When I opened the door and walked in, all I could feel was silence.
“Yuna.”
Yuna didn’t answer.
She just pulled the blanket over her head and breathed evenly.
“Yuna, are you asleep?”
That’s strange.
She usually kicks off all the blankets when she sleeps, but today is different. It’s like she’s pretending to be asleep.
“Yeah, I heard your injuries were bad, so it wouldn’t be weird if you’re sleeping.”
She’s pretending.
With the irritation mixed in my voice, there’s no way she’s not faking it.
Of course, there’s still a chance she’s actually asleep.
“Then I’ll go on a date with Ariel, so get some good rest.”
“How can you just leave me alone when I’m hurt!”
“I knew it, you little brat.”
I grabbed Yuna’s cheek as she threw off the blanket and started complaining.
She goes around picking up only the worst habits and ends up making people worry.
“Yuna, if you were pretending to sleep just to ignore me, then you know what you did wrong, right?”
“Sowwy.”
Her cheek stretched easily like mochi.
For a while, I pulled at her cheek back and forth as I lectured her.
“I told you not to copy the imperial family’s abilities.”
“Mhmm.”
“It’s only because Her Highness Lobelia and Prince Theseus let it slide. If someone else had found out, you would’ve been executed on the spot.”
“I’m sorry……”
Yuna lowered her head.
Right, she knows what she did wrong. That’s what makes it more irritating….she did it anyway.
Still, it doesn’t feel right to keep picking on her when she looks this down.
It could all be an act, but the fact that she was seriously injured is undeniable.
I was planning to really scold her, but I’ll let it slide this time.
“Did you hate the Great Sage that much?”
“That bastard insulted my dad.”
Her voice turned cold.
The kind of swearing that doesn’t suit her.
“He put a curse on you, Johan. Do you know how shocked I was when I saw your heart had stopped?”
Negative emotions slowly seeped out.
It was a level of hatred that even Yuna herself couldn’t control.
It’s almost surprising she managed to hide this kind of hatred all this time.
When I think about it, Yuna had more than enough reasons to hate Faust. If anything, it’s surprising she managed to stay composed until now.
“Yuna.”
I think I understand why she tried to kill Faust even while taking on that kind of risk. I can understand it. I can even sympathize with it.
That’s exactly why I can say this for certain.
“You should’ve thought about the opposite too.”
“……”
“You should’ve thought about how I would feel if something happened to you.”
“I’m sorry.”
She should’ve considered that I could feel the same grief and anger she felt.
“Don’t do that again.”
“Okay.”
Yeah, that’s enough of a warning.
Though I’m not sure if Yuna will actually listen.
Who knows if we’ll end up in the same situation again. I should’ve scolded her more harshly.
“Ugh.”
Seeing Yuna looking so worn out, like she hadn’t fully recovered even with Helena’s treatment, made my resolve weaken.
A lesson is supposed to come with pain, but this won’t do.
“Anyway, I’m going to go on a date with Ariel, so get some rest.”
“Huh?”
Instead of punishing her, I decided to take a different approach.
When someone does something wrong, instead of punishing them, reward someone else.
“What kind of logic is that?!”
“You should’ve behaved better.”
I neatly wrapped the grumbling Yuna in her blanket and stepped outside.
Yeah, it’s about time I took the reins in this relationship.
I can’t keep getting dragged around by the two of them forever.
***
Actually, spending time with Ariel was something I had been planning regardless of Yuna’s little stunt.
She’s always busy.
It’s hard to even find time, so I should take advantage of moments like this.
“Ariel, shall we step out for a bit?”
“Ah, um… I appreciate the thought, Johan, but I think I need to return to work right away.”
“It’s fine.”
“…Huh?”
“From now on, we’ll be holding a strategy meeting about the Under Chain.”
“…What?”
Ariel tilted her head, not understanding what I meant.
Yeah, it might not have fully sunk in for her yet.
“There’s nothing strange about an Archmage and a knight order’s strategist meeting to discuss tactics, right?”
“Ah!”
Of course, the work she had to return to was related to the Under Chain.
After all, the combined forces that included two members of the imperial family had just been defeated.
That alone proved how powerful the Under Chain was, so she’d have to stay focused on this matter going forward.
You can’t afford to leave out an Archmage’s firepower when facing a strong enemy.
“I’ve already spoken separately with Her Highness, so you just need to come with me.”
“Th-Then…”
Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Ariel took my outstretched hand as if she couldn’t refuse.
Maybe it’s because I’m used to being around Yuna whose default skill is basically a poker face.
Ariel tried to act composed, but the rabbit ears on top of her head perked up happily, making it obvious how she feels.
Seeing someone so transparent like this. It’s almost unbelievably cute.
“Ahem! Please take good care of escorting me, Sir Johan.”
“Of course, Archmage.”
“Johaaaan! How could you do this to meee!”
Leaving behind Yuna’s wailing, we stepped out of the mansion.
***
Before our date, Ariel and I changed clothes first. We couldn’t exactly walk around in bloodstained outfits.
And since this was, on the surface, also a strategy meeting, we needed to wear our respective uniforms.
Even though she probably wanted to wear something prettier for the occasion, Ariel couldn’t stop smiling, clearly excited just to be going out with me.
“How about the hat?”
“Ah, should I wear it?”
“You are the Archmage, so I think it’s fine once in a while. I’ll wear the hat you gave me too, like this.”
“C-Couple outfits! Okay.”
In truth, I made her wear it because it felt like her ears would give everything away otherwise…
Still, it’s a strangely moving sight.
“It feels like it’s been a while.”
For Ariel, a large hat used to be an essential item she always had to wear. She was a demi-human, and demi-humans were once targets of discrimination.
But times have changed.
