Hello readers! Okay, okay I know. Three months of silence is a hell of a long time. I get it. I totally get it. I should've worked harder to make quality chapters instead of lazing around doing absolutely nothing cause at some point, everyone going to get sick of waiting. I heard you and I agree that I should be a more responsible writer. So, please... Please put that Excalibur down and stop pointing that railgun at me. W-we can talk like the highly cultured people we are, right? Right? D-dear readers...?

Alright, jokes aside (even though it's not funny at all) I'm glad to say that I'm back with a new addition to this long-standing series. Yes, I know, 3 months for a chapter is an unreasonably long wait, but I assure you that I'm doing everything I can to improve. Hopefully, someday, somehow, perhaps with the work of a miracle, we can return to the time where my updates were only two weeks apart. It's a tall order, especially when I'm quite occupied by my daily life, but it's not wrong to hope isn't it. Anyway, I'm not gonna waste more time, so let's go to the reviews first.

To ZhePrime,

Ahaha... Glad that this chapter manages to surprise you. Don't worry, this story still has plenty of interesting chapters to offer, but don't ask me when it will come because honestly, even I as the writer didn't know the answer. Just know that I'm doing everything I can to make the updates more frequent or at least I'm trying to. Let's just... hope for the best, kay?

3 part, huh? Funny, that's exactly what I had in mind while planning for the story. As you mentioned, the first part will be the normal family-friendly slice of life chapter. The Hiragas went on a trip to the onsen, they stayed in the same family room, the guys and the girls went into separate bath and all the other stuff you do on an onsen trip. Then, comes the second part. Our couple wakes up in the middle of the night and decides to take another quick dip and since there's no one else in the onsen, they went in together with Louise entering the men's bath with Saito or the other way around. I still can't decide on that part. From then... Well, you know what happens. In part 3... I think I'll keep that a secret. Can't reveal too much spoiler here. The only thing I'll say is that a reservation for a different room was cancelled that same night and Saito conveniently brought enough money on the trip.

Honeymoon story? Technically, they're currently on a honeymoon, but I get what you mean. Maybe, I'll send them on a private trip somewhere like to an island or interesting places which Louise would enjoy like Kyoto or something. Then, somehow by pure coincidence, Saito's former class was also on a class trip to the same place, so now he had to enjoy his honeymoon without being caught by his classmates. In case you forgot, the only ones who knows about Saito's return were the Wild 7 and due to Saito's request, they never told anyone about it. I'm sure this would lead to some pretty hilarious situation, but of course, I'm just throwing ideas here. Maybe it's best to just stick to them having a personal romantic getaway with zero interruption.

To Andasen,

Happy birthday to our lovely Zero Louise and of course, happy birthday to you too. Yes, I'm aware that I'm 2 months too late, but still, happy birthday.

I can't thank you enough for your understanding and kind words, but honestly don't worry about me getting overwhelmed under pressure. It's kinda strange, but I work pretty well when under pressure and considering the constant delays, I do need it at times.

One year huh? Let's just hope it never comes to that, but if it does, I'm glad to know that someone will still be waiting for an update. Till death do you part... Well... This should be the part where I say no, it's not cheesy at all and I appreciate your sincerity, but you know... I'm a pretty honest guy so... Yes, it's kinda cheesy, but the good kind of cheesy. Hey, nothing wrong with having more cheese in life does it?

Fall is definitely the best season ever, no argument there. Taking a lone walk in the park with the colourful leaves falling all around you, the gentle, chilly wind that occasionally passes and of course camping. Never been camping before except that one time when I was in the scouts, but really love to go camping during the fall season someday. Sadly, the only season I have here in Malaysia is the rainy season, festive season and of course, durian season. By the way, I like winter too, but my body isn't very good with the cold. I could hardly handle air-conditioning, so if I ever went to a snowy region, I might end up freezing to death right then and there.

Nice quote over there. I'll make sure the siblings take notes... Or not.

I won't call him feeble. More like clumsy at times.

Haha, I guess great minds think alike, huh? By the way, do you like wasabi or have you ever tasted one? Just asking. I personally hate them. I like spicy stuff, but wasabi just doesn't appeal to me.

Can't help you there. With the MCO here, my wallet is drying up as well. Good thing I live with my parents, at least I don't have to worry about rent.

Good year to you too Andasen-san. Hope we will be able to speak, uh... Write to each other again soon. See you again.

To GB,

Yup, long time indeed and guess what, I'm still alive and writing even though it took me ages.

Hey, don't worry about not leaving a review. As long as you can read and enjoy my story, it's good enough for me. With that said, if you're reading this now, take your time. No use forcing yourself to do something when you're not in the mood for it. No need to fret, whenever you felt like it, this fanfic and I will always be here. I'm not exactly sure what kind of change you're facing, but whatever it is, I wish all the best for you and hopefully, someday, you'll return here for the latest chapter. Until then, see you again, my friend.

To Supersonic0493,

1. Don't worry, it will be... I hope

2. I guess you're right. For now, I think I'll put the idea on hold until I manage to decide.

4. An RPG huh? Just so you know, I'm a big fan of JRPG, but a game about ZNT? Hmm... If it was based on an original story, I might play it, but so far, games based on existing anime didn't really attract my attention so... I don't know.

How come Louise isn't pregnant, yet? Now that is a very good question, but to be honest, it's not all that strange actually. Plenty of couples out there took years before finally having a baby while some can get lucky in less than a year or two. The reasons for these can vary from couple to couple and I'm no doctor so I won't comment anything on that. So back to Louise, why isn't she pregnant despite having plenty of... Ahem! Unprotected intercourse with her husband? Well... Because of plot. Yeah, there you go. That's the real answer, but don't worry. At some point, Louise will get pregnant and gave birth to two beautiful daughters, but don't ask me when will happens cause, I don't know myself.

