Chapter 2: Makoto Takatsuki's Old Haunts
◇ The Provincial Lord's Daughter Christina's Perspective ◇
We were in an office at the estate. "We," in this instance, included both myself and my younger sister, Constance Macallan.
"Chris, will you stop this pointless struggling?" she asked. "Violet and I have the backing of almost everyone of influence in Macallan."
I let out a noise of discontent. As much as I hated to admit it, her assured smile and statement were correct. In the brief time we had been away from Macallan, the allies Sir Fujiwara had gathered had become turncoats.
To think that the situation could change so drastically...
"The Benriach family also supports me," she continued. "Your Lord Fujiwara is no comparison, is he?"
The man behind her must have been an envoy from the Benriach family.
She'd prepared well, but I knew why—she wanted to become the lady of the region to have an even more luxurious life. I knew my sister, and I knew that she'd just take the title and build her own
finances without any intention of developing the region. She was just feigning her devotion to that lie in order to convince our father.
Constance inheriting the title would be of no benefit to the people of Macallan.
I'm at a considerable disadvantage now though...
I had worked with Sir Fujiwara to develop the airship in hopes that doing so would catalyze a golden age for Macallan. We had formed strong ties with the capital, but our foundations here were—
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Excuse my interruption, please." My future husband entered, looking slightly hesitant.
"What is it, Sir Fujiwara?" I asked.
"What?" Constance scowled. "We are in the middle of a meeting."
I was rather offended by how she spoke to him. After all, he was my fiancé.
He didn't pay any attention to that, though—immediately, he started speaking again, offering only the essential information.
"Princess Sophia has arrived."
Both Constance and I let out gasps of shock, but my sister's mouth was hanging agape.
She soon corrected herself. "I will greet her at once!" she declared. It was rare for the first princess to visit a distant province like ours. "That would be ill-advised, Lady Constance," Sir Fujiwara told her.
"How could you say that, Lord Fujiwara?! Kindly remove yourself," she ordered shrilly. Of course, she would immediately try to rebuke him.
However, he kept calm.
"Princess Sophia has already given her orders—Lady Christina and I will guide her around the town."
"Th-That's impossible! Why would she ask a new noble like you rather than the lord of the land?!"
Constance was hysterical, but I had some idea of what was going on. "Has she come to see Sir Makoto?" I asked.
"Indeed... She headed immediately for the guild," he answered with a reluctant smile.
I hadn't thought that she was so taken with him.
"Wh-What is the meaning of this?" stammered Constance. "Hero Makoto is the new State-Authorized Hero, is he not? He has no
accomplishments to his name."
That was only true as far as Macallan was concerned... Sir Makoto's victory in Horn had been officially glossed over, and the reports stated that Prince Leonardo had taken care of the issue. News of the incident in Highland also wouldn't have reached Macallan yet.
"Constance, I am going to greet Her Highness. We will continue this discussion at another time."
"But..." Her earlier composure had vanished, and she was now just standing there with a lost look on her face. The Benriach envoy seemed utterly discombobulated as well.
For my part, though, I accompanied Sir Fujiwara to the adventurer's guild.
◇ Makoto Takatsuki's Perspective ◇
"Princess Sophia?" I asked.
"Hero Makoto," she replied with a smile. "Are you well?"
"More or less..." I answered vaguely. I mean, we'd seen each other on a daily basis until fairly recently.
"Wow," I heard from the crowd. "He's talking with Lady Sophia." "He really is a hero..."
"That lucky swine..."
"He seems to know the commander of the Saintwater Knights as well."
"What is he, our best...?"
The adventurers were all in a tizzy. The Saintwater Knights, by the
way, were apparently the geezer's knight order. That name felt a bit too cool to my ears.
"Y-Your Highness Princess Sophia," sputtered a scarred man. "What business do you have with a guild in a small town such as this?"
That man was...the head of the guild, right? I'd only ever seen him from a distance.
"I am inspecting the town that Hero Makoto is based out of," she answered. "You need not make a production. Would you guide me to his house first?"
The guild leader, Mary, and I all stared quizzically at her. My...house?
"I don't have a house," I answered awkwardly. "What do you mean?"
"I sleep in the guild rest area."
Princess Sophia stared dubiously at me.
It's normal for adventurers to sleep here though...
