by Takehaya
“Something like what boys give girls on White Day!”
“White Day gifts, huh? I’ve never gotten any chocolate on Valentine’s Day, so I’m not very knowledgeable in that area.”
Koutarou and Sanae’s carefree discussion continued. Theia was listening from the other side of the room. Since Yurika had stopped massaging her shoulders, she was just wordlessly staring at them.
If I asked him, would Koutarou give me something too?
Realizing how she felt, Theia was envious that Sanae was able to be so upfront about what she wanted with Koutarou. But Theia knew she couldn’t do that herself. If she started relying on Koutarou the way Sanae did, he’d surely just think of her as some weirdo. And she was also scared of being rejected. Caught between her pride and inner cowardice, she couldn’t appeal to Koutarou on her own.
“Your Highness... All right...”
Seeing her master so forlorn, Ruth took action to remedy the situation. She could tell what Theia wanted.
For starters, getting her closer and creating a chance to talk should be good...
Ruth quickly began preparing tea. And after pouring out enough for everyone, Ruth called to Theia.
“Your Highness, could you lend me a hand for a moment?”
“...H-Huh?”
Having been so focused on Koutarou and the others, Theia completely missed what Ruth said. She had to repeat the question.
“Your Highness, could you lend me a hand for a moment?”
“Ah, yeah, sure.”
After taking one more look at Koutarou and the others, Theia approached Ruth, who welcomed her with a smile.
“Your Highness, I’ve poured tea for everyone, so could you carry yours and Satomi-sama’s? I’ll get everyone else’s.”
“Koutarou’s...”
Theia looked at Ruth’s hands and saw that she was holding a delicate tea cup of Forthorthian design and a plain looking mug.
“Would you mind if I ask you to take these?” Ruth whispered with a smile.
“Ah...”
Realizing Ruth’s intentions, Theia lightly blushed before taking a glance at Koutarou over her shoulder.
“Ah, y-yes... If that’s all, I’ll help...”
When she looked back at Ruth, her face was beet red.
C-Calm down... I’m only bringing him some tea. What am I so shaken up for?
Theia tried to keep her racing heart and impatient feelings under control as she took a cup in each hand. Theia’s shaken mind could be seen represented in the rippling surface of the tea in the cups.
“So I think you should show some gratitude to this beautiful ghost who’s always smiling for you by saying ‘Thank you, Sanae-chan’!”
“K-Koutarou, I brought you some tea.”
Trying her best to sustain her faltering voice, Theia approached Koutarou, who was busy chatting away with Sanae. On the way over to him, she began worrying if her actions were strange or not.
“Thanks.”
Koutarou continued talking to Sanae as he casually received his mug from Theia. For a moment, his hand brushed up against Theia’s.
“?!”
Greatly shaken by the sensation of Koutarou’s hand, Theia almost dropped her own cup. She barely managed to save it, but the tea was sloshing about and she nearly spilled it. Just as she was recovering, it happened.
“Oh, this is delicious. Thank you, Your Highness.”
After taking a sip of the tea, Koutarou put his large hand on top of Theia’s head and gently patted her.
“...Fwaaah...”
A strange sound unconsciously leaked from Theia’s mouth in response. This time, the tea cup didn’t stand a chance. She dropped it straight on the floor. The tea all spilled out as the cup rolled along the tatami mat. Seeing that, Koutarou finally realized what he had done.
Oh no, I just did what I always do... This is Theia, not Princess Charl...
Charl was a young girl that Koutarou and Clan had met during their travels. She would often bring the tea that her sister had poured for Koutarou, and in return, he would pat her on the head. And because he’d been so caught up in his conversation with Sanae, he had acted out of habit and treated Theia like he did Charl.
Did I make her angry...?
Koutarou was sure someone as prideful as Theia would be angry after being treated like a child. However, no matter how long he waited for it, Theia’s roaring never came.
“Oh?”
