The banquet had been held in honor of Su Yuzu and Soga Yura's coming-of-age ceremony.
And yet the two girls who were supposed to be its guests of honor had quietly slipped away.
Su Yuzu had absolutely no interest in the endless cycle of raised glasses and hollow pleasantries.
She had shared a light, unhurried toast with the girls she actually knew — and that was enough.
After taking a sip of the sparkling wine that, now that the ceremony was done, she could legally drink for the first time, Su Yuzu slipped away to the balcony just off the main hall.
The semicircular balcony jutted out from the building like a stage.
From here, she had a perfect view of the city spread below her against the curtain of night — a sprawling blaze of neon light, the jeweled glow of human habitation — and, rising from it all, that solitary tower standing sentinel in the dark.
Looking down on the city from this height gave her a strange feeling, as though the whole city lay crushed beneath her feet.
Her ears twitched.
She caught the faint, delicate sound of high heels pressing softly into wool carpet.
She turned.
It was Soga Yura.
The girl's heels weren't particularly high — the considerate maid had clearly designed them with care. They were just barely one centimeter taller than Su Yuzu's own, enough to bring Soga Yura's height into perfect alignment with hers.
Factor in the girl's elegantly pinned hair and the large navy lace rosette crowning her head, though, and Soga Yura had finally managed to look — just the tiniest bit — like the older one.
In the soft wash of moonlight, Su Yuzu could clearly see the flush of rose blooming across Soga Yura's cheeks.
The girl's beautiful crimson eyes shimmered with a liquid, almost intoxicating warmth.
"Did you drink a lot?"
"With that crowd?"
Su Yuzu caught Soga Yura's arm with a faint note of displeasure, steadying her.
She could feel the heat radiating from the girl's pale, soft skin. She could even catch it clearly — the faint trace of wine carried on the warm breath that escaped from between those pretty, glistening lips.
"Not at all~" Soga Yura raised one finger and gave it a little wave. "I'm just… happy."
"I had a little bit with Kiyomi and Student Saotome."
Su Yuzu looked at those languorous, swimming crimson eyes.
The girl had always been a textbook beauty — and today she had dressed with extra care. With that flush of wine bringing a near-dazzling allure to her pretty face, she was utterly, breathtakingly captivating.
Su Yuzu linked her arm through Soga Yura's.
Together, they looked out into the night.
"How much is 'a little bit.'"
Standing at Su Yuzu's side, Soga Yura stared unabashedly at the girl beside her.
Emboldened by just the faintest edge of a buzz, she let herself do, without restraint, the thing she had imagined doing over and over — and never quite dared.
She looked at that lovely face.
Those crimson eyes carried something almost predatory in their gaze.
"Just one glass."
Just one glass and it's like this? Su Yuzu felt the girl's body slowly losing its strength — felt her beginning to lean, little by little, against her.
She breathed in the soft, sweet fragrance drifting over from beside her, and simply pulled Soga Yura's hand and drew the girl into her arms.
"Eeh.." An utterly adorable sound.
By the time Soga Yura came back to herself, Yuzu was gone from her sight. All she could feel was the clean, faint scent of hair falling near her ear, the soft warmth of the girl's body at her back — and then, breathed against her ear, a murmur that left her utterly lost, utterly undone.
"If you can't hold your liquor, then don't drink." Soga Yura had never been much of a drinker, as Su Yuzu well knew.
She still remembered it, from when they were small — a Soga Yura who had sneaked a sip of sake, crept into her room, burrowed under her covers, latched onto her with soft, babbling little sounds, and then slept so soundly she had stayed tangled around her until morning.
Not that she had ever really minded.
But alcohol was no good thing.
Better to stay well away from it if she could.
Curled up in Su Yuzu's arms, Soga Yura gazed out into the dark night with half-lidded crimson eyes.
Every word the girl murmured against her ear — each one carrying that subtle trace of citrus — made her heart pound and pound and pound.
It felt like her heart might actually race itself to pieces.
There was a strange, melting softness to it — as though even Lady Fate's Blessing couldn't compare to the gentle whisper of this girl at her ear.
Her mouth moved. After a long, sluggish pause, Soga Yura finally hummed, very quietly, very softly —
"Because… I'm happy."
Su Yuzu's expression softened.
"I'm happy too."
Nestled in Su Yuzu's arms, Soga Yura rested her hands lightly on the railing.
The girl tilted her head back, inching it rearward until she felt the presence of the girl behind her — and then she stopped.
"Oh, right —"
As though she had just remembered something, Su Yuzu reached into her Material Inventory and drew out a small silver crown hair ornament.
The crown was set with tiny gemstones that glimmered with a crimson light.
It was the Ghost Crown.
An accessory that granted a modest boost to mental power.
It also carried a Charm +2 effect when worn.
Not quite a Holy Relic, but a fine piece in its own right.
And when its wearer suffered a lethal blow, the Ghost Crown would shatter itself — granting the wearer one second of a ghost effect.
Soga Yura stared wide-eyed at the crown before her.
"This is… my birthday gift for Sister."
Su Yuzu murmured against Soga Yura's ear.
She rested her chin lightly on Soga Yura's shoulder, tilting her head just a fraction to look at the girl's face. "Do you like it?"
Soga Yura felt as though she barely had the strength left to stand.
All she could do was let out a faint little sound, then nod firmly.
"I love it."
Anything Yuzu gave her — she had no resistance to any of it.
Especially something as perfectly chosen as this — the sort of thing that girls simply loved.
"Glad to hear it." Su Yuzu smiled softly.
Soga Yura could feel every breath the girl drew.
She watched, transfixed, as the girl slowly reached out — her gaze unable to stop falling on that face, so close, so impossibly close.
She could sense Su Yuzu's focus, the quiet care in every movement.
Su Yuzu tucked the Ghost Crown gently among the strands of Soga Yura's hair.
"Oh, and —" She released Soga Yura.
Soga Yura nearly crumpled on the spot, only just catching herself on the railing — narrowly avoiding the absolute mortification of collapsing in a heap.
Su Yuzu reached into her Material Inventory and drew out the birthday cake — an exact replica of the one from all those years ago.
"Happy birthday —"
Soga Yura's fists clenched tight. Her eyes were dangerously close to filling with tears.
"What's wrong?" Su Yuzu reached out and waved a hand in front of Soga Yura's face.
"I…"
"My gift…" The voice was thick, trembling on the edge of tears.
Looking at that cake, Soga Yura suddenly felt like her own gift was something she couldn't even bear to present.
"It's terrible."
"As the older sister… I'm absolutely terrible."
"Not at all~" Su Yuzu pulled Soga Yura gently into her arms.
"Sister's gift… I already received it."
Under Soga Yura's gaze — nearly burning with embarrassment — Su Yuzu undid the buttons of her blouse.
Watching that lovely girl slowly undo her buttons right before her made Soga Yura's ears go blazing hot — though what made her even more flustered was what the girl pulled out.
Su Yuzu lifted a silver chain from around her neck with both hands.
She drew it out from the soft warmth beneath her blouse — a ring wound about with flowering branches.
She had been wearing the ring as a pendant, hanging from the chain around her neck.
Against the backdrop of the girl's fair, luminous skin, that ring seemed to glow — and Soga Yura found she didn't quite know where to let her eyes fall.
"This is…"
"The best gift of all."
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