“And that’s basically what happened.” Edward finished up telling me his story.

“Whoa, to think you’ve been through so much.” I said as I looked over at the girl standing next to him, “But just to get this straight – you’re definitely not two-timing?”

“Of course not, that was a complete lie!” Edward got offended, “Meil, I understand you’re a bit too pragmatic for your own good, but please don’t think of me as someone who would cheat on his wife.”

Well, I guess he’s right. It was rude of me to assume such a thing, but after Lune’s situation, I kind of thought for a moment that maybe cases like his weren’t so rare after all. Even still, I guess I was wrong in my assumption, so I should definitely apologize to Edward.

“I’m sorry, I stepped out of line.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, guy!” The girl who called herself Vivia patted me on the back with a wry smile, “I understand that seeing such a beautiful Goddess such as I would make anyone assume I’m taken, but that is in fact not true at all.”

“Who’d want someone like you as their partner?” Edward crossed his arms, “Such a burden of a woman, I’d rather you didn’t follow me to here at all!”

“How rude!” She clobbered him on the head, “A man like you should be protecting a woman like me with his life! And yet you have the gall to call me names?”

“Why the hell are you even here?!” He started yelling at her.

Darn, this is bad. I wonder, do these two not get along well with each other? Really, when I heard his name get called up, I didn’t expect him to be this grumpy, but maybe that’s just because he’s nervous about getting enlisted. I need to find a way to calm the situation down.

“Hey now, don’t be like that.” I separated the two of them, “What would Lune think if he saw you lashing out like this?”

“…Eh?” Edward was at a loss for words, “Did you… How did you know…?”

“Ah, did I forget to mention?” I finally revealed, “I’m not usually this talkative to the newbies. The reason I called out to you this morning was actually because I’m a friend of Lune Grimheart. Well, he’s technically my tutor and benefactor, but yeah, we know each other.”

“Is that so?” He then chuckled, “Dammit, I feel like no matter where I turn, Grim’s just gonna be everywhere.”

“And why is that?”

“A-Ah, don’t worry about it.” He reassured me, “I don’t mean anything bad by it, it’s just… Well, Grim’s pretty amazing, isn’t he? And since every one of my loved ones knew him, I keep getting told stories of his exploits, not to mention people comparing the two of us.”

“Why?” I genuinely didn’t understand.

“Why?” Ed parroted my query, “Well, I dunno. Maybe since we’re childhood friends or something? Or the fact that we both started off adventuring together, but I backed out of it in favor of a more peaceful life? Really, even I don’t know the answer to that question…”

“But you two don’t have anything in common?”

“Yeah, I can see why you’re saying that…” Ed’s head drooped down.

“No no, I don’t mean it like that. Rather, I’m saying that you’re quite a lot more patient and smart in comparison.”

This observation of mine caught his attention, so he looked up at me, dumbfounded, as he waited for me to finish talking.

“We’re both his friends, so I think you should know that he’s not someone who thinks before he speaks, much less acts.”

“Heh, yeah…” He finally cracked a weak smile, “But it’s that willingness to act on your ideas that separates the capable men from the incapable ones. I both admire and despise that side of him.”

“You do?” I thought for a moment, “You admire it, and yet you still don’t choose to act like that? You despise it, so you stray from it. I think that you already know that acting on impulse won’t ever result in good outcomes, so I don’t see why you’re beating yourself up for using your brain.”

“Hm…” He glanced over at Vivia, “Yeah, now that I think about it, you’re kinda right. Not thinking things through leads to some very annoying outcomes…”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?!” Vivia glared back before proudly slapping her tummy, “Are you forgetting that I’m the reason you got accepted into this place, or should I remind you?”

“Oi! I didn’t need that stupid lie of yours to get in here at all!” He once again started bickering, “Seriously, saying you’re pregnant with my child? Have you gone insane? Even if I’m being kind and ignoring the fact that you’re making me look like some deceitful bastard, how are you gonna tackle the fact that you’ll eventually get found out on account of your stomach never growing?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Miscarriage, duh.” She said such a heavy word so nonchalantly.

“And what if Pierre says something like Alright then, if you’re no longer pregnant, I don’t have a reason to keep you anymore?”

“Yeah, but he won’t!” She folded her arms and fwipped around, “Seriously, you’re such an overthinker!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

Bickering as they were, I couldn’t help but crack a smile at their little exchange. Really, it’s been a month since I parted ways from Lee and Issei, so I guess I’m kind of feeling a bit nostalgic. Really, the three of us spent a lot of time together, so being separated from them made me unbearably lonely. I wonder, will I ever reach a level of friendship with these two as well?

“And you!” Vivia turned to me, “What’s got you so cheery? This funny to you?!”

“N-No, pfft!” I tried my best to stifle my laughter, “It’s just, you guys bickering like that reminded me of prison life.”

