But Maki still didn't respond.
Sighing, Chizuru more or less understood what was going on. She lay down sideways on the tatami mat, resting her head on her sister's lap.
"Missing Aiden?"
Maki's eyelashes trembled slightly.
"Looks like I hit the mark." Chizuru sighed again, though this time it was for herself. Then she forced a smile and said, "Ah well, he'll be back in a few days anyway, so don't be so anxious."
At that moment, Maki's gaze finally focused on her sister. But what she said next left her sister completely stunned.
"Chizuru, do you like white wedding kimono, western wedding dresses, or bridal gowns?"
"Ah???"
———
The morning sunlight had just peeked out when a ringing phone jolted Aiden out of his sleep.
Thinking it was his cell phone, Aiden grabbed it from the bedside table without even opening his eyes. But when he cracked one eye open, he realized it wasn't the phone, it was the hotel's room phone ringing.
Tossing his cell aside helplessly, Aiden sat up and picked up the receiver, speaking into it weakly, "I didn't order room service, I'm not interested in promotions, and I'm not planning to write a complaint letter. Please just let me sleep in peace, I've got stuff to do tonight!"
He was about to hang up when a familiar voice came from the other end, weak and tentative.
"Aiden, it's me, Helena. I called to wake you up for breakfast… Did I interrupt your sleep?"
"Of course… huh? Miss Helena, how come it's you?" Aiden instantly sat up, suddenly wide awake and speaking much louder.
He hadn't expected the one calling him this early in the morning to be Helena, let alone directly calling his hotel room.
"Pfft, Aiden, you sound like I scared you!" Helena's suppressed laughter came from the other end, clearly amused by the mental image of his reaction.
"How could that be…" Aiden hurriedly tried to defend himself, then asked, "How did you even get through?"
"I asked the hotel front desk to transfer me!" Helena said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The hotel you're staying at belongs to my family."
Well then, no wonder her tone sounded so much like the Kagura sisters'.
Also, he really did have ridiculous luck, staying at a hotel owned by yet another important female character.
It seemed the goddess's mood had been pretty good lately.
Thinking that, Aiden casually said, "So you're actually a rich young lady, Miss Helena."
"Don't make it sound so distant, and don't call me that either. Just call me Helena," she said, sounding a bit displeased.
"Alright then, Helena." Aiden shrugged. She was actually quite easy to get along with, no hint of a spoiled attitude at all.
"That's better." Her voice now carried a hint of happiness.
"By the way, you sound tired. Didn't sleep well? Why don't you rest a little longer? I'll call you again once you've had enough sleep," Helena offered.
"You already called, so it'd be rude for me to go back to sleep. Give me a moment, I'll wash up and come down."
"Okay, see you in a bit."
"See you in a bit."
A little later, Aiden stepped out of his room feeling refreshed, ready to take the elevator down for breakfast.
But as soon as he left, the bodyguard stationed outside looked surprised. He hadn't expected Aiden to be up this early.
After a brief moment of thought, the bodyguard pulled out his phone and made a call. Just as Aiden was about to reach the elevator, a nearby suite door suddenly swung open, and Shinichiro came rushing out in pajamas, holding a phone in his hand.
"Mr. Aiden, where are you headed?"
"Breakfast."
"I'll make the arrangements right away." Shinichiro lifted his phone, ready to dial.
"No need," Aiden quickly shook his head. "Someone already arranged it for me."
"Someone… arranged it?" Shinichiro blinked, and it wasn't until Aiden disappeared into the elevator that realization hit him. He immediately called the young lady's number…
———
"Aiden!"
The hotel restaurant was on the third floor. As soon as Aiden stepped out of the elevator, he saw the mature young woman Helena waving enthusiastically at him from afar.
Aiden squinted slightly. "You weren't waiting here this whole time, were you?"
"Yup!" she replied crisply.
"That's way too polite of you."
"You're my guest!" she said casually, grabbing his arm. "Come on, breakfast is ready. They're just waiting for us."
Inside the restaurant, Helena led Aiden to a window-side table already filled with beautifully arranged dishes.
"Aiden, want some wine?" she asked once he sat down.
"Who drinks wine first thing in the morning?"
He said it a bit sheepishly, his hometown actually had a tradition of morning drinks, but that required the right atmosphere. Besides, no matter how fancy a French breakfast was, it really didn't go with alcohol.
"I suppose that makes sense," Helena nodded, her long golden ponytail swaying cheerfully with her movements, making her look lively and cute.
Then the mature young woman pushed a plate of white mousse cake toward him.
"Aiden, try this one. This flavor's especially good."
Seeing her enthusiasm, Aiden couldn't bring himself to say he didn't really like overly sweet Western desserts. He picked up a fork and took a small bite.
"How is it?" Helena asked nervously.
Seeing her anxious expression, he didn't need to guess why. He nodded. "It tastes good."
Her face instantly lit up with joy.
To be honest, French breakfasts really were far better than ones he used to have before. Of course, they'd be perfect if not for that overly sweet mousse cake, but since it was the young lady's thoughtful gesture, Aiden forced himself to finish it all.
Once he'd eaten the cake, breakfast was pretty much over. Helena waved for the waiter, who came to clear the table and then brought over two cups of tea.
Aiden's was hot, while Helena's was cold, she preferred iced tea.
Watching her take a big sip and smile contentedly, Aiden couldn't help thinking that her period probably wasn't happening this week.
Alright, he admitted, it was hard not to have stray thoughts, given her figure.
After quietly scolding himself for that inappropriate idea, he took a sip of his unsweetened tea and felt quite pleased.
Letting out a small sigh, he looked back at Helena, only to find that she was looking at him too. Their eyes met briefly before the girl quickly lowered hers, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
She seemed unusually easy to fluster today.
Seeing her sit silently with her head down, Aiden set his cup aside. Since she'd treated him to breakfast, it'd be cold of him not to make conversation.
"So, Helena? Don't you have studies to do?"
With a topic to fill the silence, and maybe tone down the slight awkwardness, the mature young woman raised her head and said coolly, "It's Friday."
"So your classes only run four days a week?" Aiden asked curiously.
"No, it's just that Friday morning classes aren't important, so I skipped," she admitted sheepishly.
"Oh, you skipped class." Aiden laughed, who would've thought this seemingly well-behaved girl would do that.
She didn't answer, just lowered her head again. After a moment, she looked up and asked, "Aiden, have you ever skipped class?"
That was a painfully good question. Aiden shrugged. "I hardly attended college at all."
"Ah?" Helena looked surprised.
"I enlisted in the army not long after starting my first year," he said casually.
"That's a shame. College life is pretty great," she replied, speaking with the mindset of someone from Country F.
Aiden shook his head. "Actually, I really miss my service days. If not for certain circumstances, I wouldn't have retired so early."
"Well, I still can't quite understand that," Helena said, shaking her head.
"That's normal," Aiden replied with a smile. "I'm from Country Z, after all."
Outside of Country Z, most people tended to see military service negatively.
Helena obviously couldn't grasp the deep national pride that came with it, but seeing Aiden smile, she smiled too.
"Aiden, what are you going to do later?" she asked, taking another sip of tea.
"I was planning to go back and take a nap," he admitted. Even though he could go days without sleep, last night hadn't been very restful.
"Sorry for disturbing you," Helena said immediately.
"It's fine."
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