Author's notes: Second to last chapter before we're done with dealing the Aftermath. After that, we will be focusing on national development projects during for a period of five years, which is the duration of the Months of Demons.
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In Yuki's office, a pink-hair girl is hugging her face, groaning in utter embarrassment.
"Ahh! I can't believe I did that! Why the hell did I act so cheesy, ah!" Elysia, much to the amusement of the people present, squirms in her seat, unable to look them in the eyes.
Chuckling at the sight, Yuki, who is now situated next to Elysia on the sofa, pats her head in an attempt to calm down the red-faced elf. "There, there. You would have to get it out of your system sooner or later. It's fine to speak your heart out to the person you can trust."
"Wah~" Only, Yuki's action backfired and made Elysia kick up her legs now.
Smiling wryly at that, Yuki has no choice but to wait for the elf to calm down on her own, though she still pats the girl's hair soothingly.
Five minutes later, Elysia settles down though her pointy ears are still a bit red.
"I-I'm sorry! I lost control of myself for a bit there."
'Only a bit?' Yuki wanted to say that out loud but chose not to. She doesn't want the elf to fall into another fit of embarrassment tirade. Instead, Yuki picks a more suitable question.
"Feeling better?"
Showing a shy smile, Elysia leans onto Yuki, her hair flowing down to her breast. "Yeah, much better."
"Then all is good." Yuki nods, a bit surprised when Elysia takes her hand into her own.
They stay silent for another minute before Elysia speaks up. "So..."
Yuki has an inkling of what will come next, but she will ask just in case. "So?"
"So what are we right now?" Elysia spoke in haste, still a bit weird by how fast she, herself, decided to progress their... relationship?
Yuki chuckles, finding her action amusing. "That depends on you, to be honest. Though if you find things progress too fast, we can take it slow and get to know each other better first. For example, I'm open to getting into a relationship with girls, as in plural."
Hearing the last part, Elysia is about to say something when Yuki put up a hand. "Let me explain first, there's a proper reason why I put it that way."
Seeing that Elysia is cooperative, Yuki explains. "First, you know that I am claimed by the Mother Goddess, Yggdrasil herself, right?" Elysia nodded, prompting Yuki to say the next part. "What you and others wouldn't know is that I am claimed not just as her Chosen One, but also her lover."
"...You're kidding, right?" Not just Elysia, but even Erika is having question marks on her face. Lola, herself drops the pistol she has been spinning in shock. Poor dwarf jumps in pain when the C96 lands on her left foot.
Yuki smiles while shaking her head. "I'm afraid not, my dear. Yggdrasil picks me as her partner and tells me to keep it a secret till I'm of age. Nonetheless, she knows that as a person of my status, and with me already developing feelings with a few figures, she has allowed me some leeway to create a harem of my own. Knowing that, what do you think of me now? Should we cement this relationship or settle down to just being the friends we were before."
Hearing the short rundown from Yuki, Elysia knows better than to offer a hasty answer. The elf ponders the matter carefully, knowing full well that she is now at the precipe of her life. Whether to just be content as a mere ward of Yuki, pretending the previous commotion never happen. Or take the dive and dedicate her life to the young girl in front of her. Thinking up to here, Elysia does an introspection of her psyche. Only to learn that she isn't against the notion of sharing the girl, rather, she comes to terms with it easily. After all, it's not unheard of for a person to have a harem. There are laws in place for such practice too to provide fairness and security to the people involved. By now, Elysia has already made up her mind. Nonetheless, she must ask this question.
"Before I give you my answer, can you tell me who are you romantically interested in?"
Yuki nods and calmly answers with a few names. "It's a given that the first person would be Yggdrasil, there's no denying that. Then would come my adopted mothers, Lucifer and Hel, they've been grooming me all this time to be the perfect figure in their eyes, after all. I love them for the family and love they provide, and the opportunity in life they've given me. After that would be Bryn, my second-in-command and the person that have been watching my back all those time at the frontline. Without her, the battlefield would have been a much colder place. I can go on and on about why they love me and how I've come to love every aspect of them. But I guess you don't need to know everything right now."
Elysia gives a slow nod, a bit glad that the figures Yuki listed a well in the realm of acceptance. In her opinion, Yuki deserves only the best love coming from the best lovers. It's won't sit well with her if a random figure decided to carve a portion of Yuki's heart for her selfish desire. Unknowingly, Elysia let out a sigh of relief, much to her confusion about Yuki.
'Shouldn't the girl be exasperated at least when she heard I'm in love with my own mothers?' Yuki posed a question of her own, mentally.
Suddenly, Elysia jumps up from the seat, clapping her hands excitedly. "Yosh~! I've decided!"
Spinning around in place, Elysia settles for a bow in front of Yuki, her right hand putting on her heart. "Please, take care of me in the future, my love."
