"...What'd you like for breakfast?"

The question reverberated ever so softly in her dream.

...This is a sign for me to wake up.

After all, she had to prepare breakfast for the knight templar, who'd just fallen ill.

However, unlike usual, she couldn't force herself to get up.

At the same time, the voice that asked the question spoke firmly.

"No, don't force yourself to be awake. I'm aware of how exhausted you are."

Considering it was a dream, no wonder it indulged her with things she'd like to hear.

Indeed, she couldn't get out of bed due to the burdensome fatigue.

"...You went all over the town to look for additional medicines, didn't you?"

It was only natural for her own dream to reflect her past actions, as well.

"Yes..."

"You shouldn't have."

The voice of her dream sounded rather mellow, though.

Unbeknownst to her, did she doubt her own actions?

No, that shouldn't be.

"I heard that fever usually comes with other symptoms, such as chills... It gets cold around here at night, so I can't possibly... humans are delicate, therefore..."

Despite her best attempt at convincing "herself", she soon trailed off due to drowsiness.

Nevertheless, she didn't regret anything at all.

In fact, it was the best course of action.

"...I see."

After a brief pause, the voice returned with a shimmer of gentleness.

...But something was amiss.

"...Hmm? But did he take them, though?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

"...Oh, really?"

Well, since it was a dream, there was no expecting it to be realistic, I guess...

"...Back to the previous question, what'd you like for breakfast?"

"Hm..."

At the same time, considering it was a dream, would the dish pop up the moment she mentioned it? Moreover, anything’s fine, right?

Then, without further ado...

“...Julius!”

“...”

The dream got eerily quiet.

Also, for some reason, she felt like she was getting the side-eye.

...Is a dream usually judgmental like this?

As the witch stewed on the awkwardness, the dream spoke again.

“...Other than that?”

“T-then, crispy potato pancake!”

“Got it.”

Huh...?

However, no food appeared.

Instead, the voice disappeared—

—only to return a moment later, sounding even more remorseful and somewhat tense.

“...Forgive me for the disturbance, but I forgot to ask what drink would you like—”

“—Julius!”

She answered without a second thought.

...There it is.

She felt judged yet again.

This time, the witch didn’t wait until the dream posed her the question.

“...Sweet tea, please.”

Then, it became quiet for a while, and as a result, she began to rethink her past decisions.

...Wait, why am I acquiescing even though it’s my own dream—!?

This is Julius’ magic we’re talking about...!!! Or at least, the dream version of it, anyway...

...Still, there’s no way I’d forget something as tasty as that!

I’ll have to be uncompromising—!!!

“About the sauce—"

“If it isn’t Julius, then I don’t want it—!”

Amidst her drowsiness, she had the vague sensation of pumping her fist into the air.

“...Do you like it that much?”

“I do!”

“Why?”

“Huh, you’re asking me that?”

This is a dream, right?

When the witch began to question that, the feeling of drowsiness pervaded yet again.

Thus, she decided to answer with what made the most sense in her current state—

“—Why? Because it’s Julius...!”

The stubborn, biased—yet kind and righteous knight templar.

But of course, her instantaneous reply conveyed neither of that.

Nevertheless, if it was a dream, then it could probably read into her psyche, right?

...It, in fact, could.

Because in the next moment, she could hear the voice say in a hushed tone.

“...Alright, fine.”

In the next moment, there was a familiar rustling noise, and her eyes fluttered open.

At that moment, her vision was filled with light.

As soon as the radiance dissipated, all that was left was the figure of the knight templar, kneeling right in front of her as he unbuttoned his white shirt.

However, what caught her attention was the smile on his face.

An earnest, gentle smile, brimming with trust.

...Therefore, it had to be a dream.

Still, what a painfully slow dream.

“Be quick with it.”

Her last memory of that dream was drawing him closer to her.

Until his silver eyes, full of surprise, bore into hers.

[]

That day, the two had breakfast at the dining room.

The knight templar sat beside her, with his elbow on the table, propping up his chin. Meanwhile, the witch stared at the dish, frozen.

At a first glance, nothing stood out about that scene in particular.

...If not for the fact that they never had a breakfast together before.

“What’s the matter? Is it not to your liking?”

At the gentle voice, Ame immediately looked up.

Ever since he first served the dish to her, Julius had been smiling. However, that smile of his now bore a tinge of anxiety and concern.

“O-oh, it’s, it’s nothing...” Ame replied, the silverware in her hands visibly shaking. “B, but, uhm, how about your work?”

“Oh, about that.” Julius seemed to relax slightly. “I’m about to head for work, but let’s have breakfast first.”

