"It's getting late. Let's get some sleep."
After checking into the love hotel, Ankh had slipped out to investigate again, but he still couldn't pinpoint the room of the target from the photo.
To make matters worse, this popular, intimate hotel only got busier as the night deepened.
To avoid drawing attention to themselves, Ankh and Mirajane had no choice but to pause their search.
Outside, Fiore military personnel were secretly monitoring the perimeter.
Ankh wasn't worried about the thief escaping; his main concern was the stolen blueprint being secretly handed off to an accomplice before they could intervene.
Back in the room, Mirajane slumped against the wall as she was frustrated.
"We've been searching for so long and haven't even caught a glimpse of him. Could the intel from Carteus were wrong? Maybe the guy already ran off?"
Ankh sat at the table, his slender fingers tapping a rhythm on the surface as he thought.
"Not necessarily. According to the intelligence, the informant captured footage of the thief entering this hotel... and he was alone."
Mirajane paused.
She replayed the words in her head.
Alone.
"You're right!" she exclaimed. "This is a couples' hotel. We all had to enter in male-female pairs. How could he get in alone and stay here without being kicked out?"
Unless... he was originally part of the hotel staff.
A waiter, a cleaner, or a bellboy.
In that case, the staff wouldn't stop him. He belonged there.
Mirajane's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"If that's true, let's investigate the employees! We should turn the staff dormitories upside down right now!"
Ankh sighed.
He despised the girl's crude, brute-force approach, though he had to admit the logic was sound.
"No rush," Ankh said, stifling a yawn. "Wait until tomorrow when there are fewer people. We can find out where he lives and search the place then. The blueprint tracking magic still has two full days of potency. We'll act after daybreak."
With that, Ankh collapsed onto the comfortable double bed and refused to move.
Mirajane stood there, feeling anxious.
This was her first real mission, and Ankh's unhurried pace was making her feel lost.
Everyone in the guild praised Ankh for being steady and cautious, but right now, he just looked like a lazy bum.
If it were up to her, she'd be kicking down doors right now.
Unfortunately, Ankh was the leader.
She sighed and turned toward the bed—only to freeze.
Ankh had stretched his arms and legs out, effectively claiming the entire bed.
Mirajane's eye twitched.
She suddenly remembered—she was supposed to be sharing a room with him tonight!
And this jerk had taken advantage of her distraction to steal the bed!
'Weren't you supposed to sleep on the sofa?!'
Annoyed, Mirajane glared at Ankh, who was lying there like a dead fish.
Defeated, she grabbed a quilt, stomped out of the bedroom and headed for the living room sofa.
...
Meanwhile, on the bed, the pretending-to-be-dead Ankh kept his eyes shut tight.
'Is it done?' he thought.
Seram's deep voice, silent for so long, finally echoed in his mind.
[Rest assured. I've already locked onto the location of the tracking magic circle.]
As expected! With Seram around everything turn easy!.
Relieved, Ankh patted his pillow comfortably, shifted positions, and prepared to actually sleep.
Finding the blueprint was easy; Ankh was more interested in following the clues to uncover the thief's superiors.
Since gaining his mental freedom, Seram's sensory abilities were basically a cheat code for finding lost items.
Just as Ankh was drifting off to sleep, Seram spoke again, sounding unusually hesitant.
[Ankh... there's something I don't know if I should mention it.]
Ankh was taken aback. Seram never hesitated.
'Just say it. What can't we discuss between us?'
[You probably don't realize this, but... you have a strange habit of sleepwalking.]
'Oh. That.'
This wasn't new.
Ankh had discovered it in his previous life.
He would fall asleep in his bed and wake up under it, on top of the refrigerator, or sometimes outside his front door.
'It's fine,' Ankh thought dismissively. 'Mira won't hurt me.'
Seram hesitated.
Sensing the Demonic Magic Power in the other room—a scent he found disgusting—he chose to remain silent.
['After all, Ankh is a man. He certainly won't be the one at a disadvantage. Let the girl fend for herself...']
...
It was midnight. The hotel room was soundproof and silent.
While Ankh slept contentedly, the small figure curled up on the living room sofa felt an indescribable unease.
Mirajane clutched the sheet tightly, her eyes darting toward the bedroom door.
She was terrified he might burst out with wild intentions towards her.
Yet, nothing happened.
Mirajane's emotions grew complex.
On one hand, she was relieved by Ankh's "restraint." On the other... she felt insulted.
'Am I really that unappealing?'
Here they were, a boy and a girl alone in a love hotel, and he hadn't even made a pass at her.
He seemed more interested in the mattress than her.
Frustrated and exhausted, Mirajane's thoughts eventually turned hazy.
She closed her eyes and slipped into a light sleep.
She dreamed of her family.
Lisanna, Elfman... the villagers calling her a demon... and then Ankh, descending from the sky like a savior.
Her eyelids trembled, a gentle smile forming on her lips.
"If only... we could always be together... Huh?!"
In the middle of her sleep-talking, Mirajane's senses screamed a warning.
Why wasn't the sofa underneath her anymore?
Wait... why was she floating?!
Jolted awake, Mirajane stared in terror.
She was hovering in mid-air!
At the bedroom doorway, a tall figure stood motionless. A magic circle glowed faintly in his palm.
It was Ankh.
His expression was dazed, his eyes shut.
He was manipulating gravity to float the bewildered Mirajane toward him.
Moving stiffly, he guided her through the air until she landed softly in his arms in a bridal carry.
Mirajane was utterly stunned.
'What is this? Sleepwalking?'
'Since when can people use high-level Gravity Magic while sleepwalking?!'
Her heart hammered against her ribs.
She watched, panic rising, as Ankh's tightly shut eyes slowly cracked open—but they looked glazed and unfocused.
Before she could scream, a wave of warmth washed over her.
The potent, masculine scent of him enveloped her, aggressive and overwhelming.
'Huh?!'
Mirajane's beautiful eyes went wide.
She opened her mouth to stammer a protest, but no words came out.
Her unspoken objection was swallowed by a sudden forced kiss.
In an instant, her body went rigid.
She was trapped in a powerful embrace that felt like an iron cage, yet radiated heat.
In this confusing, intimate atmosphere, caught off guard by a sleepwalking force of nature, only two chaotic words echoed in her mind...
'Holy shit!'