The day after I learned that Fitz was a woman.
I hauled my sluggish body upright from the bed in my dorm room.
I'd been unable to sleep, worried about my partner, who had finally woken up.
My partner continued to sit in silence as though nothing had happened.
My brain was already completely filled with thoughts of Fitz, but my partner was giving me the cold shoulder.
I'd wanted to vent this pent-up energy together with my partner, but apparently their mood still hadn't fully recovered.
Or maybe just memories weren't enough?
Was it scent, touch, or voice?
One thing was certain: Fitz's existence was the key to recovering from my ED.
The cure had been there all along — I just hadn't noticed.
That said, how exactly was I supposed to go about this treatment?
Fitz couldn't reveal her identity, and I didn't want to do anything that would make her dislike me or grow wary.
My ED treatment and Fitz's trust.
If I'd realized she was a woman just six months earlier, I would have prioritized the former and thrown myself into treatment without giving her a second thought.
But now? My feelings of affection had grown too strong.
Once things reached this point, I couldn't bear the idea of acting on pure lust like with
It was only natural to think that way, wasn't it?
"...I suppose everything happens for a reason, huh?"
A man begging a cross-dressing princess's bodyguard for ED treatment. Now that would be quite the spectacle.
If it's entertaining enough, I'd happily accept a generous tip, Hitogami, sir.
With that, I deliberately struck a world-weary smile and climbed out of the lower bunk of the bunk bed.
I stretched wide and yawned.
I really hadn't gotten enough sleep.
"Aahh..."
I shuffled over to the bucket in the corner of the room and filled it with warm water.
The face staring back at me from the water was that of a reasonably decent-looking boy.
By the standards of my previous world, you certainly couldn't call it ugly.
A face that combined
Not bad, I supposed, but it didn't quite fit the definition of "handsome" in this world.
No matter how many times I looked, I couldn't quite accept it as my own face, but I'd gotten used to it.
As long as it was better than my previous life, I was satisfied enough.
But would this face be anywhere close to Fitz's preferences?
No, forget it. There was no point thinking about it.
He was a man. I wouldn't do anything.
That was how it had to be.
I was about to wash my face when I noticed something faint on my chin.
I touched it with my finger.
When I tugged, the skin pulled slightly.
A hair.
A single fine strand — like vellus hair — had sprouted there.
"So this is what getting older feels like..."
In this world too, secondary sexual development for humans wasn't all that different.
Maybe because Paul hadn't been particularly hairy, my beard had come in late, but the rest of the hair was growing in fine.
I had no idea how it worked for other races, but what about Fitz?
Did elves develop slowly?
Would the hair down there already be... growing in?
If I asked
Hm... wait.
Something was nagging at me.
It was nagging, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
"...What was it again?"
Something — something was escaping me.
But I couldn't remember.
And so, still unable to recall, I shaved off that one strand of vellus hair.
--- Two full days passed.
No contact with Fitz.
I had no intention of suddenly seeking her out or acting suspiciously.
Business as usual. Business as usual.
On the morning of the third day, Luke was waiting for me in the corridor of the boys' dormitory.
I didn't panic.
I'd expected some kind of move would come.
"Good morning, Senior Luke. Rare to see you here at this hour."
I kept my voice as cheerful as possible, but Luke's expression was grim.
He was looking at me with visibly displeased eyes.
"I need to talk to you about Fitz."
So it was about that.
But on this matter, my story had to stay consistent.
"I don't know anything."
"Oh? What is it you don't know?"
Luke's voice was sharp, pressing.
He was probing about the incident with Fitz.
...Did that mean they considered it still uncertain whether I'd learned her secret?
I'd been pressed up against her and heard what I heard, but Fitz had never actually said she was a woman.
I hadn't groped her chest or anything, and I hadn't gone pawing around like some wide-eyed boy discovering something unexpected.
Maybe they still believed they could keep it under wraps. If that was the direction they were leaning, I had no objection.
But was Fitz's secret something that absolutely couldn't get out?
Or maybe the fact that I was a
Well, I'd already cut ties with the Boreas family.
It happened when Eris rejected me.
Or was it because of Paul?
Either way, I needed to be perfectly clear here.
"Senior Luke. I have no intention of becoming your enemy.
I'll also pretend that I know nothing about Fitz's true identity."
"...Pretend?"
"Yes. I've already cut ties with both the Boreas and Notos families."
