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Tasked with a subjugation expedition, Genau and Methode were stationed in a bustling, sprawling city situated in the Northern Plateau.
Crisp, cold air and the clatter of horse hooves striking the cobblestones. Woven into the din were the spirited cries of merchants.
Having mostly finished purchasing her daily necessities, Methode was taking a breather on the edge of the fountain in the center of the plaza.
(The cold wind strangely makes me crave something sweet... I wonder if there are any good stalls around...)
It was just as she was casting her gaze about.
"Are you alone, miss?"
Looking up, she saw a man wearing a finely tailored cloak, offering a gentlemanly smile. His voice held no frivolity; it possessed a rather soothing, calm resonance.
"Waiting for someone? Or perhaps just enjoying this beautiful cityscape?"
"Just resting. I've been shopping for everyday supplies."
"I see. Pardon my intrusion... but even just resting, you draw the eye a bit too much."
With a gesture devoid of malice, the man placed a hand on his chest, his gaze gently tracing Methode's seated form.
"That refined bearing, and the faint trace of mana spilling from your presence... I take it you are a highly skilled mage."
(...He is quite observant.)
Methode softly narrowed her eyes. He wasn't someone to be wary of. However, he did seem exceptionally adept at handling women.
"Your assessment is correct... but I am merely a humble mage."
"You're too modest. Actually, a shop recently opened nearby that carries the latest robes and accessories from the Capital. For someone as noble and beautiful as yourself, I simply had to show you."
"I am honored by the invitation, but I am not so much a child as to follow a stranger."
In response to Methode's gentle refusal, the man deepened his smile, looking somewhat troubled yet somehow pleased.
"How strict. But it is exactly because you are so cautious that there is a special piece I want to show you."
The man lowered his voice slightly, closing the distance as if sharing a secret.
"A new robe crafted by a renowned artisan in the Capital, said to be as light as a feather... and that's not all. The hem is adorned with decorations that change color depending on the light. Against your beautiful skin, it would look incredibly lovely and regal."
Methode's eyes narrowed a fraction.
Practical performance in combat was important, of course, but what captured her heart far more was the sound of the decorations the man described.
"I hear they've also received adorable magical tools bearing the blessings of spirits... Isn't it exactly because you spend your days in battle that taking time to touch such small, precious things would be the greatest comfort?"
It was a proposal that pierced right through Methode's secret desire to cherish cute things. Because her days were filled with death matches on the front lines, she wanted to feel high-quality fabric and delicate craftsmanship that made her heart flutter, as if to wash away the scent of blood and dirt.
As she listened to the man, pure interest welled up in Methode's heart.
(If he just guides me to the shop, maybe a little...)
It was just as Methode offered a small smile, about to reply.
"Methode. Who is this?"
A low, familiar voice cut coldly through the din of the plaza.
Without even turning around, Methode's eyes widened slightly at the presence of the man standing behind her.
"Genau-san."
As if interrupting her calling his name, Genau took a step forward. He stood as a physical wall between the man and Methode.
"Do you have some business with my wife?"
His tone was ruthless, like a blade of ice.
Faced with this extraordinary aura, the gentlemanly man flinched. As if doubting the word "wife," his appraising gaze dropped to their fingertips. Naturally, there were no rings—the supposed proof of a married couple—to be found there.
However, Genau, without a shred of agitation, fired off a dispassionate follow-up as he looked down at him.
"Ah. We have a policy against wearing rings. If you were approaching my wife with that intention, I apologize, but you'll have to look elsewhere."
He didn't threaten or shout. It was merely a rejection slammed down as absolute fact.
Faced with the unfathomable, quiet intimidation unique to a First-Class Mage, the man distanced himself from the two as if fleeing.
Left behind was the silence in front of the fountain, Genau standing expressionless, and Methode.
"Come on. Let's go."
Genau tore his gaze from the man and casually stepped beside Methode. As he did, he seemed to leave a slight space between his arm and his side.
No words were needed.
