After yesterday’s not-so-lovely love triangle between Ariel and Yuna,
Yuna had been nowhere to be seen for a while—
Until I spotted her outside my window this morning.
“Johan, I’m feeling depressed.”
“Hold on… my heart hurts right now, so just give me a second…”
I had just woken up early in the morning, only to see a woman standing outside my window.
I nearly passed out the moment I opened my eyes.
“Yuna, this is the second floor.”
“I know.”
“Wait, if you know that, would you mind telling me how you’re standing out there?”
“Hmm, just felt like it?”
Did she die and become a ghost without me knowing?
“Heave-ho.”
“You sure come in and out of my room like it’s nothing.”
“Well, you locked the door.”
“The window was locked too.”
“I opened it.”
“Unbelievable.”
Where do I even start?
If you were going to come in anyway, wouldn’t it have been better to just use the door?
No, breaking in like this is just plain wrong.
Maybe she needs a firm scolding if she’s ever going to reflect on this kind of behavior.
“Yuna, you can’t just come into someone’s room like that. I have a right to privacy too, you know.”
“You had one?”
“……”
“No, Johan. You don’t have anything like privacy. Just look, over there.”
Yuna pointed to a small spider-shaped mechanical device.
Damn it, Emily again.
“And over there too.”
“Hmm…?”
But her observation didn’t stop there. This time, she pointed in the opposite direction—
But there was nothing there.
“There’s nothing there?”
“It’s a surveillance spell from Lady Ariel. If you haven’t enhanced your vision with mana, of course you can’t see it.”
“What the hell…?”
At that moment, I remembered what had happened in the library yesterday.
It had gotten cut off thanks to the Oracle’s interruption, but didn’t Ariel say she’d use remote surveillance magic to watch my duel?
Was she using it even back then?
“Lady Ariel, don’t you think it’d be better if we respected each other’s boundaries?”
“She probably can’t hear anything. It’s not that advanced of a spell. She’s likely just practicing.”
“Oh.”
Well, that’s… a relief?
Actually, no—it’s not!
First it’s a needle, then it’s a cow….if these surveillance spells keep piling on, I might end up living under 24/7 watch for real.
“I need to put my foot down.”
“That’s right, let’s do that.”
“Starting with you, Yuna. Didn’t I tell you not to come in through the door?”
“That’s why I came through the window.”
Oh, that’s why?
Now that there was a clear cause-and-effect, weirdly enough, I felt a bit better.
“Windows are off-limits too.”
“Got it.”
“…Ceiling’s not okay either?”
“What?!”
At this rate, it’s never going to end.
I just can’t keep track of all the ways Yuna finds to get into my room.
“Just don’t come into my room without permission. That’s it.”
“Then give me permission now.”
“My god, how can someone be so shameless?”
“That’s my charm. And Johan, permission is something only people with power can grant.”
“……”
Damn. Can’t argue with that logic.
“Kidding.”
“Really?”
“But are you sure you’re okay with all this?”
“Huh?”
“I’m your bodyguard, remember?”
“I mean, there’s nothing dangerous in the Cradle. If anything…”
This situation was more dangerous.
Especially since Ariel’s surveillance spell still hasn’t disappeared.
“Nope, I bet there is danger.”
“……?”
“Johan, ask me why I’m feeling down.”
“Why are you feeling down?”
Now that I think about it, that was the first thing she said when I woke up, wasn’t it?
But seriously, what other reason could she have for being depressed besides losing that verbal spat with Ariel yesterday?
Still, maybe now’s the time for Yuna to face reality. After all, Ariel wasn’t exactly wrong with what she said.
“Tillis is coming to the Cradle.”
“……”
“And I’ve been told to guide her around.”
“……”
“I’m depressed, Johan.”
I looked up at the ceiling. The wooden panels came into view.
Yeah, no doubt about it.
“Damn it. This is a nightmare.”
I flopped back down on the bed.
I needed to wake up from this.
***
“Good morning, Johan.”
When I opened my eyes, Yuna was right in front of me this time.
A sweet vanilla scent tickled my nose for some reason.
“Lying like this, it kind of feels like we’re newlyweds.”
