Translator: Mii
Editor: sleepchaser
He licks his lips, tongue trailing across the pink. I feel that mysterious shiver once more running down the flat of my back.
“No, d-didn"t I tell you to stop already?!!”
Summoning my remaining strength, I head-b.u.t.t Alfred"s forehead.
“Ouch—”
The moment he flinches, the strength pinning me down diminishes.
Seizing the opportunity, I pull back my hands, which had been restricted. I shove his heavy body off me and crawl out of the bed. Then I flash that brat a sideways glance. He"s still holding his forehead. Serves him right.
W-what the heck just happened?
Seriously, what the heck?
Why? Since when did it become like this?
Everything happens in a flash. One moment I"m dashing out of the room, and in the other I"m rushing down the stairs—
“Waaahhh… Ah, Lian-sama!”
“Sniff. ahhh, L-Lian-sha—!”
These kids are crying, faces red and wet with tears. Looking at them makes me want to cry too.
I"m so confused, and I can"t even think at this point.
“Eh…? Ah, w-what happened…? Why"s everyone crying so much…?”
As soon as I reach the bottom of the stairs, they run and cling to me.
“I-I"m sorry Lian-sama…! Al-nii found us…"
“Al-nii didn"t listen to us when we told him not to take Lian-sama away…"
“You know, w-we did our best to hide you!”
“B-But, we failed—!”
I shake my head. “Uh, ah, no, that"s wrong… T-this is my fault. It was because I was not careful. It"s not you guys" fault, so don"t worry about it. Don"t cry…”
After I sit on the floor, I hug the kids close to me.
Once again, I feel my eyes tearing up.
“B-but—”
“Since he found you—"
“Will you not come over anymore?"
“T-That kind of thing…” I scratch my head.
“No?”
“You"ll still come, right?”
“We can play together again? Take a nap together?”
“We ca—”
Someone stomps on the stairs and I jump with a start. Although I want to run away, the kids cling to me, their heads just reaching my knees.
Mind in a frenzy, I freeze. Then from my peripheral vision I see a pair of polished and expensive-looking shoes held toward me.
Those are my shoes.
Now that I think about it, I didn"t put on my shoes before rushing out the room. Currently, only a thin layer of socks separates my feet from the floor. I mean, I was so fl.u.s.tered back then so it couldn"t be helped, okay?
“…Your shoes. You left without putting it on."
Avoiding his gaze as much as possible, I accept them with trembling hands.
Alfred sucks in a breath as if he"s relieved, dropping to sit behind me.
“…Sorry. My bad. I overdid it.”
You are really…!
Overdid it? Talk about an understatement! You overdid it to the point of being extremely excessive! Transfering magic power? That was more like a deep kis— no, don"t think about it. Stop it. I shouldn"t remember that. d.a.m.n it. Stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Why did you do that? Where did you even learn how to do that, you perverted brat? Kissin—no, just shut up already, brain!
Ahhh really!
Even though I have so much to say, enough to pile up into a mountain, I can"t speak.
“I lost control of myself back then. I apologize. I"m really sorry. It"s my fault… Hey, tell me. What should I do so that you"ll forgive me…?”
What do you mean you couldn"t control yourself? I don"t even know where to start in retorting him. It"ll probably end poorly either way.
Ahh, that"s right. He"s sixteen years old after all! At that age they"re full of rampaging hormones, right?!
Yes, yes, this must be what they call "youth pa.s.sion." He got lost in the feeling once, and then loses control since he"s still young and inexperienced. That"s what this is, right? Yes, it must be.
Somehow me and Alfred, of all things, have good chemistry… Or something. I don"t know. But that might explain why it"s so easy to find ourselves in that kind of dangerous situation. I just need to be more careful so those things don"t happen again. Argh, what do I even mean by "those things" anyway? Ughh.
“Really… I"m very sorry. Please tell me what I should do so that you"ll accept my apology…"
He sounds unusually timid.
And he feels frail from how he"s leaning his forehead against my back.
His typical calm and collected att.i.tude is nowhere in sight.
Finally, I"m able to calm down, breathing in and out slowly.
