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The Stray Girl and the Incompetent Mage

Chapter 15: Jealousy

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In the short amount of time Sachiko has come to known Louis, she realized that, despite that pretty face of his, he has many, many flaws, enough to override any buffer his appearance may provide.

There isn't much point in thinking about that specifically. Everybody has flaws. It's just part of being human. Sachiko is well aware she is far from being perfect, but that is not the reason she's outing Louis in the first place. Saying he has a short temper and is pretty damn arrogant when he wants to be (and even when he doesn't) would just be stating the obvious. But lately, something entirely new has been brought up about his personality that she wasn't aware of.

He's one hell of a confusing person.

She knows Louis is a determined person, with set ideals and a strong sense of justice. Not someone who could be sway easily, in her opinion.

So why it looks like he's changing his mind around her a lot, lately?

Case in point: the other day, she went to collect Louis' laundry after a bath. She had decided to use the warm water left in her kettle to do this chore, thus avoiding cracking her hands with the chilling water of the fountain while washing, just to find the basket empty. When she asked Louis he simply shrugged, telling her she didn't need to wash his clothes anymore, that he'll have one of the servants do it.

It's not that she wasn't happy, but it was strange, and when she wondered aloud for his reasons, he snapped at her. Something about not wanting her near his undies. Since when did he care if she washed his underwear? She has been doing it for well over a month already, and he never showed the slightest bit of shame. She pointed this out to him, and in less than five minutes he decided to punish her 'insolence' by making her do the laundry again, then deciding against it, then deciding in favor of it, and then settling by telling her to shut up.

("Does that mean I still have to do your laundry or not?" "I'm going to hit you if you keep talking.")

She didn't, and her load of work diminished once more.

Or the other day, when she was getting ready for bed and he caught sight of her in his shirt. Hell broke loose because she had the indecency of showing herself in such attire, completely forgetting he suggested she used it as pajamas. Sachiko could only conclude he was angry because she wasn't careful enough while changing, but even then she didn't understand why he cared if he saw her naked or not. Isn't she just a familiar? Besides, not long ago he shamelessly undressed in front of her whenever he wanted.

Talking about that, it was quite curious that, since coming back from Albion, he had completely avoided changing when she was in the same room, and if she happened to be there, he would ask her to close her eyes or turn around. A complete change from the beginning, and Sachiko couldn't pinpoint the reason for it, being afraid to ask in case he took offense (as he always does, no matter how small the subject seems to be).

With all of this, Sachiko really doesn't know how to act around her master. Everything seems to set him off, regardless of the words she uses or how careful she tries to be with her actions. This is the reason she's in her way to the forest surrounding the academy, without telling Louis where she's going at all.

So he's busy; and even though he promised he would teach her how to use a sword he hasn't taken the time to train with her since coming back from Albion. She can understand that, because on top of his studies now he also occupies most of his time investigating for a way to get her back to her world. She's itching to wield Derflinger again but asking him to take some time off might anger him for some reason or another, considering the mood he's been in for a while, and Sachiko prefers to cut the drama and simply get things done on her own.

She has a good enough foundation to try alone now, she thinks, but she doesn't want to make a fool of herself in academy grounds, or worse, injure someone accidentally, which is why she decided training in the forest is her best option.

She passes the gates without hesitation, nodding to the two commoner guards stationed at either side of them. She only knows them by face, as there are too many servants in the academy for her to remember them all, but they obviously know her better, smiling at her and wishing her luck when she tells them she's going to practice. It's a bit strange for her that the academy has guards, considering the quantity of mages inside the building, but she supposes it must be more for the sake of appearances than for an actual feeling of safety.

Once she's deep in the forest so as not to run into anyone familiar, but not deep enough to get lost, she unsheathes Derf and starts swinging it at a tree without much thought. It's a good thing she figured how to activate the runes on her own, which makes things a lot easier.

After half an hour of hitting the same tree over and over, she steps back and looks at her handiwork. The bark is splintered in various places, with gashes deep enough to allow the dense sap to roll free down the trunk. It's not an elegant job but she wasn't aiming for gracefulness. She just has a need to move, to do something.

Looking at the tree again and the deep slashes she made on it, something stirs in her stomach. A not too pleasant memory she had been trying to dismiss for a time now. It's impossible to ignore as long as she can feel Derflinger's weight in her hand.

