Volume 2 – The World Sneered
For some reason, Mary got dragged by Ami into an empty room next to theirs.
Ami dragged her towards the bed, and she sat down.
Mary did not know what Ami was thinking, who stood in front of Mary and then sat next to her after saying, ‘Yep!’
She then smiled and laughed.
Mary did not know her intention, but it was cute so she smiled back.
They looked at each other like this for a few seconds.
Unable to endure the silence, she opened her mouth.
“U-Umm…… You just wanted to be alone with me, right?”
“Nu-uh, you’re wrong. I told you before we left Luvana, sis.”
“Told me……?”
Mary thought back to her memories.
She quickly remembered.
“Kiss me too next time, okay?”
Ami said that right before they left Luvana.
Mary’s face instantly became red, and she grabbed Ami’s shoulders to stop her as she was quietly getting her face closer to Mary’s.
“Stop, Ami!”
She wanted to shout louder, but she did not want to be heard from the outside.
So she pushed her voice down but still raised it slightly.
Ami’s cheeks puffed up and pouted.
“P-Please wait, umm…… I only kissed Miss. Calaria because of arcana!”
“But you still did, right?”
“Yes, but!”
“You two look pretty close now and then.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes! It’s not as if I want you all to myself, but I feel gloomy when I think about you being taken by someone else. I’m really worried that you’re not going to take my first kiss too!”
“Ami……”
In short, this meant that Ami had feelings of affection for Mary.
It was not as if Mary never thought about that possibility either.
Perhaps it was a little more than adoration.
Ami wanted to devote her life to Mary, to repay her for risking her life to save hers.
“Also, you’re forgetting something important, sis!”
“What’s that……?”
“You’re supposed to talk to me in a more familiar manner!”
“Huh? Oh…… Yeah, n-now that you mention it……”
The first time Ami called Mary ‘sis’, she wanted Mary to speak to her more familiarly as well.
But Mary had returned to her usual mannerisms without realizing it.
Mary always spoke respectfully with everyone, so this was just a habit for her, but Ami always cared about this.
“……Okay.”
Ami smiled with satisfaction.
“Mhm, yeah. We’re sisters, so that’s how it should be.”
“Okay, so that’s-”
“Anyway, we’re gonna kiss.”
Ami grabbed Mary’s arm when she tried to flee.
Mary could push her away and escape, but she could not be so cruel.
Mary continued meekly sitting on the bed, overpowered by a mysterious pressure Ami emitted.
“Sis, you don’t wanna?”
“It’s not that. It’s just, I think it’s too early……”
“Mhm, I know. I think it’s too early too. But we’re not gonna make it in time otherwise. You gotta try to do everything you wanna do, or the time will pass you by before you even realize it.”
“That’s…… You’re right.”
A month was quite a short time.
It had already been 5 days since Ami gave her life to Wheel of Fortune.
She still had some time, but the countdown steadily continued.
Perhaps Ami also started to realize that death was approaching her.
“If I’m annoying you, just say it. I don’t wanna do anything you don’t want. Because, umm, I know I’m being unfair.”
“There’s no need to think like that. I’d rather you be selfish than have any regrets.”
“Hehehe…… you’re so kind. I really love you, sis.”
Direct words, and direct affection. It was only instinctual to want to repay it when one was faced with such pure emotions at point-blank range.
Rather, feeling this way perhaps meant that Mary also held feelings of love towards Ami.
Mary touched Ami’s hair, and then the rims of her ears, and replied.
“I love you too, Ami.”
These were feelings of friendship, and a desire to protect Ami.
It was different from romantic love.
On the other hand, however, she also wanted to answer every desire Ami had.
If giving her lips would grant Ami’s wish, it was simple enough to do.
“Okay, I’m gonna…… kiss you. I can, right?”
“Yes, of course. Whenever you want.”
Mary was smiling kindly, seemingly having recovered her composure.
Meanwhile, Ami gulped while looking at Mary’s face.
She then closed her eyes and slowly got her face closer to Mary’s.
Mary almost laughed when she saw Ami happily sticking her lips out, but she controlled herself.
Ami continued pushing on until her face eventually clashed against Mary’s cheek.
“Nmm?”
It felt wider than she expected, so Ami opened her eyes.
When she noticed that she kissed Mary’s cheek instead of mouth, she frantically moved her face away as her cheeks blushed red like a tomato.
Mary found this so adorable that she had to caress Ami.
“Hehehe, it’s only natural that you missed the target your first time with your eyes closed.”
“Uuuh…… but it’s too embarrassing to look at you when your face is so close!”
“But you look at me from so close up when we’re sleeping together?”
“It’s completely different when I’m gonna kiss you!”
Basically, she was getting self-conscious.
Mary understood how she felt.
Her chest was thumping loudly too.
But, she found this young girl so adorable, and that sentiment surpassed anything else.
“Ah……”
Mary put her hand on Ami’s cheek and kissed her.
It was a soft, kind kiss.
Mary still felt a little embarrassed, however, and her cheeks were completely red.
She moved her face away and spoke as she looked at a befuddled Ami.
“I took your first kiss, Ami.”
Mary almost thought it was a smug remark, and wondered if she looked like she was showing off.
From Ami’s point of view, it was like a prince snatching a kiss from her.
She looked like she wanted to say something to Mary, but her emotions were racing too fast and nothing came out of her mouth which she was repeatedly opening and closing.
“Ami, please calm down. Take a deep breath.”
“Pheew…… Aaah…… S-Sis!”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Umm, err…… That was…… so…… good.”
“Hehehehe, it’s embarrassing to hear that face to face.”
“I’m going to make the first move next time. Just wait for it!”
“When will that be?”
“……After today’s fighting ends?”
It seemed that Ami intended on kissing Mary on a daily basis.