To the guest from Germany,

Please, feel free to translate and share them as you wish. As a writer, nothing makes me happier than having more readers to my story. To share my story with the world, that's the main reason I start writing in the first place. Yeah, I know it sounds cringy, but it's true though.

Okay, that's it. I apologize if I miss anything. Now, to the chapter.

MAY PEACE BE WITH YOU

READ, ENJOY, REVIEW

Chapter 78: Personality

"Hmm..."

*FLIP... FLIP*

"Eh? This... What does this mean?"

*FLIP! FLIP! FLIP!*

"Oh, here it is! Ah... I see... Hmm... So when used in this sentence it means... I see..."

Alone on top of the bed, sat the young Hiraga Louise, spending her day in the comforts of the bedroom shared with her husband. Already finishing up on all her daily chores in the Hiraga's residence and with no specific plans for a date today, here she was resting comfortably against the headboard with a pillow supporting her back. In her hand, lies a piece of rom-com manga from her husband's collection which she has been intently reading on for a while now and based on the bright look of her face plus the occasional chuckle that left her lips, she was enjoying herself.

Flipping through the printed pages of the manga, Louise's eyes trailed the page's frame by frame, losing herself in the fictional world hidden beneath the black and white pages. From a glance, it might appear as if Louise was simply spending her time reading, which unsurprisingly enough was one of her hobbies since she was a child. However, look closer and one would notice the thick, blue French-Japanese dictionary laying right next to her, the very same one Saito bought a few weeks prior, specially for her personal use.

Having lived most of her life in the confines of Tristain's and her family's influence, for a Halkeginian native such as Louise, settling down in a new world where pretty much everything was different to her homeland had present it's own sets of a challenge to her, one of them being the language barrier between the two worlds. However, due to the unintentional casting of the 'Shared Tongue' spell on her familiar a few years ago, not to mention the study session with her husband and her sister-in-law, Louise has managed to break the said barrier and live her life in Japan without any difficulty nor raising any unneeded suspicion which is a good thing considering the fact that she was somewhat of an... illegal immigrant in this world.

That said... despite already being able to adapt to her new life, it should be noted that Louise grasp of the Japanese language was still below average. True, her verbal fluency was nothing, but flawless thanks to the spell's effect, in fact, due to her fluent speech alone, many had mistaken her for secretly possessing a Japanese lineage or that she had lived in Japan for a long time, both of which were untrue of course. Unfortunately, the same level of mastery couldn't be said of Louise's reading capability which by far remains largely at the rank of a beginner.

"Hmm... This word, I think I have seen it before..." Louise murmured alone, soon reaching out to the dictionary which she kept on a reaching distance.

Leaving the manga aside, Louise quickly opens up the dictionary, scanning the pages at a record-breaking speed to find something which she believes should reside beneath the pages. Surely enough, it did.

"Ah, here's the word! So in here, it means... Hm! Got it!" Satisfied with her findings, Louise returns the dictionary to its place before shifting her attention back to her manga, picking up on where she had left.

With a few additional educational lessons and a lot of practice, by now Louise was somewhat able to make out the writings she sees around her. The label of a product, street signs, name of a store... as long as they didn't have a complicated character in it, she can read them with a bit of effort. Not to mention, as of late, though her writing technique still left much to be desired, Louise was able to write down some simple Japanese words including her name, a feat she was no doubt proud of.

That said, despite having achieved a lot of improvement compared to the time she first steps through the gate, so far, manga was the only reading material Louise could read by herself without having her eyes spinning in confusion. Well... it does take her a little more time to read them compared to the average Japanese and some words especially the ones with tough to read characters still left her in a bind in many ways than one, but at least it wouldn't end up giving her a headache... Most of the time...

"Hm... Hm... Hm..."

Humming alone as she reads through the manga at her own relaxing pace, every once in a while, Louise would reach out again to her side for the dictionary, looking for a quick translation. Usually, Saito would be the one to play the role of a translator for his wife, as they read the manga together with her resting against his chest like a lovey-dovey couple they are, a moment which they both tends to enjoy. However, sometimes, like everyone else in the world, Louise wishes to spend her time reading alone in peace which is why she kept the dictionary close, relying on it whenever she found herself stuck in a corner. To enjoy her reading in peace while learning a few new words at the same time? Truly, it was no different than taking down two birds with one stone.

"Hmm... Hmm... Eh? This... Um... What is this?" Louise murmured to herself, stumbling upon an unknown word which she had never seen before.

Drawn in and put into a halt by the unusual word, Louise stared intensely at the page, hoping to somehow understand it on her own. It was a good effort on her part, fitting for a diligent girl such as her. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she put her thoughts into it, Louise's knowledge of Japanese just wasn't enough for her to translate the word without help. Thus, left with little choice, Louise reluctantly reaches out once again for her dictionary, flipping through them as she did earlier trying to find the proper translation for the word.

*FLIP, FLIP*

"Eh? Why?"

*FLIP, FLIP*

"E-eh...?"

A look of confusion appears on Louise's once calm expression as she furiously flips through the thin pages of the dictionary. Still, no matter how many times she looks nor how many times she turned the pages, the pinkete ended up at the same conclusion. It's not there.

"Why isn't it here?" Louise mumbles, finding herself at a loss due to the unexpected situation.

Deeply unsatisfied with the results, Louise scans the dictionary over and over again, going as far as to look over the irrelevant parts of the book without skipping a single page, hoping to find the slightest hint of the word. However, it was nothing more than a pointless effort as no matter how hard she looks, for some reason, the word used in the manga didn't exist anywhere inside the dictionary. It was a fact which even the power of Void nor a square level mage could change.

"It's... Really not here..." Louise began to frown, not hiding her frustration on the matter. To make a point, it wasn't all that strange for a particular word to be missing from a dictionary. They are an almost infinite amount of words in existence after all and as the passage of time goes on, new terms are created to suit the trends and added to the list making it near impossible for a dictionary to have every single word compiled inside. It was the same reason why a dictionary could end up having several volumes released as if it was some kind of popular long-standing novel series.

