The clever rabbit always digs more than one burrow.Whether he liked Yuri or not didn’t particularly matter to me. But, I thought it would be far more entertaining if he did have feelings for her. So this was quite a fortunate outcome.
An overflow of emotion. It would serve as proof that the Evil God’s Sublimation had taken effect, wouldn’t it?
===============================================================
Click click click.
In the heavy, muted silence, I caught a glimpse of her back, faintly illuminated by the clouds moonlight. Her emotions seemed to tremble, radiating from her silhouette form.
“⋯⋯Mima.”
Yuri murmured, her back still turned, not looking at me. I deliberately moved forward, letting my footsteps announce my approach. I stepped on a bush tinged with the night’s deep blue tones.
Crunch.
And I continued to move toward her.
With each step I took, the distance between us closed, and her body quivered like a candle’s flame flickering in the wind. It felt as if she was barely holding herself together.What should I say? What words could bridge this silence? What words did I need to choose for them to be the right thing to say?
Maybe she’d be angry with me, I thought. No, surely⋯⋯ she would be angry. Should I start by giving her some space to vent her feelings?
Or maybe I could invite her to dance, to show her that the party wasn’t over and that every moment with her was a celebration.
⋯⋯Wasn’t this strange? My heart was pounding too fast.
No, it wasn’t strange at all. Look closely, take in every detail. She was beautiful, even in her hurt and vulnerable state. You wouldn’t leave her here, trembling in loneliness, right?
A grating noise scraped my ears. A few damaged modules were malfunctioning, sending error messages.
But I could feel it.
I could feel Yuri’s heart. After living alongside her, I could feel the warmth in her gaze and the tenderness in her gestures. It was hard to put into words, but her feelings carried a taste and her scent reminded me of peaches.
If I could just touch her, I might feel it even more clearly.
With a quiet thrill, I reached out and gently took her hand as if it were fragile glass. She flinched briefly, but didn’t pull away.
I could sense it. The information passing through my skin confirmed, no matter how many times I cross-checked it, that this was Yuri’s genuine emotion. Her essence was clear.
“You’re⋯⋯ late.”
“Sorry. Something very important came up⋯⋯but, I was fighting for you. That much, I can tell you.”
“Fighting for me, yet leaving me behind?”
“I realize now how foolish that was. I’m sorry for being late.”
Really.
Yuri murmured softly, but I took it as forgiveness. A sense of relief washed over me, vibrating as a warm tremor within.
I’d never felt this way before. To be precise, I’d never felt anything this strongly. Of course, spending time with her always made me happy, but tonight felt even more extraordinary.
Because now, I understood. I had looked into my own heart and seen where it was pointed⋯⋯straight at Yuri.
She spun around, a hint of a pout on her face, with faint traces of tears at the corners of her lowered eyes. A pang of sadness rose at the sight of her tear tracks, but the affection in her gaze lifted my heart all over again.
It felt like I was swinging between Heaven and Hell in just a few seconds.
Even in this brief moment, I could sense it. We seemed to be sharing the same thoughts. Since I had been late, I felt I should punish myself in some way, so I gathered the courage to speak first.
“You know, I never understood what love was⋯⋯ but now I think I do.”
Yuri’s eyes widened in surprise and joy.
===============================================================
The trick was to transplant Yuri’s feelings of love.
I had lived a long life and witnessed countless forms of love, yet I have never truly experienced it myself. But with this wonderful opportunity⋯⋯ I decided to transfer her emotions into my own heart.
So, naturally, I wouldn’t know in a dazed state. My actions might only be an act, but my emotions were genuine.
And⋯⋯ here, in the year 440, there was no one around Yuri who would notice even if my behavior deviated from hers. There was no one to question or correct me.
Love⋯⋯?
What a strange feeling. Just a light touch filled me with ticklish joy, and even those cliched lines somehow sounded charming.
You, too, must be feeling the same emotions from deep down. After all, they were your own, true feelings.
Are you listening, Yuri?
===============================================================
Click click click.
