A strong nighttime wind woke me up.

    The sound of wind resounded within the room with shaking windows.

    I seem to have woken up at a strange hour.

    Though if I speak of the hour I don’t know what hour it is.

    I’ve grown used to a lifestyle without clocks but, there are times when I miss them.

    「……Maybe I should, go wash my hands.」

    It’s cold and, the morning is still distant.

    I want to avoid causing an unexpected incident by enduring strangely here.

    ……I want to avoid that.

    Getting out of my bed the night’s chill permeates my body.

    Since it’s a harsh season to wander about with only a negligee, I put on a cardigan.

    Exiting to the hallway the magic crystal’s light gives dim illumination.

    Even at night the security maid-sans are working aren’t they.

    Night shift, good work.

    It’s a good chance so maybe I should sleep after I at least give everyone doing their best a shout out.

    Going around calling out to the maid-sans that I see around me while keeping it at a level that doesn’t trouble them, I notice light leaking from the first floor’s book room.

    When I tried looking inside, the person that I expected to a degree was staring at a book.

    「Saira.」

    「A, Alice-san.」

    Calling out to her as I approached, she raised her face from the book she was absorbed in while turning around.

    「You’re still studying this deep in the night?」

    「Hai desu nya, since it seems like the image for oneesan’s sword will firm with a bit more effort.」

    「Is that so, thanks then.」

    When saying either sorry or thanks, it’s thanks isn’t it.

    「Since I’m also enjoying this, but I really want to see the real thing nya……」

    Saira looked at the book, while moaning.

    I circled around Saira’s back and took a look at that.

    It was a book with a picture of a katana on it.

    I guess that for blacksmithing training knowledge and image are precious?

    「The real thing huh, since oneechan’s sword broke.」

    That would mean, maybe there’s nothing but seeing what comes of walking about the royal capital’s weapon stores and searching them?

    「Saira, want to see about searching the weapon stores?」

    「Actually I’ve already finished searching through most of the royal capital’s weapon stores……」

    She’s that commendably diligent Saira after alll.

    Then what should I do?

    If it’s not in the royal capital then, Wilmington?

    No, rather than that if it’s the weapon called a katana then isn’t it most likely to be in Sacrament?

    The Raikiri that Leoneil held was also like that.

    If I’m setting Wilmington aside, going to Sacrament seems difficult though.

    U～n.

    But before setting out to distant lands, it wouldn’t be bad to try and look into connections in the royal capital besides the weapon shops would it.

    「Saira, want to go out tomorrow? I don’t know if it might possibly be an empty swing though.」

    「Of course it’s okay! In order to make something good, it’s not necessary to be frugal with effort nya!」

    Her eyes sparkled in such depths of night.

    「Then please keep it in moderation and sleep okay?」

    「It’s alright!」

    Though I feel that that reply is strange issn’t it.

    Smiling bitterly, I embraced Saira’s body that was smaller statured and more delicate than my own from behind.

    「Forcing yourself is forbidden you know.」

    「A, Alice-sann」

    It might have been from nervousness, Saira’s ears perked up.

    Those ears, are comforting arren’t they.

    Huh, saying that since Saira has cute animal ears……a tail is?

    Though we’ve entered a hot spring together, I didn’t look that far.

    ……No, didn’t look, I didn’t look.