''kyaaaa!!!.. so cute!!!'' Shinomiya shouted when she saw me wearing the kimono that miko usually wear.
"I thought you would really suit that kimono," said Shinomiya happily.
Hmm.. this isn't bad honestly I like this. It feels like I'm a miko now
"Lia, that dress suits you very well," said Blaze while patting my head.
''unexpectedly it looks good on her''Zev added
Hehehe you two.. if you keep praising me like this I'll be embarrassed..
"Now it's the seniors' turn," said Shinomiya.
''eh?. Us too?'' said Blaze
"I don't want to wear a dress," said Zev.
''What are you talking about? This isn't a dress, this is called a kimono. Come here and let me tidy you up,'' Shinomiya said, then immediately pulled them both and after a while
''kyaaa!!'' I shouted seeing their transformation into temple kimonos.
So cute!!.. and he they become so handsome!!. It even suits them both so much!
"I've made adjustments for Zev since you have a tail. How is it, is it comfortable for you?" Shinomiya asked.
"Yes... unexpectedly, this is lighter than I thought," said Zev.
''right..this isn't that bad'' Blaze replied
"Glad you guys like it. Then... Blaze... It would be better if you took off your scarf." Shinomiya said.
"Ah... this... no... I'm more comfortable like this," said Blaze while holding his scarf.
...while we were here, Blaze always hid the necklace under his scarf, even during practice. Well... it's no surprise. Especially after the incident at Thimos' party. It must have been even harder for Blaze to show the collar to strangers.
"I've always been curious. You use it when you practice. Is it a treasured item from your parents?" Shinomiya asked.
''..that..ah..right..this is... their legacy'' said Blaze while looking away
''.. what nonsense are you saying..'' said Zev then suddenly pulled Blaze's scarf and made the collar clearly visible now
"You talk as if your parents are dead," continued Zev.
!?!
''Shinomiya, have you ever wondered why Blaze never uses magic at all? His physical strength is indeed insane, but besides that, he also can't use magic because of this damn thing,'' said Zev.
''OI! Zev what are you doing!'' Blaze exclaimed.
"This is my response to your invitation to take a shower that time," replied Zev.
"Bastard!" Blaze exclaimed in annoyance.
This is bad....what if Shinomiya is the same as Thimos and his party after this... I don't want to see Blaze being looked down on like that again..
I glanced at Shinomiya to see her reaction and...
*sob...
!?!...
SHE CRYING!?
''E...eh?.. s..shinomiya?'' said Blaze who was confused when she saw Shinomiya suddenly crying
"Ah.. sorry.. I just didn't think you had a tool like that," said Shinomiya while wiping away her tears.
"You must have experienced many terrible things because of that device. I heard that it was given to criminals on the level of demons or slaves of rich people. I can imagine how difficult your life was because of that device," he continued.
I thought that tool was really a curse for Blaze..
''This is nothing.. rather than that.. Don't you feel disgusted by me?'' Blaze asked doubtfully
''um?..why should I feel disgusted?'' she asked back
"There must be a reason why you have that device. And again, I reject all acts of slavery," said Shinomiya, then slowly approached Blaze and touched her cheek.
"If I could, I would love to release you from this cursed device right away. But unfortunately, my level isn't that high. I'm sorry," she continued, looking even more gloomy.
Shinomiya-san is truly a very kind person. I was afraid she'd turn into a party thug that day when she saw the necklace around Blaze's neck. But thankfully, she's not like that.
''Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong,'' Blaze replied.
''Anyway... I'll find a way to get this off on my way home. So don't worry,'' Blaze said.
"I see... then I pray that you succeed in finding it," replied Shinomiya with a smile.
''Well...alright. Now how about we start our training session?'' said Shinomiya.
''then we will change clothes_''
"No... for today's training you have to wear that uniform," Shinomiya cut in.
''using this?'' asked Zev with an uncertain look.
''That's right... and those whose clothes are dirty will get extra training,'' Shinomiya said, which immediately made Blaze and Zev flinch.
