Perfect Avatar

Dora gained more and more confidence and readjusted the hair falling on his forehead. She looked straight into the eyes of a young girl who was trying to avoid his gaze.

"My Lady, I apologize for my rudeness. I was so amazed by your presence that I forgot to ask for your name. Mine is Anesidora... Carper? Yes, Carper, and if you could kindly tell me your name, it would make me the happiest person in the world."

"Is this really not a joke?... Are you...Are you f-f-f-flirting?"

His smile widened again, she was an easy target.

"God, am I flirting? I have to say no, flirting is for the player who wants to have fun, but here I'm not playing, it's a job interview, a fight, a test, me, in the name of the moon, I am ready to fight a thousand wars just to your liking."

"... I know! You look like a girl, you are a girl, right? Your friends are spying on us and will make fun of me if I agree."

Midgard's giggle could be heard, much to his displeasure.

"Is that the voice of a girl, my lovely, wonderfully cheerful lady?"

"You might be a tomboy..."

The giggle turned into a loud laugh, Dora rolled his eyes, but after so many failures, he was not ready to abandon such a rare person.

"My lady, I could prove to you that I am a boy, but there is only one way, so either you believe my words, or you brace your heart."

"Eeeeeeh?! Really??" She looked terrified one moment, she was probably very pure... Or so he though.

"Um... So... Will you do it here or..."

"What?"

Her terrified angelic expression gave way to a sinister smile; she giggled pervertedly before noticing Dora turning blue.

"Eh?... What? Was I in too much of a hurry? I messed up?! Oh No!"

She turned her back and bit her nail, Dora was speechless. She quickly turned to him, twirling her fingers.

"Ehem... Sorry... I... This is the first time that someone says I'm b-b-beautiful... But you're not joking, right? I mean... You're a boy, and you're alive, and you're hands-so-some... Is this a dream? If this is a dream... Darn it! I should have put the poison in their food... I have to hurry before waking up..."

"What... Are you?" 𝘧𝘳ℯℯ𝓌ℯ𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Eh? Ah! The handsome boy... Ehr... Do you... Um... Oh, I forgot! I must give you flowers... Wait... Since you're the man, shouldn't that be your role?... So it was a joke after all?"

She had tears in her eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

A few minutes later, she gradually regained her composure so they sat on a bench. This moment of stillness allowed her to collect her thoughts and Dora could explain his intentions.

"So... You're saying that you want to be my knight, for real?"

"Yeah, for real."

"... Because... I am exactly your type of girl, really?"

"Something like that... You seem a little less enthusiastic than before."

"Your type of girl... What is it? Saying that I'm beautiful and saying that I'm your type are 2 different things, I'm the type of girl who tries experiments on her friends, is this your type?"

She narrowed her eyes, wary, but the boy in front of her was fond of this antic.

"...Every word you say convinces me even more. By the way, I'm just asking, who exactly are you?"

She took a notebook from a pocket of her veil and wrote a note.

"I am the daughter of Baron Helisk, Zuri Eilejveden, D-rank shaman, pleased to meet you... Ane... Anedora."

"Anesi."

"Anedoranesi, nice to meet you."

Dora looked at her, confused for a moment but laughed lightly for the first time.

"You are a very interesting person, I really don't regret having taken all my time to find you."

She remained silent for a moment, surprised by an unexpected compliment.

"You know what's funny? People usually say that I'm the disgrace of nobility and that I don't have the same charm as the Princess or that bossy girl. But I'm curious... You really find me interesting?"

"Well, everyone has something special, it just takes the right person to find it."

"I attempted to enroll in the Knights Academy, but my father objected, pretending I'm too clumsy to fight. They ridicule my family and me, so I'm not really sure I'm special."

"How rude! Just because you are strange, pale, trembling and curiously resembling a ghost that doesn't justify him stopping you from realizing your dream!"

"I know right? And then he get angry when I use my magic on my classmates, like where else can I find a guinea pig? We have like two butlers!... But you really want to become my knight?"

Dora stood up from his seat, he took a deep breath, his mind clear and focused on the task at hand. He knew exactly what needed to be said, and more importantly, who was the best person to say it.

As he stood there, his eyes met Zuri's, but the younger girl was utterly oblivious to the frail energy that emanated from Dora. A subtle blue spark flickered in his eyes, gone in an instant.