Chapter 14: I''m A Guy!The next few minutes became a blur. Fina had tied her hair with a pink ribbon, and dressed herself into a maid uniform. Right away, she began to work as a waitress. Talon issued out orders and also helped with serving the customers, but what I found most impressive was how fast the food and drinks were coming out of the kitchen.

    ("Whoa...! Talon...?") [Solace]

    I finally got to see Talon in action. She was also wearing a maid uniform just like Fina, but it had more sleeves. She sprouted arms out of her torso, and more out of her already existing arms. It was similar to how a tree branch looked.

    "Order 23 and 57!" [Talon]

    "On it!" [???]

    A voice came from the kitchen, but there was no one to be seen. Utensils and plates moved through the air. I simply could not believe what I was seeing.

    ("Telekinesis? Invisibility? A ghost?!") [Solace]

    Everything was a mess. People came and left. By the time it was over, the sun had already set.

    "Good work everyone! Time to clean up!" [Talon]

    Just as those words exited her mouth, all the used plates and all the tables were cleaned in an instant.

    ("Magic really is something...") [Solace]

    "Phew..." [Fina]

    Breathing a sigh of relief, she untied the ribbon holding up her hair.

    ("Must''ve been a hard day at work, huh?") [Solace]

    I appeared before Fina to greet her, which seemed to be well received since I got a smile in return.

    "Oh, is that your spirit?" [Talon]

    Before I knew it, Talon was already standing behind Fina.

    "Mhm. This is my spirit, Solace." [Fina]

    "Solace, eh?" [Talon]

    She leaned in for a closer look, which kind of freaked me out due to her overwhelming size.

    "Is Solace a he or a she?" [Talon]

    "I... actually don''t know." [Fina]

    ("I''m a guy you know!") [Solace]

    I bobbed up and down, but I didn''t seem to get through to them.

    "Hm... how about we ask it?" [Talon]

    "Ask Solace?" [Fina]

    "Solace seems like a pretty smart spirit. Maybe it can understand my words, right Solace?" [Talon]

    Seeing as my manhood was at stake, I nodded with a "yes".

    "See? Just ask him." [Talon]

    "But..." [Fina]

    "Ah, fine. I''ll do it. Solace, go up and down if you''re a man. If you''re a woman, go left and right." [Talon]

    Without hesitation, I immediately bounced up and down.

    "Well, what''d ya know? It''s a man." [Talon]

    As she said that, Fina had a strange expression on her face.

    ("Sadly, my status'' gender is set as question marks...") [Solace]

    Without saying a word, Fina went to the woman''s changing room.

    ("Well, time to follow her.") [Solace]

    Just as I trailed after her, Fina popped right out and stopped me at the door.

    "Solace, no! Stay!" [Fina]

    Right after she ordered me to remain idle, she shut the door behind her.

    ("Wha...") [Solace]

    I was completely dumbfounded. I used to follow her everywhere, and she wouldn''t bat an eye.

    ("Maybe... has she become aware of me as a man...?") [Solace]

    Is what I thought, but it sounded so stupid that I just discarded the thought.

    ("Oh, she''s out.") [Solace]

    After a few moments had passed, Fina came out in casual clothing.

    "Solace, let''s go." [Fina]

    Dragged along without another word, Talon called out to Fina before she left.

    "Oh, Fina. I almost forgot." [Talon]

    "Yes?" [Fina] Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Your brother came by earlier. He said to give this to you." [Talon]

    She handed Fina what looked to be an extravagant letter. The letter was sealed by some red wax on the center which was imprinted with the image of a rose.

    "A-ah... My brother? When did he give you this letter?" [Fina]

    ("So she has a brother...?") [Solace]

    Fina seemed to have a strained look on her face, but Talon didn''t question it.

    "It was during your break." [Talon]

    "I see... Did he say anything else to you?" [Fina]

    "Nothing that you have to worry about." [Talon]

    "...M''kay..." [Fina]

    Just like that, we left the building.

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    After that, we went straight to the dorms. Fina sat by her desk and opened the letter with a blunt knife.

    "..." [Fina]

    She read in silence. After she had fully read it, Fina mumbled something to herself.

    "|Ignite|." [Fina]

    Out of nowhere, the letter burst into flame.

    ("Woah! What the-?!") [Solace]

    Within the timeframe of a few seconds, the letter turned to ashes.

    "It''s already that time..." [Fina]

    Whispering to herself, Fina went to bed.

    ("...That was uh... weird. I guess I''ll go back to leveling up my |Appraisal|.") [Solace]

    My naivety that day would come to be one of my greatest regrets.