Ahh, how disappointing.
Almost every lead was exhausted, every string pulled and every source questioned, yet
not a single piece of evidence could be wrought to confirm the relationship a certain blind
knight had with Riot Force Six’s favorite red-headed ace. Even her own investigations came
up with nothing, and dammit that annoyed her to no end! No one was that good at hiding
their tracks!
And lo, Hayate was left to brood on her own suspicions.
It did not help either, that he of all people came to her for a favor that only she could
assist in. Thus her current situation, with a pile of sewn and compiled fabric, nearly at
completion, all while her mind buzzed with questions.
“Is something wrong, lady Hayate?” her guest asked, having arrived by her request.
“Hmm? What do you mean?” she looked from her work.
“You sighed just now. The work is not strenuous for you, is it?”
Ack. She didn’t even realize that she sighed!
“Oh no no, nothing like that!” Hayate waved it off with a small laugh. “I’m having a lot of
fun doing this, really! It’s not too often that I actually get commissioned to make something.”
“I see. Well, in any case, you have my gratitude. I didn’t think I could wear my old raiment
once again.”
It was just weeks ago. One day, seemingly out of the blue, the blind knight garbed in Belkan
priest’s robes entered her office with a request unlike she had heard before since her school
days. Apparently someone had tipped him off that she personally designed the Knight’s
Garb of the
Wolkenritter, and he came to see if she could do the same for him. Rather that
craft a new garb, however, he instead requested that she reproduce his Knight’s robes from
ancient times. It was a challenge that her pride refused to shy away from, and it was always
fun to design and fabricate a whole new set of clothes.
And so, here she was in her office, a pile of fabric in her lap, scraps of string and materials
messily strewn around the room.
“I have to say, you’re a tall man, Noland-
han. It’s not often that I have to use a ladder just
to get to someone’s head!”
Noland chuckled at the memory. When he had first commissioned Hayate to produce the
clothes, she had to use a short ladder in order to measure him properly. The people of this
time were exceptionally short, it seemed – Hayate was just over 144 centimeters tall, a 44
centimeters shorter than Noland. Supposedly he was among the tallest in Riot Force Six,
easily picked out amongst a crowd.
“Sometimes it does not benefit to be so tall. There are times when I wish I was a bit smaller.”
“Whatever reason would you want that? I still wish I could grow a few more centimeters,”
Hayate asked with a pout.
“It’s not always fun being so tall, when everyone around you is short.
“Heh, maybe you could share some of your height with me!”
“We’ll split it even: twenty two centimeters for me, and twenty two centimeters for you.”
“Hmmm, that’ll makes me…” she paused from her sewing and looked thoughtful, a giant
grin threatened to split her face. “I’d be as tall as Fate-
chan! Can we do that now?!”
“But that would ruin all the measuring you did for the clothes. We would not want to
waste all that hard work,” Noland turned to face the girl. Though he had no sight, Hayate
could almost feel his gaze upon her. “I… I had heard you’ve done little else these weeks
other than focus on the clothes. I’m truly grateful to you.”
“E-eeehh?” Hayate’s head moved so fast to look at the knight that she damn near gave
herself whiplash. “Wh-Where did you learn that?”
“Perhaps it was not meant for my ears to hear, but lady Shamal admitted this to me a few
nights ago after imbibing a number of drinks,” Noland confessed, scratching his temple lightly.
Shamal, you traitor! No more drinking for you ever
again!
“Aiyaaah, that mischievous girl…” the Kansai girl sighed, her little secret found. She still
smiled, though she blushed deeply in embarrassment.
“If it makes any difference, I do owe you greatly now for this service.”
“Oho! Yes, you do, don’t you?” she perked up in an instant, a strange, if disconcerting
gleam in her eyes. With renewed spirit, she renewed her efforts with a speed and energy
beyond the focus she demonstrated in weeks prior. The last pieces were finally coming
ogether, the final bits of detail put into place… so close…
“
Yosh! It’s done!”
“Is it really? That’s fantastic!”
“The jacket’s finally done – I had the tunic and trousers ready since last week. I just
wanted to finish everything before presenting it to you,” she stood, holding the jacket up
to give it a look over. Satisfied, she passed the jacket along with a stack of other folded
garments over to the knight.
“Here, try it on! Use the restroom to change.”
The carefully but barely contained look of excitement on Noland’s features filled the girl
with a sense of accomplishment, as if these clothes were worth more than just something
to wear. Ah, that’s right; they were memories, reflection of his lost past. Not only was it
a reflection of the time from whence he came, but also his status, his history, and his Or
maybe it was just nostalgia for him – regardless, it made Hayate feel that all her efforts
were well worth it.
And when he finally came out, she tacked a “definitely” onto that phrase. Oh yes,
definitely worth it. At his full height of 188 centimeters, Noland looked every bit the noble
knight that he was. The coat was of black material, crimson trim along the edges, with grey
and more red highlights on the arms, shoulders, and back. The tunic, trousers, and even
boots were of the same colors, possessing similar trim and accents.
A knight reborn.
“Though I cannot see it for myself, it feels perfect. The handiwork is superb, and it feels
even better than the original! You’ve outdone yourself, lady Hayate.”