With a deep, long sigh, Louise finally closes the dictionary and put it away, coming to terms with the cruel reality that it wouldn't be able to assist her anymore. It was the first time such a thing occurred to her ever since Saito bought the dictionary for her, leaving Louise at a bit of a loss as she lost her main guidance. Make no mistake though, despite feeling a bit down, Louise was nowhere near giving up, instead, she was already thinking of her next step. A solution to her distress which conveniently enough, resides inside the same room as hers.

"Ne... Saito?" Louise called out for her husband, her attention still fixed on the manga.

"Nee... Saito? Can you hear me?" Louise called once again with her voice raised a little, yet same as the first time, there was no response.

Curious of his unusual silence, Louise glanced over to the side where her husband was. For a second, she assumes he might've left the room when she wasn't looking, but there he was still glued to his laptop doing who knows what. Looking over at him, It didn't take long for her to notice the headphones around his ears, which explains why he didn't reply to her words. She had worn them a couple of times before so she was fully aware of how hard it was to hear anything in your surroundings when you have it on, especially if you're listening to music or something particularly loud to the point that it cancels out the noise around you. Basically, Saito just couldn't hear her.

Realising that calling him again would be pointless, with the manga in hand, Louise reluctantly left the comforts of the bed before making her way to her husband's side. While at it, she briefly stole a glance at the monitor to see what he was doing all this while, but alas being relatively new to the technological marvel of this world, she could barely make any sense of the things popping up on the screen. Maybe he was searching the web for something, perhaps he was... updating the systems or possibly, he was playing one of those online games which his friends introduced to him before. She couldn't tell, but well... Not like it matters in the first place, as she was here for a completely different reason.

Reaching over to his side, Louise gently tugged on the sleeves of his shirt, hoping it would be enough to grab his attention. It didn't work unfortunately as Saito remains fixated on his work, failing to realise her presence. Growing annoyed by the lack of response, Louise began using more force in her actions, so strong was her tugging that Saito's hand was also unintentionally pulled along. Without the need to be said, her efforts work this time as Saito immediately turns to his side and as soon as he did, his eyes went wide, appearing surprised to find her standing right next to him, but being the quick-witted man he is, he regathered his bearings just as fast.

"Oh, what's wrong Louise? Need something?" Saito asked as he removed the headphones, shifting his entire attention to her.

"Sorry... I don't mean to disturb you, but... There's something I want to ask," Louise began, keeping the manga close to her chest.

"What is it? Oh, wait, don't tell me, let me guess. Um... You want a kiss?" Saito puts out a wild, teasing guess, being his usual playful self.

"N-no... It's..."

"No? Then... A hug? Sure, come over here," Saito naturally opens up his arms wide, as if inviting her to snuggle to his chest.

"Y-you... Baka, I'm not asking for that..." Louise's tone began to turn into an irritated one, but she maintains her composure.

"Wha? Not this one either? So if this is not what you want, that means... Ah, I see..."

As he muttered the last part, Saito silently closed his eyes before crossing his arms as he lay back against his chair, giving off some sort of cool vibe as if he was some sort of brilliant genius who already had it all figured out without needing anyone to explain it to him. However, as the person who had spent most of the past two years by his side, Louise could tell that Saito was thinking about something entirely different, a suspicion which soon turns into reality as Saito flashes a smile at her. A mischievous smile which she recognised all too well.

"So... Louise. You want... 'That' right? Well, it's still pretty early, but I'm okay with it," Saito smirks suggestively, no doubt having some... impure thoughts in the back of his head. "Where you wanna do it? The bed or the bath? Or... Maybe both?"

"Y-you... B-b-baka! It's not that! Y-you perverted dog! I-Is that all you can think of y-you... ero husband!" Louise cried out with a deep blush colouring her cheeks, both annoyed and flustered by his teasing. She somewhat expected he would come out with something like this, yet it still embarrasses her down to her core. Truly, how much of a pervert can he be?

"Ahaha... Sorry, sorry... I'm just joking. No need to get so upset," Saito said sheepishly while laughing to himself in amusement. Though in all honesty, he was quite half-serious about it.

"Haa... Stop doing that. Moo... I'm trying to be serious here," Louise pouts, acting no different than a sulking child, a sight Saito couldn't help, but to find as adorable.

"But, I am too..." Saito unconsciously murmured his thoughts out which sounds close to a silent whisper, but loud enough for his wife's ears.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say? Can you repeat that?"Louise asked, glaring daggers straight at him.

"Ah... Ahaha... N-nothing. Nothing at all. S-so, what is it do you want to ask me?" Saito immediately shifts the topic, not wanting to dig himself further into unneeded trouble.

"Ah, right! It's this," Louise held up the manga which almost slips out of the corner of her mind, waving it in front of her husband. "There's a word here I couldn't understand... It's... Um... I'm not sure how it's pronounced. It's not even in the dictionary."

"Not in the dictionary? What kind of word is it?" Saito questions appearing somewhat confused as well. When he bought the dictionary for her, he was sure it was the latest edition in its series so to learn there's a word missing from it was a bit surprising.

"I told you, I don't know. That's why I'm asking you," replied Louise before opening the page of the manga where she was stuck on. "Here, take a look."

Taking the manga off his wife's hands, Saito briefly glanced at the page, trying to see what it was that puts her in a tight spot. The manga was one from his old collection, so obviously, Saito had read them before, but as far as he remembered, since the author used to make children books before becoming a mangaka, his works were usually pretty easy to read as he rarely uses difficult words and the plot of the whole story was kinda cliche and nowhere near complex. That was the main reason he recommended the manga to Louise in the first place so she can improve her reading skills without problem, but it appears it wouldn't be that easy.

"Okay, let me see. Err... Which one is it?" Saito asked, unsure which part she didn't get.

