The clothes I took out from the closet were the athletic clothes I wear for exercise. Even though I’m a noble lady, there’s no rule saying I can’t go out in athletic wear.
Even if it doesn’t look the best, it should be fine for a short outing, right? Honestly, it felt much more comfortable than wearing a skirt that flutters unnecessarily.
I shouldn’t have to deal with anyone flipping my skirt like yesterday—there’s no skirt to flip this time.
Anyway, let’s keep unnecessary thoughts to a minimum. I shouldn’t be late for my appointment, so I’ll change quickly and get going.
I decided to wear athletic pants and then pondered over what to wear on top.
Wearing a school uniform top with athletic pants felt like a mismatch. As I rummaged through the closet, I happened to make eye contact with something.
A dog, sticking its tongue out, staring at me.
It’s one of my favorite T-shirts. Every time Anne sees me in this T-shirt, she scolds me, asking if I’m a kid. But, honestly, Anne herself looks more childish when she says that—does she even realize?
Anyway, my outfit is complete now. I think it’s a perfect choice without any room for criticism. The manager would also be amazed by this dog if he saw it.
After finishing my self-praise, I realized I’d spent quite some time, and if I dawdled any longer, I’d be late, so I quickly headed to the research building.
On the way to the place where we worked yesterday, I was holding hands with the manager as we walked. Although I know Presia is only two years younger than me, she’s smaller than Anne, so she just feels like a child.
Even though it’s unlikely, I instinctively held her hand, feeling as if she might get lost. Fortunately, Presia didn’t shake off my hand, saving me from feeling awkward.
As we walked through the night streets with a feeling of taking a little sister for a walk, a shop caught my eye.
It was a street stall selling snacks, and the vendor was busy closing up for the night. It looked like there were still a few things left unsold.
I turned slightly, guiding Presia toward the stall. She tilted her head in curiosity but followed me without resistance.
“Hello. Are you still open by any chance?”
“Oh, I was just about to close up, but you came just in time. Go ahead and choose.”
At the stall lady’s friendly words, I picked out two lollipops and paid.
I received the two lollipops, and I handed the slightly larger one to Presia.
“Huh?”
“Just take it already.”
Presia only took the lollipop after I spoke up, probably not realizing it was for her. Even though I love tasty treats, I’m not so much of a glutton that I’d eat two lollipops at once.
Probably?
“I could’ve bought it myself…”
“But I wanted to buy it for you. Don’t you want it?”
With the lollipop in her mouth, Presia shook her head.
“It’s more enjoyable to eat something delicious together. How is it? Tasty, right?”
Presia nodded with the lollipop still in her mouth. I wonder if this is what it would feel like to have a younger sister.
Feeling content, I put the lollipop in my mouth, and the sweetness spread throughout my mouth.
With a lollipop in each of our mouths, we strolled through the night air. It felt more like a nighttime walk than going out to work.
After walking for some time, we arrived at the place where we finished yesterday’s work just as I finished the lollipop. Perfect timing.
“Then, let’s start the work… Actually, let’s wait until you finish your candy.”
Seeing that Presia was still eating her lollipop at a slower pace than me, I decided to enjoy this moment a bit longer.
We sat side by side on a bench placed in a corner, still holding each other’s hand.
Neither of us said a word; we simply sat there. But the silence didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, this silence felt just right for enjoying the night air together.
“Alright. Shall we go today as well?”
Having finished the candy, Presia stood up and hopped off the bench, walking toward the city wall. I, too, picked up the backpack I had briefly set down and followed her.
“Boss? How can I help you?”
Presia, who had been checking the status of the barrier, suddenly stopped in her tracks and remained still.
However, unlike before, when she had demanded several magic stones, Presia now placed her hand on the wall for an extended period, her eyes closed in concentration.
Even though I spoke to her, it seemed she didn’t hear me, completely focused on the task at hand.
I couldn’t leave her behind, nor could I interrupt, so I simply stood quietly, waiting behind her.
“This place is quite damaged. It’s almost surprising that no monsters have breached the barrier yet.”
After saying this, Presia took my backpack from me and began pulling out magic stones, one by one.
“This will take quite a while to restore. Please wait for a moment.”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
It probably wasn’t a difficult task for Presia, but when using magic, it’s best to avoid any disturbances, so I stood behind her with my arms crossed, keeping an eye on the people around us.
Perhaps because two girls were out in the middle of the night, surrounded by magic stones and performing some mysterious task, a few people glanced at us, clearly curious.
Of course, there was no obligation to explain, so I casually ignored them.
“Hey! What are you two doing over there?”
About ten minutes passed when two patrolling guards noticed us and approached.
“Hello.”
From the guards’ perspective, we might have looked suspicious. I wasn’t someone who lacked common sense, so I understood why they would be on alert to ensure the safety of the city.
