The next morning was our weekly day off.

Waking up to noisy voices, I found Lili already awake, talking to someone. It sounded like an argument.

I'm still sleepy. Getting up is a hassle. But with this much noise, there's no way I can go back to sleep.

I sat up.

Lili was standing in front of the open door. Several unfamiliar men stood in the hallway. Shaking my head, I got out of bed and walked over to Lili.

“This is troublesome.”

“Sorry about that. This is entirely our mistake.”

I spoke to Lili’s back.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, your bed arrived, but…”

She trailed off hesitantly.

The men seemed to be delivery workers. They must have brought my bed from the furniture store. Peeking out from beside Lili, I saw what appeared to be a disassembled bed in the hallway.

It was designed to be assembled indoors. None of the individual parts were particularly large.

But—

Frowning, I pointed at it.

“...Are all the parts there?”

The men all turned to me with visibly anxious expressions. Every single one of them.

It's small. Not just lacking parts—it's clearly too small.

Looking up at Lili, I asked,

“Is that... a baby crib?”

“Apparently so.”

“I may be small, but I can't possibly fit in that!”

If anything, I’d be even more cramped than before.

“I thought as much.”

Ah, I see.

The man had just admitted it was their mistake.

When I turned to him, he took off his hat and, looking awkward, spoke up.

“Sorry, young master. When we received the order for a child’s bed, one of our younger employees assumed it was for an expectant mother whose belly hadn’t shown yet, and, well... he jumped to conclusions and had a baby crib made instead. You see, because, well—”

Lili hastily interjected.

“It’s my fault too. I should have explained more clearly. Eremia moving in was decided so suddenly, I was in a rush.”

Ah, the day she picked me up from the inn in a carriage.

The man shook his head.

“That may be, but, well, you’re the famous ‘War Maiden,’ aren’t you? General Lili Ituka? The one who was assigned to Lehan Knight Academy? Your name was even on the order form.”

“Ah, yes. Is that a problem?”

“So it is you. That’s not a name you hear often. Well, you see, our employee assumed you retired because of marriage or pregnancy.”

“Ah…”

Lili looked down.

“I’m sorry. It's my fault for being too late to marry…”

“N-no, no, no! Please don’t say that! A woman like you must have plenty of suitors!”

Stop. Please, just stop.

My disciple was genuinely dejected. It was painful to watch.

Most likely, she wasn’t upset that she couldn’t get married. She was probably frustrated that her choices—or lack thereof—had led to such a bizarre misunderstanding.

“We’ll remake the bed at our shop, free of charge. Since you’ve already paid, there’s no need to worry about the cost.”

“But isn’t there a price difference between a baby crib and an adult bed?”

“No, no, this was entirely our mistake—and an insulting one at that, towards a hero. Please, don’t worry about it.”

“Even so, I—”

I spoke up.

“Alright, enough. Instead of a bed, could you make a small wardrobe? Just big enough for children’s clothes. That should cover the cost difference, right? What do you think, Instructor Ituka?”

“If you’re okay with it, Eremia…”

I turned to what seemed to be the shop owner.

“That’s settled, then. Sorry for the back-and-forth, but cancel the bed and make the wardrobe instead.”

“Well, that’s fine by us, but…”

The man glanced at Lili, who gave a small nod.

Then, Lili and I exchanged wry smiles. In the end, it was just like before.

The shop owner asked, looking puzzled,

“...You two aren’t parent and child, are you?”

My skin was pale, my hair golden. Lili had a slightly darker complexion and black hair.

Our faces looked nothing alike. Besides, if I were Lili’s child, that would mean she gave birth at fifteen. That seemed a bit early.

“This may be a bit personal, but... what exactly is your relationship?”

“We are—”

Lili let out a small groan and fell silent, as if struggling to answer.

According to Void Scale, even with mutual consent, engaging with someone my age would be a crime. Of course, that wasn’t our relationship, but—

Seeing her hesitation, the man hastily waved his hands.

“Ah, no, no! My apologies! That was inappropriate of me. It’s none of my business. We’re just furniture makers, and we won’t spread rumors. Whatever the reason, giving someone a gift is a wonderful thing. We’ll make it with all our heart.”

“Hey, furniture maker. I appreciate the quality work, but don’t get the wrong idea.”

So I told him, laughing.

The words Lili had hesitated to say.

“We are family. Even without blood ties. Even without a defined ‘form.’ That’s why we stay together.”

A foolish disciple of mine had almost convinced herself otherwise.

And so, I added a bit more. A story that every citizen of this country probably knew—a story of what our relationship was meant to be.

“...Yes, just like Sword Saint Blythe and War Maiden Lili.”

When I glanced at Lili after saying that, she was blushing happily.