Bright pink hair, like ripe peaches.
A small, curved face—similar to an adorable child's—and wide eyes filled with curiosity.
Her irises were green, her lips were small and cute.
The round glasses she wore accentuated her beauty, and her tiny physique made her absolutely adorable.
Her outfit was a suit made up of black and white materials, glittering regally as she sat behind her desk.
There was no way I could forget the person who was seated before me.
She was an old friend unlike any other.
***********************
Jane Ursula—Head Researcher and Innovator among the Elves—was one of my closest friends in the past.
I could say that she understood me better than most people. In some ways, she even surpassed Emilia in her compatibility with me.
And that was because of one simple fact...
... We both loved Magic to the point of obsession!
There was a reason she was called the Mad Witch. At some point, I was also referred to as the Crazy Sage.
The both of us formed a joint brand dubbed 'The Insane Duo'.
I was a Magic Theorist while Jane was a Magic Technician.
There was no better person I could relate with in my love and pursuit for Magic more than her—much to Emilia's dissatisfaction.
As a result, we spent so much time together, and I was able to get very close to the Fairy—enough to be the first among our group to receive something from her.
—A Soul Brand.
Jane Ursula was a Magic expert who specialized in the Soul.
Her Original Magic allowed her to directly interfere with the Souls of people, and she was even the one who drove me down the path of researching the true essence of a person's Soul—in relation to Magic, of course.
A 'Soul Brand' was the marking only Jane could inflict on her target, allowing her to connect herself to them.
She could sense such a person from a distance, locate them wherever they were, control them if she desired, gain access to their memories, etc.
Basically, she could somewhat interfere with her target's Soul.
Why, then, would I allow her to do such a thing to me?
It was because when executing it in my case, Jane made sure her Magic went both ways. In essence, she linked both our Souls through equal channels.
It was more like a bond of friendship than anything else.
As a result, we could never lie to each other. We could also tell where the other person was, or sense if they were close by.
Our respective works were also able to work in perfect sync thanks to the ability of one person to completely understand the other.
It was the perfect bond of friendship.
Which was why... I was surprised to get the same sensation as we drew closer to the Green House.
It was like something sparked within me.
As we drew closer to the office, I had felt it grow stronger.
However, at the moment, as I was staring at the person opposite me, I knew for sure...
"J-Jane?"
... That it wasn't a mere feeling!
And the most amazing part was the fact that the most important Fairy seated before me was also wide-eyed, having the same sensation as me.
I could tell from a single glance—
"L-Lewis?!"
—She recognized me too!
*********************
'Eh? What's going on right now?' The Fairy called Jane Ursula was in utter shock.
Her winds fluttered excitedly as she looked at the young human who stood before her.
His handsome features didn't faze her in the slightest, but something about him ensured she couldn't take her eyes off him.
And that was because he had her Soul Brand within him.
'H-how is this possible...?'
Jane knew every single person she ever branded, and she was also able to identify them individually.
The one standing before her bore the soup of a familiar person—too dear to her heart to forget.
"Lewis...?!"
But, was that even possible?
Lewis Griffith, her best friend, died over five hundred years ago.
She knew for sure that he indeed gave up the ghost. After all, she was there when he drew his last breath.
Jane knew just how much she suffered after his death—how her heart wept for the loss of her dearest friend.
It was this very grief that drove her to develop her most phenomenal project. There was no way none of that was real.
Yet... there was the Soul of her friend right in front of her.
And the boy? He was staring at her with the same eyes she used to look at him.
They say the eyes are a window to the soul. And so, when Jane locked gazes with the human, she realized that the impossible was indeed true.
'He really is...!'
The question was how?
Jane Ursula wasn't sure, but a guess popped into her head so she decided to use that logic to guide her turbulent mind.
'What's important is that he recognizes me and I recognize him.'
Even though the link between the two of them was weak—too frail for her to read his thoughts or manipulate his Soul—Jane had enough evidence already.
"I believe I already told you not to stare so intensely. It's rude!" Lu gave a slightly irritated comment, rousing both the Human and the Fairy from their intense staring contest.
"A-ah, sorry about that!" The human responded rather awkwardly, causing Jane to smile a bit.
He really looked nothing like Lewis, neither did he exactly behave like him.
However, Souls never lied. And so, Jane Ursula was comforted by the sight of her most trusted friend.
That was enough to make the adorable Fairy's lips form a smile.
'Lewis, after so long....you've finally come back to me...'
********************
"That's enough, Lu. I've got it, thanks." I heard Jane's voice softly say, causing the angry Fairy to soften his expression.
In my last life, Lu had quite a crush on Jane—or so certain rumors went.
'Looks like some things never change...' I observed, watching him back off.
That's right. This was the reunion of the century.
Extras were unnecessary!
