Sunlight streamed through the windows of Saint-Germain Castle into the pool, where Kouichi reclined. He sat on a blue beach chair made of a cloth as strong as canvas but nearly as soft as silk. He had placed this chair as near the center of a sunbeam as he could, though with the passage of time he was now sitting to one side of the sunbeam. He wore only a pair of trunks, leaving his largely unimpressive physique on display for all to behold.

[i]Ah, if only the maids would wear bathing suits as well,[/i] he mused to himself. [i]It would be so great to watch them play in the pool. Maybe I should go get a ball and see if they'd play volleyball with me.[/i] A smile crept across his face. [i]Ah, all the bouncing and the splashing and the bouncing and the laughing... That would be heaven.[/i] Kouichi blushed slightly as he imagined all the "bouncing" a game would bring.

However, as wonderful an idea as it was to Kouichi, he didn't ask the maids to play with him. In his mind, he convinced himself that he was being considerate of the maids - after all, not everyone would want to go swimming in 15-degree weather. Plus, he told himself, if he suggested it and someone caught a cold, he'd be blamed for having the idea. He didn't want to ruin his chances with the maids, after all.

In reality, though, Kouichi was just too hesitant to ask. He didn't know if the answer would be no, and he spent more time convincing himself it would be better not to ask than he would've spent asking. All in all, it was just another day in the life of a 14-year-old self-proclaimed hero of justice.