“Ahh, you’re embarrassing me! It wasn’t that big of a deal – I just followed the directions
and the description you gave me. But hmm, something doesn’t look right…” she studied
the uniform with a detailed eye, carefully examining for the little detail that seemed to be
missing from the outfit. “Would you kindly spin around for me?”
He did so, but still she looked pensive.
“Hmm. Sit, would you kindly?”
He did so.
“Stand, would you kindly?”
He stood.
“Run, would you kindly?”
He did a light jog around the room.
“Stop. Hmmm…” before she could continue, the door to her office slid open.
“Hayate-chan~ I brought snacks~” the newly arrived Shamal sang as she stepped through
the door, a tray of steaming teacups and cookies in her hands.
Hayate perked up and pointed a finger at the blonde woman. “Ah ha! Now, would you
kindly,
kill!”
“Eh?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Both Belkan Knights had similar looks of confusion.
“Ah. Damn. No brainwashed servant with trigger phrase for me,” Hayate actually looked
disappointed as she accepted the tray of snacks from Shamal.
“Eh?” the maiden looked between Noland and her
meister, seeking an answer to her
unasked question. The male only shrugged – Hayate just shook her head.
“It’s nothing, Shamal-chan. Thank you for the tea though,” she smiled and placed the tray
down on her desk. Though she didn’t understand, Shamal smiled anyways and exited the
room… after getting a long eyeful of the blind knight.
“Lovely work, Hayate-chan!” she said before the door shut behind her.
Sighing, Hayate picked up one of the steaming cups and sipped the tea slowly, eyeing the
still standing knight. What could it be… Oh!
“Ah! I got it! You need a belt!”
Noland tilted his head to the side, “A belt? What purpose would that serve? This outfit
fits me perfectly already.”
“It would be criminal of me to let you wear one of my works incomplete in public! No, I
think this little addition will change everything… Now, where did I put those spares…
“Spares?”
“Oh dammit, why are they so high up?” the ace made a small growl of irritation before
dragging a chair over an unfortunately high shelf. Sitting peacefully amongst other boxes
was her objective, a cardboard container full of various belts and straps she kept handy
for certain purposes. “I swear, someone’s doing this on purpose.”
“I could get it for you…”
“No no, I got this. This is why being short is such a pain…!” Even with the chair, the box
was just out of range. On the tips of her toes, she just barely was able to graze the edge of
the box. Just a little more, and she would make it… Got it! And with just a little more
weight from the box, her balance failed her. “
Ack!”
Gravity took over, and nearly did Hayate meet the ground painfully had it not been for
Noland arresting her fall. She had barely heard him cross the room, a speed she did not
expect from one so big. Though now, in his arms, she felt even smaller than before.
“Ah… um…” Hayate stuttered, her heart pounding at the sudden close contact. This
feeling of being held close, a careful mix of strength and tenderness that she had not felt
since her childhood… she had missed this warmth.
“Lady Hayate, are you all right?” Noland asked.
“Ah! Yeah, I’m fine,” she slowly nodded.
“Your heart is racing.”
“Errm just the adrenaline, that’s all! Nothing serious, really!”
“Hmm… alright,” he placed the girl down, receiving a thank you as she regained her foot.
For a moment, she lingered, as if she wanted to stay in those great arms. Perhaps it was
better to stay small, if she could feel that once more. But that was for another time; right
now, there were clothes to be completed! From the box came a belt of silver-grey, similar
in color to the trim of Noland’s jacket. And with it…
“Uniform complete! It looks rather dashing on you, sir knight! This could be one of my
best works yet!” Hayate had a dazzling smile on her face as she took in the sight, a smile
that soon turned… sinister. “Now then… about that favor you owe
me…”
“Indeed. Whatever you ask of me, I will do with all my power to complete.”
“In that case, you’re going to model for me!”
“Eh… model, lady Hayate?” This was not the task he had been expecting.
“Yep. I got some clothing that I need to see how they look on a person, and you’re just
about the right size. I’ve already modified the clothes to fit you, so all you gotta do is wear
them! I need some pictures too, so I’ll be snapping a few photos, annnnd I’ll be joining in
too for some combo shots. Think you can handle it?”
“Erm. I believe so…”
Now then… what to wear…
Spoiler for Love Sign End:
“Ah ha! Alright, Noland-han, please change into this!”
A box was pushed into the knight’s waiting hands.
“Okay… I cannot guarantee I’ll put it on correctly, however.”
“Oh, I’ll fix it once you get out.”
Disappearing into the bathroom once more, Noland changed into the clothes given to him.
Meanwhile, Hayate threw her own costume together quickly. Just in time too, as she
finished patting herself down as Noland left the bathroom.
“So, how do I look?” he asked.
The knight was dressed in robes of blue and black, white trim crisscrossing the lapel going
down his chest, a sash of sorts tying it together along with a red bag attached to the front.
Blue trousers bloused into white boots completed his ensemble, though he would need a
wig of silver hair and glasses to complete the character.
“Hey~! You make an awesome Kourin-ze!” Hayate gave a thumbs up. “You put it all on
correctly too!”
