Chapter 519 - Azure Sky
By the time I realized my fatal mistake, it was already too late.
All I could do was look back on the past and pile on the regret. You only truly appreciate something irreplaceable once it's gone, and all I could do was resent myself for mistakenly thinking its presence was a given, a product of sheer habit.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but I can’t sleep at night like this.
Thanks to my naps during the trip, the sleeplessness isn't hitting me as hard as it usually would, but still… even when I try to surrender to the drowsiness, my consciousness just won't drop off, as if it's caught on something.
To put it simply, Liliania Vroubery was in a bind. Why?
Because I forgot my body pillow.
I got so carried away by the chain of sudden events that I committed the blunder of a lifetime, forgetting the partner I literally spend every day with. Isn't it embarrassing to bring your own personal body pillow on a trip? I should have stopped dithering and just had it delivered.
I've never been able to sleep without it, not even at home. Now, that fact, combined with the triple punch of travel excitement, an unfamiliar ceiling, and an unfamiliar bed, meant a good night's sleep was a distant dream.
On top of that, the sudden 'confession' that was dropped at the party earlier added a whole new layer of heart-beating, making a sleepless night all but certain. At this rate, I'm guaranteed to be sleep-deprived in the days to come.
I wish the sleepiness debuff from that last event could be implemented in real life.
"... ..., ..."
No matter how many times I fruitlessly slam my head into the pillow, it takes more than that to make me pass out—I want to sleep, but I can't. What a childish trait.
Overcome with frustration, I considered just storming the room of the person on my mind, who was probably studying. But no, I'd feel bad interrupting their time together, and while I wouldn't say I'm free of jealousy or possessiveness or other such emotions, putting myself in their shoes, I get that time alone is important and precious and wonderful, and as a maiden, I feel this need to respect that, and honestly, when I imagine that princess possibly acting all sweet and clingy, the titles of rival and love-foe—which I really shouldn't ignore—are in danger of being obliterated by a halo of sheer preciousness, and really, what is she even, and when she looks you right in the eye and says 'I like you,' it's just impossible not to like her back, it makes no sense, I've thought it for a while but Iris, a.k.a. Alicia White, doesn't just have an aptitude for being a 'Princess,' she's got the aptitude for being a 'Prince' too—
Knock, knock, knock.
"...?!"
In the middle of pretending to be lost in a vortex of jumbled thoughts to escape reality, my ears picked up a gentle knock, and my body shot up on the bed.
There was no doubt it came from my own door. As expected of a property owned by the White family, the guest rooms were so well-built that I wouldn't mistake a sound from the adjacent room for my own.
I'd been trying to get to sleep early, only to be crushed by the realization that I'd forgotten my body pillow, so I obviously hadn't made any late-night plans with anyone.
If Haru had been free, I might have worked up the courage to make some kind of move... but he's a first-year university student and seemed to be struggling with his studies, so I decided to hold back for the first day, out of consideration.
As for tomorrow and beyond, I can't say if my patience will last, so my plans are undecided. In any case...
"...?"
Who could it be? Since I couldn't ask, I just slowly opened the door.
Given the group we have here, I wasn't particularly worried, but I couldn't help but wonder what I'd do if a man other than him was standing there... Peeking through the slight gap, however, I saw no one towering over me.
"...Ah, um, I'm sorry to disturb you while you're resting."
The only person in this gathering shorter than me, with a petite and slender frame. The girl, four years my junior—a fact that made me doubt my ears when I first heard it—spoke clearly, though cautiously.
"Could I have a moment of your time?"
Blinking her big, beautiful, sky-blue eyes, she looked straight at Nia.
◇◆◇◆◇
Come to think of it, I'd only spoken with her alone a handful of times. And most of those few interactions were the kind of innocuous exchanges that arise from the 'artisan and client' relationship we had when I was fitting her with outfits.
Is this part too tight? Can you raise your arm? Excuse me for a moment. That was about the extent of it. The times we... well, the times I playfully pestered her were always when her partner was there with her.
It wasn't that Nia was scared to be one-on-one with her or anything. If anything, it was because I was being considerate of Sora.
Because this girl, ever since we first met in the virtual world, has always been the same. Her expression changes so noticeably depending on whether he's by her side or not.
The on-off switch for her nervousness was plain to see, and I'd been secretly grinning to myself about how cute it was for a while now—and that secret feeling hasn't changed, even now that their relationship has clearly shifted.
