A Secret Midnight Outing (1)
Ever since returning from the Spirit Pond after contracting with a fire spirit whose name was one long chuunibyou mouthful—Infernosillia, or whatever it was—Agnes couldn't hide the giddy excitement written all over her face.
“Agnes, where is this? Why is it full of weird rocks and trees the moment we leave the forest? Who's that over there? And….”
“This is the Academy, a place where humans gather to study. Those rocks and trees you see over there are like the houses humans live in—and they're not naturally shaped like that, either. They've been shaped and crafted with magic, so….”
Apparently because this was the first spirit she'd ever contracted, Agnes was completely absorbed in answering the little spirit's questions, wearing an expression of unguarded delight.
…Honestly, it was the first time since enrolling at the Academy that I'd seen her smile like that.
And yet whenever she's around me, she does nothing but scowl or glare. What is it with her, anyway?
It'd be nice if she smiled like that a little more often.
Tolerating the temper of a tsundere was something you could only manage from the safety of a game screen. A tsundere you met in real life was simply a girl with a rotten personality.
And I had learned that lesson, vividly and repeatedly, over this past semester of classes.
Still, all things considered, I'd managed to force a spirit into Agnes's hands before the spirit communication class ended, so mission accomplished.
Better yet, since Agnes was a specialist in fire magic, handing her a fire spirit opened up the possibility of an unexpected growth event down the line.
She'll almost certainly end up joining the Hero's party anyway, so there's no downside to her getting stronger.
Just how Gehmajoshigi-gwat would assemble a party that could carry eight people including himself, plus an extra like Serista, remained to be seen—but regardless, Agnes would want a spot in the Hero's party for her own reasons no matter what.
And the Hero wasn't about to throw out someone who was irreplaceable as their damage dealer. Even if he had no intention of courting her.
In other words, the more Agnes—an almost-guaranteed party member—grew in power, the easier the demon king subjugation would become, which meant the odds of my own peaceful future arriving safely went up with it.
So giving her a fire spirit as her first contract had been, without a doubt, the correct choice.
And besides, a stronger Agnes means a slightly lower chance of her eyeing other party candidates for no good reason.
With Serista already at the Hero's side, I doubted anyone would covet Lilith specifically, but it never hurt to have a little insurance.
I was watching Agnes blankly as she rapidly taught her fire spirit the basics of this world when our eyes met, just once.
“…And that over there is the dormitory. Starting today, you and I will be living….”
“…….”
…Agnes?
One moment she'd be chattering away happily with her spirit, the next she'd lock eyes with me and her mouth would snap shut.
I tactfully averted my gaze and pretended not to notice, and a moment later I heard her footsteps approaching.
Footsteps that carried a strange, unmistakable hesitance—as if she had something she wanted to say to me.
Tap. Tap.
“…….”
“Um… Lilith?”
“Yes, Miss Blaze?”
“…………Thank you.”
…Well, of course she should thank me. Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to hand you a spirit?
In the original story, this was an outcome that was impossible no matter how you bent the script.
The fire spirit I'd given her was essentially force-fed to her, spoonful by spoonful, through my own relentless efforts.
Even Agnes apparently wasn't entirely without a conscience, it seemed, because she was offering her thanks to the person who'd arranged the spirit contract for her.
And I did my best to play dumb, answering her gratitude with perfect composure.
“I merely count it a good thing that your spirit contract went smoothly, Miss Blaze.”
“Lilith….”
“Though I do believe your habit of calling complete strangers 'crazy bitch' upon first meeting could stand some improvement. For the sake of your future, if nothing else.”
“…You just had to add that, didn't you. Annoying.”
As lacking in talent as she might be, no one can live their whole life as a tsundere. I supposed that personality was exactly why she ended up as a character who got either the Hero ending or the bachelor ending in the game.
Anyway, I'd finished everything I needed to do today, which meant it was time to head back.
…If only so that nobody found out I'd snuck out without Ethan knowing, I needed to hurry home.
It was deep in the small hours, several hours after the last light had drained from the sky.
Curfew at the dormitory had long since passed. I walked quietly down the corridor of the Fencing Club dormitory, making my way toward the room I shared with Ethan.
Because I had to make absolutely certain that no one ever learned I'd slipped out into the night, pretending to sleep beside him, and then slipped back in again.
If a servant announced she was going out alone in the middle of the night, there's no way I'd have been allowed to leave.
For one thing, it was shameless behavior for someone in my position as an exclusive maid, and Ethan himself would almost certainly have tried to stop me, drowning me in needless worry besides.
Ever since the incident at the Lake of Knowledge, he'd grown noticeably more protective of me than before.
Even if it was for Agnes's sake, there was more than a fair chance he'd take issue with his provisional lover going out on her own.
And waking Ethan up and dragging him along would just be too unfair to him.
This was business between me and Agnes in the first place; bringing a third party to the scene would have been absurd. If all I got for dragging Ethan everywhere was a round of laughter from Agnes, I'd count myself lucky.
And so the plan I'd settled on was simple: a secret outing.
After all, once Ethan fell asleep, he rarely stirred until it was time to wake up. It was a small habit I'd learned over the months we'd shared a bed.
Sneak out after he fell asleep. Return before he woke.
I'd long since cultivated the habit of going to bed after my master and rising before him, so slipping out at midnight was no trouble at all. The problem was coming back.