"Bored already, partner?" Derflinger's voice cuts the silence. Sachiko blinks, not having realized she was staring at the slashes on the tree without doing anything for a while. She shakes her head, her breathing starting to calm down after the initial strikes.

"I'm fine, I was just… thinking."

"About what?"

She looks down to the hand holding Derf. The runes shine beautifully in her skin, but the powerful light of the sun overhead dulls the glow a little. She shrugs. "I think I'm starting to like this. Wielding a sword, I mean."

"Is that a bad thing?" she frowns, confused at the question.

"No, why do you ask?"

"Dunno" there's a tonal shrug there in his voice; "you just look like you're remembering something bad, that's all… or maybe that's just what your thoughtful face looks like" he can't help but give a little jab. Sachiko puffs her cheeks.

"You're mean!" he laughs and she looks at the ground. It's no use pretending. Maybe she should just talk about it, and besides, she can't think of anyone better to confide in with this than Derf. After giving a sigh, she sits on top of the soft grass and rests Derflinger against the tree in front of her. She plucks a few grass leaves while thinking how to word her feelings. "Remember Albion?"

"A little difficult to forget, considering it's only been ten days."

"Yeah, well, it's about that" she doesn't continue, but Derf doesn't pressure her. She stops plucking at the grass and crosses her arms under her chest. "Back then… I almost killed a person."

"Oh" the sword doesn't elaborate, but he can see where this is going. Sachiko nods softly.

"I've never even seen a sword in real-life before, and suddenly, without as much as a few days after acquiring my first one, I'm already going on a rampage to kill another human being. Regardless of the circumstances, of how I felt at the moment, I actually…" she sighs again, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her chin on top of them. "It felt like the natural thing to do, to go after his life for what he did, and I even chopped his arm off. Derf, I used you to slaughter a person. And I would have killed him without a second thought if I didn't run out of energy. I… I was about to become a killer, a murderer…"

Despite her words, she looks more shocked than sad or horrified. She doesn't like the idea of taking another person's life, but even then, she understood that she would have done so willingly if it meant protecting Louis and herself. She was about to, after all. Still, the thought is so foreign to her. How can it be that she can think of seriously killing someone, when never before something like that had even crossed her mind? She doesn't even kill ants! She just steps around them when she's taking a walk, or carefully replaces a spider back in the garden at her house when it has wandered inside before her dad can step on them or her mom scream at the top of her lungs.

Everything it's so bizarre. She doesn't like it. It makes her feel farther away from home.

"I don't want to kill anybody" she whispers at the end, hugging her knees closer to her body.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to" Derflinger replies in a soft, but matter-of-factly voice. Sachiko shakes her head.

"What if I don't have a choice? In Albion, if I didn't do what I did, Wardes would have killed Louis and me. Even if I didn't have to kill him, the fact remains that I had to do something drastic in order to stop him. If it's between killing and getting killed, how can I stop myself from doing something I don't want to do?"

"Easy, you just don't do it. Nobody can make you do something you don't want to do, partner."

"What if I don't have a choice?" she repeats, almost unconsciously.

"You always have a choice."

His tone is soothing despite the subject. Sachiko isn't satisfied with the answer. But she doesn't feel like discussing anymore. She prefers not to think about it, because if she does, she will just get her head into a bigger mess. Talking about the possibility of taking a life sickens her. It's not something that should be discussed, ever. At least she thinks so. But there's no denying the facts, or even the chance of something similar happening again. When the time comes, and she knows it will, would she do it? Would she really be able to kill someone?

She hopes to never learn the answer.

She has a feeling it's a futile hope.

Montmorency doesn't squeal, but the way her voice shrills and bounces off the walls gives the feeling as if she has. Louis winces and resists the temptation of covering his ears with his hands. He does his best to keep his expression impassive. He knows he's probably not doing a good work but Montmorency is so excited she either doesn't notice or ignores it.

"Do you really mean it? Her highness has requested me to be her bridesmaid?" the high-pitch in her voice is starting to get on his nerves. He's happy he decided to approach her in an empty hallway; he doesn't want to think of all the attention she would have gathered with her inconspicuous enthusiasm.

He rolls his eyes. "I didn't say that. She didn't request you specifically. She just needs someone to fill the role, and since you're my cousin…"

"Who cares?" she interrupts, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet. "I'm going to be her highness' bridesmaid! I will attend her highness' wedding! I'm so happy we're related!"

