Even though they had experienced tremendous troubles, the midterms had ended safely, and at night they had returned to the dorms of the Diaspell Royal Academy——
“Here.”
——Sherry was presenting the collar that had been put away into her desk since she had bought it at the time of the date.
Lined up next to it was Hayate’s, which had been unfastened. As one might expect from the highest cla.s.s dragon scales, even after they had struggled through that fierce battle, it didn’t have one scratch. Of course, when they had come back it had been dirty, but it had already been washed off.
“…Is that really necessary?”
Hayate inquired Sherry again.
They had become each other’s property; one as the master of a manservant, and the other as the master of a slave. He was fine with exchanging such contracts themselves, but putting a collar on that pretty neck made him hesitate after all. Isn’t the verbal contract enough?—— He thought.
“I’m making you fight for my own goals. It will almost certainly lead to your death… even if you’re lending your own strength to me of your own will, that fact won’t change—— this is a reminder of it. If I don’t leave something that can be seen at all times, I’ll probably behave like a spoiled child.”
“…I see.”
If that was the case, then he had nothing else to add.
Sherry was the first to put the collar on his neck.
Next, he fastened hers while taking as much care as he possibly could.
“…There was something my late grandmother always said.”
She said while gently caressing the collar as if she was touching something precious.
“Some day, when I’d be old enough to love, she wanted me to look for someone who’ll love me as much as I love him. If that person was mightier than myself, then she wanted me to climb up to him. If I was ahead of such people, then she wanted me to look for someone, who’d come chasing after me.”
Hearing that story, Hayate suddenly understood.
The reason Sherry said that she would become a slave.
Maybe because she wanted to reward him for making him fight as her slave, or because she simply wanted to give him her all—— of course, those two reasons were also possible—— but most likely the reason why she wanted it to be like this was due to her grandmother’s teachings.
——She wanted her partner to be her equal.
Hayate, who fought to protect Sherry’s dream, would always swing his sword only for her goals.
He didn’t swing his sword for his own good—— in other words, a manservant that worked for her goals. At least that was what she was thinking.
Probably for that reason, she desired to become his slave.
Hayate was a manservant with Sherry as his master.
Sherry was a slave with Hayate as her master.
It was for the sake of having an equal—— even if a bit warped—— relationship.
Yeah, completely inflexible… Hayate smiled wryly in his heart.
“”…””
Suddenly they grew silent.
Through the window, the moonlight shone between him and her—— It felt as if nothing, absolutely nothing besides them existed.
They gazed at each other intensely.
Suddenly—— Sherry told him as if she was reciting a poem:
“All of me is yours.”
“All of you is mine.”
Hayate replied.
This time he said:
“All of me is yours.”
“All of you is mine.”
Sherry replied the same.
Before they realized it… both of their heads had drawn closer, and their lips met.
The reward that was given to the manservant who had given his best for his master was a kiss, and the pledge that was bestowed on the beloved slave by his master was also, a kiss.
“With this, you’re my manservant.”
“With this, you’re my slave.”
Translator notes and referencesNone.