Journey eventually gave up on sorting through the mountain of items and straightened her back, turning to Aeron.

“Where’s Kana?”

For the past few days, every time Journey logged into Silea Online, Kana’s face had greeted her. Well, technically, it was more of her hood-covered figure than her actual face, and it wasn’t as if Kana was particularly thrilled to see her. But still, Journey had grown accustomed to starting her mornings with Kana around, making this morning feel strangely quiet by comparison.

“Still sleeping, probably. She tends to sleep a lot.”

“Huh?”

Journey let out an incredulous squeak at Aeron’s answer.

“Kana? Sleeping a lot? I’ve never even seen her sleep before!”

“Didn’t you say you traveled with a merchant caravan? She probably didn’t feel safe enough to rest properly in that environment.”

“Oh…”

So that was why?

It made sense. Aeron had known Kana much longer than Journey had, so if anyone was right about this, it was probably him. And with Kana still nowhere in sight, her trust in his words only grew. Aeron glanced at the clock and said:

“It’s about time to wake her up. Would you like to come along?”

“I—can I? Really?”

“...Aren’t we all going to have breakfast together? Unless you have other plans…”

“No! I’ll join! Please let me join!”

Journey’s eager response made Aeron raise an eyebrow, but he simply turned and led the way down the hall. They soon stopped in front of an elegant door, where Aeron knocked lightly.

Knock, knock.

“Kana.”

Silence.

Aeron waited a moment before knocking again.

Knock, knock.

Still no answer.

“Seems like she’s still asleep,” he said.

“Maybe she’s already up and out?”

“Does she strike you as the type?”

“Hmm…”

Journey considered it for a moment, then shook her head.

“No, probably not.”

She could picture Kana holed up in a corner, maybe, but wandering off alone? That didn’t seem like her. Aeron grasped the doorknob.

“Are you sure it’s okay to just go in? What if she gets mad?”

“If it’s Kana, she probably already knows we’re here.”

Creak.

“She’s not getting up because she doesn’t want to,” Aeron replied dismissively as he opened the door.

The room he’d arranged for Journey last night had been quite luxurious, enough to make even someone with experience in fancy hotels like Journey impressed. But Kana’s room was even more extravagant. It was larger, for one thing, and the decor looked like a royal chamber remodeled into a five-star hotel. Journey’s eyes sparkled as she took in the grandeur of the space.

“Kana, wake up.”

Oblivious to her awe, Aeron approached the lump under the blankets and called out softly. Journey quickly followed him over.

“Mmm…”

‘…Gasp!’

At the edge of the lump, a small head poked out from under the blankets. With every soft breath Kana took, the blanket rose and fell. Her face was so peaceful and relaxed, curled up with not a care in the world, that Journey couldn’t help but stifle a squeal. She had looked cute sleeping against Aeron’s shoulder before, but like this, curled up like a small animal, the cuteness was overwhelming.

‘I have to take a picture…!’

Journey quickly set the stream screen to standby before snapping a screenshot.

-?? What’s going on??? -Mom, it’s too dark in here… -Excuse me, the lights went out! -Hey, I want to see too!

“Uh-hum. For Kana’s privacy, I’m temporarily turning off the screen.”

There’s a saying that the worst thing is to give someone something only to take it back. People know this, which is why they generally don’t do it unless they intend to sever ties. The viewers felt exactly that sense of betrayal. Journey’s audience had been sharing her view and delighting in Kana’s cuteness when the screen suddenly went dark. Struggling to adjust to the abrupt change, the chat exploded with intense reactions.

Of course, protecting Kana’s privacy wasn’t the real reason Journey had turned off the screen. That was merely a convenient excuse to hide her shameless act. She continued snapping shots of Kana’s cute sleeping face, and only when she’d thoroughly satisfied her inner collector did she switch the stream back on with a smug grin.

“Time to get up. It’s breakfast time.”

Aeron’s voice was gentle, entirely different from how he’d addressed Journey.

-Oh wow…; -I’m a guy, but I think I finally get why girls fall for voices like that. -????????????????????

Like someone speaking to a child… or rather, exactly like someone speaking to a child. The chat simmered with surprise at the sudden softness in Aeron’s tone.

Kana blinked up at him sleepily before her eyes fluttered shut again.

“Mmm… don’t wanna eat.”

“Oh, she’s adorable…”

Journey clutched her chest at the sight of Kana’s sleepy whine.

“You have to eat breakfast if you want to grow taller.”

“…I told you not to mention my height.”

Kana’s eyes snapped open, and she shot Aeron a disgruntled look.

“I’ll even make you your favorite meat dish if you get up.”

“...Fine.”