My heart was in chaos. It was like a little devil had taken hold of my reason, steering me now and then in directions contrary to my own self-interest.
How could I possibly resist the whispers of this little devil? The heart, after all, was truly me. To suppress and deny my own heart would ultimately mean rejecting myself.
Now, I think I understand.
After suppressing my emotions with every spell imaginable, I finally broke free from that bleak, colorless world and remembered a promise from long ago.
I had once told Yuna I was searching for a story with happiness.
It was absurd to say that while I had my heart tightly bound. I had to embrace this wildly beating heart.
Yuri’s eyes darted around nervously before she glanced down shyly.
Confirmed.
“⋯⋯Is this a confession?”
“It’s not an official confession.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Because this isn’t reality. No matter how many confessions are whispered in dreams that fade upon waking, none of them could ever compare to a single one in the real world.”
Yuri looked bewildered, thinking my words were some kind of metaphor. I smiled gently, took her hand, and led her into a dance position—a clumsy attempt to ask her to dance.
With that simple gesture, Yuri seemed to understand my intention. Her face flushed as she shyly followed my lead, one hand in mine and the other resting lightly on my waist.
Then one, two. Simple steps, a gentle sway to a silent rhythm.
And that alone made it feel like a celebration. I was so overjoyed I couldn’t help but laugh aloud. Yuri joined me, laughing too.
Right. There was still something I needed to ask.
After dancing with her for a while, I carefully brought up the words.
“I want to⋯⋯ ask for that key.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“I know others have tried to steal it from you. Even if I promised I’d make you happy with it, you’d still have doubts. But you know⋯⋯ I want you to trust me.”
“⋯⋯Are you trying to blackmail me with the atmosphere here?”
Yuri clutched the key hanging around her neck tightly. She hesitated. It was only natural. But, to my delight⋯⋯ her hesitation was somehow sweet.
More than the wound of betrayal, she seemed worried that I might leave once I had it.
I couldn’t take it by force. Doing so would shatter her heart⋯⋯ and mine along with it.
Yuri thought deeply for a long time.
“⋯⋯Sure.”
“Are you trusting me⋯⋯?”
“You are⋯⋯ Mima. My only friend. And if you were just trying to charm me with your looks again, you wouldn’t have made such a vulnerable face. And besides⋯⋯.”
Her gaze. It was as though it could see through me.
“⋯⋯ I don’t think someone with those kinds of eyes, would be able to betray me.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
That was the truth.
Yuri gently pulled me closer, wrapping me in her arms. This version of Yuri was slightly smaller, so much like Yuna, I could hold her fully within my embrace.
Even until the end, Yuri hesitated. She clutched the key tightly in both hands, worrying about every possible doubt, and then, with a burst of courage, she spoke.
“⋯⋯I have something to say too. How was I today?”
“You were beautiful. Especially today.”
“Is that, so⋯⋯ it makes me happy. That word.”
Yuri smiled, pure and innocent. Her happiness was clear from that smile. But, there was also a faint touch of mischief hidden with that lily-white innocence.
Then, with both hands, she pressed the key into my grasp.
“So, does that mean I have quite the talent for acting?”
⋯⋯Uh.
A shiver of unease ran up my spine.
But why? I was right here with Yuri. Why would I feel a sense of danger? There was no danger here. Right?
The key was buried deep in my chest, but⋯⋯.
Click click click click.
The grinding sound of interlocking gears echoed throughout the world. How had I missed such an obvious noise?
The 『Key』, an object that oddly contained a large amount of information. It didn’t just unlock the next level, but was also packed with malicious data.
My lifeline was severed.
In front of me, as I stood dazed, Yuri⋯⋯ no.
The Queen in Yuri’s shell spun around, almost proudly. Her dark hair turned white, and her suit transformed into a flowing, white dress. I was now face-to-face with the Succubus Queen.
Then, with a seductive smile that seemed to embody the world’s allure, she spoke.
“Uhuhu⋯⋯ How do I look? Don’t I make the perfect『Heroine』♥?”