"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING!!" they both exclaimed in unison.
''ahaha. OK... let's get out now!" exclaimed Shinomiya as he pushed them both out
"Lia, you can just play here with Shizuka, okay?" said Shinomiya before leaving with Blaze and Zev.
*Shizuka??.. who is that?* I thought as I glanced around and saw a little girl hiding behind a shrine pillar.
That kid??...if I'm not mistaken she's the same kid whose hair Zev cut at the beginning, right?
she looked scared. Don't tell me she's still holding a grudge because I found her that time.
''Cizuka..'' I called which immediately made the child flinch and run away.
Eh?.....she ran away...why?
(it seems like he is afraid of you master)
*why? It was Zev who cut her hair, not me*
Sigh.. first of all I should try to approach her first. Besides, that's the only thing I can do right now.
(what about the magic practice?)
*me while doing it. Besides I also want to know how far the love cheat works*
(???... what do you mean?)
*yeah.. just wait and see* I replied then tried to look for Shizuka
I've been relying on luck and Ai's cheating skills to survive. But seeing Shizuka's reaction earlier...
''Cizuka..'' I called when I found her hiding in the cupboard but he immediately ran away when I opened the cupboard door.
...I thought this was weird.. if I have a love cheat but why does she hate me so much?
No...rather than hate, it's probably more of a fear. So, can I conclude that love cheating won't work if the person is afraid of me?
Maybe this love cheat works more logically than I thought.
"Ah... Shizuka really hates you, huh?" said a boy with curly hair.
"Ahahaha, what else can we do because Shizuka lost her long hair?" replied another boy with slightly longer hair.
''What's wrong? Do you want to try to make up with Shizuka?'' asked the curly-haired man.
"If you want, Jiro will help you," he continued.
''Ichiro will help too, right?'' he said, glancing at the child next to him.
Jiro?...ichiro?....they are brothers?..but they don't look alike at all
"Of course I will help," said Ichiro while holding my hand.
''... thank you,but... you don't have any obligation to do that,'' I replied.
''eh?...obligation?'' said Ichiro confused.
"Lia respects that, but Shizuka is angry with Lia so Lia will apologize herself," I said then immediately left them.
''o..oh..ok'' said Ichiro
"How old is she?" asked Jiro.
***
Eto... it looked like she was running this way earlier. Even though she's small, she runs pretty fast.
''Mom..what should Shizuka do..''
!?!..there?
Hearing Shizuka's voice, I tried to approach her and I found her in a room that had an altar for the deceased.
Um?..is that a photo of her parents?.is she on a pilgrimage??
''Shizuka broke the promise that Shizuka made... Shizuka is a naughty child...'' she said, sounding like she was going to cry.
''Even though mother really liked Shizuka's hair... that's why Shizuka promised to take good care of it... but... the wolf brother cut it...'' she cried
''Then the baby who was with her also started trying to get close to Shizuka..she probably wanted to cut Shizuka's hair too..huwaa..Shizuka didn't want to go bald..'' she cried
*BLAR!!...she misunderstood!!!... ZEV YOU HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!!
''um?''
''Zev, stop swinging your sword. Do you want extra training?'' said Shinomiya.
''no'' zev replied quickly
''I felt like someone was calling me earlier..'' thought Zev
What's this... Shizuka really misunderstood. First I have to clear up this misunderstanding but... if I get any closer she'll definitely run away again. How can I explain it to her but she won't run away?
*let's think...* I thought to myself while glancing around me until...
''oh?''
*sob..*sob... ''Shizuka is scared, mom..'' Shizuka cried
"Don't be afraid, Shizuka. They're not bad," I said while playing with the doll Clora gave me earlier. More precisely, I was making the doll seem like it was talking to Shizuka... but since I still had trouble speaking fluently, it was clear that this would be found out... but well... my opponents were children. This kind of thing should work, right???