Absolutely silent, Theia stared at Koutarou with her already large eyes wide open. Her expression was completely stiff, as if it had frozen over, but her face was bright red. Seeing that, Koutarou felt an even greater sense of danger.
Not good! I might have made her really angry!
Koutarou had no way of knowing how Theia truly felt. The thought that she might have been happy over being pat on the head never occurred to him, so he was left to believe that she was simply enraged.
“...You can do it, Your Highness! You’re almost there!”
Ruth clenched her hands as she watched over her master. She unconsciously put so much force into the gesture that she almost crushed her tea cup.
“Ruth, wouldn’t a more direct approach work better?”
“What?”
Kiriha, who had silently been sipping on her tea, gently set her cup down on the table. She then picked up something that was lying on the floor.
“That’s Yurika-sama’s...”
“Heh...”
With a somewhat happy expression, she held up what she was holding in both hands. It was the souvenir that Koutarou had brought back for Yurika, her new magical staff.
“How about something like this? Magnetism. Magnetism. Bonding.”
Kiriha cast three spells in quick succession using the staff.
The magical staff worked by reading the user’s mind and casting an appropriate spell. Because of that, it didn’t need long incantations like what Yurika used. As long as the user clearly imagined what they wanted, the staff would do the rest.
Three lights shot out from the tip of the staff. The first two were red. One hit Koutarou and the other hit Theia, wrapping them both in red light. Before long, their bodies became magnetic.
“Wh-What?!”
“Wah! W-W-Waaah!”
Having suddenly become powerful magnets, Koutarou and Theia were uncontrollably drawn towards each other. They collided and fell to the floor entangled. When they did, the red light faded and the magnetism vanished. Because the staff used very little mana for each spell, powerful magnetism wouldn’t last for long.
“That hurt... What happened?”
“Th-This is...?!”
While the surprised Koutarou tried to get up from behind Theia, a third, orange light hit them both.
“Whoa!”
“Kyah!”
The two of them lost their balance once more and fell down. The effect of the orange light was to create a bond between two objects that were in contact. Because of that, Theia and Koutarou were now stuck as they were, with Koutarou holding Theia from behind.
“Are you okay?!”
“What is going on? My body is stuck and I can’t let go!”
“Huwah?! K-Koutarou, don’t move so suddenly!”
The two of them forgot what they were doing and were now struggling on the floor. The first magnetic spell had vanished almost right away, but the second one seemed to be lasting for quite some time. Since it was such a simple spell, it had a longer duration.
“Your Highness, Satomi-sama!”
Ruth rushed over to them and tried to help them up, leaving only Kiriha and her haniwas at the table. As Kiriha watched Koutarou and Theia struggle on the floor, she disappointedly slumped her shoulders.
“Hmm... It didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Adjusting your power with magic is surprisingly difficult.”
Kiriha’s original goal had been to bond Koutarou and Theia’s hands together. Really, she was trying to help Theia out, but her plan had backfired and onl
y caused more confusion.
“Ho! That’s because you’re relying on something unknown like that, Nee-san! Ho!”
“If you’re going to rely on something, rely on us! Ho!”
“That seems to be smarter, yes.”
Kiriha grinned and picked up her tea cup once more to take another sip. The tea Ruth had prepared was just as elegant as Kiriha’s smile.
“What?! Kiriha-san, is this your doing?!”
Seeing her smile and the magical staff still in her left hand, Koutarou realized that Kiriha was responsible for the situation he was in.
“My bad, Koutarou. It didn’t go as planned. It seems I’m not suited to be a magical girl.”
As she said that, Kiriha began spinning the staff around as if she was twirling a baton. Her handling of it was admirable, and after spinning around the staff for a while without hitting any furniture, she grabbed it and held it flat in both hands. She’d said she wasn’t suited to be a magical girl, but right now she looked the part much more than Yurika in her cosplay.
