"Again," Kaguya said.
I swung. The cut was cleaner this time—not perfect, but closer.
"Better. But your stance is still wrong."
"What did I do wrong this time?!" Three hours of almost getting it right was somehow more frustrating than complete failure.
"You need to relax your body when unsheathing the sword, let the blade do its work."
I don't understand a damn thing.
I grumbled internally.
Kaguya sighed as I once again failed to give the boulder a clean cut with the sword.
"Haa… let's stop for now." she said, "It's about time for our patrolling shift as well."
I lowered my sword, rolling my shoulders. "Finally. I was starting to think you'd make me practice until my arms fell off."
"If your arms fell off, you wouldn't be able to hold a sword properly," Kaguya said matter-of-factly, sheathing her own blade. "That would be such a waste."
"That's your concern? Not the fact that my arms would literally fall off?"
"Whatever." She waved her hand dismissively, a smirk playing on her lips.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead. "You know, for someone who acts all tough and critical, you're actually pretty patient."
She gave me a sharp look. "What are you implying?"
"Nothing bad! Just that... you are always teaching me your techniques, despite me being slow on the uptake."
"I didn't give up because I refuse to let my teachings go to waste on someone with potential," she said, crossing her arms. "That's all."
"Uh-huh." I grinned. "Sure, you tsundere."
Kaguya's eye twitched. "Who are you calling a tsundere?! Stop being stupid and get going!"
I laughed, picking up my water flask. "At least you're not a violent tsundere."
Her hand immediately went to her sword hilt.
"I spoke too soon!" I said, already backing away. "Definitely a violent tsundere!"
"Get back here, you—!"
"Damn you! Are you really trying to kill me?!" I cried, barely dodging her blade, and ran through the corridors of the Stardust Garden with Kaguya chasing after me with her katana drawn at her side.
I sprinted through the Stardust Garden's corridors, Kaguya's footsteps close behind, her sword still drawn.
"Get back here!"
"Never!"
"Out."
We both skidded to a halt. Astraea stood in the doorway ahead, arms crossed. She wore a gentle smile.
A smile that didn't reach her eyes at all.
"Both of you. Out."
Minutes later, we were walking through the streets of Orario for our patrol shift, the evening sun casting long shadows across the cobblestones. The city was settling into its twilight rhythm—Taverns opening, adventurers returning from the dungeon.
"I really don't understand why I have to make rounds with you," she said.
"Hey, I am not the one deciding the lots, okay?" I replied.
"Yes, I should blame my luck, then."
"Come on. Working with me can't be that terrible?"
"Can't it?" The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
We continued our patrol route, scanning the crowds for any signs of trouble. The streets were relatively peaceful tonight, a few drunk adventurers being loud, some merchant arguments over prices, nothing that required intervention.
We were passing through a quieter residential area when I heard it—a soft sniffling sound coming from a nearby alley.
Kaguya heard it too. We exchanged a glance and moved to investigate.
A small child, couldn't have been more than five or six years old, sat curled up against the wall, I grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. "Wait. You should handle this."
She turned to stare at me. "What?"
"Kids." I gestured helplessly at the crying child. "I'm not good with kids."
"You're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking? Just—you do it. You're better at this."
"Better at what? Talking to small humans?" She gave me an incredulous look, "You're hopeless." She shook her head but turned back to the child, crouching to his eye level. "Hey. What's your name?"
The boy hiccupped, wiping his nose. "T-Theo."
"Theo. That's a really good name." The sharpness had left Kaguya's voice completely. "I'm Kaguya, and this awkward one behind me is Arin. We're with Astraea and Loki Familia. Can you tell us what happened?"
I awkwardly knelt down beside her, trying to figure out what to do with my hands. Should I pat his head? No, that seemed weird. Smile? I was probably making a weird face right now.
The boy's eyes suddenly widened as he looked at me, his tears momentarily forgotten. "A-Arin? Like... like Astralis? The dragon slayer?"
"Uh, yeah. That's... me." What was I supposed to say after that? Thankfully, I didn't have to rack my brain more than necessary as Kaguya smoothly interjected.
