The moon illuminated the mansion, the purple flowers bathing in the cool breeze, the residents drifting off to the wonderland. On the second floor, in one of the rooms, the moonlight shone upon a couple.
Hajime lay on the bed with Aveline resting on his shoulder. She drew circles on his chest, her fingers, cold to the touch. Her heartbeat matched his. Her chest rose up and down, her soft breathing tickling his neck. She broke the silence with his name.
"Yeah?" he said.
"Will you stay?"
Hajime avoided her gaze. Those three simple words revealed a lot. She knew that he had a secret, that he left in the dead of the night and returned at dawn, that he chose to be somewhere else, perhaps chose someone else yet she still wanted him by her side. He wanted to confess but it is a delicate situation, a dangerous one. One that involved his family, his system, and his fate.
"I'll stay."
She smiled and buried her face in his shoulder. A muffled 'thank you' escaped her lips. He stroked her hair, smelling the vanilla from her shampoo, hearing her quiet whispers, the world around him disappearing until it was only him and her.
"Hajime."
He stopped stroking her hair and looked at Aveline.
"I used to be like you," she said, "I was happy, caring, curious about everything."
Hajime wasn't sure about what to say.
"What happened?"
"My mother."
Aveline grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.
"She's my mother but I despise her. I wanted to be my own person yet she told everyone who I was." she sighed.
"Everybody treated me differently. I stopped trying to make friends because they were fake. They only talked to me to gain political favor with my mother. I grew up like that, alone, having to carry the burden of my mother's reputation, of the Empress' reputation."
Aveline looked up at Hajime with tears in her eyes.
"I even imprisoned my best friend," she said, "I'm becoming like her."
She sat up, wiping her tears, before facing Hajime with a genuine smile.
"Thank you for treating me like a normal girl."
Hajime sat up and hugged her.
"Thank you for showing me your true self."
She sniffled and hugged him back.
"What's your past like?" she asked.
Hajime almost stopped breathing. His heart rate increased. His palms felt sweaty. Mentally preparing for a question was different than being asked directly, especially when it's a question that could change everything. He realized he was silent for too long. So he told her about Sophia and Aurora and Sakura, about the piano lessons with Aurora, about the time Sophia tried to kill herself, and how he saved her.
Aveline listened attentively. She smiled as he mentioned his mothers. She frowned when he spoke about the attempted suicide, and when he mentioned the little oleander, a scowl appeared on her face.
After he finished talking, he stared at her, trying to gauge her reaction. She stared back. He was getting thirsty. Aveline wasn't dumb, she could easily deduce that his story was incomplete and that he was still keeping secrets.
"Do you trust me?" she asked.
The idea of telling her he has a System popped into his mind. She might be able to understand it better than Sakura and help him better use it. But he was a jerk: he didn't fully trust her yet. He hasn't even told Sophia. Aurora on the other hand was a definite no; she worked for the Empress; she would probably run incredibly painful tests on him. However, telling someone you don't trust them is probably the stupidest thing to do.
He doesn't want to lose Aveline, not before he has the chance to-
"Hajime."
He blinked, snapping back to reality.
"It's okay if you don't." she smiled, "I trust you."
Her words doubled the pain in the back of his throat. He didn't trust her even after she opened up about her past, even after she didn't ask about his secrets, even after she trusted him. Should he tell her about Earth? About dying? About the fact that he's looking to bond with other floraliths? Or that he's been sleeping with Sakura and is going to be a dad.
Hajime's throat tightened. His heart raced. He was an idiot for thinking that he could ever make this work. Let alone managing one girlfriend, he wanted to manage a harem, a harem made of princesses, a harem with his mothers in it, a harem with Sakura in it, who he still wasn't convinced wouldn't kill the other women.
Aveline hugged him. He rested his face on her shoulder as her hands stroked his back, comforting him.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Shhh"
He closed his eyes. Lying made him remember his actual mother and he hated remembering her. But it's his own fault for not trusting Aveline.
"It's okay," she said.
He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face deeper into her neck. He loved her smell, he loved the cold feeling of her skin, he loved the beat of her heart. After a minute, he inhaled deeply before exhaling.
"Aveline."
Her heart started to race, causing his heartbeat to match hers, making him even more nervous.
"Calantha asked me to participate in her tournament."
She stiffened.
"Are you going to?"
"Yes."
She released her hug and stared at him. Tears in her eyes. She didn't wipe them away. Instead, her face morphed from sadness into a cold glare. She clenched her fists, her body trembled, and her tears fell onto the bed sheets.
"Why?"
Hajime opened his mouth.
"It's complicated."
"Why?!"
He shut his mouth and remained silent. Aveline shook her head.
"You're going to bond with someone else," she said, "I should've known."
He bit his lip.
"If you want to bond so badly with Calantha then I'll help you," she said, "We're breaking our bond tomorrow."
"Aveline I-"
"Leave," she said as she turned her back to him.
"Av-"
"Get. Out."
Hajime turned around, staring at the door, clenching his fists, hesitating before he got up and left.