Reluctantly, Kana sat up, rubbing her eyes as if trying to shake off her drowsiness. She blinked a few times and occasionally dipped forward, her head bobbing toward the bed before pulling back up.

“Kana, good morning! Did you sleep well?”

“…Yeah. Good morning.”

‘Kana…’

Journey beamed warmly at her, charmed by Kana’s groggy morning greeting, which she’d never heard before. So she really does love her sleep.

 
   *  *  *
   

Thunk.

I jabbed at the dubious something on my plate with a fork.

“Don’t play with your food,” Aeron chided.

“…You said it was meat.”

“It is meat.”

He replied nonchalantly, popping another green veggie into his mouth. And sure enough, the same leafy greens were sitting right there on my plate, too.

“Once vegetables are mixed into the dish, it’s not a meat dish anymore.”

How could he not understand this basic fact? Garnishes on a steak are fine; I can just brush those off. But once the veggies are all mixed in and I can’t separate them, it doesn’t qualify as a meat dish anymore.

“Aren’t you a bit old to be this picky?”

I scoffed.

“What does age have to do with not wanting to eat something I don’t like?”

“…Quite the flex.”

“Not like you can talk, Aeron. You still treat me like a kid.”

If he wanted to make comments like that, maybe he shouldn’t act like I’m still ten.

“A child is always a child in the eyes of a parent, no matter how old they are. I might not be your father, but I’ve known you since you were just a sprout. That’s pretty close.”

“And I’ve always been like this since I was little, so I’m not changing.”

“Not one to back down, huh?”

“I grew up in an environment where that wasn’t an option.”

“…!”

Neither Aeron nor I thought much of it, but Journey’s expression suddenly turned grim, looking at me with surprise. It wasn’t like I’d said anything wrong or anything uncalled for, so what’s with that reaction?

At last, I succeeded in picking out every green thing on my plate and resumed my meal.

“How long do you plan to stay in Riverie?”

“Not sure. Maybe two or three days?”

“Hmm. It’s unlikely, but if you find yourself short on funds or needing anything, let me know. I’ll help however I can.”

“…Who are you?”

Aeron, the ultimate penny-pincher, offering to help with money? I eyed him suspiciously, fork still in hand, which only earned me a pitying look.

“That was because we were working with the Knight Order’s budget, wasn’t it? If we’d overspent, you’d be the one begging the finance office for more. I can just picture it.”

“…”

I kept my mouth shut and went back to my meat. Hard to argue with him there, given the history.

‘Give me the money.’

‘What do you think this is? Gold on tap? We don’t just give it out if you ask! There’s no money left, none!’

‘Oh, but there is. Right here, in the pockets of those freeloaders eating their way through our funds.’

‘…Are you insane? I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, so please leave now!’

The finance officer’s voice, as he’d yelled at me in horror, still echoed vividly in my mind. He’d been tough, but not a bad guy. Probably met his end that day, though.

“You weren’t being tough; you were just being unreasonable.”

Aeron shook his head in exasperation, rising from the table. His plate was clean, not a single vegetable left behind.

“Anyway, I heard you. I’d better get going now.”

“Where to?”

“Where else? I have work. Unlike you, I’m not unemployed.”

Ah, the bliss of being a wealthy slacker. He just didn’t get it. Aeron had spent longer in the Crimson Flame Knights than I had, so he should have enough money saved up, but it seemed like the concept of a work-free life didn’t appeal to him.

After Aeron left, I pushed the remaining vegetables around on my plate, looking for more meat. Journey spoke up beside me.

“Kana, Kana. What are you going to do today?”

“Sleep.”

This bed was amazing. So soft, and the blankets were wonderfully cozy... I’d wanted to stay in it for hours, but thanks to Aeron waking me up, that dream was cut short. Now I could try to finish that dream.

“Aw…”

Journey looked disappointed.

“Aren’t you going out?”

“…Is there a reason to?”

“If you stay in, you’ll get bored.”

“Not if I’m asleep.”

“Come on, let’s go out and have some fun together~ Please?”

“…Back off.”

I frowned, trying to shake her off as she clung to me. Does she sprout thorns if she sits still? She never seems to be able to stay put.

“I’ll buy you something yummy! Like, uh, chocolate! There’s a place that sells really delicious chocolate. Let’s go there. How about it?”

“Fine, just stop clinging.”

I waved the white flag. Ignoring her would probably just mean she’d follow me back to the room, begging. …I guess I can spare one day to go out. Just today. I’ll hibernate in my room for the rest of my stay. This isn’t about the chocolate. Not at all.

“If it’s not good…”

Stab.

I jabbed my fork into the leftover greens for emphasis.

“O-okay…”

Journey nodded, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. It seemed my message had gotten across. Satisfied, I took another bite of food.

“...Ugh.”

Yup, still gross.