But in no way did his casual shirt, loosened collar, and trousers suggested any of that.

Usually, at this hour, Julius would be clad in his uniform.

...No, usually, at this hour, he’d be gone.

Just for confirmation, Ame glanced at the tall windows beside the dinner table—

“—The sun... sure is high.” She remarked awkwardly.

“It sure is. Also, I didn’t notice this before, but this room faces the sun. The abundance of sunlight feels pleasant in the morning. Although, now that it’s the afternoon, I understand why you might feel uncomfortable. Would you like me to close the drapes?”

From the way he responded, Julius didn’t seem to mind the passage of time.

...More importantly, did he just make a small talk with her!?

—This guy, who was proficient at giving a one-word reply!?

Also, what did he mean by, “Now that it’s afternoon”!?

How long did he wait to the point that he could make a comment about the morning!?

“N-no, it’s fine... Uhm, Julius...”

“What is it?”

As expected, the witch had numerous questions.

However, all of them paled in the face of the reality that was served in front of her.

A potato pancake, coupled with a glass of sweetened tea.

“Julius, this is...”

“A crispy potato pancake and sweetened tea, with no sauce because you specifically asked for something else. Did I get it correct?”

As Julius repeated her “order” like a veteran waiter, the order of events that occurred this morning flashed across her mind—

—the events, that were supposed to be part of a dream.

The witch instantly dropped her silverware.

[]

As she began to slice her food, the black-haired girl’s hands visibly trembled, while her gaze remained unfocused. Her once rosy complexion had blanched.

Towards that, Julius couldn’t help but apologize all over again.

“...I’m sorry, that joke was in bad taste.”

Upon hearing that, Ame’s shoulders bounced.

“Uh, ah—!? Why, what are you apologizing for—!? It’s my fault for not being able to tell dreams and reality apart—! Yes, you are not to blame, everything’s my fault—!”

But all that did was return them to square one.

“...Calm down. First, you need to breathe. Repeat what I said to you.”

“Uh, Julius let me do it, so I’m not in the wrong... Julius let me do it, so I’m not in the wrong—..."

Indeed, those were the words he told her to repeat.

In fact, everything did happen, and he merely wanted to tease her about it.

...But who would’ve thought that the girl was asleep the whole time?

We were having a full conversation, hence why I—...

But instead of returning the favor, he ended up giving her the scare of a lifetime.

Julius sighed inwardly, and when he saw that she had calmed down a bit, he decided to ask.

“Am I mistaken in assuming that you like my magic?”

Until that point, he never felt the need to question that.

“—Of course! That should go without saying! Your magic is the most delicious thing in this world. No, it’s out of this world!”

The witch, previously a shell of herself, vigorously replied.

“...”

He shouldn’t have asked.

After all, the humiliation that came from being treated like a delicacy wasn’t something that he’d get used to anytime soon—or ever will.

Julius intended for it to be a one-time thing only. He did it in exchange for everything the witch had done for him.

However, it wasn’t as simple as that.

“But...” The witch hesitated; her hand movement had ceased entirely. “...The possibility of me losing control and draining your magic completely is what frightens me.”

As she spoke, her expression turned into an excruciating one, as shown in the pristine silverware she was clutching. Ame wouldn’t face him, or her own reflection, for that matter.

Had the witch brushed it off, then he too, would be able to act dismissive about it. Then, the entire thing would conclude as a mere transaction.

...But as things stood—

At last, the witch turned towards him, and the first thing she said after properly facing him was;

“Julius, I’d rather die than let anything happens to you!”

Despite the apparent tinge of frightfulness and urgency in her gaze, she unwaveringly stared into his eyes, and spoke with such zeal to the point that he had to stop and wonder.

...Where did that come from?

But he had to stop even that due to the loudness of his heart.

At any rate, the girl was obviously still reeling from the revelation, and Julius decided that he’d have none of it.

Thus, he began to speak.

“...What an utter nonsense.”

“—!” Ame tensed.

“While I—Julius Visconti—may have been dispatched to this place for an otherwise futile and impossible battle, you misunderstood something.”

“...Mis, understood?”

“I’m here because I was deemed—and had proven myself to be—capable amongst all of my peers. Therefore, as the youngest appointed captain of a special unit, a bearer of seven seals, a knight templar and the church’s representative, I’ll have to say this—I can only tolerate so much disrespect. Did you think that my past actions were uncalculated?”

He wasn’t boasting, since those were all facts. At least, most of them were.

“Be it in the past or in the present, underestimating your opponent is one of the greatest blunders you could ever commit in a battle.”

