The Mad Lion’s Trap

[Blurb]

At first, "Flame Lion" was just a title to Dazena, a name for the Night Watch's prickly genius.

This newly recruited genius, drafted into the Night Watch, was always skipping work now and then. As she put it:

"My wife has tomorrow off, so I need to get home early and make her dinner~"

"My wife is so gentle and beautiful. She finally has a day off, so I'm taking her shopping~"

"My wife isn't feeling well. I need to go home and take care of her!"

"Oh, right, I'm taking another day off. I have a date with my wife tomorrow~"

So on her days off, Dazena would curl up on the sofa at home and complain about how exhausting work was, leaning against her sweet, obedient, and reliable partner, who served as her perfect excuse.

"I only get Sundays off, while they rotate their days off. But one employee always ends up in the medical pod on Saturday nights, covered in injuries, so I have to work overtime..."

"That sounds so hard. You should quit and find a new job! Here's my salary card. Take your time looking for work you like, big sis. I make a pretty good salary~"

Dazena smiled and pinched her cheek. "You goof, why are you giving me your card? It's not like we're really married."

Ji An's gaze was serious. "If you want, the time off can be real too."

"Silly thing to say."

--

Later, after getting divorced and signing up for a mission in the contaminated zone, Flame Lion was trapped in a horde of monsters. Dazena, the Federation's chief medical officer, connected to the surveillance console.

Her visor showed monsters stretching as far as the eye could see. A woman's lovely voice came through the comms in Flame Lion's ear, furious as she scolded her: "Ji An, you've gotten too big for your boots! Even if you die, you have to crawl back alive first!"

Ji An's nose stung. "Why do you care what happens to me? Our marriage was fake anyway. Aside from me loving you, everything else was fake..."

"If you know it was fake, what did you call me behind my back every day?"

"...Wife."

"Mm."

Call someone "wife" enough times, and eventually it comes true.

[This story will be available for purchase starting January 7. Thank you for your support!]

Theme: Sincerity, passion, and courage are the most precious qualities.