Standing up to hug Elysia, Yuki shows them the brightest smile of the day, managing to enrapture Erika and Lola, the innocent bystanders. "I'm glad, you know? Truly glad that you've decided to stay with me. You don't know but I've been feeling very nervous inside, wondering whether we would've grown apart from each other after what had happened. I've come to cherish the girl that has been nagging me back at the Academy."
Hugging Yuki's back, Elysia says. "Not all relationship is smooth sailing, what happened before is an example. Thankfully, we both understand the ins and outs of the situation. And now, we have moved on, growing closer than ever." Pulling back, Elysia holds Yuki's cheeks, looking in the eye. "The others may have a major headstart over me but I swear I will be a girl that has every right to stand by your side. Even the Mother Goddess would have to accept me, eventually."
Hearing the conviction in her words, Yuki chuckles. "I will wait for the time when you all are gathering together then. It would be a sight."
*Knock* *Knock*
Turning toward the door, Yuki says. "That ought to be Ningyo... Come in!" Looking at Elysia, she adds. "It's about time you two get to know each other. No doubt you must have felt something from her, right?"
Elysia can only return a nod since she is, once again, being blasted by the familiar feeling from Ningyo, who has just opened the door and is skipping toward Yuki. The girl, after a few days of getting to know each other, has treated Yuki and her family as her most precious. So, being true to her apparent age, she leaps at Yuki, pulling her into a hug after she dodges the tea table.
Having intercepted the body-size missile, Yuki lets out a soft but good-natured 'ouch!'
"Ningyo, what did I say about running in a confined space again?" Yuki lightly chided the black hair girl, yet, it was proving to be not very effective when she herself is sporting a smile.
"You said to be mindful of my surrounding if I did so, and that I did!" Ningyou cheerily answered, the girl now position herself to be more comfortable on Yuki's lap.
Lightly pinching the cheek of her little sister, Yuki says. "Cheeky little girl, you will be a big troublemaker if I keep spoiling you like this. But I just can't help it!"
The pair giggle as Ningyo squirms to escape the hand that's now poking her cheek. Elysia, though she has questions, can't contain a smile from seeing the pair frolicking around in front of her. It's just too cute of a sight!
"Now, now. We have a guest here, won't you say hello to the big sister next to you?" Having had enough fun, Yuki reminds her sister of Elysia's present.
Ningyo, turning her golden orbs at Elysia, is a bit surprised by the color of her hair. Nonetheless, the black-hair girl happily greets Elysia with a wave of her hand. "Hi, beautiful sister! Your hair matches well with your eyes, is that natural?"
Being complimented by the small girl, Elysia feels proud of her choice to change her hair color from blonde to pink. Fiddling with a strand of her hair, Elysia answers with a smile. "In a way, yes, it's natural little sis. I'm Elysia, and you're probably Ningyo, right? I must say that your golden eyes are very vibrant, and it suits you well."
With a big smile on her face, Ningyo says. "Thanks, sister Elysia!"
Yuki, who has been watching their conversation, pats Ningyo's hair. "Ningyo, why don't you take a break here, and eat some snacks, while me and Elysia here discuss a few things."
"Sure, big sis!" Ningyo nodded, leaning forward to pick up a cookie with both hands. Munching on it as a hamster would, the sight deals cuteness overload all the people in the room.
Yuki can't help but say. "She's so precious."
Elysia and the rest can't help but agree with that statement. With the girl in question now occupy with the snack tray ahead of her, Yuki turns to Elysia to address her questions.
"Well then, after seeing her, what are your thoughts?"
Taking one last look at the girl before answering, Elysia puts her feelings in order. "Well... My mom or more specifically, her soul, was used to wake her up, wasn't it?"
Yuki answers. "Yes, and it was on my order." Looking at Elysia's expression, Yuki asks. "I guess that's another thing for you to hate me for."
Elysia bites her lip before heaving a sigh. "I've accepted that my mother committed the unforgivable. I won't hate you any more than what I'm feeling right now, dear."
Letting out a bitter smile, Elysia adds. "It's a fitting end for her, dying the same way as those kids she sentenced before. Only this time she actually did something good for the world as a result. Ningyo is the purest kid I've ever seen."
Without saying anything, Yuki holds Elysia's hand, which she squeezes back. "You don't mind if I treat Ningyo as my own sister, right?" Elysia asked, feeling responsible for the actions of her mother.
Understanding her concern, Yuki answers. "Well, you're already my girlfriend, I think it's a given that you must treat Ningyo as a family member. And I don't think the girl herself is in disagreement."
Ningyo nods with cookie crumbs on her cheeks. "I don't mind, big sis Elysia! The bigger the family, the merrier!"