“Undo the spell right away!”
“No.”
Kiriha rejected Koutarou’s demands, maintaining her smile all the while.
“Or rather, I can’t. I don’t know how to undo it.”
“What?!”
Though her original plan might have failed, Kiriha was still enjoying the chaos a little.
The bonding spell that Kiriha had used had bonded Koutarou’s chest to Theia’s back. Moreover, since Koutarou had been holding on to Theia at the time, his arms were stuck wrapped around her too.
At first Theia’s head had been attached to Koutarou’s chest as well, but it had since loosened and come free, allowing her to move it again. As time passed, the effectiveness of the spell slowly wore off more and more. At this rate, the two of them would be free within an hour or two.
Until then, Koutarou was stuck holding Theia. Koutarou was currently sitting down with his back against the wall. Meanwhile, Theia was sitting in Koutarou’s lap, leaning back against him. That was the most comfortable posture for the two of them.
I didn’t realize Theia was this small...
As Koutarou was forced to embrace Theia, he found himself puzzled by Theia’s surprisingly small, seemingly fragile body. The image he had of Theia in his mind was of a more powerful girl.
She’s bigger than Princess Charl, but she’s quite petite for someone her age...
Koutarou was perplexed by the disparity between Theia and his mental image of her. As he contemplated the difference, he unconsciously put force into his arms.
“Fwaaah...”
Theia let out yet another strange sound in response. It was a quiet, sweet squeak of a sigh similar to the whining noises a cat or dog made when snuggling with a person.
“Ah, sorry...”
Hearing that, Koutarou quickly eased up. He apologized because he was worried he might have made it difficult for her to breathe.
“It’s fine. I-It’s not your fault.”
“So should we try to pull apart now?”
In reality, if Koutarou seriously tried, he would be able to forcibly overcome the power bonding the two of them together. However, after their skin had turned red when he’d tried it earlier, they had mutually decided not to overdo it. But if Theia was uncomfortable like this, Koutarou thought it would be better to pull themselves apart.
“I-It’s fine like this! I’d rather endure this than have my entire back turn red!”
Theia quickly shot down Koutarou’s proposal. Though she had said she would endure being stuck to him, in reality, she actually wanted to stay that way for a while longer.
“Really? Well, if you say so...”
“Good...”
Theia gave Koutarou a small nod before relaxing her body and leaning against him again.
“Kiriha, how do you use this staff?! I want to try it too!”
“Well, you see―”
“Y-Y-You can’t! You can’t just carelessly use magic!”
“Cheapskate. I’m not telling you to hand over the staff, but can’t I just try it a little?”
“That’s not the problem!”
Room 106 was as noisy as ever. But when Theia closed her eyes, she no longer minded the commotion. If anything, it sounded more like a lullaby to her right now.
I wonder what this sensation is...
The part of her that was attached to Koutarou felt hot. That sensation reached her heart and filled her chest. But in contrast to that, the innermost part of her heart was serene. There was a deep calm and gentle peace coursing through her veins.
In her heart were both stillness and motion existing without contradiction. It was the first time Theia had felt this weird sensation. If she had to put words to it, it was similar to what she’d felt when she relied on her mother at a young age. But it wasn’t quite the same thing, and because of that, Theia was able to find new joy in it.
I wish we were stuck like this forever...
Really, the feeling was a sense of security that she hadn’t felt since the day she came to understand her birth and status. But she felt it now—a powerful sense of refuge—as she leaned against Koutarou. She could believe that she would remain absolutely safe as long as she was here.
And...
As she came to appreciate the sensation she was experiencing, she wanted Koutarou to feel it too. That was because she’d noticed at some point that, deep inside, Koutarou felt lonely too. Theia unknowingly placed her hands on top of Koutarou’s.
“...Did you fall asleep, Theia?” Koutarou whispered into her ear.
With her eyes still closed, she slowly shook her head.
“No, I just woke up.”
