I Love You

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the high windows of the academy tower, slicing into warm, golden squares that were laid out on the dark floor, with dust motes dancing in the beams of light. The air was filled with the dry, pungent scent of ancient magic scrolls, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible, herbal aroma emanating from the tips of Frieren's hair.

Lowell leaned against the soft couch by the window, one leg casually bent, holding an open ancient book in his hand, but his gaze did not fall on the words, but rather across the edges of the pages to the carpet not far away.

Frieren was lying there, stretched out, her long silver hair like a cascading stream of moonlight, spread freely on the dark carpet, reflecting the light and shimmering with a soft sheen.

Several magic books of varying thicknesses and covers lay open before her. Her emerald eyes scanned the dense text with astonishing speed, pausing occasionally as her long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she were constructing complex magical models in her mind.

Her fingertips unconsciously twirled a strand of silver hair. She was so engrossed in watching that even the plate of her favorite nut and sugar cookies drizzled with glistening honey on the small table beside her temporarily lost its appeal.

Silence flowed through the room, broken only by the soft rustling of turning pages, harmonizing with the distant shouts and clashing of weapons from the training grounds outside the window, like the background music of this leisurely afternoon melody.

Lowell watched her for a while, his gaze moving from her focused profile to her thin back, slightly arched from lying down, and then to her bare, white feet that occasionally wiggled as she read something interesting.

He gently closed the book in his hands, making a soft "snap" sound that broke the silence.

"Frieren."

"Hmm?" Frieren didn't even look up, her voice nasal and slightly languid, as if she'd been disturbed.

Lowell coughed twice, his voice unusually clear in the quiet air. "I love you."

"Hmm." Frieren's response was flat and emotionless, lacking even the slightest pitch. Her gaze remained fixed on a complex ancient rune on the page, as if Lowell had simply said something like "The Tenten," a polite response that required no conscious thought.

Lowell stared at her profile, completely unmoved, as if she had heard something like "the bookshelf is on the left," and remained silent for two seconds. The corner of his mouth curved almost imperceptibly, as if mocking himself, or perhaps finding her expression utterly amusing.

He spoke again, his tone more serious, with a hint of emphasis. "I love you."

"Oh." This time, she even skipped the nasal sound. She even stretched out her finger and gently traced the magic circle pattern on the book with her fingertip, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly, as if confirming the stability of a certain structure.

"Buy a magic book?"

"Hmm? Now?" Frieren immediately raised her head, her emerald eyes instantly focusing, sparkling with interest that had been successfully activated, and her slightly furrowed brows relaxed.

"..." Lowell was speechless for a moment, his expression like that of someone who had carefully prepared bait but found himself not hooked.

This script is wrong.

Frieren waited a few seconds, but heard nothing more. Her emerald eyes held a hint of pure confusion. "What's wrong? Not now?"

Her eyes were clear and unfathomable, as if she didn't understand why he had suddenly fallen silent.

Lowell chuckled, scratched his head, looking both helpless and amused. "Uh... no."

He looked away, gazing at the clouds outside the window that shimmered in the sunlight, and smiled.

"Hmm... I'll buy it later, just mentioned it casually."

He looked away, gazed at the bright sky outside the window, and smiled.

As expected, it's still the same.

He looked at her again, deciding to try a different approach, with a hint of guidance. "Frieren."

"Hmm?" Frieren had already lowered her head again, but seemed to still retain a trace of expectation for the "magic book," responding a little faster than before.

"Um..." he drawled, as if carefully choosing the right words.

Frieren finally put down her book, tilted her head slightly, and let her silver hair slip over her shoulder. She looked at him patiently, waiting for him to continue. Her emerald eyes clearly asked, "And then?"

"What's wrong?" she urged when he remained silent, her tone still calm but focused.

"Why don't you mention that?" Lowell finally asked, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of anticipation.

"Which one?" Frieren blinked, her face genuinely blank, giving off a "what riddle are you playing?" look.

"That one!" Lowell gestured somewhat frustratedly, trying to evoke her memory with body language.

"Which one is that?" Frieren pressed, her emerald eyes pure and untainted, as if she were solving a complex logical puzzle.

Looking at her expression that said, "I really didn't understand what you're saying," Lowell finally gave up and rubbed his forehead.

"It's... the one you mentioned at the wedding, and the one I just mentioned..." He thought the hint was obvious enough, almost like giving the answer directly.

