The days after the cheek-pinching incident shifted in small, gentle ways.
Eve found herself speaking more with the others. Not long sentences, not fluent ones, but halting replies that they accepted without judgment. They smiled at her stumbles, waited patiently when she searched for words, and included her in their chatter as though she had always belonged.
Through Rei's grueling training, she mastered simple recovery spells: minor Heal, Regeneration, basic cures for cuts and bruises. Rei, watching her progress one afternoon, grunted in approval and said that at this rate, she might meet the mana and skill thresholds for a spirit contract in just a few years.
The routine was hard—exhausting runs, bitter potions, collapsing from mana drain only to be revived and forced to continue—but the hours felt strangely bright. Fun, even.
Then came the morning when everything changed.
"Eve-chi! Next is this one! And then this! Oh wow, the fabric is so nice... The teacher is going to be completely shocked!"
Tiz, a bright-eyed girl with endless energy, had turned Eve into a living dress-up doll.
Layer after layer of dresses, skirts, blouses, ribbons. Eve stood patiently in the center of the room, arms raised when told, turning when prompted, though she had been at it for nearly an hour.
"It's fine. This is fine," Eve said quietly.
"No way! Today is special! I've arranged it so you and Sensei go shopping in town together—just the two of you! You have to look perfect!"
Tiz leaned in close, eyes sparkling with determination.
Eve blinked slowly. Shopping. Alone with Rei.
She had tried to refuse the elaborate outfits from the start, insisting her usual gray tunic and trousers were enough. Tiz refused to hear it. "You're a girl! You have to dress up!"
The shopping duty had originally belonged to Tiz and a few others. But the day before, Tiz had suddenly volunteered to swap shifts, practically shoving the task onto Eve.
Eve thought back. This whole matchmaking campaign—Tiz's sudden insistence on pairing her with Rei—had started right after Eve confessed about the "strange cold" that kept returning.
The symptoms were persistent. Whenever Rei was near, her cheeks would flush, her heart would pound, her skin would heat like fever. She had suspected Rei was the source at first—maybe carrying some lingering germ—but none of the other children showed signs. Rei had looked utterly baffled when she stared at him suspiciously for days.
She had taken her own temperature. Normal. Consulted Tiz in quiet worry.
Tiz had listened, then grinned wide enough to show every tooth. "You're not sick! It's not a cold at all! But... I see. Let's do our best!"
Since then, Tiz had schemed relentlessly: accidental alone time, forced proximity, now this elaborate dressing session. Eve still did not understand.
But Tiz seemed certain she knew the cause. When Eve pressed for an explanation, Tiz only laughed and changed the subject.
Maybe it really was just a weird cold after all.
After another half hour of fussing, Tiz finally stepped back, satisfied.
"Yes! Perfect! Eve-chan is so cute!"
She thrust a hand mirror forward. "Look!"
Eve took it, tilted her head, and studied the reflection: soft blue dress with delicate lace at the collar, hair brushed until it shone, a thin ribbon tied neatly.
"...I don't know."
She could not tell if it was cute. She had never thought much about her appearance. Compliments had always felt empty before—lies, or tools to manipulate.
But a small, curious thought flickered: Would Rei think she looked cute like this?
Just a little curious. That was all.
From the hallway came a flat, deadpan voice.
"Is it almost over? No matter how you look at it, this is way too late. I've been waiting three hours."
Rei sounded thoroughly bored.
Tiz lit up. She grabbed Eve's hand and pulled her through the door.
"Look, Sensei! Isn't Eve so cute? So cute you'll fall in love at first sight!"
Rei tilted his helmet, hand rising to the chin plate as though pondering deeply.
"Hmm... Hmm..."
Eve's heart thudded suddenly loud in her ears. She strained to hear what he would say next.
Then he spoke.
"Even a horseman needs a costume."
The room went silent.
Tiz stared. "...Sensei, what does that mean?"
"It means anyone can look respectable if you dress them up properly. Some old saying from a book in my parents' storeroom. Seemed fitting."
Tiz's face crumpled in disgust. Rei looked quietly pleased with his own cleverness.
Eve felt a strange heat rise—not the familiar flush, but something sharper.
She reached for the hem of the dress, ready to pull it off.
Tiz yelped. "Wah! No! Sensei, even if you're joking, that's the cute part! Look at Eve's face! There are more wrinkles than ever! She's angry!"
"I'm not angry," Eve said flatly.
She was not angry. She simply wanted the dress gone. Immediately.
Rei shrugged. "I don't really get it, but... if you're ready, let's go. I'll wait outside. Hurry up."
He turned and left without another glance at her outfit.
Tiz sighed dramatically. "Ahhh... I'm sorry, Eve-chan. I never thought Sensei would be so clueless. Please don't be mad."
"I'm not angry."
"You look so unhappy!"
Eve ignored the protest. She was not unhappy. Rei's lack of reaction meant nothing. She did not care whether he found her cute or not.
But.
"Tiz," she said quietly. "Can I borrow that?"
She pointed at the fashion magazine in Tiz's hands.
Tiz blinked. "Huh? This?"
"I want to study it."
Tiz's eyes widened, then sparkled with delight.
"Yes! Yes! Then try this style too, and this one! Let's do our best!"
Eve nodded firmly.
She did not care what Rei thought.
Not really.
But she would make that rude, oblivious man call her cute one day.
Just to prove she could.
A few hours later, when the sun had dipped low and the sky turned orange, Rei was discovered asleep on a bench in the garden, helmet tipped back, snoring softly.
The shopping trip had been postponed to tomorrow.
Eve felt a small pang of guilt.
But only a little.
She would study harder tonight.