“Don’t say terrifying things like that.”
I sat up on the bed.
“So… this isn’t a dream?”
“Nope.”
“Seriously, why the hell is that woman coming back to the Cradle?”
Last time, at least there was the excuse that she sensed Mephistopheles’s presence.
Once she found out that I hadn’t made a contract with Mephistopheles, her goal had already been achieved.
So what’s the reason this time?
Could it be that one of the students was some kind of rebellious element trying to make a contract with a demon?
“Is it one of the first-years who skipped a grade, or maybe a transfer student?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s the only thing that comes to mind right now… But Yuna, where did you even hear about this?”
“From the Headmistress. Apparently, the Headmistress made it a condition that she observe the curriculum if she wanted to visit.”
“Hmm…”
I wondered if she’d done something crazy like sneak into the Headmistress’s office, but judging by how she said it, it sounded more like she met the Headmistress and had a direct conversation.
“So she asked me to guide her around.”
“Why you? No…more importantly, you have no reason to agree, right?”
“I agreed.”
“What?”
“So now I’m depressed.”
Are you crazy?
They know each other’s faces!
No matter how dense Tillis was, she’d at least know that Yuna was aware of her true identity.
And that’s understandable, since Yuna was always hanging around with me.
In that kind of situation, if she ends up alone with the Judge…
“Uh, yeah. Good luck with that.”
“That’s all the comfort I get?”
“What else am I supposed to say?”
She’s not going to kill her… right?
Still, Tillis’s criteria were based on whether someone was good or evil, and whether they were hostile to her or not.
As long as Yuna didn’t openly show hostility, she might just barely slip into the gray zone.
Even if Yuna had a record of killing someone, they already cleared that up last time they met.
As long as no new problems came up, the odds of anything serious happening were low.
“Ugh, just thinking about it is exhausting.”
Yuna clung to me. She was being all clingy.
She says she’s depressed, but it feels like she’s using this as an excuse to indulge herself.
I can’t stand seeing that look on her face again.
Hup!
“What are you doing?”
“…Nothing. Just, nothing.”
No.
Right, it’s not something I get to decide.
I tried to push Yuna away for now, but she didn’t budge an inch.
How pathetic.
Just like Yuna said. If she decides to force things with her strength, there’s nothing I can do.
“Ahem! Yuna, still… I already belong to someone.”
“Johan, you’re not even engaged yet.”
“……”
“You just made plans to get engaged, that’s all. Am I wrong?”
“You’re not wrong, but…”
“Then stay still. Do you know how much I’ve done for you?”
“……”
To be honest, she’s got a point. A point I really can’t argue against.
I owed Yuna far too much.
After using her however I pleased, pretending I didn’t know would be shameless.
Maybe it’s finally time I accept it.
“Ugh, fine. Do whatever you want.”
“Puhihihi!”
At this point, I might really have to go beg Ariel for forgiveness.
Still, it’s some comfort that she at least tacitly allowed Yuna a place in my life.
If I can somehow balance the two lives… even if my own becomes miserable, things might work out peacefully.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be surprising if one of them ended up stabbing me to death.
“How the hell did I end up like this?”
“Well, who told you to butt into things you didn’t need to?”
“If I hadn’t, you’d both be dead by now.”
“Fair enough.”
What a disastrous choice this turned out to be.
If only we’d been complete strangers, none of this would’ve happened.
I still don’t know what her goal is.
I had no choice but to hold my breath and pray the storm would pass as quietly as possible.
Or was that not the case? I felt like I’d said the same thing last time…
“I should probably ask the Oracle.”
“You’re not allowed to talk about other girls in front of me.”
“That’s not a girl.”
“…I think that expression’s a bit harsh. I get it, but still.”
What could I do?
This was disgust on a biological level.
I mean, who told her to look like she was always stabbing someone right in the heart?
“Humnya.”
“But Yuna, how long are you planning to stay like this? You need to go to class.”
“I’m skipping today.”
“Really?”
“I’m skipping with you.”
“Oh, come on…”
She could be clingy sometimes, but not to this extent.
Was she that shaken by what happened yesterday?
Or did she really hate being involved with Tillis that much?
