It's Annoying Because My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage

Tak.

I closed Lancer's diary.

I can't believe that was years ago.

I vividly remember blushing while looking at Lancer, I can't believe it's been so long since then.

I sprawled out on Lancer's bed.

It wasn't long after that that I decided to close my mind and start thinking about him instead. 

It happened when I met him, the 'Wizard from Hebnia' as Lancer called him.

That day, I decided to move on from Lancer and asked my parents, who had just returned to the duchy, to take me on a trip to another part of the country.

I felt sorry for them since they just got back, but I had no choice.

From that day forward, I vowed not to like Lancer, and the best way to do that was to stay away from him for a while.

A lot of things happened on that sudden trip, but as it turned out… I was able to forget about him for some time.

Since returning from that trip, my relationship with Lancer has changed significantly.

We were friends, and close-knit since childhood, but unlike before, whenever he tried to get close to me, I often pushed him away.

Lancer seemed deeply hurt whenever I did so, and I struggled a bit to soothe him at first.

But once, twice, and a few more times, he started to stop sulking. I guess you could say he got used to me rejecting him.

Now, when I look at Lancer being indifferent to my cold rejections, I feel both hurt and relieved at the same time.

Whatever.

I didn't make the wrong choice.

As I slowly drifted off to sleep with that thought,

"Are you sleeping, Skyla?"

"Aack!"

My eyes flew open at the sudden sound of Lancer's voice.

Before I knew it, he returned from his bath and was staring down at me.

His damp blond hair was matted with water droplets.

"Ah, when did you get here? I didn't hear the door opening."

After a moment of stunned silence, I sat up from the bed.

Lancer responded as if it were an obvious question.

"That's because I didn't open the door."

"What?"

"I teleported straight from the bathroom in case you were waiting for me, Skyla."

"Ah… I see."

I examined the Lancer standing before me from head to toe.

Only then did I realise that he was wrapped in a thick bathrobe.

I could almost feel the warmth of his body as if he had just stepped out of the bath.

I could see pure white skin through the slight opening in his robe. He'd been working out a lot lately, so his chest looked quite toned.

I was worried about him when I was younger because he was so small and weak, but I'm glad he has grown up healthy.

For some reason, I smiled and felt satisfied.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Why can't I smile?"

Lancer shrugged and plopped down on the bed in response.

The droplets on the ends of his hair fell onto the sheets.

"Ew!"

An unidentifiable scream came out of my mouth.

"Why would you sit on the bed with wet hair?!"

"Oops, sorry, I forgot because I was in a hurry."

"Then go back and dry it-"

Just as I was about to tell him to go dry his hair and come back later, Lancer snapped his fingers.

And his damp golden hair was instantly dry.

"It's dry now."

Lancer, whose hair was just dried instantly, flopped down beside me.

"..."

I envy him… imagine having magic that can dry your hair in seconds like that…

I suddenly feel so pathetic for spending half an hour blow-drying my hair every morning.

This should be a magic that everyone can learn for the greater good.

"Skyla, you lie down here too." He patted the seat next to him.

Lie down side by side?

I was briefly stunned by his request.

But at that very moment, a thought suddenly occurred: If I don't lie down there now, won't Lancer think it's unusual?

He probably doesn't even know what it means for a grown man and woman to lie in the same bed.

If I point that out and say no, he'll persistently dig in and ask, "Why can't we lie down together as friends then?"

So let's just lie down.

"Here, pillow."

Lancer held out an extra pillow for me. He probably cuddled up to it whenever he slept.

"No, thanks."

I declined, thinking that if I lay down on that pillow, I'd fall asleep faster than I ever did.

But I don't think Lancer was really asking for my choice of using it.

"You'll hurt your neck if you don't. Now, lift your head a little."

"Alright."

I let out a small sigh and took the pillow Lancer offered.

As my head hit the fluffy, feather-filled pillow, drowsiness began to slowly wash over my tired body.

Now if I could just get the duvet over me, I can fall asleep.

I fold my arms and open my half-closed eyes.

No matter how sleepy I am, I can't fall asleep in someone else's bed. I have the dignity of an aristocrat to keep.

"This reminds me of when we were kids."

"Why's that?"

"We used to lie down and sleep together like this."