“T-that’s right...!” The witch exclaimed. Her expression was akin to a disciple who’d just reached an epiphany. “Apparently, I severely misunderstood everything!”

While the girl regaining her spirit wasn’t such a terrible thing, Julius could never unsee it—

—the way her eyes lit-up at the mention of the word ‘opponent.’

An opponent—an enemy...

Well, they were, and he was fully aware that expecting an instant change after everything that had happened would be selfish of him. Besides, he was the one who brought that up first.

However, Julius didn’t take that stance without a reason.

Previously, he had consoled her, and explained that she didn’t actually devour much, before reassuring her that it wasn’t such a big deal to him. All while having pledged his loyalty to her—

—but for such a haughty, and plain ruthless bravado to be the one to bring back her smile, instead...

Even though that bright smile was what he was aiming for, he couldn’t shake off the slight uneasiness that came with it.

At the same time, he found himself asking—

—Do you wish to be my enemy...?

But he soon dismissed the thought. He shouldn’t rush things.

“—us, Julius? Hello, earth to Julius?”

“...!”

Before he knew it, he was lost in thought. In front of him, the witch was busy trying to get his attention.

“...My apologies, my mind was a bit preoccupied. What is it?”

“Well, it’s just something that I’m curious about. When it comes to this morning’s incident, what does you bearing seven [Oracle Seals] have to do with anything...?”

“...”

“Julius...?”

“It means exactly what I’m saying.”

“Like I said, I don’t really understand—huh!? Could it be, did I break your seals!? How many are left!? We should hurry to the church and mend them—”

—!

Towards the witch’s obvious concerns, Julius was a bit taken aback. Perhaps his previous pessimistic thoughts were just that—a baseless worry. Seeing that the girl who adamantly refused to go the church was willing to do so for his sake, a smile found its way to his face.

She’s always been like this, even during the night when she accidentally lost control...

He felt guilty for slightly rejoicing at the fact that she was worried.

However, her pair of onyx eyes were still demanding an explanation.

“What I’m trying to say is—...”

...It was at that moment that Julius knew that things were going to be rough.

The previous bravado—which he composed in mere seconds, sounded fine at a glance, but...

“Bearing seven seals is synonymous with having tremendous amount of magic, so—...”

If he wanted to stay consistent with his boastful attitude from earlier, then he should probably say:

‘Even if you lose control, there won’t be a problem.’

—That’s not it!

“Therefore, it attests to the fact that I’m a battle-hardened warrior, one with vast amount of experience and knowledge—”

‘You can be rough with me.’

—Somehow, that’s even worse.

“—and, that’s about... it...”

“Julius, why is your face so red? I-is it the fever!?”

“Yes, that must be it...!”

A few minutes passed with them fussing about his arbitrary fever. In the end, nothing had been cleared up, and they were still stuck in a rut.

Nevertheless, when Julius saw that her breakfast remained untouched, one thing became clear.

Contrary to the happy-go-lucky way she’d carry herself, the witch had a clear sense of boundary. Yesterday’s morning incident had proven that. To her, a knight templar such as him was nothing but a sworn enemy. Just now, he even declared so himself. Furthermore, his past deeds didn’t do him any justice.

After serving the church for almost his entire life, he should know better than to be swayed by his own emotions, and losing sight of everything else. 

And yet, the one who decided to ask the witch about her craving, before poring over the many cookbooks he could get his hands on—all for the sake of making her a decent meal was definitely himself. 

...I’m getting ahead of myself.

As if someone would casually put something that their enemy had prepared into their mouth. If anything, Ame might find the mere sight of it repulsive, and was eager to be rid of it.

Thus, Julius stood up, about to finish the deed.

But when he arrived right beside her, the unexpected happened—

“—Now that everything’s settled, time to enjoy a hearty meal!”

Abandoning all the notions of slicing her food into bite-sized pieces, Ame ignored her cutlery, opting to just stab the entire thing with a fork, before gobbling it down.

While the witch did make a display of her eagerness, it didn’t go to the expected direction...

Then, as Ame began to munch on the meal—the meal he had especially prepared for her, Julius’ heart got stuck in his throat.

Immediately, his mind began to retrace all the steps he had taken into creating that one, final product—

—I followed the recipe book to a T...! As such, there shouldn’t be a problem. Although, I was unprepared for the quantity measurement of the sauce, or the mixing formula for the spices...! Above all, the meal should’ve gone cold by now... Since it was fried in oil, I imagine it has gotten quite soggy...

