Alice pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you really have a gender?"
Amon chuckled, somehow producing a chair from nowhere. He sat down and explained, "As an Innate Mythical Creature, human gender has little meaning to me."
Alice nodded thoughtfully and continued explaining Amon's earlier confusion:
"In human etiquette, unfamiliar men do not appear in women's bedrooms. Probably only close relatives and lovers would do that? But after a girl has Grown Up, even close relatives need to avoid certain improprieties...
"In short, having someone of the opposite sex in the bedroom is just very strange! And even with the same sex, it is not really proper social etiquette if you are not familiar with each other..."
Amon smiled at Alice. "I think we are fairly familiar with each other... After all, according to human etiquette, exchanging gifts is something only friends do, isn't it?"
Alice frowned, hoping to find a reason to refute that.
Amon watched her rack her brains with great interest until a knock sounded at the door. Alice raised her head and instinctively Looked At Amon.
Amon wore an expression that said, "As you wish."
Alice therefore treated the blanket as a coat, wrapping herself in it as she got out of bed and shuffled over in her slippers to open the door.
"Evelyn?" Alice looked at the person outside In Surprise. She instinctively smiled, intending to Say Hello, but quickly remembered that an Incarnation of Deceit and Mischief was Hidden In this house. She hurriedly withdrew her smile, making her attitude polite and distant.
Without a doubt, she failed.
"Your friend?" the Angel of Time's amused voice sounded, instantly stiffening Alice's body.
She did not dare turn around or reveal any obvious emotions, afraid Evelyn might notice something strange—at least before Evelyn discovered anything,