The kids look up at me, their eyes full of worry and tears.
I know that if I just keep silent and sit here, the situation will be become unsalvageable.
I know this well enough… If I say something like "I won"t forgive you," then we won"t have these friendly interactions anymore.
But.
If I do this, these kids will cry even more. It"ll be pitiful.
Those words are akin to breaking off ties to them all. Alfred, the kids, and Marie. They"ll surely hate me after that, and I won"t be able to come here again.
If I can"t come to this place again…
Then I won"t have a place to go to anymore. The thought of it makes me distressed. I still have many improvements to add to the alarm series, and I have to produce many of them for "that" day. The day the demons will attack.
Also, I still have a lot of time until then. So I don"t really have to correct the course of events just yet.
That"s right. I still have time. I"ll just fix it later.
Everything"s alright.
After coming to a decision, I"m finally able to think with a cool head. For now… I need to do something about that gloomy guy. But I also don"t want to forgive him that easily. I"m still angry, you know.
So I decide to give a condition in exchange for my forgiveness.
“…Then, don"t tell anyone when I come over from now on."
Actually… You"re the person who I want to keep it a secret from the most. Since things have reached this point, there"s nothing more I can do.
“My father doesn"t know that I come to the church. If he finds out… He"ll definitely never let me out of the estate again."
This is true.
Everytime I want to visit the church, I always lie about where I go. Sometimes it"s the library. Other times, it"s to a school study group.
If Lian"s parents and brother find out that Lian has contact with people from a lower social cla.s.s, they won"t accept it. Probably even lecture him about it, to keep their precious son from being influenced by lower beings.
Back then, when I had helped the collapsed Alfred in the streets, my father gave me an earful once we got home. I still remember his yell. It was earth-shattering. He said "we are the important superiors with many responsibilities. What were you thinking, helping some street urchin like that? Do you want to sully the Owen family"s name?" Or better yet, "This is dishonorable!" Or something like that. As if I even know what they"re talking about!
If they find out I"ve been lying, they"ll definitely come to make a fuss. At the worst, they might not let me outside alone anymore. My headache"s coming back already.
“…I understand. I won"t tell anyone. What else?”
What else…
“…P-please don"t do those things anymore…"
“Those things?”
“Um! L-like what happened just now! Don"t do those things anymore, okay? Do you understand?!”
“I understand. I won"t do it again. I promise… So, you will forgive me?”
I take a breath.
“…Y-yes…”
There"s no helping it, right?
This kind of situation. Seriously.
I can feel Alfred sigh from relief behind me.
“…Thank you.”
Then wraps his arms around me in a tight hug.
He nuzzles his head on the dip of my shoulder. The tips of his golden locks brush against my nape. It"s really ticklish.
“H-hey! You… You really! Do you even understand what you"re doing!?”
“I understand.”
Are you sure?!!
“…Al-nii-chan and Lian-sama, are you two fighting?”
“Noo fwight!”
“Noo!”
The kids clinging to my legs turn their heads, looking up with a cute expression. As if they forgot they had been crying just a few moments ago.
…Is this fighting?
More like Alfred"s the one who suddenly pushed me down or something… No no no.
What am I saying?
No way!
It"s really impossible!
I mean, it"s just that, you know, with those kinds of things happening between me and Alfred, we probably give off the impression of fighting to the kids. It must be that.
From the end of hallway, I see Marie. Our gazes meet, hers filled with concern. We both looks like we don"t know what to do.
Then Marie shoots a gaze at Alfred, before looking at me again. She smiles, cheeks red as apples.
“…Lian-sama. This is just my opinion, but I think if that even if course of events do change, it doesn"t mean it won"t bring about changes for the better. That"s why, you don"t have to worry that much. It will be okay. Since you are you. You can"t become another person, no matter how hard you try to copy them. That"s why, just follow your heart. Whichever path the kind you decides to take I"m sure will lead to a good conclusion.”
Those words. They seem oddly familiar. Where have I heard them before?
Ahh, that"s right.
From the G.o.ddess.
That leisurely and fluffy G.o.ddess that doesn"t contact me.