His breath hitched in his throat, while his palms felt sweaty. Nevertheless, Julius continued to stare intently at the witch. In his chest, a sensation that strangely felt like both fear and excitement at the same time, fueled by pure curiosity bubbled—

—Which he soon came to know as anticipation.

“—Delicious!!!”

When Ame uttered that with a smile, Julius could feel that all the tension had left his body.

The once, sizzling, anticipation soon erupted into joy, and when he looked into her obsidian-colored eyes, he saw that he too, was smiling.

...I see.

No wonder Ame was always so ecstatic to hear his opinion about her cooking.

After that, came a heap of praises from the witch.

“This is so delicious! Julius, are you secretly into cooking, as well?”

“...No, I’ve just started.”

As a matter of fact, today.

“Wow, for a beginner to be able to cook something this amazing...”

“I’m honored, especially since it’s coming from you.”

He wasn’t lying, the witch was simply that good of a cook.

However, in the next moment...

“But... where’s yours, Julius?” Ame’s gaze shifted from the empty plate to him. Finding himself at the end of her line of sight, he faltered for some reason.

“I—...” Julius began to rack his brain. “I’m full.”

“I see, well, I did wake up late, after all...” The witch, who assumed that he got tired of waiting and had breakfast early, seemed guilty.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I... already ate since way before.”

Like he said, he had only started that day, and no one started perfect. However, he was too ashamed to admit that he was stuffed from eating the inevitable results of his many trials and errors.

But if anything, he only dug himself a deeper hole with the answer that was supposed to cheer her up.

The witch’s once blissful expression was marred with sadness. Somehow, Julius could guess what she was thinking about. After all, until just a moment ago, he lamented the fact that the girl who saw him as an enemy wouldn’t touch the meal he served.

Therefore, upon seeing the same-tinted bitterness in her face;

“...I’m sorry, I just forgot to prepare my share. Tomorrow, let’s have breakfast together.”

Strangely, despite unplanned, the second half of his sentence flowed just like that. Moreover, he didn’t feel forced in the slightest.

“Really...?”

Ame was genuinely surprised. Otherwise, she’d long seized the opportunity to tease him for being forgetful, and Julius knew that for a fact. Although she seemed to wholly entertain the idea, her gaze was saying, ‘But why???’

To which he found himself clarifying even further—

“If you like... No, let’s have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together from now on.”

As he spelled the basic food time table, the witch’s eyes grew wider and wider, as if God Himself had whispered the Order of the Holy Trinity to her.

Finally, the question that she desperately tried to contain spewed out—

“—But why!? To what do I owe this miracle!?”

At that, Julius couldn’t help but chuckle in self-depreciation.

Am I that deplorable in the past?

To the point that she treated his invitation like the second coming of God...

But that’s all in the past, because as of the present...

“Because... we-we are...”

When he said that he’d further clarify, it was to the best of his ability.

Presently, even though he felt nothing but confidence towards the path that he had chosen, his mind was—for the lack of a better word—an incoherent mess.

Because we are... we are—?

...Indeed, what WERE they?

While he certainly didn’t mind her presence, to outright say that he enjoyed it would be... Also, in the past, he used to regard her as an enemy. As of the present, that couldn’t be farther from the truth, but did that mean...? No, more importantly, her smile was diminishing with every passing second...!

Thus, Julius blurted the first thing he could think of—

“—We’re full-fledged business partners!”

—and managed to restore the brilliance of her smile.

“I see! Is this pertaining to that bewitching case? Did you finally decide to acknowledge my skill? Then, does that mean we’ll be spending more time together?”

Strangely, only the last part passed his ears, echoing over and over—

‘Spending more time together’, ‘—more time together’, ‘—together’...

Said pair of ears soon began to sizzle.

“Y, yes, we will...”

“Great! By becoming full-fledged business partners, does that include holding a meeting from time to time? If so, let’s use this dining room!”

“Indeed, as for the dining room...” With all the courage he could muster, Julius squeezed the following sentence. “If you like, let’s use it for breakfast from now on—no, for every meal.”

Despite his faltering voice, his resolve was unshakable.

In response, Ame smiled—and briefly, he saw the exact moment a flower blossomed in full bloom.

...Just to see that smile, he felt like he’d be willing to do anything.

“L-let me confirm once again, does this mean we’ll have breakfast together!?”

“That’s right.”

Julius nodded.

“Along with lunch? And even dinner?”

“Yes.”

He nodded once again.

“Alright! Let’s sleep together from now on as well!”

He... had to double take.

...Well, anything but that.

“I firmly refuse. We are business partners. Therefore, please conduct yourself in an appropriate manner.”