Finally, I pulled out an umbrella I hadn't used in a while... Well, it's not just a weapon, it's still an umbrella, so it should protect from the rain too...
As I approached the knights' headquarters, two knights noticed me and were surprised to see me...
Well, I guess I'm missing in action...
Ignoring them, since they were men, I went inside the building...
Approaching the door to Jean's office, I wanted to open it, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to...
"Well, well, the missing one has been found." a seductive female voice said behind me.
I didn't have to guess who it was...
"Lisa..." I said, looking at the librarian witch...
"Oh, I see the cutie hasn't forgotten my name." she said, grinning, approaching me.
"I doubt anyone would forget you." I said.
Well, really, I don't know many witches... Herta doesn't count... Although, speaking of Herta... I wonder how that world is doing now? I'm sure Elio's scenario didn't go according to plan...
"Oh, what words... You know, it's cruel, to disappear like that for half a year, and then reappear as if nothing happened." she said, running her hand over my chin.
"Lisa, you're too close... And do we even have a relationship?" I asked.
Honestly, she said that. As if there was something between us...
"And who said I was talking about myself?" Lisa asked, then looked behind me.
"But Jean..." she said, and I felt my heart stop.
I turned around and felt pain... It wasn't physical pain...
She was pale, and there were large dark circles under her eyes... As if she barely got enough sleep...
"You're back..." she said coldly, and walked past me, entering her office, closing the door.
I just stared silently at the closed door, unable to move...
"Well, you saw what your 'disappearance' led to. She was already sleeping poorly, and afterward, she barely slept at all until her body forcibly shut her down." Lisa said with a sigh.
"Is it... because of me? But why?" I asked, to which Lisa shrugged.
"I don't know? Maybe you charmed her too much? But the fact remains, you're deeply ingrained in her heart... Only that could lead to tragic consequences... Of course, if you hadn't shown up..." Lisa said.
"I have to… apologize…" I said quietly.
And even if she doesn't forgive me, I still…
{Calm down, Evernight! Breathe, everything will be fine! You can tell her everything, and if necessary, bring her here, I'll take all the blame, because this is all my fault} March's voice rang out.
No, I… I'll just be honest, without hiding anything…
"Lisa… I'll go try to apologize to Jean, but first… I'd like to know about Lumin." I said.
"Lumin? She should be in Sumeru now, but in a couple of days there's the Windflower Festival, I think she'll come." Lisa said.
So that festival is coming soon, the festival of freedom and love…
Perhaps this is the best time to confess my feelings to Lumin. As far as I remember, anemones are an integral part of this festival... Actually, any flower is important, because it's not the flower itself that matters, but the feelings invested in giving it...
I wasn't selfish; I knew neither Jean nor Lumine would be able to travel with me.
Jean was the temporary Master of the Order, and accordingly, she had many responsibilities as a Master, at least until the previous Master, Varka, returned, although I'm sure Jean's responsibilities won't diminish...
What about Lumine... Well, at least until she resolves her family issues with her brother, she won't be able to join me either...
But hey, that doesn't mean I'll abandon them! I'll be coming back periodically, and I'll give them access to the express, so I'll be able to see them quite often...
And it will actually be useful for Jean... After all, time moves differently in that dimension, and she can rest properly and then return to work...
I need to get a bigger bed... I still have a feeling that both Jean and Lumin will want to live in my room, which Hestia and March already share... Maybe Artoria too someday...
Deciding not to think about it for now, I glanced at Lisa again and entered Jean's office...
It was quite dark inside, and only her desk was lit by candles... And of course, it was easy to notice the piles of papers lying in stacks on the desk.
Jean herself was sitting and writing something, and didn't even look up at me...
Is she angry?
Approaching her, I again saw the pitiful state of her body, which made me feel pain again...
"Jean." I called to the blonde beauty, but she didn't answer.
"Listen, I understand I upset you, but I honestly didn't mean to." I said, and she didn't answer again.
