Who Is the Partner? 1
My head was spinning. Was it because I'd stayed in the hot water too long? The overheat symptoms were worsening faster than I'd anticipated.
"...Where the hell is that guy right now, anyway."
Wiping the water from her body with a towel, Karen pondered where Netoru might be. She planned to track him down and get treated right away. She hated dragging this out. Her body was burning up, her head dizzy... and especially that throbbing heat building in her lower abdomen—it was unbearable. If there hadn't been a solution before, it might've been different, but now that she knew a good treatment, holding out felt even harder than usual.
...If only the method were a little more normal.
If it was, she wouldn't be suffering like this—she'd have gone straight to him for treatment. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She'd rationalized it to the point of self-hypnosis by now, but the psychological barrier hadn't fully vanished. Asking for treatment so brazenly when she didn't even have a fever? Impossible for Karen. It would look way too suspicious.
"......"
Suddenly, staring at her bare white reflection in the mirror, Karen tentatively touched her lips. Was it from all those tiresome kisses over the past few days? Now, without even thinking, she could feel his sensation rising unbidden. Thanks to that, the memory of kissing Natsuo was starting to fade.
No matter that it was for treatment, Natsuo would be furious if he knew. He might act like a little brother most of the time, but he was still a guy. What man in the world would be okay with his coupling partner kissing someone else?
...Maybe I should just tough it out without treatment?
The thought flashed through her mind, but Karen shook her head firmly. The unit's situation came first—recovering her body was priority. Even if it meant swapping partners, she had no choice. And if her partner really did change for good, she wouldn't have to deal with overheat anymore. Whoever it ended up being, it wouldn't strain her body like coupling with Netoru did. Which meant this indecent treatment would essentially be the last one.
Thinking that to herself, Karen was slipping on her underwear when—
—Creak.
Someone opened the door and entered the changing room. Wondering who it was, Karen glanced at the mirror and saw Seres. Their eyes met, and Seres gave a soft smile.
"Ah, Karen. You're already done washing up? Quick."
"...Seres, you're a bit late, aren't you? Everyone else is already cleaned up. Something come up?"
Female pilots' body temperatures rose during Holy Knight connections, making them sweat profusely. So it was standard to wash up right away after returning, if there was time.
"I had a brief meeting with Commander Rien."
"...A meeting? About the swapping, by any chance?"
"Yes, exactly."
Seres smiled brightly at Karen's question. She scanned for an empty locker and started peeling off her suit.
As Seres shed her suit, the pilot's bra hidden beneath came into view. Most female pilots wore sports bra-style underwear. Breasts bouncing during combat was a nuisance, so they always used supportive undergarments. Of course, for someone like Seres with exceptionally large breasts, even a sports bra didn't eliminate the discomfort entirely...
Soon, Seres stripped off her underwear too, revealing her pristine nude form. Karen stared blankly at her body for a moment. The well-shaped, curvaceous figure exuded the full allure of a mature woman. Will I look that grown-up once I hit adulthood? With her birthday—and adulthood—approaching soon, the thought bubbled up unconsciously.
"Um... Karen? Even I'd feel awkward if you stare like that."
"Ah, sorry..."
Seres gave an awkward smile as their eyes met again, and Karen belatedly realized her blunder, quickly averting her gaze. Was it the fever? She was spacing out on weird stuff. Karen resumed dressing, picking up where she'd left off. But after a brief hesitation, she bit her lip and asked cautiously, as if resolved.
"...Seres. So, you're really going to swap with him in the end?"
"......"
Seres paused mid-bend to grab a laundry basket. She lightly swept back her purple hair and smiled warmly, as always.
"Well... of course I have to, right?"
"You okay with that? His piloting's pretty rough. You hate that kind of thing. Plus... you know, your thing with men."
"Haha... yeah, true."
Seres nodded without denial, straightening gracefully with a simple laugh.
"But I'm fine. Rough as his control is, it's nothing compared to the partners I dealt with in the knight order. Netoru's actually on the milder side. The knights were worse."
"...Netoru's 'mild'?"
Karen tilted her head skeptically. Hard to picture. She doubted there was anyone rougher than him. But Seres had no reason to lie about this... Come to think of it, she'd vaguely heard how tough it was for female pilots paired with knights. Was Seres one of them?
"You haven't forgotten where I'm from, have you, Karen?"
"...Saint Mishar."
The knight order dubbed the royal family's sword. An elite gathering of the kingdom's finest knights.