"Can you tell us what happened, Theo? Why are you crying?"
The question brought back Theo's distress, his lip trembling. "I... I can't find my mama. We were at the market and I saw a puppy and I followed it and now I don't know where she is!" Big fresh tears started rolling down his cheeks.
"Okay, okay, hey—" I reached out, then hesitated. I settled on pulling out my handkerchief and offering it to him, my movements stiff. "Here. Um. Don't cry? Please?"
Kaguya closed her eyes briefly and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Theo took the handkerchief, dabbing at his eyes, all the while still sobbing.
"Can you tell us what your mama looks like?" Kaguya asked. As Theo described his mother—brown hair, blue dress, carrying a basket—I noticed Theo's eyes kept darting to me, wide and amazed. Taking that as a chance, I extended my hand perhaps a bit too formally, like I was greeting a business partner rather than a small child.
Theo took my hand, and Kaguya took his other one.
As we walked, Kaguya kept the conversation flowing naturally—asking about the puppy, what games he liked, what his favorite food was. I mostly stayed quiet, occasionally adding a "Yeah?" or "That's cool" when Theo looked at me expectantly, unsure of what else to contribute.
"Is it true you really fought a dragon?" Theo asked, looking up at me with wide eyes.
"Uh, yes. I did."
"Was it scary?"
"Very scary. Big teeth. Lots of fire." Why was I describing it like this? He was a child, not a fellow adventurer. "But, um, don't worry. You're safe here."
Kaguya gave me a look that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation.
"And you protected everyone?"
"I... had a lot of help," I replied, a little unsure, "It wasn't just me. There were lots of brave people."
"But you were brave too, right?"
I opened my mouth, not sure how to respond, when Kaguya spoke up.
"He was—is very brave," Her tone mixed warmth with matter-of-fact honesty.
I shot her a surprised look, and she met my eyes briefly before looking away.
It took about fifteen minutes of searching—with Kaguya doing most of the talking and me awkwardly interjecting when directly addressed—before we heard a woman's frantic voice calling out "Theo! Theo!"
"Mama!" The boy's face lit up, and he broke into a run, letting go of our hands.
The reunion was tearful and relieved. The mother thanked us profusely, clutching her son close. When Theo excitedly told her that "Astralis found me, Mama! The real Astralis!" she looked at me with such overwhelming gratitude that I didn't know where to look.
"Thank you," she said earnestly, her eyes glistening with tears. "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if—"
"Don't worry about it," I said quickly. "Just please make sure he stays close next time."
"I will! I promise!" She pulled Theo into another hug, and they disappeared into the crowd.
As we resumed our patrol, walking away from the happy reunion, I let out a long breath, my shoulder relaxing.
"That was... stressful."
Kaguya snorted. "You looked like you were handling a bomb."
"I didn't know what to do! Kids are... they're so small and fragile. And they cry. And they look at you with those big eyes expecting you to fix everything."
"You did fine."
"I did terribly. You did all the actual talking."
"You tried at least. You were awkward as hell, but you tried. You comforted him. And I think that what's more important."
My eyes widened as I stared at her, surprised by the sincerity.
"You're an idiot, sure," she continued, "but you're not a bad person. I can see why they'd like you."
The words hit me harder than I expected. Coming from Kaguya, who gave compliments about as often as Bete, which is to say, never. It was really unexpected.
"Thanks," I said quietly. "That... means a lot, actually."
"Just don't let it go to your head. Though watching you panic over a six-year-old was pretty entertaining."
I smirked, recovering from the shock. "A backhanded compliment? Classic tsundere move."
Her hand immediately went to her Katana. "I take it back. You're just an idiot."
"A brave idiot, though. You said so yourself."
"That was to comfort the child."
"You also said I did fine."
"I lied to make you feel better."
"Sure you did. You know," I said after a moment, "for a violent tsundere—"
"Finish that sentence and I'm drowning you in that fountain."
We continued our banter as we walked through the darkening streets of Orario.