"Who is his contact?" "I don't ha—"
"I-I am!" Mary interrupted me.
"You're my...contact?" I asked her quietly.
"It'll end up the guild leader's responsibility otherwise, so go with it," she whispered into my ear.
Her breath tickled my cheek, and Princess Sophia's gaze sharpened. "What is your name?"
"Mary Gold of the Macallan Adventurer's Guild!" she answered, coming to attention.
"Guild leader, Mary—bed and board for heroes is completely covered by the royal family. Why, then, is Hero Makoto sleeping in the guild hall? Are you aware of the rules governing State-Authorized Heroes?"
"I am, Your Highness..." "I-I am..."
Princess Sophia's voice was audible across the whole area. The guild employees all looked awkwardly away.
"Then it would seem that you do not know how to follow them."
The guild employees and the adventurers all paled. They probably thought the royal family was about to impose sanctions.
It's because she always puts everything so harshly...
The time I'd spent with her in Horn and Symphonia had helped me start to understand her. She was simply serious, not scary. I'd had the same misunderstanding when we'd first met, though.
"Princess Sophia," I interjected. "We've spent the last few days
celebrating my new position as a hero. We haven't had time to look for a house yet."
It was the truth—there'd been parties every night. Well, the parties hadn't really had anything to do with me...but still.
"Is that so?" she asked. The guild workers all nodded hurriedly. "Very well then."
The guild leader and Mary looked visibly relieved.
At that moment, a pair of familiar faces made their way inside.
"Princess Sophia, I hope you are well," said my former classmate. He was accompanied by his fiancée.
"Fujiyan and Chris?" I muttered. It was rare that they ever came to the guild.
"I have the perfect property for our esteemed Tackie," Fujiyan declared. "It is an estate with a guest room suitable for royalty."
"I see... That would be acceptable." Princess Sophia nodded.
A house for me? I'd be fine with a studio apartment, so where'd all this stuff about estates come from?
I peered at my friend's face, and his expression told me to leave it to him. He must've had some kind of plan, so I went along with it.
Before I knew what was happening, an estate close to the town center with a big garden was ready for me.
This place is massive...
The house was rented by the royal family, so I didn't know what the cost was, but I was scared to find out.
"What a big house," Lucy gushed. "That's incredible, Takatsuki."
"It would appear that 'hero' is a luxurious position."
Lucy, Sasa, and Furiae all found out after the fact, but they seemed to approve. They had all picked out their choice of rooms in the estate. Personally, I chose the room closest to the entrance so I could make hasty exits.
After everything had been arranged, Princess Sophia came up to me. "Hero Makoto, I would prefer to stay and talk further..." Her voice
seemed somewhat regretful. I'd assumed that she'd be staying in
Macallan for a while, but she was apparently heading for the next town.
Recently, monsters had been more active, and there were a lot of casualties close to the Forest of Fiends. The girl we'd saved from goblins the other day was a prime example of that, so Princess Sophia was inspecting the other towns in the area.
She was a hard worker, huh? "Take care," I told her.
"Once the inspections are complete, I will be returning. Do not leave on a journey before then," she stressed.
I was a State-Authorized Hero, and it was a post I was effectively employed in. Since she was my employer, her statement was like a boss giving an order.
And I'd actually been planning a trip... "I'll wait in Macallan," I assured her.
"Then it is a promise, Hero Makoto," she replied, gripping my hand. My heart raced a bit as I answered. "R-Right."
After that, the Saintwater Knights, led by Princess Sophia and the geezer, left Macallan.
That night, Fujiyan invited us to dinner. Chris had beaten out her sisters—she'd inherited the Macallan family title.
"It is thanks to you, my esteemed Tackie!" "Let me pour you a drink, Sir Makoto."
"Eat whatever you like'h."
Fujiyan, Chris, and Nina were all weirdly grateful, but I hadn't done anything.
"Did you not call for Princess Sophia?" "Nope, I didn't..."
The princess had just turned up, and I'd been similarly shocked to see her.
"Regardless, the details are hardly important." "Hmmm."
Though I didn't know what'd really happened, they sure did treat me to a nice night out.
I was free the next day (and every day until the princess got back), so I went hunting in the area around Macallan. Sometimes I went solo, other times I partied up. This time, I was alone.
I ran into Jean and Emily on my way back. "Hey, Jean. Been out adventuring?" I asked. "Oh, Makoto. You soloing today?"