Luke's refined face twisted with surprise.
Had I said something wrong?
Maybe I should have played dumb about the Boreas and Notos names entirely.
"Well then, I'll be going."
"Ah... sorry to bother you..."
With that said to the silent Luke, I left the scene.
--- That day.
After finishing my classes, I headed to
"Oh,
For some reason, Fitz was standing in front of Nanahoshi's door.
If my memory served, Fitz wasn't scheduled to come help for another four days.
Today wasn't supposed to be a day off for her either.
And yet, Fitz had come.
Not as the princess's bodyguard.
She'd come for the experiment.
The reason had to be our encounter the other day.
The physical contact with Fitz. And then my conversation with Luke.
Of course, I'd told Luke I had no intention of opposing Fitz or Princess Ariel.
But they had no reason to believe that.
On the contrary, they'd clearly suspect I was an enemy.
That's what it meant to know someone's secret.
So was Fitz here today to watch me?
To verify whether my conversation with Luke had been genuine?
Heh, I was on top of my game today.
"..."
"..."
"What? Did you two have a fight or something?"
I stood silent. Fitz wore an expression of barely contained tension.
Nanahoshi, sketching a magic circle, noticed and muttered the question.
"N-n-no, we haven't fought or anything!"
Fitz, by contrast, was the picture of guilty behavior.
When Fitz panicked, she was adorable.
But sure enough — she was suspicious of me.
What was the right move to earn trust in a situation like this?
Should I bring a gift for Princess Ariel?
I could only think of a box of sweets, but given how on guard they seemed, that might backfire.
"Whatever, just don't drag me into it."
Nanahoshi spoke in a tone that suggested she was about to click her tongue.
She had a firm policy of avoiding anything troublesome in this world. She probably didn't want to get caught up in a dispute between me and Fitz, who had deep ties to the
Then again, with an attitude like that, she was bound to run into problems with someone eventually.
...Though the only person she really talked to was me, so maybe that wasn't an issue.
If she didn't want to get involved with this world, that was her choice. Not my place to judge.
Ideally, I should stay on good enough terms that she wouldn't interfere with my goals.
But I couldn't exactly ask the woman who spent every day painstakingly drawing magic circles to also invest energy in socializing.
"..."
"..."
"Tch..."
Normally, the experiments with Fitz and Nanahoshi were accompanied by idle chitchat.
Today, though, there was nothing but silence, punctuated only by the occasional click of Nanahoshi's tongue.
With the atmosphere thick and uncomfortable, Nanahoshi's experiment concluded.
"...All done for today."
She announced the end in a tired voice.
Once again, her experiment had yielded no progress.
--- Heading back from the experiment.
As expected, there was no conversation between Fitz and me.
I felt I should say something to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but what was there to say?
I was terrified that if I opened my mouth, something like "show me your breasts" would come out.
Without any ideas, I arrived at the fork leading to the girls' dormitory.
"..."
As we approached the dorm, there was some commotion at the entrance.
Even from a distance, I could see a crowd of people gathered near the front.
"Is something wrong?"
"...Mm, let me go check real quick."
Fitz said in a flustered tone and darted ahead.
Perhaps she'd found the silence painful too.
I waited where I was.
After a short while, Fitz came trotting back.
"What happened?"
"Yeah, so, um, apparently there was a fight inside the dormitory.
And since they used magic, there are holes in the corridor and ceiling, so the rooms on the top floor can't be used."
Her delivery was remarkably flat and robotic.
So the fight had been Ariel, then? She didn't look like someone who'd pick a fight, but she must have done something.
"Oh, that's unfortunate."
"Yeah. So, Princess Ariel's room is unusable too.
I've been sleeping in the small guard's room right next to hers, but that's been damaged too."
"I see."
That was quite the elaboration.
"So Princess Ariel will be staying overnight with an acquaintance — a noble in the city — but that noble happens to be a huge elf hater.
So I can't stay there."
"Oh, interesting."
Fitz was a terrible liar. It was like she was reading from a script, same as that one time.
What was she hiding this time?
No, no — I wouldn't pry.
"And so, the repair crew is supposed to come fix things tomorrow, but I have nowhere to stay tonight."
"Ah, that is quite the predicament. If you'd like, I could do the repairs myself?
I have experience fixing brick buildings, so I should be able to manage."
I offered, more out of politeness than anything.
