My cheeks turned red when I realised my friend was naked. You see, up until that point, I had never considered Ari to be a potential partner, because they weren’t human. As a spirit, I saw them as someone devoid of sexuality, but now I was completely aware of their body next to mine.

To be fair, Ari looked cute as they sat in the bathtub, embracing their knees. Their long hair was wet, and I could not help but think its unusual olive colour was strikingly beautiful.

I was certainly curious about what was there between their legs, but could not muster the courage to ask them. I did not want to be rude or insensitive to someone who greatly cared about me and, truthfully, I was also embarrassed to pop the question.

Hey, can I see your genitals? I could never ask such a thing.

As if reading my mind, however, Ari asked me if I was finally curious about their body.

‘I can change it at will’, they explained, ‘so I can have whatever type of body I wish to, at any time’.

‘That sounds… a lot of fun’.

‘I can’t say it isn’t’, Ari replied, and I noticed they were blushing a bit when they spoke.

Ari left the bathroom first, but not without casting a weird spell that did not let me see what was between their legs. My curiosity only grew bigger because of that, but Ari justified their actions:

‘I am shy, even if you don’t think so’.

I remained in the bath for a while longer. This was a luxury that Sena Young was not used to, as she could not possibly afford to have a bath at her place with the salary she earned. It was so good to sit back and relax! I wish I could take long baths every day.

I must have dozed off, because when I opened my eyes the water was cold. I tried recalling the bits and pieces of the dream that was trying to escape my mind.

The dream would have been short and insignificant, if not for one detail. Two people were riding horses in a green landscape. There was a lot of grass and mountains further in the distance. Their clothes seemed Eastern, but I couldn’t make out neither the country nor the time period they were from. I only knew it wasn’t 21st century Earth, and it didn’t seem like it was this world either. The couple looked happy and smiled a lot. I only saw them from the back, so I could not discern their gender either. I was sure, however, that I was one of them.

I was also sure they were in love. It was that sweet and pure kind of love that one will seldom encounter in their lifetime. Pray, even if you live a hundred lives, in how many of them will you find such love?

I soon woke up. My heart felt as light as a feather, and love filled every corner of my being. I just didn’t know who, or what, I was feeling that love towards.

***

In the morning, Nari woke up early and seemed energetic. She was putting on her uniform and smiled at me. Last night, after my bath, she had given me a stern lecture about the possible consequences of my actions, and I could see she was deeply concerned. I had told her, however, that there was nothing I could do at this point, and it was best to accept whatever fate came my way. 

I had decided that I would live my life as honestly and happily as possible and, if I got entangled in the novel’s plot, that would be the future Tsisana’s cross to bear. Naturally, Nari hadn’t a clue about the novel, and was simply worried about me disrespecting Lady Ishtar.

I picked up my uniform after the whole ordeal in the cafeteria. Swordsmanship Department Students traditionally wore the male uniform, as there were very few, if any, women in the department. It was also more practical when swinging a sword, I suppose. When I finished dressing up I looked at myself in the mirror: I looked cool, wearing trousers suited me best. Nari seemed to think the same, and as she smiled she said:

'Having short hair sure is nice, should I get a haircut too?'

'Sure, you'd look great'.

Ari was floating around, as usual. No one could see them, so they sometimes danced around or made faces behind people's backs. We were already in the corridor, on our way to class, when they popped the question:

'What about that guy who wanted to fight you? That should be fun'.