"Good to see you, Makoto," Emily added before turning to Jean. "I'm going to head back now."
The two of them had apparently been hunting ogres nearby. Emily rushed off while Jean and I caught up with each other and shot the breeze.
"Say, Makoto," Jean said eventually. His expression suddenly turned serious.
"Hm?"
"I'm actually...going to marry Emily." "What?"
That'd come out of nowhere. They were getting married? But we were only teenagers... Still, they were childhood friends, so they'd been together for a long time.
"It's thanks to you," he added. "We heard that you helped out the orphanage in Symphonia that raised us."
He was looking intensely at me. I mean...it just kind of happened...
"Most of the money we've made as adventurers has gone back to them. But recently, they got in touch and told us that they'd be fine thanks to you. Now we can use our money for ourselves. Thank you so much!"
"Hm...right." I'd just asked Peter and the Castor family for a favor. Since Sasa had been worried about the orphans, the idea had just come to me.
"We owe you," he insisted.
"You're welcome," I managed to reply eventually. My smile must've looked uncomfortable, but he kept thanking me.
After that, we met up with Emily and Lucy back at the guild. The two girls were eating. Emily must have told Lucy about their news too, and we had a private celebration for them.
It seemed like everyone was settling down now... Jean and Emily were getting married, and Fujiyan and Sakurai were doing the same.
I was still a bachelor. It didn't really matter, but...I felt kinda awkward.
Recently, every time I'd gone to the guild, the single women there had come around to talk with me. It was nice to be popular...but not so easy when you were as shy as me. Because of that, I gradually stopped visiting the guild as much.
I was currently practicing my magic in the canal behind my house.
"Nrow, nrow," a black cat mewed as it trotted up. "You again?" I asked.
My Charm training hadn't shown any effect on people or elementals, but it did let me call cats and dogs together.
This cat—and only this cat—kept turning up even after I dropped
Charm.
"Nrow, nrow."
It was a slightly underweight cat, somewhere in between being a kitten and an adult. It rubbed its head against me. Cute.
"Wait a minute," I said, dipping my hand into the water.
Water Magic: Flow.
Using my magic, I caught a fish and hoisted it from the canal. It flopped down in front of the cat, who meowed excitedly, inspected its surroundings, and then dug in.
It could have eaten the fish slower, but once it was finished, the cat let out a satisfied huff before curling up near me and sleeping.
The old "eat, sleep, repeat..." Not a bad life it had. I ran a hand along its back as I got lost in thought.
What do I do now...?
Since I'd become a hero, my name had grown in value. I was worth something now and was treated like a VIP.
And what about my party members? Sasa had been strong to begin with, and Lucy had gotten so much better during her training with the Grandsage. I'd been worried about Furiae, but the goblin hunt the other day proved that there was nothing to worry about.
And underneath it all lurks Eir's prophecy...
The fall of Roses. Hardly pleasant...far from it, even.I heard the cat start to purr. Things were peaceful for now, at least.
But what was going to happen? The Great Demon Lord would come back eventually. I needed to get stronger.
What should I start with...?
I couldn't tell the future.
Maybe I could look at things differently—Fujiyan's wife had been putting her all into inheriting Macallan's title, and an adventurer from my generation—Jean—was getting married.
Maybe I should think about what I want to do with my future...
Lucy, Sasa, and Sophia...were all making romantic moves on me. Furiae...wasn't quite. She and I had a business relationship.
"What should I do?" I asked the cat.
"Mrow?" Instead of providing an answer, it sounded more like it was asking me why I'd interrupted its nap.
Who caught that fish for you? I thought. This was another world... The least it could do was talk with me.
But in the end, I just kept disrupting its sleep. "Makoto, what are you doing?"
"Lucy?"
The girl in question was standing there wearing a pink dress and red cardigan. Since improving her mana control, it seemed like she'd been able to control her body temperature better. Or, at least, she was wearing more reserved clothing these days.
I used to need Calm Mind to even look her way. This wasn't a problem anymore...which was kind of sad.
"I'm training," I told her. "By playing with a cat?"
"I'm training and playing with a cat."
"That cat's been in your garden all the time lately. Is it your pet?" "No, just a stray. Need something, then?"
She hummed in thought for a while, then gave me a bashful look.