She went from being a target of hatred to a hero who saved the nation, and all that old prejudice and scorn has now been pushed onto the barbarian tribes instead.
Now, the hat was no longer a necessity, but a choice.
That alone felt deeply moving.
“Shall we go then, Sir Johan?”
We walked down the street together.
Right through the middle of a bustling road filled with people.
“Johan, I know I shouldn’t be like this, but… I’m really happy right now.”
Ariel pulled down the brim of her hat, trying to hide her face.
It seemed she couldn’t manage her expression at all.
“I’m just so happy that I can walk down the street with you like this, normally… I can’t control my face.”
“Haha.”
“Our relationship had to stay a secret, after all.”
Come to think of it, that’s true.
Unlike Yuna, who openly clung to me without a care, Ariel had no choice but to be mindful of others’ eyes.
Her status as a member of the Ether Duchy.
Because of that, she couldn’t even date freely like other people.
Our engagement was a secret, so it was never possible for us to walk around together like this.
Only now could we justify it under the excuse of work.
Of course, even this couldn’t happen too often, and we’d still have to maintain a certain distance.
Ariel knew that too, but for now, just walking together seemed to make her happy.
“I really like this.”
Her eyes sparkled beneath the wide brim of her hat.
Her ruby-like red eyes looked straight at me as she murmured,
“Since you’re serving the imperial family, Johan, it means we can be together like this… I guess Her Highness was right.”
“……”
No, that’s not it.
Absolutely not.
I need to quit this damn strategist position as soon as possible…
***
The date with Ariel was simple and straightforward.
We walked together, ate together, and had ordinary conversations.
But that very normality was exactly what Ariel had wished for.
Still, there was a hint of regret.
“Someday.”
We left home at sunrise and only started heading back as the sunset painted the sky.
Ariel smiled brightly and said,
“I hope the day comes when we can walk down the street hand in hand.”
“It won’t take that long. So please, just wait a little longer.”
“Yes!”
Of course, by then, it’ll be after I’ve quit my strategist position.
I’ll make sure of it.
“By the way, the restaurant we went to today was nice. The food was good, the value was great, and even the atmosphere was pleasant.”
“I’m glad you were satisfied.”
“But how did you find a restaurant with that kind of ambiance?”
“……”
“For example, is it a place you went to before with Miss Yuna?”
That’s frightening.
A casually tossed remark turns into a dagger and pierces my heart.
A joke… right? Ariel’s expressions don’t change much, so there’s no need to read too much into it.
That was a joke.
…It must have been a joke.
***
Ariel returned to the duchy, and I came back to the Misfits’ hideout.
How should I put it. Does this even count as my home?
It’s something I’ve been feeling lately, but I seem to be coming and going from here far too often.
Chris has been staying here, but I also keep coming for personal matters…
It can’t be helped.
I’ve been getting injured a lot lately, and I needed countermeasures against dark magic.
“I’m back, Yuna. Have you been reflecting on what you did?”
Was Yuna reflecting?
Whatever the case, I just hope she doesn’t overdo things again because of this.
Everything I did was for her own good.
“Yuna?”
When I opened the door and went in, for some reason she was in the exact same state as early this morning, lying there pretending to sleep with the blanket pulled over her head.
If there’s any difference, it’s that this time she’s not afraid of getting scolded but is sulking instead.
Yuna really is high-maintenance.
Still, what can I do? I have to comfort my girlfriend myself.
“Yuna, are you asleep? Are you maybe still in a lot of pain? If it’s hard, you have to tell me, okay?”
I started by gently patting her.
If I keep coaxing her like this, she’ll eventually come around.
“Yuna, if you—”
At that moment, an unexpected ambush threw off my balance.
A pale white arm shot out from under the blanket and pulled me in.
“Puhihihi.”
It was as if I’d been caught by a mimic, dragged into the blankets.
Inside, Yuna was there, pouncing on me with a sly smile.
“Yeah, you look fine.”
“I’m not fine, you know? I was really upset. Leaving your wife behind when she’s in pain, seriously… I’m so pitiful.”
“……”
Yuna was putting on an obvious act.
That aside, the force she was using to pin me down was no joke.
Is this really a patient?
I’ve gotten stronger in a lot of ways, but it seems pure brute strength still isn’t something I can overcome.
“What did you do with Lady Ariel?”
“We just walked around a bit, had a meal, and drank some coffee.”
“Really? That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
By the way, what is this?
Am I being interrogated? Anyone watching would think I cheated or something.
Why is it a problem that I went on a proper date with my fiancée?
“You’re sure nothing else happened? Like, for example, something like this.”
Yuna bit the back of my neck and started nibbling.
“You did something like this together before, didn’t you?”
After leaving a deep kiss mark, Yuna looked up at me with a somewhat mischievous smile.
“Really, nothing happened?”
That’s when I realized.
To Yuna, the truth didn’t really matter.
“Y-Yuna. The others are outside.”
“I know.”
When did she get this bold?
There’s no helping it. There’s no way I can push Yuna off.
I don’t have the strength or the skill for it.
And it’s not like I dislike it, either.
No, if anything, I like it.
There’s nothing for me to lose. It’s not like I chose this. It’s something being done to me, so I’ve got an excuse even in front of Ariel.
“Yuna, no! This kind of thing should wait until after we’re married!”
I’ve left my testimony.
I definitely resisted.
“Is that so? Maybe I really was being short-sighted. If that’s what you want, Johan, then I guess there’s no helping it.”
“Huh?”
If she backs off this cleanly all of a sudden, what does that make me, Yuna?
Was she messing with me?
“This is how I felt today. Make sure you remember it clearly.”
“……”
Yuna is a formidable opponent.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to win against her.
I thought that maybe someday I’d be the one holding the reins in this relationship… but it seems I’m still just playing in the palm of her hand.
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