Normally Louise would have shoved him off and yelled at him to stop making fun of her.

Today she found herself frozen, unable to do or say anything.

This is nice,

Ian suddenly whispered. Maybe he had the same idea as Louise.

She nudged him away.

I owe you.

Owe me?

Louise held up the list of students she had in her hand as an answer.

AhI see.

He gave a low chuckle.

Im glad you appreciate it. I would be happier if I could get a reward someday.

Ill repay you.

With what?

Louise thought for a moment then shrugged her shoulders.

Anything.

My childhood friend has learned dangerous things at the Academy.

But why did you put your name on the list?

Whats wrong with that?

Youre fine by yourself.

Louise directed her eyes at the vase by the window.

He finally lifted his head, but he still kept his arms firmly around her waist.

I justI just wanted to be sure that the flowers were okay. I didnt mean anything else.

You did a good job.

Im relieved. Wish I could keep you around forever.

It cant be forever.

Louise strictly pointed out his choice of words.

I know,

he replied, brushing away her messy hair.

What I meant is to stay as long as needed.

Now youre telling me the right thing to do.

Louise looked back at him and smiled.

Did you get some sleep?

A little.

You still seem to be weak in the morning.

Very much so.

He sighed and leaned his head on Louises shoulders again.

This reminds me of our childhood.

Our childhood?

Yes. The first time the three of us fell asleep together.

The three of them, including Simon. Louise remembered it was a warm autumn midday.

We didnt have this soft bed then.

The three of them had fallen asleep at the garden.

Instead, there was the soft grass and the heat of the earth.

How did we sleep at the time?

She tried to rack her brain, but the memory was too distant for her to recall.

Doesnt really matter.

Maybe Ian couldnt remember either. Instead he leaned a little closer, enough that they could share their body heat.

I remember being so close.

Louise felt a pang of nostalgia at the memory. Back then, Ian and Simon were so small and young that she often forgot that they were characters from a novel.

Yes, I remember. But Im sure you were wearing clothes at that time,

she replied, pushing against the arm against her waist. His arm, that had been binding her as if it would never let her go, finally loosened. The two returned to their usual distance.

Of course I want to wear clothes. Im a cultured man.

He nodded towards his wardrobe, about ten steps away from his bed.

I should probably leave.

Dont you want to say good morning to your partner?

Im not your partner.

Sorry, I forgot. Lets change the subject then.

He smiled slyly.

How about just a good morning?

Good morning,

Louise said sarcastically.

What? I said good morning.

Yes you did.

And your answer?

Close your eyes.

Why?

Ill become self-conscious if I dont get dressed soon.

As he started to get up she quickly covered her eyes with the palm of her hand.

Tuk.

She heard the sound of bare feet touching the floor. With nothing to see, Louise naturally focused on the sound of his movements and imagined what he was doing.

Walking. Yawning and opening his closet. Turning his clothes over with his long fingers.

The images came to her naturally. Of course, she still didnt know the true extent of his undress. She could hear the sound of thin fabric touching his body.

Well, she didnt want to think about that. Instead she thought that the sounds of dressing and taking off clothes sounded like a sheet of paper. Okay, she didnt know why she was thinking of that now.

Louise Sweeney.

What?!

Louise was startled into uncovering her eyes but she quickly shut them again.

You looked.

I didnt look! You call me out of the blue, and I was just surprised!

Im the one whos surprised. I almost lost my visual purity like this.

What do you mean? Only the buttons on your shirt were undone.

So you did see.

Alright, she saw him! But it really was inevitable. Anyone who would come across such great abs would naturally look at it. It was human nature, or rather, the nature of any biological creature. And Louise respected all natural phenomena.

She dont know how she got to this long excuse.

Its been a while since Ive written in my diary. Today I was robbed of my visual purity by Louise Sweeney.

Ill give it back!

Louise stretched out her hands as if she were returning something without opening her eyes. The diary, which Ian had spoken of in an amused tone, was the official memoir of the crown prince and would be preserved for the ages for descendants in the future to read about and study. In such reverential writings would be the words,

Louise Sweeney has taken away my visual purity.

She didnt want to appear in a lewd sentence like that! Ever!

Soon she heard Ian laughing. When Louise squinted open her eyes, she saw that he was standing before her fully dressed.

Good morning, childhood friend.

He also politely gave his morning greeting.

Well, lets go.

Where?

Lets go see someone who can sort out your messy hair first.

He meant Simon. She felt a little guilty bothering Simon so early in the morning, but she wanted to meet him dearly. Maybe it was because of the memories of the past she remembered.