"Kierul, I'm going out to hunt. I am leaving one copy at one-third strength to make sure you are safe so continue sleeping well."
Aku whispered to his sleeping master while perched on the windowsill while the copy he was talking about was waiting right by the window waiting to close it behind him.
Both of them were already fourteen and the place they were staying at was actually a small residence that Kierul bought from the money they earned by hunting monsters on the side.
Unfortunately, despite Kierul's protests to her parents and even the family head, not only were they given additional staff by the Helterose family, but they were provided with an unnecessarily large number of them.
In short – spies and informers whose only purpose was to keep an eye on the youngest child of the Helterose family who suddenly became growing in power leaving her siblings and cousins in the dust...
But back to the room and the leaving servant...
"You worry too much, leave just the weakest stand-in. What if you will encounter something strong? Do you expect me to sleep well when my best friend could die?"
"...your ability to fake being asleep leveled up again, I see..."
Kierul answered her masked attendant, rolling to the side to face him, and opened her eyes, to which the black-haired boy sighed heavily actually taken by surprise.
"You wouldn't be trying to calm down your conscience by informing me about doing something if it was just hunting for monsters. What do you plan to do?"
The red-haired girl pulled down her blanket and propped herself up on the pillow just so she could look as condescending as possible.
"..."
"Aku."
The masked boy looked away, not wanting to answer but that only made Kierul's expression and voice become strict.
"... because of Urtervia, we couldn't go to young lady Espine's birthday party... I know that we sent her an appropriate present but... But I also bought something for her... And just to be clear, I do intend to go hunting! One of my copies will make the delivery!"
Aku started brooding but he did explain himself properly and even made sure that Kierul knew that he wasn't lying to her – not completely, at least.
"If you would want to do it any other way you would severely damage the trust I have in you."
The red-haired girl breathed out shaking her head in annoyance...
She didn't say or do anything that she would even suggest that she wants to stop her attendant from going with his plan.
"Well? Everything you said doesn't change what I said – leave just the weakest copy here to keep up the pretense and go do your thing. I can protect myself~"
Kierul scoffed, waving her hand dismissively and declaring, raising her head proudly.
"I am your attendnat. The purpose of my presence by your side is so that you would not have a need to protect yourself by yourself."
"You seem to be underestimating how well-guarded the Espine estate will be. Do not get us in trouble because you have a crush on the spoiled little lady."
The masked boy pointed out but was easily countered by his red-haired master.
Kierul was right and Aku knew that she was right, but he still didn't want to leave her with no one reliable enough to have her back in case of trouble.
The coachman that they terrorized into compliance was doing everything in his power to prove his competence and loyalty, but saying that he had either the master's or the attendant's trust was an enormous stretch...
"...fine... Gemini."
In the end, Aku gave up, breathing out in defeat. As he did, the one copy waiting to close the window dissipated into a thin silver mist that returned to the masked boy, and then, at his command, a brand new copy stepped down from the windowsill and took the place of the previous one.
"I can hear you sulking. Come on, at least tell me what are you abandoning me to give her~"
"Don't even say that as a joke. I will never abandon you, idiot."
Kierul giggled, joking around, but was surprised by how angry her attendant sounded at her humor.
"I know, I know. I'm a big meanie~ Now. I am honestly curious what would you give er. She seems to like those tacky jewelry made out of mana crystals. Did you decide to buy her a replacement earring after, like, what, three years?"
The red-haired girl waved her hand a few times to appease her agitated attendant and asked with a soft expression.
"...comb..."
"...excuse me...?"
Aku fidgetted, muttering so embarrassed that even his copy faced the other way, making Kierul tilt her head in confusion.
"She has lovely hair and... and I... well... last month you were browsing through the wares of the traveling merchants I saw a jade comb and bought it on a whim... Well, not a whim... I thought about her so... you know... Hey! I can see you grinning at me!"
The masked boy revealed the surprise he had in store for the young lady of the Espine family but ended up getting all grumpy at the reaction of the red-haired girl.
"Sorry~! Now go, When will you return? Espine territory is almost half a kingdom away so... two days? Three?"
Kierul laughed openly before taking a deep breath and asking lightheartedly.
"Hmph. I will make it back before breakfast – remember, my copy doesn't have to make the trip back and I will be exploring the mountains outside the Perserios territory. You are getting moody if we don't eat together, so wait for me, bothersome master."
Still very much embarrassed Aku pointed his index finger at the resting girl and scoffed proudly.
"I will~"
"Hmph~"
Kierul nodded in confirmation which made Aku let out a satisfied sound and finally leave the room.
His copy carefully closed the window and moved to the corner where he was about to sit down and remain on guard duty until the original return...
"Hey... Hey... Aku~ how about a little dance lesson before I go back to sleep?"
"...!"
A whole hour have passed when Kierul who Aku's copy fully believed to be deeply asleep spoke up without moving, giving him a scare.
"I don't mind. Just a reminder though, this copy isn't connected directly to my original body but its memories will transfer upon its expiration."
Aku shrugged his shoulders, standing up and informing his master.
"I know and I don't mind. I personally asked you to leave the weakest copy behind – this and that are connected... also, you heard yourself talking about young lady Miriette, didn't you?"
"...yes... but I don't see the connection you are trying to make..."
The red-haired girl stood up, straightening her pajama and fixing her hair while Aku's copy tilted his head in confusion.
"I'm simply glad that we are so similar~"
"...?"
Kierul snickered, offering her hand to the copy of her attendant. He took it and moved his arms around the red-haired girl, ready to rehearse the steps, but his adorably tilted head very clearly conveyed that he still has no idea what Kierul was talking about.
"We both feel comfortable about our bond. I want my future husband to be exactly like you, but not you. And you, well, you have a thing for stubborn spoiled bitches. What else can I say? Miriette and I fit in the same category, although I guess she is more refined... on the outside. What I want to say is, I am happy that we will never be romantically involved with each other but will kill anyone who tries to harm the other person."
The two started moving in the rhythm of the song which tunes didn't have to resound through the bedroom for them to follow it and the red-haired girl explained herself, or at least she tired.
"Oh my~ We really are similar, I thought the same – although honestly, I would prefer if you said it to my face instead of saying it to my face."
Aku's copy chuckled and agreed as they were going through the motions that captured the heart of Ehmi Gamemi Victureo during her birthday.
"Splitting your mind like that causes your brian to work in the strangest ways, idiot."
"Nah, I just spent too much time listening to your delusions about marrying lord Grazio, idiot."
Kierul shook her head and sighed, but once again she wasn't the one with the final word.
---------
"Haaah... I didn't activate a direct connection with the copy I sent out to young lady Espine to not do anything stupid... But wasn't I just being a coward?"
Two hours after leaving Kierul's residence, the original Aku breathed out looking at the starry sky.
The masked boy was sitting on top of a dead wyvern the size of a house, kicking up his feet bothered by the feelings inside of his heart.
"Anyway! This guy chased off or ate all the other mosnters from this peak so I might as well call it a day and carve him apart into materials~"
Still, his melancholy didn't last long and Aku jumped down and was about to activate his star powers when...
*crack*
An odd sound came from above and got his attention.
"...h-huh...?"
And when Aku looked up, his eyes widened in shock.
...the sky was breaking apart...