Hermione's Guilt

The Granger house.

It seemed Hermione had just cleaned the house before going to find Silan.

Both the living room and kitchen were exceptionally tidy. A little afternoon sunlight filtered through the curtains and spilled into the house, brightening every corner.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll get the cake."

"Thank you."

Hermione carried two plates out from the kitchen, each with a large slice of cake on it. They had clearly been prepared in advance.

After all, less than a minute had passed between her entering the kitchen and coming back out.

"Try it." Hermione handed Silan a spoon, her face full of anticipation.

Silan did not rush to eat. Instead, he stared at the rather unevenly shaped cake on his plate for a while.

"W-What is it?"

Hermione grew nervous. He couldn't have noticed something, could he?

"It's nothing." Silan smiled and shook his head. "Then I won't hold back."

He scooped up a bite of cake and put it in his mouth, savoring it carefully before nodding in praise. "It tastes really good."

Hermione let out a sigh of relief.

Then Silan added, "But... Hermione, you made this cake, didn't you?"

"How did you know?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.

Was it really that ugly?

"It isn't as sweet."

"I know you don't like overly sweet desserts, so I deliberately made this one less sweet."

"So you made it especially for me?" Silan looked delighted.

The little girl turned her head away shyly and stubbornly replied, "I just made it while helping Mum bake yesterday. It was only for practice."

She said a great deal, but never denied it.

"All right, hurry up and eat. There's lots of filling inside."

"Okay. You should eat too."

The two chatted while eating, and time passed quickly. The sunlight that had originally lain across the living room floor had already climbed up the wall.

Thinking about how she would soon be leaving for Hogwarts, Hermione's mood became somewhat gloomy, even though she had just eaten something sweet.

She held her spoon between her fingers and absentmindedly traced it across her plate before carefully speaking.

"Silan, I... I'm about to leave for school. Somewhere very far away."

"We might not see each other very often after this."

As she said this, Hermione's voice suddenly rose, as though she were trying to bolster her own courage. "But I'll come back to see you whenever there's a holiday."

By the final syllable, Hermione's voice had become almost inaudible.

They could have gone to the same school. They could have remained classmates for several more years, played together during holidays, read together, and eaten little cakes together on quiet afternoons like this...

But now, all of that had been disrupted by Hogwarts' letter of acceptance.

When they received the news, the entire Granger family had been shocked.

The difference was that Mr. and Mrs. Granger were amazed that their daughter had the potential to become a witch. Hermione, meanwhile, was saddened that she would have to part from Silan.

She had even considered not going to Hogwarts, but in the end, faced with her parents' excitement, she suppressed that thought.

I won't forget you. We'll see each other again during the holidays. We'll always be good friends.

Hermione often heard words like that.

Before every holiday in primary school, many of her classmates would say the same thing.

But most of the time, once the holidays began, her classmates seemed to vanish. By the time the break was over, many relationships had quietly changed.

Good friends like her and Silan, who had stayed close for so many years, were quite rare.

"It's okay, Hermione. I think we'll definitely see each other again very soon."

"Yes, yes. Christmas will be here soon."

Hermione thought he was merely comforting her. Then, because she had kept something from her best friend, guilt welled up inside her, even making her blame herself.

[Guilt! Guilt! Guilt! Guilt Points +26]

That increased too?

Silan's expression turned somewhat strange.

However, he had no intention of directly telling Hermione that he would be going to Hogwarts with her.

From Hermione's perspective, he did not know she was going to Hogwarts. She had probably received a warning from Professor McGonagall as well, telling her not to reveal anything about Hogwarts to others.

Besides, there were only a few days left until September 1. It would be nice to give her a surprise then.

By the time the two finished their cake, it was nearly evening.

"Goodbye, Hermione."

"I'll walk you out."

It was an unusually clear day. London's heavy fog that year seemed to have been swept away by some giant hand, revealing skies that had not been seen in a long time. Faint sunset light burst through the white clouds and fell over the two of them like fine gauze.

The street was silent, broken only occasionally by the chirping of insects.

"Silan, don't forget me," Hermione choked out.

"Don't worry. Goodbye, Hermione."

Silan held out his hand, intending to say goodbye with a handshake. Instead, Hermione suddenly hugged him and pressed her tear-streaked cheek against his in farewell.

It left him somewhat at a loss.

"Goodbye, Silan. Goodbye."

"Don't cry, Hermione. We'll see each other again very soon."

Silan held her and gently patted her back with one hand, comforting her for quite a while before they finally parted reluctantly.

Even after Silan had left, Hermione remained standing at the door, watching his retreating figure for a long time.

After she left, Silan would probably always be alone.

He was so kind. Would anyone bully him? Would he go hungry?

Looking at Silan's thin back, Hermione felt even more guilty.

Just then, Silan suddenly turned around and smiled as he waved at her.

Though he did not say anything, Hermione knew he meant for her not to be sad.

[Can guilt spread? Guilt Points +40]

Seeing the notification before him, Silan could not help falling silent.

Hermione, I really didn't mean to...

Though somewhat surprised, Silan silently calculated the Guilt Points he had accumulated.

217. That was enough to exchange for one trait.

There were currently three traits available for exchange: [Spell Inspiration], [Vanishing Act], and [Alchemist's Hand].

Although [Vanishing Act] was cheaper, its effects leaned toward stealth, making it less worthwhile for him at the moment.

Both [Spell Inspiration] and [Alchemist's Hand] were good traits, and he was interested in both.

But for now, he only had enough to exchange for one.

Silan weighed his options in his mind for a moment.

Although [Alchemist's Hand] was also good, he lacked alchemy materials right now, so he would not be able to use it immediately after exchanging for it. [Spell Inspiration] was different. He already had a copy of Standard Spells: Beginner in hand, so he could use it right away.

Moreover, spells were used far more frequently than alchemy.

With that thought, the answer was obvious.

Silan did not hesitate and decisively chose [Spell Inspiration].

[Congratulations on unlocking Spell Inspiration]

[Spell Inspiration: Level 1 (1/100)]

[Description: You little fool, can you even understand these spells?]

[Effect: Inspiration is more likely to strike while learning spells.]

After unlocking the trait, Silan suddenly felt his mind become clear. His perception of the world around him sharpened considerably.

He had a feeling that studying spells with this sensation would yield twice the result with half the effort.

It made him eager to try.

I'm going back to study spells right now!