"Umm... Ah, here! It's the one after Kanade got angry at Yuto even though he's the only one who stayed back to help her with cleaning the club room. She's actually in love with him for a while now, but somehow she still refuses to admit it and always ended arguing with him for no reason," Louise peered from the side as she points at a specific part on the page all the while giving some back story to the scene which Saito never asked for. Still, there's no reason for him to complain, rather, it delights his inner otaku to learn how engrossed she was into the story. Seems like the manga was a good choice after all.

"You mean this part? Ahem! Ahem!" Saito coughs a few times, readjusting his voice as he tried to mimic the character. "*Oi Kanade, why do you need to act like that? I'm just trying to help.*"

"Ah... Um... *W-why would you even bother? N-not like I ever asked you to or anything,*" Louise plays along with her husband's acting, naturally taking the role of the main female character.

"*Haa... Can't you at least say thanks? If not because of me, you will be stuck here for hours.*"

"*Why would that matter to you? I never asked for your help. I didn't even remember asking you to join the club with me. You're the one who followed me around, so why should I thank you for anything. Idiot...*"

"*Jeez... Kanade. I guess they're right after all. That you're such a tsun...* Oh-"

The bewildered 'oh,' was the last thing which left Saito's lips before he fell into complete silence, ending his... quite a decent attempt of mimicry, while his eyes stayed fixed on the manga, staring intensely at the last word. Without needing to be told, he knew this was the word that hampered Louise's reading as it stands out more than the rest of the page. So, the question now is, what was the word that deeply troubled Louise, to the point she couldn't even say it, the very same one that Saito himself fails to finish? Well... Turns out it was a word Saito knew all too well. Perhaps a little too well.

"T-t-t-tsundere?" Saito blurted out the word, his throat parched like the desert itself as the nerves got to him.

"Tsun... Dere? So that's how you say it," said Louise, sounding pleased as she was able to at least figure out how to pronounce the word. "Then... what does it mean?"

"Uhh... T-that... That... I..." Saito stuttered with his sentence, his mind barely holding itself together from a complete breakdown as he realised the severity of the situation.

As a self-proclaimed Otaku who had spent years indulging himself in the boundless world of animation, plus the possession of quite a sizeable amount of manga collection, Saito was no stranger to the term. Not to mention, he even has the personal experience of actually living together with a real-life Tsundere for the past two years, thus he, perhaps more than anyone, fully understood what the term Tsundere means. However...

"H-how... How do I explain this to her?" Saito murmured alone, eyes staring down to the floor, close to losing himself from the... unexpected pressure.

With both the knowledge and the experience on his side, surely there's no problem for Saito to give a sufficient explanation to Louise. Well... Except for one thing. How in the world are you supposed to explain what a tsundere means to a tsundere? It was a scenario which extends beyond one's wildest imagination and obviously, it has never crossed Saito's line of thoughts. If this situation occurs inside an anime, it would be a pretty hilarious scene and Saito would be laughing all over the floor right now while feeling sorry for the poor protagonist. However, for he himself to become the said protagonist, it was hellish that even he didn't know how to react. Heck, was there even a proper way to react in the first place?

"Um... Is it... A bad thing?" Louise questions, noticing the hesitation in her husband's expression.

"Ah? Oh, no, no, no, it's not like that. It's not something terrible or anything," Saito denies it the best he can, though, in all honesty, not everyone would agree with him. It was a... subjective topic to begin with, which lies a lot on one's preference.

"Then... Why does after Yuto said that, Kanade went... *BAKA! What are you saying!? I'm not a Tsundere! Y-y-you... Idiot! Go to hell!*" Louise read the line out with much emotion, like a classic tsundere which possibly resembles the author's original imagination. Well... She is a tsundere after all.

"Ah... Um... That... Er... Surprised! Yes, she's just surprised to be called a tsundere. She really didn't expect it, that's all! It's not because it was a bad or anything," Saito nervously forms an excuse, poor as it may be. He can be quick-witted at times, but on the other times... not so much.

"So that means... It's a good thing?" Louise tilts her head, seemingly more confused than she was a minute ago.

"Um... I... Yes. Yeah, it's a good thing... I-I think," Saito stuttered a little with his words. As mentioned before, it was a subjective topic, so he wasn't lying or anything. Besides, considering the fact that he married a tsundere and if he may add, have a very happy lovey-dovey life together, he couldn't possibly say being a tsundere was a bad thing.

Nowhere near satisfied with his vague explanation, Louise stared at her husband, patiently waiting for him to further explain the word to her, leaving Saito in a dilemma. He wanted to tell her. He really does. However, with such a delicate topic in hand, if he were not careful with his choice of words or he was to explain it in a negative way, or that he accidentally let it slip that she's actually a tsundere herself... Well, let's just say it might spell a lot of trouble for him which was the last thing he needed during this lovely, peaceful day. Whatever he does, he needs to be smart about this.

As he put his thoughts in order, in all honesty, Saito wasn't exactly sure whether Louise can still be considered as a tsundere. Sure, she still lightly punches and pinches him now and then, and being called an idiot was like an everyday thing for him, but these days rather than as an act of violence born out of malice or anger, it was more like she's simply being playful with him. Not to mention, it's been a while since he was last blasted off by one of her explosion, in fact since arriving in his homeworld, Louise only cast the spell once and that was to fend off the jerks who ganged up against him. Other than that one occasion, he has never seen a glimpse of her explosion anymore which was something he couldn't help, but be quite relieved of.

'She's... not a tsundere anymore... Is she?' Saito ponders alone as he examined his wife from top to bottom while the memories from the past began flooding in.

Comparing the pinkete Saito first met when he was summoned to the magical world years ago against his will and the Louise who now stood in front of him as his wife, it was clear as day. She... has changed a lot, in a good way of course. The proud girl who used to be like a ticking time bomb that would unexpectedly blow up against him at any moment has now become such a lovely, gentle girl whom any guy in the world including him would dream of having.

