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The spring rain had stopped, but the gloomy sky remained that evening.

I was walking home with Victoria along the usual path.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been out like this.”

“Really?”

Come to think of it, it has been a while. Victoria hadn’t stepped outside the Royal Academy since she became a second-year student a month ago.

Last year, she would rush out as soon as classes were over, but now there’s no reason to go out.

Victoria skipped along the path.

“Yeah. I didn’t really want to come out.”

As she said that, Victoria shifted her gaze to the buildings on her right. She was probably looking at the buildings or the people inside them.

It was ordinary people who had taken away her precious ones.

And then there was silence again.

I didn’t ask too many questions. Usually, it was Victoria who would initiate the conversation, but she didn’t seem inclined to talk either.

I was afraid of making an awkward comment, and Victoria wasn’t the type to talk much anyway.

Or rather, to be precise, she only became talkative when discussing mechanical devices.

So, silences would often arise during our discussions, but it didn’t seem like Victoria minded those silences too much.

So, I guess this means we’ve gone back to the old days.

With that, I brought her into my house.

Unlocking the door, I noticed Victoria standing at the stairs, bracing herself.

She’d come in when she felt like it.

I entered the foyer. As I stepped in, I placed my shoes in the shoe rack on the right and pulled out indoor slippers. Might as well grab a pair for our guest too.

Rabo, who was sitting on the shoe rack, was still grinning cheerfully.

Wait, did he just grow a bit fluffier?

Looks like he’s gotten fuzzier.

Since it wasn’t dangerous, I stepped inside.

“I’m coming in….”

Victoria cautiously entered right after me. As soon as she came in, her eyes darted around.

A look of suspicion appeared on her face.

Then, she spoke in a very soft voice.

“It’s in good shape.”

Did she expect something horrific to be sticking in the nest?

To be precise, the décor inside this building reflects the taste of the previous owner.

It must have belonged to someone quite elderly, as it has a composed and solemn feel to it. This is why the accommodation guests disliked visiting.

They often suggested I change it to something cute and cheerful.

I refused.

If it were a living den with flesh pulsating, I might have considered changing it, but I think the geometric patterns and well-blended wooden shapes are quite standard.

It’s not something I dislike enough to feel compelled to change.

“Come this way.”

I was already in the living room, so I called out to Victoria, who was fidgeting in the foyer.

“Ah, um, okay! I’m coming!”

Victoria glanced at Rabo one last time, being weirded out, before stepping inside.

“It’s an ugly doll.”

Well, yeah.

Rabo isn’t exactly cute.

But still, with the girl I wanted and something resembling a girl all in one house, today is bound to be more enjoyable.

As Victoria entered the living room, she took in her surroundings and smiled softly.

“This place is nice.”

Her gaze landed on the decoration that the accommodation guests had given as a present. I had heard they chose it because it matched the mansion and suited me, and it seems Victoria likes it too.

Whenever guests come over, I always turn on the heating.

Maybe it’s because it’s a mechanical device, but seeing Victoria’s eyes widen as she glanced at it is pretty funny.

“Is it okay to turn that on?”

Ah, that?

True. Even now, people feel compelled to raid and loot if they detect any sort of power device. If Victoria still perceives that day as reality, it’s understandable she would be shocked.

“Yes. The country replaced it for us.”

To be precise, while the heater could be considered a machine, the mechanical device operating inside has swapped out the previous power unit for a new one.

By the looks of it, the country must be making devices that can replace the old spring mechanisms.

Since the person who came to install it before was a soldier, they probably brought something developed urgently for military use.

If spring mechanisms cease to function, military combat power takes a massive hit, so it’s only natural to respond quickly.

“I see.”

She let out a long sigh, plopping down in a chair.

Watching her, as the water ring forms like a halo above her head and disperses into the air raises questions about what exactly Victoria is becoming.

By the way, it seems like the past is still heavy on her mind.

Not much time has passed since then, after all.

Though I see all the worlds at once, so with an abundance of content, I don’t feel the time passing as much.

Yeah.

The memories of being human are still there.

Probably.

