53

"Did you just wake up?"

In the early morning, almost on the cusp of dawn, I opened my eyes to a now-familiar sight.

Cilly was lying beside me under the covers, cheerfully greeting me with a morning smile.

Despite the bed being so spacious—far larger than the one at the dormitory—she was curled up close to me, as if the rest of the bed didn't exist.

"...Good morning."

Every night, we would bid each other goodnight and retreat to our respective rooms, yet somehow, I would always wake up to find her in my bed.

The first time I woke up to those vivid blue eyes staring at me, I had bolted upright, startled. After realizing it was Cilly, I managed to calm down and asked her why she was in my bed.

She claimed that, in her half-asleep state, she'd gone to the bathroom during the night and somehow ended up in my room instead of hers.

When I asked why she didn't just use her private bathroom or how she mistakenly came to my room, she had no answer.

And it wasn't a one-time thing. It kept happening every single night.

On the second night, I locked my door just to test a theory.

The next morning, when I opened the door, I found Cilly slumped against it, falling to the floor with a thud. She looked up at me with dark circles under her eyes and an exhausted expression.

Apparently, she'd tried to get into my room again after her late-night bathroom trip, but since the door was locked, she had ended up falling asleep in the hallway.

I couldn't let the eldest daughter of the Deretia Family sleep in the hallway, regardless of her peculiar habits. After that, I decided to leave the door unlocked, figuring it was better to let her in than risk another incident.

And so, every morning since then, I'd wake up to find her nestled under my blanket.

Honestly, I'd only been shocked the first couple of times. By now, though my heart still fluttered a bit, I'd learned to mask my reaction.

That said, it did make me wonder if my senses had dulled.

First, Yuri sneaking into my bed during our academy days, and now Cilly doing the same—both times, I failed to notice anything until I woke up.

It made me question whether I was getting lazy, but for now, I decided to chalk it up to how much I trusted both of them.

"You're up early today too," I remarked.

Not once had I woken up before Cilly. Every morning, she was always awake and watching me by the time I opened my eyes.

I'd even told her to just wake me up if she was already awake, but she never did. Instead, she'd sit there, wide-eyed, silently observing me until I stirred.

She probably only woke up a few minutes before me—no way she'd been staring at me for hours. Still, it was remarkable how consistent her timing was.

"Well, I've only been awake for a little while myself," Cilly replied with a soft laugh.

I pulled the blanket off and got out of bed, heading toward the dressing room. Naturally, Cilly followed me, getting up and walking right in after me.

I changed out of my pajamas and into comfortable daywear, while Cilly did the same, removing her own slightly… revealing sleepwear.

Why was she changing in my room instead of hers?

Apparently, at some point—likely the day after I stopped locking the door—Cilly had moved a few of her outfits into my dressing room without me noticing.

Well, it was better than her walking through the mansion's hallways in her pajamas early in the morning, so I let it slide.

The rest of the day unfolded as predictably as the ones before it.

We started with our usual routine: waking up, sparring and training together, eating breakfast, then taking a brief break before resuming training.

By 10 or 11 a.m., we'd usually wrap up our training for the day and have lunch.

The afternoons were ours to spend freely.

Sometimes we'd go shopping in the commercial district, take long walks outside the city, have tea in the garden, or sit at the table in my room quietly reading books.

Except for brief moments when one of us needed to use the bathroom or take a shower, we were practically glued together all day long.

One thing I'd learned during my time with Cilly was her love for showers and baths.

Even if I tried to take my time, I never spent more than 30 minutes bathing. Cilly, on the other hand, would be in there for at least an hour—sometimes even two, like that one time.

From a woman's perspective, I was probably the odd one. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever fully understand women.

The day flew by as we spent it laughing and chatting, and before I knew it, night had fallen.

Since Cilly was going to sneak into my bed again anyway—and I'd already given up trying to stop her—I decided we might as well sleep together on this last night.

While Cilly was showering in her room, I decided to pack my things in the meantime.

I divided the clothes hanging in my dressing room between two bags. The third bag was for the belongings I'd brought with me from the academy.

I hadn't brought much from the academy, so packing was fairly quick. Most of the space in my luggage was taken up by clothes: uniforms, workout gear, casual clothes, simple T-shirts, and undergarments.

"Huh? Did I only bring six pairs of underwear?"

It wasn't a big deal since I could wash them regularly, but I distinctly remembered packing seven pairs, planning for one per day.

Yet, when I checked my bag, there were only six.

Did this happen back at Annie's mansion too? I couldn't recall since I hadn't paid much attention at the time.