Both Yuki and Elysia chuckle at her innocent expression. Elysia herself is in relief to hear that. Patting Ningyo's black hair, she says. "Don't worry, I will take good care of my new family." The girl smiles at Elysia's action.
With that, Elysia has made up her mind to reveal the thing that her mother entrusted her with. "Yuki, do you know anything about this?"
Willing the Archive her mother gave her before her eventual end, Elysia has it appear, floating on her palm. The Archive has taken the shape of a glowing golden cube.
Quirking an eyebrow, Yuki answers with a chuckle. "Yes, in fact, I do know about it, a lot to be precise. It's just that I didn't bring it up because I thought that you are not ready to talk about it, yet."
Knowing the hidden meanings behind her words, Elysia pouts. "Mo~, Yuki! I'm not a girl that you would have to cater carefully like an egg!"
With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Yuki quips back. "Then who was it that I has been hugging for the past two hours."
Holding a finger up at Yuki, Elysia tries to come up with a return but fails. "...So can you explain more about it? I only know that this thing, the Archive, grants me a lot of knowledge about the past, some of which include what my mother did. Yet, I can't seem to access everything about it."
Seeing that Elysia chose a tactical retreat, Yuki lets out a small smile but decides to move on with the task at hand. "Well, you are correct about its utilization. That cube in your hand, the Void Archives to be precise, is a recorder of the past from the Previous Era. Holding inside are lost knowledge, blueprints, training techniques, formulas, and the history of many worlds and their end... To say that it's the Akashic Record is also not an understatement. Even Gods would kill to have it so I would suggest you keep it under a tight lid, Elysia."
Elysia is stunned by the revelation. She only now realizes that her mother, and now herself, is carrying a hot potato. One that according to Yuki's words, can easily ignite another war on its own. Swallowing her saliva, Elysia asks her girlfriend. "Um... What should I do with it then?"
In response, Yuki shrugs. "Nothing."
"...Hah?" A befuddled response came from Elysia.
"I'm not kidding, you need not do anything about it. That thing has a built-in camouflage function, as long as you don't bring it out in front of anybody, you will be fine. As for how to access its knowledge, it will take some time but as your soul grows stronger, its mysteries will slowly unlock themselves. By that time, saying that you will be more than a god would be an understatement with all the benefits the Archive can provide."
Understandably, Elysia says this. "Wait, in that case, won't you be wanting this more than me? You sounded like you are the more experienced person here."
Yuki actually dismisses the offer. "Nah, I can do everything the Archive can offer in due time. At the end of the day, it's just a recorder for a mortal to learn from. Don't be offended but you will need it to transcend mortal limitations in the future." Looking at the pink-hair girl, Yuki adds. "I have my own ways of doing so, which is why you don't have to worry."
Though still a bit unconvinced, Elysia nods, reabsorbing the Void Archive into her soul. She would have time to ask Yuki more questions in the future. This thing takes time according to Yuki's words. Instead, she moves on to ask. "So what will you do in the future?"
Putting her fingers under her chin, Yuki has a pondering expression. "I will have to tackle the Victory Parade speech first. Addressing our recent victories, gains, the rebellion your mother did, and our plans for the future. After that, I will have to convene with the national leadership. Finally, I will be busied with restructuring our nation as a whole during the Months of Demons."
Elysis quinces. "Seems like you have your work cut out for you."
Sighing, Yuki scratches her hair. "Yeah, though I will try to make time for my family as much as possible, and that includes you too. Speaking here, I obviously can't say everything about your mother's crime. Though I still have to ask whether you have anything you want to input in this matter."
"I guess that you will settle with my mother rebelled because she was incited by foreign powers rather than the full truth, right?" Elysia asked. "If that's the case then I have nothing else to add. After all, I don't want the entire world to look at my lineage like monsters."
Nodding, Yuki answers. "Yes, I will pin the blame on Erusea and none would be the wiser." Chuckling, Yuki adds. "It's not like the first time I did that."
Raising an eyebrow, Elysia requests further clarification.
"Well, I've already pulled a similar stunt with the Ustian Princess so that we have a just cause for her to rebel. Erusea will be our enemy in the future so it's imperative we steer public sentiment in our favor now, rather than later."
Elysia is stumped, having just learned of Yuki's handiwork. "...Suddenly I feel pity towards those that opposed you."
"Oh they will regret it that's for sure. And I guess we're done with serious matters."
Noticing the heavy talk is out of the way, Ningyo takes two cookies from her plate, and hands them over to her sisters. With a tilt of her head, she asks. "Cookie?"
They both chuckles at the cute sight, accepting it with smiles on their face. "Gladly!"
This marks the end of another day's work for the Princess of Belka. Just for today, our Princess decides to cut it loose before the hectic days in the future. Bonding with her new girlfriend and family takes precedence. After all, what is life without some love?