My name is Dadrian, twenty five years old, due to my great achievements in the military a few years back, I was promoted to the rank of marshal. Beside me is my beautiful general, Natasha.

Natasha always wear a stern expression and is very serious about her work. She is strict with herself and others around her. Because of her unwelcoming personality, she has a secret nickname among the ranks, the Female Tiger.

Believe it or not, this "Female Tiger" actually has a soft side. Though she might act cold and uncaring to those around her, she is actually very kind-hearted and always look out for the others. I fell in love with this side of hers, but alas... every time I tried to make an advance, she'd brush me off like nothing had happened. I wonder if I'm not being straightforward enough or she's doing it on purpose......

Today, Natasha and I have been summoned to Tristanian Magic Academy by the headmaster. Apparently, he had a request for us. It seems to be that time of the year after all.

After we took a turn at a corner, we saw a girl crouching on the ground with her face covered. Natasha and I looked at each other in dismay. Though Natasha had the usual stern expression on her face, I could tell that she was concerned about the girl by looking into her eyes.

Therefore, as a man, I should take the initiative. I approached the girl and leaned on one knee to match my height with hers, then I asked with the most heartwarming voice I could muster, "Miss, is everything alright?”

The girl spread out her fingers and looked at me via the gaps of her fingers. After she heaved what seemed like a sigh of relief, she finally revealed her face and asked, "Um... actually... I'm kinda lost... Do you know the way to the shopping district?"

"The shopping district?" I frowned a little and turned my head around to look at Natasha. She was holding her chin as if she was deep in thought.

After a few seconds later, she lifted her head up and said, "The shopping district is it? Very well, we can take you there. Our destination is along the way."

I felt relieved after hearing her answer, since our destination is... actually on the opposite side of the shopping district. I smiled at her meaningfully, and she just turned her head to the side while letting out a "Hmph!"

Hey, hey, if you do that, you will scare the girl. While I was thinking that, I turned my head to look at the girl. See? Her body is getting stiff.

Sigh... I guess it is my job as the superior to put the girl at ease. With that thinking, I tried talking to the girl, "Don't worry about her. She may look like a man-eating tiger, but she's actually... Ouch-!"

Before I could finish my sentence, Natasha drive a karate-chop onto my head and retorted, "W-Who are you calling a man-eating tiger?!"

"N-Natasha, if you keep doing that, you'll scare the girl..." I stood up from the ground immediately and whispered to Natasha, "See? She's even quivering now. How are we supposed to fix this?"

"Ah..." Natasha let out a surprised voice as if she had just realized, then she muttered in a low voice, "S-Sorry... I didn't realize you were trying to lighten up the mood."

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I scratched my head and said, "Sigh... Natasha, I've always told you that you need to brush up your interpersonal skills. You've always been awkward around people and tend to make things worst. Remember that time when you were trying to help a lost child? She was crying the whole time and you were mistaken as a kidnapper. That was truly a disaster, you were even taken to the guard station and I had to go and bail you out."

"I-I'm embarrassed." Natasha was flushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Pfft-hahahaha. You guys sure are good friends." Look like the comedic act worked. I purposely spoke in a voice that she could hear to ease up the tension between us.

"Mhm! We sure are! She might not look like it, but Natasha's a kind person. Let's get along, alright?" I leaned over and extended a hand towards the girl. "Come on, we'll take you to the shopping district along the way."

"Y-Yes! Thank you very much!" She smiled for the first time and grabbed my hand. I pulled her up from the ground and we walked towards the shopping district together, getting further away from the headmaster's office.

On the way, I got beside Natasha and whispered in a voice that only the two of us could hear, "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Our destination is along the way huh? You're so dishonest."

"M-Mind your own business!" Natasha muttered under her breath and pushed me away.

Looking at our exchange, the girl following behind us is giggling. I'm glad, I don't know what happened to make her crouch in a place like that, but at least she seems to feel much better now.

With that thought, we arrived at the shopping district uneventfully. The girl walked in front of us and suddenly make a bow to express her gratitude, "T-Thank you very much for taking me all the way here."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Natasha blushing slightly. She abruptly turned her head to the side and let out a "Hmph!"

I scratched my head awkwardly and whispered beside the girl's ear, "D-Don't let it get to you, she's just trying to hide her embarrassment."

"T-That's enough, Marshal! We're going now!" Before I could say anything else, Natasha dragged me away by the collar.

The girl was looking at us with a forced smile while waving her hand. Speaking of which, I've been calling her "the girl" all along. We hadn't really introduced ourselves yet have we? Oh well... it's not like we will meet her again.

After we departed from the shopping district, for some reason, I could hear a lot of noise coming from that direction. I wonder if they have some event going on...

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Author's Note:

This chapter is dedicated to Dadrian. Thank you once again for your support on Patreon.