A thick fog rolled across the ground and weaved its way through the forest trees. The conditions were less than optimal for taking care of the giant beasts they were tasked with eliminating on today's mission. With such poor visibility, it was hard to imagine how effective their archers would be, even with the protection of the trees. It was a wonder their group already managed to whittle down half the monsters in record time.

Felix leaned against a nearby tree as he awaited the next round of orders. He rubbed the back of his hand across his cheek. His skin felt damp and clammy from the mist. In fog this heavy, he wasn't even sure he'd see the signal from the professor. But worst case scenario, Felix was positive he'd have no issues dispatching monsters solo, even if the weather left him feeling lightheaded. It wouldn't be the first time he worked alone.

Except the swordsman wasn't working alone today. And his adjutant was making it very difficult to maintain his concentration. After spending the better part of the morning trekking across the woods at the onset of their campaign, Annette finally seemed more relaxed in his company, while he was growing increasingly anxious and disoriented by contrast.

The fog near his feet suddenly swirled. Annette pulled her cloak closer and spun in a small circle behind him, then came to a stop and marveled at the mist curling and twisting with her movements. "Wow, I've never seen fog like this before," she said with hushed wonderment, "It's like fluffy peaks of meringue on top of a pie!"

Her comparison was amusing. With a bit of squinting and the suspension of disbelief, he could almost imagine it himself. He hastily swallowed back a smile before it could fully form. "Don't get too distracted," Felix warned, "stay alert."

"I am alert! As alert as I can be in these conditions, anyways."

"Hm," he half-answered. Her bright hair stood out like a glowing beacon, the most visible color in their secluded pocket within the fog. Felix momentarily covered his eyes with the back of his hand in hopes it would discourage him from staring at her again. If this was some kind of new magic technique, he was powerless in its presence. It didn't help that he spent the night before lying awake trying not to think about pairing up together for their mission. Every time he closed his eyes, incomplete stanzas from Annette's library song drifted through his head. The lack of sleep left him feeling feverish and restless.

We've worked adjacent to each other countless times. Why is this time different?

The sounds of clashing steel echoed overhead accompanied by the guttural groan of a felled beast.

"Ah! Was that the Professor?" Annette whirled around and readied her stance. "I didn't hear him give the signal!"

Felix tsked irritably. It was impossible to know what was happening or even which direction the fighting was in. A proper clash was just the remedy he needed to take his mind off the heat constantly rising to his face every time Annette met his eyes. He called back at her hopefully, "Any chance you can cast something to clear away the fog?"

"What! I'm not that skilled, you know," she giggled. "You're looking for a weather phenomenon, Felix. Not a well-executed wind spell!"

"I guess."

"Speaking of meringue pie," Annette twirled around again, her sunny demeanor returning instantly as she flipped the subject back to the earlier talk of sweets, "what's your preference? Lemon? Lime? Orange chiffon? Although you really do seem more like a lemon meringue sort of person, I think."

"I don't care much for sweets."

"Ahh," she chirped in a sing-song voice and spun around again, "that's right, I forgot."

"Stop moving around so much. You're going to get lost in the fog."

"Hmph," she huffed, her mood dampening at the sound of his scolding. "I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"What?"

"All this, 'I work alone, don't pair me with anyone, oooh, stand back while I single-handedly eliminate half the monsters because I'm completely invincible,' attitude of yours!" Annette waved her hands and puffed out her chest in attempts to imitate him. The gesture was obviously meant to look intimidating, but with her tiny stature and delicate features, it came across as unintentionally endearing instead of fierce.

"I...I don't sound like that!" Felix sputtered. The tips of his ears burned uncomfortably. In fact, all of him felt flushed.

"Yes you do! You literally said almost exactly that on our last mission! So I might as well just go find Mercedes and be her adjutant instead. She wouldn't forget the rest of my song!"

Oh. That's what this is about.

Another clattering racket resonated through the fog. This one sounded even closer than the last. Whatever orders the Professor was relaying, they weren't reaching them in time, and someone else in their party was taking care of the monsters.