I even checked the laundry basket in the dressing room, but it was empty. The undergarments I'd placed there earlier today had already been washed and packed away.

If my underwear were all uniquely designed, I might have noticed which one was missing, but since they were all similar, I couldn't tell.

"Where did the seventh one go…?" I muttered.

"Oh? What's the bag for?"

Cilly had returned, her hair still slightly damp from her shower.

"Today's the last day here. I figured it'd be easier to pack some of my things now rather than rushing tomorrow morning."

"Oh… Has it already been a week? But is something wrong?"

She must've noticed me taking things out of my bag and putting them back in again, which prompted her question.

"It's nothing major, just… I'm pretty sure I brought seven pairs of underwear from the academy, but I can only find six."

"R-really?"

"I've checked everywhere, even the laundry basket. I have no idea where the last one went."

Cilly's face turned a faint shade of red as she hesitated for a moment.

"Maybe it got lost during laundry?" she suggested nervously.

"Hmm, maybe…"

"Haha, just keep looking, I'm sure it's around somewhere. Who'd take someone else's underwear, right?"

"Exactly. I mean, it's not like there's some pervert running around…"

Not that anyone would take men's underwear anyway—oh, wait. I'm a girl now. Right. That logic doesn't apply anymore.

"Cough! Cough!"

"Huh? You okay Cilly?"

"Cough… I-I'm fine. Just… cough something caught in my throat… cough!"

"Hold on a second. I'll grab you some water."

Even though this was Cilly's mansion, this was technically my room for now. So, instead of letting her get up while coughing, I went to the living room and brought back a glass of water for her.

"Here, drink this. Huh? You're sweating, too. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I-I'm fine! It's just… hot in here! Why is it so hot? Is the temperature control system broken or something?"

Was it really that hot? I didn't feel it, but maybe staying in my room all day had made me accustomed to the temperature.

Cilly, however, seemed genuinely overheated as she waved her hand to fan herself and downed the water in one go.

"Anyway, where could it have gone?"

No matter how much I searched, the missing underwear remained unaccounted for.

"Hm… Did I misremember?"

At this point, it seemed entirely possible that I'd been mistaken.

"P-Probably! Or… Oh! Maybe if you count the one you're wearing right now, that makes seven!"

Oh… I hadn't thought of that. That actually made sense. If I included the one I had on, then the number was correct.

"Ah, you're probably right. Ugh, how could I forget something so obvious?"

"It happens to everyone! Nobody remembers everything. And it's just one pair of underwear—we really don't need to overthink it."

"True enough. Anyway, that's all packed… Done!"

Since everything else had already been packed, all that was left to do was put the items I'd taken out back into the bag. With that, my packing was complete.

"Phew…"

Cilly let out a small sigh of relief, seemingly having calmed down from her earlier coughing fit.

"So, this is our last day of this comfortable lifestyle, huh?"

"I didn't even realize it was the last day. Time really flies."

"Yeah, it feels like the break just started yesterday."

If I had stayed at the dormitory alone instead of visiting Yuri, Annie, and Cilly's homes for a week each, this vacation would've felt far longer and duller.

"How did you like your time at the mansion?"

"Loved it. The dorms are nice and all, but it's a whole different experience having people here to help out. Plus, I don't have to worry about rules or getting demerits for breaking academy regulations."

"Then… how about staying another week?"

"Huh?"

Hearing my wistful tone, Cilly suddenly suggested that I extend my stay.

Sure, staying here was comfortable, but I couldn't help thinking it might inconvenience her family.

"No, it's fine. You don't need to go out of your way to accommodate me."

I politely declined her offer. While I felt comfortable around Cilly, I couldn't say the same for her family. Even if I was her friend, I didn't want to overstay my welcome and make things awkward for them.

"Do you have something urgent to get back to at the academy? There's still a lot of time left in the break…"

She wasn't wrong. I did have other plans, but nothing that couldn't wait. After all, there was still over a month left before classes resumed.

"I just… want to spend more time with you, Elys. Can't you stay a little longer?"

Cilly's gaze softened as she looked up at me with slightly upturned eyes. Her expression made it nearly impossible for me to say no.

"Well… I guess I could…"

"Yay! Then let's unpack your bags!"

Without waiting for me to say anything else, Cilly eagerly grabbed one of my suitcases and carried it into the dressing room.

Well… I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer. After all, Cilly's mansion was the last stop on my vacation itinerary, and my other plans didn't require much time.

Still, considering this extension, I wondered if it had been a mistake to casually agree to sleep together tonight.