During my adventurer days, part of my earth magic training had involved repairing walls, roofs, and city fortifications.
Making bricks with earth magic, then assembling them by hand and with earth magic.
I knew the process — given an hour, I could restore Fitz's room to livable condition.
This was absolutely not motivated by any desire to peek into Fitz's room.
"W-wha...!?"
Fitz's face went rigid.
"A-ah, um, right. The third floor uses high-grade magic-resistant bricks, so, um, we don't have the materials. They won't arrive until tomorrow."
"Is that so?"
...Had she just come up with that on the spot?
Probably.
If they were magic-resistant bricks, they shouldn't have been destroyed by magic in the first place. That made no sense.
But I wasn't going to call her out on it.
If anything, I'd keep this excuse in my back pocket for later — "the magic-resistant bricks had degraded from water damage." Just in case.
Heh, I was sharp today.
"Besides, boys aren't allowed in the girls' dormitory anyway."
"Indeed."
I didn't know what was really going on, but I'd respect their situation.
At the very least, letting me into the girls' dormitory was a problem for them.
"Um, so, um, Rudeus — you have a single room, right?"
"Yes."
A probing gaze.
What was the correct answer here?
"If you want, you're welcome to stay over.
The top bunk is always free."
Fitz was registered as male, and I was treating him as such.
So this offer was perfectly natural.
A junior offering his senior a place to sleep.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Absolutely no ulterior motives.
I wasn't scheming to assault him in his sleep or anything improper like that.
I merely wanted to sniff the scent of the futon where Fitz had been sleeping. That was the extent of it.
Of course, Fitz would probably decline. Sleeping in another man's room was, after all, crossing a line.
Well, the ideal arrangement would be lending Fitz my room while I stayed at
I'd still get to smell the scent that way.
"Really!? Is that okay!? Then, just for tonight, I'll take you up on that!"
Contrary to my expectations, Fitz nodded with a bright, happy expression.
Huh?
I tilted my head.
And then it hit me.
Surveillance.
Fitz was watching me today.
Not just because of the other day's incident — perhaps something had happened with Princess Ariel, and I was under suspicion as a person of interest.
Fitz was here to make sure I didn't do anything.
That was the arrangement.
Come to think of it, coming to Nanahoshi's on a day she wasn't scheduled might have been for that very reason.
Well, if that was the case, I had no issue with it.
I didn't know what Princess Ariel was on guard about, but a night of being thoroughly guarded would only confirm my safety.
"I'll just grab a pillow and a change of clothes."
Fitz said this and darted back into the dormitory.
...The room wasn't too messy, right?
--- I returned to the dorm and invited Fitz into my room.
Fitz entered with a tense expression.
"Please, it's nothing special, but..."
"Oh, um. Thanks... thank you."
Fitz stumbled over the words, her face turning red.
"I'm about to head over to teach magic to Zanoba and
"N-no, I'll wait here. I don't want to intrude."
"Fair enough. Though I think Zanoba wouldn't mind your company."
Was she really not here to watch me?
Then again, maybe she was planning to search the room.
There was nothing embarrassing she'd find here.
I did have some laundry piling up, but nothing that would be a problem.
"Well then, I'll be heading out."
I made my way to Zanoba's room.
While teaching Julie earth magic and modeling, and working with Zanoba on a red dragon figurine, I let my thoughts wander.
About Fitz.
Right now, knowing that the girl I liked was in my room, I was a bit excited.
But let me think about this.
I was supposed to not know Fitz's gender.
Which meant Fitz had come here as a man.
To watch me.
She was on guard.
I'd told Luke I wouldn't be an enemy, but those were just words — they couldn't trust me.
On top of that, in the span of one year, I'd apparently thrown the school's power balance into complete upheaval.
Linear, Percevel, Vandergaard, Nanahoshi — I'd made contact with all these powerful figures.
From the outside, it might look like they were all under my command.
I'd put every power player at school under my thumb, and now I was making moves on the student council president, Princess Ariel. That was probably how it looked.
It was a stretch, but still...
I'd encountered Fitz — who resembled Princess Ariel — in the city, and then probed into Fitz's identity.
The suspicion was warranted.
Of course, I had no intention of becoming some school overlord, and I had no plans regarding Princess Ariel.
I'd figure out how to prove that later, but for now, the smart move was to avoid doing anything that would raise Fitz's suspicions.
I had to keep my nerves sharp tonight.