“That"s right…”
“Yeah. It must be.”
Marie nods rea.s.suringly.
I can feel my strength being drained.
Where did you get that kind of confidence? I"m not as nice as some people think, and there"s no proof that the future will be fine.
With Alfred still hugging me, I feel my stomach hurting and my heart clenching. But along with those unpleasant feelings, I also detect a warm sensation enveloping my body.
I sigh the biggest sigh of the day.
…Although Alfred found out about my frequent visits to the church, he hasn"t discovered the existence of the .
If Alfred sees all these blueprints and research doc.u.ments of defensive gadgets, he"ll definitely start to suspect something. It is clearly suspicious, right? With machines, colorful ores, various liquids, magic related books, and mountains of papers on structural formulas, even I"ll feel suspicious looking at it.
I"m not confident I can keep this from Alfred for long.
Therefore, I will continue to rely on the kids" .
Well, since he has his part-time job on the weekend, I won"t really see him that often.
However, sometimes I come across him in the morning or when he arrives home.
Like today. Just as the sun is about to set, I b.u.mp into Alfred at the church gate on his way back from his shift.
“Lian. Are you going home?”
“Ah, yeah…"
“I see. Wait a minute.”
Alfred"s holding two large paper bags in his arms, and when I"m about to retort, I hear a rustle.
What is he doing…? I stare at him.
Alfred pulls out something from the bag. Something round and thin—
The standard junk food, potato chips.
“T-this is… p-potato chips…!?”
This is something I"m not allowed to eat in Lian"s family, something that you must take caution of since you can"t stop after one piece!
I bring a chip to my mouth, and before I know it, I"ve already bitten into it.
The nostalgic crispy food texture and the salty taste fill my mouth. So delicious. Since this is something handmade, there"s no taste of MSG. This is delicious.
I willfully grab another chip. What is this? So delicious.
As I"m chewing, Alfred suddenly lets out a small laugh.
Why are you laughing? There"s nothing funny here, right?
“…You like it too.”
“What?”
“The… cat that often comes by also likes these chips."
“Hah? H-how rude! I"m not a cat!”
“I got these from my part-time job just now, since the landlady said she made too much. I also have some for you, but if you don"t want it…”
“I want it! G-give it to me!”
In a flash, I grab one of the paper bags from Alfred.
Floating from the bag is a delicious scent. I peer into the top. There are a lot of chips inside.
I throw another one in my mouth.
Ahh, what a nostalgic taste.
This is the kind of junk food that"s hard to stop from eating, right? It"s like falling in love.
Immersed in nostalgia, I see Alfred"s shoulder shaking for some reason. Looks like he"s trying to stifle a laugh. Then he pats my hair. What are you laughing at?
I jump back quickly.
Seriously, stop touching me so suddenly! This is really bad for my heart!
I tell him the first half of my thoughts.
“Ahh, my bad," says Alfred.
You don"t really feel sorry, right brat?! Your eyes are laughing, you know!
“T-then, I will go home now. …T-thank… you… for the p-potato chips…”
“Ahh. Be careful on your way home, Lian. See you tomorrow.”
“Um! B-bye!”
Alfred sends me off while waving his hand with a smile. Since I"m not sure how to respond, I just hug the paper bag full of chips and run awa—I mean, take my leave.
It"s getting harder and harder for me to put up an act these days… How troubling.
Rushing home, I sigh to myself, wondering why things have come to this point.
Here is the long-awaited sponsored chapter! This marks the end of chapter 12… Hehee, they are so cute… (●´w`●) Special thanks to Kuu-san and NikkiGee-san for the ko-fi!
And why are j.a.panese people so obsessed with potato chips??? And cola??? (・_・;)
Yesterday I finally brace myself to read DPUBDTB!!! IT"S SO GOOD AJCNDKLWLSLS …now I have to wait for another chappie patiently… *lurking*
Also, please check sleepchaser-san"s new CN BL novel teaser in her ! Let"s make her jump into a new pit!! ^q^
Next part preview: Lian makes Alfred work for him as his magic power supply! ( ･ิω･ิ)