There was something deeply gratifying about a tidy, orderly room. Seeing everything in its proper place filled Annette with the same sort of delight she felt when a particularly complex harmony resolved itself at the end of a good song. Everything was going swimmingly-no one was willing to volunteer for cleaning duty in the library so late in the evening, which made it the perfect time to combine two of her favorite passions together in solitude.

Yet this time her orderly cleaning and the song that accompanied it were thrown off balance, and she found herself desperately wishing she could wave her feather duster at the interruption and clean it away as easily as she did the dust bunnies from moments earlier.

Of all people, why did it have to be him?!

"What are you doing here, Felix?!"

The swordsman stood opposite her with his hand on his hip. Annette couldn't decide if he intentionally snuck up on her, seeking the perfect opportunity to make fun of her song again, or if she had been so absorbed in singing that she simply didn't notice him approach. She decided it was definitely the former. Absolutely the former.

"I heard singing," he answered flatly.

"You were watching me again, weren't you?!"

How many more chores do I need to bribe him with to make him forget?!

"You shouldn't dance up there," Felix gestured to the upper level of the library. "You could fall."

Not only did he hear my singing, but he saw my dancing too!?

"Oh, today of all days," she grumbled to herself. There was no malice in his voice. And for some reason, that made the entire situation feel even worse. It would be so much easier to be upset with him if he was openly mocking her instead of voicing misplaced concern. Why couldn't it have been… well, anyone else!? "I knew I should've chosen a different song…"

Felix raised an eyebrow. He looked genuinely curious. "A different song? Like what?"

"Any of them!" she waved her hands with vigor, "The box song! Or maybe the dungeon song!"

"Now those sound interesting."

"No, they're just regular songs!" she flustered. After all, the library song was still an unfinished piece. For a brief moment she almost considered asking him which he'd prefer to hear. But that would've been even more embarrassing. If he wasn't teasing her now, he almost certainly would after such a ridiculous question. "Oh, forget it," she huffed, "While you're here, can you help me clean up?"

I might as well put him to work! If I can't make him forget, then I'll make him regret interrupting me! The threat of chores should be enough to send him running.

Felix glanced across the library, then looked back at her expectantly as if awaiting an order. Apparently the offloading of mundane chores didn't seem to bother him in the least.

"I need the books on that shelf up there, but I can't reach them…"

"Oh. Sure, no problem," he shrugged.

Ah. I didn't actually expect that to work.

Annette tapped her feather duster against the crook of her arm and hoped the dim lights of the library would mask the color rising to her cheeks. Why was it every time she found herself in Felix's company, he always seemed to catch her off-guard? She furiously resumed dusting the closest shelf with a frown.

He turned away from her and ascended the rolling library ladder. The wood creaked underneath each step as he approached the collection of tomes along the top shelf. Her dusting motions slowed to a halt, and she watched his back from below. The glow of the library candles danced across his dark hair and washed over him with a warm light. The faintest whispers of a new song tickled the back of her mind—maybe something about books flying off the shelf and launching themselves at a handsome swordsman who managed to nimbly dodge each one with admirable deftness—

"What?" the sound of his voice snapped her out of her daydream. Suddenly Felix was back in front of her again, lowering the last of the books on top of the desk. "You're not going to sing anymore?"

"No way!" Annette clenched the feather duster with a scowl. "It's too embarrassing! And that song isn't even finished, anyway."

Felix frowned. He looked disappointed. "Ah, that's too bad."

Of course he's disappointed! I'm not giving him another chance to tease me, not again!

"I wanted to hear what happened after the library was blown away," he continued after a moment and stared at her.

Wait. What?

"Hey…" she muttered, "Don't look at me like that!"

This was new. An unfamiliar feeling tugged at her chest. It was unusual for someone to express an interest in her songs, especially incomplete ones. Then again, she didn't exactly make it a habit to share unfinished songs with just anyone. It was... pleasant—a word she'd never consider using to describe the irascible Felix of all people.

"OK, fine. If you insist, I'll sing just a bit more…"

Annette swallowed back that strange fluttering sensation in her chest. His request seemed sincere enough. The young woman resumed the first stanza of the incomplete library song with all the cheer and vigor from earlier, then trailed off, sensing his silence.

She shyly cast him a glance. Felix was still watching her with the same intensity she'd seen so many times before on the battlefield. Instead of trying to anticipate the movements of an enemy unit, she wondered if he was attempting to guess the next lines of her song. Whatever emotion was hiding behind his brown eyes, it was difficult to discern. A rush of inspiration flooded her while under his gaze—if he wanted an ending, he was going to get one!

"—What a great job I did!" she sang and spun in a little twirl to complete the line, "Who says cleaning isn't fun?"

There, take THAT, Felix!

Silence.

The library's grandfather clock chimed the hour from the corner of the room. There was no laughter, no jeering, and not even the faintest hint of a smirk on his face.

"Huh," Felix finally uttered after a moment. He was still frowning. "That really doesn't explain what happened with the library," he remarked and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe they'll build a new one?"

That strange feeling wriggling in her tummy resumed. She couldn't help but smile in spite of herself and felt her face grow warm again. It was awfully nice having the company of someone who was so invested in the resolution of her songs. Annette couldn't help but wonder what sort of feedback he might have for the box song…

"Ugh, this is so embarrassing…" After another moment of silence she covered her cheeks with her hands in embarrassment. It wouldn't do her any good to let herself get carried away just by a little bit of conversation. But…

I thought he was going to make fun of me. Maybe I was wrong after all.

"W-well! You were a great big help, Felix! Thanks a bunch!"

"A big help? You cleaned pretty much the entire library. All I did was grab some books."

"No no," Annette waved the feather duster at him in a scolding motion, "It's thanks to you that I was able to complete the library song!"

For the first time in their conversation, Felix appeared embarrassed. He finally broke his stare and shuffled uncomfortably. The swordsman seemed entirely unprepared for the compliment. "So...is there going to be a sequel?"

"A...sequel?"

"Or whatever. When they build the new library. You can't just leave it like that."

"Well, of course! I promise I'll come up with a resolution, just for you, since you asked so nicely."

"Just for me…?"

"Absolutely!"

There was another brief pause. His eyes met hers. For a moment he looked like he was about to add something, then changed his mind.

"Good."