"Wuu…"
In the library, Diancie tilted her head back slightly, stretching comfortably.
The way she squinted her eyes in contentment looked especially adorable.
If one didn't know better, one might think she'd actually spent the whole afternoon sitting at the desk, seriously studying.
Glancing at the two sheets of paper filled completely with notes, Diancie nodded her head with great satisfaction.
As expected of Elias. He actually learned this much in just one afternoon.
Although she'd stayed nestled in his arms the entire time, she hadn't been able to read a single word, causing her to daydream the entire afternoon.
Of course, she hadn't been bored.
Watching him gently hold her small hand, carefully writing words onto the paper, had actually been quite enjoyable.
"Elias, are we done?"
She softly asked Elias, who sat beside her.
"Mm, let's stop here for today," Elias nodded lightly.
After spending the afternoon studying, he now had some ideas about how to solve Diancie's physical issues.
But they were still a long way off from fully solving the problem.
Even for him, finishing four or five thick books in a single afternoon was impossible.
They'd likely have to return here many more times in the days ahead.
"Were you speaking to me?"
At this moment, Cogita suddenly lowered the book she'd been holding and asked Diancie.
She'd just heard the Pokémon talking and was certain the other party hadn't been speaking to her.
But looking around, she found no one else nearby, which inevitably made her curious.
"Ah…"
Startled by Cogita's question, Diancie hastily waved her hands.
"N-no, I was just talking to myself…"
For some reason, she didn't want the woman to know about Elias's existence.
She had a strange feeling that if she mentioned him, he might somehow be stolen away from her.
Hearing this, Cogita didn't press any further.
She glanced at the pen Diancie had just capped and then looked at the sheets of paper on the desk.
Then, extending her slender white hand, she asked:
"Could you show me your notes?"
This was the first time she'd seen a Pokémon seriously studying in a library.
Seeing Cogita request the notes, Diancie first glanced nervously at Elias.
Only after he nodded slightly did she finally hand the papers to Cogita.
"Please handle them carefully," she added cautiously.
Taking the papers, Cogita withdrew her hand, planning only to skim them briefly.
But…
The moment her eyes landed on the pages, her movements abruptly halted.
At the same time, her beautiful eyes seemed glued to the paper, unable to shift away even slightly.
Immediately afterward, she took the notes she'd written herself into her other hand.
Though these were two different sets of notes, their handwriting was shockingly similar.
Elegant, flowing handwriting arranged neatly across the pages.
If someone else saw these, they might even assume a single person had written them both.
Cogita's eyes unconsciously dimmed a bit.
She knew very well—today's notes, written by her own hand, were deliberately imitating Elias's handwriting from her memory.
In the past, whenever she had idle time, she'd occasionally practiced his handwriting to pass the time.
After all, with Elias around, her daily life had basically been pampered into uselessness.
Yet…
Diancie's notes were also remarkably similar to hers—or rather, similar to Elias's handwriting.
When she first saw the notes, she couldn't help but stare blankly.
Taking a deep breath, Cogita looked seriously toward Diancie.
Noticing the woman's gaze, Diancie nervously moved closer to Elias.
This human's eyes… suddenly look really scary.
Clatter—
Cogita gently rose from her chair, pushing it slightly aside.
Seeing this, Diancie instinctively wanted to flee.
But remembering Elias was by her side, and given that Cogita hadn't actually done anything suspicious all afternoon, she managed to restrain the impulse.
"She means you no harm," Elias reassured Diancie softly.
Under his psychic perception, Cogita's presence didn't feel uncomfortable.
At that moment, Cogita approached until she stood right before Diancie.
Under Diancie's cautious stare, Cogita reached out two slender fingers, gently pinching the Pokémon's small cheek.
Smack—
Predictably, Diancie puffed out her little mouth and slapped Cogita's hand away.
Feeling the sting on her fingers, Cogita finally snapped out of her daze.
She rubbed her temples helplessly, slightly exasperated by her own actions.
Of course—given what had happened to Elias, it was impossible for him to suddenly appear here in the far-off Kalos region.
And even less likely… disguised as a sparkling, gem-like Pokémon.
"I'm sorry," she quietly apologized.
Then, pointing at the papers on the desk, she asked carefully:
"Were these notes really written entirely by you?"
As she spoke, she paid close attention to Diancie's expression.
Diancie's gaze flickered slightly, betraying her hesitation for a brief moment. But soon after, she nodded firmly:
"Yes, all of these were written this afternoon."
Although she had no idea why Cogita asked this question, she definitely wouldn't reveal Elias's existence.
Taking Diancie's reaction fully into account, Cogita nodded slightly.
"Your handwriting really is quite beautiful," she said softly in praise.
...
"Elias, that human was really strange…"
Walking along the street later, Diancie puffed out her cheeks, complaining to Elias.
She was the princess of an underground kingdom, yet Cogita had dared pinch her face.
Most importantly, that woman gave her the uncomfortable illusion that she was coveting her Elias.
Because of this, Diancie's original goodwill toward Cogita quickly plummeted straight to zero.
Hearing her complaint, Elias rubbed Diancie's head gently.
"We probably won't run into her again in the future."
Though it felt like he'd seen the human woman called Cogita somewhere before, the memory was faint and unclear.
Moreover, right now he couldn't be seen by anyone except Diancie.
There was no need to worry about irrelevant matters.
Hearing Elias's reply, Diancie felt inexplicably happy.
She lifted the two pages filled with notes, carefully examining them beneath the light.
Although she didn't like that human woman, Cogita had said something undeniably correct.
—Elias's handwriting really was beautiful.
"Elias, when you have time, can you teach me how to write?"
Her eyes brightened as she proposed the idea to Elias.
After this afternoon, she'd discovered that with Elias beside her, even sitting at a desk and studying was something she could enjoy.
Having him teach her these things filled her heart with happiness.
"Alright."
Seeing Diancie's earnest curiosity, Elias gently smiled, softly agreeing.