"They must know each other, right?"
As she spoke, Subaru tried to pat the shoulder of the person next to her, but her hand met only empty air.
"Rem, when did he run over there?"
At this moment, Rem, who had been addressed by Subaru, also snapped back to her senses.
The two of them then realized that Tsukasa had somehow moved silently to Emilia's side.
"This guy and his excessive mobility..."
With a helpless expression, Subaru exchanged a glance with Rem and then immediately hurried after them.
"Hi. Lia, have you contacted Reinhard yet?"
By now, Tsukasa, who had already reached Emilia's side, was no longer dressed in his previous black Tokyo Jujutsu High uniform.
He slid his sunglasses down to the bridge of his nose, revealing a pair of blue eyes filled with interest.
He was wearing a modern-style black trench coat similar to Subaru's, paired with slim-fit trousers, and his fluffy white hair fell casually.
Standing beside Emilia with his hands casually stuffed into his coat pockets, he attracted the attention of many passersby in just a short moment.
Tsukasa scanned the purple-haired youth in front of him with an unabashedly critical gaze.
The other party was dressed in a knight's uniform embroidered with golden dragon patterns, with an elegant Western-style rapier hanging at his waist.
"Eh?!"
Emilia was clearly a bit dazed. She didn't understand why Tsukasa was suddenly using such an intimate nickname for her, as he usually called her "Emilia" or something similar.
Before she could figure it out, an arm had already naturally draped itself over her shoulder.
"Eh?!"
Seeing this, she let out another small cry of surprise, and a faint blush couldn't help but creep onto her cheeks.
Seeing Emilia's surprised expression, Tsukasa made a "shh" gesture to her, then turned to the purple-haired youth and asked with a playful smile on his face, "Oh my. Lia, won't you introduce me to who this is?"
Emilia's cheeks were slightly red, and she was just about to explain when the purple-haired youth stepped forward, performed a standard knight's salute, and responded in a clear and steady voice, "Good day, sir. I am Julius Juukulius of the Royal Guard Knights. I happened to run into Emilia-sama, whom I haven't seen in a long time, and came forward to greet her. May I ask who you are?"
Looking at the knight with impeccable manners before him, Tsukasa was just about to introduce himself with his usual arrogant confidence when—
"Give it a rest already!"
A merciless fist landed squarely on Tsukasa's back.
Immediately after, Subaru poked her head out from behind him and bowed repeatedly to Julius in apology. "I'm terribly sorry. This guy is an idiot. If he has caused any offense, please don't mind him."
"Hey, I was just helping Lia out of a jam." Tsukasa complained while rubbing his back.
Looking at the two of them acting like a comedy duo, Emilia couldn't help but chuckle and asked, "Tsukasa, did something happen?"
Tsukasa replied with a lazy air, "Wasn't this guy harassing you? I was just standing up for justice."
Hearing this and finally understanding what was going on, Emilia shook her head with a smile and explained, "Tsukasa, this is Sir Julius. We've known each other for a long time. We just happened to run into each other and were exchanging greetings."
The purple-haired knight immediately understood the misunderstanding.
Maintaining a polite smile, he added, "It is as Emilia-sama says. Today I am merely performing a routine inspection of the streets and tending to the soldiers, primarily at the request of a friend. However, being able to prioritize friendship is a wonderful thing."
His gaze swept over the bustling market, his tone gentle. "Walking through the city like this sometimes allows one to appreciate the most beautiful flowers of the morning even earlier."
At this point, Subaru shot Tsukasa a look that said, "See, I told you so."
Tsukasa suddenly felt a bit bored. He had thought he'd encountered some classic "pickup scene," but it turned out to be just an ordinary encounter.
Feeling somewhat disappointed, he withdrew his hand from Emilia's shoulder.
Then, Subaru stepped past Tsukasa to make a formal introduction, "Hello, Sir Julius. My name is Subaru Natsuki, and this person next to me is Tsukasa Tokito. I'm very sorry for the offense just now."
Julius smiled and waved it off. "No, it was no offense. However—"
He looked at Tsukasa and suggested sincerely, "This gentleman's personality... perhaps it could be tempered slightly. Being too direct can easily lead to unnecessary trouble in a place like the Royal Capital."
Tsukasa just glanced at him and responded nonchalantly, "Trouble? That's only something the incompetent worry about. In my opinion, it might even add some fun to a dull life."
This rather arrogant-sounding statement did not provoke Julius. Instead, he pondered for a moment and then nodded seriously. "I see. I have learned something new."
Just as the topic began to veer in a strange direction, Emilia spoke up in time to bring the conversation back on track, "Um... the guard has agreed to let us in. However, the rule is that only two people can enter at a time."
"In that case, leave the heavy responsibility of protecting Lia's safety to me."
The one who said this was Tsukasa, who had looked bored just a moment ago. Now, with his hands in his coat pockets and his back straightened, he stood beside Emilia with an air of mock seriousness.
However, the following conversation between Subaru and Emilia immediately shattered his feigned solemnity.
"Lia, shall we go in?" Subaru naturally took Emilia's hand.
"Mhm. With Subaru by my side, I feel much more at ease." Emilia returned a bright smile and then turned to Rem. "Rem, I'll leave Tsukasa in your care."
Seeing the two of them completely ignore his volunteering and make arrangements on their own, Tsukasa immediately protested, "Hey, I haven't finished speaking yet."
But his protest was clearly ignored. Subaru and Emilia simply waved at him and turned to walk through the heavy gates of the Knights Castle.
Tsukasa had no choice but to turn his gaze toward Julius, who had not yet left, as if hoping to find a glimmer of hope from this knight.
But before he could speak, Julius bowed elegantly and beat him to it. "Well then, I still have my duties to patrol the streets, so I shall take my leave."
With that, he turned and walked away with brisk steps, giving Tsukasa no chance to speak.
In the blink of an eye, only Tsukasa and Rem were left at the entrance of the Knights Castle.
"Sigh... truly all alone."
Tsukasa looked at the empty entrance and let out a long, dramatic sigh.
Immediately, he resumed his lazy manner, clasped his hands behind his head, and began walking in the opposite direction of the Knights Castle. After all, he didn't really want to enter the Knights Castle. All the various rules inside would only make him uncomfortable, and he was most free with Rem by his side.
"Rem, let's go, let's find some fun."
"That won't do, Tsukasa."
Rem immediately stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of his trench coat, her tone gentle yet exceptionally firm. "Emilia-sama and Subaru instructed me to keep an eye on you. We should head back now."
Tsukasa stopped, turned around, and tried a different approach. "Look, Rem, you can't always wear a maid outfit, can you? How about we go buy some beautiful clothes for yourself? It's too early to go back now."
He tried to sway Rem with the attractive proposal of "shopping."
However, Rem's hand did not let go of his sleeve. She looked up, her blue eyes filled with seriousness, and shook her head. "No. Tsukasa, we really must go back."
Looking at the blue-haired maid who was usually gentle and submissive but now exceptionally persistent, Tsukasa felt a bit of a headache for the first time.
Just as he was thinking about what other reason he could use to convince her, his gaze accidentally swept across a distant street corner.
He narrowed his eyes, pointed in that direction, and said in a slightly exaggerated tone, "Rem, look over there. Is that someone being held hostage?"