"Now you're happy" Louis murmurs under his breath with a bit of bitterness. He sighs. "However, you have certain responsibilities as her highness' bridesmaid. Don't forget you need to write an edict for the wedding. That's why I gave you the Founder's Prayer Book" he feels something prickling at his chest at seeing Montmorency hugging the book to her chest as if it were a teddy bear. He didn't want to give it to her, but he didn't have a choice. It was tradition, after all. "Be careful with that. Don't leave it anywhere and don't write on it."

At this, Montmorency looks offended. "Of course I won't! Who do you think I am?"

"Once you've finished with the edict, give it back to me immediately, ok?" Montmorency puffs her cheeks at being ignored. She raises her chin and looks down on him, something easy to do, since she's taller than him, albeit for only two centimeters.

"Why? You're not the bridesmaid."

"Just do it! I'll give it to you again during the wedding, but for once in your life; do me this little favor, alright?" Louis answers irritably. Montmorency narrows her eyes.

"Why do you want the book so badly?" she suddenly gasps, her cheeks getting red from anger. "You think I'm going to damage it? Now listen here, I won't-!"

"It's not that!" he grunts as he passes a hand through his hair, messing up the carefully arranged tresses. Montmorency can only take a step back, hugging the book tighter to her chest. "My reasons don't matter, but if you want to know so badly, it's simply because I need it for something as well. And no, I won't tell you what that something is" he adds when he sees she's going to open her mouth to ask. She purses her lips, but after a few minutes of thought, she finally sighs.

"Alright, I'll give it back when I finish the edict, but you need to give it to me again at the wedding and give me your opinion of what I write. Is that fine with you?" she asks with a bit of a derisively tone. Louis growls in annoyance.

"Fine, suit yourself" Montmorency smiles before turning around and disappearing behind a corner. Louis shakes his head and turns in the other direction. There's still a month until Henrietta's wedding, and the news of Albion's change of government has already reach every ear in the continent. The Holy Republic of Albion, they call themselves now, and Oliver Cromwell is their leader. Louis feels sick just hearing his name.

Could it really be? Is Cromwell really a void user like… like me? For him is still difficult to accept the existence of the void at all, but so many people seem absolutely convinced of it. If it's really true, then what was Wardes trying to achieve by killing him? Wouldn't the entire purpose of Reconquista be null if they didn't have the four void users? And who else could have this power?

Everything is way too bigger than what he feels prepared to face. He's not even sure of his own role in the design of things, but if Wardes and the Headmaster are right, then, in future events he will be a key participant at a global scale.

In the meantime, Albion has stopped their ambitions of conquest. To the general public, the rebellion was always just an internal fight that had nothing to do with the rest of Halkeginia, but there are always fear and uncertainty of war coming too close to home; which is the reason one of the first things Albion did was enact a non-aggression pact with Tristain; to show their 'good faith and desire to freely collaborate with a sister country'. Nothing but a big load of crap. Louis knows just as well as Henrietta and every important politician in the palace that Albion is still waiting for a chance to attack Tristain and prevent their alliance with Germania. But it was in their best interests to accept the pact given by Albion, not only to appease the people but to give enough time to hold the wedding and solidify the alliance.

It's a peace filled with tension, and he knows even those who aren't aware of Reconquista's real intentions can feel that things are falling on top of each other, just waiting until the teeter gives way to the inevitable fall.

He wonders just how much longer they will have to wait.

After finishing with her 'training' and saving her depressing thoughts about life and death for another moment, Sachiko arrives at Louis' room to start with her cleaning. Since she doesn't need to do Louis' laundry anymore, her load of work has been reduced dramatically, leaving her with almost nothing to do. Two times a week, she has to clean the room, which includes swiping with a broom, wiping the furniture and windows and changing the sheets of the bed.

The room is always sparkling clean because of this. But it's horribly boring because other than this and training there's nothing else to do. And has she mentioned she's always bored? It's a little ironic, she thinks, that even though she's living what would constitute fantasy novel material, she still finds her life to be as dull and pathetic as her one in Japan.

Although, when she remembers her time in Albion, she doesn't know if she should be happy she's bored or not. Because nothing is happening, things are alright, but if that changes, it means something bad is going on, and maybe she's fine with things staying as boring as they are.