Her next words seemed almost planned. "Hey, Makoto, would you come out with me for a bit?"
◇ Lucy's Perspective ◇
It happened when I was young.
"Hey, mom? How did you and dad get together?"
Mom had been wandering the world for a year, so I hadn't seen her for a while. Dad was off somewhere else—I'd heard that he was demon nobility of some kind, and immensely strong. But...why had mom—an elf mage—married a demon in the first place? That's what I wanted to know.
She answered my inquiry with a chuckle. "Well, that takes me back! I had a fateful meeting with your dad while I was traveling." She had a faraway look in her eyes. "His scarlet hair seemed to practically burn and his body was like tempered steel. He was a beautiful man. As soon as we met, I knew he was the one for me, so I went right on the offensive!"
"You're so passionate!" I exclaimed.
"Right?! He was a wonderful person too. However, since he was part of the nobility, I had a lot of rivals."
So dad was a popular demon with the ladies...
"Romance with demons is simple though," mom explained. "The strongest wins!"
"What?" I hadn't expected the conversation to go this way.
"Well, I am the strongest mage, right?"
"R-Right..." At least in Springrogue, I didn't know of a more skilled mage—mom was even more powerful than our hero or the priestess. But...what did her strength have to do with romance?
"I beat every single one of my rivals. The last woman was a high-class demon, and she was strong."
"Wh-What happened?" I asked.
"Hm? Well, we fought. But even after a hundred bouts, I never managed a decisive win."
I was shocked. "A-A hundred?"
"I burnt her to a crisp a few times. High-class demons have several lives, though, so she kept coming back. Well, to be fair, she killed me a bunch as well, but my automatic revival brought me back."
I was aghast. I-Is getting married really that hard?!
"In the end, we both realized the answer—if we couldn't reach a conclusion, then we could both marry him."
"What?"
"So, we both proposed and went after him. Pretty vigorously as well," mom said with a cute wink. It was...rather extreme.
"B-By the way," I asked, "what kind of demon was his other wife?"
"Um, I think she was a succubus queen? Even I can admit that she was sexy."
"R-Right..." A succubus queen? So...Demon Queen Lilith in the underworld?
No, no way... That couldn't be true.
"So, where's dad?" I'd lost count of how many times I'd asked her this question.
But she responded the same way she did every time. "Hm, your dad's faaar away in a bit of a risky place. I'll take you to see him when you're stronger."
She was treating me like a kid!
"I already know!" I exclaimed. "He's on the northern continent, the demon continent!" Demons lived on the demon continent—that's what I'd learned at school.
"Lucy, all the demons on that continent are barbarians. Your dad would never be caught dead there."
"H-He wouldn't?"
Mom had a distinctly unhappy look on her face for a moment, but it soon changed back into a sparkling smile. "I'm sure you'll be a
wonderful mage in ten years or so. I'll take you to see him then."
Ten years?
"Maybe I'll fall in love by then..." I mused.
"I'm sure you'll meet a wonderful boy. After all, you're my
daughter," she said firmly, putting her hand on my head. "Love is war! If you fall in love, go completely on the attack! You need to get him away from other people and move in close to him. If you can, make sure that your clothes show off a lot of skin..."
I could tell that she was enjoying herself quite a bit as she spoke. Even now, I could remember that mother-daughter talk.
Grandpa got really mad at her after that, I think.
It was so nostalgic to think of. I didn't understand it at the time, but now...I knew. Mom didn't have much common sense, but she was right—once I fell in love, I had to act. I couldn't just wait.
My thoughts soon shifted away from my childhood and onto more recent memories.
"A bunch of women I don't know keep talking to me at the guild now..." Makoto complained. He was collapsed bonelessly on his sofa. "It's really tough."
He was shy, so he didn't enjoy conversations with new people. Honestly, he found them to be more of a chore than anything.
Don't you realize? That's because they want you.
But, he certainly didn't seem like he understood their intentions...
One time, I'd overheard a conversation between two women at the guild.
"Hey, I'm going to confess to Makoto!"
"What? Doesn't he have Lucy and Aya in his party?"
"Hmm, well, they look like they're together, but apparently, their relationship isn't that close yet."
"What?! They haven't done it yet?"
"Yup. Lucy dresses like that, but she's all innocent really." "This is our chance. I'm going to go for it."
