A few days later, Ilena and her little teacher, Annie, flew far away from the ruins of the city, where only one person remained alive. After a winding journey, they arrived in another small city in the North, one likewise buried beneath thick snow. They spent two whole days in this fairly ordinary place, which held few tragic stories, planning to rest and recover properly.
"??"
"Honestly..."
"That teacher of mine has been gone since noon, and she still hasn't come back... I was going to ask her whether we should leave tomorrow!"
"Sigh..."
"Whatever!"
"I'll stop worrying about her for now. She probably ran off to eat a fancy meal by herself again. I'd better find somewhere to grab a bite!"
"I'm starving..."
After checking that it was already getting late, Ilena decided to stop waiting for someone who'd been gone for half the day. She put on her coat, left the quaint, clean little inn, and headed out to find something to eat at a restaurant.
The inn served meals too, but...
Since her awful teacher had sneaked out to find herself a feast, surely a genius and beautiful traveling witch like Ilena—whose skin was clearer and more radiant than winter snow, so lovely that even snowflakes would melt in shame when they touched her—couldn't settle for something so plain and meager?
Anyway, it had absolutely nothing to do with being jealous of her teacher. She simply wanted to find herself something delicious to eat and drink.
"!?"
"Oh!"
"What's your problem—"
Ilena had just stepped outside when someone bumped into her. She was about to scold them, but then the person glanced back at her. Seeing their fierce little face and eyes filled with an indescribable emotion, like a frightened fawn's, Ilena hesitated. In the end, she