She thinks of this as she wipes the bookshelf. When she finishes, she takes out a book in an action that reminisces one she did a few weeks back. She flips it open and stares. In that moment, she wanted to learn how to read so she could find a way back to her world, but now that Louis is doing that for her, she wonders if it's really necessary after all. She doesn't plan to stay long in this world, so why should she bother to learn something she will never use again in her life?

"Partner, do you know how to read?" Derflinger asks from his place next to the open window, after seeing her display. Sachiko shakes her head.

"No, I mean, yes, I do know, it's just… here I can't. It's like a different language. Well, it is a different language. When I try to look at it it's just too difficult to comprehend…"

Derflinger thinks about it for a second, before replying: "and how can you talk with others, if we don't speak in the same tongue?"

She purses her lips, thinking. It embarrasses her a little that the thought never crossed her mind until Derflinger asked. "It's like… how should I say it? It's like the words are magically translated inside my head. I guess the effect is similar in all the people who hear me talk, too" she sighs as she puts the book back in the bookshelf, "though it doesn't seem to work when I try to read…"

"Mm, interesting, so you're hearing me speak in a different language… that sure is amazing! Well partner, why don't you simply try it?" he asks in a nonchalant tone. Sachiko raises an eyebrow.

"I just told you that–"

"No, what I mean is that, like you can speak fluently with us as if things are being translated inside your head, maybe it will work similarly when you read" he says in an excited tone. Sachiko thinks about it for a second, before her face brightens.

"You might be right" she hastily takes another book from the shelf, opens it, and stares intently at the characters. After some minutes without any of them uttering a word, she calmly shuts the book and puts it back.

"Didn't work partner?" Derflinger asks blankly.

"Nope."

"Hmph, I see. Ok, then, if you want to read, why don't you ask somebody to teach you? That noble boy seems to have mellowed out to you lately, he'll probably accept if you do it nicely."

"I already asked, but he's too 'busy' to teach me" she snorts as she crosses her arms. "Besides, I don't think I really need to learn how to read anymore. I mean, I'm not going to stay here long, so…" she shrugs it off. Derflinger scoffs.

"That kind of attitude it's pretty mediocre from you, don't you think?"

"Mediocre? Why is that? Simply because I don't find the necessity to learn how to read…"

"Exactly. You never know when it might come in handy. Just because you don't need it know doesn't mean it won't be useful in the future."

Just as he's saying that, someone knocks on the door. Sachiko blinks, not having expected anybody. She knows it cannot be Louis, as this is his room. She actually hasn't seen him since morning after breakfast. And she can't think of anybody who would want to talk to him willingly, as bad as that sounds. Because even if, like Derf said, he has been 'mellowing out' he can still be such a douche not even Kirche wants to be around him sometimes.

Knowing she's going nowhere pondering, she opens the door only to stop in her tracks as soon as her eyes meet deep blue.

"Hey" Shiro says with a sheepish smile. In his hands he's holding a tray full of sweets.

Sachiko only stares at him blankly.

"Can I come in?"

She sits shyly at the round table on the side of the room, her hands clutched above her knees as she looks anywhere but at the man next to her. He serves her a cup of tea and leaves it in front of her, before resting his elbows on the table and staring at her.

"Miss Sachiko" he calls. She jumps slightly and he sighs. "I'm sorry."

This takes her by surprise. Blinking, she looks at him. "Why are you sorry? I should be the one that…" she closes her mouth, suddenly feeling embarrassed at remembering that night and what the two of them did. Shiro sighs again, and with one of his hands supports his chin as he looks at her with an almost bored expression.

"I exaggerated the other night, when we talked about my great-grandfather. I know it's not much of a reason but…" he bites his lip, turning his eyes towards the table. "You see, from all of his great-grandchildren, I'm really the only one who was old enough to get to know him at all. I was eight when he passed away, so my memories of him are less of a dream and more real than for my youngest siblings."

"Oh" she gathers enough courage to raise her head and look at his face. He's not looking at her, and she's glad for that, because she can admire his features more freely this way.

"Although it was never bad-intentioned, because of his story of coming from another world, people in my village always thought of him as weird. He was very loved and trusted, but it always made me mad seeing how people would laugh at him whenever he wanted to tell his story, because I could see in his eyes that for him it was important and not the laughing matter everyone made it up to be. Even my father tended to make fun of him, and he was his grandson."

