As soon as she stepped outside the library, dazzling sunlight poured down upon her. This is the city of "Fukuto Lorio," the second largest city after the capital. It is warm and comfortable throughout the year and popular among tourists due to its abundance of flowers and greenery. The bustle of the city reached her ears, carried by the wind: the energetic voices of merchants, the sound of carriages, children's laughter, and the chatter of many people. As if drawn in by the lively sounds, Alme started to walk unsteadily towards the main street. She walked aimlessly through the crowd. It didn't feel real... Could the chaos from earlier have just been an illusion? The city is as lively and bustling as ever, making her think that the melodramatic affair from earlier might have been a lie. ――'Daytime dramas', a television program from her previous life. In a past life, Alme was not a human from this world. She was a woman working as a company employee in Japan, and she remembers losing consciousness during her summer commute and then losing her life. This part is terribly vague. Perhaps she was overcome by the heat. She vaguely remembers meeting a person who seemed like a goddess while enveloped in light after collapsing. So she pleaded to the goddess, 'It's hot... ice... please give me ice... something cold...' with a moaning tone in her voice. Whether that wish was heard or not, in this current life she has been bestowed with the talent for 'ice magic'. Not many people in this world can use magic, especially the kind of powerful magic needed to fight demons. Most people have only a faint magical power, such as a faint glow at their fingertips or the ability to create a slight breeze. Alme's ice magic is decent. Somewhere around the lower end of average. If she focused she could freeze a bucket of water almost immediately. It may not be a significant talent, but it should still become a significant asset in her future life, particularly in terms of earning her an income. Slowly walking down the street, she organized her future plans in her head. (I was planning to help Julio with his work... but with things turning out like this, I needs to find a job now. Ice magic is rare, and with my modest magical ability, I should be able to find work in the capital. For now I don't have to worry about going hungry... I hope.) Since I've never job hunted in this world, I'm not exactly sure how things will turn out, but I'll try to stay positive. (Besides job hunting, I need to cancel the moving arrangements and reset all the wedding preparations...) I was about to take out my notebook from my bag to check everything when I paused. Inside the bag was today's main item—a beautiful, flat box. I took out the box and opened it. As I stared at the contents, I couldn't help but give a self-deprecating smile. "I had completely forgotten. It's our half-year engagement anniversary, and I was planning to give Julio a present today..." Inside the box was a light blue scarf. In this world, lovers often exchanged gifts, so I had prepared this for our half-year engagement anniversary. But now, the engagement itself has been called off... And I had picked such a nice item, too. "Yeah... Let's just forget about it... Sorry, Mr. Scarf." I gently closed the box and tucked the now useless scarf deep into my bag. Lost in thought, I walked along the streets. The weather felt like early summer, but after walking under the sun for a while, it got quite hot. With a bit of ice magic in my palm, I fanned my neck as I walked. Being able to do this with ice magic is wonderful. I should thank the Goddess of Light. I turned from the main street into a side road, and then into an alley. After walking for a bit more, she arrived at a small plaza. This was where Alme's house was located.

It was a two-story house with a somewhat stylish appearance. The living area was on the second floor, and the first floor was used as a storage room. When her grandmother was healthy, the first floor was a fruit juice shop loved by tourists and locals alike. Alme used to help chill the juice with magic. The house is full of precious memories with her grandmother. She loves this house dearly. She had planned to let it go because of the marriage, but it seems she'll be staying here for a little longer. In front of her house, in the middle of the small square, there was a large tree and a flower bed. In front of the flower bed, there was a map and guide board for lost people. Fukuto Lorio had winding alleys that formed a maze-like layout. It was popular among tourists for exploring, but many people ended up getting lost. Tourists who got lost in the alleys around here mostly ended up in this small square. This town was built a long time ago, during an era of frequent warfare, so it seems some tactical considerations were involved. In this peaceful era, shops and merchants skillfully used these alleys to attract customers. Even my grandmother's juice shop, tucked away deep in an alley, was quite prosperous. Several tourists were looking at the map on the guide board, chatting about various things before scattering. Today, the small square was once again the backdrop for the usual spectacle. ―― However, there was one person who had an unusual aura to them. A tall man stood still, staring at the map for what seemed like an eternity. (Hmm? I wonder if that person is not a tourist?) Somehow, he didn't have the lively aura of a tourist. I've been observing the people who come to this small square daily, so my intuition kicked in. If he isn't a tourist out for a walk, perhaps he's merely someone struggling because he's lost. I approached and tried calling out to the man. "Um, excuse me. Are you lost? Do you need help