“Don’t worry. And do you think I’m going to die if those raids happen?”

When I asked her, Victoria stared at me blankly, shaking her head slightly. This was a person who was with me when I changed Maleficent into a tool.

“I can’t die, to begin with, so worry about other people’s lives. Oh, dinner might take a little while. It’s normally enough for two, but you tend to eat a lot, right?”

“Who are you calling a pig?”

Huh?

I thought she wouldn’t mind being a big eater, but she looked pretty offended. No one among the harvesters has serious weight issues, so there’s really no need to fret.

None of the harvesters are obese.

Perhaps because of the mixing of blood, or maybe because I’m not involved, instances of obesity only start showing from the second generation.

At least Victoria has no reason to worry.

But I won’t say it. Instead, I’ll poke her from another direction.

“Don’t you need rich meat?”

“Ew.”

Hmm. She answers with a solemn expression. I nod and get ready to leave to go grocery shopping.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going grocery shopping. You wanna wait?”

After a moment of consideration, Victoria stood up.

“Let’s go together.”

We stepped out to go grocery shopping. My house is on the border between the commercial area and the residential district. So with just a short walk, we’re at the shops, making it very convenient.

Following me, Victoria gasped as she looked at the water’s edge.

Wow, it must look incredibly expensive even to Victoria.

However, while selecting meat or vegetables, she seemed indifferent, but when it came to snacks, her jaw dropped in surprise, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Yeah, it makes sense.

If you never cook, it’s hard to feel how much food prices are.

Victoria looked around the shops.

“It seems things have returned to normal here.”

Of course, Victoria doesn’t know what the original state was, but it may look like life is back to normal.

“No.”

I shook my head.

Then I pointed to a few shops with my hand.

Empty stores.

“They’re all shops that disappeared within the last month. There’s no safe place left. The ones struggling to stay are still hanging on.”

The frequent remarks we hear are complaints about why the vegetables don’t look fresh, or arguments about the high prices of meat.

This period marks the onset of spring, and with the monsters that had been dormant over winter now moving, the amount of meat circulating should increase, which should theoretically bring prices down, yet they are not dropping—people are grumbling about that too.

Indeed, they’ve been murmuring about the slaughterhouses pocketing a backhand.

But this is because the meat-producing monsters have become fuel. No one credits this, so the butcher bears the brunt of the ire.

It’s a tough world that makes them suspicious like that.

Anyway.

Victoria nodded there and stayed silent on the way back. With a blush on her cheeks, she seemed to realize how her words might have come off.

It likely sounded like she thought the upper class was greedy just because they were living well. Yeah.

Quite the messy situation.

I returned home with an armful of groceries, just like when guests come over.

And I laid out all the dishes I could manage to make.

But do you know what Victoria said?

“It’s a strange taste….”

…Royal Academy school lunch is actually delicious.

Once we finished dinner, Victoria cleared all the dishes in a minute flat. I clapped for her as she adeptly cleaned up while I couldn’t help but feel like I’d completely missed the evaluation of the food.

Wow, her ability to handle water is truly impressive.

And then Victoria headed back to the dormitory.

I saw her off at the entrance. In the meantime, I noticed a hint of gloom on Victoria’s face, as though something was bothering her.

So, to lighten the mood, I pressed on Rabo.

“Hehe!”

That made Victoria break into a wide smile.

As if it were cut and pasted, fully beaming.

She wasn’t laughing for the sake of humor; she smiled because the strange joy bubbled up within her. When it comes to feelings, I am quite particular.

“That’s really strange, haha. I’ll be going now. See you tomorrow!”

But perhaps not realizing it, Victoria pointed at Rabo with a laugh. Then waved and left.

“Yes. Take care, Victoria.”

I waved back.

After confirming the door was closed, I picked up Rabo.

It felt like an unsettling doll rolling between the slight unpleasantness of a valley.

I had made the assumption that since it use humans without any abilities, it might not be something special, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

I pressed my hand against Rabo’s face to reshape it into a goofier form.

To make it look more like a real doll.

Then, I hung it from my bag.

This just might come in handy.