A nearly deafening silence engulfed the area around the school gate. No one spoke. Even the students who’d been minding their own business were now watching on in interest, crowding around the group. Alex and his friends remained silent as Jameson’s face morphed into first bafflement, and then anger as what the boy said finally set in.
“How dare you insult me by insinuating that I am that lowly peasant! I am Jameson de Truante! A noble of such pedigree that people often call me the King of Atreyu Academy! Do not dare insult my noble lineage by mistaking me for that peon!”
During Jameson’s tirade, the boy in armor faltered, raised arm slowly falling to his side. “Really? Then… if you are not Alexander Ryker, who is?”
As one, every single person present, Jameson included, pointed at Alex. The boy in armor turned to him. Alex felt like a rat at a dissection table as the boy studied him. Everything about this situation felt so surreal that he had no idea what to do.
Finally, the boy nodded and pointed at him. “Alexander Ryker! I challenge you to a duel for Gabrielle’s hand in marriage!”
“Oh, my,” Michelle murmured, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. The peculiar smile on her face said she was probably amused. Beside her, Ariel facepalmed as if this spectacle was too stupid for her to watch.
“Yeah… no,” Alex said.
The boy, once more, faltered. “W-why not?”
“There are many reasons, but let’s stick with one. I don’t know who you are.”
“I see. Yes. It is true that I forgot to introduce myself. Very well.” Coughing into his hand, the boy squared his shoulders and stared at Alex like he was a fighter in a dueling ring. “I am Arthur, crown prince of Camelot! I have come to rescue Princess Gabrielle from your vile clutches!”
“Uh huh…”
So… this guy really was one of Gabrielle’s marriage candidates. Alex couldn’t tell whether this guy, Arthur, was honorable or pompous. His ridiculous outfit and ludicrous way of challenging someone was the height of pomp, worse even than the nobles Alex knew, but then again, he was actually challenging Alex and not using deceit. Alex had to at least respect that.
However…
“I still refuse.”
“W-what?” Arthur nearly tripped despite standing in completely still. “Wh-why?! You have no right to refuse me!”
“Of course I do.” Alex shook his head. “You’re asking me for something that I have no right giving. A fight for Gabrielle’s hand in marriage? I don’t have the right to make such a challenge, never mind accept one. And you. Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t waltz up here and just challenge me for Gabrielle. That’s not your call to make.”
Alex finally hardened his expression into a glare, which he used to pin Arthur in place. Behind him, the stern-looking woman suddenly stiffened and reached into her blouse, but he ignored her for now.
“Listen up, because I’m only going to say this once! Whoever Gabrielle marries will be her choice! Neither you, or I, or anyone else can choose this for her. The decision to marry rests solely with Gabrielle and no one else. If you try to take that choice away from her, then I’ll kick your ass to the sun, but I’m not going to challenge you for the right to marry her when that right doesn’t even exist with me.”
Love was not something that people could decide for someone else. Marriage, as an extension of love, was something that only the person in question could choose. Alex didn’t care if Gabrielle was the princess to a galaxy spanning empire. She had just as much right to choose who she wanted to marry as anyone else did.
Months ago, Alex had decided to protect Gabrielle from her suitors, from her father, from anyone who thought they could decide what she should do with her life. He was not going to let some pompous prince get in the way of his promise.
Alex thought he looked pretty cool standing up to this Arthur guy. Indeed, he even felt like a real hero. Sadly, someone else did, too, and she was determined to ruin his image.
“ALEX!”
He felt her breasts on his back before he felt her arms around his neck. It was Gabrielle, hugging him in her hug that crushed bones into a fine powder. Alex swore he could feel his spine being crushed.
“G-Gabby… can’t breathe… neck…”
But Gabrielle was not listening to him.
“This is the reason I love you so much, Alex! You know exactly how I feel and are willing to help me! This is why you’re the only person I’ll ever marry!”
Alex was vaguely aware of the people around them, but they were background noise as he struggled to focus past the pain of his back being accidentally snapped and his neck being squeezed into a fine paste. He squinted and looked at Arthur. The young man was staring at him with large, teary eyes. What the heck was up with him now?
