Obviously, the briefing was about as boring as seeing how long it took for a rock to break down into sand. That was a given. Nothing felt longer than the meetings after which I would see Koharu, and like he wanted me to suffer more, it seemed Inei always saved the most random things to complain about for those times.
*You'd bitch about a shoelace if anyone would listen! And I don't mean forcibly!*
"Why is there a new church in the town all of a sudden?" Inei whined. "Were you aware, Ophelia?"
He sat with his rear up as if his knees would have hung from a metal bar—*if* he was a completely normal human. He was not even close to hitting the mark on that one as he folded in some awkward and uncomfortable way.
I shook my head. "I wasn't. I'm surprised how it went unnoticed given, you know, it takes time to build a new facility."
"As am I. At least someone's logical around here," he chided, and I giggled along.
*Did you really think that title could ever go to you?*
He then turned to ask Jisoo something about a new gun or tank, and I kind of zoned out from there as the low voices droned on several feet away from me while Seiji sat with perfect posture. Though I was unsure before, I soon grew confident Inei enjoyed the kind of gossip-filled discussions that permeated the meetings like a pungent odor. I was always fine with them on days I had nothing to expect afterwards, but why did I need to live in the moment when there was a greater good to come later?
That was exactly why I was almost anxious when I exited the meeting; I created such vibrant, anticipatory images in my mind of whimsical confessions and adventures to faraway lands that my excitement could not stay in the confines of my imagination. I felt magical plants and fantastical linens between my fingers, brushing against their pads in my ideal fairy tale as I walked with Koharu. The excitement transferred to the quaking in my bones, an energetic foot tapping like a person high on caffeine.
"Hi, hi, Fifi!"
Leo embraced me from behind. We were resigned to being amicable towards each other after previous (not so) subtle gestures and animated conversations.
I lazily hugged his arms. The wind from his wings chilled my neck, prompting many goosebumps to rise as short strands of hair parted.
"Hey, Lele!" I smiled fondly as I turned to him.
He must have felt the slight shaking from my body when he asked, "Anxious, much? Oh, did lover girl leave you another letter?" He giggled as he poked fun at me.
I flicked his hand, which left a faint red mark that blossomed into a thin stripe. This didn't really bother him, but he removed his arms from me.
He continued, "I'll take that as a yes."
Growing concerned at the lack of a response from me (he only had his own impatience to blame), he pulled me into one of the empty rooms on the floor, gently closing the door behind him in a dramatic manner. He acted like the lead in a play who was ready to solve everyone's problems.
*I'm only lost in my head. I just need the sun to lead me out.*
"Something wrong?" he asked.
I waved my hands down as a diminutive gesture. "Nothing of importance. Koharu just wants to talk about something when she gets here."
He huffed. "You had me acting like a theatre student for a second just to tell me this? I'm glad you're okay, though."
Grinning in relief with all his teeth showing prominently, he removed his vice grip from my wrist.
While chuckling, I reassured him, "I'll let you have your show another time—if that makes you feel better—but everything's fine between the two of us. Libraries lead to philosophical discussions, I guess."
I figured he would give me a look of either contemplation or understanding, but Leo's tongue shot out as his face contorted.
"Not sure if I want to hear the two of you and libraries mentioned in the same sentence."
I pushed his shoulder. "That was one time! You just pick really inconvenient times for everything! You shouldn't have just barged in!"
"I'm still petrified."
I patted him gently on the head with an almost mocking smile and joked, "That's why you're still childish."
He snapped his fingers, which caused a piece of tape to seal my lips.
"And this is why you need to close your mouth," he added with a playful wink.
I made what was close to a gurgling noise as I tried prying the adhesive off.
*The inventor of stick glue needs a lesson from you! Go find them instead!*
***
About an hour later, there was a crash in the courtyard that drew little attention.
It meant one of two things: either Sinclair arrived in the wrong place (again) or Koharu made a horrible attempt at sneaking in. They were equally clumsy with their entrances, making the possibilities as balanced as a coin flip.
*Please tell me she's here!*
I ran out there with haste. Surprisingly, they both showed up, although Koharu's entrance was very unfortunate. She straddled a horse's ears, and the thing looked ready to buck her off violently as it neighed. It sounded like an incoming typhoon beneath her. I gulped while she scratched her head, cutely aloof.
"Koharu! Pay attention, please!" I screamed from the other side of a bush.
Her eyes darted around in search of me. "Ophelia? What are you talking about?" She glanced down. "Oh!"
She levitated in the air and proceeded to plop down in front of me, safely avoiding a rodeo-style throwdown. Rashly, she embraced me. I did so back, and then, we moved apart as we smiled.
I heard giggling in the background; I figured someone was ready to make a mockery of us.
*I hope you step on the corner of a book, stranger!*
Turning, it turned out it was Leo who came to greet Sinclair, and I realized my threat was useless to both of them.
"I'll ignore that, Fifi," Leo remarked with an eyebrow raise before dashing up to the other fairy, jumping onto their back.
Sinclair had been almost dumbly scratching their eye and was caught off guard as they took a few steps back for a late attempt at bracing themself. They almost ate a pile of dirt and twigs from the collision.
Koharu and I cackled and then didn't pay the two of them much mind.
*They'll be off doing something before I even notice.*
"Hello, again." I grinned.
