With a sigh, he called back as he left the room.

In the hallway, Emilia's voice echoed on the line:

"Brother! Are you okay?"

"I worried you, didn't I? I'm sorry, I'm fine now," Kay replied, in a reassuring tone.

"You've been unconscious for two days! Are you sure you're okay?" Emilia insisted, with a mixture of concern and relief.

"I'm just hungry, but I'm on my way to sort it out!" he replied, laughing. "You don't have to worry anymore, I promise."

"That's great!" she sighed. "I was really worried."

"I'm sorry about that... But I heard the royal family is going to Mineford tomorrow. Is that true?" Kay asked, trying to change the subject.

Emilia's silence on the other end of the line was deafening.

"Aren't you excited?" Kay asked, confused.

"Actually... only my parents are going. It's a safety measure." If something goes wrong, the successors need to be protected. It was a decision of the council. — Emilia explained, her voice somber.

“So you’re not coming?” — Kay asked, surprised. — I thought we were going to climb the wall together.

“Climb the wall”? Are you crazy? I would never do that!” — she replied, laughing nervously. — But... I wanted to be with them.

“Have you tried asking them?” — Kay suggested.

“There’s no way. It’s a decision of my father and the council. It can’t be revoked.” — Emilia replied, resigned.

“Then... leave it for next time.” — Kay said, trying to sound optimistic.

“Yes. It’s a promise!” — she replied, with a slight smile in her voice.

“It’s a promise.” — he confirmed, while a noise caught her attention. — It seems like someone is coming. I’ll talk to you later, okay? Bye, sister.”

“Bye, Kay. Take care of yourself.” — Emilia said, hanging up.

Kay put away her phone and sighed.

"She can't even be seen talking to a soldier... I don't understand." — he muttered, seeing Mira waiting at the end of the hallway.

"You don't understand anything about girls," Mira said, crossing her arms.

Kay smiled and held her hand.

"What are we going to do after breakfast?" he asked.

"What breakfast? It's past lunchtime! You're going to have lunch now," Mira retorted, rolling her eyes.

"What about the coffee?" — Kay insisted.

"I left a bottle for you, but first, eat it!" — she ordered impatiently.

"You're already sounding like my wife," he joked.

"If you say that again, I'll... Wait a minute... Did you say "wife" and not "mother"?" Mira asked, confused.

Kay looked her in the eye, seriously.

"When we get out of the army, are we going to get married and start a family?" — he asked bluntly.

Mira's eyes widened, her face exploding red.

"Wait, Kay! You barely gave me the engagement ring and you're already asking me to marry you?!" she exclaimed, agitated.

— Yes. — he replied confidently.

— No! — she shouted instinctively.

— You don’t want to? — Kay asked, visibly shaken.

— I do! I mean, no... Not now! — Mira said, stuttering. — This takes time. We have to date for a while, think about it, and only then... then you can ask me to marry you!

Kay sighed, defeated.

— Sorry... I’ll ask you the same question in the future. — he said, with a sad smile.

Before Mira could answer, her cell phone vibrated.

— It’s my mother. Go ahead. I’ll catch up with you. — she said.

— Send her hugs for me. — Kay replied, moving away.

— Okay. — Mira said, as she answered the call.

— Hi, mom! — Mira said.

— My mother’s sense is beeping. Update me! — Rem said bluntly.

Mira sighed, exasperated. — "She always knows..." — she thought.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

— You already know that he asked me to be his girlfriend, don't you? — Mira asked.

— I know! Now tell me everything! — Rem demanded.

— Before he got sick, he had the engagement rings stored in his room. I found them... — Mira began.

— Good, Kay! And what else? — Rem asked, excited.

— Now we're wearing the rings, but... — Mira hesitated.

— But what? Just say it, girl! — Rem insisted.

— He asked me to marry him. — Mira said, softly.

— My sense never fails! — Rem said, triumphant.

— A gossipy sense, that's what... — Mira murmured.

— I heard that! So? Did you accept? — Rem asked.

— I couldn't accept! We haven't even been dating that long. — Mira replied, frustrated.

— What a pain. Your father and I haven't even dated. He already proposed to me straight away! It was so romantic! — Rem said, nostalgic.

“In the middle of the war... You've told that story a thousand times,” Mira grumbled.

“I don't know why you didn't accept. You two were made for each other,” Rem said.

“Don't start, Mom!” Mira protested.

“You better accept it now. Kay is such a fool, if another girl confesses, he'll ask if he should accept or not!” Rem warned.

“Why would he do that?!” Mira asked, irritated.

“Because he doesn't understand feelings. He can assimilate the pain of rejection and try not to hurt the other girl. If you don't make it clear, you could end up in a love triangle!” Rem explained.

“Love triangle? Why are you saying that out of the blue?” Mira asked, worried.

“Because I smell rivals close to you,” Rem replied, confidently.

Mira remained silent, going through her memory.

“See? You better accept it now. — Rem said.

— It was great talking to you, Mom... Thank you very much! — Mira said, irritated.

— You're welcome! — Rem replied, ending the call.

Mira stared at the switched off cell phone.

— She always says what she wants and hangs up first... — Mira muttered, irritated.

The scene changed.

— Another tiring day! — Thais said, entering the room with the other girls.

— Welcome back! — Mira replied, sitting on the bed.

— And Kay? Is he awake yet? — Thais exclaimed, visibly anxious.

