"Ah... good afternoon, seniors!"
The girl pushed the door open with a light step, her softly gleaming, short silver-white hair swaying as she gave the two of them a sweet smile.
Her silver armored skirt outlined her graceful curves as she bowed, a sliver of bare thigh peeking out between her fitted maid uniform and black tights.
Two rosebuds adorned her headband, as fresh and innocent as the girl herself, and just as captivating.
"S-seniors? You don't have to..." Paimon stopped halfway, glanced at Gabrielina and Lumine beside her, and lowered her little head in dejection.
...What are you even upset about? A bead of sweat formed.
"I'm Noelle, a maid with the Knights of Favonius," Noelle said excitedly. "I never imagined I'd meet the [Honorary Knight] here. I'm so lucky!"
"Hello, I'm Lumine. These are Paimon and Gabrielina," Lumine replied gently.
Gabrielina realized that, without her noticing, Lumine seemed to have become her spokesperson. Right now, for example, she didn't have to introduce herself to Noelle, which gave her time to...
Ahem, I wasn't looking at her black tights! I was thinking long and hard...
Hey, you damn system. Why did we run into Noelle? Did I steal her hangout quest?
Have you lost your fucking mind?? What did you just call me?
Sorry, ma'am.
I'll put up with it for now and stay out of the line of fire.
Tch... the hangout quest doesn't exist anymore!
Or rather, you're her biggest 'hangout' now. More important than the main story!
Is that why those perverted quests have such generous rewards, while the normal ones only give me junk?
"Miss Noelle, that uniform... are you on a mission?"
It was only a simple question, but Noelle lowered her head shyly when she heard Lumine's words.
"Please just call me Noelle... It's not really a mission. I'm only here to pick up uniforms for everyone in the Knights of Favonius."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
Isn't this girl... a little too nervous?
"I'll leave you to chat while I pack up those clothes~" With that, the shop assistant turned and left.
Once she was out of sight, Lumine finally couldn't contain her curiosity. "Noelle, are you feeling unwell? Or... um, did Gabrielina scare you?"
"Hey... Lumine!"
With my looks and charming smile... maybe I'm not the picture of divine majesty, but I'm at least a masterpiece! How could I scare anyone?
This girl's just shy.
Yet perhaps because her emotions had stirred, the Angel's gaze on Noelle unconsciously grew more intense, and her golden eyes began to glow faintly.
Noelle swallowed involuntarily. Her knees weakened, and she instinctively wanted to step back.
Fortunately, under Gabrielina's expectant gaze, she managed to grip the edge of her skirt and steady herself. Blushing, she continued, "N-no... it has nothing to do with you! I'm just too nervous. I haven't become an official knight yet, but I'm working hard."
"If... it wouldn't be too much trouble, could... could the two of you guide my training?"
After a brief silence, Lumine and Gabrielina exchanged smiles as they looked at the flustered Noelle.
The Angel took half a step forward and gently supported her by the shoulders. "But we've only been knights for a few hours ourselves... You really don't need to call us 'seniors.'"
"B-but..."
"Rather than 'senior,' I'd much rather hear you call me by my name~"
A soft glow rippled around her halo, settling lightly over the girl's shoulders like a veil of dawn light.
It wasn't dazzling, nowhere near as brilliant as the "miracles" performed by the church's praying clergy. Still, Noelle felt an inexplicable warmth spread through her body, as though invisible hands were gently embracing her.
Just then, the shop assistant approached with several ribbon-tied packages in her arms. "All these orders are ready!"
"We'll help too." Lumine stepped forward quite naturally and took the box nearest her.
Gabrielina tapped a fingertip, and black threads bound several smaller packages together so she could lift them all at once.
"Ah, how could I let my seniors..."
"Not seniors. Friends." Lumine tilted her head and interrupted Noelle. "Besides, aren't we going to do some knightly training? This will get us there faster."
"Yes, senior!"
Yes, senior. Understood, senior!
"..."
In the end, Gabrielina transported everything herself using "Sky Shift."
Although Noelle fought hard for a chance to make herself useful, she was stopped anyway and could only follow Lumine and Paimon to wait in the plaza beside the fountain.
"So, Noelle, what would you like to start training in?"
Noelle nervously clasped her hands in front of her armored skirt, her eyes full of anticipation. "...I'd like to hear your opinion, senior!"
"...My duties as a maid and my training to become a knight-I don't think I've neglected either. But I'm still making rather slow progress..."
"Your duties as a maid?"
Gabrielina's face appeared in Lumine's mind.
White thigh-high stockings traced the shapely curves of her calves, black patent leather heels tapped against the floor, and her skirt stopped at a dangerous length that barely covered her thighs.
Most devastating of all were those golden eyes, always brimming with pride, now forced to lower their gaze as she spoke softly in a restrained voice.
"Welcome home, Master. Would you like dinner first? A bath? Or... would you prefer to enjoy this pair of wings that belong to you alone?"
Lumine shook her head sharply, banishing her rather unhealthy thoughts.
System: You'd struggle just to get into bed.
"Mm... it's all very ordinary cleaning and repair work..." The girl counted on her fingers. "I give the Knights of Favonius headquarters a thorough cleaning about every other day!"
"Huh?" ×2
Noelle pressed a finger to her lips, her tone as casual as if she were discussing tonight's dinner. "Nothing can be missed, from under the beds to the windowsills. The smaller the corner, the more easily dust collects."
"Then there are all sorts of little everyday tasks, like preparing eyepatches for Mr. Kaeya and organizing Miss Lisa's bookshelves..."
"Even though I'm busy every day... I always feel I'm still lacking something..."
Noelle looked at the two of them expectantly.
Lumine's gaze repeatedly swept over her slender, petite frame, still delicate despite its armor. In the end, she shook her head helplessly.
"I think what you're lacking is rest."
"Exactly!" Paimon chimed in. "That sounds like even more work than an official knight does!"
"Huh? Rest?"
Noelle covered her mouth in surprise, her rose hair ornaments swaying gently as she shook her head. "But there's still so much work waiting to be done. And... my abilities are still lacking. Even if I have free time, I ought to use it to train."
"To become a true knight as soon as possible, I have to work harder than everyone else!"
"But even true knights need enough rest."
At Lumine's words, the girl looked puzzled. Her lowered lashes cast tiny shadows across her cheeks, and she seemed to have fallen into a terribly difficult dilemma.
"But... if I do nothing with such precious time, I'll feel terribly guilty..."
"Hmm..."
Watching the maid knight wrestle with herself, Lumine felt a headache coming on too.
This sort of thing... really is completely different from fighting monsters with a weapon. If Gabrielina were here, she probably wouldn't find it difficult, would she?
After all, she always seems to take everything in stride.
"If you're always too busy, won't you lose the time you need to reflect~?" Lumine asked gently.
Noelle froze for a moment, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the ends of her hair. "Mm... I really hadn't considered that..."
"Rest... training... could resting also be a way to train better?"
After a brief moment of thought, a look of sudden understanding appeared on Noelle's face.
"Ah... is that why Miss Lisa always has afternoon tea in the library? I understand now!"
"She probably just likes taking breaks."
"Huh... i-is that so..."
Seeing that the girl was about to get tangled up in her thoughts again, Lumine smiled and linked arms with her. "All right, stop worrying! Let's go have some tea too."
"O-okay!"
Before you continue