"Shh, don't say a word," Anyi whispered, his breath warm against Ariana's ear.

Ariana nodded, a spark of excitement lighting her eyes, though she barely understood why they had to be so secretive.

Anyi let go, slipping from the bed with quiet grace. He crossed the room swiftly and opened the door just enough to peer out into the hallway.

"You really didn't need to come pounding on my door at this hour for something like this," Anyi muttered, irritation in his voice. "If you can't find her, why didn’t you just ask in the Chat Group? If she sees it, she'll respond. If not, she’s probably still asleep. Now, if there's nothing else, I’m going back to sleep."

Layton, standing awkwardly in the corridor, scratched his head. "Ah, you're right! Why didn’t I think of that?"

A moment later, the Chat Group buzzed to life with a new message:

[Shield Hero: Holy Maiden-sama!! Where are you right now? The believers are worried, and it's dangerous!]

Anyi glanced over his shoulder at Ariana, nodding ever so slightly. Ariana caught his gaze and understood immediately, keeping silent, feigning deep sleep as she stifled a giggle.

Layton, oblivious to the truth, continued muttering to himself. "Strange... where could she have gone?"

[Sword Hero: She probably didn’t vanish into thin air. Maybe she found another spot to sleep.]

Layton perked up at the suggestion. "Yeah! Let’s check the other rooms!"

Once the noise of Layton’s footsteps faded down the hall, Anyi let out a sigh of relief. "Honestly, the way they panic over nothing... Like she could just disappear." He opened the door wider, peeking into the empty hallway before turning back to Ariana.

"Alright," he said, leaning in close. "Now's our chance. When they ask, just say you were in your own bed the whole time. If they claim they couldn't find you, make something up—say you pulled the blankets over your head or something. Got it?"

Ariana nodded quickly, her face still filled with mischievous glee. "Got it!"

"And one more thing," Anyi added sternly. "You can't sleep here again. We’ve got to keep this a secret. No more sneaking into my room at night."

"But it was so warm!" Ariana protested, her pout almost convincing.

"Doesn’t matter. It’s impossible," Anyi said, flicking her forehead playfully, causing her to yelp in mock pain. "Now go, and don’t let anyone think you came from my room."

"Yes, yes!" she replied, rubbing her forehead and nodding energetically.

Satisfied, Anyi opened the door again, scanning the hallway. Once he confirmed it was still empty, he waved Ariana through.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

But just as Ariana tiptoed past him, they froze.

"Ah..."

Miruku stood there, wide-eyed, staring at the two of them in shock.

"Ah..." Anyi echoed, equally stunned.

Ariana, caught mid-step, forced an awkward smile. "...Good morning?"

Miruku, now frozen like a statue, stared between them, her eyes darting from Ariana to Anyi. The weight of the moment pressed down like an iron gauntlet.

When Anyi saw Miruku appear in the hallway, he froze. 'How had she gotten here?' Just moments ago, the corridor had been empty.

Miruku, realizing what she'd stumbled upon, stammered, "That... uh, sorry! I didn’t see anything! Just going to grab breakfast, yep! Bye!"

"Come back!" Anyi was beside her in a flash, gripping her shoulders before she could flee.

"Ahhh!!" Miruku yelped, startled by his sudden speed.

Before she could even react, Anyi dragged her into the room with a firm but not unkind grip. He half-hugged, half-shoved her into a chair, locking the door behind them with a decisive click.

"Now, now," Anyi began, his voice unnervingly calm, "since you've seen everything, there’s no avoiding this talk."

Miruku's heart pounded in her chest. 'Was this it? Was this how I was going to die?'

In her mind, the room transformed into a dark dungeon, lit only by flickering torches. Instruments of torture lined the walls, and Anyi, cloaked in black, stood before her with a blood-stained sword. His wicked grin promised only pain.

"Of course, there's no way out," the imagined Anyi growled. "You’ve seen too much. How would you like to die?"

Miruku, bound and blindfolded in her fantasy, screamed, "Just kill me already! Make it quick!"

"Very well," the fantasy Anyi said with a sinister laugh, raising his sword. "I’ll make this painless!"

In reality, Miruku’s wild imagination had reached its peak, and she let out a terrified scream.

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

Both Anyi and Ariana blinked at her, startled. "What just happened?" Anyi muttered under his breath, utterly confused.

"BANG!" Miruku fell from the chair, collapsing to her knees, her forehead pressed firmly to the floor. Trembling, she cried out, "Please don’t kill me! I’ll do anything—just spare my life!"

Ariana stifled a laugh, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Anyi didn’t say anything about killing you."

Anyi shook his head, exasperated. "I just wanted you to keep quiet about what you saw."

Miruku looked up, her face pale. "But... but you said... something about a sword... and killing..." Her voice quivered.

"If you spill the secret, it *could* come to that," Anyi said nonchalantly, teasing.

"AHHH!!!" Miruku's panic returned in full force. "I won’t say a word, I swear!"

Ariana burst into laughter. "Anyi, stop scaring her! She’s terrified!"

Miruku, still trembling, scrambled to hide behind Ariana, clutching her like a child seeking protection. Her face flushed red, her eyes wide with fear.

Anyi, with a half-smile, shrugged. "Fine, fine. I was just messing with you."

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Let me clarify what you think you saw. There’s no... special relationship between me and the Holy Maiden."

Miruku blinked, listening intently as Anyi tried to explain.

"It’s not what you imagine. Ariana just thought it was warmer in my room, that’s all," Anyi said, though he could hear how suspicious it sounded even as the words left his mouth.

"Yeah!" Ariana chimed in, completely oblivious to how inappropriate her words might seem. "Anyi’s really warm, and it’s super comfy sleeping next to him."

Anyi winced. 'She’s not helping at all.'

Miruku’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, her eyes darting back and forth between them, clearly struggling to keep her thoughts pure.

"Anyway," Anyi sighed, running a hand through his hair, "there’s nothing romantic or inappropriate going on here. Ariana just... lacks common sense in these matters. We both have skills—like [Lustlessness]—that ensure nothing will happen. And the Holy Maiden’s passive ability means no one can even feel anything remotely inappropriate around her."

Miruku, still hiding behind Ariana, nodded slowly. Her face, though flushed, showed a hint of understanding.

"So," Anyi finished, "you’ll keep this a secret, right?"