“That… don’t think you’ve won yet!” Arthur pointed at him. “You might have bested me here, but I’ll be back to reclaim Gabrielle from you! Just you watch!!”
With tears streaming down his face, Arthur turned around and ran back the way he had come, his armor jingling together as he grew smaller and smaller, until, at last, he disappeared. The woman by his side watched for several moments. She relaxed her stance, bowed to them, and then walked off to follow the armored young man.
In the silence that followed, Alex could only wonder about what the next few days had in store for him. Knowing his luck, it would probably involve challenges for a duel, Arthur’s attempts to woo Gabrielle, and a lot of explosions.
I guess this is the price I pay for trying to be a hero.
Alex wouldn’t say he was beginning to second guess his career choice, but dang it, he wished the galaxy would give him a break.
INTERLUDE
KAZEKIRI AND RYOKO
Kazekiri could not imagine something worse than being stuck to Ryoko. Out of all the people she knew, Ryoko was by far the worst person to have ever existed. Alex was reckless, yes, and he had a bad habit of destroying property like it was all the rage, sure, but Alex still tried his best to do the right thing. He just went about it the wrong way. If nothing else, she could respect his dedication to saving others.
Ryoko had no such good qualities.
“I cannot believe I am stuck with an immoral wretch like you,” Kazekiri complained as she sat on the shuttle beside Ryoko.
“An immoral wretch, am I?” Ryoko glared at her. “Better to be an immoral wretch than a stuck-up bitch with several tons worth of durasteel shoved up her ass.”
“What crude language.” Kazekiri scoffed. “Then again, what should I have expected from someone who’s very existence corrupts the moral backbone of our society?”
“There you go again with that ‘moral backbone’ crap of yours.” Ryoko rolled her eyes. “Do you even listen to yourself talk? Maybe if you did, you’d realize that the reason nobody likes you is because you’re a complete killjoy.”
“That isn’t true,” Kazeki said softly, trying not to let the words sting. They hurt because it was true that a lot of people didn’t like her for this very reason. “Alex likes me. He told me that he respects my willingness to stand up for myself.”
Kazekiri would have never used Alex’s name like this before, but they had become closer in recent days, and she was beginning to respect Alex. He tried to do the right thing. She admired his tenacity. What’s more, he was the only person who had ever told Kazekiri that he respected how she stood up for her beliefs. That, more than anything, sent a warm feeling straight to her heart.
Perhaps it was her words, but Ryoko said nothing after that. She just scoffed and turned her head. The rest of the shuttle ride, and the walk to Kazekiri’s house, was done in silence.
It had been decided that they would go to Kazekiri’s because she didn’t have any parents, just a brother. That would make things easier on their argument when she mentioned that she lived in a large house. Ryoko lived in a small apartment with two bedrooms. There was no contest.
The only issue was Kazekiri’s brother.
“I was wondering when you would get home, Kazeki… ri…”
Keiichi, his messy black hair wet as though he’d just gotten out of the shower, walked into the hallway wearing nothing but a pair of pants. He stopped upon seeing her and Ryoko.
Kazekiri gave him a disgusted look. “How many times have I told you not to walk around the house half-naked?!”
“I lost count,” Keiichi said, still looking at Ryoko. “Is this a friend of yours? You’ve never had friends over before.”
“She’s not a friend.”
“My name is Ryoko. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Ryoko introduced herself, while making googly eyes at Keiichi. Kazekiri wanted to vomit.
“Pleasure’s all mine,” Keiichi said what he probably thought was a seductive smirk. “Anyway, Sis, I’m heading out to meet my girlfriend in a bit. Try not to ruin the place while I’m gone.”
“I won’t ruin anything. I’m not you,” Kazekiri snapped, voice filled with scorn.
Keiichi laughed. “Yeah, I guess not.”
Her brother wandered up the stairs, disappearing. Kazekiri waited for several seconds to see if he would come down. When he didn’t, she sighed and decided that it would be safer in the living room.