She instantly understood it was a gesture meant to be a "husband's escort to deceive the eyes of those around them."
Methode let out a small laugh and, with a natural motion, slipped her arm through the gap he had left.
"...Pardon me."
As if blending into the surrounding bustle, the two began to walk smoothly, arms linked.
(To think the stoic Genau-san would use such a clever excuse as calling me his 'wife'.)
After walking down the main street for a while, when the presence of the man from earlier had completely vanished into the crowd.
"...Did I do something unnecessary?"
Genau murmured, still looking straight ahead. Their arms remained linked.
Methode let out a soft giggle at his slightly stiff tone.
"No. He was being persistent, and I was actually having a bit of trouble. You saved me."
"I see. That's fine, then."
A short sigh of relief. The conversation trailed off there.
The crisis had passed. Normally, this is where their role as a "fake married couple" would end, and the natural progression would be to let go of his arm.
However, Genau showed no sign of unlinking her arm, and Methode herself continued walking, having lost the timing to pull away.
A quiet, strong body heat transferred even through their thick clothing. In the cold wind of the Northern Plateau, it felt terribly comfortable.
"Were you planning on going somewhere, Genau-san?"
"To drink tea. I heard there's a famous shop up ahead... What about you?"
"I was out shopping for daily necessities. Though I'm mostly finished."
Once again, a gentle silence fell.
The sound of their footsteps scraping the cobblestones echoed, overlapping as one.
"...If you have time, do you want to come along?"
"Are you sure?"
"I don't mind."
"Then, I'd love to."
The time it would take to reach the tea shop. For just that long, it wouldn't be unnatural to stay linked like this. Methode quietly came to that conclusion in her heart and leaned just a little of her weight onto his arm.
A market situated slightly off the main street.
As they approached a row of stalls lined with grimoires and old catalysts, Genau suddenly shortened his stride.
Methode noticed his cue. Following his gaze, she acknowledged the stalls.
"Would you like to take a look?"
"...Is that alright?"
"Yes. Was there something that caught your eye?"
When Methode asked, Genau shook his head, saying, "No, not particularly," but still stopped in front of a stall piled high with leather-bound antique books.
"I've heard the bargains around here are worth a look, but I wonder."
"I imagine it's difficult to stumble upon something great, but the search itself is rather fun," Methode said, deliberately putting a little strength into the arm still linked with his, peering up into his face. "I always thought you were only interested in antique books directly related to practical use, Genau-san."
"I won't deny that... but there's no harm in stockpiling knowledge."
A cluttered market he would normally dismiss as a waste of time. Yet, he deliberately walked at a leisurely pace, making a point to stop whenever Methode's gaze lingered.
"That bookmark over there, the little bird carving is adorable."
"...You're right."
Even after they started walking again, his steps were somewhat relaxed.
This time, he stopped in front of a tailor with a high-quality coat displayed in the storefront.
"Methode. Do you like the color black?" he asked abruptly, staring at the display window.
"Whether I like it or not... it's just inconspicuous in many ways. You know, for things like bloodstains."
"Ah, that's certainly true."
Genau nodded deeply at the morbid practicality typical of a First-Class Mage.
"Do you like black as well, Genau-san?"
"Rather than liking it, it's practical for me too. My wings are black, after all. Dark clothing blends into the dead of night more easily."
"That's true. White clothes would stand out."
Methode looked anew at Genau's black-clad figure. A darkness stripped of all excess. But, exactly because of that.
"...Though I think you would look rather dashing in white attire with your black wings, Genau-san."
When she offered a slightly mischievous smile, he tilted his head with a serious expression.
"Is that so? I've never worn it, so I wouldn't know."
At his terribly earnest reply, Methode chuckled deep in her throat once more.
It was a few minutes later that Methode noticed a sense of incongruity.
It was strange. Genau, a fundamental pragmatist, was taking an awful long time to reach his destination, the tea shop. He stopped at various shops here and there, exchanging a few trivial words each time.