— Yes! He woke up in the afternoon. — Mira tried to appear indifferent, but she couldn't help but think: "Kay was the first thing she asked!"

Irritated, she sighed. "No! Damn it, Mom, now I'm suspicious of my classmates. Why did you say that?" She shook her head, embarrassed.

— You don't seem happy. — Sarah observed, narrowing her eyes.

— It's not that, I was just thinking about something else. — Mira replied quickly, looking away to change the subject.

— I just want a shower to rest! — Thais said, walking straight to the bathroom, her voice thick with exhaustion.

Mira watched the scene for a moment, trying to shake off her thoughts.

— I don't think I should say this, but... it seems like you're less tired than in the previous days. — she commented, tilting her head.

— The captain has authorized us to work using the tentacles. You'll be surprised when you see how far we've come! — Viviane replied, smiling.

— I see! It's good to know that the work is getting less tiring for us and...

Mira was interrupted when the bedroom door opened abruptly.

— What happened? — Mira asked, standing up immediately, alarmed.

— I was just passing by and heard your voices. — Raven replied, entering the room with a slight smile.

"That's a lie," Mira thought, observing her expression. "Judging by her reaction, it seems like she's been here for a while."

— We were talking about the progress we made in Mineford! — Viviane said, trying to sound casual.

— Using the tentacles has helped a lot! It's even less tiring for us. — Raven crossed her arms, looking around.

— That's exactly what we were talking about. — Viviane commented excitedly.

Raven looked away from Mira, uneasy. Mira stared at her, narrowing her eyes. "I know what you're thinking. Just ask me!"

— What's wrong? — Viviane asked, noticing the silence between the two.

Raven hesitated before answering:

— It's nothing. I was just wondering if Kay had gone to sleep since he came back to the room.

— He must have gone back to sleep. You know how he is. — Sarah replied, laughing.

Mira glanced at Raven and noticed something. "I saw that smile there. Don't try to hide it!"

— Kay is useless. All he knows how to do is sleep. — Raven commented in a casual tone, but something in her voice bothered Mira.

Mira bit her lip, trying to dispel suspicions. "Am I kidding myself? Stop it, Mira. Don't be suspicious of your companions!" She scratched her head in frustration.

"What's gotten into her?" Raven asked, frowning.

"I don't know," Sarah replied, looking at Mira with concern.

Mira lay down with her back to her companions, staring at the wall.

— I'm sorry... I'm just a little tired. — she said, her voice muffled, trying to hide the confusion in her mind.

"I need to stop thinking so much." She closed her eyes, seeking peace amidst the chaos of her own thoughts.

"It's been a tiring day. I'm going back to my room. Tomorrow will be the same thing," Raven said, as she fixed her hair.

"Good night!" Mira and the other girls said in unison.

Raven left the room, letting the sound of her footsteps echo through the hallway.

Viviane looked at Mira, worried.

"Hey, Mira, are you okay?" Viviane exclaimed, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry. I... I'm overthinking things. I just need to rest a little." Mira replied, rubbing her eyes, trying to get rid of the tension.

"It's okay. We have more work tomorrow, and it's like Ravena said: it's going to be another tiring day. — Viviane gave an encouraging smile.

— Thank you, Viviane. — Mira said with a slight nod.

— Okay. Good night, Mira. — Viviane said, turning to her bed.

— Good night. — Sarah finished, before turning off the lights.

Mira lay down, closing her eyes. But her thoughts continued to race: "Am I trying too hard? Tomorrow is another day... I need to sleep."

The next morning

The sun had barely risen when an irritated voice echoed through the male dormitory.

— Damn worm! Aren't you tired of sleeping already?! — Takemichi shouted, furious, as he stared at Kay, who was sleeping peacefully in her bed.

Kay didn't even move, which only increased Takemichi's irritation.

— Wake him up before I throw him out the window! — Takemichi shouted, crossing his arms.

— Okay! — Sky replied, pouring coffee into a cup.

Sky brought the cup closer to Kay's nose, the strong aroma of coffee finally waking him up. With the first sip, Kay opened his eyes, completely alert.

"Any mission?" Kay asked, stretching as he drank the rest of his coffee.

"Security for the capital's entourage. Your team will go ahead, since they can sniff out the ghouls," Takemichi informed in a serious tone.

"Don't talk like I'm an animal... but I understand the mission," Kay replied, standing up and stretching his arms with a yawn.

"Have some coffee and take your team," Takemichi ordered, leaving the room.

"Okay," Kay replied, as he grabbed a bread roll from the counter.

"Worm!" Takemichi shouted from the doorway, before leaving for good.

Kay looked at Slayer, confused.

"What bug bit him?" Kay asked, taking another sip of coffee.

"Who knows," Slayer replied, shrugging.

Kay looked at the rest of the team, now assembled.

"We have a mission. Let's go," he said, putting on the suit while watching the group get ready.

Kratos, who had been silent until then, approached.

"Kay, you know you have to leave all your weapons, including the suit, in the armory. If the captain finds out, there's going to be a fight."

Kay scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed.

"It's just that I forget. I already go into the room with the suit, so I'm too lazy to go back there to put it away. That's why I end up leaving it here."

Kratos sighed.

"Please be more careful."

"Okay, I'll try," Kay said, laughing lightly as she finished putting on the suit. "Shall we?"

They left the barracks and headed to the dining hall.