"Even though I was kicked out, handling a guy like Netoru is easy for me. And today's first coupling went off without a hitch, didn't it?"
Confidence shone in Seres's smile.
"Plus, the coupling itself wasn't bad at all. So don't worry too much, Karen."
"...'Not bad.'"
They must be pretty compatible, then. Karen made a subtle face, recalling how Netoru had helped Seres out of the cockpit. Thinking about it, his unique piloting style was the issue—Netoru wasn't a bad guy at heart. He could be pointlessly cheeky or mischievous, sure, but he subtly looked out for his partner too... Like a few days ago, when he'd thrown himself to save her as the ground collapsed. Without that, she'd have been seriously hurt. Maybe Seres had noticed that side of him too.
The memory jogged something she'd forgotten amid the overheat haze upon returning to base.
...Oh right. Is that guy okay?
She'd been too out of it to think straight. When the floor gave way, he'd hit his head and bled, hadn't he? And his "treatment" was just wrapping it in emergency bandages from the cockpit. Had he even gotten proper care after returning to base?
"Oh, and Karen—one thing I wanted to ask."
"...Yeah?"
Karen had just finished dressing and turned around, lost in thought. Seres was gazing at her intently now.
"...Seres? What?"
"Karen, are you really okay? You look feverish up close. Your face is a bit flushed."
"......"
Seres might seem laid-back, but she was sharp. Karen flinched involuntarily at the pointed question, clamping her mouth shut. Was it that obvious? This overheat from the rough coupling was vicious. Normally, she'd be bedridden with a high fever for days. But right now, she'd forcibly suppressed it with "treatment." Obviously, she couldn't tell anyone about that, so she'd brushed off the unit members by saying she was fine.
Karen forced a calm expression.
"Just stayed in the bath too long. You know how hot water does that."
"......Really?"
But Seres's eyes narrowed suspiciously. She didn't stop at staring— she closed the distance. Karen instinctively backed up, but it was too late.
"Eek...? W-wait... Seres? Kyaa?!"
"...Karen. It's hot here."
Seres's hand was now pressing deep into her lower abdomen—right over the uterus where her mana nerve system pattern was etched.
"Didn't you say you were fine? This is clearly overheat symptoms."
"Th-that's..."
Overheat always heated the lower abdomen first. Seres had confirmed it. As Karen averted her eyes, Seres sighed.
"Sigh... Why hide something like this? Let's head to the infirmary first. Get some antipyretics and pilot nutrients at least..."
"W-wait..."
Karen gave a wry smile at Seres's nagging. It'd get better soon with Netoru's treatment anyway—no need for the infirmary. Gently pushing away Seres's hand from her abdomen, she said,
"Don't worry too much. I'm almost better."
"No, still not okay. Female pilots have to take care of their bodies..."
Seres's words sped up. Seeing her like this, Karen figured she needed to get treated ASAP. She soothed the worried Seres as best she could and hurried out of the changing room. She'd head straight to his room. Wandering the base in this state would just worry people like Seres.
He'll come if I wait in his room.
2.
The meeting with Rien wrapped up quickly. Both Netoru and Rien viewed this swap positively, so the key was Seres's willingness. The main topic hadn't been opinions on swapping, but something else entirely.
"Why exactly were you kicked out of your previous unit, Netoru?"
Why ask that now? She hadn't even brought it up on his first day here. Awkward question. Not a great story.
"Well..."
Netoru shrugged.
"Guess I pissed off some noble."
"...Pissed off."
What reason would anyone have to come to the 39th Sector? But clearly not the answer she wanted—Rien's brow twitched. Fortunately, she didn't press.
"Understood."
She seemed to guess there was more to it, looking grave, then ended the meeting. Netoru returned to his room to wait for Seres.
—Let's talk after the meeting.
He wasn't sure what she wanted to discuss, but Seres had said she'd come to his room herself once it was done.
That was when Netoru got back to his room.
"......Huh?"
Turning the knob and opening the door, he spotted an unexpected guest already inside. For a second he thought it was Seres, but no—this was a surprise.
"...What the hell, this girl."
Netoru blinked in bewilderment at Karen, asleep on his bed. And what was that potion clutched in her hand? Not for her own use, obviously... She planning to give it to me?
"Hmph."
Whatever. Netoru sat beside the sleeping Karen and brushed her hair. As expected, her forehead was hot. Overheat. Still, how does she just waltz into a guy's room like this so casually? Pure or fearless? Amid it all, her hair carried a pleasant shampoo scent, drawing an involuntary chuckle from Netoru.