Mary realized this but was not able to turn back now, and her head started working at full speed thinking about how she’ll get through it next time.
◇◇◇
Mary and Ami went back to the other room afterwards.
“Welcome back.”
Cutie grinned and laughed as she welcomed the two.
Mary averted her eyes and blushed, and Ami happily held her arm while also blushing.
“Looks like it went well.”
Calaria spoke with a comfortable smile on her face.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Calaria? I might end up taking sis away from you, y’know?”
“I’m not fighting over her.”
“Hnngh, you can only say that because you already stole her first kiss……!”
Ami and Calaria were giving off sparks.
Elastis watched on with a dumbfounded expression.
Then, Mary, who looked worried, opened her mouth to speak.
“E-Err…… Can I say something?”
“What’s up, Mary?”
“Miss. Calaria wasn’t actually my first kiss.”
“……I thought we were in the same boat. That makes it unfair, Mary.”
“Huuuuh!? Who was it then, sis!?”
Ami was surprised, and Calaria looked a little disappointed.
It being the first time was seemingly important for Calaria as well.
Meanwhile, Cutie put her elbows on the table while sitting next to a window and appeared somewhat bored.
She seemed to have figured out where this was heading already.
“My sister.”
Cutie sighed and said, ‘Of course’, after Mary spoke while embarrassed.
“Well, I guess that can’t be helped.”
“Sisters don’t count.”
Ami and Calaria were relieved that it was not somebody they did not know about.
But Mary did not seem to be convinced by this reaction.
“No, that was definitely my first kiss! Sisters count as well!”
She frantically insisted.
Perhaps it was the leeway of being on the ‘attacking side’, but the mood in the room was cheerful despite it being right before a battle as the sun went down and the outside became dark.
◇◇◇
“Hnh! Hnh!”
The foul shouting of a man was heard inside a gloomy cabin.
Ox continued wildly swinging his sword around while there was no fighting.
He would most likely be well-known as the strongest swordsman in the world, even without arcana.
There was a reason for that.
He walked only on the path of the sword, and lived only for the path of the sword – until he met Francis.
“Lady Francis! Hnh!”
His sword became something swang only for Francis after that day.
Living for love, and dying for love. That was the way of life of the man named Ox.
He had no intention of bending his path, no matter who said it was disgusting.
“Lady Francis! Aaah!”
“Hey, shut up, Ox.”
Cruz spoke while sitting on top of a wood box and blowing out tobacco smoke.
He was quite a heavy smoker, and the cabin was not only filthy but also smelled of tobacco.
“I’m not complaining about your smoking, so just keep quiet about this.”
Ox spoke to Cruz with disdain.
He was wearing a tank top, shorts, and sandals – Cruz had a sloppy appearance, which contrasted Ox.
He definitely did not look like an arcana user who was about to fight Mary and her friends.
The two did not get along well, but had to be locked in together in a cramped space for many hours.
That was stressful enough.
“Lady Francis! Lady Francis!”
Ox ignored Cruz’s complaints and started his sword practice again.
“Tsch, I can’t tune my chariot when it’s so dark outside. This is so annoying…… Ugh, it’s so annoying……!”
Cruz complained and sulked while leaning back against the wall.
Then, a quiet bump was heard from behind him.
It was probably a rat or an insect; not something to feel suspicious about.
But Cruz sniffed around a little, looking like was searching for something.
Ox stopped what he was doing and looked at him.
“Are there beasts nearby or something?”
“No…… Don’t you smell something burning?”
“……Yeah, and I heard something burst.”
“No way! Ox, you said Elastis missed her scheduled call, right?”
“Yeah, it’s highly possible she was defeated.”
“Or betrayed us.”
“You think they know where we are?”
The flames spread as they talked and surrounded the cabin.
Cruz immediately ran for the exit.
He opened the door.
There was a white wall in front of him.
“Impossible! It’s blocked!?”
“Cruz, what are…… is that a wall?”
“They know where we are. That damn Elastis betrayed us! She fucking teamed up with Mary!”
“But it’s still an indirect attack. Well, it’s fine, move. I’ll break through!”
Ox held high his jeweled sword with a blade around a meter long.
He focused his strength into it.
Meanwhile, the mana welling up in his body focused on his arm as well.
His vessels bulged and his arm became bigger.
He was about to unleash a deadly attack.
Then……
“……Uh, ah?”
A mana arrow pierced him and his body started shaking.
Feelings began welling up.
His love for the late princess endlessly poured out.
He put his sword down, relaxed his arms and went down on his knees.
“What the fuck are you doing, Ox!? The fire’s spreading, break it down already!”
“……cis.”
“Ox!”
“Lady Francis, Lady Francis, aaah, Lady Francis. Why, why, why did you have to dieeee……!”
He covered his face with both hands, fingers digging into his skin, and lamented while blood oozed out of his face.
“Lady Fraaaanciiis…… Aaaagh…… Lady Francis…… I love you, Lady Franciiiis……!”
“You’re useless just at the most important time, you fucking bastard! I guess I’ll just have to…… You! You!”
Cruz hurled himself at the bones blocking the exit, but nothing happened.
Meanwhile, the fire spread and the smoke approached closer.
“Not yeeeeet! A-Ah?”
Then, an arrow pierced him.
This time, a ‘beloved thing’ filled up Cruz’s mind.
“Chariot…… Charioooooot! Where are you, my beloved car, my precious, precious chariot…… I miss you…… I miss yooooou!”
“Lady Francis! Lady Franciiiis!”
Ox and Cruz completely lost their minds because of ‘Cupid’s Arrow’, and started throwing tantrums like children.
◇◇◇
“It’s over, those two can’t move again.”
Elastis muttered in a spot far from the cabin, and put her bow down.