself, grinning inwardly. "We'll get there."
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A special mention to Manny and MC for pointing out the areas that need correction ad the comments in general. While it stings my pride to see so many little mistakes, my work is getting your attention.
Thank you guys!!