"Does that mean you're really leaving, Alice?"

  On the bed, Thalia was lying beside the “magical girl.” After leaving Klein with the fate of sleeping on the couch, it was finally time for girl talk.

  Yes, Thalia was saying goodbye to Alice, because at dawn, the just “magical girl” would embark on a new journey of her own, a path that would certainly be filled with danger.

  It was time to leave.

  “Yes, I’m going to leave Nomeka and head for a lawless zone on the outer planets. The Royal Court of Astralis is about to occupy this planet. There’s no place for me here anymore. I can’t bring danger to my friends. I still have to fulfill my revenge.”

  Hugging the tearful Thalia tightly, Alice’s feelings were just as complex and subtle. Even though she had known that girl for only a short time, the “Miss Apple Pie” could already be considered one of the few good friends Alice had made in her eleven years of life.

  But when the first rays of morning arrived, so would the moment of parting.

  No one knew if there would ever be another chance to meet again. If everything went as expected, Thalia’s life would follow a normal path: growing up, getting married, building a career. For her, the “career as a magical girl’s partner” would be nothing more than a distant dream from youth.

  For Alice, however, the path of revenge ahead would be full of blood and torment, hard to even imagine.

  “……”

  “Don’t cry, Thalia. Don’t forget that you’re a magical girl’s partner. If one day I’m seriously injured, you’ll still be my last support, won’t you?”

  Gently stroking Thalia’s long brown hair, as if comforting a child, Alice, though younger, spoke with surprising maturity and calm.

  Maybe it was because of everything she had already been through. In the process of learning to comfort herself, Alice had quickly matured to the point of knowing how to comfort others.

  “I’ll never forget you, Moon Fairy. At home, I’ll always have stocks of medicine and bandages, and the ingredients for pineapple pie will be ready. If you ever need a partner, I will never, ever say no. Sniff…”

  Crying as she replied, Thalia’s pain only seemed to deepen. Maybe, for someone who had grown up without their parents’ company, the pain of separation was even deeper and harder to bear.

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  Still… even if the room was full of a warm silence, even if the world seemed to sing praises to this rare true friendship, as they say: “every party must come to an end.” And with the morning light streaming through the thin curtains and illuminating the white sheets, the new day arrived, as expected…

  “Knock, knock, knock!”

  “Miss Entropist, I know it was hard for you to make this decision, but we need to prepare to leave. I’ve already contacted the leader of the Wings of the Firmament rebels. Once we arrive on planet Nemoris, the Empire’s threat can be contained…”

  Without a doubt, the one knocking was Grand Duke Klein, who had slept on the couch. Now, as a young noble with no real power, he clearly cared more about the escape plan than Alice. It was easy to imagine that he had spent the whole night anxious and uneasy.

  However…

  “Interrupting girls’ secret talk is not gentlemanly at all! You should’ve used this time to prepare breakfast, right? Go do it now and only come back when it’s ready!”

  Showing no courtesy, Alice, annoyed by the interruption, directly ordered the Grand Duke.

  After all, this was one of the rare farewell moments with Thalia. How could she tolerate an intruder ruining every precious second?

  Even with dawn approaching… it was time to wrap up this goodbye…

  “Make… breakfast? Do I look like someone who makes his own breakfast? I don’t even know how to cook! Don’t be so cruel, my little princess! That’s too much to ask!”

  Awkwardly complaining about Alice’s demand, Klein sounded truly desperate. Just moments ago, when asking the Entropist for help, he still thought Alice was a rational partner. Now, unsurprisingly, he was seeing her childish side.

  “In the end, she’s still just a little girl… I don’t know if that’s good or bad…”

  Left with no choice under that roof, Klein muttered about Alice’s personality and, realizing he wouldn’t be leaving without making breakfast, resigned himself and went to the kitchen.

  Even though he had never cooked before, the Grand Duke of Nomeka wasn’t completely useless. At the very least, he knew the basics of how to fry an egg. To get the “princess” out of bed, he’d have to try.

  “If only Nya were still here… She was a specialist in making delicious eggs… I wonder if she managed to escape after being left behind with the First Squad? Probably… the chances are slim…”

  Looking at the fresh eggs in the kitchen, Klein couldn’t help thinking about his trusted secretary, Nya.

  Yes, under the iron hooves of the Astralis army, even he, a great noble, had lost everything: power, status, loved ones… even the person he trusted most.

  “It’s sad… without Nya, I can’t even make a meal…”

  With a serious expression, he shook his head. Saying nothing more, Klein grabbed the frying pan.

  “...…”

  “Alice… do you think he really doesn’t know how to make breakfast? Maybe I should go prepare something…”

  Hearing the clattering from the kitchen with concern, Thalia doubted Klein’s cooking skills.

  To her, it was entirely possible that that young master from a rich family had never even seen a raw egg in his life.

  But Alice didn’t seem worried. In fact, she was curious to see whether the Grand Duke, who had run to hide in Thalia’s house in the middle of the night, could prepare something edible. It was a test of intelligence and common sense. After all, in a serious escape, there was no room for a pampered young man.

  And to take revenge for how the old “fox” had used her hatred the day before, the resentful “magical girl” didn’t forget to shout at Klein:

  “Make sure that breakfast is amazing! If I like it, you’ll get a very important reward. If I don’t… then your loyal subordinate’s sacrifice will have all been for nothing!”