Annette wrinkled her nose with a frown, misinterpreting his silence as disinterest. "Whatever, Felix! I can tell when I'm not wanted. You really are the worst!"

"I-I didn't say that," he raised a hand to object, but she was already tearing off through the mist. Another wave of dizziness washed over him, and he steadied himself against the tree. It felt unusual seeing Annette so worked up, and watching her break formation was even more unusual.

Then again, this day is full of unusual inconveniences.

Felix sighed. The last thing he needed was getting reprimanded by the professor for splitting from his adjutant. It wouldn't look good, especially after he raised a fuss yesterday. The swordsman unsteadily swayed in place, then began pacing towards the direction his companion ran off once the dizzy spell passed.

"Annette?"

No answer.

"Annette. Come on."

He pushed through the bushes. Breaking the professor's formation without receiving order gradually became less of a concern. Instead, a new fear took hold, churning in his stomach with every passing step. Even though he knew Annette was formidable in her magical prowess, the thought of her stumbling upon a cluster of beasts and getting caught unawares still didn't sit well with him.

Another throaty growl reverberated through the air. The familiar scent of magic prickled at the inside of his nose. A spell was cast nearby, and its lingering odor mingled with the fog. Felix felt his hand drift towards his hilt as his pace quickened. The sound of his feet crunching on the brush underfoot was drowned out by the pounding of his heart in his ears.

A clear voice cut through the haze. Its tone was light and sweet. His ears perked at the sound.

"Beasties and baddies, step aside! We'll take you down, one at a time!"

Felix lowered his eyes and let his ears guide him. The very same training he put to the test in sensing his opponents' moves took over as he tried to follow the singing voice.

"Flap and scratch and growl and howl, now stand still—I'll cast my spell! Blam, kabam!"

A small explosion burst from just beyond the bushes. Felix finally stumbled through into another clearing. Annette's red hair stood out like a bright, sunny speck bobbing above the mist. The young woman nimbly hopped backwards and did a mock curtsey as the beast towering opposite her collapsed from the force of her spell.

She turned her head at the sound of snapping branches and met his eyes. His pulse quickened. Whatever anger from their earlier squabble was completely gone from her expression and was instead replaced by a combination of pride and embarrassment. "O-oh," Annette flustered, "I know we agreed on no singing, but I figured it's so foggy, it's not like I was giving my location away!"

A rush of relief flooded through him at the sight of her. He struggled to form some kind of coherent sentence. Something. Anything. Even if it was chastising her for running away. He reached out and steadied himself against a nearby tree. "Do you have any idea how stupid that was?!"

"It probably wasn't the best of ideas, but it all worked out in the end!" she gestured to the fallen beast. "So it's all fine now! You're not the only one who can hold their own, you know." Annette hesitated. He could feel her eyes on him. She tilted her head and cast him a concerned look. "Felix...are you okay? You don't look so great."

"...All fine now, huh? That's… that's a pathetic excuse for running off. You know making rash decisions like that can mean the difference between life and death in battle!"

She frowned. The fog surrounding them seemed to grow thicker with each passing moment. The uncomfortable twisting sensation in his stomach only worsened as she continued to scrutinize him. His face felt like it was on fire.

"You really aren't looking so good—" she took another step forward and reached out, her fingers brushing against his forehead. The remnants of her last magic spell tingled against his skin, and Felix recoiled in panic at her touch.

"I-I didn't forget," he blurted without warning.

"Huh?"

"The end of your song," he struggled to focus on her, but his concentration was slipping again. It felt like the mist was threatening to swallow him whole. "I... I don't forget any of your songs. I told you...they're permanently etched in my memory."

"W...what are you saying?!" her cheeks flushed pink. "This has nothing to do with me or my songs! Felix, you look horrible! In fact—"

But whatever she said next never reached his ears. Felix felt his knees give out from underneath him and fell to the forest floor as he succumbed to the fever.