A few days ago, she had woken up. Right now, she knew what she wanted.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“That’s not what I meant... Heh, oh well...”
Theia laughed to herself. Since her eyes were still closed, Koutarou couldn’t understand why.
“Did something happen to you?”
All he knew was that there had been a change in Theia’s frame of mind.
“No. I’ve just been thinking about a lot of things lately.”
“For example?”
“For example... Let’s see...”
At that point, Theia opened her eyes and saw her hands on top of Koutarou’s. She also saw her loyal vassal gently watching over her from the corner of the room.
“For example... how I should repay Ruth who’s always helping me out.”
Theia wanted Ruth to feel the same way she did too. They had always been together, and Theia wanted to share this precious feeling with her. She didn’t want to keep it all to herself.
“If that’s the case, then I’ll help.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Ruth-san is always helping me out too.”
“Heh...”
“What?”
“It’s nothing. Can I really rely on you to cooperate?”
“Of course.”
“I trust a knight doesn’t go back on his word.”
“Yeah, I’m not a knight though.”
“Heheheh...”
If everything turned out the way Theia wished, if the future unfolded the way she hoped, then...
“What’s happened to you, really?”
“I won’t tell. Heheh, I definitely won’t. As if! Hahaha!”
If this kind of trouble hadn’t happened, or if her back hadn’t been stuck to Koutarou, she never would have been able to feel this way. Embracing that, Theia laughed out loud.
“It’s a promise, okay?!”
Starting tomorrow, Theia would probably return to normal—the normal Theia that would be stubborn and obstinate if she saw Koutarou’s face, but blush if their hands touched.
“I definitely won’t forgive you if you cop out later, Satomi Koutarou!”
“What are you acting so serious for? We’re just talking about repaying Ruth.”
“What’s your answe
r?!”
“...As you wish, my princess.”
But today was different. Theia’s smile was even more radiant than usual.
A rhythmical noise was echoing through the passageways of the space battleship known as Blue Knight.
It was the sound of Ruth’s shoes tapping against Blue Knight’s white floors. After the residents of room 106 had fallen asleep, Ruth headed to one of the hangars aboard Blue Knight alone.
“Hmm, hm-hmm-hm, hmm!”
Ruth began humming to the rhythm of her steps. She was in an unusually jubilant mood, and her light steps were almost like a dance as she walked along.
“Heeheehee...”
From time to time, she would stop humming and simply giggle instead. She normally tried to stay reserved and not show any strong emotion, so it was rare to see her this obviously happy.
“Isn’t this great, Your Highness?”
Ruth was so cheerful because of what had happened between Theia and Koutarou. Every time she recalled the two of them sitting together, the corners of her lips would turn up and her feet would move on their own. Several hours had passed since then, but Ruth still couldn’t contain her joy.
“Well done, Kiriha-sama! I’ll make sure to thank you properly the next time I see you!”
All of it was thanks to the spell that Kiriha had cast. At first it seemed to have been a failure, but the results were a rather great success. Ruth recognized the role Kiriha had played in all of this, and she was grateful for it.
“Hmm, hm-hmm-hm, hmm!”
That said, it wasn’t all good. Ruth’s feelings were so elevated that she couldn’t fall asleep. She’d given up on sleeping entirely and had instead decided to get to some unfinished work on the ship.
“Whoops! I almost missed it.”
Ruth had walked past the hangar, but quickly turned and walked back with light steps. She then opened the door by rhythmically tapping on a nearby panel. Once inside, her destination was a small maintenance area in the corner of the hangar.
“Blue Knight, bring out Satomi-sama’s maneuver suit.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
As Ruth gave the order, a vivid blue set of armor with the words “Theiamillis’s Blue Knight” engraved on the chest appeared out of nowhere. It was the Blue Knight’s armor that Theia had given to Koutarou. Ruth had come to the hangar to perform maintenance on it.