"So the reason you were angry when I called him weird…"

"It reminded me of how sad he would become every time the other villagers would laugh at him" he explained. Sachiko nods, understanding. She can relate to him, as it would have also made her angry if somebody made fun of her grandmother.

"I'm sorry Shiro, I shouldn't have called your grandpa weird" she bows her head slightly. Shiro immediately dismisses her apology with a wave of the hand.

"Please, don't worry about that. I already told you I was exaggerating."

"But really, it's not nice making fun of somebody like that. It must have been tough on your family that everybody would laugh at your grandpa."

"Um, truthfully, it's not as bad as it sounds. My great-grandfather was really loved and respected whenever he wasn't talking about coming from a different world. It was just at those moments when people called him weird, but like I said, it wasn't bad-intentioned. To be honest, after a time he just wouldn't talk about that at all, unless I asked him to tell me stories of his youth" he blushes slightly, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "I never really believed him, but it was nice hearing him talk when I was a child. Uhhh, now that I think about it, maybe I was a little responsible for keeping him talking…"

Sachiko chuckles. She's glad Shiro is no longer angry with her. She has wanted to apologize ever since that night, but the memory of their bath together plus her own shyness prevented her from approaching him. So it's a good thing he took the first step. She decides to ask about his great-grandfather in another moment though. She doesn't want to walk onto another landmine accidentally. Instead, she looks at the table and the sweets he brought with him.

"So what is the occasion?" she asks, gently pointing at the sweets. Shiro smiles.

"As an apology for leaving so suddenly the other night" he explains, and Sachiko blushes, again. If he talks so freely about that night she doesn't think she will be able to look at him in the eyes. She still can't explain to herself where in the world she got the courage to invite him to take a bath with her. "I remember you said you like blueberry, right?"

"O-Oh, yes, I like it…" she carefully grabs what looks like a muffin and chomps on it. As soon as the food reaches her taste buds, her eyes open wide. "This is delicious!" she exclaims, taking just a few more seconds to eat the muffin completely. Shiro chuckles, pushing the plate closer to her.

"I'm glad you like them. I baked them myself."

"Eh?!" Sachiko stops her hand midway to another muffin to stare at him wide-eyed. He shrugs.

"Cooking is one of my jobs here in the academy" he says simply as way of explanation.

"Oh."

"Drink the tea too" he nods towards the cup. "It's the one I wanted you to try the other night."

"O-Okay…" can't he stop mentioning that night?! A little flustered, she grabs the cup and takes a sip. Again, her eyes pop open. "Green tea?!"

"So you recognized it" Shiro looks pleased. Sachiko gives him a confused look. "It's tea from Rub' al Khali. I thought you would want to taste something from your hometown. Although honestly, I didn't know you came from there until you told me that night."

"Ah, r-right" she chuckles awkwardly. She almost forgot she lied to Shiro about her birthplace. She looks at the cup again with a pensive face. I can't believe it really tastes the same…

"You haven't come to the kitchen lately…" Shiro talks again after a few seconds of silence. Sachiko blinks, looking at him. "I was getting worried… as everyone else, of course!" he adds the last part fast, laughing nervously. This makes Sachiko blush and play with her hands.

"Oh, yeah, about that… you see, Louis has been a lot nicer lately, and now he lets me eat at the table, that's why I haven't been around the kitchen much" she explains bashfully. "B-but! I promise I'll go sometime this week, I'm really missing all of you guys!"

"I see. I hadn't notice since I've been serving the teachers' table lately. It's good that you're finally receiving what you deserve" he says. Sachiko's blush becomes deeper. It's true she might have complained once or twice about Louis' treatment of her to him. Or more than twice. Almost like every night…

"Um, aren't you going to eat?" she asks to fill the silence. His presence is starting to make her nervous, more than anything because of the way he's looking at her. Almost with… tenderness.

"I already ate, and I made this for you."

"I don't think I could eat all of this" actually, she could very likely finish it all and ask for seconds, but she's more conscious of herself when he's around. And he keeps looking at her like that…

"Well, in that case I'll have one" she almost whimpers when she sees one of her precious muffins being stolen, but she bites her lips to keep herself shut. After all, she told him to take one. It's her fault; "by the way, Miss Sachiko."

"Yes?"

"Because of the princess' wedding us, servants, get to get a little vacation from work."