"Me too. Here's to an easy ride with the hero!"
These women used to mock him by calling him the Goblin Cleaner!
I'd thought.
"Let's have a drink and invite him!"
"He can't hold his drink, so he'll fall asleep right away." "Then, when he's drunk..."
This is bad, I'd thought. Female adventurers were all assertive, but many didn't want to be adventurers all their lives. These types of women looked to marry men with good prospects so they could retire from adventuring and live off their husband's wealth.
And since Makoto was a new hero and single, he was an enticing catch. To put it the same way as Aya, he was a tempting target for a gold digger.
That's why I called out to Makoto when I saw him playing with the cat in his garden.
◇ Makoto Takatsuki's Perspective ◇
"C'mon, this way," Lucy beckoned.
We'd traveled into the Great Forest. It'd been a while since we'd come here, and we were venturing deeper and deeper into the trees.
"We shouldn't go too far," I cautioned. "It's risky."
"Don't worry," she answered without turning around. "My Listen skill will let me hear danger from miles away."
Well, I guess that was fine. But why did she want to go into the Great Forest at all?
Oh, there's a big monster up ahead, I realized, alerted by my Scout skill. Of course, Lucy had noticed it as well. She came to a halt and readied her staff.
Heavy footfalls shook the earth, and then three big ogres stomped out in front of us.
"Lucy!" I yelled, readying my dagger and preparing my elemental magic.
But she simply raised her staff. "It's okay, leave it to me. Fire Magic: Firestorm."
She'd cast a high rank spell without an incantation, and her flames immediately engulfed the three monsters. They screeched out their dying breaths and then fell, unmoving, to the forest floor.
Huh, that was over in no time. Honestly, I hadn't contributed at all. I stared blankly at the charred corpses of the ogres, then replaced my dagger in its sheath.
I turned to Lucy. "Well done." She was staring back at me with an intense expression.
"Makoto...do you remember? This is where that big ogre attacked me."
"Oh? It is?"
"Yup. It's the place where you saved me. I'll never forget it."
The Great Forest all looked the same to me, just an endless sea of green, so it was hard for me to differentiate specific places. But Lucy was an elf who'd been brought up in the forest, so that was probably why she could keep track of it.
"You were so cool back then!" she exclaimed.
"I-I was?" I asked, my voice tinged with embarrassment.
"We adventured together after that, but I failed every spell... Even so, you didn't abandon me."
"Well, yeah." It's not like I'd had any other prospective party members.
"Then," she continued, "when you were burned during the griffin fight, you told me that you needed me."
"Yeah, I did." That sounded like something I might've said to try and cheer her up.
Oh, you don't remember? I heard Noah wheedle. Well, you're just the wooorst.
I do remember, Noah... More or less.
Such a bad man.
As I was speaking with Noah, Lucy closed the distance between us.
"I realized, though, that you only said that because you're kind. You could have coped on your own, right?"
"That's...not true. You've been a lot of help."
"No," she countered. "You managed on your own when you defeated the monsters in Labyrinthos, and the blight giant in Horn, and when we were in Symphonia as well. I think you would've become a hero even if I hadn't been there."
"You're overselling me," I said, chuckling ruefully. That was the only thing I could muster up in response to her excessive praise.
"So...I wanted to catch up with you. That's why I trained with the Grandsage. It was because I wanted you to say that you needed me...and mean it."
Why is she telling me this stuff after all we've been through? I've needed her for a long time now.
As that thought was passing through my mind, she put a hand behind my back.
"Makoto," she said, looking me straight in the eyes. "Y-Yes, what is it, Lucy?"
"I'm strong now. I don't know whether I can stand as a hero's companion, but I won't be a hindrance like I used to be."
"You are strong, yeah," I agreed. "Really? I'm helpful?"
"Of course you are. You're a lifesaver."
"I'm so glad," she said, pausing a moment. "Then, I want a reward." "A reward?"
She came closer until her pretty face was right in front of my own. Our toes were touching. She smiled meaningfully before standing on her tiptoes...and pressing her lips into mine.
The sensation of her soft lips and hot breath blossomed across my skin. Her hands joined behind my back and she pulled herself into me. It was the second time we'd kissed.
Well, if we're doing this, then I should... Carefully, I wrapped my own hands behind her back, embracing her and closing my eyes.
