After the jokes and banter had died down and every bite of that amazing breakfast was gone, I leaned back in my seat with a satisfied sigh.
That was really good.
Warmth settled in my chest—not just from the food, but from the whole experience. It felt... homey.
Since she went through all the trouble of cooking, the least I could do was take care of the cleanup.
"You should take it easy," I said, standing up and stacking the plates. "I’ll handle the dishes."
Leona shook her head before I could grab more. "No need. I’ve got it."
"Come on, that’s not fair. You cooked. Let me help at least a little."
She gave a small shrug, waving me off. "Friends don’t keep score like that. Just relax."
I opened my mouth to argue again, but she added, a bit too casually, "Besides, if you really want to make it up to me... you can help decide what we’re doing today."
I blinked.
"...Doing?"
She kept her eyes on the dishes, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Yeah. I mean, it’s the weekend. We’ve both got the day off."
"So you’re saying... you want to hang out?"
Leona paused, then gave the faintest nod. "Well, some of the other kids in my class were talking about going out. Just... having some fun with their friends. Stuff like that."
She still wasn’t looking at me.
Then she added quietly, "It sounded fun. I thought maybe... we could do something too."
I watched her carefully. Leona wasn’t the type to make vague suggestions. She usually had things planned out to the minute. So this half-mumbled invite felt... oddly genuine.
"You’re not really the spontaneous type," I said, raising an eyebrow. "What’s going on?"
She hesitated, then turned around to face me—her arms crossed, almost like she was bracing for impact.
"Honestly? I didn’t have many friends before coming here. Any, actually. So... I thought maybe I could try doing normal stuff. With a friend."
Her voice got quieter at the end.
Ah.
Now it made sense.
She wasn’t being casual—she was nervous.
Still acting like a guy. Still pretending this was no big deal.
But her tone, her posture... it all screamed, Please say yes.
"...You’re my first real friend," she added, almost like an afterthought.
That last line hit differently.
If I didn’t know she was a girl, this whole thing might’ve felt awkward or even a little strange. But I did know. And somehow that made it... cute.
Leona Harper—heir of a powerful clan, sword prodigy, cross-dressing noble—standing here all shy and fidgety, asking me to hang out.
Hard not to smile at that.
But just as I was about to say yes, her expression shifted.
"Wait... do you already have plans?" she asked, her voice faltering. Her shoulders drooped just slightly. "I mean, if you’re busy, it’s fine..."
I swear, she looked like a kicked puppy.
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. "Nope. No plans."
"Really?"
"Really. I’d love to hang out."
She blinked like she didn’t quite believe me at first. Then a grin started to form at the corners of her lips.
"...Okay. Cool."
And just like that, her whole mood lifted.
Guess I was spending the day with Leona Harper.
Not that I minded.
Leona, now visibly relieved, turned back to the sink. But not fast enough—I caught the small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It wasn’t one of those polite ones, either. It was the kind that made her eyes crinkle just a little.
"Any idea what you wanna do?" I asked as I dried my hands with a towel.
She paused, thinking. "Well... I’ve never really had a proper weekend before. So... maybe something normal?"
"Define normal."
"You know. Stuff people our age do."
"You mean, teenagers?"
"Yeah," she nodded, a hint of excitement slipping into her voice.
Meanwhile, my brain immediately went into overdrive.
What do teenagers even do around here? Go to Karko? Watch movies? Hit the amusement park? Play arcade games? The list just kept growing.
Leona turned off the faucet and wiped her hands. "Let me finish these dishes, then we’ll head out."
I blinked. "Wait. We haven’t even decided where we’re going yet."
She just smiled and went back to scrubbing.
I wanted to point that out—wanted to ask if she even had a plan—but honestly, it wasn’t worth it. We’d probably end up deciding on the way.
’We’ll figure it out,’ I thought. Famous last words.
---
Spoiler alert:
We didn’t decide.
Or rather—I never got the chance to offer an opinion.
If I’d had a say? I’d probably have suggested Karko or the theatre. Something simple.
Chill.
Instead, I found myself standing in front of an old, weather-worn building with a faded wooden sign.
Kendo Dojo.
Empty. Quiet. Absolutely abandoned-looking.
I stared at it.
Then stared at her.
This wasn’t a "let’s hang out" kind of place. This was a "let’s spar until one of us needs physical therapy" kind of place.
I squinted. "Le—Leon... When you said, ’Let’s hang out,’ did you mean, ’Let’s spend the afternoon with you using me as a punching bag’? Because if that’s what this is, I’m gonna be real disappointed."
She blinked at me like I was the weird one. "Huh? You don’t like it? I thought this would be fun."
"Fun?"
"Yeah. I’ve never had a proper hangout with a friend before... so I figured I’d show you what I’m good at."
There was no sarcasm. No hidden edge.
She was... being sincere?
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Well... look, I don’t hate kendo," I started. "But maybe today’s not the best day for martial arts. Let’s do something else."
She looked surprised. "Why?"
Because you’re the type who gets excited and ends up pulling out secret family techniques in a ’friendly match,’ and then someone ends up with a dislocated shoulder, I thought.
And because I knew the story. If this scene played out like it was supposed to, she’d be misunderstood, get ridiculed for trying too hard, and spiral into social anxiety territory. And as her first actual friend, I had a duty to prevent that.
Also, I didn’t feel like getting thrown across a dojo floor today.
"Trust me," I said, already turning away. "There’s something better we can do."
She blinked. "Like what?"
I glanced over my shoulder with a smirk.
"Karaoke."
Leona tilted her head, visibly confused. "Is that another martial art?"
I stopped walking.
Turned around.
She was dead serious.
"...You really don’t get out much, huh?"
She looked away, cheeks slightly pink. "Not really."
I laughed. "Come on, I’ll show you. No wooden swords required."