Chapter 404: Reunion

*****

“Hey, Lys, seriously, what happened earlier? You know, I almost died.”

“D-die?”

“Yes. An evil being thirsty for blood and pain, as well as a pusillanimous with prejudices against me, almost killed me for the massage I gave you.”

When we arrived at the academy, since the first classes were practical, we changed into appropriate clothing.

We were all heading to the outdoor practice field—or rather, the mansion’s backyard.

Our group was a little behind the rest, so I took the opportunity to approach Lys, since I myself didn’t quite understand what had happened before.

I spoke to her in a low voice, although there was someone close enough to hear what I said.

“(≖_≖ ), my lady, if you are dissatisfied with my behavior, please say so directly.”

“That’s exactly what I should be saying to you!. I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong… at least not lately. If you’re dissatisfied, say so directly.”

“(¬_¬ )”

“What are you really thinking? What is it that… ah!, wait, what day is it today? Ah!!, I see. After all, the art I gave you only delays it for a long period of time and doesn’t remove it completely. I guess today n—”

“눈_눈”

“I understand. I won’t say anything else. Later, I’ll give you a nice massage; and coincidentally, just yesterday I got some very good sweets. You know, there are things that are exclusive to the middle world…. And take this: it’s a pad that Ciel made; it emits a pleasant and stable heat, even for our rank…”

“…I appreciate it.”

Yes, I can’t neglect these things after all, I experienced it myself, luckily Elena accepted my sacrifice.

She didn’t say much and continued to act impassive, but it was obvious how her dark aura disappeared. It seems that what I said was effective.

’Okay, I’ll try not to bother her , or I might really die.’

“Hmmm….”

“Ah!, Lys, I’m sorry, I got distracted. We were talking about what happened earlier… but why are you looking at us like that? Is something wrong?”

I felt a gaze. It was Lyz, who I was originally talking to. I thought maybe she was upset or something because I had left her out.

“No, it’s just that you and Elena seem to get along very well, as always—you even look like a couple.”

“Huh? But we are.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“W-what… but you said earlier that with A-Alice—”

“Huh? Well, yes, that too. Isn’t it obvious?… Wait, is it? Should it be? Hmmm… Hey, Elena, did I say something wrong? Sometimes I lose track with this… is it wrong to say that I’m dating you?”

Honestly, I don’t think it’s wrong to say that I’m dating Elena as Seraphina. A few days ago, I made my relationship with Alice public, and Elena said she didn’t really care whether I made it public or not.

On the other hand, I don’t think I’ve said anything about dating her as Christian, or so I think.

Sometimes I forget who I’ve told what to and under which identity, but Elena keeps an orderly record of my relationships.

“No. Outwardly, only Miss Silvia knows… There’s no problem with you saying you’re dating me, as long as you don’t make any mistakes.”

“Oh, good! Then it’s okay. As you heard, Lys, I’m dating Alice and Elena; we’re all—”

“Ahem!. Moderate what you say, my lady.”

“Oops… oh. That almost slipped out. Wait, how did you know what I was going to say? You always say no, but it’s obvious you can read my mind.”

“You are a very simple and basic being; I just have to degrade my thinking to understand what you are thinking.”

“Hey!”

“Relationship, two… between girls… three… that’s—”

“Oh, you’re reacting like that again. Does it bother you or something?”

“N-no, it’s just that… I’m very surprised… you, Chris… many of the people around me seem to be in relationships and I…”

“Oh, don’t worry. There’s Silvia; with her personality, she’ll be single for a long time. Besides, don’t worry: maybe sooner than you think, you’ll be in a relationship too. And I’ll tell you that I’m also dating Cordelia so you won’t be surprised later.”

“Ah… Cordelia too!?… I didn’t expect that… hmm, but it doesn’t seem that way.”

“Right? I want to do something about it too, but it keeps getting worse, and even my massages don’t relax her. Oh… going back to the beginning, what happened to you before? ”

“I-I don’t know. It just felt really good; it was hot and… everything just went blank at some point. I’m sorry if that got you in trouble.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I’m a woman who gets things done! I fixed it with a few threats and hostages. Oh, we’re almost there. Oh! That’s right, the first class is with Instructor Astrid. Tsk… even though that bastard also…”

As we talked, we were finally approaching our destination: an open part of the garden, a place that could only be accessed after passing through a beautiful flower-lined path.

The classes had now changed a bit in their dynamics, and there were times when more than one instructor taught them.

Today there were three focused on magic, including Astrid and another instructor I couldn’t stand, mainly because he was blatantly flirting with Astrid.

Frsdssk!

Just as I was thinking about finding an opportunity to make that instructor disappear once and for all, there was a noise in the bushes and a shadow came rushing towards us at great speed.

That shadow was targeting Lys; it was so fast that before anyone could react, it was already behind her, grabbing her and hugging her from behind.

“Huhuhu~ What do we have here? Sniff. I smell innocence and youth… with a hint of longing, frustration, and— huhuhu

— jealousy.”

“Huh? … Huh? Ah!?”

“Oh! A wild Lily appeared.”

Once I understood who it was, I stopped acting. Lys seemed not to understand what was happening suddenly and panicked, trying to break free, which was useless.

“Ding! Dong! Correct answer! Here is the great, unique, and eternally twenty-something—ugh!”

“Old witch! What do you think you’re saying? Rather, what are you doing? No! What the hell are you doing here?”

The one who appeared completely unexpectedly was Lily. She couldn’t finish her presentation because a wild Eira, who was a little behind us, pounced on her and pulled her away from Lys.

