241 Fading

"Sooo, is she your Phoenix? She has grown quite a lot from the last time I saw her."

"Crieek~"

As we walked, Amelia gently patted Sera and ruffled her soft, silky feathers under her neck.

"Wait, how do you know she's a she?!" I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

It took me weeks to understand that Sera was a girl. How did she know it in one meeting?! 

Amelia gave me a worried look, concern clearly visible in her eyes. As my frown deepened, she waited for a few seconds before hesitantly speaking:

"Lucas, is your memory getting worse, or is it mere exhaustion?"

".....?" I raised an eyebrow, a confused look forming on my face. "What do you mean?"

"...Lucas, you were the one who told me about her gender, remember?" Amelia said, her tone tinged with concern.

"I… I did?"

I don't remember…