"Anya, you're awful. You actually used that kind of Magic on me..."
Twenty seconds later, Miyali had returned to normal. She pursed her little lips, her translucent pale golden eyes brimming with tears as she looked pitifully at the Elf girl.
"You attacked first, and you even said th-that kind of thing... Anyway, we're even now!"
Looking into Miyali's eyes, Antinoya guiltily looked away. She forced herself to keep walking with an imposing air, but her voice lacked conviction.
Stare—
Miyali pursed her lips and said nothing, merely staring silently at Antinoya.
"Alright, alright, I get it! Once we get back, you can do whatever you want. Is that enough—"
After taking two steps under Miyali's resentful gaze, Antinoya finally could not bear it any longer. Her feigned toughness crumbled, and the Elf's entire demeanor immediately softened.
"You said it. No taking it back—"
Miyali gave Antinoya a pitiful look. "I won't..."
Antinoya seemed to recall something, her face flushing slightly, but she ultimately did not take back her words.
"Alright, then I'll forgive you this time~"
Having received the answer she wanted, Miyali revealed a bright, adorable smile like sunshine. She stepped forward again, took the girl's hand, and happily led her toward the upper levels of the High Tower.
"...?"
Pulled along by her, Antinoya tilted her head in confusion. She vaguely felt that something was off, but could not figure out what.
Before long, the two Elves reached the top of the High Tower.
The enormous Star Observation Instrument stood there. Its entirety was made of a dark, mirror-like metal and shaped like a hemisphere over ten meters tall.
Its main body was supported by a metal hexagonal prism densely covered in Magic Circuits, measuring roughly three-quarters of the hemisphere's diameter.
Faint blue-violet light shimmered within