Somewhat embarrassed, Saito just scratched his head. Then he realized he was using his right arm, which had been broken. It looked completely fine. It still ached a bit when he moved it, but it seemed the bones were whole again.
Wow, so this is magic. Saito thought in slight admiration.
…I guess it is something to be proud about.
“By the way, did you tend to me all this time?”
“Oh no, not me. It was actually Miss Vallière…”
“Louise did?”
“Yes. She changed all the bandages and wiped the sweat from your face… She didn't sleep one bit, so she must be exhausted.”
As she slept, Louise's breathing was even and gentle. There were heavy dark circles under her eyes though.
Her sleeping face is always so adorable. It's so doll-like.
So she can be nice sometimes, he thought. Suddenly her side profile looked intensely cuter.
Louise's eyes flickered open.
“Fuaaaaaaaaa~~”
She made a great big yawning stretch, and then her gaze fell upon Saito, who was sitting on the bed blinking in surprise.
“Ara. You're awake.”
“Y-Yeah…”
Saito cast his eyes downward. He figured he should thank her.
“Um, Louise.”
“What?”
“Thanks. And I'm sorry I made you worry.”
Louise stood up.
And drew closer to Saito.
Saito's heartbeat accelerated.
Is she going to say something like “good job, you were really cool out there” and maybe kiss me?
But that was not to be.
Louise pulled away Saito's blanket and grabbed him by the scruff.
“If you're better now, get out of my bed!”
Still holding him by the scruff, Louise pulled Saito out of the bed.
“Wah! Ow!”
Saito tumbled to the floor.
“Hey, I'm still an injured person!”
“If you're well enough to complain, you're well enough for anything else.”
Saito stood up. His body still objected, but it was nothing he couldn't put up with. Still, she could've let him sleep for a little bit longer.
“Uh, in that case, I will take my leave now…”
Siesta left the room wearing a crooked smile. Or more precisely, she fled the room.
Louise threw a mountain of clothes and underwear at Saito.
“Ack!”
“That's the laundry that's piled up while you were asleep. Once you're done with that, clean up the room. Hop to it!”
“Um, you know…”
Louise glared fiercely at Saito.
“What? Just with something like beating Guiche, did you think you'd be treated differently? Did you think you'd be congratulated? Are you an idiot?”
Saito looked resentfully at Louise.
He decided to take back his earlier thought about her being cute.
Still… the way Louise sat on her bed swinging her legs was an undeniable level of cuteness beyond this world.
Her long strawberry blonde hair rippled. Her hazel eyes twinkled with mischief. She was rude, arrogant, and selfish, but try as he might to deny it, her appearance was enchanting.
Raising a finger triumphantly, Louise declared.
“Don't you forget! You're my familiar!”
Gandálfr
Chapter One: A Familiar's Day
It had been a week since Saito started his life as Louise's familiar at Tristain Magic Academy. If one were to explain an average day for Saito, it would read like the following:
First, like the majority of animals and humans in Tristain, he woke up in the morning. His bed was, as usual, the floor, though compared to the first day it had mostly improved. Finding that his body hurt all night if he slept on the hard floor, Saito had asked the maid Siesta for some of the hay that was fed to the horses and had packed it into a corner of the room. Saito slept on the pile of hay, wrapped in the blanket that Louise had so “graciously” bestowed upon him.
Louise called Saito's makeshift bed “the chicken's nest,” which was appropriate as chickens slept on hay, and as the first thing Saito did every morning was to wake Louise up, like a rooster.
But he had to, because there would be trouble for him if Louise woke up first.
“A stupid familiar that has to be woken by its master needs to be punished.” Louise never forgot to remind him.
If Saito ever overslept, he'd be denied breakfast.
Once woken up, Louise got changed. She put on her underwear by herself, but made Saito dress her in her uniform. This was mentioned before. With her enchanting looks, Saito was breathless every time he saw Louise in her underwear. They say you get used to a beautiful lover in three days, but it didn't seem Saito would get used to Louise anytime soon.
Maybe because he was her familiar, not her lover. Still, always by Louise's side, he essentially was one. The only difference was in her attitude and treatment of him.
Getting to see Louise like this every day wasn't all bad. However, it was a persistent wound to his pride. When helping Louise into her shoes, for example, he couldn't hide the irritation from his face.
At least that much was tolerated, but if Saito ever said anything to set Louise off, things became bothersome.
“A rude familiar that displeases its master this early in the morning needs to be punished,” was another of Louise's mottos.
If Saito ever teased Louise about her breast size, or got pouty and said something like, “Do up the buttons yourself,” he'd be denied breakfast.
Dressed in her uniform, which consisted of a black cloak, a white blouse, and a grey pleated skirt, Louise then washed her face and brushed her teeth. The room didn't even have sensible things like running water installed, so Saito had to go down to the fountain and bring up water for Louise's use in a bucket. And, of course, Louise didn't wash her face herself. She made Saito do it.
One morning, while he was wiping her face with a towel, he lightly traced Louise's face with a piece of charcoal he had found.
Seeing his masterwork drawn on Louise's face, Saito barely held in a snigger. Then in pretend obsequience, he politely bowed his head to Louise.
“Mistress. You are the epitome of beauty this day.”
Due to low blood pressure, Louise could only manage a sleepy reply.
“…Are you plotting something?”
“Myself? I am simply a familiar serving the orders of my mistress. I would not dare to plot!”
Louise was suspicious of Saito's sudden and excessive politeness, but since she was almost late for class, she didn't question him any further.
With her vividly rosy cheeks, charming hazel eyes, and lips that seemed carved from fine coral, Louise knew she didn't need to decorate herself, so she didn't wear any kind of make-up. In other words, this meant she didn't look in the mirror much. And this day was no different. The result: she had absolutely no idea of the “make-up” that Saito had applied on her.
Louise headed out to class in that state. The time being what it was, she didn't encounter anyone in the hallways or stairs.
Louise opened the classroom door panting. As one, her classmates looked at her and exploded with laughter.
“Hey, looking good, Louise!”
“Oh my god! That's so you!”
Afterwards, when Mister Colbert kindly complimented the stylish glasses and moustache sketched on her face, Louise went berserk. She went out into the hallway where Saito was holding his stomach as he rolled on the floor in hysteric laughter, slapped him a dozen times, and cut his meals for the entire day.