Wrap Up (2)
Still drowsy from sleep, perhaps, Emilia didn't pull away from the caressing hand. She simply lay there, accepting it, like a child being praised by an adult.
Stroke, stroke.
"Hehe."
The Snake smiled faintly, pleased by her unusually docile demeanor as she allowed him to touch her, a stark contrast to her usual sharp, guarded self.
He seemed to enjoy her half-asleep state.
The strange scene continued for a while.
As her fogged consciousness cleared, the girl finally came to her senses.
A faint sigh escaped her lips.
"...Ah."
Emilia flinched and turned her head.
As her eyes wavered in bewilderment, the softly chuckling boy withdrew his hand, a look of satisfaction on his face.
Vanity bit her lip as she saw his crescent-shaped, half-closed eyes.
"..."
"..."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
In the awkward atmosphere, the girl shifted her gaze, avoiding his.
The Snake was sitting right beside her.
There were many things she wanted to ask, but the words wouldn't come easily.
The image of the silhouette standing in the shadowy laboratory remained vivid in her mind.
Perhaps Emilia was afraid of the boy.
"My, my... I don't understand why you're so withdrawn," the golden Snake said, seemingly oblivious to her inner turmoil, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.
Finally, after much hesitation, the girl uttered a rather meaningless question as her opening remark.
"...What happened?"
"While the two of you were unconscious, reinforcements sent by Galimar arrived. We returned to the Academy without delay."
"Then... what about that huge monster?"
"You know, don't you?"
His answer was cryptic.
Emilia swallowed hard.
—Wouldn't you like to make a deal, just like last time?
Perhaps it was because of the vivid scene that replayed in her mind, but the sensation was particularly intense.
—Don't be alarmed.
—As long as I'm here... you won't be pushed back, Lady.
The girl remembered the warmth that had embraced her from behind, and the subsequent thrill that had sent shivers down her spine.
The shadows that had spread from his fingertips were also vivid in her memory.
—Just for a moment, I'll show you a new world.
Vanity reflected on that fleeting moment.
The instant their hands touched, the world turned black, leaving only darkness.
A single star shone in her empty vision.
She saw a softly glowing fragment.
The starlight, the only one that stayed awake through the dawn, soon transformed into a myriad of beautiful forms, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
—You can do it.
It was an unforgettable sensation.
The power that had given the girl a sense of omnipotence... it was like the power of a 'god.'
It would be a blasphemous expression to utter in a church, but there was no other way to describe the feeling she had experienced.
What she had experienced was a kind of divine power.
"..."
Emilia fidgeted with her fingers, lost in a whirlwind of complex thoughts, most of which revolved around the boy.
He was strong.
He was beyond her comprehension, at least from what she could discern.
Even with the lowest possible estimate, he was at the level of a professor... perhaps even a Headmaster.
The performance the boy had displayed defied all the common sense she knew.
'He's been hiding his abilities all along...'
It was a significant point.
To possess such immense power yet choose to live in hiding...
A chilling intuition ran down her spine.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind."
"..."
"I understand. A lot has happened."
His lips curved into a nonchalant smile.
Watching the Snake act as if nothing had changed, a question filled her mind.
Emilia voiced it, her voice barely audible.
"...Why?"
"Hmm?"
"Why did you save me?"
She couldn't understand.
Why had he revealed his hidden power to protect her?
What did he need from her so badly?
Although they had made a deal, it was essentially a one-sided relationship.
The girl had no choice but to obey.
The Snake held her weakness in his grasp.
That was why he had stolen her first kiss.
"You didn't have to save me."
It was a choice that only brought him disadvantages.
As a pragmatic villainess, she found it difficult to grasp the boy's intentions.
As she stared intently into his characteristic half-closed eyes, a playful smile suddenly returned.
"Hehe... You're making the person who nursed you all night feel hurt."
"That's not what I meant..."
Confusion clouded her blue eyes.
She felt a terrible sense of dissonance.
Why had he gone to such lengths to save her, nurse her back to health, and stay by her side?
What could he possibly want from a cheap, discarded thing like her?
'I don't understand.'
The warmth of his hand holding hers felt unfamiliar.
His fingers, intertwined with hers as if it were the most natural thing in the world, were laced with an inexplicable tenderness.
Perhaps it was a little frightening, too.
Because she didn't know what the boy wanted.
"...I was taught that there's no such thing as unconditional kindness in this world."
"Why do you always try to find a reason?"
"Because I wouldn't have survived otherwise."
"That's a sad thing to say."
"It's important to me."
"Hmm."
The Snake seemed to fall into thought for a moment.
After pondering the brief silence, he finally spoke, as if he had come to a conclusion.
"If you insist on knowing the reason... I suppose I can give you this much of an answer."
The boy declared softly, "It's because I cherish you, Lady."
His gentle voice tickled her ear.
