Holy crap, Cantarella!
She...
When did she use my terminal to send that message?
I have absolutely no memory of it.
Could it have been after I fell asleep?
The "Saintess" playing possum, truly peak strategic cunning...
Ray was already sweating profusely.
No, why would Cantarella use my terminal to send such a message to the Second Young Miss?
Isn't she just pushing me into the abyss?
Did Cantarella do it on purpose?
Of course she did!
Ray could even imagine how Cantarella's expression must have looked when she typed those words.
He'd never expected...
Cantarella to have such a mischievous side.
"Hmm? Why so quiet?" Carlotta's smile was on her face, but the chill in her eyes was almost tangible. "Cat's Eye, aren't you going to explain? Who sent this message to me?"
She leaned forward slightly, her voice as soft as a whisper. "It couldn't have been you, could it? But if it were, why would you use 'he' to refer to yourself?"
The corner of Ray's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He was frantically racking his brains, trying to think of some clever excuse to get out of this mess.
"I..."
He hemmed and hawed for a while, his throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to form a complete sentence.
His eyes darted around in panic until they landed on Anby, still kneeling on the coffee table, and suddenly, inspiration struck.
"A-Actually, it was Anby who replied for me!"
The words were barely out of his mouth when he regretted them, the excuse was so flimsy even he didn't believe it.
His voice was shaky, his gaze shifty; anyone could see how guilty he felt.
Anby lifted its head sharply, its round eyes wide with disbelief as it stared at Ray.
After receiving his frantic eye signals, its little brain finally caught on.
Anby took a deep breath, as if steeling itself, and turned to Carlotta with a solemn nod.
"Yes, it was me."
"Oh?" Carlotta studied the pair of panicked accomplices. Instead of immediately exposing the lie full of holes, she gently slid the terminal toward Anby. "Then Abby, why don't you type out another sentence right now, in front of me?"
"This... I..."
Anby stared at the terminal suddenly pushed in front of it. It glanced desperately at Ray for help.
Seeing he was at a loss, Anby had no choice but to steel itself, reach out with its tiny paw, and clumsily tap at the virtual screen.
But the blinking cursors and characters were like a foreign language. After fumbling for ages, it hadn't managed to type a single complete word.
"What's wrong, Anby?" Carlotta's voice was so gentle it was unsettling. "Can't even type such a simple sentence?"
Anby's ears turned bright red. Finally, its head drooped in shame as it confessed in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"...I'm sorry. I can't write and read."
Ray: "?"
His expression seemed to say: After all this time living together, you're only telling me this now?
Before the words had fully faded, Anby had transformed into a streak of golden light and zipped back into Ray's Tacet Mark.
"W-Well... now that I'm not needed anymore, I'll just go back to sleep!"
Only the guilty echo of its voice remained in the air.
The living room suddenly fell silent, just the two of them.
A subtle stillness spread through the sound of rain, each passing second feeling unbearably long.
"Oh my..." Carlotta gently swung her long legs, her gaze firmly fixed on Ray. "It's just a simple question, so hard to answer? You even had Anby take the fall for you..."
"Cat's Eye, since when did you become so dishonest?"
"Second Young Miss, let me explain! Actually, I—"
Ray's brain raced.
What now?
What should he do now?
Was it really impossible to hide anymore?
No!
There must be a way out!
When trouble comes, you don't just sit and wait!
"I'm trying to explain—"
The young woman's words cut off abruptly.
Ray suddenly pushed her gently against the back of the sofa. A flicker of panic crossed Carlotta's eyes. She was about to protest when he leaned down and sealed her lips, leaving only muffled sounds.
"Cat's Eye! What are you—mmph..."
"Don't... so sudden..."
"You're not thinking... you can... get away with this... mmm..."
"Hand... don't wander..."
At first, she tried to struggle, but under the heat of Ray's assault, her usual composure gradually crumbled.
Her hands, which had been pushing against him, unconsciously clutched at his shirt. Her inexperienced responses carried a note of compromise.
In the end, that kiss, tinged with the scent of coffee, shifted from resistance to acceptance.
A long while later, they finally parted.
Carlotta's face was flushed, her breathing slightly unsteady. She gazed up at Ray, who was leaning over her, biting her silver lip as she waited. "You think you can get away with this?"
"I just thought it might help you calm down and listen to my explanation."
"You really are..." Carlotta struggled a few times, to no avail, and finally sighed in resignation. "Tell me the truth. What exactly happened with Cantarella yesterday?"
Ray took a deep breath. "First, promise you won't get angry."
"That kind of opening basically admits something happened between you!" Carlotta's struggles suddenly intensified. "I'm your girlfriend!"
"Really, nothing happened, Second Young Miss." Ray hurriedly explained. "After the battle yesterday, I was exhausted. Combined with the effects of the Leviathan's whispers, I fell asleep in the incense Cantarella had prepared."
"And then?" Carlotta wrinkled her small, straight nose.
"And then..." Ray's gaze began to wander. "We... slept in the same bed."
"You—!"
"Wait! I swear it was just sleeping! There's nothing between Cantarella and me! Besides, it wasn't my doing, I was already asleep!"
Carlotta glared at him, annoyed. "Really? You just slept?"
"Absolutely, Second Young Miss."
Carlotta was silent for a moment, but in the end, she still couldn't let it go. The anger in her eyes was unmistakable. "Damn it! We haven't even slept together! That woman! That Cantarella woman! I think the Fisalia family really is beyond redemption!"
"Actually, Cantarella has her reasons..."
"You're even defending her now!"
"Let's not talk about that now, Second Young Miss." Ray quickly tried to calm the bristling young woman in his arms, swiftly changing the subject. "That stone tablet from before, can I see it again?"
Mentioning the stone tablet, Carlotta stopped struggling. "The tablet? What do you need it for?"
"This..."
He couldn't very well say it was to see Cartethyia, could he?
If he brought up another woman right now, he'd probably set off this little potato mine for real.
"It's about Ragunna's secret!"