"Hi!"
She tapped something against my nose before grabbing my hand, placing the rectangle gently in my palm.
*Ah, this smells sweet from the slight whiff of it I got.*
It was a bar of wrapped chocolate, slightly warm in the wrapper.
"Thank you!" I told her with a sparkle in my eye because I enjoyed the occasional piece of candy. Everyone needed a little sweetness, right?
I peeled off the back like it was an envelope and dumped the slab out. It was tiny, but I tried to break it in half.
*If it doesn't work, there's no harm in sharing the same piece—*only* with her.*
Several pitiful moments of struggle resulted in me gripping two lopsided pieces. One was close to a third of the bar, and the other was the remaining bit with a sharp diagonal cut that put the straight incisions to shame with its irregularity. Fine shards of milk chocolate rested in the creases of my skin.
"Open your mouth," I said a little forcefully.
Koharu tilted her head, confused, and she stuck her finger out behind her. "It's for you. I can always get some from the kitchen."
"And I want to give some to you."
I held out the smaller piece, perhaps so that she'd complain a little less.
"No, Lia," she whined as she tapped my wrist.
"I'll take it!" Leo popped up out of nowhere, despite me thinking he was long gone.
"Take it, or I'll give it to him," I threatened jokingly.
She rolled her eyes and said with an exasperated tone, "Fine."
She parted her lips slightly, and I slid the piece between them with a giggle as she wrapped them around my fingertips.
"You're so lovely," I said as she chewed on the confection, eyes lit up and happy. I shoved the other piece into my mouth.
Leo gaped in offense. "You're all fakes except for Sinclair." With a clanging earring, he stomped off to Sinclair, who tended to their horses.
I wiped my hands against each other to remove the crumbs of chocolate from them.
"So?"
"Hm?" Koharu replied as she swallowed.
"What's your proposal for today?"
Something sparked in her head. "Oh, yeah! Do you know of Caelum? It's in the north—not too far from here—and it's along the trench."
*I ought to summon a map in my mind, but my memory isn't that good.*
"Caelum? That's… the town beside that ring of mountains?"
Though the details were blurry, I was familiar with the name; my mother often travelled there for work. She told me it was the kind of place that made someone feel small in comparison to the universe. It was like if the environment was full of anthills, and everything else was a pest. The mountains towered so high that the wispy, candy-like clouds graced their peaks before receding into the depths of the atmosphere.
"Yes! Exactly! It's a well-loved spot for tourists, but do you know what lies between the mountains?" she asked in a way that made it feel like a murder mystery.
"I've never thought about it."
"Fair." She smiled widely and crossed her arms. "Sinclair told me there's a lake there when they flew over. Have you ever been swimming?"
"In my bath," I joked, "but I have never anywhere else. Do you know of any oceans in this kingdom?"
"I don't!" She grasped my forearm. "That's why I've been eager to see it! I wanna go there tonight."
I panicked. "Koko, there are still meetings to go to. You should know this."
*Truthfully, are we just going to drop the whole ordeal from before?*
She asked confidently, "And who runs the meetings?"
"Prince Akiyoshi."
"Not the answer I was looking for, but it's valid. I meant for you to say my dad."
*You want me to lie to you?*
"Him, too."
Cogs seemed to turn in Koharu's mind as she spoke energetically, "I can always ask him to, you know, let you skip."
"You would have been a devious student in school, wouldn't you have?"
"Don't know since I've never been." She shrugged. "But what do you say?"
"Are you sure this is okay?"
I wasn't going to cut any corners on permission from the castle hierarchy. Being the princess' girlfriend wasn't an express ticket to doing whatever I wanted.
Groaning, she whined, "Yes! Just one time. Come on."
Her pout was something I couldn't refuse—as much as I hated to admit it.
I sighed. "I'll do it this once."
"Yay!"
She hugged me around the waist again. I wrapped my arms around her back and placed my chin on her head, careful not to dig into the crown of her skull. In that position, a thought came to me, and I backed away.
"Isn't this technically our first date outside?"
*"Date"… It gives me such a nice feeling.*
"Wait, more importantly," I continued, "will we be fine to do this without people bothering us for whatever stupid reasons?"
*You know, the kinds that bother your parents. The ones who say it's unnatural.*
"Yes and yes. You don't need to be such a worrywart!" she scolded.
Something fuzzy consumed my insides.
Though she ignored my serious undertones, I had to remind her of one last thing as I overtly said, "But… what about that magician? What if they see?"
Koharu's expression faltered, and she whispered, "I've been locked in this castle for so long. I only want to live a bit."
She tried to recover a joyful mask—hiding her moment of vulnerability—yet I could still see how much she hurt. I placed a hand on her shoulder, running it up and down her tricep.
"Plus, it's secluded. No person can easily get there, and I can get Leo to use magic to make sure of it. I'm not acting entirely on a whim."
*You're spontaneous. Not stupid.*
I rarely saw her so genuinely excited about an idea. Often, yes, she was jovial and merry to show me new rooms and objects, but she was never uncontrollably happy—bouncing on the tips of her toes and reeking the pure anxiousness of a child. Who was I to deny her true joys when I dedicated myself to doing so in dating? Yet I was still skeptical.
"I trust you. Let's just be careful."