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I figured I'd hit the hay early tonight.

As I tiptoed through the hallway—barely stuffed from the small slices of meat and mushrooms I had eaten—I thought of stopping by Melyn's room to check on her.

It's not like I'm worried for her... just... if she happened to die in her sleep and God caught wind of it, I'd certainly be sent to hell... somehow...

So I shuffled beside her half-open bedroom door and peeked through the gap.

...

「Wha—?」

She was gone.

I burst into the room to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, and sure enough, an empty bed lay in front of me.

Before I could run to tell Rysef, a pair of arms restrained my neck in a chokehold.

Ack—!

「Guess who it is!」

Oh, it's Melyn.

But I couldn't answer her.

My windpipe was firmly shut. It was like she took a page straight from Seyna's book.

I frantically tapped her on the arm, nearing unconsciousness. She only let go after I started flailing my legs around.

Dropping to the ground, I coughed and faced the thief girl teary-eyed. Her strength hadn't diminished one bit.

「M-Melyn..? You shouldn't be out and about like that. You're supposed to be resting.」

「I know, I know. I'm just glad I called it.」

「Called it? Called what?」

「Called it that you would check in on me, duh.」

The gall to mouth those unfiltered thoughts of hers really demonstrated how much of a fool she was. She'd amassed an expansive vocabulary but lacked the room for much else.

At least she's alright... That I can confirm...

「Good to know you're doing well. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bedroll to crawl into...」

She grabbed the back of my shirt and pouted.

「Can't we sleep together? Just for tonight..?」

「H-huh..?」

「I'll rest as you ask, but you need to accompany me.」

「Y-you can do that by yourself. I need to wake up early tomorrow.」

Ignoring my rejection, Melyn dragged me into the bed with her. I could hardly struggle against her brawn.

All the more reason I should undergo Lia's hellish coaching.

The thief girl dimmed her bedside lantern and pulled the blanket over us. Protesting against her incomprehensible whims would be useless at this point, so I just shut my eyes and tried to sleep.

A familiar smell invaded my nostrils. Sweet and fragrant.

The flowers from the rooftop garden...

「Zozo, are you awake?」

「I can't exactly fall asleep that fast can I? I wish I could, but I can't.」

「After today, I wouldn't be surprised. Actually, it's even more surprising you're keeping awake right now. Locking horns with Seyna was a terrible idea eh?」

Melyn's aimless small talk bored me greatly. I swiveled away from her and curled into a ball, hoping I'd drift off.

「You still there?」

「A hundred dollars says I attend Lia's training session sleep-deprived and irritable.」

「Dollars? Another one of your weird words?」

「If I answered, would you let me into the dream world?」

「Dreams huh..? I rarely get those...」

It was conversation after conversation that led to nowhere. She prated on like an elderly person in a retirement home.

Not even a minute in and she started calling for me again.

「Zo~zo?」

I didn't answer her. I was too tired.

「Zozo?」

I kept shrugging her attempts at attracting my attention.

「Hey... Zozo..?」

Finally, I felt her head on my back.

「I'm so sorry... I couldn't save you...」

She sniffled quietly as her tears dampened my tunic.

「I wasn't strong enough... If Rysef didn't intervene back there... you'd have died...」

The imprint of her trembling face pressed against my body was something I couldn't bear. Yet, I persisted in feigning my slumber.

「You even tried protecting me by shielding me from Rysef and Lia's battle didn't you? Aren't I a joke of a big sister..?」

Melyn shakily clenched my shirt.

「I don't care if you hate me. I don't even care if I die. But please... don't ever leave me...」

Her entire body loosened and she stopped talking. The thief girl fell asleep upon uttering those words as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.

So you were affected by today's fight too...

Events were moving at a snail's pace, but we as people were exponentially changing.

I neither hated nor liked Melyn in all honesty. Peppy, articulate, annoying, sisterly, troubled, and neurotic at times—she could be described in any number of ways.

But today, I perceived her as something different. Bound by the same desire for power, I came to understand her worth as a person to me.

From this day forth... I'm positive I can make her work... work as none other than my partner.

Turning this imaginary siblinghood between us into a competent fighting force...

Lorenzo's genius had no limit.

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