Sylphy's house sat almost at the northernmost edge of Buena Village.
When they first picked the location, it was chosen for convenience—Laws, as a hunter, needed easy access to the forest. But when his wife, Nolda, neared her due date, the couple had already discussed moving somewhere closer to the village center, thinking about their future child's social circle.
"If we keep living on the edge of town, won't she have to walk too far just to play with the other children?"
That was Nolda's gentle suggestion.
Naturally, Laws agreed without hesitation.
Buena Village was spacious, with plenty of room to build new homes. And since the knight of the region was on good terms with Laws, surely he'd lend a hand too.
With such hopes, the child was born.
The moment Nolda laid eyes on her, she froze.
Laws also went still for a breath—then, his voice suddenly rose, unnaturally high-pitched and full of joy, shouting with a kind of elation he never used in daily life.
"My daughter's so cute~ Let's name her Sylphiette!!"
Nolda burst into tears and nodded from where she lay in his arms.
"Okay."
Sylphy was adorable. Her hair was soft and smooth, shining a brilliant shade of green under the sun—so beautiful to look at.
That's what Nolda thought.
And Laws agreed.
But from that day forward, the two of them never brought up the idea of moving into the village again.
Sylphy was a thoughtful child.
At just four years old, she softly offered to help out around the house—like delivering lunch to her father while he stood watch on the forest's edge.
But she always came home drenched after lunch, mumbling awkward excuses about falling into the irrigation canal or spilling the food.
At first, Nolda would just hug her and cry. But over time, she realized that showing her sadness only made Sylphy more anxious—so she stopped crying.
Instead, she gently reassured her with a calm, steady smile.
And from the moment Nolda changed, Sylphy's anxious fidgeting seemed to lessen bit by bit.
It gave Nolda a small measure of peace.
But still, on countless sleepless nights, she'd lie awake watching Sylphy's sleeping face… and silently cry.
This child—
She didn't know how to smile.
Why...
Why is it like this?
Black eyes blinked slowly. Nolda shook off her memories and came back to the present.
Across the table, bathed in candlelight, sat Sylphy—sitting upright, quietly writing in her diary with a soft smile tugging at her lips. Her once-deliberately short green hair had now grown to shoulder length.
Nolda smiled from the bottom of her heart.
In the blink of an eye, Sylphy was nearly seven.
Ever since last spring, Sylphy had learned to smile.
Thank goodness.
The door creaked open. Snowflakes drifted in from outside as Laws stepped in, brushing snow off his shoulders. He exchanged a glance and a smile with Nolda, then looked toward Sylphy, who'd glanced up at him with bright, attentive eyes.
"Writing in your diary again, Sylphy?"
Sylphy subtly tucked the notebook against her chest and nodded.
Laws chuckled, unconcerned.
Kids grow up. They'll have their own little "secrets," won't they?
He turned and shared a wry smile with Nolda.
Of course, that "secret"... wasn't exactly secret to either of them.
Laws passed behind Sylphy, who didn't turn her head—just gazed out toward the snow beyond the window. Her brow furrowed slightly, unconsciously.
That tiny change in expression...
...looked very familiar. Nearly identical to a certain someone's over the past year.
Seeing this, Laws let out a helpless smile and turned to walk further into the house. But just as Sylphy's figure was about to disappear from view, something flickered in his gaze. He turned his head back again.
"Sylphy," he said with a smile, "we've been busy getting ready for the monster sweep lately. There've been a lot this year. We'll probably leave at dawn and won't be back till nightfall. Want to come with me in the morning? I'll take you to the Greyrat house, then pick you up at night."
Sylphy blinked, then turned to him, her eyes lighting up.
"Really?! I can go?!"
"Why not?" Laws laughed. "We've kept you home before since it might snow too hard and we'd worry about you going alone. But if I'm with you, there's nothing to worry about, is there?"
A radiant smile bloomed on Sylphy's face.
Bang!
A gust of wind flung the window open—the storm outside had grown stronger.
The little family scrambled to close it.
Winter wind howled in, flipping through the open notebook on the table—its pages fluttering like wings.
...
January 31st
Spring has arrived.
I finally saw Allen again.
I haven't seen him since the start of winter. His hair's gotten a little longer. He still squints when he smiles at people—just like before the blizzard season last year.
But when he looks at the knight and his wife, there's something off in his eyes.
Or maybe I'm imagining it.
...
March 21st
Lately, Allen's always frowning. His brows never relax.
I wonder what's been troubling him?
...
June 17th
Summer is here. It's really hot.
Allen's forehead is always dripping with sweat.
While we were reviewing magic today, Allen suddenly said he wanted to "settle the score" about what Somar did to me last year.
I felt happy, but it was also strange. Somar's been avoiding us all year.
We went to Somar's house, but he wasn't home. Allen went inside anyway, leaving Rudeus and me outside.
Rudeus kept tugging my arm, telling me to leave, mumbling "We shouldn't be here! This isn't for kids!"
I ignored him. He says weird things all the time.
Soon after, Allen came out—his face pale. He grabbed us both and ran all the way home.
Mrs. Eto shouted after us:
"Allen! Wait!"
Allen ran even faster.
It was all very strange.
But... I don't know why, it left me feeling a little uneasy.
...
September 16th
Allen says autumn is the season of harvest.
That it's the best time to eat wild boar.
...What does that have to do with anything?
We went to find Father in the forest.
Mm.
The boar meat was delicious.
...
September 17th
Boar meat was delicious.
...
September 18th
Boar meat was delicious.
...
September 19th
Father looked a little panicked today. He said if we kept eating like this, we might wipe out the entire boar population and throw off the forest's balance.
Allen paused, then said yeah, we should be more careful.
...
September 20th
Boar meat was delicious.
...
October 1st
Lately, Rudeus has been a little sluggish. A while ago, he was bragging to Allen about receiving a letter from Teacher Roxy.
Of course, I got one too.
One each.
But when Allen heard about it, his expression got weird. He didn't say anything.
I asked if he got one too.
He hesitated, then glanced at Rudeus's increasingly stiff face and muttered something like, "Yeah… just one, I guess…"
Then Rudeus panicked. He didn't believe him. He demanded to see the letter.
Allen had no choice but to open a drawer.
Inside were six letters.
He was the first of us to get any replies.
Since that day, Rudeus has been listless—even skipping his magic studies.
Mm… But I kind of understand. Because Allen doesn't just get letters. He gets gifts from Teacher Roxy too.
And then, a thought suddenly struck me...
Maybe Allen's always frowning because he misses Teacher Roxy?
Not sure if I'm right.
But Teacher Roxy is amazing.
And Allen is amazing too.
I want to be like them.
Ah... but I really miss Teacher Roxy as well.
I want to get gifts from her too.
Allen is so sneaky.
...
November 21st
It's snowing again. Time for another blizzard season.
Last year, Father was so worried he wouldn't let me visit the Greyrats to study magic during this time.
This winter… I might not see Allen again for a while.
Lately, I've been feeling strange about Allen.
It's a feeling that's completely different from what I feel about Rudeus.
I just want to keep looking at him.
Maybe it's because he saved me last year?
I'm not really sure.
But Mama told me, someday I'd understand these feelings for myself.
She's probably right.
Allen once told me:
"The things we don't know today, we'll find out tomorrow."
I think he's right about that.
But there's one thing I already know.
Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and every day that follows...
I want to keep watching him.
Forever.