After satisfying her feline instincts, shame quickly reclaimed its territory. Without even a moment to mourn her embarrassing behavior, Atalanta turned tail and fled, likely avoiding this shameless couple for quite some time.
Sakatsuki tilted his head slightly. While he understood why Atalanta had run away, he couldnât quite grasp her reasoning.
Wasnât it just teasing a cat in passing? Even when friends visited, heâd never seen a house cat refuse to be petted.
âSakatsuki, who had completely treated Atalanta like a pet cat, thought to himself.
As for Jeanne dâArc, she interpreted Atalantaâs awkward behavior as an entirely different emotion. Believing she had exposed the deceitful act of "Tama-nyan" faking affection for pets and hugs, she felt triumphant, basking in her victory.
However, Tama-nyanâs appearance also gave Jeanne a sense of crisis. She turned to Sakatsuki and spoke up proactively:
"Sakatsuki, thereâs a songâI wonder if you know how to play it?"
Looking at him expectantly, Jeanne mentioned the name of a melody passed down orally during her time.
Itâs worth noting that in the 15th century, pianos didnât exist. The only instrument available was the "clavichord," originating from Italy. The clavichordâs sound was far from idealâweak in volume and monotonous in tone. It wasnât until the 18th century when the German Cristofori improved it that the modern piano took shape.
Thanks to his extensive knowledge of music theory from his past life, Sakatsuki was somewhat familiar with the song Jeanne mentioned. However, he merely wore a slightly helpless expression and spread his hands.
"You know this instrumentâs history doesnât overlap with your era, so..."
"I see." Jeanne sighed in disappointment. But just then, Sakatsuki abruptly changed his tone:
"Of course, if you can hum the melody, I can play it for you."
"Really?" The girl blinked, eyeing him suspiciouslyâthat faint smirk at the corner of his lips seemed mischievous. "Youâre not just trying to trick me into singing for you, are you?"
"Fine, Iâll rephrase it." Unfazed, Sakatsuki calmly said:
"Dear Miss Jeanne, may I askâwould you sing a song for me?"
"..."
"Whatâs wrong?" The young man tilted his head in confusion, his gaze earnest as he looked at her.
Meanwhile, Jeanne clutched her flushed cheeks, turning her face away. Her amethyst eyes darted about, betraying her flustered emotions.
"T-Too serious... How can you say that so shamelessly...?"
"Is that so? But right now, I only want to hear you sing."
"Y-Youâre teasing me again!"
Their romantic comedy unfolded unseen by othersâexcept for one person hidden deep within the soul of an assassin, who was nearly laughing herself to death.
Unlike Artoria, who suppressed her emotions and knew nothing of romance, Jeanneâthough equally inexperienced in loveâhailed from romantic France. Even as a country girl, she couldnât help but yearn for the sweet love depicted in storybooks, didnât she?
Sakatsuki, who manifested as an Assassin, possessed an exceedingly straightforward personality while inheriting his original selfâs extraordinary intelligence and emotional quotientâclearly, such a man could deliver devastatingly effective blows during the ambiguous courtship phase when romancing female companions.
Especially when the target was an inexperienced French maiden.
"If...if Sakatsuki sings along too, then I can..."
"Is that so? But shouldnât I hear it at least once first?"
"Ah... right."
Just like that, Jeanne dâArc was effortlessly led astray. Clearing her throat, she tentatively hummed a few notes before beginning to sing.
It was a simple military ballad passed around during Christmas. Back then, Gilles de Rais had goaded everyone into dragging herâwho had only heard the song a few timesâonto a makeshift stage, making her the laughingstock of the troops.
Refusing to accept defeat, she secretly practiced until she mastered the song during her spare time. Just as she was brimming with determination to amaze everyone, the intensifying war made them miss the next Christmas.
By the third year, she had been captured, left to sing the song softly in her prison cell.
In the end, she never even got to see a Christmas tree before embracing the flames upon the cross, transforming into a white dove soaring across the sky.
Memories slowly bled into the flowing melody of her song, and time itself seemed to favor her, etching the bygone days into the twilightâs embrace.
"Do~"
The pianoâs notes rose, harmonizing seamlessly with Jeanneâs voice. At first, it was just a simple tune, but when Sakatsuki finally lifted his left hand and began playing in earnest, the battlefields Jeanne dâArc had once traversedâthe smoke of war, the songs, the hopesâunfolded like a scroll before them.
Jeanneâs eyes widened in disbelief. Entranced by the pianoâs accompaniment, she couldnât help but lose herself in the moment.
Clasping her hands together instinctively, her voice became celestial, her soul transcending the barriers of time to converse with the comrades she had long lost.
Worry, concern, blessings... Jeanne heard the voices and hopes of her fellow soldiers. Just as she was about to respond, a beautiful baritone voice resounded, its melody materializing into a black-cloaked young man stepping into the illusion, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jeanne.
Fingers dancing across the keys, Sakatsuki closed his eyes and sang freelyâlike a large, steady hand enveloping a delicate one, like swans entwining their slender necks, like Christmas lights embracing the swirling snowflakes... Gradually, his voice and the maidenâs merged into one, memories distant, yet the song reaching even further.
Not far away, Atalanta watched the two figures now reduced to silhouettes. Her beastly ears drooped as she let out a soft huff, turning away with resolute steps. As she did, she brushed past a silver-haired, red-eyed homunculus girl.
Preoccupied with her own thoughts, Sieg failed to notice Atalantaâs expression. When she reached the doorway, the sounds of piano and singing greeted her.
Slowing her movements, Sieg gently pushed open the door. The golden hues of dusk flooded in, dyeing her eyes a resplendent crimson-gold.
"Wow..."
An involuntary, breathless gasp escaped her lips. Before Siegâs eyes lay a scene that embodied all things beautiful.
The black robe swayed as the tall young man sat upright by the piano, playing with a smile on his lips. Meanwhile, the golden-haired saint rested her hands on the instrument, humming a pure melody with adorable obedience, her loving gaze never leaving her beloved for even a moment.
It was a beautiful sceneâone that could heal even pain, war, and suffering.
As the music ended, Jeanne dâArcâs face flushed red, and she scurried to crouch in the corner. Sakatsuki closed the piano lid and turned toward Sieg at the doorway, traces of lingering amusement still on his face.
"Come in, Sieg. What brings you here?"
He had noticed the homunculus girl at the door long agoâJeanne must have as well.
Somehow, inexplicably, how had their relationship reached this point?
His mind wandered to unrelated thoughts as Sieg stood before him, the dayâs sights flooding back to torment her spirit.
"Please help me... Teacher. I... I donât know what to do anymore."