"Really?" is it that big of a celebration to make it a holiday?

"Yeah, you know I come from a little village named Tarbes, right?" Sachiko nods. She remembers he told her a few weeks ago. "It's been a while since I saw my family, so I'm very excited about this."

"That's nice to hear" she says sincerely, even if her eyes get a little duller when thinking of her own family. Shiro nods, not noticing the change in her eyes as he's looking to the side.

"You seemed interested in my great-grandfather's story, right?" at this the girl blinks again. He's changing subjects way too quickly. Weren't they talking about him visiting his family?

"Oh, well, about that… Shiro, you don't need to tell me anything if you don't feel comfortable…" she would love to hear what he has to say, especially if that man comes from her world like she suspects, but she still feels like the topic could very easily become too sensitive, and she has never been good with sensitive situations.

Shiro smiles as if to reassure her. "I want to tell you about him, actually. Not many people are interested in him once they learn he claimed to come from a different world, but you're different" only because of personal interest, she thinks dryly, but doesn't say it out loud; "what I was trying to say is… if you want, maybe you could come with me?"

"…" it takes her a while to catch up with his train of thought, but once she does, she almost falls from her chair; "huh?!"

"I-I'll like to show it to you, my great-grandfather's 'airplane' I mean. And there's also this gorgeous, wide field near my village I'm sure you'd love, full of flowers… You can take a little vacation from being a familiar too, I think. I'm sure my family would like to meet you. I…" he bites his tongue before he can keep talking. He's blushing almost as much as Sachiko, who can only look at him with her mouth open, unable to utter a single word. "S-So, what do you think?" he asks before the silence can become suffocating.

Sachiko is stunned. She has had the hunch that maybe, just maybe, Shiro's feelings for her were the same as those she had for him, but she always dismissed the signals as her mind playing tricks on her. The thought of being reciprocated is foreign to her. She has liked boys before, nothing too serious of course, but never once have her feelings been returned. Until now, if she dares take his words as confirmation of her suspicions.

But one can never be too sure.

"Ehm, Shiro, when you say you want me to meet your family…" she doesn't want the conversation to turn awkward, although it surely feels like that already. Shiro looks at her again, and her breath catches in her throat at having his eyes on her.

"If you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to…"

"N-No! I-It's not that!" she stands up unconsciously, her chair dragging on the wooden floor. Her right hand raises and she moves it from side to side quickly. "I-I'll love to, b-but I have to ask Louis first. I-I don't know if he'll let me, but I do want to go and…" what the heck is she doing? Her mind is not working right anymore. The only thing she's conscious of is that there's this guy, this gorgeous, kind, mature guy who she kinda likes, asking her if she would like to meet his family, and there's no way she can say no to that!

Shiro chuckles at her answer, and slowly traps her raised hand in his own, halting all of Sachiko's thought processes. He smiles at her and Sachiko feels about to pass out with all the blood rushing to her head. "That's wonderful. I'm sure Mr. Vallière will let you go. It's just for a little while and you did say he has been treating you better."

"U-Um…" she can't form a coherent thought less of all words. So she limits herself to nod. Shiro's smile dwindles a bit, but he quickly replaces it with a more subtle one, the slightest elevation in the corners of his mouth. He stands up too and gently pulls her closer to him.

"Miss Sachiko… I…" he gulps. Sachiko suddenly feels like the world is spinning around her without control, so she tries to take a step back, but his hold is firm. He doesn't let her get away. "I… there's something I would like to try, with your permission…"

She doesn't say anything because she can't. She must look so stupid, only looking at him with wide eyes and her mouth slightly open. Slowly, Shiro takes her chin between his fingers and waits. She's still like a statue, but she doesn't push him away. For her an eternity passes until finally, he presses his lips to hers.

The touch is superficial, but it's enough to set her blood to boiling. She has long ago decided that stolen kiss during the summoning ritual didn't count; so for all intents and purposes, this is her real first kiss. They stay like that for a few seconds, and it's only when Shiro starts to move away that she reacts. She presses her mouth a little more firmly against his and does a very pathetic attempt at reciprocating. Her arms go around his neck, and he circles her waist, dragging her closer until their chests touch.

This… feels so good… if kissing is always like this, then she doesn't want to do anything else for the rest of her life. She's unsure and slow but Shiro doesn't seem to mind. She pushes her chest more firmly against his, stands on her tiptoes searching for a little more of contact, and…

The door opens.