And so, we held each other in the dappled gloom of the Great Forest.
A good half a minute of kissing passed, and just when I was thinking that it would end, she put her weight onto me, and I fell softly back onto the forest floor. She straddled my lap, then fumbled at the buttons of my shirt, undoing them.
"Did you know?" she asked. "There's a legend in elven culture—if you have your first time in the forest, you'll be with your lover for life."
"O-Oh..." No, I hadn't known that...
Wait...? Hang on?!
The forest was quiet, and there was no one around but us. While I was dazed, her fingers made their way along my body.
"Makoto...mmm." "Mhm."
She stole my lips again. Unlike last time, I couldn't even close my eyes. Lucy and I were the same, both flushed with arousal, and I could feel her body temperature climbing.
My belt fell to the ground with a clatter. "L-Lucy..."
"Don't worry...leave it to me."
she carried on with the kissing. I was trying to figure out how to respond, but suddenly, I saw a small red light floating in the corner of my eye.
I'd never seen it before...but I'd seen similar things.
An elemental? I wondered. But if it's red, it must be a fire elemental...
I recalled the last time Lucy and I had kissed... I was sure I'd seen the same kind of thing. So, kissing Lucy let me see fire elementals?
"Makoto...do you not want to?" she asked.
I must have drifted away because Lucy was looking at me, her eyes filled with worry.
"That's not it," I replied. I put the light out of my mind and strengthened my hold on her.
As I placed my hand on her exposed chest, she let out an adorable mewl. Her scarlet face and look of suppressed embarrassment were all gorgeous.
Go! Become a man, Makoto! Go for it!
It would've been even better if Noah wasn't watching... I ignored the peeping, eavesdropping goddess and focused my attention back on Lucy.
But just then, there was a roar.
Out of nowhere, a big ogre lunged from where it must've been lurking among the trees. For just a moment, I contemplated what to do, but then, I decided to try using the fire elemental.
Lucy had stiffened. I held my hand out toward the ogre. "Fire Magic: Fire Lance."
A blast of fire in the shape of a spear burst forth from my hand and
pierced the big ogre. It didn't even have a chance to scream before it was reduced to cinders.
Th-That's insane!
"M-Makoto," Lucy stammered, seeming dazed, "did you just use a
Fire Magic spell?"
"It's dangerous here," I said, not exactly answering. "Shall we head back to town?"
"Y-Yeah..."
We dressed ourselves and then hurried to Macallan.
"Makoto and I got really close in the Great Forest today!" Lucy announced to the other female adventurers at the guild bar. They all cried out in response.
Well, it's not like we went all the way... Plus, Lucy, that's embarrassing. I wished she wouldn't go and tell everyone.
Mary and Sasa both eagerly crowded around me. "Really, Makoto?!"
"Takatsuki, tell me everything!"
Furiae, on the other hand, was looking coldly at me. "So you weren't adventuring. You were doing...that?"
Well, that was just how things had gone... Either way, I ended up needing to explain everything over dinner.
That night, when I began my usual training, I remembered what had happened earlier.
When Lucy kissed me, I saw fire elementals...
How exactly did that work? I'd need to ask Noah about it later.
Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep, those thoughts still on my mind.
◇ Aya Sasaki's Perspective ◇
It happened in the third year of junior high.
We were currently studying in a burger shop. Takatsuki had been doing math problems for the past little while.
"Takatsuki?" I called out.
"Hm?" he replied, glancing up from the book. He could concentrate for hours if I left him alone. It was honestly impressive... "What's up, Sasa?"
"Should we take a break?" "Yeah, may as well."
Unlike him, my concentration had run out quite a while ago, but I'd stayed here because I hadn't wanted to disturb him.
Two whole hours without speaking... If he'd been one of the girls, he'd have been talking within ten minutes.
Takatsuki bought a (vanilla) McShake, probably because he wanted something sweet. Maybe I did too.
"Give me a sip," I requested.
"Huh? Sure," he replied. I took the cup and sucked on the straw.
So sweet! This is great.
I noticed that Takatsuki had reddened slightly.
Oh, because of the indirect kiss... Well, whatever. It wasn't anything new. I'd buy him a salty snack later to make up for it.
I was bored of studying, so I struck up a conversation. The topic wandered all over the place for a while, but then, I had a sudden thought.
