She was so close that Adrian had to lean back slightly.
Nina grabbed his cheeks and pushed her face closer. Her golden eyes narrowed a little and scanned him thoroughly.
“Adrian.”
“….Uh.”
An awkward answer came out.
“You haven’t slept these days.”
“I’m sleeping-“
“Aren’t you getting less than four hours of sleep?”
At a loss for words, he turned his gaze to the side. Nina pouted her lips, took her face off, then said.
“It’s only me that’s comfortable in this kind of situation. Adrian is suffering so much alone.”
“It’s okay for you to take a rest.”
Adrian said, gently pressing his hand down on the side where she was injured.
“Besides, you work from morning to night, how can you see this as taking a rest?”
At that, Nina said.
“Anyway, it’s not enough to rest alone… If I’m not resting with Adrian, it doesn’t seem like I’m resting.”
Even though the words said were trivial, he was choked with breath. Adrian looked at Nina with her casual speaking, with a nonchalantly face. He couldn’t help but have a little grudge.
Because it was hateful and adorable at the same time. There was a clear difference between his and her mind, but he was often thrown into confusion like this.
Every time he finds overlaps between his and her mind. He gets caught up in the feeling of not knowing what to do.
Nina, what should I do?
I fall in love more and more with you, every day that passes. It’s accelerating, so now I’m scared. I can’t take it anymore, because I think this is going to explode somehow. I said I’d put it all down for you, but it’s growing at a rate that I can’t do anything about.
Adrian clenched his fist.
Nina carefully looked at him.
When she’s with him these days, she often feels a shadow in his eyes. When the strange desire that bloomed from his shadowy eyes looked at Nina, she felt like a rabbit caught in a wolf’s paws.
Of course, she’s not a rabbit, and she hasn’t been caught, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel that way.
Because Adrian looks at her that way.
‘I don’t think I want to run away, but rather.’
Suddenly, Nina’s face came close again, and Adrian swallowed his breath.
‘Should I say that I want to grab hold of that paw?’
Nina laughed at her own thoughts. As she looked into his puzzled eyes, she said.
“Adrian should go to bed now”
“……Huh?”
“Let’s go.”
She removed her hand from him and stepped back behind her. Being dragged by Nina in the blink of an eye, Adrian arrived in his room.
She pulled him by the shoulder, tiptoed on her toes, and kissed him on his cheek.
“Good night, Adrian.”
After staring blankly at Nina’s back, who had left without lingering feelings, he pressed his cheek.
Ah.
In an instant, his face heats up and his stomach churned. He knew his fingertips trembled as he closed the door.
With just a kiss on the cheek.
Putting his forehead on the door, he sighed.
This was a severe case, and it is quite a problem.
‘But why?’
It was only after he blankly changed his clothes and lay in bed that Adrian thought of it.
Why?
Nina likes physical contact, but she likes being touched more than touching Adrian herself. Like when she tucks her head under his palm to have her head stroked, and when she’s satisfied, she walks away.
To touch him by her own initiative might be a conclusion of, ‘I’m fine with this, then, Young Master will also like it too, right?’.
‘But, I think it’s a little different.’
He didn’t know if it was an illusion made by his own wishes, or if something had really changed in Nina’s mind.
Even though he was tired, he can’t sleep when those thoughts run wild inside his head.
Eventually, he got up from his seat.
Sitting at his desk, he pulled out his papers. Since he can’t sleep, he’d better go to work.
Adrian was opening a drawer and found a small crown. It was a crown sized to fit a full-sized, horse chess piece. He took out the crown and brought it onto the chessboard.
A black-and-white battle was taking place on the chessboard.
He wore the crown to his ‘Black Queen’. The size was just right and when he turns the chessboard, it spins smoothly.
After looking at it for a while, Adrian went back to his desk.
────── •❆• ──────
“You are strangely bubbly these days.”
At Jean’s words, Nina turned her gaze to him.
Fiona was is still sleeping. Nina did not miss practice, even if it was a short session before dawn.
It was a practice time Jean also joined after much effort. In addition to the lack of practical combat, there was no room for battle using spirits because there was no one other than Nina and Adrian to practice with.
It was still time for the Dark Knights and even the working maids, to be asleep, so the training hall was quiet. Not only Jean and Nina, but also the knights, wanted to return to the Silver Lake as soon as possible because of the small training hall in the townhouse.
They can’t go down until the ‘Girl with Mystic Power’ project is over, though.
“I’m usually bubbly.”
“Looking at you, I can’t even think that someone was crying because she dreamed something a while ago.”
At Jean’s words, Nina widened her eyes and smiled. Jean was relieved at that. The fact that she was able to smile when he brought it up means that she had completely solved it.
He lightly turned the halberd he was holding. It was dyed with the beautiful blue of the sea. Like the transparent sea swaying with waves, the Sage Steel shimmered translucently in the sunlight.