No mistakes that could be misconstrued.
For example, accidentally catching Fitz changing.
It wouldn't be deliberate, but it could easily be interpreted that way.
A classic romantic comedy development.
But as long as I was aware of it, prevention was simple.
For instance: the bathroom.
The dorm's toilets were single-occupancy, so locking the door solved that.
For the bath, I'd arranged for her to wash up while I was at Zanoba's.
She could get hot water from the first floor or heat it herself with magic.
Fitz had no issues on that front.
I'd also prepared a wet towel, in case bathing in someone else's room felt uncomfortable.
Ah — and there was the possibility of running into her changing when I got back.
Bursting into my own room without knocking and finding Fitz in her white skin.
She'd let out a quick "eep!" and cover her chest.
I'd pretend not to notice, naturally, and approach saying something like "shall I wash your back?"
"Whoops, my hand slipped," I'd say, while scaling her modest peaks like a rock climber.
"Aren't you a little underdeveloped in the chest area, Senior?" I'd joke while groping around, and my little soldier would sound the war drums while raising its flag...
No.
See, this was exactly why I couldn't allow it.
I absolutely could not do something like that.
Still, the chance of running into her changing when I returned...
That was extremely likely, I had to admit.
In every romantic comedy I'd read in my previous life, an encounter like this was guaranteed.
Therefore: knock every time I opened the door.
It was my own room. Didn't matter.
Someone was in there — knocking was mandatory.
Mandatory as the hazing for Koshien baseball players.
Hundred knocks. That's what was required. Knock on that door a hundred times tonight.
No mistakes tonight.
I would not be led by desire to glimpse Fitz's naked body.
And I certainly would not make a move in the middle of the night. Absolutely not.
No libido-induced blunders. That was my promise.
Fitz would have a comfortable night.
--- **[Fitz's Perspective]** A fair amount of time had passed since Rudeus left.
If I remembered right, he'd been teaching magic to Zanoba and Julie right up until bedtime.
Thinking about it, those two were lucky.
I used to spend entire days with Rudeus, one-on-one, having him teach me magic.
Those were the days.
I wished I could go back to them.
Here I was thinking such things, while standing in my underwear.
Women's panties, plus a camisole.
Not the usual unglamorous slash-proof one I always wore — this was a sexy one borrowed from Princess Ariel.
The chest area was a little loose, but Princess Ariel said "that's a good thing."
I didn't really understand.
I wasn't wearing sunglasses either, as usual.
Without them, I wouldn't be able to tell if something happened to Princess Ariel, but... for now, I'd trust Luke.
The other two were with her today anyway.
Besides, an attack at school was almost unheard of...
And if you asked why I was dressed like this, it was because this was the plan.
Princess Ariel had said: *"Listen,
All my time around Rudeus, I'd never picked up on any such signal.
I'd always assumed I was the only one harboring feelings.
*"If the woman he's interested in has nowhere to stay tonight, he will absolutely invite her to his room. Right, Luke?"* *"Without a doubt. If it were me, that's exactly what I'd say."* Even Luke, who was so experienced, nodded firmly.
I believed those words and acted on it.
Sure enough, it came true. They really knew what they were doing.
Up to here, it was fine. Everything was going according to their plan.
*"Now then, having been invited to his room and having agreed, that would be considered consent to spend the night together."* Spending the night with Rudeus.
Just thinking about it made my face turn red all the way to my ears.
It would surely be different from whatever happened with Princess Ariel.
Like what Lillia had taught me — something hot, aching, a total surrender of self.
*"However, Rudeus is trying to pretend he hasn't noticed you're a woman. Right, Luke?"* *"Indeed. That's exactly what he said."* So that time, when he touched my backside — he'd figured out I was a woman after all.
But it seemed Rudeus was trying to keep it a secret for me.
*"What a hopeless coward. That coward probably won't make a move on you tonight if things stay normal."* *"Wh-what if he does make a move?"* *"Then the plan is a success. Surrender yourself to him. And in the end, whisper that you love him, and ask him to keep the fact that you're a woman a secret between the two of you. Right, Luke?"* At Princess Ariel's words, Luke chimed in: *"Yep, that'll take care of everything."* I thought so too. If the experienced Luke said so, it had to be right.
*"Listen, Sylphie. In that case, you must not run. Rudeus is a dense coward. If you hesitate or resist even once, it will take a long time before he tries again. Six months, maybe a year. He won't come to you of his own accord for that long. This chance for him to make the first move is once in a lifetime."* Hearing Princess Ariel call him a coward over and over did irk me a little.
