The next morning, when Kagura woke as usual at exactly half-past six, she was surprised to see Ardan already awake ahead of her, busily scrubbing her blanket out on the balcony.
Huh… did Ardan-ojousama change pajamas? Or did I remember wrong?
Kagura vaguely recalled Ardan had worn pink pajamas before bed, but now she was dressed in pale lavender ones. Though changing pajamas wasn't strange, why would anyone do so overnight?
"Ardan-ojousama…you're up really early today?"
Unable to figure it out, Kagura decided to ignore her confusion and greeted Ardan aloud.
"Ahhh!!!"
Startled by Kagura's sudden greeting, Ardan let out an unusually loud yelp, startling Kagura in turn.
"W-what happened? Did you hurt your hand or something?"
"N-n-n-n-no! I'm fine! Ah, Kagura-san, you're awake already? Good morning!"
"Morning, Ardan-ojousama. It's so cold today—what made you think of washing your blanket now? And you should really put something warmer on if you're going to do chores on the balcony. You'll catch a cold."
Seeing Ardan's flushed face reddened by the cold air, Kagura frowned slightly before turning back into their room. She returned quickly with Ardan's usual jacket, and grabbed her own scarf as well.
"Here, put your jacket on first. If you catch a cold, I won't know how to explain it to Iris-sama."
"Mm…"
Finally snapping out of her earlier panicked state, Ardan rose from her crouched position, taking the jacket and scarf from Kagura and quickly wrapping them around herself.
"Th-thank you…"
Ardan lowered her face, reddened by more than just the cold, burying her nose into the scarf. Immediately, she froze as she realized something:
Wait…this scent…this scarf is Kagura-san's?!
Only then did Ardan remember she had forgotten her own scarf back at home, meaning the only scarf available was Kagura's.
"You're welcome. Still, Ardan-ojousama, why wash your blanket today of all days?"
"Just…just a sudden whim! It felt dirty, so it was uncomfortable to sleep in!"
Flustered, Ardan quickly lifted her face again, blurting out her excuse.
In truth, it hadn't been long enough since her last cleaning to require washing, but the main reason she felt compelled to do so today was due to the guilt-inducing dream she'd had the previous night.
Ahh… Kagura-san has always treated me so kindly… Am I really such a terrible person…?
Even now, recalling the faint, tearful cries of her young roommate from within the dream made Ardan's cheeks burn with shame. Looking at Kagura's face filled with concern only made Ardan want to dive back into the dream and strangle that dream-self out of sheer embarrassment.
"Are you okay? If you don't feel well, you must tell me immediately."
"No, it's nothing… I just slept a bit too much, and I'm still a little dizzy."
Ardan shook her head firmly. She resolved herself—she absolutely couldn't afford to trouble Kagura any further.
"I see…then I'll boil some water for you. Drinking warm water first thing in the morning will help you recover faster!"
"Eh? Kagura-san, let me handle boiling water…"
"Aren't you still busy washing your blanket, Ardan-ojousama?"
"Ah…"
...
After their little early-morning drama, Ardan—with Kagura's help—finally managed to hang up her freshly washed blanket.
Today's sunlight was good, and their dormitory balcony faced the sun nicely. Kagura estimated it'd be dry by the afternoon, but until then, Ardan had nothing to cover herself with.
"It's okay. I have plenty of thick clothes with me, so don't worry about me…"
Ardan changed into a thick outfit, bundling herself tightly like a rice dumpling as she sat on her bed.
"Alright, then. Ardan-ojousama, don't do anything dangerous. If it gets too cold, just use my blanket. I'm heading out now."
"M-mm…take care!"
After waving goodbye to Ardan, Kagura finally left the dormitory.
"Oh! Little Kagura, you're early as usual! Working so hard despite your young age!"
The cafeteria's aunties and uncles had long gotten used to Kagura arriving early every day, and since she occasionally lent a hand with their preparations, they had quickly become friendly with her.
"Morning! It's not so hard once you get used to it."
"Ah… diligent as always. The supplies are restocked—take whatever you need, Kagura-chan."
"Okay~"
Slipping into the kitchen, Kagura opened the refrigerator door. Sure enough, the pickled radishes and cabbage inside had decreased again.
Who keeps stealing pickles every day…? They're not even nutritious! Maybe I should leave something else as bait for this little glutton…
Only someone close to her would have access to this kitchen, and Kagura wasn't keen on her friend secretly stealing pickles all the time. Plus, it wasn't healthy for anyone to live off cold side dishes alone.
"Something that won't spoil or change flavor in the freezer…ah! Osmanthus cake should work nicely."
Gazing at the fridge door, Kagura swiftly decided on today's menu. She expertly prepared the ingredients, tossing them into a pot, sprinkling in a bit of salt for basic seasoning, then covering it to cook.
"I smell the sacred scent of divinity… Kagura-san! Are you crafting divine treasures again today?"
A white-haired head popped up from outside the cafeteria window, accompanied by a familiar voice Kagura hadn't heard in some time.
"Morning, Ship-chan. Long time no see."
"Indeed! Lately, the great Gold Ship has been breaking her back working tirelessly for our team—seriously exhausted!"
"Ha, your definition of 'working hard' had better not be just solving Rubik's cubes all day."
Kagura chuckled softly as she replied to Gold Ship's dramatic declaration, taking the cooked noodles out of the pot and neatly transferring them into a bowl.
"Is that how little faith Kagura-san has in me?!"
"Hard to say, but that really seems like something you'd do."
Laughing, Kagura gently pushed the steaming bowl of noodles out through the window toward Gold Ship.
"Ohh! Kagura-san really saved a portion just for me?! Truly, my eternal gratitude!"
Gold Ship's enthusiasm visibly skyrocketed. After her typically exaggerated pre-meal ritual, she immediately picked up the chopsticks and eagerly slurped up the noodles.
"Bliss! Truly, after finishing major business, I must come here and feast upon Kagura-san's cooking!"
"Heh, you…"
Watching Gold Ship outside emanating an oddly middle-aged-man-like aura, Kagura couldn't help but smile.
"Ah, by the way, Ship-chan, could you do me a favor? Are you free recently?"
"Speak freely! Whatever our divine deity requires, the humble Ship shall fulfill!"
"I need to make another guidebook. Same conditions as usual—I'll hand you the materials shortly. Payment's still the same. What do you think?"
Kagura planned to use her clear memories from last night's "torture session" with Eclipse and quickly document the experience. She hadn't expected to run into Gold Ship this morning—perhaps today was her lucky day after all.
"Oi! No problem! I'll finish it by this morning! Ahh…Tokino, oh Tokino, this great Ship works herself to the bone for our little family…"
Gold Ship agreed instantly without hesitation. She genuinely liked helping Kagura, and besides, these guides always greatly benefited Team Spica's training.
"Family? So you guys finally recruited new members?"
"No! But we'll get someone soon! Probably."
---
T/N: AHH i frogot extra chapters dw 25 BONUS CHAPTERS still needed so currently its still (0/25) (this was for patreon)