“Come to think of it, why did you say you accepted that offer again?”
“……”
“Yuna?”
“I had my reasons.”
So she gets to have secrets while not even letting me have some privacy?
Seriously, how dirty and petty can you get…
***
After putting up with Yuna’s whining for another three hours or so,
I was finally freed from her arms and went to find the Oracle.
“Didn’t we agree not to see each other unless absolutely necessary?”
“We did.”
“But for you to come find me like this… Knowing why you dislike me somehow makes it even more unsettling. I just hope you’re not starting to see your fiancée in me.”
“That’s never gonna happen.”
There were definitely some parts that had been romanticized, but my Alice was far kinder than Oracle Alice.
“So, what do you want? I’m not exactly happy to be summoned like this.”
“I just wanted to talk about something.”
“Handle your own relationship problems, will you? I don’t get involved.”
“Come on, do I look like I’d come here to talk about that? Why is that the first thing you assume?”
Wait a second. Are you actually interested in that kind of thing?
Well, you do watch people’s fates unfold while seeing the future. Having a bit of voyeurism wouldn’t be too surprising.
“After covering yourself in her scent like that, what exactly are you asking me…?”
“Uh… what?”
“Not just me; probably half the class knows the two of you were glued together.”
“No way it was that obvious…?”
I hurriedly brought my sleeve to my nose and took a sniff.
A sweet vanilla scent.
“…I might’ve just eaten vanilla ice cream before coming.”
“If you bathed in it, sure, that would explain it.”
“…….”
Yeah, that one was hard to argue with.
“Wait, has Yuna always worn that kind of perfume?”
The scent was so subtle, I wouldn’t have noticed unless I paid close attention.
“That’s exactly what makes it scary. The moment you get used to that soft, sweet smell… she’ll show up without a trace and drive a knife straight into you.”
“…….”
It seemed Yuna’s methods of assassination were far more varied than I’d realized.
Had she been subtly making her presence known to those around her like this all along?
It must’ve been a tactic to fool people with far sharper instincts than someone as dull as me.
“…Anyway, let’s set that aside for now. I’ve got something I want to ask.”
“Go ahead. Just keep it under three minutes. My time’s valuable.”
“Tillis is coming to the Cradle. You know anything about that?”
“Tillis? Who’s that… wait. Don’t tell me….you mean the Judge?”
“Yeah. She’s actually been to the Cradle once before. You didn’t know?”
“I picked that up, yes, but…”
The Oracle’s brow furrowed, and for a moment, her eyes lost focus.
Was she seeing the future right now? I probably shouldn’t interrupt…
“Haa… I can’t see anything. The Cradle is completely shrouded in black mist. I can’t confirm a thing.”
“That bad of a disaster?”
“It’s a metaphor. I can’t see the Judge’s future at all.”
“You’re less capable than I thought.”
“Would you mind calling it heavily restricted? Demons don’t belong to this world, so I can’t see them.”
“How am I supposed to know that?”
I had a vague idea that demons didn’t belong to this world.
They couldn’t even show themselves here without forming a contract through a human soul.
Of course, there were exceptions like Mephistopheles, but even great demons like him couldn’t fully wield their power here, which was something worth keeping in mind.
Still, honestly, even if I knew all that… it didn’t change anything.
They were never supposed to have any connection to me in the first place.
“Is there any chance something related to demons is here?”
“There isn’t.”
“Then maybe someone who’ll be involved with demons later came into the Cradle? You know, like a transfer student or someone who skipped a grade.”
“Do you really think the Judge is someone who keeps track of every little detail like that?”
“Well, that’s…”
I paused and started thinking of Tillis.
There was something she once said to me. This high elf who looked like she’d stepped out of a fairytale, pouring me a fragrant cup of tea with a gentle smile.
She said with a soft voice,
– I don’t even know what the word synthesis means.
Alright, one thing was clear now.
“Damn it, I have no idea what Tillis is thinking. No, is she even capable of thinking at all?”
“That’s just a baseless insult. No matter how lacking the Judge might be in intellect, she’s not that far gone.”
There was no point questioning what someone like her was thinking. She was someone who probably couldn’t even remember the face of the person she killed just yesterday.
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