But Rudeus was a gentleman — he wouldn't just suddenly pounce. If I looked at it that way, the irritation subsided.
*"Now then, Sylphie, but that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity can be seized with your own hands."* *"It can?"* *"Yes. Right now, the reason Rudeus won't make a move on you is that he's trying to protect 'Fitz's secret.' So, all you need to do is tell him yourself — reveal the secret and tell him it's okay."* However, Princess Ariel continued: *"I don't know why, but he seems to want nothing to do with us. Even if you tell him directly, he'll likely brush it off as a joke or say 'I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.'"* Luke nodded in agreement.
If the experienced Luke nodded, it had to be right.
*"So what should I do?"* When I asked, Princess Ariel nodded grandly.
*"First, you present evidence."* *"Evidence?"* *"Yes, evidence. When he steps away to use the bathroom or something, seize that moment to strip off your clothes and stand before him in your underwear. As if you were simply changing into your nightwear!"* So this was Princess Ariel and Luke's strategy.
First, by standing there in her underwear, she'd demonstrate that she was a woman.
Even Rudeus couldn't pretend not to notice skin right in front of his face.
Then, still in her underwear, explain the situation and reveal herself as Sylphie of
The girl he was interested in, standing before him in her underwear, who happened to be his childhood friend.
To top it off, a love confession.
At that point, refusal would be impossible.
And from there, straight into bed.
Or so they said.
I'd asked Lillia about the etiquette between men and women too.
But honestly, this was my first time, so I had no confidence.
I knew it would be completely different from what happened with Princess Ariel, though.
When I muttered as much, Luke said: *"As long as you set the flow, the man will take it from there. The woman just needs to not refuse anything the man does. During, you put on a brave expression and say one of: 'It's okay,' 'I love you,' or 'It feels good.'"* *"Luke... that's a bit..."* Luke's words made Princess Ariel pull a face.
But Princess Ariel had no experience with men either.
I'd trust Luke's words.
Though the idea that Rudeus was like Luke in that regard was a little off-putting.
Because Luke's ideal woman sounded like nothing more than a doll.
Rudeus apparently liked dolls... hmm.
But I had no other options.
I decided to put my faith in the plan.
After Rudeus left, I filled the bucket he'd prepared, washed myself, and changed into my underwear.
I checked Princess Ariel's hand mirror to make sure nothing looked off.
While I was at it, I used the remaining warm water to wash Rudeus's clothes too.
Letting laundry pile up — Rudeus really was a boy through and through.
In my underwear, I sat on the edge of the bed.
Everything was ready.
Princess Ariel had suggested going fully nude, but Luke shot that down.
Apparently, jumping straight to nudity lacked elegance and would backfire.
I didn't understand.
"...Ah-choo!"
I sneezed and waited.
I waited, staring at a single point on the floor.
Otherwise, I'd end up staring at Rudeus's freshly washed underwear, or the contents of the shrine he'd asked me not to look at.
I kept them out of my line of sight as best I could and simulated what was about to happen.
Rudeus returns. He sees me and is shocked.
I tell him I'm a woman.
And then I tell him I'm Sylphie...
If I called myself Sylphie, would he be disappointed?
It should be fine, right?
Apparently, Rudeus had feelings for "Fitz."
Having feelings meant acceptance.
If we were both fond of each other, yeah. Yeah.
It would be fine. Yeah. Fine. Yeah.
*(Mom, Dad. Tonight, I'm going to become an adult.)* Knock knock.
"...!"
That was when the door was knocked.
Knocked.
Someone had knocked.
I'd forgotten — even Rudeus had expanded his circle of friends this past year.
Who said nobody would come visit?
I hurriedly grabbed the clothes I'd set aside and threw them on.
The only one I'd reveal my identity to was Rudeus.
I put on my sunglasses and opened the door from the inside.
"Sorry, Rudeus isn't here right n—...huh?"
"I'm back."
It was Rudeus.
Rudeus was standing right there beyond the door.
"Huh? W-why did you knock?"
"Before entering a room where someone might be, knocking is basic courtesy."
Fair point. Very fair.
But, but, Rudeus...
Aaargh...
The plan was ruined.
--- That night, I lay restless.
I was on the top bunk.