''??..Mr. Bear?'' said Shizuka
''(right im mr.bear).''
"(shizuka don't be sad... actually they are not bad people)"
''but..they cut Shizuka's hair..then the baby also chased Shizuka earlier..''
''(thats not true, she just want to say sorry dan be your friend "
''friends with Shizuka?''
''Yes..''
"Yes, may I?" I said as I came out from behind the wall
''hic!...that baby..'' said Shizuka scared when she saw me
''Mr. Bear, why didn't you tell me there was a baby here?'' said Shizuka.
Seriously?.. she really thought this bear was talking?.so cute..
"(It's okay, right? lets be friend..)." I said, still trying to make the doll talk.
''...mm...''
She still looks scared. Well... I can't force him either.
"If she is really as good as Mr. Bear said, Shizuka wants to be friends with her," Shizuka said softly.
!?!.. ''(seriously?!)'' I exclaimed enthusiastically, which Shizuka responded with a slow nod.
''ehehe...(nice to meet you, lets be friends shizuka)'' I said while holding out my hand
''...s..shizuka..nice to meet you'' he replied while shaking my hand
"Mr. Bear, let's be friends too," said Shizuka.
So cute!!!..he's really innocent and adorable
"Yes," I said while making the teddy bear shake Shizuka's hand.
In the end, I managed to befriend Shizuka. After that, we tried playing together. Shizuka is a relatively quiet child. She doesn't talk much, and while playing, she often pays attention rather than talk. So I think she's a shy and honest child, which makes it a little difficult for me to interact with her because she tends to just say yes to everything I say. Well... there's still time, maybe I'll try to find out what she likes first.
"(what you like shizuka)" I asked.
''um?..I..mm..I like Sis Shinomiya..'' she said in a shy tone
mm...that's not what I meant...
''(Cizuka, what do you want to play ?)''
"Anything is fine," he replied.
This is really hard!
***
"My whole body hurts..." said Zev who had fallen on the bed.
"Your physique is really bad, huh?" Blaze replied while tidying up his bed.
''shut up . It's just your body that's not normal...'' said Zev
"That's so sad. You're a werewolf, how can you be so physically weak? You've been relying too much on your magic," said Blaze.
''.....noisy..I myself have never met my klan'' replied Zev while pulling his blanket
''um?..have you ever?'' I asked
"Then how did you grow up? What about your parents? You said you didn't have any, but I thought it was because they were gone," Blaze asked.
"...I don't really remember. After I could remember, I was alone in the middle of the forest and survived there. What my parents looked like or how I was when I was a baby, I don't remember at all. All I know is that I've been living alone for a long time," he replied.
''The reason I'm still alive is probably because my passive magic always protects me. That's why most of my life depends on magic,'' he continued while creating a small wind ball in his palm.
"how about you?" Zev asked, glancing at blaze
"I... I used to be a fire element user. But because our family is a family of assassins, I was trained to be able to fight in various ways since childhood. Because of that, I don't really rely on magic," Blaze replied.
''Hmm.. what about Lia?'' he asked while glancing at me.
''eh?..lia?..''
"Lia is still too young. She hasn't had any training yet," Blaze replied.
''besides'' said blaze as he made me lie down next to him
"Actually, I don't want Lia to go through that hellish training. Besides, it's too dangerous for a woman," Blaze continued, smiling gently at me.
Blaze....you're really a good big brother now!!. I'm touched..
''... I understand... but I think even if you are trained in all situations, you should still let go of that cursed object,'' said Zev.
''Of course. I don't want to spend my life with this damned thing either,'' Blaze replied.
"That's not what I meant. It's true that it has to come off, but... it's better to take it off soon... you're still growing, right? If that thing stays in for a long time... are you sure you won't choke?" said Zev, which immediately made us both aware.
''You're right!'' Blaze exclaimed.
"Baze..." I said, panicking too.