Figuring out whether Ethan was asleep or not was easy—he was right there beside me. The tricky part was timing my return to when he was guaranteed to be in his deepest sleep.
The REM sleep cycle runs ninety minutes. And the cycle from deep sleep back to deep sleep is also ninety minutes, so….
Three hours or so after I'd left ought to do it.
Time to slip out of the dormitory and reach the Dark Forest: twenty-two minutes. Time for Agnes to complete her spirit contract at the Spirit Pond and return: one hour forty-seven minutes. Time spent chatting with her afterward: nineteen minutes. Time to come back: another twenty-two minutes.
Deciding to hold out another ten minutes or so, I spent that short interval mentally reviewing the last assignment I had to close out this week.
The only task remaining now is the fencing duel with Harold, the day after tomorrow….
As for the end-of-term Hunting Festival, I'd be competing in a pair with Ethan anyway, so that wasn't really my concern.
The truly critical matter was the duel with Harold.
The one assignment where I still couldn't confidently promise myself victory was this one-on-one bout against him.
True, Harold would be fighting under penalties—no stamina, no mana, swordsmanship limited to basic forms—but the fundamental gap between a Sword Master and an ordinary person was itself the greatest penalty of all.
Short of striking into a blind spot he couldn't possibly have anticipated, there was simply no way to win. The problem was whether such a blind spot even existed for a man like Harold, who had weathered every storm imaginable as a Sword Master.
Lost in those thoughts, I waited quietly in front of the dormitory door for the time to pass.
After silently counting out six hundred seconds in my head, I stepped inside with the softest footsteps I could manage.
Click. Creak.
“…….”
The moment I opened the door and stepped through, all that greeted me was a pitch-dark room.
I had to navigate by nothing but the faint glow Sally gave off on her own, but since I had to move silently anyway, the poor visibility underfoot was hardly a problem.
I'd gone out and come back wearing my sleep-mode maid uniform in the first place, so there was no need to change clothes either.
Softly, softly.
On the quietest footsteps I could manage, I slowly made my way to the bed where Ethan slept.
Then I gently slid myself into the empty space beside him and readied myself for sleep as naturally as I could.
Inhale.
…Phew.
Somehow, it looks like I got away with it.
I pushed the fencing duel with Harold—which had occupied my mind until just moments ago—out of my head for the time being.
Lying in bed thinking about it wouldn't win me the match, and until I actually crossed blades in practice, there was no way to know whether my prepared strategy would work anyway.
Besides, the end-of-term Hunting Festival with Ethan was coming up right next week, so I had no spare attention to waste on this alone.
Quietly, I buried my travel-weary body beneath the covers for the first time in what felt like ages.
And just as I closed my eyes and began to drift off, a small rustle stirred from the side of the bed where I lay.
A slow breath. A soft shift.
“……?”
…What, is he just turning over?
Sleep-talking was a hallmark of REM sleep. If I'd come in even a little later, it could have been dangerous.
The thought that Ethan might have woken the very instant I opened the dormitory door sent an icy chill down my spine.
Well, in the end I'd finished my midnight outing without incident, so all's well that….
Grip.
“……Huh?”
Just as I was letting myself relax at the thought, I felt something quietly seize my left wrist beneath the covers.
My head simply stopped. My thoughts froze in place for a long moment.
Seriously, what is with this guy's sleeping habits….
Why on earth would you grab someone's wrist in your sleep? The wrist?
He was holding on so tightly that even a light shake produced no intention whatsoever of letting go.
…Oh well. Nothing for it. Tonight I'll just have to sleep like this.
I was supposed to be fast asleep beside Ethan at this hour anyway, so clumsily prying his hand off now would only invite suspicion.
Being subjected to a little sleep-talking was still better than getting caught having snuck out at night….
“Lili…th….”
“……!”
W-what?!
Don't tell me he was actually awake this whole time?
At the sudden sound of Ethan's voice calling my name, my heart plummeted straight into my stomach.
After a moment's deliberation over whether to answer or stay silent, I finally managed to coolly work out why he'd called for me.
…Sleep-talking, on top of his sleep habits. It's common enough.
My name slipping out was probably just a coincidence.
Since enrolling at the Academy, I was the person with the most contact points in Ethan's life, so it stood to reason I'd appear in his dreams.
He was probably dreaming about our recent date, or perhaps what happened out on the lake.
Which was why he was gripping my wrist, calling my name—it all fit.
Just as I was telling myself it was nothing again and settling back into the covers, Ethan stirred once more.
…A far bigger, far more restless turn than anything before it.
A slow slide.
“……Huh?”
Tightening.
“…No, wait a second.”
He seemed to be turning his body naturally toward me, and then he simply rolled over and pinned me beneath him entirely.
Being treated like a body pillow to be smo-thered under, my outrage had graduated into something approaching pure exasperation.
I know it's just his sleeping habits, but….
This was, a little… more than usual, wasn't it?
Even on his worst tossing-and-turning nights, I didn't think he'd ever tangled himself around me this aggressively.
At any rate, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it and sleep, there was no drifting off in this state.
And so, resolving to simply shove Ethan off and relocate to my own side of the bed, I took hold of his shoulder and was about to push him in the opposite direction when….
…Right at my ear, Ethan's voice came through, startlingly clear.
“Lilith.”
“……?”
“…Where did you go?”