“Is that what I’m supposed to represent?”
“Yup! And I’m Marisa-ze! An ordinary black magician!” She posed, even though Noland
could not see her do so. Had he still had vision, he would’ve seen her in a fairly simple
outfit of white blouse under a black dress and frilly edges. Upon her currently long and
blond hair was a witch’s hat with a pink ribbon tied in a bow on it, and a bamboo and
straw broom in the other hand.
“I feel… frisky.”
“Now then, come over here!”
Perhaps it was the character he was dressed as, mysteriously bestowing some sort of
mystical sense of desire and a bizarre sense of clumsiness… or maybe he was just unlucky,
but as he stepped towards Hayate in fulfillment of her request, Noland tripped and fell.
Right into Hayate-Marisa’s (carefully hidden) cleavage.
Noland-Kourin realized his mistake in an instant and quickly scrambled off, but it was
already too late.
“You… you damn shopkeeper!”
Kono… BAKA HENTAAAAIIII~!
“MASSUUUUUUUTAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
SUUPPPPPPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRK KKKK-KU!”
From the Mini-Hakkero Marisa-Hayate’s hand came a great rainbow colored beam of doom,
destruction, and perhaps, love. However in Noland’s case, he could only detect that
something really big and really powerful was coming in his way, and there was no way he
could dodge it.
“Oh dear.”
Strangely, no one even questioned the appearance of a giant beam of light coming from
Riot Force Six’s headquarters. Nanoha did report feeling strangely proud, however.
Spoiler for Dango End:
“Ah ha! Alright, Noland-han, please change into this!”
A box was pushed into the knight’s waiting hands.
“Okay… I cannot guarantee I’ll put it on correctly, however.”
“Oh, I’ll fix it once you get out.”
Disappearing into the bathroom once more, Noland changed into the clothes given to him.
Meanwhile, Hayate threw her own costume together quickly. Just in time too, as she
finished patting herself down as Noland left the bathroom.
“So, how do I look?” he asked.
Clad in a simple uniform of navy blue pants, a white dress shirt, red tie, and a cream yellow
blazer of sorts, Noland looked every part of a male protagonist of a visual novel.
“Heh. The school uniform look suits you just fine, though some shorter hair would fit the
character better. It’s fine though, we match!”
Indeed, Hayate was dressed in what would be the girl’s uniform, the same colored blazer
with a white and pink collar and cuffs, a same colored skirt, a dark blue turtleneck, and
brown loafers. Hugged closely in her hands, however, was a bizarre pink blob with two
lines for “eyes.”
“I feel… indecisive.”
“Just gotta make your choices! Now come here – it’s picture time.”
He did so, the girl grabbing on to an arm and pulling him close for the photo. It went off
without a hitch, though the girl still held on. It was very quiet now, a relaxed calm that
seemed so natural.
“You know… everything is almost perfect now. My friends have realized their dreams,
the world is a peaceful place, and we’re still having fun every day,” she murmured, hugging
Noland-Tomoya’s arm closer. “I’m so happy now, and I hope every day will be like this…
Ne, we’ll be together, forever, right?”
Such a question would be difficult to answer normally, but then again, these weren’t normal
times. As such, he answered Hayate-Nagisa with the one answer he believed true with all
his heart. “…Yes. Yes, we will.”
Spoiler for Frontier End:
“Ah ha! Alright, Noland-han, please change into this!”
A box was pushed into the knight’s waiting hands.
“Okay… I cannot guarantee I’ll put it on correctly, however.”
“Oh, I’ll fix it once you get out.”
Disappearing into the bathroom once more, Noland changed into the clothes given to him.
Meanwhile, Hayate threw her own costume together quickly. Just in time too, as she
finished patting herself down as Noland left the bathroom.
“So, how do I look?” he asked.
His clothes were incredibly simple: a white button-up tee shirt with a school symbol sewn
on to the breast pocket and a blue stripe on the shoulders, a loosened red tie, and blue slacks.
“Like a pilot! Though you’re definitely missing something… Ah! I know!”
“Are you sure this isn’t a female’s clothing set? I feel strangely feminine in this.”
“You’re just imagining things. Now, come here so I can fix your hair up.”
He did as asked, walking up to the girl. Unlike his uniform, Hayate was clad in a simple yellow
sundress with a sky blue hem, tall boots, and a pendant of sorts around her neck. There
was a scarf too, though by far the most interesting part of her ensemble was the brilliant
green hair.
“Alright, now kneel a bit so I can reach you… there!”
Noland's long hair was now tied into a high ponytail, held there by a long red string. Yet though
the hair was now done, she did not release him. What…?
“I know about the others, how they feel about you, and what they’ve done… But I
wonder, how do you feel about this?”
He locked up in surprise. What the hell was going on?!
“Yet… I don’t care. I’ve as much right as they do, you know? Just because they were first
doesn’t mean they get to have you…”
Her eyes were brilliant with determination, strong and unwavering.
“I’ve decided. I won’t lose! I definitely won’t lose to the others!”
Hayate-Ranka pulled the stunned Noland-Alto closer.
The camera flash went off just as their lips met.