No... Wait... That's not completely right. Even back then, Louise has always been a kind, innocent soul. It's just that due to the circumstances surrounding her, she had a hard time opening up to others, leading to her developing a somewhat terrible personality which in truth was a mere shell to protect her fragile self. However, after meeting Saito and now living together alongside the Hiragas, she no longer had the reason to keep her act going anymore which is why her true self began to unfold bit by bit, turning her into who she was today. Not a proud mage hailing from a noble bloodline who constantly looks down upon others, but a simple warm-hearted girl who just wanted a bit of love. A love which Saito has plenty to give.

Putting everything into consideration, based on how cheerful Louise was around her new family and the way she tends to be affectionate with Saito whenever no one was looking, plus the lack of any sort of harsh treatment towards him, it was hard to class her as a tsundere anymore. As matter of fact, with the way Louise's settling with her role as a full-time housewife under her mother-in-law's guidance, these days the 'tsun' part of her tsundere seems to have vanished, leaving behind only the 'dere' part in her personality. Either way, it doesn't matter that much to Saito. Tsundere or not, she's still the same Louise who stole his heart from the day they shared their first kiss. That's all there is to it. Although... He has to admit. Not being chased around with a whip or while avoiding deadly blasts of explosion was definitely a positive development in his book. Yup... A good change indeed.

"Ne, Saito!"

"Ah! Uh... What?" Saito's whole body jolted, startled by having his name called so loudly.

"What are you doing? You've been staring at me all along," Louise points out, signs of annoyance clear in her tone. She's been waiting patiently for him to begin his explanation, but all she got was a long, silent stare which was a bit uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Ah... I did? Sorry... I was just thinking about something. Err... What were we talking about again?" Saito timidly scratches his chin as his mind already slipped from their earlier conversation.

"It's about Tsundere! You're about to tell me what it means. Moo... how could you forgot about that?" Louise pouts, not hiding her displeasure. It's one thing to space out while you're talking, but to forget what you were talking about less than a minute ago? Anyone would be upset. "Haa... Never mind. If you won't tell me then... can you let me use the laptop? I'll search for the word myself."

"Wha!? No, wait, wait you don't need to!" Saito reflexively puts himself between Louise and the laptop, preventing her from reaching for it. "I'm sorry. I really am. I-I'll tell you okay. You don't have to search for it or anything. I'll explain everything to you."

Seeing her husband's panicked reaction, Louise's expression turns into one of doubt, seemingly suspicious of his behaviour which she noticed had grown particularly odd ever since she first mentioned the term tsundere. It was as if... he has something to hide. Moments of awkwardness pass by with the couple staring at each other without a single exchange of word, yet in the end, despite her initial suspicion, Louise choose to put her faith in Saito like she always did, muttering a short "fine" before retreating to the bed where she waits for him in patience.

Somehow managing to keep the situation under control, Saito took the opportunity to close his laptop, keeping it away from his wife for good while a sigh of relief unconsciously left his lips. Make no mistake, Saito has no issue with letting Louise use the laptop, nor does he have anything to hide from her. It's just that... He's afraid the information on the net might give her the wrong assumption on what a tsundere truly means which would eventually create some misunderstanding along the line. It's going to be difficult, but he believes that it's best for an otaku like himself to be the one to tell her about it.

Coming into terms with his unavoidable fate, Saito took a few deep breaths to calm the roars of his heart before making his way to the bed. Without any hesitation, he naturally sat down right next to Louise, so close they were that they could reach and touch the other, yet neither minds it. They're a married couple after all, so being in close proximity like this had become second nature to them, or like Asuna prefer to tease them, can't keep their hands off each other.

"So... Louise? You really want to know?" Saito asked as he faced his wife, asking for confirmation, though he already knows her reply.

"Of course, I do. It's for learning," Louise didn't even hesitate as she sat up straight with the manga still in her hand, like a top student in a middle of a class session. Well... her magic proficiency aside, she was a good student to begin with and Japanese language is her new favourite subject so her eagerness was understandable.

Seeing how determined she was on the matter, Saito couldn't help, but to let out a light chuckle, finding her studious nature as nothing short of amusing. However, he soon regathers himself, coughing a few times on purpose as he tries to kick his serious mode on, an effort which ultimately fails. Similar to his father, taking things seriously was never his strong point, thus Saito leans back to his usual, casual self which suits him best before opening his mouth to speak.

"You see... a Tsundere is... Some kind of personality type," Saito began to explain, vague as it may as he struggles to find the right words while at the same time being mindful of what he says.

"A personality type?" Louise parrots him, not fully understanding what he meant. "You mean like... Being cheerful or moody all the time?"

"Um... Yeah, something like that," Saito nods in response. "There's others as well like Kudere, Deredere, Yandere and so much more. Some of these can even be split further into sub-categories so honestly... I'm not really sure how many of them are out there."

"I see... There's quite a lot of them... Eh? Wait, why do they all have 'dere' in them?" Louise points out, easily noticing the similarity between the terms.

"That's because... each of these terms is actually a combination of two different words. Like I said, there's plenty of these sort of terms out there, but most shared a dere in the back. Still, depends on what word you have in front, the meanings would change as well. Do you get it so far?" Saito questions, hoping that his explanation wasn't too complex for her to grasp.

"I think so..." Louise lightly nods, somehow managing to keep up with him.

"Ah! Just so you know, all these terms are mainly used to describe the characters in a manga or anime so some people might not know about them. That said, sometimes these terms can also be applied to real-life people. Heck, you're also-"

Right before he could finish, Saito instantly went into complete silence as he realised how close he was to let slip of the fact that his wife was one of the dere types. Deep down in the corner of his mind, he was mentally beating himself up for being so stupidly reckless with his mouth. These are dangerous ground he's treading, so he needs to be careful of what he said to her.

"I'm also... What?" Louise asked, deeply curious about what he was going to say next.

