Chapter 786 - What Is Stored Away in a Dream
It had been a full day since I returned from the four-day, three-night hot spring trip I’d produced myself. For that entire time, she had been, well, remarkably reserved. That’s what I’d thought.
And because of that, a premonition—no, a prophecy—that she’d be coming soon was unavoidable. I’d figured she’d storm my room without warning, as was her custom… but I’ll admit it. In the end, the princess surpassed my predictions from an entirely different direction.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
As the clock hands crept from ten to eleven P.M.—a time even a university student would recognize as late—I let her into the living room, as usual. After that, it would be business as usual.
Or so I had thought.
I pictured the familiar scene: she’d make a cute, selfish demand for tea and a midnight snack as her entrance fee, we’d enjoy a leisurely, quiet conversation, and then she’d make a swift departure before it got too late.
That was the routine I’d envisioned.
"…"
Nothing was requested, nor was there any conversation. Ashe simply came up to my room without her usual hesitation or restraint—that much was normal—and then…
She nonchalantly, forcefully violated my usual safe distance. Just as I turned to walk to the kitchen to make tea, she took my hand and pulled me down onto her usual spot on the long sofa.
"…Uh, um…"
"…Mm…"
She pulled me down, and just like that… we’ve been like this for a good ten minutes now. To my left, she holds my left arm, her head resting on my shoulder, her eyes and lips closed. She hasn't moved.
For her, though, this was too quiet to be called an ‘assault,’ yet to call it her usual ‘playfulness’… well, how do I put it? The… proximity and the atmosphere were… a little too intimate.
"Ashe-san?"
"…Mm…"
I really wish she’d stop responding with that faintly airy sigh, whatever it’s supposed to mean. The sound of the [Sword Queen] letting her guard down is a rarity on par with a Terror Armament, and for me, it could very well be a fatal blow.
"Ah, well… What is it? You’re in tired mode, is that it?"
And so, the princess doesn't answer.
"I don't mind you being here at all, but are you sure you don’t need to rest soon?"
And still, the princess doesn't answer.
"…Do you, uh, want to lie down? If you’re not picky about comfort, I wouldn’t be opposed to offering you a ‘pillow’ as thanks for the trip and all your hard work…"
She neither answers nor responds, merely keeping her eyes peacefully closed.
Even so, she never lets go of my arm, never moves away from my side. Her presence is undeniably awake as Ashe steals several more minutes from me—
"…Lately, I’ve been thinking."
"Whoa, yeah?"
Her opening was as abrupt as ever, so typical of her. Even in what could be described as a picture-perfect moment of peace, my state was far from tranquil, so of course I jumped.
"…"
My eyes reflexively shot toward her. A pair of garnets, shining with a transparency that would make jewels envious and a brilliance that outshone the room’s lights, captured my very being.
They captured me, held me, and refused to let go, seizing even my consciousness.
"Perhaps it would be best if I just… stole you all for myself."
She said something I couldn't quite comprehend.
But even without understanding, I had the distinct certainty she had said something outrageous… and as Ashe brought this unknown confusion down upon my head, she smiled bewitchingly.
Ah, this is bad. The thought crossed my mind, but my body remained frozen, as if entranced.
"—!"
Ever so gently, a kiss like a feather landed on my cheek, which was surely sporting a dumbfounded expression. Then, the princess closed her eyes once more and leaned against me.
"Haru."
"Yes."
My mind was failing to keep up entirely; I could only respond by reflex. From beside me came a single, amused laugh, like that of a child delighted by a successful prank.
And as the loser felt his temperature inevitably rise, she continued.
"…It was only three days and a little more. That’s what I thought, but…"
"…"
"Before even a day had passed, I found myself wishing I’d made the trip shorter."
Her soft, pure white hair brushed against the nape of my neck.
"Four months ago… during the event, I was still fine."
That gesture was, without a doubt, a display of honest affection—so unlike her.
"‘Love’ is a strange and very troublesome thing. I thought I was a rather patient person, but…"
My body was no longer frozen. At this very moment, I was…
"—I might not… be able to hold back much longer. What should I do, I wonder."
"…—"
…simply having my will to act melted away without a trace by a girl confessing her passion so openly it felt like the world itself might dissolve.
Was that fleeting smile self-deprecating, or was it a smile for me?
"…! …!"
This is bad. I thought.
This is really bad.
This can’t go on—no, that’s not it.
I absolutely can’t let it stay this way. Driven by a torrent of indescribable emotions—a strange sense of duty, or maybe stubbornness—and guided by a baseless conviction that this was what I had to do.
"Ngh…"
The sound Ashe let out, one I’d likely never heard before, was my fault.
The fact that a voice so cute it made me want to cover my ears was released into the world was the fault of my right hand, which I had extended after kicking aside all hesitation.
Come to think of it, this was something I'd never done to her. An act that, with Sora or Nia, had occurred countless times… which sounds rather questionable, but it’s true.
I simply stroked her head.
That was all. I had selfishly assumed it was something far removed from her, the one who stood higher than anyone else.
And was that selfish assumption correct or not?
"…,…"
She seemed surprised by the unfamiliar sensation, but was that just my imagination? She stirred, opened her eyes, and her garnets met my own, which hadn't looked away since she’d closed hers.
And then,
"Ha, ha…"
"…Fufu."
We both laughed at the same time.
One of us, still holding onto indescribable feelings. The other, laughing amusingly at herself for being surprised by something so simple.
"…You know, Ashe."
"…Yes. What is it?"
A secret affair in the night, just the two of us. We made a silent pact with our eyes alone, vowing that even we would forget this time once it was over.
"—I’ve thought that many times, too."
"…I see. …So you have."
What, exactly, did that refer to? If I didn't say it, she wouldn't know. And for that very reason, I didn't add the necessary words, leaving it for her to interpret freely.
Our eyes remained locked.
She, still holding my arm.
I, still gently stroking her hair.
"This is a problem, isn't it?"
"It really is."
I said it in a way that could be taken any way. And I said it in a way that held both truth and lies, no matter which of her words it was applied to. Even for the invincible princess, it would be impossible to read my mind completely.
So, in the end, there was only one truth I could give her now.
"All I have are precious things, and I just don't have enough body or heart to go around."
Only these feelings, which continued to pile up without ever creating a contradiction.
This sentiment alone was genuine, a thought I no longer hesitated much to express. It was probably obvious to anyone who looked, and there was likely no point in hiding it.
I’m thinking.
I’m thinking.
I’m always, carefully, thinking about it.
—Because the “answer” is already so close I feel like I could reach out and touch it.
"…Haru."
"Yes?"
This time, it wasn't a reflex but a rational response, delivered as I regained my composure. The princess, seeming somewhat satisfied and a little dissatisfied, enjoyed it before closing her eyes again and speaking.
"I am on your side."
"…"
"No matter what your ‘answer’ is. I’m sure I always will be."
"…, …That, you mean…"
"Yes, that’s right."
An extension of our secret. An assurance of oblivion. In this fleeting night, swept up by her feverish words, I was about to ask my question, but her voice naturally stopped me.
"So a future where you turn everyone down and end up all alone will never happen to you. Give it up."
And then, a voice that delivered a joke so completely unsuited for her.
After wondering for a moment just what I should say back to an Ashe like this, I…
"Do you really think I’m capable of turning down three extra-dimensional young ladies?"
"…Fufu. Impossible. Absolutely not."
…chose to simply play dumb and laugh away the most unlikely future together.
So why did she come? She didn't come to do anything. She just got lonely, so she came to be pampered.
By the way, if he had chosen the wrong option, there was a small chance he would have been eaten.