Seeing that Jean signed a contract with the Spirit, the members of the Dark Knights opened their mouths.
“How did you do it?”
“Tell us the secret too!”
Regarding that, Jean said, “It happened somehow.” and shrugged his shoulders.
Everyone roared, “That’s crazy!”.
It seems a consensus that it was impossible to catch up with the Commander, but the vice-commander was different.
When the Commander smiles and talks, the mood is light, and she rarely rebukes them, but it’s scary because they are afraid that their head will fly off if she gets real with them. In comparison, the vice-commander is rough-mouthed, glares, and often rebukes them, but at least there is no fear of being beaten to death.
Among the members, there were some who asked quite seriously about it, and he gave a serious answer to those.
Whop. Whop. Whop.
As she looked at the halberd spinning round and round, Nina said.
“Jean was right.”
“I’m always right. But about what we are talking about?”
At Jean’s words, Nina smiled and looked at him.
“Adrian won’t hurt me.”
“Even if it’s not me who said that, everyone with eyes knows that.”
“But they don’t know about me and Adrian.”
At Nina’s words, Jean scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders.
“So? Did you get an answer?”
“Yes”
Nina answered and looked at him with a slightly awkward expression.
“But I don’t know what to do.”
“What?”
“At that time, the conversation I had with Adrian fizzled out. Should I say I don’t know how to pick it up again?”
Jean took a deep breath and said.
“Isn’t honesty your forte? You should hurry up, talk quickly, date, and then get married.”
“Jean Raka!”
As Nina jumped up and down, Jean said with a sullen face.
“What? What? What?”
“Isn’t that too much?”
“It’s not too much, if you are not together, who will take care of each other?”
Jean excitedly nodded his head, saying, “Stop being a tough cookie.”
“You’re so mean. I have a delicate heart, too.”
“Ah, yes. Quickly tie the knot with that delicate heart.”
Nina put her hand on her waist, as Jean spoke in an annoyed tone. It was a funny situation to say that she was angry. But soon after, the funny mood went away as Nina pulled out her practice sword.
“Let’s have another bolt.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, I think we have to do it one more time.”
“Wait, hey! What if you swing it without a signal?”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s like a real battle, right?”
“This is really…”
The words they exchanged said so, but their hands and feet did not waver. Nina quickly evaded Jean’s attacks, who was now accustomed to using his spirit.
This time again, Nina won without a doubt, but unlike before, he didn’t lose overwhelmingly before Nina could even use her hands.
That alone made Jean quite satisfied.
She was so close that Adrian had to lean back slightly.
Nina grabbed his cheeks and pushed her face closer. Her golden eyes narrowed a little and scanned him thoroughly.
“Adrian.”
“….Uh.”
An awkward answer came out.
“You haven’t slept these days.”
“I’m sleeping-“
“Aren’t you getting less than four hours of sleep?”
At a loss for words, he turned his gaze to the side. Nina pouted her lips, took her face off, then said.
“It’s only me that’s comfortable in this kind of situation. Adrian is suffering so much alone.”
“It’s okay for you to take a rest.”
Adrian said, gently pressing his hand down on the side where she was injured.
“Besides, you work from morning to night, how can you see this as taking a rest?”
At that, Nina said.
“Anyway, it’s not enough to rest alone… If I’m not resting with Adrian, it doesn’t seem like I’m resting.”
Even though the words said were trivial, he was choked with breath. Adrian looked at Nina with her casual speaking, with a nonchalantly face. He couldn’t help but have a little grudge.
Because it was hateful and adorable at the same time. There was a clear difference between his and her mind, but he was often thrown into confusion like this.
Every time he finds overlaps between his and her mind. He gets caught up in the feeling of not knowing what to do.
Nina, what should I do?
I fall in love more and more with you, every day that passes. It’s accelerating, so now I’m scared. I can’t take it anymore, because I think this is going to explode somehow. I said I’d put it all down for you, but it’s growing at a rate that I can’t do anything about.
Adrian clenched his fist.
Nina carefully looked at him.
When she’s with him these days, she often feels a shadow in his eyes. When the strange desire that bloomed from his shadowy eyes looked at Nina, she felt like a rabbit caught in a wolf’s paws.
Of course, she’s not a rabbit, and she hasn’t been caught, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel that way.
Because Adrian looks at her that way.
‘I don’t think I want to run away, but rather.’
Suddenly, Nina’s face came close again, and Adrian swallowed his breath.
‘Should I say that I want to grab hold of that paw?’
Nina laughed at her own thoughts. As she looked into his puzzled eyes, she said.
“Adrian should go to bed now”
“……Huh?”
“Let’s go.”
She removed her hand from him and stepped back behind her. Being dragged by Nina in the blink of an eye, Adrian arrived in his room.
She pulled him by the shoulder, tiptoed on her toes, and kissed him on his cheek.
“Good night, Adrian.”
After staring blankly at Nina’s back, who had left without lingering feelings, he pressed his cheek.