(...What has gotten into him, truly?)
His clumsy pace, so different from his usual self.
However, Methode couldn't bring herself to interrogate this comfortable anomaly. Because she was simply enjoying the heat flowing from their linked arms, and this gentle time spent walking through the town, just the two of them.
The amber evening sun cast long shadows over the stone streets.
By the time the two pushed open the door to the tea shop they'd been aiming for, the sky was completely dyed in twilight.
"...Since when did it get this late?"
As soon as they sat down at a window seat, Genau furrowed his brows slightly and looked outside.
At his words, Methode let out a small breath and smiled.
"Mostly because you were taking detours, Genau-san, isn't it?"
"...My apologies."
"Not at all. I had a wonderful time."
Before long, the steaming tea was brought to them, and the two quietly took a sip.
"It smells lovely."
"Not bad."
"Genau-san. When something is delicious, wouldn't the staff be happier if you actually said it was delicious?"
"...It's delicious."
"Indeed."
Sharing a quiet laugh, Methode placed her cup on the saucer.
Facing each other across the teacups, the heat of the arm that had been pressed against hers until moments ago was suddenly replaced by a strange sense of loss.
To hide her faint lingering regret, Methode gracefully tilted her head.
"Even so, Genau-san. You seem to quite like walking around town."
"What are you talking about?"
"Wandering here and there, looking into various shops. It was a bit different from my image of you."
"I see." Still holding his cup, Genau nodded seriously.
"I mistakenly thought you were the type to head straight for your destination once you had decided on it."
"No, you're not wrong. That is my true nature."
"Oh... Then why today? Was it just a coincidence?"
When Methode questioned the man who dispassionately affirmed her assumption, he stared back at her with clear eyes, holding absolutely nothing back.
"Just a coincidence."
"Is that so?"
"A coincidence... that you were with me."
At those casually tossed-off words, Methode's fingertips twitched.
"I rarely get the chance to walk arm-in-arm with you. If we had headed straight for the tea shop, it would have ended right away, wouldn't it?"
Her thoughts went blank for a second.
It was because she couldn't fully comprehend the words she had definitively heard.
"You... wanted to link arms with me?"
"What else would it be?"
A clumsy affirmation, spoken as if stating the obvious.
She could feel the heat gathering in her face. In an attempt to keep her agitation hidden, Methode deliberately pulled out past memories and tried to argue back with a slight, wry smile.
"No, well... I am honored, but... we've linked arms a few times in the past, haven't we? Undercover investigations at parties, acting as a married couple to gather information..."
"Idiot."
His tone was terribly cold. The bloodless, blade-like resonance of a First-Class Mage. Genau scoffed, sounding exasperated.
"What do you think Continental Magic Association missions are? Those were 'missions' for information gathering. A rational means to accomplish an objective, and the acting required for it. There's no way I would have ulterior motives then."
"My apologies..."
Methode straightened her posture at the flatly delivered logic.
He was right. To insert unnecessary irrationality into grueling missions that hovered between life and death was the very behavior he detested most.
Reflecting on her insensitive flippancy, Methode bowed her head.
"I'm so sorry. I never intended to make light of your dedication to your missions..."
She voiced a heartfelt apology.
But.
In her mind, Methode was already beginning to deconstruct the 'incongruity' in his recent words.
—Ulterior motives?
There are no ulterior motives in the acting required for a mission.
That meant. Conversely.
He had implicitly confirmed that right now, outside of a mission, those 'unnecessary emotions' did exist.
"In that case... did you have ulterior motives today, Genau-san?"
"No."
"Are you sure? Aren't you contradicting yourself?"
"I'm sure. I didn't."
Seeing him stubbornly refuse to admit it, Methode leaned forward slightly and stared back at him through upturned eyes.
"...Genau-san."
She lowered her voice slightly, calling his name sweetly, as if to cut off his escape route.
A few seconds of silence.
Eventually, the First-Class Mage, who was supposed to possess a will of steel, let his gaze wander as if giving up.