They pull away from each other as if lightning hit them.

Louis is standing there, his eyes wide and mouth agape. He's obviously at a loss of words for what he has just seen. After a few moments, the initial surprise slowly becomes incredulity, and from there it transforms into anger. Sachiko can easily see the process displaying on his face.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asks, trying to look calm, but the trembling of his shoulders and his closed fists betray his inner rage. Sachiko gulps; for some reason feeling extremely guilty.

"L-Louis, you see…"

"Two servants, d-d-d-doing th-th-t-this k-k-kind of thing on a noble's room… unforgivable!" he shouts, closing the door behind him with a slam and taking a step inside. Sachiko squeaks and goes to hide behind Shiro, who's only standing there, staring at Louis with an open mouth.

"Mr. Vallière, we really-"

"Shut up!" he snaps, leaving Shiro stunned into silence. Louis looks at Sachiko again, his eyes narrowing, seeing how she clings to the other man's shoulders with trembling fingers. He snorts derisively. "Bu what else should I have expected from a low-born like you? It's not like you have the less modicum of decorum in the first place. Of course you won't see the problem inviting another man into-!"

"Mr. Vallière, Miss Sachiko didn't invite me, I came on my own!" Shiro interrupts before the other boy can keep on insulting Sachiko. He doesn't like his tone, and even though he understands the reason he's angry, he can't let him push the blame on Sachiko for something he did.

Louis' eyes snap towards him and Shiro feels the need to shrink on himself. He's not a coward and he likes to think he's relatively calm and down-to-earth, but there's something on the younger boy's posture that makes him swallow and wish he never opened his mouth.

Louis laughs dryly. "So it was your idea. Tell me, servant, do you think this is something a man of your low status can do without consequences? Do you think you're in any position to speak or defend my familiar at all?"

"I…"

"If you understand that, then you know the best you can do for yourself is leave me and my familiar alone, before I decide to take action and have you fired from this academy, you filthy piece of-!"

"Hey!" this time it is Sachiko who interrupts, walking around Shiro to position herself in front of Louis, her hands balled at her sides and her eyes narrowed. She's trembling, because Louis is scary as hell, but she'd be dammed if she lets him speak badly of Shiro like that. "What is your problem? We were just eating and talking normally! Why do you have to be such a jerk and start insulting us out of nowhere?"

"Out of nowhere?" Louis opens his eyes with incredulity, before scoffing and taking another step forward, getting closer to her. His presence overwhelms her, but she keeps her ground with enormous force of will. "First of all, I'm not insulting if I'm only telling the truth! Second, you weren't just 'eating and talking normally', that's not what I saw when I opened the door two minutes ago!"

"What, you're angry because we were kissing? Don't be such a prude! We weren't doing anything bad!"

"In my room! How dare you defile my room like this?!"

"That still doesn't give you the right to insult us!"

"Can't you listen for a second?! You can't simply go kissing people in another person's room! What else have you been doing behind my back, hah?! Acting like a bitch in heat, and yet you dare act like you're insulted-!"

"Don't you dare keep talking!" Sachiko yells, her face getting as red as his, not because of embarrassment, but anger. "Seriously, you're just jealous because no one in their right mind would want to kiss you, right? Poor Kirche, having to go out of her way not to make you feel isolated!"

A snap is suddenly heard. The sound came from Louis, whose face is covered by his bangs as he looks to the ground. His shaking it's getting worse by the second, but suddenly he stops. Without saying anything, he walks up to Sachiko, grabs her wrist, and drags her to the door.

He unceremoniously throws her out.

"Don't ever come back! You're fired, useless piece of trash!" and slams the door on her face.

Two seconds later, Shiro and Derflinger follow, threw out just as rudely.

The door closes with a click.

Silence.

"Did he just say… he 'fired' me?"

A/N: So, what do you think of the chapter? I actually had fun writing the last scene. I think I have a better time writing people verbally fighting (says something about my personality? Haha... forget it...) than any other types of scenes. And someone is probably going to complain about Louis, but this time I can relate to him a little. Not for the jealousy, but because I find it disrespectful when someone does that kind of thing in your room (I'm talking from experience here, shudders...)

Anyway, I think this is all for now. Thank you all for reading!