The Catboy and The Demon-Swordman

Suzune was crouched awkwardly in the lawn, sneaking her frilly underwear onto the rope, trying to keep a low profile. She hated these things—the lace, the bows, the general discomfort. Why couldn't they have boxers in this world? A nice, loose fit. Something breathable. Instead, she was stuck with these itchy contraptions, a constant reminder that this world had no idea what comfort was.

She looked around nervously, making sure no one was watching. Then, she muttered under her breath, "Seriously, why do they even make these? It's like they expect you to fight a dragon in them."

Just as she hung the last pair, she heard the creak of a carriage coming up the path. Suzune panicked. With lightning speed, she yanked the underwear off the line, stuffing the frilly mess into her tracksuit pocket. Unfortunately, the lace stuck out like a sore thumb, but she figured it was better than having them flapping in the breeze like flags of humiliation.

The carriage came into full view, the wheels crunching over the gravel path. Suzune squinted and her heart sank. Great. It wasn't just any old carriage—it was the Sword Demon and Ferris.

Suzune straightened herself up, taking her post at the entrance like a guard dog who's clearly forgotten how to bark. The underwear in her pocket rustled uncomfortably. This was her moment. Time to prove to be useful to Emilia-tan. Suzune took a deep breath and stepped forward with authority.

"Halt!" she declared, throwing a hand up. She tried to look imposing, but with her tracksuit and the awkward bulge of lace in her pocket, she probably looked more like a schoolgirl late for gym class.

The carriage jerked to a stop. Ferris stepped out first, his frilly dress fluttering in the breeze. Suzune looked him up and down, momentarily distracted by the fact that he looked better in lace than she ever could. He blinked at her, tilting his head like a curious cat.

"Are you the butler?" he asked, one eyebrow arched.

Suzune crossed her arms. "I am the bodyguard of Emilia-tan," she corrected, trying to sound intimidating. The lace from her pocket, however, chose that exact moment to pop out, dangling in plain sight.

Ferris nodded slowly, clearly not buying her tough act. "Oooh," he said, stretching the word out in that playful, sarcastic tone of his. "We're here to meet her, is she available?"

This was it. Ferris had been a valuable ally in previous timelines, and Suzune had to make him trust her again. She needed to charm him, strike up some friendly banter. Easy, right?

"So... uh... how's it going?" Suzune blurted awkwardly, trying to initiate friendly conversation. "You… like frills, huh? Got any sewing tips?"

Ferris blinked, his smile faltering. "I—um, sure? But, maybe we should get to the point."

Suzune's heart raced. She was blowing it. Just as she was about to make another clumsy attempt at conversation, Wilhelm stepped down from the carriage with an air of quiet dignity. His eyes were sharp, like a hawk's, scanning Suzune up and down. And then he narrowed them. Something was off. The aura around this young woman—it wasn't just strange. It was... powerful, like a dragon lurking beneath the surface.

Wilhelm had fought countless foes in his time, and his instincts were never wrong. This woman was bad news. He didn't know what it was about her—her energy felt ancient, like something that didn't belong.

"We're late," Wilhelm said, his voice calm but firm. "We should meet Emilia-sama now."

Suzune tried to stand her ground. "Wait—uh—Roschi!"

Right on cue, Roswell appeared, his usual flamboyant self. With his wide grin and melodramatic gestures, he greeted Ferris and Wilhelm with a flourish.

"Ferris-kun, Wilhelm-san, you've arrived in perfect tiiiime, I must say!" Roswell's voice was as sing-song as ever, and his eyes darted briefly to Suzune, then back to Ferris. "Come, we have much to discuss."

Suzune, not wanting to be left out, took a step forward. "I'll come too—"

"Ah-ah-ah," Roswell said, waggling a finger at her. "Not this tiiiime, dear Suzune-chan. We'll be discussing matters of state."

"But—"

Roswell gave her a look that said there was no room for argument. With a dramatic bow, he gestured for Ferris and Wilhelm to follow him inside.

Ferris gave Suzune a quick once-over before he turned to leave, but as he walked past, he leaned in close, his voice a teasing whisper. "You might want to use deodorant. Your unmentionables smell awfully."

Suzune's eyes widened in horror. Her face flushed a deep crimson. Her unmentionables? Her hand instinctively went to her pocket, feeling the lace of the frilly underwear she had crammed in there earlier. Sure, they'd been sitting at the bottom of her laundry pile for a while, and maybe she hadn't been exactly maintaining the best feminine hygiene, but still!

Ferris walked off, leaving Suzune to stew in her own embarrassment. She awkwardly took a step back, mortified. "I'll be right back," she mumbled, trying to escape the situation before it got any worse.

Wilhelm lingered, watching Suzune's retreat with sharp, calculating eyes. Something about her was deeply unsettling. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she wasn't just a clumsy bodyguard. There was something far more dangerous lurking beneath that awkward surface.

'What is she up to?' Wilhelm thought to himself as his gaze followed Roswell and Ferris who entered the manor while Suzune was sprinting towards her room, blushing furiously and wondering if the universe was just having a good laugh at her expense.

Suzune strutted back into the garden, her new purple butler uniform glistening under the midday sun. The fabric clung elegantly to her form, its aristocratic flair making her look like someone who belonged in a high court rather than guarding a mansion. The uniform was a far cry from the frilly maid outfit she had been forced into earlier, but it was still far too regal for her liking. A simple butler's outfit would have sufficed, but here she was—looking like a royal commander from some fantasy novel. She shrugged. At least she didn't look like a joke anymore.