"Hey, why do you want to go to East Shinagawa High?" I asked him. "Well, it's where you're going, right?"
"What?" He wanted to go to the same school as me?
"School is better when you're with a friend, right?" After he spoke, he looked away in embarrassment.
"Ah...yeah."
O-Oh...he wanted to be with me.
That made me kinda happy.
I don't remember when I first started to have feelings for Takatsuki...but it was probably during those exams that I was most aware of him. I'd prop my chin up on my hand, complain about how studying was boring, and watch him read reference books for hours.
It turned out that we both got into the same school and even ended up in the same class.
When he became close to Fujiwara, I was a bit jealous. Regardless, it was a good thing that he had friends besides me. Gradually, the three of us started to hang out, though Takatsuki and I spent time together still, just the two of us.
It was nearing Christmas, and I'd just decided to confess my feelings to him. But then, it happened—I died and reincarnated as a lamia in another world.
I'd been reborn in a pitch-black dungeon. Creepy bugs crawled all over the cold stone, and that was my bed. I had nothing to wear. There wasn't much food, and in order to survive, I had to eat whatever I could get my hands on.
Considering my upbringing in Japan, it was a painful environment to live in. The days were hard and lonely, and I was pathetic.
At first, I did nothing but cry.
Oh, god, why did this happen to me?
Wherever I went, there were only monsters. Well, there were humans. They were called adventurers in this world, and they were enemies of monsters...monsters who saw them only as food. And I was a lamia, a monster that ate humans...a freak.
The one silver lining was that I wasn't alone—I had my sisters and mother. Eventually, I even got used to hunting, and I started to love my family.
But then...they all died.
It's the worst, the worst, the worst! Whywhywhywhywhy?! Why did this happen?! If only I didn't remember my old world! I don't need these memories! If only I could've lived as a monster from the start...
I had those thoughts hundreds of times. It was harsh...and painful.
Being able to remember the fun I'd had in my old life made my existence in the dungeon seem even more desolate. I wanted to
believe that it was a dream, that I'd wake up back in Japan. And yet, every time I opened my eyes to see the grim dungeon around me, I grew more and more depressed.
The only reason I didn't end it all was because I wanted vengeance for my family.
If I'd stayed there, I would've lost my mind, would've gone insane, gotten revenge, and then lost the will to live. I would've slipped away in the night...
But...I met Takatsuki again.
He rescued me. And he didn't even care that I was a monster.
His lifestyle as an adventurer had calmed him down a bit, and he'd gotten kinda cool! He was still the same old Takatsuki though...the boy I loved.
And he'd saved me. He'd asked me to come with him.
Compared to the hell of living alone in the dungeon, life in Macallan was practically a shining jewel. I just wanted to be with him. That was all, nothing else—I just wanted Takatsuki. I...didn't want to be alone anymore.
◇ Makoto Takatsuki's Perspective ◇
Mmm...what's so heavy? I wondered as I stirred awake.
I felt something touching my face, and I tried to brush it off, cracking my eyes open as I did. A pair of eyes met mine, lit by the faint light from the moon and a lamp.
A cat? No, they were bigger.
Sasa was on top of me...and her hair was tickling my face.
I glanced around. It was my room all right—nothing else was out of place, and I was on my bed.
"U-Um, Sasa...what are you doing?"
"I came to hang out," she said with a teasing grin. It was an expression I'd seen on my friend's face countless times since junior high, so I knew...
It definitely spelled trouble!
Uh, Sasa?
The room was dark, so there was barely any light reflected in her gaze. She smiled cutely with those dark eyes.
Honestly...I was kinda scared.
"S-So what brings you here at this time of night?" "Night crawling of course, Takatsuki! ♡"
Night— Wait. That night crawling?! What had brought this on? Was it because of Lucy?
"You know I can't get up with you on top of me," I said. "Mind moving over?"
She had her elbows braced on either side of my head and her face was hovering right above mine. I was locked in place.
"Takatsuki..." She didn't move, and our faces were so close that our noses touched. "You haven't done it with Lucy yet, have you?"
"Oh...you're talking about what Lucy said at dinner? No, we didn't— we were interrupted."
"I see." Sasa chuckled before turning serious. "You know, I've liked you since our third year in junior high."
"Sasa..."
"Though, to you, I guess I was just a friend that happened to be a girl..." Her voice sounded sad, and she looked away.