My mind short-circuited under a torrent of emotions. Regret, shock, anger, sadness—all these emotions surged for one moment and then faded, leaving me with one bitter realization.
Had I been⋯ too complacent⋯⋯?
“Ahha, ahhaha, ahhahahahaha──!!”
Clank. The door to the lower level creaked open, and as I stood paralyzed, I fell.
The Queen’s mocking laughter echoed in my ears as I plummeted into the depths of my own consciousness.
===============================================================
“Euheuheut, heuheu⋯⋯ AHHAHAHAHAT──!!”
The Second Underground Floor.
The Queen, who had just sent the Crazy Wizard spiraling into his deep consciousness, laughed for a long time. She laughed and laughed, until tears ran down her face.
Her heart felt as if it were splitting in two. The Queen was experiencing emotional pain. And it amused her.
Thanks to the fragments of Yuri’s feelings she had implanted within her for the act, she could feel the sting of having betrayed someone she loved and driving him into a corner!
“Aheuheu⋯⋯ It was a such a unique experience. Ah ah, I never imagined a day would come when I would cry over a man.”
Below her was the perfectly crafted 『Intestine』
Yuri, who had fallen long before, and now ‘Mr. ‘Mima’ who had just followed, would both slowly dissolve back into raw data. Wounded by the effects of the 『Key』 and severed from his lifeline, ‘Mr. Mima’ had no means of escape.
I won.
The Queen celebrated her victory, her heart caught somewhere between joy and sorrow.
===============================================================
I opened my eyes. Everything was pitch black.
A thick darkness surrounded me. Viscous black tar dripped from above, and the ground beneath was so sticky it felt as if I could be swallowed by it.
My skin burned. These black substances weren’t just acidic in a physical sense—they were eating away at my essence, dissolving the data that composed my very being. I was being devoured.
Well, let’s check.
“The Queen is son of a bitch”
Good. My idealism was intact. Now, what about love?
“I really like Yuri.”
That was still there too. Maybe the Queen had stirred it up, but it was still my own emotion. The small spark of affection still pulsed quietly in my heart. But…
That affection was⋯⋯ buried in a corner, drowned out by anger and the will to survive. I could control it. Alright.
Honestly, why haven’t I had a proper relationship before?
A love I had never felt before had completely thrown me off balance, making me obsess over a past version of Yuri I’d only spent a few days with⋯⋯.
Is that who I am? The type to fall head over heels and lose control the moment I fall for someone⋯⋯?
Alright, calm down. Let’s keep checking.
That annoying fucking clicking noise? I don’t hear it. Good.
Rate of decay? With strong defenses, I could last about three days.
Lifeline? Severed long ago, shredded beyond any hope of repair.
With all this information⋯⋯ I took a cold, hard look at reality.
I was fucked. I accepted it peacefully.
I was trapped inside the Succubus Queen’s insides with no lifeline. But did that mean I was going to sit here and wait to dissolve until I die? No. I had no thoughts about giving up.
Yes, I had been outplayed by the Queen from the moment I entered, but this fight wasn’t over. In the worst case, I could even try Random Metamorphosis Gacha.
Then, why exactly was I fucked?
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Pink-Haired Lesbian staring at me from across the room looked all too real—neither an illusion nor some act.
Please, don’t be real.
Please let this be the Queen running it down with attempt 2. If she was truly this thorough, escaping might be even harder, but I’d rather take that than face this reality. Please. Dear god.
But God was cruel. Pink-Haired Lesbian, who was dissolving into the black tar, calmly opened her mouth.
“Did you enjoy my youthful charms, Mr. Fucking-Crazy Wizard?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Ah fuck.
“You know, I never understood love before⋯⋯ but now I think I do.”
“AAAAACK-!!”
I covered my ears with my hand and rolled around. If I was going to die here, it was going to be out of sheer embarrassment. And it would be at the hands of the Pink-Haired Lesbian, not the Queen.
Our reunion was rather⋯⋯ ugly.
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