YMFPSA Chapter 85

 85

Sniffle.

At my firm words, Angela took a deep breath, and her face flushed red.

Then, fat teardrops began to fall one by one.

I gently patted Angela on the back.

Strangely, that just made her cry even harder, and it didn’t look like she’d stop anytime soon, so I began to sing a song.

A melody floating somewhere in my heart—

“A path lit by the moon and stars, beneath the willow’s shadow, by the pond of pretty flowers, on the pond’s floor there lies a box…”

[The Spirit King of Water, ‘■■■■’, joins in the song.]

[At the end of the breezy corridor, take a hundred steps down the moon- and star-lit path. Beneath the shadow of the willow tree, in the pond where daffodils bloom, a small box is hidden on the bottom. A gift to embrace the sorrow.]

“What the... You’re a terrible singer.”

Boom!

…Seriously?

Am I really that bad?

I never thought about whether I sang well or not, I just enjoyed singing... so I was a bit shocked.

“Still… th…”

“Hm?”

“…thank you.”

Angela whispered her thanks in a barely audible voice.

But pretending I didn’t hear her, I tilted my head again.

Because hearing her say 'thank you' felt strangely nice.

“Hey! You totally heard me, didn’t you?!”

“Huh? Mmhmm.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying! I hate you. I hate you so much. But why do you keep hugging me and comforting me so I can’t even hate you properly… sniff, huuhuuuuaaaang!”

Angela, who had been struggling to hold it in, finally looked up and burst into loud sobs.

It was kind of cute, so I just rolled my eyes playfully and then...

Smooch!

“W-what was that?!”

“A kiss.”

“Why… why did you kiss me?! Even my mom doesn’t do that…”

“It’s what you’re supposed to do when your friend’s crying. You give them a kiss and say, ‘There, there, it’s okay.’ But you don’t know that because you’ve never been to daycare, right?”

My teacher in the Carrot Class taught us everything.

Angela, eyes wide open and holding her cheek, pouted her lips, sighed, and even tried to act a little grumpy.

Then she wiped her tears away, stood up, and reached out her hand.

“Here. I’ll give you the honor of holding my hand.”

“Oh… I don’t really need such an honor.”

“Just hold it already! You affectionless little cousin!”

Still, it’s better to be angry than to cry.

I never imagined this day would come, but surprisingly, we held hands like friendly cousin sisters and walked back to the mansion.

The maids were shocked when they saw us, and soon after, Angela’s governess, Matilda, and Lina came rushing over, bumping shoulders as they arrived.

“Miss Angela! What happened to you?! Were you attacked by a wild beast...?! I’ve treated you like the most precious treasure until now, but who on earth could do something so barbaric?!”

Matilda dropped to her knees and hugged Angela in a panic. Then she glared daggers at me but this time, Angela shook her head.

“It wasn’t her. It was Luarel.”

“Luarel! That bone-dry nobody of uncertain origin dared to lay a finger on our noble young miss?!”

Angela cried a little more in Matilda’s outraged embrace.

Meanwhile, I yawned loudly while snuggling into Lina’s arms.

“Are you hurt, young miss?”

“Mmhmm, just hungry and sleepy.”

“You must be drowsy from the shock. Oh dear… Shall we wash up and have dinner first?”

Lina looked at me with concern.

And at that moment—

Ding-dong!

Sparkling text suddenly appeared, obscuring Lina’s face!

[‘DarkFlameDragonOnMyLeftArm’ has entered the room!]

Huh??

My sleepiness vanished instantly as I stared wide-eyed.

Who just entered?!

[‘DarkFlameDragonOnMyLeftArm’ makes their first comment.]

[It’s not entertainment without some drama. Now we’re getting somewhere.]

***

After dinner, Angela still didn’t want to go back to her house.

“Let me sleep here.”

“Huh…?”

“I said let me stay over. I don’t want to sleep alone.”

She said it so confidently that I nodded before I even realized it.

Lina brought pajamas with lilies on them for Angela from who-knows-where, and I wore my peach-print ones.

And so, we lay side by side in the same bed.

‘This is so weird.’

I never thought I’d get this close with Angela.

‘But… I still need to sneak out later tonight.’

What do I do?

Groaning with my hands on my head, I ended up just flopping on my back.

There were still about two hours left until 11 PM, plenty of time to come up with a plan.

But that wasn’t my only worry.

“You’re lucky you get to live in the main mansion. I’d like to, but I can’t handle the energy of the Awakened, so I have to stay away.”

“Ah… I see.”

So that’s why she doesn’t visit often.

“Even during family meals, I can’t eat properly. Grandpa is so scary that I always end up with an upset stomach.”

“Mmm.”

I pretended to listen to Angela, but my eyes were fixed on the glowing, ever-changing text floating nearby.

[‘DarkFlameDragonOnMyLeftArm’ has requested a nickname change.]

[DarkFlameDragonOnMyLeftArm ➜ LoverOfDarkLipPiercings]

‘What’s a piercing?’

I tilted my head in confusion.

Then the nickname changed again—

[‘LoverOfDarkLipPiercings’ has requested a nickname change.]

[LoverOfDarkLipPiercings ➜ 99PercentDarkChocolateIsForAssassins]

Uh… isn’t that a bit too long?

This one was definitely different from the other Spirit Kings.

But here’s what I really wanted to know...

‘Is Chaos Spirit King… using nicknames on purpose?’

If it’s to avoid being recognized… well, I already know who you are.

[‘99PercentDarkChocolateIsForAssassins’ makes a comment.]

[Tsk.]

Right then, Yupyrhos popped up again.

[Oho~ Did the mighty Chaos Spirit King just get bested by a kid? (੭ ᐕ)੭⁾⁾ Time to drop the act, don’t you think?]

Yupyrhos seemed just as flustered as usual...

[The Chaos Spirit King ‘■■■■’ is in disbelief.]

[What?! How did you see through the perfectly hidden greatness that is me?!]

‘Did you even try to hide yourself?’

I genuinely wondered, thinking to myself.

And then the other Spirit Kings burst into laughter.

[The Chaos Spirit King ‘■■■■’ formally greets you.]

[Nice to meet you! I am the Great Chaos Spirit King. Kneel before me and sing my praises!]

‘Hello, Great Chaos Spirit King!’

I greeted him cheerfully and turned over, pressing my face to the bed as if bowing deeply.

[The Chaos Spirit King ‘■■■■’ is pleased.]

[You are a human who knows how to show proper reverence!]

I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but it seemed like he liked me, which was a relief.

And since the Chaos Spirit King had now shown up…

That just leaves one.

'We only need the Spirit King of Fate to appear now.'

Then I’d be the darling of the kings.

[The Chaos Spirit King ‘■■■■’ proposes a special event.]

[I'm in a good mood. Human, as a token of our first meeting, I shall give you a gift.]

'A gift?!'

[The Chaos Spirit King ‘■■■■’ presents eight gemstone ring lollipops.]

oChoose one from among these.]

'What are these?'

Just then, Yupyrhos reappeared.

[I’ll explain! You see eight lollipops in front of you, right? Each one has a different color, flavor, and—of course—effect! ٩(ᐛ )و]

'Oh! Are they made from that super magical sugar that makes orca energy burst out of you?'

[Some are, and some are made from other ingredients. But all of them are crafted from Eden's materials.]

Wow.

That must mean they’re really good stuff!

[One might give you fiery courage, another might shrink you down to ant-size. But the exact effects are a secret!]

I carefully examined the jewel-like candies in front of me.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, black.

Which one should I choose?

And finally, the one I picked was...

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