This day, Lirina did not forget to set her alarm.

“Ugh… ugh…” She fumbled for her phone, half-asleep, and turned off the alarm with bleary eyes.

Rubbing her eyes, Lirina slowly sat up.

“Haaah…” She yawned and stretched, “An…ya? Morning… hmm?”

She was on the outer side of the bed, and the blankets on the inner side looked neatly arranged.

The blanket covering her now… wasn’t this Anya’s blanket?

“Eh… eh…” Lirina’s mind raced back to last night… the last thing she remembered was using dream magic on Anya… and then nothing?

Dream magic shouldn’t erase the caster’s memory… unless…

Lirina’s face quickly flushed red. Fortunately, reason reminded her what needed to be done. Blushing, she quickly changed clothes and got out of bed.

After washing up, she walked into the living room and saw Anya standing by the fully opened curtains.

“Woah…” Lirina froze.

Anya, still in her pajamas, had a pair of pristine white wings slightly fluttering behind her. Her white hair shimmered with a faint golden glow, and the angelic halo above her head radiated brilliantly.

“Anya?” Lirina hesitated, then finally called out.

“Oh.” Anya turned her head. After a few seconds, her white wings folded into golden light, sinking into her shoulders, and the halo above her head disappeared.

“What are you doing?” Lirina asked.

“Oh, just absorbing the morning sunlight,” Anya replied. “I replenished my mana yesterday thanks to Ivak, and he also healed my foot injury, so now I can do these daily rituals safely.”

“Oh… o-oh.” Lirina nodded, half-understanding, but now wasn’t the time to question it. It was time to prepare breakfast and lunchboxes.

Lirina stepped toward the kitchen counter, then paused after two steps, turning back to Anya with a flushed face. “Um… An… Anya!”

Anya scratched her slightly messy hair as she approached. “What is it?”

Swallowing nervously, Lirina stammered, “I… I don’t understand… why am I… in your bed again?”

“Ah, that…” Anya paused, then smiled. “After you used dream magic on me last night, you fell asleep. I didn’t want to wake you, so I just… let it be.”

“Ugh… next time, if it happens again, wake me up, okay?” Lirina said, turning away, still blushing.

“…No.” Anya’s tone suddenly became serious.

“Anya…?” Lirina turned back in shock, only to see Anya’s stern expression. Eh?

“No. It’s not about being embarrassed… Using magic can tire the body. Falling asleep quickly afterward is likely due to mana overuse, and waking you then could interrupt your mana recovery or cause other problems. So it’s not allowed.”

“Ahhh… I didn’t know there were so many reasons!” Lirina blinked. “O-okay, I’ll try to learn to control it next time.”

“Mm… thank you,” Anya suddenly said.

“Huh?” Lirina blinked in surprise.

“I didn’t have a nightmare last night,” Anya smiled. “Thanks to your dream magic, I slept very well. Really… thank you so much.”

“Ah… hehe, I’m glad it helped,” Lirina said, smiling as she moved to the counter to tie on her apron.

“Mm… I feel bad for always letting you help me,” Anya said, watching her. “Is there anything I can do? Think of it as a thank-you gift for letting me stay here and for your dream magic last night.”

“Eh? Ah… um…” Lirina hesitated, then continued, “Well, could you… clean the house while I’m at school?”

“Hmm? Sure,” Anya nodded. “Anything else?”

“Also… I remembered while washing up that you haven’t prepared some things yet. Could you go shopping afterward?” Lirina said, pulling ingredients from the fridge.

“Shopping? Where?” Anya raised an eyebrow.

“Just go out of our apartment building, turn right, there’s a main street with a convenience store. Get daily necessities—like toothbrushes, towels, some clothes,” Lirina explained, turning on the stove to fry eggs.

“Ah, got it,” Anya nodded.

“Oh, and you don’t have money, right? I can—”

“I have some,” Anya interrupted.

Lirina blinked. “You stole a hamburger on your first day here… how do you have money?”

“Ask Ivak,” Anya said. “Since he’s my guardian, he can help with this.”

“Eh? That doesn’t feel right…”

“It’s fine. Just do it.” Anya added suddenly, realizing something. “Oh, also, I need money for the bus fare.”

“Ahhh…”

After breakfast of egg sandwiches and milk, Lirina handed Anya the keys. “I’m off to school now.”

“Mm.” Anya took the keys. “Do you have a spare?”

“No, so don’t run around. Otherwise, I can’t get in,” Lirina said with a smile. She headed to the door. “The lunchbox is on the counter. Don’t forget to eat it at noon. Bye!”

“Safe travels.” Anya waved.

Watching Lirina leave, Anya sighed and picked up the dishes to wash at the counter.

Being useful contributes to happiness… and knowing the relationship is stable adds a sense of comfort.

She was staying for free, using dream magic… she had to do something in return to feel right about it.

Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult. She’d often cleaned her own room at home—being messy would get her scolded by her mother.

Now it didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore, just a bittersweet twinge.

With the dishes done, she returned to Lirina’s room, changed into yesterday’s clothes, and went to the entrance to put on shoes.

This sort of thing would probably require a lot of steps in the mortal world… better to start early.

She opened the door.

“Ah, welcome… oh! It’s Anya, welcome!” Reese behind the counter waved.

“Reese,” Anya smiled.

She looked around the nearly organized store, only a few empty racks remaining.

“Is the shopkeeper here?” Anya asked.

“He’s inside working,” Reese replied. “Do you need him?”

“Yes, a small matter,” Anya nodded. “I’ll go in first.”

“Okay, here, for you, Anya.” Reese handed her a lollipop.

“Ah, thank you,” Anya smiled.

She opened the sliding door and stepped inside.

“Oh, Miss Harts.”

Ivak lay on a tatami mat, smoking, with a half-empty bottle of red wine on a small table across his legs. He glanced at Anya and lifted his head slightly.

“Reese said you were working,” Anya noted, a subtle glance.

“Yes, I was, but now I’m on break,” Ivak said. Sitting up, he reached into a black crack that appeared in his hand, pulling out Lirina’s white sweatshirt and pleated skirt from yesterday.

“Oh, I didn’t expect this,” Anya smiled as she sat down.

“A few small accessories too,” Ivak added, producing a few hair clips of different colors and styles before closing the crack.

“…These must be made from Unordered Meteor stones…” Anya recognized the magical materials.

“Yes, infused with mana. Wearing one of these increases confession success rates… for girls confessing to girls,” Ivak said. “Price: 150 yen each.”

“…Too many things to even comment on,” Anya muttered, rubbing her forehead.

“So, why did you call me?” Ivak asked, setting the items aside.

“Two things,” Anya said, sitting upright. “First, I need some money. Second… help me enroll in Elsh Girl’s Academy as a human.”

“…The first is harder, the second isn’t a problem, but I want to know why,” Ivak said, puffing smoke.

“…What? Getting money is harder than the paperwork?” Anya gaped.

“Yes.” Ivak nodded seriously.

“What kind of logic is that?!”

“As your guardian, my priority is your safety. Money is… not fixed, just a small amount. The second task relates to your happiness. Happiness is crucial for someone like you, whose current happiness is low. Also, it doesn’t cost anything, so it’s easier than the first task.”

“…But both need to be done. If the first fails, I break a promise; if the second fails… my happiness drops.” Anya frowned at Ivak’s cigarette.

“Then you can help me in the shop; that counts as your salary,” Ivak smiled. “Whenever you want. And if you want to help again later, more pay is available.”

“…Got it.”