I lay still in bed and looked over to see Lancer grinning bashfully.

He was smiling at what was so good.

"Remember how we always betted on who would fall asleep first?"

"Yeah, and you always lose."

It was true. As a kid, Lancer would doze off less than ten minutes after the lights were turned off.

He'd sleep well with his fingers poking into his cheeks, I'd wonder what was so good about his dream.

"I'm confident I'll win this time."

He proudly declared, like an unabashed proclamation of patriotism. The action was so insignificant and cute that it made me giggle.

"Why, have you learnt some sort of magic to overcome sleep?"

"That's not it, Skyla. How can I sleep when you're lying next to me?"

"Ah."

I was speechless for a moment.

I should have said something right away, but no words came out of my mouth. I was stunned into silence by Lancer's surprising confession.

Damn it, he got me. Out of the blue just like that.

It was a long time before I stammered out,

"....Where did you learn the art of flirting? Which professional taught you?"

"What's the art of flirting?

"Nevermind, let's just not talk about it."

I don't want to teach him anything new, because it'll only worsen things for me.

As I'm thinking this, I glance over at him and notice his bathrobe. He still hadn't changed into his pyjamas.

I could see his muscular chest protruding through his slightly open bathrobe.

From that brief moment, I felt myself burning up.

The fact that Lancer had just stepped out of the bath had been drilled into my head, and the glimpse of his bare skin made me feel strangely nervous.

I glanced up at the ceiling, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed.

"Y-your pyjamas?"

"My pyjamas?"

"Yes, pyjamas! You're not going to sleep in your bathrobe, are you?"

"I don't usually wear anything when I sleep."

"What?"

"What?"

Dumbfounded, I instinctively jerked my head back towards Lancer.

Our eyes met. My pupils dilated with bewilderment, while his were filled with innocence.

This guy... doesn't wear anything to bed?

"You...sleep naked?"

"Yes."

What?

An emergency signal went off in my head. It was only then did my conservative aristocratic tendencies begin to run amok.

What the hell?

But he was clothed when we were kids? He even showed off his glow-in-the-dark pyjamas that were imported from the Hebnia Kingdom when he was six.

When did he start this bizarre habit?

"Do you know what pyjamas mean?"

"It's something you wear when you sleep."

"It's a little strange to hear you say a fact after all these years. Anyway, yes, as you said, pyjamas are for sleeping. Put your pyjamas on now."

Lancer sat down on the bed as he pouts.

"But it's hot when I sleep with them."

"Then sleep with the window open. Go put them on.

"Okay."

He disappeared from the room in a flash as he used teleportation magic to leave.

That was close.

Staring at the spot where Lancer had disappeared, I sighed.

Crazy, crazy, crazy.

How could I blush at the sight of someone else's bare skin, especially a childhood friend I'd known my whole life?

I pressed my hands to my heated cheeks and closed my eyes.

Get a grip, Skyla.

Good thoughts, good thoughts, good thoughts, good thoughts, good thoughts, good tits...

"Aaaahhh!"

I buried my face in my pillow at the outrageous thought that popped into my head.

But the sight of his chest muscles twitching in front of my eyes bothered me.

I let out a muffled scream and eventually curled up like a tiny caterpillar on a leaf and dozed off to sleep.

* * *

The next day.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Lancer's face.

"Huh?"

Why is Lancer next to me?

I woke up like I had been dumped in cold water.

I wonder if this is what it's like to be struck by lightning after waking up.

I scrambled to my feet, and something slipped off of me.

It was the duvet covering me.

"A duvet..?"

My gaze, which had been fixed on it for about 3.12 seconds, slowly began to move along the flow of the duvet.

The other half of the quilt that had been wrapped around my body was laying Lancer.

"..."

My mind was short-circuited.

What on earth is going on?

Running a hand through my dishevelled hair, I stared blankly at the sleeping Lancer beside me.

Only three possibilities could describe what was happening.

1. I slept with Lancer.

2. I slept with Lancer with my eyes closed.

3. I entered a stable state of rest with Lancer by closing my eyelids to block out external light, followed by several hours of temporary physiological unconsciousness, which diminished sensory and reflex functions.

I ended up sleeping!

Wait, I slept?

Did I sleep in the same room as Lancer, on the same bed, under the same duvet?