“That was your brother?” Ryoko asked. “He’s hot.”
“You’re disgusting.”
Making dinner was difficult that night. Ryoko was useless in the kitchen. She didn’t know a spatula from a fork, and to make matters worse, their hands were still stuck together, so Kazekiri was left with only one hand to do everything. Giving instructions to Ryoko didn’t work either. Kazekiri didn’t know if the girl was purposefully sabotaging her efforts, but after the wretched corruptor of order did the impossible and somehow lit water on fire, Kazekiri decided to do everything herself.
Likewise, bathing was just as hard, the first issue being undressing. Since their hands were stuck together, they couldn’t pull apart, which meant they had to get creative. Afterward, Kazekiri had to deal with something she’d never dealt with herself.
Ryoko’s groping.
“Holy shit! These melons are amazing!” Ryoko complimented as she placed her free hand on Kazekiri’s left breast and grabbed, squeezed, and groped her. “What size are these? G-cups? F-cups?”
“S-stop it,” Kazekiri said, biting her lower lip as Ryoko tugged on her nipple. Why did that feel so good?
“Damn. Look at these.” Ryoko grinned as she placed a hand under Kazekiri’s boob and hefted it up. Because of how large her chest was, a good portion of her breast spilled over the other girl’s hand. “Serah is going to be so jealous when I tell her about how I groped your tits.”
“W-would you… stop that this instant, you pervert!”
Crash!
A resounding smack echoed around the changing room. Ryoko plummeted face first into the changing room’s clothing rack, smacking the metal with a harsh crack. She dropped to the floor, dizzy and insensate. Kazekiri huffed as she dragged the girl behind her into the shower room.
Sitting down on the stool, Kazekiri began cleaning herself off. Ryoko woke up soon after and offered to help, but Kazekiri refused her, and then threatened to hit her again if she tried to grope her. In the end, Kazekiri was able to get clean without complaint and switched places with Ryoko. They moved into the bath after that.
It was awkward. Kazekiri and Ryoko sat back to back in the small tub, their hands still joined. She could feel the other woman’s back and butt touching her. It gave Kazekiri jitters despite the water being quite warm.
“Say, where are your parents?” asked Ryoko. “Do they come home late?”
“I don’t have any parents,” Kazekiri said.
“What do mean? Everyone has parents.”
“Not me.” Kazekiri, her knees curled into her chest, watched the water ripple as she ignored the sensation of her breasts being pressed to her knees and spilling out from between them. “My father was a no good, law-breaking idiot, and my mother wasn’t any better. Keiichi and I left them when we were still young. Last I heard of them, both my parents had been arrested, so they are probably still in jail.”
“Oh…” Ryoko mumbled. “I’m sorry.”
“What’s this? Is Ryoko apologizing?”
“Of course not! I just… didn’t realize that your parents were such bad people. Kinda makes me thankful my family is so nice. We might not make a lot of money, but they’re good parents.” Ryoko paused. “Is that why you’re so hung up on rules?”
“Maybe. Why do you wanna know?”
“Just curious.”
After their bath, Kazekiri and Ryoko got dressed in some flannel pajamas that Kazekiri had in her closet, yellow for Ryoko and blue for her. Since there wasn’t much to do, Kazekiri let Ryoko watch the holovid while she did her homework. Later that night, Keiichi was still out with his girlfriend, but she and her unfortunate roommate were stuck sleeping in the same bed.
Kazekiri laid on her back, eyes closed, breathing regular. Once more, Ryoko was laying right next to her, so close their shoulders were touching. The heat the other girl radiated was most palpable.
“So… look,” Ryoko suddenly began, “about Serah and I calling you Rule Book… I think maybe we went a little overboard.”
“A little?” Kazekiri would have scoffed, but Ryoko couldn’t see her anyway. “You and Serah used to draw inside my locker and even painted my physical education uniform with the words Rule Book on it. You tormented me when I was younger. Every day. Without fail.”