Ah.
In an instant, his face heats up and his stomach churned. He knew his fingertips trembled as he closed the door.
With just a kiss on the cheek.
Putting his forehead on the door, he sighed.
This was a severe case, and it is quite a problem.
‘But why?’
It was only after he blankly changed his clothes and lay in bed that Adrian thought of it.
Why?
Nina likes physical contact, but she likes being touched more than touching Adrian herself. Like when she tucks her head under his palm to have her head stroked, and when she’s satisfied, she walks away.
To touch him by her own initiative might be a conclusion of, ‘I’m fine with this, then, Young Master will also like it too, right?’.
‘But, I think it’s a little different.’
He didn’t know if it was an illusion made by his own wishes, or if something had really changed in Nina’s mind.
Even though he was tired, he can’t sleep when those thoughts run wild inside his head.
Eventually, he got up from his seat.
Sitting at his desk, he pulled out his papers. Since he can’t sleep, he’d better go to work.
Adrian was opening a drawer and found a small crown. It was a crown sized to fit a full-sized, horse chess piece. He took out the crown and brought it onto the chessboard.
A black-and-white battle was taking place on the chessboard.
He wore the crown to his ‘Black Queen’. The size was just right and when he turns the chessboard, it spins smoothly.
After looking at it for a while, Adrian went back to his desk.
────── •❆• ──────
“You are strangely bubbly these days.”
At Jean’s words, Nina turned her gaze to him.
Fiona was is still sleeping. Nina did not miss practice, even if it was a short session before dawn.
It was a practice time Jean also joined after much effort. In addition to the lack of practical combat, there was no room for battle using spirits because there was no one other than Nina and Adrian to practice with.
It was still time for the Dark Knights and even the working maids, to be asleep, so the training hall was quiet. Not only Jean and Nina, but also the knights, wanted to return to the Silver Lake as soon as possible because of the small training hall in the townhouse.
They can’t go down until the ‘Girl with Mystic Power’ project is over, though.
“I’m usually bubbly.”
“Looking at you, I can’t even think that someone was crying because she dreamed something a while ago.”
At Jean’s words, Nina widened her eyes and smiled. Jean was relieved at that. The fact that she was able to smile when he brought it up means that she had completely solved it.
He lightly turned the halberd he was holding. It was dyed with the beautiful blue of the sea. Like the transparent sea swaying with waves, the Sage Steel shimmered translucently in the sunlight.
Seeing that Jean signed a contract with the Spirit, the members of the Dark Knights opened their mouths.
“How did you do it?”
“Tell us the secret too!”
Regarding that, Jean said, “It happened somehow.” and shrugged his shoulders.
Everyone roared, “That’s crazy!”.
It seems a consensus that it was impossible to catch up with the Commander, but the vice-commander was different.
When the Commander smiles and talks, the mood is light, and she rarely rebukes them, but it’s scary because they are afraid that their head will fly off if she gets real with them. In comparison, the vice-commander is rough-mouthed, glares, and often rebukes them, but at least there is no fear of being beaten to death.
Among the members, there were some who asked quite seriously about it, and he gave a serious answer to those.
Whop. Whop. Whop.
As she looked at the halberd spinning round and round, Nina said.
“Jean was right.”
“I’m always right. But about what we are talking about?”
At Jean’s words, Nina smiled and looked at him.
“Adrian won’t hurt me.”
“Even if it’s not me who said that, everyone with eyes knows that.”
“But they don’t know about me and Adrian.”
At Nina’s words, Jean scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders.
“So? Did you get an answer?”
“Yes”
Nina answered and looked at him with a slightly awkward expression.
“But I don’t know what to do.”
“What?”
“At that time, the conversation I had with Adrian fizzled out. Should I say I don’t know how to pick it up again?”
Jean took a deep breath and said.
“Isn’t honesty your forte? You should hurry up, talk quickly, date, and then get married.”
“Jean Raka!”
As Nina jumped up and down, Jean said with a sullen face.
“What? What? What?”
“Isn’t that too much?”
“It’s not too much, if you are not together, who will take care of each other?”
Jean excitedly nodded his head, saying, “Stop being a tough cookie.”
“You’re so mean. I have a delicate heart, too.”
“Ah, yes. Quickly tie the knot with that delicate heart.”
Nina put her hand on her waist, as Jean spoke in an annoyed tone. It was a funny situation to say that she was angry. But soon after, the funny mood went away as Nina pulled out her practice sword.
“Let’s have another bolt.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, I think we have to do it one more time.”
“Wait, hey! What if you swing it without a signal?”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s like a real battle, right?”
“This is really…”
The words they exchanged said so, but their hands and feet did not waver. Nina quickly evaded Jean’s attacks, who was now accustomed to using his spirit.
This time again, Nina won without a doubt, but unlike before, he didn’t lose overwhelmingly before Nina could even use her hands.
That alone made Jean quite satisfied.