"N-nothing... Just forget about it," Saito casually dodge the question while keeping his cool as to not arouse further suspicion. "A-anyway, you understand now right? How there's a lot of dere types out there?"

"Hmm... I get all that. But..." Louise turns to him with a frown, appearing unsatisfied. "You still haven't told me what a tsundere is. That's what I really want to know."

"Ah... R-right. I was just about to go there..." Saito maintains a calm poker face as he assured her, but in reality, he has been secretly praying that the idea of a tsundere would somehow magically slips from Louise's thoughts, but alas, whether, in this world or the other one, nothing could ever be that easy.

Pondering by himself at the edge of the bed, Saito carefully puts his thoughts together reaping on all his knowledge as an otaku and his wits to come up with the right explanation which would allow him to survive this encounter. One wrong word and this peaceful life he had built for himself this far would collapse on him. To anyone else, it might sound like he's hugely exaggerating, but that's how Saito truly felt at this very moment and with his wife waiting for an answer, he has little time to lose. Now with everything at stake and nowhere for him to run, he spoke up.

"Tsundere is... kinda violent," Saito told her, summarizing the term in the simplest way possible. Well... Maybe too simple.

"Violent? A Tsundere is a violent person?" Louise echoes her husband. Her tone filled with both shock and horror by the sudden revelation.

"Wait, no no. That's not it," Saito quickly attempt to rephrase himself, realising how misleading he was being. "What I'm trying to say is... Tsundere is a type of person who can be somewhat hostile towards others, but it's not because they particularly hate people or anything, rather it's most likely due to their inner pride."

"Oh..." Louise listened to his explanation in silence, trying to piece in this new information together.

"Due to this prideful nature of theirs, tsundere can appear as cold towards others especially to people they don't know. Sometimes they even use harsh words or do things that upset the people around them. Being selfish, boastful or unmindful of other people's feelings are also traits that are commonly associated with them," Saito carefully explains to her, taking absolute sure not to lose his composure, nor to let slip the wrong words.

"Sounds like a mean person," Louise bluntly commented, coming to that conclusion based on what she had heard thus far.

"N-no they're not. Take Kanade for example. Does she seems like a bad person to you?" Saito points out, using the character in the manga as a reference.

"Um... N-no," Louise timidly shook her head, glancing over to her manga. "She's kind to all her friends and for some reason, she just couldn't sit still whenever she saw someone in trouble. B-but... then Yuto was wrong, isn't he? Kanade isn't a tsundere. She was never mean to anyone."

"True, but try to remember. Before she became friends with Kana and Megumi, she was kinda harsh towards them didn't she? She also didn't talk much to her classmates and her club members at first, but after a while, she eventually warms up to them. That's how a tsundere is like. They act cold towards others and say hurtful things at first, but when you get closer and spend more time with them, you'll realise that they're actually a really warm-hearted people on the inside," Saito explains in great detail, using further reference based on the events that transpired in the manga.

"When you say it like that... You're right..." Louise said, starting to see his point. "Whenever Kanade's alone, she always told herself how she wants to be nicer to everyone. That's why... I always found myself rooting for her. Eh, but... What about Yuto? They've known each other longer than anyone else, so why does she still keep getting mad at him?"

Putting her thoughts out into the open, Louise does come out with a valid point. If a tsundere warms up to others in time, Yuto who was always around Kanade during class and club session should be the one who is closest to her, but what occurs in the manga appears to be the complete opposite of that. Compared to how she treats everyone else she seems to be particularly harsh on Yuto and oftentimes, she blames him for a lot of things which was odd, to say the least. However, for a tsundere expert such as Saito, the truth was clear as day.

"Hehe, that's easy," Saito sneered, barely needing a second to come up with an answer. "It's because she loves him."

"H-huh...?" Louise tilts her head. Looks of confusion written all over her face. If this was an anime, countless question marks would've popped up on top of her head, showing how lost she was.

"You said so earlier, right? Kanade secretly likes Yuto and she's been feeling that way for a while now," Saito points out, recalling what Louise mentioned to him before.

"S-she did... Everyone in their class seems to notice it too, but then why would she-"

"Cause she's a tsundere," Saito interrupts, somewhat eager to clear things up for her. "Remember what I told you about how a tsundere is a creature of pride? When they fall in love with someone, especially if it's their first love, these feelings conflicted with their inner pride and they have no idea how to handle it. That's why out of embarrassment and unable to admit their true feelings, they ended up treating their romantic interest harsher than they ever did to others."

"Um... How harsh can they be?" Louise questions, piqued by this... unusual behaviour which she couldn't understand. Why would someone treat the person they love so poorly?

"Hm... They say harsh things to them all the time. Got angry at the person for absolutely no reason. Sometimes, they even got a bit physical, punching or kicking the person they love whenever they did something that didn't appeal to her. Even if it did, she'll still end up hitting them due to embarrassment. Oh, and idiot. They tend to call the person they like an idiot, but they don't really mean it though. Usually, a tsundere would regret what they did and wants to make up, but their pride always get in the way. For that reason, the relationship always ended up going nowhere," Saito explains in great detail, quite literally tip-toeing between the lines of safety with his explanation. Parts of the knowledge was from his reading, others... Well, let's just say it was from personal experience.

"Uwahh... That sounds troublesome," Louise states, oblivious of the fact that she used to be the same way.

"Um... Y-yeah, they are," Saito admits albeit hesitantly, unable to find it in himself to deny it. "Still, even though they can be a bit difficult to deal with at first when they become honest with their feelings, they'll become an amazing lover."

"Really?" Louise voices out, unconvinced by mere words.

"Yeah, really," Saito stressed, smiling a bit as he did. "The way they try to get more affectionate while struggling to hide their blushing face, their unquestionable devotion to their lover and the desire to please you whenever they can, her diligence in learning entirely new things so she can be a better life partner, that special way she treats you to make up for the horrible things she has done before, how when you compliment or do nice things to them, they end up getting all flustered about it. Ah... And the smile. The way she shyly smiles at you whenever you glance at her... It makes your heart pumping like crazy and makes you fall more and more in love with them. If you ask me, compared to all the dere's out there a tsundere is definitely the kindest, cutest and sexiest of them all."