I just sighed and decided to act more... roughly...
Approaching her, I quickly scooped her up in my arms, like a princess, causing her to even squeal sweetly...
"What are you doing? Let me go right now!" she said, trying to escape my embrace. She realized she couldn't, so she gave in and turned away without looking me in the eye.
"I won't let you go until you listen to me." I said.
"I don't want to talk to you! You disappeared for six months, and you think you'll fix everything by coming back? We haven't even started dating! You..." She couldn't finish as tears streamed down her face...
What's wrong with me?! Why did I make this girl cry again?!
I sighed and went to the couch, carrying a crying Jean...
Sitting down, I didn't let her go, but simply grabbed her cheeks with both hands to make her look at me...
"Jean, listen to everything I'm about to tell you. It's not fiction or fantasy, it really happened." I said, and began explaining everything from the moment I left this world.
Of course, I'll skip a couple of minor details...
My story took about half an hour, and now she was no longer in my arms, but sitting next to me...
"So, you're saying that you've been to other worlds, that you know goddesses, that you have a sister who is your past self, and most importantly, that you're dating two girls, one of whom is your 'sister'. Am I missing anything?" she asked.
Well, I could say that wasn't all that happened to me, but I didn't and simply sighed...
"Do you even realize how ridiculous that sounds?" Jean asked.
"Yes!" I replied.
Yes, I knew she'd find it hard to believe...
"But I believe you!" she added.
"What? You seriously believed that?!" I asked.
"Yes, or were you lying to me?" Jean asked.
"No, it all happened!" I said quickly.
"That's great, but..." she didn't finish, as she beckoned to me by the hand and pulled me toward her, and I ended up straddling her hips, my chest pressed against hers...
"But I'm insanely jealous that you already have two girls you've kissed! So it's my turn..." Jean said, pulling my head closer until our lips touched...
This surprised me a little, of course, but I quickly composed myself and simply closed my eyes, enjoying the warm embrace and kisses.
{I didn't know Jean was so assertive.} March said.
"Believe me, it was a surprise for me too," I replied thoughtfully.
{But if you do anything indecent here, close the door first, or few people will come in} March said, and fell silent. She probably stopped watching, because knowing her... She probably would have bled to death again...
I wanted to stop Jean, to follow March's advice, but before I could, I felt one of Jean's hands slip under my clothes, and under my bra... I felt her warm hand on my chest, and it was...
"Sister, I..." a female voice rang out, after which the door swung open...
A young girl with pigtails, similar to Jean, stood in the doorway, and of course I recognized her immediately...
She noticed us, of course. It's hard not to notice how one girl is sitting on top of another and they're kissing...
"Sorry to interrupt!" Barbara screamed, and quickly ran out, slamming the door...
"This..."
"My sister..." Jean said, removing her hands.
I realized we weren't going to kiss anymore, so I climbed off her and sat down next to her, and Jean simply leaned her shoulder against me...
"I'll get some rest... Wake me up... I need..." she couldn't finish, as I heard a quiet snore...
Well, you deserve it; you haven't had the rest you've had in a long time...
I carefully picked her up and walked to the door...
Opening it, I found myself back in the main Vogon, where Hestia, March, and Sakura were...
Noticing me, they were delighted and about to say something, but they noticed Jean in my arms and remained silent...
I just smiled at them and nodded, heading to my room. On the way, I ran into Artoria, who was wearing her armor again. She nodded hello to me, to which I returned the greeting, and went into her room...
I noticed the decor had changed slightly... There was more blue and pink, and even a fool could tell it was March. I also noticed a wall with a couple of photographs on it... Well, March never changes; I'm sure she'll collect a lot of photos over time.
Approaching the bed, I carefully laid Jean down and covered her with the blanket, kissing her forehead one last time...
I was glad to give her this opportunity to sleep long and unworried about her duties...
After looking at Jean's sleeping face once more, I left the room and headed back to the main carriage.