Knowing Rudeus was directly below me, I could feel my body heating up.
After that, I'd tried every which way to get Rudeus to see me in my underwear, but nothing worked.
He was so careful it almost seemed deliberate — I never got the chance to reveal myself.
I couldn't tell if Rudeus was truly dense or razor-sharp.
From the way he acted, I could sense he was trying not to make me uncomfortable.
Ugh...
Well.
The first plan had failed.
But I still had a follow-up plan.
The final resort Luke had proposed.
*"If you fail to reveal your identity, move to the next phase."* *"The next phase?"* Luke nodded gravely and said: *"Yobai."* Yobai, Luke explained, was a custom from the southern Central Continent.
A man who had feelings for a woman would sneak into her sleeping quarters, and they would consummate their relationship.
The twist was that in this version, the woman was the one doing the infiltrating.
When I asked why such a custom existed, he said he didn't know.
But he added that it was a perfect expression of the strength of one's feelings.
*"What if he thinks I'm a shameless woman?"* What Lillia had taught me was a more subtle approach.
Casually showing a bit of calf, or letting fingers brush against his.
Loosening the collar on a hot day.
The idea was to make it easy for the man to make the first move.
As Lillia had put it, being thought of as a harlot by one's master would ruin everything.
*"So what if he thinks that?"* *"I don't want him to! At least at the start, I want him to think of me as pure and proper..."* *"Isn't what he ends up thinking about you in the long run more important than the first impression?"* I didn't want that.
And I said so.
I really did.
I didn't want Rudeus to think of me as a harlot, not even for a moment.
But now I was wavering.
Because I'd been given no opportunity.
*"The act is simple. While saying 'I'm cold, warm me,' slip into his bed with your clothes off, press your chest against him, and whisper 'hold me' in his ear."* That was not simple at all.
What if he didn't hold me?
Wouldn't that be devastating?
Besides, I didn't exactly have much to press against him.
*"It'll be embarrassing and awkward, but it moves things forward by one step, doesn't it?"* Luke was too optimistic.
I knew the truth.
Luke chased women constantly, but he didn't succeed with all of them.
In fact, certain girls hated him like the plague.
What if Rudeus ended up hating me...?
*"That timid attitude is exactly why there's been no progress for a year. If you want to turn 'like' into 'love,' you have to risk being 'hated.'"* There was a strange persuasiveness to it.
Was this some Greyrat family motto or something?
And so I wavered.
Wavering, I took off the top of my men's nightwear.
Because it was hot.
Yeah, because it was hot.
This room, even in winter, had Rudeus being his thoughtful self and heating it up.
How did he manage to keep the room warm all night while sleeping?
Now I couldn't very well say "I'm cold."
I knew that was just an excuse.
What should I do?
Go or not go?
Oh, wait — why not simply wait for him in my underwear in the morning instead?
Yes! That was the answer.
There was no need for Yobai.
Morning. I'd do it in the morning.
If Rudeus happened to wake up partway through, that was fine too...
While thinking such things, the night wore on.
--- **[Rudeus's Perspective]** I woke up in the morning.
Fitz had been rustling around quite a lot during the night.
Climbing down from the top bunk, climbing back up.
There was even a moment where I could feel someone standing at the side of the bed, staring down at me.
I kept my eyes closed and faced the wall the entire time, pretending to sleep.
I wasn't on guard.
There was even a brief moment where I wondered if Fitz's mission might be to eliminate me.
But I trusted her.
"..."
I sat up.
I'd essentially pulled an all-nighter without once rolling over, so my body was heavy.
How long had I actually slept? Maybe two hours. Seriously rough.
I turned my head and looked to the center of the room.
Fitz was standing there.
"Good morning."
"Oh, morning, Rudeus. You're up early."
"We both are."
Fitz was standing there, uniform neatly pressed.
The sunglasses were perfectly in place, as usual.
I couldn't really tell from her complexion, but she looked a bit tired.
She might not have slept at all.
Thank you for your service.
Maybe I should have gotten up at least once and offered her some tea.
I washed my face as always and changed into my training clothes.
"Well then, I'm off for my daily training."
"R-right. I'll head back to Princess Ariel's room then."
And with those words, Fitz and I parted ways.
--- Upon hearing the report of failure, Ariel let out a small sigh.
"That brave Sylphie — why does she turn into such a coward when it comes to him?"
And with that, she began planning the next strategy.