I, as Sylvia, was around ten years old when it happened.

I was a little elf girl, with a modest body, rightfully, and a cheerful life. Although I liked to act 'my age' and live leisurely like a kid, my mental age was already approaching thirty. I knew how fortunate I was, surrounded by such wonderful people.

...And I was also more perceptive to people's worries.

Perhaps they'd only seen me for what I displayed, but I found myself becoming the listener of many stories. My maids would often whisper to me their love lives. My nanny often gushed over her grandchildren in front of me. The knights would badmouth their bosses to me. Even my parents sometimes told me their deepest insecurities.

As for me... I was just the same.

I don't like to brag about it, but my psyche has never been too unstable. I'd always been the same person, holding the same beliefs and striving for the same destinations. In a way, I am a solid person.

I look at things objectively. I try to, at least. And I also try to recognize my own biases. I'm not sure about myself, but I can understand people quite well.

There was... an incident back then—not a serious one, just... memorable.

Some time after my tenth birthday, I was chatting with Eva as usual.

[Hanako]: I still can't understand elfs. They treat me like a toddler even when I'm this big already...

[Xx-DarkLordOfTheFlame-xX]: Maybe you are in their eyes.

Eva was a rigid person. She never talked much... but she always made sure to respond. I thought that was just her sincerity as an individual, and that was true to an extent, but I realized there was something more to it.

[Hanako]: But time really does move fast... it's already been a decade since you called me here.

[Xx-DarkLordOfTheFlame-xX]: Indeed.

[Hanako]: We've been talking for a decade. Sounds unreal somehow.

She didn't reply for a while.

''...''

Soaked in the tranquility of my own room, random thoughts filled my mind. I thought of the time I had spent in this world, which still seems like a dream. Of the relationships I've lost and made, of the feelings I never experienced... and of that person who chose me.

[Hanako]: ...Hey. Why did you choose me?

[Xx-DarkLordOfTheFlame-xX]: You were the most suitable soul. You have great enthusiasm for technology, which this place needs the most.

[Hanako]: But that's a lie.

Both Hanazawa Hanako and Sylvia Everwood were solid people. We—I look at things objectively and know my biases. I'd long realized that there were countless people more talented and experienced than I was, who would surely bring forth victory for her in a more convincing way.

Despite that, I was chosen.

Perhaps it was pure chance—maybe I was just lucky. But... online friends are also friends. I could tell right away that Eva pitied me. It was sympathy. Not that I have a complaint about it.

Still, the most important thing was that we were there together. This friendship—I hoped it would last forever.

[Hanako]: Anyway, tell me your birthday. I'll celebrate it next time!

[Xx-DarkLordOfTheFlame-xX]: No.

[Hanako]: C'mon. I've been pestering you for all those years... just spit it out!

[Xx-DarkLordOfTheFlame-xX]: ...August 23th.

[Hanako]: Wait, that's so close to mine! And it's so soon, too. Damn...

A big achievement! I knew I was a genius all along.

Even for a long while afterward, I didn't receive a message from her back, but I could almost imagine her face on the other side of the screen. It was a common occurrence. We had conversations like that every day, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

Then... I didn't know what had gotten into me, but I started scrolling up, reading our exchanges all over again, turning and squirming on the bed. There, I saw subtle yet undeniable changes over the years. On how she addressed me, how her words slowly lightened, and how... real it felt.

Right. Sylvia Everwood looks at things objectively and is aware of her biases.

But that doesn't mean she was sharp all the time.

...It was only then that I realized what type of character I assumed Eva to be. It was all wrong. Just as she softened up and showed her emotions, I also unknowingly began to treat her more like a real person—a friend, a precious one. The actualization filled me with happiness and excitement for the fruition of our relationship.

I remembered rolling around the bed uncontrollably and even falling off once.

And the most special moment... when she texted me a [Happy Birthday].

It was the day I really got to know her, my beloved goddess.