“What are you doing in the middle of the night? Depending on your answer, we might have to arrest you, so don’t try to lie.”
“Oh, there’s no need to be so wary. We’re from the Academy, here to restore the city’s barrier.”
“Hmm?”
Unlike when chasing out drunken people, our soft-spoken response seemed to ease the guards’ suspicion a little.
“Then what proof do you have that you’re from the Academy?”
“Just a moment… Ah…”
As I moved to pull out my student ID from my pocket, I suddenly realized I wasn’t wearing my uniform.
Since I only used the student ID at the Academy, I had left it in my uniform pocket and forgot to bring it with me.
“What’s going on? Show your ID.”
As I became flustered, the guard quickly realized there might be something off and urged us to provide proof. But no matter how much he rushed, the student ID wasn’t going to magically appear.
“Um, I left my student ID at the dorm? But I’m really an Academy student…”
“You’re tampering with the city’s barrier in the middle of the night, and you can’t even prove your identity? That’s suspicious.”
Of course, they wouldn’t believe us.
“Ah! Maybe our boss has an ID with her? So…”
“Then bring it quickly.”
“Well… as you can see, she’s in the middle of restoring the barrier…”
I opened my mouth, looking at Presia, but then realized she was still busy with the restoration. It wasn’t the right time to speak to her.
It seemed like Ming wasn’t in a good mood.
“How do we know if it’s restoring the barrier or destroying it? This won’t do. Let’s arrest both.”
The guard who said this took a stance and aimed his spear at me.
The other guard seemed like he was about to call for backup, pulling a small communication device from his pocket while his comrade kept a watchful eye on me.
Of course, there wouldn’t be much trouble even if I were dragged off. Eventually, my identity would be verified, and we could prove we were really restoring the city’s barrier.
But that would delay the work, and more importantly, it might break Presia’s concentration while she was restoring the barrier.
I had heard that disrupting concentration during magic use is far more dangerous than a knight stopping mid-swing.
At any rate, it seemed I needed to stall for time until Presia’s task was completed.
“Wait a moment!”
I quickly stopped the guard from calling for backup and spoke up.
“What is it? I knew it, you were up to something suspicious after all.”
“No! We are not suspicious!”
“What should I believe? That mage is currently destroying the barrier, and who knows if they’ll try to harm us afterward?”
There was no helping it.
“You can bind me if you’d like. Just wait until the boss finishes restoring the barrier. If necessary, you can use me as a hostage.”
Even if I were captured, no one would dare to harm Presia in front of the guards. That was the offer I could make.
“Hmm… Well, if you’re going that far, it’s not something I can’t believe…”
The guard seemed like he might be swayed by my offer, so I quickly brought my hands together and held them out in front.
“Here.”
“It doesn’t seem like it’s that guy. What should we do?”
“Still, just in case, maybe it’s better to restrain him as per the suggestion?”
Without hesitation, the two guards exchanged a brief conversation and used restraints to bind my hands.
Finally feeling reassured, one of the guards went to my side, while the other went to watch Presia and keep an eye on things.
So, here I was, standing still with my hands bound by the restraints, and I thought to make some conversation to kill time.
“You must be working hard on your patrols. Are we wasting your time here?”
“Oh, it’s our job anyway. We’ve had some troublesome incidents lately, so we’ve been a bit on edge. But as long as you’re not suspicious, there’s no problem.”
“Just wait a little longer. Once the barrier restoration is done, everything will be resolved quickly.”
As I continued talking to the guard, it seemed like Presia had finished restoring the barrier, as she was walking over with another guard.
“Hey. Let him go.”
Seeing us approach, the guard took out a key to release my restraints.
Clink
As the restraints were removed and I stretched my stiff wrists, Presia spoke up.
“…Why were you bound, just call me next time.”
“But if the concentration during magic is broken, it could be dangerous.”
“That’s true…”
Presia shot a sharp glare at the guards, but since she understood they were just doing their job, she didn’t say anything further.
“Anyway, it’s not like anything serious happened, so don’t say anything to the guards.”
“I’m talking to you.”
Presia pouted and, for no particular reason, kicked the ground lightly with her toes.
“Well, we should be going now.”
“Ah, I’ve already informed the others through the magic sphere, so you two won’t be inconvenienced going forward.”
We nodded to each other and began walking again to restore the barrier. I stayed by Presia’s side, still pouting, as she was angry on my behalf.
Maybe because it was night, and I was feeling a bit sentimental, but every little action from the boss felt incredibly thoughtful. I didn’t say thank you, though.
Instead, I held Presia’s small hand, and we walked together.
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Pronouns are wrong. Several times in this chapter the protagonist is referred to as “him” by other characters