Wilhelm, the Sword Demon, was quietly wiping down the carriage, but his gaze kept flickering toward Suzune. His sharp, battle-hardened eyes didn't miss a thing. Every move Suzune made, every twitch of her fingers, set off alarms in his mind. There was something profoundly off about her, something he couldn't quite place. As a man who had fought and bled on countless battlefields, his instincts were rarely wrong.

Suzune, noticing his glances, decided it was a good time to initiate a conversation. Maybe she could build some rapport with the legendary Sword Demon. After all, in past timelines, Wilhelm had been an ally to her (back when she was Subaru), and that connection could be useful again. She walked over with what she thought was a confident smile but came off more like a smug grin.

"Hey, Old man," she started, leaning casually against the carriage. "You keeping that thing clean, or are you just making it shinier than it needs to be?"

Her attempt at friendly banter came out more condescending than intended, but Suzune's confidence made her completely oblivious to the tone.

Wilhelm froze, mid-polish, his cloth stopping dead on the surface of the carriage. Externally, he was the picture of calm—a stoic mask firmly in place. But internally? His soldier's instincts screamed at him to draw his blade, to ready himself for a deadly strike. Something about this girl felt… dangerous. No, more than dangerous. Her presence was too powerful, too overwhelming, and yet… there was no mana. No magic aura. It was as if she didn't exist at all.

It was the lack of presence that frightened Wilhelm the most. This girl, this woman in front of him, was something otherworldly, and yet she was standing there, smiling—or trying to—with the casualness of someone who had no idea of the power they wielded. Her bizarre antics, the way she carried herself, they almost felt like tactics. Was this some sort of game to her?

But Wilhelm couldn't afford to die here. Not now, not when he had yet to kill the White Whale, not when he still had to avenge his beloved wife. His hands gripped the cloth so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Unconsciously, his hand drifted toward his sword, and before he even realized it, the blade was half out of its sheath, gleaming in the sunlight.

"Whoa, whoa!" Suzune jumped back, startled, eyes widening at the sight of the drawn sword. "Are you okay, Old man?"

Her voice was attempting concern, but Wilhelm couldn't shake the feeling that she was mocking him. That smug look, the arrogance in her tone—it grated on his nerves.

"Y-yes," Wilhelm stammered, quickly pushing the sword back into its sheath. He felt like a fool. He couldn't believe he had been so on edge that he almost drew his weapon. "Sorry, miss—"

"Suzune Natsuki," she interrupted, extending her hand out toward him, her posture brimming with an awkward, yet intimidating confidence.

Wilhelm stared at her hand for a moment, unsure if he should even touch it. But he knew better than to refuse an offer of peace, even if it came from someone so unsettling. He reached out and took her hand, giving it a firm shake.

The moment he gripped her hand, he froze. These weren't the hands of a normal person. No, these hands—these hands belonged to a monster. Even with all the bloodshed and experience under his belt as the Sword Demon, Wilhelm could feel it. He had faced countless demons in his lifetime, but this girl… she was something beyond that. Something far more dangerous.

Just then, Ferris returned, his cheerful voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

"Ah! There you are!" he called, waving at Suzune and Wilhelm. Rosewall and Emilia-tan stood beside him, both looking pleased with whatever discussions had taken place.

Ferris gave Suzune a cheeky grin as he approached, but when Suzune attempted to smile back, it came out more like a snarl, teeth bared, eyes narrowed.

Damn it, why couldn't she just smile like a normal person?

Ferris' grin faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered. He waved goodbye to Rosewall and Emilia before hopping back into the carriage, still wearing that annoyingly smug expression.

Wilhelm gave a respectful bow to everyone before climbing into the driver's seat, taking hold of the reins. His mind was still spinning from the interaction with Suzune, but he pushed it aside for now. They had a job to do, and dwelling on this girl's strange presence would have to wait.

As the carriage started to pull away, Suzune turned to Emilia-tan, eager to know what they had discussed. "So, what did they want?" she asked, trying to sound casual but failing miserably.

Emilia shifted nervously, her eyes darting to Rosewall for help. "Oh, uh… nothing much!" she replied, her voice betraying the truth.

Rosewall, ever the showman, grinned widely, his voice rolling with that familiar sing-song tone. "Oh ho hooo, Suzune-chan, you're her bodyguard, yes? Surely we can trust you with such important information?"

Emilia shot him a desperate look, but Rosewall continued. "Fiiine," he drawled, clearly enjoying Emilia's discomfort. "We're simply heading to the capital."

Suzune's eyes lit up. Finally! She could prove her worth. She wouldn't let Emilia be humiliated like last time. "Correction, Emilia-tan," she said, standing tall. "We're going to the capital."

Emilia let out a huff, looking more exasperated by the second. "I guess so…"

Rosewall chuckled, clearly pleased with himself. "Be reeeeady on Thursday, dears," he said, winking. Then he turned to Suzune with a knowing smile. "I hope you'll keep 'us' safe, especially your 'Emilia-tan'."

Suzune nodded, determination etched on her face. "She is quite vulnerable, I agree."

"Suzune!" Emilia squeaked, flustered beyond belief.

Suzune, oblivious to her embarrassment, continued, "But she's a good person. I'll make sure she's safe."

TBC

Coming Soon: Julis VS Suzune.