''..don't worry Lia..if it's only for a year or two it's definitely still safe. Besides, we'll be going home soon because of that_''
''Are you sure? We haven't even been able to touch Shinomiya all this time. What if it takes us much longer to get out of this place? Not to mention the other obstacles that might get in the way. We won't know how much time will pass,'' said Zev, which made Blaze and I feel hot and cold because what he said made sense.
''Don't worry.. that won't happen. I only need a month like when I was with Sacha... I will definitely be strong enough to defeat that Kagerou,'' said Blaze.
"I hope so," said Zev then turned his back to us while pulling the blanket.
....''baze..'' I called while holding Blaze's shirt
''....don't worry Lia'' said Blaze while sleeping next to me.
"I still have plenty of time, everything will be fine," Blaze continued, stroking my head gently.
''We'll go home as soon as possible and I'll take this thing off before it strangles me,'' Blaze muttered then pulled me into his arms.
I hope so... it wouldn't be funny if the greatest villain at the end of the story died because he was strangled by a restraint collar.
''By the way, Zev... I've always been curious. When I was at the Minotaur's place.'' Blaze said suddenly.
''At that time, someone shot an arrow at him. Was that you?'' asked Blaze.
Arrow?...ah.. that's right. At that time I was already unconscious so I don't know what happened to the minotaur
"That's how it is..." he replied
''how did you get there?''
''(Oh!. That's right... how can you be there?)'' I asked, also curious.
Zev is a werewolf. He couldn't possibly be caught that easily, could he?
Zev turned around and stared at us intently.
''To be honest, my memory is a bit blurry..'' he said.
What I remember is that I heard a voice. A very loud voice, like a scream.
''There!'' "He ran there!" ''Don't let him escape!''
People gathered in large numbers carrying their torches and weapons as if trying to catch something.
All I remember is that I just kept running and running away from the sound until...
*BLAR!!.
Everything suddenly turned red...
The flames surrounded me. Seeing that, I knew there was nowhere to run. If I was caught, I would die. That was the only thing on my mind at that moment. So I tried to fight back, but the screams and the heat of the fire grew even more intense. Mixed with the stench of blood all around me, my vision began to blur.
I stepped away from the commotion until I heard a cracking sound... after that...
*BYUUR!!
The cold water and the strong current carried me away. Suddenly, everything became so silent. I couldn't breathe... my chest felt tight. Beyond that... everything went dark.
As soon as I woke up, I was already in a cage, with meat hangings on the walls welcoming me. Every day there was a new victim... someone always brought someone new and then... cut them up on the table.
sometimes it starts from the head, sometimes the feet... sometimes the hands... there have even been some that started from the stomach__
"STOP!!'' shouted Blaze, who immediately stopped Zev's story while covering both of my ears.
"WHAT KIND OF STORY IS THAT!? STOP IT. THERE'S A CHILD HERE!" Blaze exclaimed.
''Um?... you guys asked for it earlier, didn't you?'' said Zev.
''All I asked was why you were there. You don't need to explain it in detail until the end!'' Blaze replied quickly.
''is that so... even though I was just about to tell you about the prying part _''
''I told you to stop!'' Blaze exclaimed as he threw a pillow at Zev's face
''I don't want to hear your story anymore! I can't sleep!'' Blaze said angrily.
''huft.. hearing your story I understand why you are like this,'' said Blaze.
"Like this?" said Zev
"It's nothing. Just don't ever say something like that again. Especially in front of Lia," said Blaze.
''Okay''
"Luckily you're an obedient child," Blaze muttered.
"Then next let me tell Lia something else," said Zev.
''No need. After your story just now, I can't trust you to read fairy tales to my little sister,'' Blaze quickly refused.
''Don't talk like that. This time it's quite exciting,'' said Zev.
''You think I'll believe it!!?''
Ahahaha... I don't want to hear any more of Zev's stories. I doubt I'll have any good dreams tonight. I shouldn't have asked him that in the first place...
"Hmm... they're really lively tonight... when they're young... I'm so jealous," said Shinomiya who was putting Shizuka to sleep.