In that very moment, both of them looked me in the eyes with pure horror showing on their face. They once again inspected me from head to toe, before pointing with their hands shaking. “Y-You’ve… been to prison?”

“Surprised?” I shrugged, “Well, not really a prison, per se. More so a concentration camp, I guess. You see, it’s these very Carmen soldiers that are trying to take over the Western side of your country that had caught and enslaved me about a year ago. We were forced to work on digging out the Great Canal project under incredibly harsh living conditions, and had it not been for the General arriving to save us, we’d still be in there digging away.”

“Wow…” Edward started thinking about something, “You’ve survived through so much. Oh, but wait, is that why your Eyes are White? Did you convert in prison or something?”

“That I did.” I appreciated how quick he was to figure stuff out, “Really, figuring out how Cycles worked helped me immensely in getting through those tough days, so I can’t really express how thankful I am that I converted when I did.”

“Oh, I see…” He awkwardly stared at my Eyes, “Hey, I recently had a thought…”

“You’re planning on using Analyze to see if you can copy a person’s Iro Abilities?”

“Whoa! How did you know?! Scary!”

“Looks like that mutual friend of yours has a knack for befriending weirdoes…” Vivia donned a smug grin.

“Like you’re one to talk!” He berated her before turning to me, “Is the idea no good, Meil? Or did you try it already and know that it doesn’t work, hence your prediction?”

“No, your logic is good, and it’s never been tested before, but it’s too predictable. You completely forgot that Lune told me all he knew about you, including your Brown Iro Ability. It’s quite fascinating, and I can’t say that I’m not interested in the idea either. That being said, do your best.”

Having me sit down, he squatted in front of me and stared with his Eyes wide open. The moment was a bit awkward at first, but I persevered. He took a glance at my thoughts as I tried my best to think of the Philosophy of Cycles. For what felt like a couple minutes at the least, I had let my brain run loose, and he sat through the lecture fully. Finally, after all was said and done…

“Did it work?” He asked Vivia and I as if to reaffirm, “Are my Eyes White?”

“Hm…” Vivia got really close to his face, “Don’t know, maybe if I get a little bit closer…”

“It didn’t work.” I separated her from him, “Don’t be fooled by her. She’s just teasing you.”

“Right, I kind of figured…” Edward sighed, “Damn, and I really thought it’d work, too. If I could just copy other people’s Iro Abilities, I’d be on par with Grim in no time.”

“On par?” I tilted my head, “Poppycock. You’d be stronger than he ever could be.”

“Hm? Oh right, because he’s stuck with a Purple Iro…”

“What?” I furrowed my brows, “He grew out of that phase years ago, though? Even back when I first met him, he was already a Blue Iro.”

Both Vivia and Edward were surprised and perplexed by this fact. Edward practically cried tears of joy upon hearing these news, leaving Vivia to be the only one to think about asking how that’s even possible.

“I imagine it has something to do with our understanding of Iros in general being far too lacking.” I explained, “Previously, we humans thought that a Purple Iro could only appear in people close to death, but it appears that if you’re still determined to fight through and win the battle raging on in your soul, you just might be able to convert back into another Iro like he did.”

“Is that so?” Edward replied, “So basically, he started a new cycle?”

“Yes! That’s exactly-!” I stopped to see his Eyes flicker between his usual Brown and sudden White color.

“What?” He finally reverted back to Brown, “Is there something on my face?”

“Incredible…” I gasped before suddenly shaking my head, “No, nothing’s wrong. I thought I saw something, but I guess I was just imagining it.”

This is a scientific breakthrough! A Brown Iro Ability such as Analyze allows for someone to copy the Iros of others, if for a short time! Don’t tell me, is that the true use of Analyze? If so, this information could easily become dangerous if placed on the wrong hands. I’m sorry, Edward, but I don’t think I’ve known you enough to trust you yet, so I’ll refrain from telling you about this for now. I hope you don’t get mad at me.

“…” Edward looked on at me with his head slightly tilted inwards, “Well, if you say so…”

“Ugh, why are your guys’ topics so boring?” Vivia finally sat up from her bed, “Screw this, I’m gonna go for a walk!”

“Hold it, I’m coming with you.” Edward began following her, much to her dismay.

“What? Why? I don’t need you on my back twenty-four seven, you know.”

“Did you forget what that soldier of yours said? If you die, me and every one of my loved ones will get hunted down. But hey, I could go for a walk anyways, so if you don’t wanna treat me like your bodyguard, the least you could do is treat me as a friend.”

“A friend, huh?” She became lost in thought for a moment, “Whatever. Do as you wish…”

“Alright!” He fist pumped, “Let’s go, Meil! You’re coming too.”

“Wha~t!?” She yelled out in protest, “That’s...! But I thought you…? Ugh, I can’t with you!”

“Alright, sure.” I agreed with Edward, “A walk would do everyone some good, I think.”

“Read the room, dammit!” Vivia grinded her teeth at me.