".........I did."
It sounded terribly clumsy and awkward, like a child forced to confess to a hidden prank. The way he said it was so funny, and so endearing, that Methode couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
Being laughed at, Genau sighed deeply.
Then, with a slightly stiffer pause than usual, he squeezed out words as if to excuse himself.
"...It can't be helped, can it?"
"It can't be helped?"
"Right. It was me who conveniently pretended to be your husband... but up to that point, I only meant it as a lifeline." Looking away abruptly as if making an excuse, Genau muttered, "But... you linked your arm with mine yourself."
"That was because you left a space under your arm for me, Genau-san."
"Did I? I didn't intend to."
"Oh my..."
Was he playing dumb, or was he truly unaware?
Either way, even his clumsy excuses sounded terribly sweet to Methode. That was why she had let her guard down just a little. Forgetting that he was a clumsy, oblivious man.
"Any man who has his arm linked by a woman like you and doesn't have any ulterior motives has something wrong with him."
"...Ah,"
A blunt, straightforward strike of passion, entirely devoid of his usual roundabout logic.
"...I-is that so."
The only voice that came out sounded pathetically squeaky.
This man, who perfectly separated his mission face from his private face, had directly admitted to harboring ulterior motives towards the single woman named Methode.
Her composure as a mature woman melted away without a trace before the pure heat of this overly honest, clumsy man.
An unhideable heat spread from her cheeks down to her neck.
Genau, who pierced straight through her heart without any calculation.
Methode's pace was completely thrown off, and she could do nothing but cast her gaze down at the red surface of her cooling tea.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door of the tea shop, the cold night wind that followed the sunset pleasantly stroked Methode's flushed cheeks.
On the cobblestone streets lit by streetlamps, the lively sounds of people enjoying the veil of night could be heard.
"Shall we return to the inn?"
Genau, standing beside her, asked in his usual quiet voice. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had thrown such straightforward ulterior motives at her just moments before.
An ironclad calm.
"Thank you. But... I still have a few more daily necessities to buy."
"I see. Understood."
As he seemed ready to easily turn on his heel, Methode let out a small breath deep in her chest.
Truly, he was a clumsy person to the bitter end.
No, that wasn't it.
He was an extreme person to the bitter end.
"Genau-san... won't you accompany me?"
When she asked, looking up at him with a slight hint of coquettishness, Genau stopped, blinked once, and then nodded.
"...Understood. I'll keep you company."
And so, Genau tried to start walking again with his usual, steady stride.
Methode gave a light, soft chuckle.
Methode had now regained her disrupted rhythm, finding enough composure to 'counterattack' this clumsy man.
"Genau-san."
"What is it?"
Looking up at him as he turned back, Methode made a small gesture. She indicated his left arm with her eyes and tilted her head slightly.
"...Your arm."
It was, without a doubt, a demand to 'make space under your arm.'
Genau furrowed his brows suspiciously.
"Why bother..."
"Oh, didn't you say so yourself, Genau-san? We are a married couple, aren't we?"
"That was just an excuse."
At that blunt logic, Methode narrowed her eyes a fraction. She glared at him with a sweet hue of protest.
"If you dismiss it as just an excuse, it ruins the reputation of the one who linked arms with you, doesn't it?"
"...I'm sorry."
"You really are hopeless."
Laughing softly in exasperation, Methode took a step forward of her own accord.
Unlike her hesitant demeanor from before.
With clear intent, she wrapped her arm deeply around his left arm, securing it tightly so there was no escape.
"Well then, shall we go with this reason instead?"
"What reason?"
"Because I have one, too."
"Have what?"
Taking advantage of his profound confusion, Methode pressed herself closer.
Stretching up, she brought her face close to his ear.
In the cold night air, only the sound of their breathing felt incredibly close.
Methode, lacing her voice heavily with an alluring composure, whispered sweetly, as if sharing a secret.
"I have some ulterior motives of my own, too."
Fin.