Saying every little thing he found attractive in a tsundere, Saito couldn't keep the enthusiasm from showing in his grin. Who could blame him? It was his true feelings on the matter, and he's sincere about every single word. Not one thing was a lie nor was it intentionally made up here as he pulled out everything that resides in the depth of his heart. However, to those who knew the truth, they would notice that Saito was talking about a very specific person, the same one who was now staring at him with a stare that rivals those of a predator in the wild.

"Saito, somehow... you seem to know a lot about tsundere," Louise eyes him with an expression of doubt, hardly pleased to hear those things from him. For all she knows, he's been praising the qualities of another girl who she has never even met. In other words... she's jealous.

"Ah... W-well... I... I-it's just some stuff I learned a long time ago. F-from manga of course. N-not like I have met any tsundere or anything. Haha... Ahaha..." Saito laughed out nervously, realising that he had said a little too much.

"Is that so...?" Louise didn't divert her gaze, intending to coax the truth out of him.

"Of course. You're my wife, why would I ever lie to you?" Saito keeps his stand, not one to easily bow to the pressure.

With the exchange of words going nowhere, the couple soon found themselves locked in an intense game of stares. One side wishes to pry out the truth, while the other intends to keep it buried for good. For a while, neither shows any sign of giving in clinging on into their respective stubbornness, prolonging the silence between them, but in the end, Louise was the first to back away, deciding that it wasn't worth it.

"Fine, you don't have to tell me. I'm going back to reading... Hmph!" Louise pouts as she faces away from him, no doubt sulking as he left his side to return to her original reading spot.

"W-wait!" Saito suddenly intervenes, blocking his wife's escape much to her surprise.

"W-what do you want? Ah... Are you going to tell me now?" asked Louise, believing that he has a supposed change of mind.

"Well... N-not that..." Saito denies, not having the slightest intention to reveal his secret. "It's just... Well..."

Leaving his sentence floating in the air, Saito nervously scratches the back of his head, debating with himself whether he should ask for it, especially when he has just upset her. Soon, however, with what little courage the young Gandalfr has, he decided to go on with what he has in mind.

"Where's my reward?" Saito asked, being as direct as he can.

"R-reward?" Louise forms a bewildered look, unsure what exactly he was referring to.

"I mean... I did help you with the word so shouldn't I at least deserve a little award? I mean, it's kinda tough, you know. Explaining those things and all. Uhh... Even my throat felt all sore after all that talking," as he said that, Saito instantly reach for his throat, gently rubbing on it even though it was nowhere near sore.

Going up against her husband's pleas, not to mention his poor attempt at acting, Louise simply stared back without a single word nor did she gave him any sort of reaction. At that moment, Saito gulped out of reflex as he realised that he might have just pushed his luck way too far than he's supposed to. However, when he saw the light blush slowly creeping up her cheeks, he knew right away that she didn't find the idea as unpleasant.

"Close your eyes," Louise suddenly told him, her tone firm like a figure of authority.

"Why?" Saito asked, caught off guard by the statement.

"J-just close them! I-if not... I won't give you your reward," Louise insists, refusing to say anything further on the matter.

Although still a bit lost by the request, Saito did exactly as he was told without further protest, letting his eyes rest behind his eyelids. With his vision blackened, his expectations began to rise as he somewhat has an idea of what kind of reward Louise have in plan for him. Well... It's Saito after all. In his case, a reward from his beloved master can only mean one of a few things, which can at times be all of them at once, a matter which Louise was no doubt well aware of.

As Saito patiently waited in his spot for his well-deserved reward, his heartbeats began to rise in anticipation. Even with his eyes closed, he can sense that Louise was leaning closer towards him bit by bit. At some point, her sweet, girly scent tickles his nostrils while her warm breath brushes against his face, further testing his abilities to remain calm, yet somehow, fueled by willpower alone he managed to resist the temptation to open his eyes and leap straight at her. Seconds of painful silence pass by, then, he finally felt it. The soft, wet touch of her lips which he was strongly addicted to... On his forehead.

"J-just on the forehead?" Saito said as soon as her warmth left him, unable to hide his disappointment.

"That's your punishment for hiding something for me. You should be grateful," Louise said, no doubt still holding a bit of resentment for his earlier silence.

Saying that Louise once again left for her reading spot, leaving behind her discouraged husband who was desperately hoping for more. Well... It was his fault for hiding things from her, so Saito has no room to complain here. That said, he was nowhere near done with her. With a renewed purpose and a new idea in mind, he dashed past Louise, beating her in the race to the headboard. Then, without saying anything to her, he laid on the pillow she placed earlier, effectively stealing the spot from her.

"S-Saito, baka! What are you doing? That's my place!" Louise raised her voice, both annoyed and shocked by his actions.

"Well... I'm already bored with the laptop and I kinda have nothing better to do so... Let's read them together. I know you're trying to learn so if there are any more words you don't understand, I can translate them for you. It's easier this way isn't it?"

Catering to his wife's benefits, Saito stretch open his arms, inviting her to rest against the comforts of his chest like she always does. Times like this, makes one wonder, what kind of steel Saito's nerves were made of as he continues to tip-toes around his wife's anger, but alas these, uhh... positive attitude of his was also the main reason he was able to stay close to a tsundere like her for this long.

Presented with his offer, Louise found herself stuck in deep thought or rather in an indecisive position. A part of her was delighted to the point of smiling as she can now spend more couple-like time with him, while the other part was still desperately clinging to the bits of pride in her heart. To be frank, if he were to pull this off a year or two ago, she wouldn't have to think twice before blasting him off with her magic out of embarrassment like a true tsundere she is. Thankfully, the tsun part of hers have gotten weaker lately and this time, her dere side won in the struggle of heart as she hesitantly, yet surely moved closer towards him

"D-don't misunderstand, I-I only agree because you're much more comfortable to rest against. I'm still a little mad at you," Louise said as she rested against him, making herself comfortable in his warmth all the while struggling to keep herself from blushing.