Upon hearing this, Frieren's face showed a serious expression of thought, her fingertip tapping her chin. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, her blue eyes brightened, and her tone became lighter. "Go buy another spellbook?"

She seems to have performed some unique correlation operation with "wedding" and "what was just said" and these two elements, arriving at this "magic book" conclusion.

Lowell was speechless. "... No."

He sighed, leaned back into the cushions, and waved his hand dismissively. "Uh... it's okay, you can read your book." His tone was one of resigned indulgence.

Frieren stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly conducting a final logical check. Seeing that he really didn't intend to continue the topic about "that," she lowered her head again, picked up another, thicker magic book with a cover inlaid with dark gems, and muttered softly, "... Strange." As if she couldn't understand why he had initiated such a meaningless conversation.

Then, she once again immersed herself in her magical world, as if the conversation had been nothing more than a pebble thrown into the lake of her mind, sinking to the bottom of the lake called "knowledge" without even causing a ripple.

Lowell watched her profile quickly regain focus, her expression as if "external interference eliminated, system restart complete," and shook his head, the helpless smile on his lips deepening.

He picked up his book again, but found himself unable to concentrate, his gaze frequently drifting towards the silver head.

After a while, Frieren suddenly closed the book, let out a satisfied sigh, and stood up. She walked to the small table, picked up the plate of cookies, and then walked back to Lowell, sat down next to him, her skirt brushing against his leg, and naturally placed the plate between them.

She picked up a cookie and ate it in small bites, not caring at all that honey and icing got on her lips. After finishing one, she picked up another and very naturally offered it to Lowell's mouth.

Lowell was lost in thought when she instinctively opened her mouth to take it. The sweet aroma of the biscuit wafted over her along with the delicate touch of her fingertips.

Frieren watched him chew a few times and swallow before speaking in a flat, emotionless tone, her gaze fixed on the clear sky outside the window, as if she were casually recounting something utterly ordinary:

Lowell.

"Hmm?" Lowell turned to look at her, somewhat surprised that she had spoken up first.

"I love you."

Lowell stopped chewing completely, stunned. The noise outside the window and the scent of the book seemed to fade away in that moment, leaving only the three words "her" gently landing on the lake of her heart, rippling outwards.

After speaking, Frieren stopped looking at him, reached for another cookie, and began to eat it, her cheeks puffing out slightly. It was as if she had just casually remarked that "the cookie is sweet."

A few seconds later, Lowell chuckled softly, the sound resonating from his chest, carrying an indescribable warmth and relief. He reached out and gently ruffled Frieren's silver hair. The strands were soft and smooth, warm with the sunlight.

"Understood," he said.

Frieren let him rub her, neither dodging nor saying anything more, and simply continued to focus on eating her cookies.

"Shall we go buy a spellbook?" Lowell brought up the old topic again.

"Um... I don't want to go." Frieren swallowed the biscuit and shook her head.

"What?" Lowell raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you quite interested just now?"

"Hmm, interested," she mumbled, picking up another cookie. "But it seems... it's not absolutely necessary to go."

"Hmm?" Lowell leaned closer, trying to see the expression on her face.

"Mmm..." Frieren took a small bite of the cookie, her emerald green eyes blinking.

"Hmm...?" Lowell's heart felt like it had been gently tickled by a feather.

Frieren didn't answer directly; she simply ate the last of the cookie crumbs quietly.

"I love you?" Frieren replied with a puzzled, questioning tone.

"Hmm...? I love you, Frieren."

"So," Frieren finally turned to look at him, her emerald eyes reflecting his image, and smiled, "It's alright if you don't have a spellbook."

"... Yeah."

"Yeah, really, were you begging for attention? You're acting like a child."

Frieren smiled, leaned back against his shoulder, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes. "I like magic books only because you praise the magic I collect. If you want me to say something, just say it."

Lowell steadied himself, adjusted his position to make her more comfortable, and his gaze fell on her silver eyelashes that trembled slightly with her breathing.

It's been a thousand years.

That's great.

After a long while, Lupa looked through the window and saw the two figures leaning against each other inside. A knowing smile and a blessing flashed in her eyes.

She grabbed Linié's hand, who was about to curiously look around, and covered her mouth as she said, "Linié is going to Imitation..." She shook her head at her, made a "shh" gesture, and then quietly pulled Linié away. Linié didn't struggle, leaving this quiet time entirely to the two people inside the house.