Published: February 1, 2026
By the time the darkness of night began to fade into the pale colors of the rising morning sun—
In a certain room of an inn in Sars, the Water City, Jill awoke. His eyes, heavy with lingering sleep, barely opened, making his already rough appearance seem even harsher. Yet he paid no mind to this, lazily pushing himself up without bothering to put on his pajamas.
Outside the window came the faint sounds of birds beginning their daily activities, the soft tapping of small claws on the roof as if the birds were taking a brief rest, and the clear, crisp air. Rizel often expressed envy, wondering how Jill always managed to wake up at the same time every morning. But Jill simply considered all these together as the indistinct "signs of morning."
"…"
He pushed aside the blanket resting on his knees, ruffled his hair messily, and, still foggy-headed from just waking, shifted his gaze toward the bed beside him. There were two beds and two thick blankets. Letting out a small sigh, he lowered his feet from the bed, knowing no one should be awake at this hour.
"Hey, morning."
He started speaking without looking for anyone in particular as he searched for his shoes.
His voice was lower and hoarser than usual. Although not particularly loud, in the stillness of the room, it was enough to reach others. Still, neither of the two blankets stirred. The usual routine.
"Hey."
Finding his shoes, Jill tugged them toward him with his foot, and without looking, slipped them on somewhat carelessly before clearly addressing the owner of the bed in front of him.
The middle bed among the three was occupied by Rizel, who lost a card game on the day they arrived at the inn and had to take the middle spot, while the others took the ends. It wasn't that anyone particularly wanted the edges, but if asked, the three would pick the edges, so the loser ended up in the center.
As Jill stood and looked down at Rizel's sleeping face peeking out from under the blanket, Rizel squirmed irritably and turned to the opposite side, clearly annoyed at being woken up. Jill muttered silently that he was a bold one, especially when being awakened, but felt no real irritation as he rose from the bed.
"Get up."
Passing by the feet of the two still sound asleep, Jill called out once more and, as a final push, kicked the leg of Eleven’s bed as he passed. The vibration must have registered, as a small groan escaped from beneath the blanket, which now gave no hint that anyone was there.
Ignoring the response, Jill took a towel for washing and left the room.
As the door closed, the blanket on the bed closest to the door shifted and rose.
"Ughh..."
Inside the blanket, Eleven sat up, sounding extremely displeased. He pushed his hair away from his face, which was covered in messy strands, and forced his eyes open, glaring at the sheets with an unusually fierce look.
"I told you not to kick me..."
Being woken up in such a forceful way was definitely one of the worst ways to be roused.
Jill would say, "Then wake yourself up," but Eleven didn't care. He frowned, scratched his stomach scales twice or thrice, and sat cross-legged on the bed.
Pulling the blanket closer to ward off the morning chill, he hunched his shoulders and stared down, motionless for a while. But as his eyelids began to close again, feeling the danger of falling asleep again, he covered his face with both hands.
Sliding his hands up along with his bangs, the sight before him was Rizel’s sleeping face, half-buried under the blanket. Suddenly, Eleven’s mood, which had been at rock bottom, lifted considerably.
"Leader."
The voice that slipped from his throat was soft and affectionate, though hoarse like Jill’s.
Both of them usually had rough mornings. One could say that was just how anyone was upon waking, but given Rizel’s bright demeanor, the contrast made the others stand out even more.
It was quite rare for Rizel to wake up later than Eleven. Still wrapped in the blanket over his shoulder, Eleven got off the bed, crouched by Rizel’s pillow, and watched his peaceful sleep.