"Okay, I get it. Use me as much as you want, my master," Saito replied, chuckling a little as he did.

"Just so you know, you're still being punished so... Hugging me is not allowed. Trying to kiss my hair or my neck is also strictly forbidden."

Hearing that, Saito first instinct was to protest, but he stops himself, knowing that arguing here would only unnecessarily upsets her. Sooner or later, Louise would surely forgive him and will let the issue slip. When that time comes, he'll try his luck again with her, but until then, he'll restraint himself and enjoy this peaceful reading session the best he can. Or at least that's what he thought at first.

"Wait a minute," Louise suddenly exclaimed, closing back the manga in her hand as her mind found itself occupied with something else. "Full with pride... Can get angry for no reason... Can be violent and harsh towards the person they like... Tends to call their lover an idiot..."

Louise murmured the words, putting the pieces of the puzzle together in one frame, seemingly getting the picture. Seconds of empty silence passes as she continues to ponder alone, while her husband was growing restless with sweat trailing down his cheeks, fearing the worst. Then, without warning her expression change into absolute bewilderment as the pinkete finally comes to a horrible conclusion.

"Wait... Am I... Am I a Tsundere!?" Louise said it out loud, finally coming to the realization that she fits the dere type, a fact that comes as a surprise for her.

At that moment, hiding behind her the young Gandalfr facepalmed himself while weakly shaking his head as he realised how screwed up he was. All the efforts he had put to hide the truth from her since the very start have all gone up in smoke. Actually, he did let slip too many clues to begin with, but never had it cross his mind that she would be able to figure it out herself. Now, with the matter out in the open, he can neither confirm nor deny her, as either choice might potentially drag him deeper into trouble. Thus, he decides to remain silent and see how the situation would develop while secretly planning his escape plan, which he may need depends on how his wife would react next.

"B-but if that's true... I-If I'm a tsundere... What you said earlier was..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, Louise's entire face went beet red as she finally understood everything. The wonderful traits of a lovestruck tsundere that he describes with such glee earlier was about her all along. Her kindness... Her diligence... Her smile makes his heartbeat out of control... Louise remembered every little word he said and to learn that those compliments were actually for her... No words could describe the joy filling her chest nor the guilt she felt for being cold towards him earlier.

Not saying anything further, Louise stayed still against Saito's chest with her head down, creating an awkward atmosphere between them where even breathing becomes a challenge. Saito intends to break the silence, but every time he opens his mouth, he closed it back right away as he couldn't come up with the right words to say, as he himself wasn't exactly sure what sort of situation he's currently in. Is she angry? Is she upset? Is she happy? Saito couldn't possibly tell as all he could see was the back of her head. For now, all he could do was hope that she wouldn't be too upset with him for hiding the truth. Worst case scenario, he might see the comeback of her explosion.

"Saito," Louise called her voice soft as a whisper.

"Y-yes?" Saito answered in an instant, prepared for whatever it was to come.

Louise remains quiet for a moment, generating a light tension in the air as her husband patiently waited for what she has to say. He has so many possible scenarios playing in his head, but little could he expects what she did next.

"I... I... I change my mind," Louise stuttered, still keeping her head down, yet couldn't hide steam escaping her. "You can hug me if you want. K-kissing my hair and neck are also allowed. O-only a little bit though! And... And..."

Without any warning, Louise turns around almost at the speed of light, kneeling as she tried to level their faces together while her arms circled his neck. It was at this time Saito finally noticed how red her face was as she shyly makes eye contact with him, refusing to look away despite how embarrassed she was. Only God knows, how adorable the entire scene was in Saito's eyes and how fast his heart was beating, but what comes next was far surprising.

"A good dog deserves a proper reward... Right?"

Before Saito could even come up with a reply, he was silenced by the press of her soft lips. Not on the forehead, not on the cheeks, but right straight on his lips like the kiss of a lover. It took a moment for Saito to process what was transpiring, but as soon as he did, his inner instinct kicks in as he began kissing her back. The sweetness of her mouth flooded him as their tongues engaged in a light, playful skirmish. Sounds of their lips melting together into the kiss fill the room as they lose themselves in their little world of passion. No one was sure how long the kiss went, but at some point they broke off, leaving behind a bridge of saliva and two extremely red teenagers.

"I-Is that enough?" Louise shyly asked him, her face couldn't be any redder than she was now.

"Um... Yeah," Saito nods, being in no different condition than hers due to being caught completely off guard. Honestly, he kinda wants a bit more, but for now, it was enough to keep his urges in check.

With the blood still rushing to her cheeks, Louise instantly turns and rests back against his chest, hiding her face away from his gaze. In her struggles to contain her embarrassment, she diverts her attention to the manga, furiously flipping through the pages while hoping that reading it would help calm her heart after the boldness she displayed earlier. However, as she tried getting back to her reading/study session, she noticed his idleness.

"S-Saito... I-I told you. H-hugging is allowed," Louise promptly reminds him, no doubt suggesting him to act.

Hearing that, Saito immediately snaps out from his trance while a smile soon forms on his lips. Not needed to be asked twice, he sneaks his arms around her slender waist, pulling her body closer to his, careful as to not make her uncomfortable. While at it, he even took the opportunity to bury his face into her silky, pink hair before leaning over to her ear.

"I love you, my cute, lovely tsundere..." Saito whispered, gentle and seductive like a true gentleman he is.

"I-I'M NOT A TSUN-" Louise was close to bursting, but restraint herself as she was aware that he was actually complimenting her. Thus, instead of anger, she smiled to herself before coming up with the sweetest, tsundere-like reply she could.

"I love you too... Baka..."