"Eh?" So...she wanted to know what I thought of her...? "I've felt the same way since fall of our first year." If anything, I'd liked her for
longer than she'd liked me. There was a long pause.
"What? S-So you've had feelings for me since...right after we met?"
"Honestly, pretty much since you first came to my house to hang out." I'd been very conscious of her, considering that she was the first girl that'd ever come over to my place.
"Th-That was all it took?" she asked, flabbergasted. I mean, I'd been a simple creature in junior high...
"You came over when my parents were out, all on your own...that was a pretty big thing to me." Plus, she'd been all too happy to roll around on my bed, and I'd seen right up her skirt. I hadn't been able to sleep in my bed that night... I could just smell her.
"What? Whaaat?! H-Hang on!"
She pressed her hands into her flustered cheeks. "S-So, since our third year...our feelings have been mutual?"
"Seems that way," I replied.
I hadn't known that she felt anything for me. She was fairly popular with the other boys, so I'd given up on her going out with someone like me.
"N-No way... S-So... Uh... Wh-What about now?"
My friend's familiar, slightly round face peered at me. She had a bit of a baby face and looked almost like a friendly hamster. The strange over-awareness I'd felt around her since junior high resurfaced, but I had Calm Mind now, so I could at least act more relaxed.
"I feel the same way."
At that, she let out a deep sigh, collapsing next to me on the bed. "And I was so nervous to tell you how I felt..."
"You were?"
"I was!" she exclaimed, shooting angrily up. "I heard you'd gotten
close to Lu, and I didn't know what I'd do...! You really haven't gone all the way with her?"
I paused for a moment. "Come on..." She didn't need to keep bringing it up. "I didn't," I admitted after a moment.
Sasa let out a smug noise. "Right. By the way, I've got something I want to ask of you."
"If it's something I can do, then I will," I agreed hesitantly. My heart was throbbing in my chest as I waited.
"I want a family, Takatsuki..."
"A family?" I didn't get what she meant.
She looked at me bashfully before bringing her face close again. Her breath ghosted against my ear as she whispered.
"I want your children."
"Bwuh?! S-Sasa... Wait a—" "Nope, no waiting."
She put a chill hand on my cheek before she brought her lips down to touch mine. Her body was on top of me, and I couldn't escape.
She stripped my shirt off. "Come on...undress me..." she murmured.
I groaned and raised my hand to her top, my fingers undoing the buttons that held it closed.
Our lips overlapped again.
I...was with Sasa...the girl I'd wanted for so long...
"Huh? Takatsuki? You're breathing heavily." She grinned challengingly.
I didn't answer, just held her naked body close. She responded in kind, holding me tightly. Our heavy breaths were the only sound in the room as we gazed into each other's eyes.
"Let's do it..." she whispered. "Sasa..."
No more words were needed. We just held each other and— "Aya! Hold up!" Lucy burst in without knocking.
"No getting in the way, Lu," Sasa pouted. "L-Lucy? You heard?"
"The window's open—of course I heard!"
The window was indeed open. Still, Sasa didn't seem to care. "Let's just carry on," she said to me.
"Wh-What are you planning, Aya?!" exclaimed Lucy. "Trying for a kid."
"Tr—" Lucy couldn't finish the phrase.
Sasa, you didn't need to put it like that...
"Then I should be with you as well!" In an instant, Lucy had whipped her top off and climbed onto the bed.
Both of them?!
Lucy gave Sasa a sidelong glare, which was returned in kind.
A-Am I going to die here?! I thought, but it didn't develop into a fight. "Takatsuki..."
"Makoto..."
They both crawled toward me, their eyes heated. "Sasa, Lucy, calm down and—"
"Not happening." "Nope. ♡"
They ignored me and pushed me back. I didn't have the strength to resist.
Today's the day I become an adult...
But suddenly, I heard a yell from a voice I recognized.
"Keep it down!" Furiae roared angrily. "Sleep until morning! Curse of Slumber!"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, I felt a wave of irresistible exhaustion. Just before I closed my eyes, I managed to glimpse Sasa and Lucy sleeping at my side.
Wow, she got them both too... Lucy and Sasa were powerful in their own rights, and I'd kinda had this image of strong characters resisting debuffs. Well, I guess that's the priestess of curses for you.
I lost consciousness.