Chapter 2 — Coming of age, a ceremony needed for emanc.i.p.ation. Part 3
With highly elegant and deft movements, from her slender fingers she somehow produced a…
Party cracker?
An instant later, she pulled the string and the cracker made a pop, sending confetti fluttering all around me like a small paper snowfall.
It was such a ridiculous act, I was left bewildered.
That silliness completely crumbled the aura of her mysterious appearance.
"Congratulations on your marriage, congratulations on your marriage, congratulations on your marriage."
She daintily clapped her hands—so lightly, they didn"t even produce a sound.
"Clap clap clap clap~"
Because of that, or maybe for a completely different reason, she voiced out the sound effects herself.
After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to ignore it.
I decided to go to sleep, and even though that seemed like a weird thing to do in a dream, I still closed my eyes.
But the claps, or rather, the voice that was saying "clap", didn"t seem to be quieting down at all.
It became a test of endurance, and in the end, I was the one who lost.
Sighing, I combed my hair upwards and, without even bothering to hide my bad mood, I said:
"Thank you very much. And goodbye."
"I went through all this trouble to come and congratulate you, but all I get is just a very brusque greeting."
In response to what I said, Ver clearly looked dejected as her shoulders fell.
When she moved, waves rippled through her golden hair, making it shine with a bright l.u.s.ter. I started fiddling my hair with my fingers, the rough feeling hurting me ever so slightly.
"I don"t have a reason to welcome you. There also isn"t even a reason for you to congratulate me."
She smiled, seemingly troubled, and lifted her slender fingers to gently grasp a tuft of hair that was resting on her shoulder.
Her finger slid down till the ends of her hair at her hips, and she lightly kissed it.
"You have really nice hair. I"m so jealous."
This girl, with her shining blonde hair, was talking utter nonsense.
She pulled her hand back as I extended mine, firmly grasping onto her silky hair. It easily flowed through my hand, not a single kink in sight.
"There is no need for formalities. Could you please move on to the main topic?" I confronted her without letting go of her hair.
"Didn"t I tell it to you just a minute ago?" Completely disregarding my cold att.i.tude, she placed her fingers on top of mine.
"I came to congratulate you on your marriage."
The feeling of cold and warm skin touching was like living silk.
Her face came closer to mine, and I saw her deep blue eyes staring at my deadpan face as she sealed her crimson lips shut.
When she was close enough to kiss me, she smiled sweetly.
The sight was so beautiful, it mesmerized even a girl like me—I felt like I was being poisoned bit by bit, simply by staring at her.
That smile appeared to be perfectly clear, yet it had a playful bearing—innocent and pure, but also mature and mischievous at the same time.
My free hand instinctively reached formy pocket.
I searched for the pocket knife that I had s.n.a.t.c.hed from Mouse"s arm, but it seemed that I hadn"t brought it with me into the dream.
As much as I was able to, I tried squirming around to shake her off, but her grip on me was stronger than I imagined. She then wrapped her free arm around my back.
It was almost like a love scene.
"Don"t push me away, Saki." Even her words seemed fitting.
"I only came to fulfill your wish."
"Wish"… that word sounded so foreign to me. There wasn"t a single thing that I deemed worthy of wishing for.
But her eyes seemed to peer deep within me.
"You had a dream," Ver said in a sweet tone, almost like a song as she caressed the hair behind my back with her slender fingers.
"A dream about a chariot traversing through the cosmos, a dream about a young man called the Moon"s Postilion, a dream about a power just slightly too excessive to exist in the human world."
"And that was supposed to be your present?"
She raised the corners of her mouth slightly while I clamped my lips shut and glared at her from close proximity. It seemed as if I could hear the beats of her heart.
"What use do you think I would have for a dream?"
"It wasn"t a dream." She lightly shook her head, her soft hair fluttering a little. "My present…was the past."