His answer was far from what she had been anxiously anticipating.
"...What?"
A question mark appeared above the girl's head.
Unfazed, the sweet voice continued to explain itself.
"At first, I didn't think much of it," he said calmly.
"I thought it was just a fleeting encounter. Our first meeting was a complete mess, after all."
He seemed to be referring to the day they first met.
"I thought you were a prickly person."
"...Because I was prickly."
"I thought it would be difficult to get close to you... but my thoughts gradually changed."
"..."
"Thanks to you choosing a new path."
The Snake smiled softly.
Emilia held her breath, listening intently.
"At first, I wanted to understand you, then I wanted to watch over you... and now, I want to protect you."
So that you can create a new story.
I want to be by your side and support you.
I hope that your name will be written alongside the one I loved so much in that fairytale.
"Because you've changed."
The air filled with a youthful sweetness.
Emilia's face was flushed red.
It was because of his sudden confession.
"..."
Although Emilia was incredibly naive in these matters, even she couldn't miss the blatant implication.
It was the moment when the knowledge she had gained from books finally shone.
This was definitely...
That sort of thing.
The kind of words a man would use to confess his love to a woman.
The girl was stunned by the unexpected bombshell.
"Wh-Wh-What... S-Suddenly, wh-why...?"
Her mind went blank.
Emilia couldn't help but react vehemently.
"Wh-Wh-Why are you suddenly saying such things?!"
"Didn't you ask me why?"
"W-Well, yes, but...!"
Of course, she had asked him why he saved her!
But she never expected this kind of development.
The girl bit her lip anxiously.
The hospital room, which had been filled with an ominous atmosphere just moments ago, was now filled with a refreshing scent.
The Snake spoke calmly.
"The deal... what I said back then was sincere."
"..."
The deal.
Emilia finally realized what the boy wanted.
A few words from their past conversation came to mind.
—But I want you to live for me.
—It's enough for you to always stay by my side... so that I can witness your story.
That was definitely what he had said.
The Snake wanted to keep Vanity by his side in exchange for saving her.
Although there was no selfish desire in the words he had just spoken, Emilia had no way of knowing that.
And so, she was left to her own misunderstanding.
That the boy in front of her was in love with her.
"I-I..."
Thump-thump.
Perhaps it was because of the unfamiliar situation, but her heart was beating strangely.
Trying to calm the heat rising to her face, the girl timidly expressed her thoughts.
She was a little worried.
"I don't know if I can do it well."
She had learned that feelings don't always go as planned.
She had promised to always stay by the boy's side, but could her heart truly follow suit?
It was an unknown.
"As I said before, I have no experience in these matters... and I don't know if I can meet your expectations."
But.
"...I'll try my best."
Because she owed him a debt.
If she owed him her life twice, shouldn't she at least make an effort to fulfill her part of the bargain?
She was determined to at least try to develop feelings for him.
"It might not be as much as you want."
"I know."
"And I'm very clumsy."
"Everyone is."
"If you're okay with that... I'll do my best."
Emilia murmured softly.
The Snake stared blankly for a moment, then let out a faint chuckle.
"Hehe... That makes me happy."
The boy patted the girl's head affectionately.
This time, she didn't pull away.
She simply closed her eyes and lay there, accepting his touch.
"..."
"Hehe."
In truth, the two of them were interpreting the situation entirely differently.
Emilia had made her declaration after much agonizing, but to the boy, it sounded like she was simply determined to do her best to help him.
And so, the misunderstanding deepened.
"Ugh... My head hurts."
Just then, they heard a stirring sound from beside them.
Following the sound, they saw green eyes that seemed to have just awakened.
"Wh-Where am I? I thought there was a monster..."
Bushy pink hair.
The girl, still dazed from sleep, looked around and suddenly made eye contact with the two people watching her.
"You're awake, Miss Regia."
"Commoner... Looks like you've come to."
"...Huh?"
Regia couldn't help but be bewildered.
One was someone she thought was dead.
The other was someone who had been on the verge of death with her.
The girl's dazed eyes widened in shock.
"Y-Young Master? Young Lady...?"
Tears welled up in her eyes.
The girl asked in a trembling voice, "A-Am I... dead too?"
"..."
"..."
It seemed she was mistaking this for the afterlife.
Tears started streaming down the girl's face.
"Sob... What do I do?! Poor Young Master, sniffle, Young Lady...!"
Somehow, she seemed to be mourning the deaths of others more than her own.
It was an awkward situation, to say the least.
"There, there! Stop crying, okay?"
"We're not dead! Don't cry and pull yourself together!"
"U-Uh, sob! Waaaaah..."
The pilot wept uncontrollably.
The Snake and Vanity had to work hard to soothe her for a while.
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Thanks for the chapter!
ReplyDeleteMan's the master of words lmao thx for the chapter
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