finding your way?" The tall man looked down at me. I was momentarily taken aback by his appearance. He was just so strikingly handsome. His hair and eyes were a common dark brown, not particularly noticeable. Yet, his overall appearance was so well-put-together that he looked quite glamorous. But... He was sweating profusely, to the point that it ruined his handsome looks. Maybe he's not used to the local climate. The man made a bitter expression and responded in a hoarse voice. "Are you from around here? I'd appreciate it if you could help me... I'm not familiar with the alleyways and got lost... I want to go to this place." The man showed his notebook and pointed to his destination. The place he was aiming for was a well-known old pharmacy. This pharmacy is not on ground level but actually underground, making it a very hard-to-find location. Alme hummed knowingly and proceeded to explain, "This pharmacy is located underground, so you won't be able to find it just by looking at the ground level map." "Wow... so this town even has an underground area?" "Yes, it's cooler and easier to move underground, but navigating it is quite difficult. So, if you follow the ground level paths, you would follow this alley, turn here, enter this square, and then go into this alley over here..." While tracing the map on the guide board with her finger, Alme continued to give directions. But, when she finished explaining, she suddenly apologized. "Ah, I'm sorry. I should have drawn a map for you. I wasn't thinking..." It appeared that he was new to this town. Merely chatting away as one would with a local was likely to make him end up getting lost once more. Thinking that, she decided to draw a map for him, but the man quickly responded, "No, I've got it. Thank you." "Um, but if you get lost along the way, it could be a problem."

"It's okay. I've more or less memorized the map." As he said that, the man accurately traced the maze-like directions she had explained with his finger, and she couldn't help but widen her eyes in amazement at his excellent memory. "Even locals rarely manage to find their way on the first try. That's amazing." "Your explanation was very clear. I sincerely appreciate it. Well then, I will try to follow your directions. Thank you very much." "Your welcome. Please take care." After making a slight bow, the man walked into the back of the alley. He gave me a little smile at the end. A modest, awkward laugh. Despite having such a beautiful face, the way he smiled was strangely awkward. It was kind of funny. If he could make a good smile, with such a beautiful face, the women would be swooning. It was really a shame. (I hope he arrives safely at his destination.) While praying for the lost person's well-being, Alme proceeded to walk home. She entered the house and sat at the counter seat on the first floor of the former store. Leaning on the table, she let out a deep sigh. Taking a moment to breathe, she reflected on what had just happened to her, talking to herself to sort out the situation. "I went to Julio's workplace with a present for our six-month engagement, only to find out he was cheating. After a discussion, we broke off the engagement, and he cleared my debt as compensation. My future plans are now uncertain..." She took out a notebook from her bag and flipped it open. A schedule was densely written inside. Julio's work schedule, the days she would help him, the day she would move in with him, plans to sell this house, the wedding date, and even more future plans. "Getting married, helping with his work, and having a child in my twenties... It's all white pages from now on." I ripped out the pages of my schedule book with gusto, crumpled them into a ball, and threw them away. Now, my future is just an open expanse of blankness. Lying down on the counter, I poured out my complaints to my grandmother in heaven. "Sigh... Grandma, can you share insights into my future from the beyond?" Since childhood, I had been sitting in this seat, chatting with my grandmother as she worked. I would complain, vent, and share laughter, just like now. Even while dealing with me, my grandmother worked efficiently and actively engaged with various other customers. She must have been someone who enjoyed interacting with people. Not only did she help the shop's customers, but she would also immediately go to help anyone she saw who seemed lost outside, just like I did with the man recently. Lying down, utterly drained, I absentmindedly thought about my grandmother. ―― After a while, a thought suddenly came to me. "Maybe I should open a shop, just like grandma!" It seemed her grandmother enjoyed watching customers smile and feel happy after drinking juice. Alme could really understand that feeling. She remembered the smile that the man showed her earlier. Seeing people's smiles somehow makes you feel warm inside. Even the jolt of calling off the engagement because of cheating felt less severe thanks to the smile that man gave her. Getting up, Alme pulled out a wooden board from a corner of the room that had turned into a storage area. This board, about the size of a chair seat, was the old signboard of her grandmother's store. Wiping the dust off with a clean cloth, the painted words "Titi's Shop" became clearly visible. "Yes, it's beautiful, and it seems ready to use. 'Take life easy,' right, grandma? I'm going to try it out!" "‘Take life easy, love with sincerity.’ This was a song my grandmother loved before she passed away. She used to hum it often while working. It seemed to be an old song from this region. Following this song and her grandmother's example, Alme decided to take it easy for now. Not having plans for the future means being free to do anything.