“Dear, what’s with the way you’ve been treating me lately? You’re being very physical with me. Also, don’t call old witch to your—”

“Watch what you say, old witch, and let’s get outside before you get us in trouble.”

Eira seemed to have no patience for dealing with Lily; she grabbed her and started dragging her away, clearly intending to get her out of everyone’s sight.

I guess she doesn’t want Lily to say anything incriminating; she wants to keep that secret even more actively than I do.

“Ugh! Wait, don’t pull me. I won’t say anything. Besides, I came here legally, I swear.”

“Legally?”

“Yes, I used my contacts and connections. Well, now I’m kind of an assistant to Sister Astrid. Look, they even lent me a robe. Don’t I look like a magician?”

“You, an assistant to a magic instructor?”

“Hey, honey, what was that tone? Are you also making fun of me because I’m not good at magic?”

“The point here is that, obviously, the position doesn’t suit you.”

“Small details. Oh, Selene, come here with your—…your big sister! Huhu, that doesn’t sound too bad either—”

“…Yep.”

“Grrr, you shameless old woman. And Selene, you watch what you say too. Seriously, why is this happening…?”

“My lady, this person is…”

While Eira seemed on the verge of losing her mind, Elena, on the other hand, addressed me, as this was her first contact with Lily.

I was honestly planning to have them finally meet soon, but it seems she already had her own plans. I guess it’s one of those unexpected jokes or surprises she likes to play.

“Oh, yes, it’s just as you think, Elena. She’s Leyla, better known as the eternal 21-year-old Lily.”

“Lily? Where have I heard that name before…? Ah! Wasn’t that the name of Chris’s other girlfriend, the married woman with children?”

“Oh, Lys, you remember that? Well, yes, she is Chris’s girlfriend.”

“So she’s Lily’s older sister.”

“She certainly is… there’s no resemblance… none at all.”

As we talked, the rest of the group came over and listened to me speak.

Alice seemed interested and was already mentally categorizing Leyla as the older sister, while Silvia looked at her with doubt, as if no matter how hard you look, you can’t find any resemblance to the twins.

Aurora already knew her, so she wasn’t surprised at all, and Cordelia remained like a statue.

From the beginning, I was carrying her under my arm; that was why we were further behind than the rest of the students.

Even with Elena’s and my skills, dressing and preparing her always took us a little longer.

“Oh! What a gathering of cuties. Let’s see, I can’t be wrong. That blonde cutie must be Alice. Let’s see, a quick feel… yes, it’s definitely Alice. Sweetheart’s descriptions are more accurate in this regard.”

“N-nice to meet you, big sister Lily.”

As they talked, I saw Lily appear behind Alice this time. She looked like an excited storm, and when she heard Alice, she got even more excited.

On the other hand, Eira watched her very closely, with a clear air of warning, while Selene, next to her, seemed genuinely happy.

“Hehehue, yes, you, cutie. We’ll definitely get along. Let’s see… I already know Aurora. The first cutie must be the conquest in progress… Lys, right?”

“Y-yes. Nice to meet you, my name is Eirlys, but you can call me Lys…”

“Oh! How polite. I’m glad that such a polite girl is friends with my—”

“(►__◄)”

“—Eira and Selene. And feel free to call me big sister.”

“Y-yes, big sister.”

“Hyaa! But why are they all so cute? Huehue~. Oh, I accidentally laughed with my Sweetheart. Okay then, what else is there around here? Oh, wait… that hair description… hmmm… blue and red… I have it on the tip of my tongue—oh. Can I feel it a little?”

Lily kept moving among us until she stopped in front of Silvia. It was obvious that she was unsure who she was, as it was the first time she had seen her.

She hesitated for a moment, looked down a little, and finally seemed to remember something, though still unsure, so she asked politely.

“Huh? Uh… I’m not— ah!”

“Hmm… yes, something doesn’t add up. Let’s see… yes, you must be Silvia. Just as my sweetheart described you. Hey, can you be my friend too and let me grope you from time to time? It feels good.”

Silvia couldn’t keep up with Lily and was completely vulnerable to her insidious hands.

“U-uh… I-I… no, please, no—ah!”

“How strange… my sweetheart described you as someone else… how can I put it?… Oh. That’s what being pusillanimous with everyone else except him means!”

“H-hey!, what are you telling other people about me?”

Silvia, clearly not knowing what to do with the invasive Lily, ended up complaining to me.

“I didn’t say anything. If anyone said anything, it was Chris. But Lily, seriously, did you have to grope they to check?”

I feigned ignorance and instead addressed Leyla directly. The truth is, I was curious to know if she could really recognize them like that.

“Nah. It was more for my own pleasure. They’re all so distinctive that there’s no way to confuse them.”

“Aren’t you a little too excited? Eira’s eyes seem to be literally on fire… is she awakening an Skill?”

“But,s-dear tell me: what would you do if you suddenly found yourself surrounded by so many beautiful women? If I don’t release this emotion, I might explode or something.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

“Right? Okay, let’s see… and this must be— ah! Ahem. Nice to meet you, my name is Leyla. If you like, you can call me Lily or big sister Lily. You must be Elena, right?”

Leaving our conversation, I watched as Leyla scanned the room again in search of another prey, until finally her eyes settled on Elena.

When their eyes met, I noticed that Leyla trembled for some reason.

She immediately composed herself and introduced herself with an almost noble courtesy. Now she seemed surprisingly nervous, waiting for Elena’s response.

“…That’s right. Nice to meet you, as you said; I’m Elena. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Leyla.”

“Ugh… yes. Nice to meet you.”

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