"Senpai... senpai..."
In a daze, it felt like someone was calling him.
"Senpai... wake up..."
The voice became clearer, allowing him to identify the owner of the voice.
It was a pleasant and light voice.
Therefore, the owner of the voice must be a young and charming girl.
Feeling the body being shaken and hearing the voice calling for him to wake up, he knew the other person was trying to wake him up.
But, he couldn't help but think...
(Feels like drifting off to a comfortable sleep...)
The voice, more enchanting than a lullaby, combined with the gentle rhythmic shaking, enveloped him in a sense of happiness only a baby could experience. Instead of awakening, his consciousness sank deeper into the dream.
(Just a little more... let me sleep a bit longer...)
He convinced himself with this excuse and indulged in his drowsiness.
Just a second before falling asleep again, both the shaking and the voice stopped.
(Why did it stop?)
Dissatisfaction welled up within him.
It was a desire driven by instinct.
Just a bit longer, even if it's just one more second, let him continue to slumber in the soothing and melodious call.
"Fou....!"
Yes, like this.
Wait a moment...
Fou?
"Fouwu...!"
Fouwu?
"Fou...! Fou...!"
Within seconds of this voice entering his ears, with a loud "thud," an impact hit his face, awakening him with pain.
"Ouch...!?"
With a painful cry, his drowsiness finally vanished.
A boy, now covering his face, jumped up from the bed where he had been lying just moments ago, opened his eyes, and looked at the culprit who had just woken him up.
"Fou!"
This peculiar cry belonged to a creature that came into view for the boy.
It was a pure white creature, immaculate without a speck of dirt, resembling both a fox and a small dog, making it impossible to discern its species, a truly mysterious creature.
The creature kept its round eyes fixed on the boy, maintaining the posture after the impact, and leaped towards a graceful figure standing behind it.
That was a girl.
She was around the same age as the boy, with shoulder-length pink hair, one side of her bangs covering one eye, wearing glasses, and had a very cute appearance. Her face was so delicate it seemed like an artist had carved it, a girl who could captivate anyone's heart.
At this moment, the girl reached out her hand and caught the incredible creature leaping towards her.
"You did a great job, Fou," the girl praised her friend.
Clearly, it was this extraordinary creature named Fou that woke the boy up by bumping into his face.
And the only person who would make Fou do such a thing was undoubtedly the girl.
"Mash..."
The boy, still covering his face, looked at the girl with a resentful expression and called out her name.
Unfortunately, she seemed completely indifferent to his resentment and responded earnestly.
"Good morning, Rozen senpai."
The girl named Mash also called out the boy's name.
――― "Rozen."
That wasn't the boy's real name.
For some reason, people who were familiar with the boy now called him "Rozen."
And this girl named Mash was obviously very familiar with Rozen.
Holding Fou, Mash looked at Rozen, who was still resentfully covering his face, and reproachfully spoke.
"Did you stay up all night playing games again, Senpai?"
Looking closer, Rozen's laptop was lying on his bed, still running, with the game's screen on display. Additionally, Rozen was still wearing formal attire while lying down, indicating the state in which he had fallen asleep.
"Uh..."
The resentment on Rozen's face disappeared instantly as he was caught red-handed. His expression now seemed as if it could be labeled with the words "caught."
This change in expression made Mash's usually charming face turn more serious.
"Weren't we supposed to agree not to stay up all night playing games, Senpai?"
Mash's eyes behind her glasses emitted an increasingly intense shade of reproach.
"Irregular sleeping patterns are harmful to your health. What if you get sick because of insufficient rest?"
Mash reproached him, as if she had said this multiple times before.
"Fou!"
As if intending to echo Mash's reprimand, Fou squirmed out of her embrace and leaped onto Mash's shoulder, chirping at Rozen.
Although the chirp was adorable, hearing it at this moment made Rozen feel like he was being kicked when he was down.
Rozen could only mutter.
"Anyway, I can sleep during the day. What's wrong with using the night to play games?"
Clearly, he was trying to defend himself.
"Senpai."
Mash's charming face immediately tensed up.
Rozen hurriedly spoke up.
"Alright, alright! I got it!"
Rozen raised both hands, surrendering without hesitation.
"Really..."
Mash let out a slight sigh.
If anyone familiar with this pair of boys and girls were present, they would know that the same scene and conversation almost happened in this room every day.
On one side was a carefree and playful boy.
On the other side was a serious and obedient girl.
This combination of a pair played out similar conversations almost every day in this facility called "Chaldea."
Rozen could even predict what his kind and caring junior would say next.
It was probably about mentioning two people.
The first one was someone close to Rozen.
"If I have time later, I'll go complain to the doctor," Mash said earnestly.
Following that, her serious expression faded away, replaced by a slight worry.
With that expression, Mash mentioned the second person.
"If the director finds out that Senpai spent all night playing games again, she'll definitely get furious, won't she?"
Mash spoke as if she were worried about such a scenario.
And once she mentioned that person, Rozen understood.
"So, the director asked you to wake me up and have me go over?"
Rozen said with an annoyed tone.
Seeming accustomed to Rozen's way of referring to the "director," Mash let out a bitter laugh.
"Yes, we need to conduct a simulated battle today, and the director has been trying to reach Senpai, but couldn't get a response. So, she asked me to call you."
With Mash's explanation, Rozen noticed that the wrist communicator he was wearing was lit up, indicating that someone had contacted him just now.
"I really don't want to go..."
Rozen spoke from the heart as he saw this.
But Mash foresaw this as well and advised him gently.
"It's best for Senpai to attend. Otherwise, the director will probably punish you by making you clean the entire control room again, just like last time."
Upon hearing this, Rozen reluctantly submitted.
"Fine, let's get it over with. I'm still sleepy..."
With a tone of resignation and a dissatisfied expression, Rozen, along with Mash, who looked resigned as well, left the room.