Kazekiri still vividly remembered being bullied by Ryoko and Serah throughout most of her life in Atreyu Academy. Every day had been a nightmare. She would come to school and find her locker and clothing graffitied. Sometimes they would even do the same to her desk, though they had to be careful because the teacher would get angry at them. She couldn’t even count the number of times she had been actively teased and picked on by those two.
“Really?” The bed shifted as Ryoko changed positions. “Then… I’m sorry. I never meant to be that mean. I just didn’t like you telling me what I could and couldn’t do.”
Kazekiri sighed. Arguing over what had happened was pointless, though it would have probably made her feel better. Still, Ryoko was at least apologizing, and Kazekiri didn’t want her to be the bigger woman.
“It’s fine,” Kazekiri said.
“Truce?”
“Yeah, sure. Truce.”
There was no telling if this truce would last, or indeed, if things would go back to the way they had been before their hands became stuck together. She didn’t know. She wanted to say she didn’t care, but the truth was, Kazekiri didn’t really want to fight with Ryoko or anyone else over such silly matters. There were true criminals in this world. She wanted to focus on putting the real monsters like that King MacArt behind bars.
As they lay there on their sides, back to back, Kazekiri heard the entrance door open and close, followed by her brother’s mild swearing as he stubbed his toe on the stairs. She followed the sound of his footsteps to his bedroom. Another door opened and closed. Silence reigned once again.
Kazekiri slowly fell asleep. The next morning, she would wake up with her hand no longer stuck to Ryoko’s. Only one issue would present itself.
Ryoko’s face would be buried nose deep in Kazekiri’s breasts.
CHAPTER 2
A PRINCE’S VANITY
Alex was standing in the kitchen making dinner. The kitchen was a large room with a floor made of fake marble tiles that were easy to clean. The counters were, likewise, fake marble and curved around two of the walls with a more organic appearance. In the center of the kitchen was an island with several of his inventions, including an instant cooker that used nuclear fission instead of regular heat, an automatic mixer that stripped people’s clothing off instead of working properly, and a chilling unit where he kept the wines and other alcohol he used for cooking purposes.
The kitchen, like the rest of the house, had been remodeled after
Ariel and Michelle destroyed it. Now the kitchen was about two times bigger than it had been previously. The half he was currently standing in was the kitchen, while the other half was dedicated to a large table big enough to seat a dozen people.
He had decided to go all out tonight, so he was going to make cheese ravioli with a red wine sauce and Italian sausages. Of course, it wasn’t real Italian sausage, which cost an arm and a leg. In either event, he was making everything, including the ravioli, from scratch.
I’m sure Alice will still complain that it isn’t curry.
There were a lot of people at his house now, and not just the people who lived there. While Michelle and Ariel added another two mouths that he needed to feed, Jasmine was also at the house that night, along with Madison, her personal android, which Alex had built for her several years ago so she wouldn’t be lonely. Fortunately, because Madison was an android, she didn’t need to eat.
One less mouth to feed was definitely a good thing.
From where he stood, Alex could hear all of his housemates and guests in the living room, which didn’t shock him as they were quite loud. Ariel and Michelle were arguing about something. He hoped they wouldn’t destroy the house again. Jasmine’s laughter floated up to him, while likewise, Alex could hear Gabrielle as she tried to mimic the rich girl’s laugh with little success.
He had already finished making the dough, which meant he needed to cut it into the shapes he desired, fold it, and then stuff it with the several different kinds of cheese he’d mixed together. He thought about using Mr. Processor to stuff the ravioli, but if he was being honest, Alex thought food was tastier when made by hand. It was a bit vain of him. However, he liked to think a machine couldn’t match his cooking skills.
“Excuse me? Alexander?” Jasmine’s voice called out to him as the door to the living room slid open.
Alex turned his head. “Yes?”
Jasmine was peeking her head in through the now open doorway. “Oh ho! I was just wondering if you needed any help?”
Opening his mouth to say that he was fine and didn’t need help, Alex paused as he realized that Jasmine probably wasn’t asking because she thought he needed help. They’d known each other for years now. She had stayed over numerous times. That meant she was probably asking because she wanted to help, not because she thought he actually needed it.
A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol 6 Page 5