I feel like it's too early to say thank you. It's only after we get over the situation this fortress is in right now that we can let up.

...... I'm sorry, brother Glass: ......

　Leslie apologizes with a sly smile. The sight of her hesitating so clearly in shame, often not knowing what she was thinking, was so limpid that she was lost for words.

　-- more than that, more than anything else. In order to get her to realize the current situation peacefully, even though I've only lived three years longer, I'm going to have to follow through like an older man.

''I don't have anything to apologize for, but ...... as expected, if you weren't a mage, you're about to get hurt if you're knocked backwards in a place like this.
...... I'm sorry, I'm sorry ...... I'm always bothering my brother Glass. ...

　After saying that much, she finally realized that she was in one piece.

'Huh ......, oh ......'

　When people are too upset, they lose their voice - Leslie was the embodiment of that now.

　She finally remembers and hides them with her hands, having forgotten to hide them. I close my eyes and cover them further with my own.

'See, I didn't see ...... it, no, I could see some of it. Maybe I was a little too bold.
"But wait a little longer, close your eyes still until I say you can go to ......, please... ......
I know, I know. No need to panic, okay?

　I close my eyes until Leslie says it's better. I don't listen to the sound of the garment rubbing, but I'm talking to the spirits that inhabit the wooden items around me - you're a rash daughter, says the older lumbering spirit. I replied in a small-talking tone, "I'm usually very calm.

'...... glass brother, I've changed my clothes. Wake up .......
'Oh ...... ooh, it's back to 'Mr. Rendle'.

　--and then, with permission, I raised my body and opened my eyes. I saw Leslie, with her exposed clothes re-wrapped tightly and changed into men's clothes.

'But if you don't interfere with the air spirits, it's still ...... Leslie, isn't it?
...... Now that I don't have my mouth covered, I have to hide it because the ...... mouth is the most revealing part of a person's character.
'Well, ...... we'll discuss that area when we get back to the room. I don't know if I'll have to continue to be 'Mr. Lendl' in the future.

　When I stand up, Leslie pays for my clothes. When I am taken care of in a worthy manner, I feel sorry for everything that Leslie has done for me as a secretary, everything that Mr. Rendle has done for me in the past as well as everything that Leslie has done for me in this way.

...... We've known each other for so long, you should have noticed the gestures and such.
'The 'air' spirits were said to be outliers at the academy, but I thought they were different. It's a power that can interfere with something that is everywhere called air...... everyone feels through the air when they see or feel something. So when you 'change the air', you can make it look different...... sorry, I've been keeping it a secret for so long.
'No, I've been hiding it from you. That magic, depending on how you use it ......, would be tricky if someone thought of using it for espionage or something and approached Leslie. We'd better not tell too many people about it in the future.

　The outlier spirit users didn't have to demonstrate their practical skills in front of the teachers. Only elemental spirit users were required to perform practical skills, added to the evaluation, and treated as the flamboyant pride of the academy - thanks to such a convention, we were able to keep the information about our own spirits secret without disclosing it.

　Looking at my report card, which was unappreciated just for being a 'plant spirit', anyone would think that I was useless as a mage. The Second Queen sent me to His Highness Astina, who was competing with her son, the Prince, for the succession to the throne, presumably to get me to drag my feet.

　If Leslie's spirits weren't also unappreciated, they would surely be noticed. A spirit that interferes with the 'air' - I once thought it was similar to the Wind Spirit, but in reality, it's just not like that.

I didn't know that ...... brother Glass's magic could also be used in battle. As a doctor, he studied a lot and was very good at surgery. ...... I thought brother Glass was even more unreliable.
'Well, I don't blame you for thinking that, but ...... you remember my special skills. One of these days, if we find a fruit-bearing tree somewhere else, we'll share the fruit.
'Yes. If you can, I'd prefer figs ...... and if not, anything I can eat with my brother Glass.

　I still felt uncomfortable with the sight of Leslie with her glasses on, but I didn't say that now.

　If I said something like, "Maybe you should take off your glasses," it would be like I was hitting on you.

'...... I can't reveal my true identity in this fortress just yet. Can I go back to 'Leslie' again when the battle has calmed down?
'That's ...... why?　People will be surprised when I tell them I dressed up as a man for a reason, but isn't dressing up as a man a burden on Leslie?
No, ...... the people who come and go in and out of this fortress might know about my house, so ...... in the unlikely event that the house gets word that I'm brother Glass's secretary, I'm sure they'll come to bring me back.
...... So that's what it was all about.

　This is probably what your sister-in-law meant when she said it was a thorny issue - if you're going to follow me, you'll have to disguise your identity.

　But that's not all. If you're going to pretend to be a stranger, you could have been a woman.

　Still, there's a reason I chose to be a man. I should have an idea by now, but I don't use my intuition to any extent. But after using my mind to the maximum, I finally find one answer.

I thought if I dressed up as a ...... man and played secretary, people wouldn't be suspicious of me in the same room as me, so is there a ...... reason for that?
............

　Leslie didn't answer. It was the right thing to do - to be my secretary and dress up as a man so that I wouldn't be suspicious when I was around.

...... That's part of the reason, but ...... that's not the only reason.
Yeah ......, well, what's more?
...... This fortress is all female, so if you and brother Glass are sharing a room with someone else ...... that might happen. I thought, "I'm going to go to .......

　It seems very hard to say, Leslie says. I guess I'm really embarrassed to even imagine such a thing - my face is red, and yet he's telling me the truth.

　It's true that the rooms in the fortress are limited, so if I had come alone, I might have ended up sharing a room with someone else. As I had heard from my sister-in-law beforehand, I actually felt that I was often made aware of by female soldiers.

'...... So you're here as my watchdog. Not at all .......
...... Sorry.
No. As far as I'm concerned, it's not safe for Leslie to be here, just as it's not safe for me to be here. So you have to take responsibility for bringing her back safe and sound.
"Thank you, brother Glass ....... I'll do my job well as a secretary.
'Yeah, good luck with that. I know you're going to be busy for a long time to come, so let's take it easy.

　We laughed at each other and walked back to our rooms.

　As we walked side by side, I remembered my time at the academy, even though Leslie was dressed in men's clothes - we hadn't walked next to each other that often.

　What had Leslie been thinking about when she had come here? I think it's clear enough now that I can be sure of that.

　But for now, more than anything else, I want to fulfill my role in this fortress as a military doctor and secretary. I was pondering as I walked, wondering in what order I could break down the pile of problems that were piling up.