This younger girl, a cute avatar in her own right who was just as adorable as her virtual one... Nia, who was usually the one being doted on, was quite seriously smitten.
"—U-Um... R-Really, please don't trouble yourself...!"
'It's fine, it's fine. It's probably nerve-wracking to talk face-to-face, right?'
A few minutes ago, I had pulled Sora—who had approached me with a serious air, saying 'I'd like to talk' in the cutest way—into my room and unceremoniously sat her down on the bed.
It looked like the post-bath girl had already neatly dried and styled her hair... but well, that aside, it would be easier for both of us to have something to do with our hands, though calling it a pastime might be rude.
With the older girl behind her, gently combing through her beautiful black hair, the younger girl froze with an indescribable expression, a mixture of embarrassment and humility.
Of course, I did get her permission, albeit a bit forcefully. This is by no means sexual harassment.
"...It's pretty short in the real world, so I don't think there's much fun in styling it."
'It's sooooooooooo much fun. I could do this forever.'
"F-Forever is a bit... As for me, I'd love to try combing your fluffy hair, Nia-san. I kind of admire soft, long hair like yours."
'Ehh, but I'm jealous of your silky smooth hair, Sora-chan!'
While outputting 'words' to the phone placed right next to Sora, our pleasant exchange overflowed with smiles that made me wonder if I was dreaming—however...
"...Um, Nia-san."
One of us had no intention of leaving it at that, and the other never thought it would end there. Seeing the serious tone that slipped into a lull in the conversation, Nia wordlessly stroked the girl's hair, prompting her to continue.
"...About, um... what's happened. I won't make it an apology. I want to say I'm sorry, but I don't think this is something I should be sorry for, so I won't."
I just listen.
"That, as a result, I ended up stirring things up... or that even though you looked like you didn't want me to worry, it ended up like this anyway."
To the inner thoughts she's so earnestly weaving.
"I'm childish... and I really don't want to say this, but compared to you, Haru, and Iris-san, I really am just a child who only thinks about herself."
I'm amazed that the voice baring her soul contains not a single shred of fear.
"But even so... I—I love Haru."
"..."
The girl's eyes as she turned around were a clear, serene sky-blue.
"So, um... It's very late, I know, but please forgive me."
Her innocent smile, tinged with shyness, still seemed so perfectly... suited for him, just as it had from the very first time I saw them standing together.
...And because of that...
'Hmmmmmmmm, what should I doooooo????? '
"Ah, au... Um, I know this is really late to be bringing this up, and I'm very sorry...!"
'I mean, come on, Sora-chan! You're just too tough an opponent in so many ways! If it's a question of forgive or not forgive, I can't forgive you! You're ultimately cute, you're his partner, and you're younger! '
I can't exactly give a wholehearted welcome to her entry as a rival, but...
"U-Ultimately...? Um, does being younger have anything to do with it? Personally, I can't help but feel it's more of a debuff..."
'Ehh? Isn't he weak to younger girls?'
"From my perspective, it seems like he's weak to older women...?"
'Oh, right. I guess it's not that he's weak to younger girls, just Sora-chan in particular.'
"I feel like it's more the other way around, that I'm the one who's weak to Haru..."
'Yep, no good, can't forgive you. Sora-chan, you're breaking the rules! You're strong in every way! In fact, it's not even a recent thing, I've considered you the strongest enemy from the very beginning!! '
"...?! E-Ehhh, ehhhhhh...? !"
As a still new friend—and as a friend I hope to grow closer to from now on. In place of a blessing, I pulled her small body into a tight hug.
Because it would be a lie to say I wasn't happy that the heart of my cute, cute junior player had been cleared of its clouds.
...Well, that's the official reason.
'Ah, I can't. Sorry, Sora-chan, this is sudden, but can I offer you the role of my body pillow?'
"Eh, wha, what, eh... W-What is it? A body pil—Whoa?! Um, hey, what's with the sudden—?! What are you going to do to me?!"
'I'm not gonna do anything, so it's fine. Just let me sleep next to you for a bit.'
"Um, we've basically just met! Me! I don't know what you're suddenly talking about, but sleeping next to you all of a sudden is a little scar... Nia-san, you're strong...?!"
The truth is, Nia, a fundamental lover of cute things, was hit with a dose of the girl's cuteness one-on-one and simply couldn't take it anymore—and that, combined with her unresolved sleepiness, just made her go wild.
A depiction of heroines who have fatal chemistry with each other, even without the protagonist.