Since coming to this world, I had to quickly adapt to my sleepless condition as my ceaseless state of consciousness was slowly driving me insane. It’s one of the reasons I always narrate to myself, and why I welcome anything to occupy my attention. Because most living things sleep during this time, I often imagine myself as the ruler of this silent and serene world, free to do whatever I please. However, on this particular occasion it was no longer the case, as each member took turns to brave the lonely night. My usual freedom had become hours of conscious stillness, and with nothing better to do after Hachirou’s shift and mine ended… I started observing the visitors of my moonlit realm. Yes, it’s an invasion of privacy, but it’s not my fault they’re mistaking the time they have as their own.

Starting with my Lili, I watched as she summoned several wisps of light to illuminate our surroundings. At first, she appeared dutiful, but she became increasingly lax over time as she used the opportunity to take off her hood and massage her ears. Eventually, she spent the rest of her shift writing in a small notebook with a pencil best described as a stick of graphite wrapped in cloth. Rather than a holy script or magical text, it was probably her diary considering the lack of magic and the way she kept smiling to herself. Once the hourglass was empty, she cautiously checked for watchers before waking Minna to take her place.

During Minna’s shift, she did nothing notable apart from adding more sticks to the campfire. However, at times she would make suspicious glances towards Sen’s sleeping face. As I continued to watch, she silently got up and walked over to Sen’s side to pull up his blanket. While I’m not sure if it was an act of endearment or simple thoughtfulness, her act of kindness unfortunately backfired.

(Hrm? Minna… is that you?)

“A-ah!”

(What are you doing here? Is it my turn to keep watch?)

(N-no, I-I was just trying to, um…)

(Are you alright? You seem kind of feverish.)

(I-it’s nothing! I’m just a little hot, that’s all.)

(Really? Personally, I think it’s rather chilly…. Wait, why is my blanket in your hands?)

(… -t up.)

(Minna?)

“Just shut up and take the next shift! I’m going to sleep.”

“Eh!? What’s with the sudden- The hourglass isn’t even half full! Are you telling me to take your shift as well? Hey, Minna!”

After Minna stormed off in embarrassment, a disgruntled Sen was left to struggle against his growing drowsiness. Bearing in mind the short amount of time we have to sleep and the need to wake before daybreak, he’s going to be deadbeat for the day. Later in his watch, he would look back and forth between the hourglass and Norf, but in the end, he decided to spare his friend the longer watch. With weary hands, he nudged Norf from his slumber before collapsing onto his blanket with a snore.

Recovering from his brief confusion over Sen’s condition, Norf patrolled the premises like an unflinching sentinel. While he did nothing out of the ordinary, I watched him with much anticipation, hoping he will make the slightest murmur. Sadly, it was a wasted effort as he never lowered his guard. With a light tap, Norf woke the last and most crucial member of our expedition for the final watch.

As expected of a professional, Mr Kell used the time he had to look over maps and plan the trip ahead. Despite his diverted attention, he seemed to preserve his tight vigilance as he would react to the smallest sounds and movements. Whilst being careful not to raise his suspicion, the only things I noticed were that he’s left-handed and that he has a habit of scratching his face in private. At this point, I realised I was getting desperate and decided to gaze at the stars for the rest of the night.

Time passed slowly, but eventually, the final grains of sand fell from the hourglass. Despite the lack of an alarm, our experienced guide noticed immediately and roused us for the journey ahead. While it’s a fresh start for the rest of the party, to me… it’s just the beginning of another stretch of time that I’ll arbitrarily call a day.