Hotspring

>>Mavis

It doesn't really happen but the boiler in the female quarters broke down and there wasn't a single person who was ready to take a cold bath in winter.

So in the end the girls decided to take a trip to a hot spring. The best part about the female knights was that they all were very friendly. Since day one they all welcomed me into the group and took care of me like a junior.

Especially Rose and Nana, the two Enri assigned to me specifically. I was very happy being with them but there was something I didn't expect at all.

After taking a warm shower when everyone dipped in the hot spring Nana and Rose came over to me,who stayed out of the hotspring and sat on the side bench, with mischievous expressions on.

They sandwiched me between them as they sat on either side of me as if trying to trap me.

"So~" Rose poked my cheek, "Are you adjusting fine?"

"Yes," I nodded, "Thank you for looking after me." I supposed it was going to be a friendly chat.

Nana poked my other cheek, "Oh~ Such a sweet kid." She smirked, "The captain doesn't deserve you."

I froze at her words, "Yes?" I looked at her horror and they both looked at me with devilish smiles, "What?" My heart skipped a beat and I felt cornered and anxious.

"We know," Rose's eyes were full of glint.

"We saw." Nana was equally excited but I felt scared. I was nervous and I could feel myself sweating.

"Saw ... what?" I gulped as I looked between them both.

"You like the captain." Rose didn't beat behind the bush but her straightforward act made me freeze.

"Wh-what?" I blushed a little, "What are you talking about?!" I shook my hands in front of them, "That's not true!" I tried to deny it.

"Oh~" Nana and Rose changed their positions and came in front of me, "We're very confident about what we saw though." They towered over me as Nana spoke and then they gave each a 'look' of confidence.

I gulped and clasped my hands over my chest, "What did you see?" I was awfully nervous. I don't think I gave it away! I was being very careful! I didn't really want anyone to find it out!

"Oh!" Rose snorted.

"The look of love~" Nana added and I blushed.

"The look you gave the captain when you both came to the training grounds together." There was so much evil in their eyes, "You were so mesmerized~" I bit my lower lip in shame.

"The way you now get nervous when you don't see him." Nana teased me.

"Or if he gets too close." Rose grinned and my blush got deeper. I can't believe they noticed all that!

I looked down in shame. Doesn't that mean I'm failing at hiding my feelings!!

I grabbed the wet locks of my hair and brought them to the front to cover my face.

"Am I that obvious?" I was so ashamed of myself I couldn't look them in the eyes.

"Oh my!" They both squealed and hugged me, "He definitely doesn't deserve you!!"

"Do-" I was so nervous I ended up stuttering, "D-do you-" They both looked at me, "Do you think he's noticed too?" My face turned red when I asked that.

OH! I hope not!!

All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind, especially because I'm ashamed if he had noticed because he didn't respond to anything! Was he having fun seeing me act like a fool? Or did he just enjoy it and saw it as a kids crush? He is a lot older than me!!

"The captain?" Rose paused, "Honestly I doubt that."

They both looked at each other and nodded.

"Yea, I'm sure he has no idea." I looked at Nana as she frowned.

"Really?" My face was still flushed, "He really doesn't know?" My heart was still anxious and I wanted the confirmation so bad, it was killing me.

They both looked at me softly, "You're worried about the wrong thing Mavis." Rose poked my nose softly.

"It's exactly the thing that he hasn't noticed is bad." Nana folded her arms and sighed.

I blinked at them in confusion, "How?"

They both looked at each other and then back at me, "You-" Nana seemed a little concerned, "Don't you want to be with the captain? As lovers?"

Her words made my brain heat up, "As lovers!" I hid my face behind my locks again.

As lovers... My heart beat sped up like crazy! Just the sound of that seemed so perfect. I hadn't given it much thought because the captain seems a little indifferent but now that I'm thinking about it, I do want him...

"I do..." I looked down, "But I don't know...." I sighed, "But it seems sort of impossible..." Because it seems so out of reach for some reason, I didn't think much about it before.

"That's the problem." Nana said, "How do you expect him to take notice of you?"

"The main problem is most likely the age difference." Rose nodded as she folded her arms and thought about things.

"Yea, they're thirteen years apart."

Thirteen....

That's a big number when it comes to age gaps.

"Is that why he didn't take interest in me?" I asked, "Because I'm just a kid to him?" Maybe I already knew that deep down and that's why I was avoiding thinking about it too much.

"Well~" Rose scratched her cheek, "I think that plays a major role but," She sighed, "The captain never really went for his colleagues."

I looked at her with my eyes wide. Isn't that a double wall then!? My face started turning pale and I felt defeated.

"Don't worry," Nana patted my back, "We're here to help!" They both had noticed my visible facial expression of defeat.

"Yes!!" Rose smiled.

"But," I really didn't understand that part, "Why would you help me?" I mean seriously, they don't even know me that well and I'm so much younger than them too.

"Honestly speaking Mavis." Rose came back and sat by my side again, "We all really want to see Enri happy too."

I looked at her quietly. There was a change there, they always call him captain but now that they called him by his name, it feels like they're referring to him as a friend.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked and they both gave each other a stare. There was a short pause after which they nodded at each other. Were they communicating telepathically or something?

"He never said it but everyone believes that the woman he fell for still hasn't left his heart." Nana presented me with a statement that left me baffled.

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach when I heard that and it took me a little while to process it.

"What...?" I looked at both of them in horror.

"You need to know these things now that you're going to pursue him." Rose had a serious expression on now.

"He used to be quite the playboy three years back." Nana said, "And then he fell for a girl we never really got to see and everything changed."

"He used to be a playboy...?"

"It doesn't look like that right?" Rose sighed, "That's why everyone's worried ..." They both sat back down on the bench again.

So he's heartbroken....

"Doesn't that mean, I don't have a chance at all?" I pierced my own heart with a sharp knife.

They both looked at me, "Don't worry."

I looked at them and they nodded at me.

"You seem confident for some reason..."

The mischievous glint in their eyes was back, "Leave everything to us!" They smirked, "You just need to do what we tell you!!"

I don't know what it was but somehow I don't really have a great feeling about this ....