Who Is Your Partner?
“I don't want that.”
Again. That same brazen face, utterly unchanged. Normally, she'd have just thought it was his usual sly charm, but not now. Not when she was desperate to stop Netoru from coupling with Seres by any means necessary.
After witnessing that scene just moments ago, there was no way Karen could accept Netoru coupling with Seres. No matter the circumstances, Seres was the one person in the unit Karen relied on more than anyone—the big sister figure who'd looked after her since her clueless early days.
So even with all the backstory, Karen still preferred Seres. If anything, she might even pity her now. That's why she couldn't help but ask Netoru.
“……Why? Why don't you want to?”
Her voice trembled. Maybe it was because she'd been through so much in such a short time. Her emotions felt strangely out of control. Or perhaps it was the overheat. Seres had interrupted the treatment, after all.
“Karen.”
Netoru, who had been looking down at her, called her name and lowered himself to meet her gaze. It was a gesture that somehow considered her feelings while firmly conveying his own resolve. With a calm expression, he stared into her eyes and said,
“You know why, don't you?”
“……”
You know too.
It wasn't hard to grasp what he meant. She'd spent the whole day obsessing over why he wanted to swap in the first place. And deep down, she'd even acknowledged their first coupling. Objectively speaking, as a female pilot, Karen knew she fell short in many ways when it came to handling Netoru's capabilities.
As much as she hated to admit it, that was a plain fact. So she'd tried to endure it, convincing herself it was inevitable. Tried to judge their coupling as rationally as possible. At least until she'd seen Seres's weakness.
But now that was impossible. Karen's lips quivered as she spat out the emotions that had unknowingly built up in her chest over the course of the day.
“…Are you saying I'm not good enough as your coupling partner right now?”
Netoru gave no answer to her question. No sign of hesitation or deliberation. He simply gazed at her steadily, then reached out his hand.
“Karen. Let's stop here for now. We'll talk tomorrow. You're not in any shape to do this.”
Before she knew it, Netoru's hand was gently stroking her waist, sliding below her navel toward her lower abdomen. It came to rest right where her mana nerve system was located—a treatment halted by Seres's sudden arrival.
Netoru furrowed his brow, sensing the heat building in Karen's lower abdomen.
“The overheat is getting worse.”
“…No. What do you mean stop? I still have a lot to say.”
Karen slapped away his hand, which had touched her without permission. He was right—the overheat was definitely worsening—but she had to get this out now.
“…I don't want to see Seres suffering.”
“But the swap was something Seres accepted.”
“So you're really going to couple with her instead of me…? I was your original partner to begin with. And why do it without even discussing it with me?”
“…….”
Netoru's demeanor remained unshaken. Watching him, Karen bit her lip hard.
“If you're really going to keep coupling with Seres, I won't just sit back.”
“…Won't just sit back?”
“Yeah.”
Karen nodded with resolute determination. Netoru's eyes shifted subtly—like an adult indulging a child's tantrum.
“So what are you gonna do if you don't sit back?”
“I'll go to the commander……”
“You mean tell the commander? You serious? You know the unit's situation right now?”
“……”
Karen clamped her mouth shut, and Netoru continued.
“Honestly, if Seres and I couple, it'll lighten the load on everyone else a lot. No matter what she's like, she's undeniably a major asset.”
His voice was so composed. A faint crack appeared in Karen's resolute expression.
Only then did she realize how childish her outburst had been. The overheat was clouding her thinking.
But… so what? Was she supposed to just keep watching Seres suffer and endure it?
As Karen glared at Netoru with resentment, he spoke in a low, steady voice.
“No matter what, you can't replace Seres.”
It was the firmest, coldest tone Karen had ever heard from him. Always so brazen and sly, with a hint of kindness beneath… But this chilled voice stabbed right into her chest.
Still, she couldn't muster a retort. Not just because he was right, but because she had no strength left to argue.
Her breathing was labored, her head throbbed unbearably.
──And then her vision blurred.
Maybe from unleashing so many emotions at once. Or from holding back the overheat for so long.
“Ugh……”
A deep vertigo crushed her skull like boiling blood. Karen clutched her forehead, feeling hot sweat pour down. Her breaths came in sharp gasps; she couldn't think straight.
Then Netoru's voice drifted faintly to her.
“Karen. What do you think you can do in this state?”
And that was Karen's last memory.
2.
When she came to, it was already midnight. Getting Karen out of the closet wasn't hard. She was already half-unconscious from the overheat when he opened the door. Her childish tantrum—devoid of any logic—was probably because of that. Overheat messes with clear thinking.
In a way, a drunk person might be more rational.
Unfortunately, treating Karen was impossible. To calm her blazing mana nerve system, she needed to be conscious. That doubled Netoru's workload. He had to deal with the passed-out Seres and sneak Karen back to her room.
Of course, it was a secretive operation, dodging prying eyes. Even for Netoru, carrying two women on his back without being seen took time.
By the time he finished without a hitch and returned to his room, quite a while had passed. He washed up immediately and sat at his desk.
One final task remained—the one he never skipped on combat days.
Netoru unlocked the drawer, pulled out two notebooks, and placed them neatly on the desk. The covers, written in Korean, read:
<Karen>
<Seres>
“……”
Netoru silently stared at the two names on the notebooks. He needed to figure out how to process today's events.
The mentally fragile Seres… And now Karen, who knew about that fragility.
How would their relationship change from here? Things had veered far off his original plan. Seres's unexpected weakness was a problem, and so was Karen learning about it.
“…Not easy.”
Nothing's harder to untangle than messed-up relationships. Given Karen's personality, she wouldn't stay quiet. She'd definitely act.
Was that a positive? Netoru hadn't wanted this situation, of course. But it had happened. Changing plans now was impossible. In this unit, there were no other options besides Karen and Seres.
“……”
So he'd have to adapt. Convincing himself of that, Netoru first opened the <Seres> notebook.
He gripped a pencil and began diligently recording everything he'd learned about her from today's battle: her tendencies, traits, the structure of her mana nerve system… The Holy Knight's output, her strengths and weaknesses unique to her. He wrote down every sensation and realization without omission.
Sure, her mental fragility was a flaw, but abandoning her potential would be a waste. Seres's Holy Knight was worth it. Her output and mana release were on a level Netoru had never experienced.
As expected of a former knight order pilot, huh.
So Netoru wanted to refine it somehow.
“…In the end, only one way.”
After a moment's thought, he detailed in the notebook what to focus on when “training” Seres. Everything was in Korean, so no one else could understand if they stumbled upon it.
Once he'd finished with Seres, Netoru opened the <Karen> notebook last.
As he pondered what to write, a chuckle escaped him unbidden.
──Just keep coupling with me.
Karen's passionate voice echoed clearly in his ears. Honestly, it wasn't a bad experience. It was the first time anyone had demanded that of him, even if it was because of Seres.
But Karen was misunderstanding one thing. Netoru did plan to keep coupling with her. He'd only said no because he wasn't giving up on Seres either.
There was no reason to stick to just one partner. Seres and Karen were women of completely different hues—partners with distinct strengths and weaknesses.
So Netoru intended to deepen their unique colors, awakening their abilities and individuality. Tailoring their strengths to the situations where they'd shine most.
In that sense, what Karen needed was…
Netoru mulled it over, then leisurely began filling in the <Karen> notebook.