Chapter 91

Shukona POV

“Oh, nothing, other than killing Yasachu.” She bluntly spoke, checking her nails and eyed down Raijin’s bleeding body on the ground.

“What?” My face paled, noticing Raijin and quickly went over to their body. I saw the two holes on each of Raijin’s shoulders, biting down my lip and wrapped it around with paper that I created via my magic.

“Wow! You’re able to create paper? Your magic control is seriously out there! Hey, hey, how did you escape Phobia again? That’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone escape without losing their grip on reality.” She leaned over and glanced at me, who was cradling Raijin’s body, biting my lip.

I’ve already moved on a long time ago, dealing with it over and over again is absolutely nothing for me!

Right…?

“Shut up! Why do you want to kill Yasachu in the first place?! You two were best friends! I saw how you two were so close! How dare you just betray her like that?!” I stood up, taking a step back and holding the prince close to my chest.

“I mean, it’s not like a bot like you would understand. Yasachu was nice, obviously, she’s a mary fucking sue, who wouldn’t like a girl like her? World tailored for her, people are tailored for her, I’m tailored for her. I despise it.” Yuutsu started to speak nonsense, red eye observing my movements. No, she observed my soul.

What’s a Mary sue? What in the world does she mean that everything is made for Yasachu?

“You really did go delusional.” I deadpanned, glancing over at the collapsed Shrine maiden on the ground.

“I-I hate how she makes me go crazy for her! I hate being a filthy yandere! Wouldn't you go crazy too?! You’re trying to get shoved into this stupid archetype, it breaks me! I hate how when she fills my vision she becomes my everything, when I shiver at her touch, I hold back on kidnapping her each time she gives a smile to me-” Yuutsu’s black eyes were fading to red, before going back into solid black. “And that’s precisely why I have to kill her, I just need to stop this curse! I need to free everyone in this world!”

“Scratch that, you’re going insane.” I couldn’t understand half of the words she said, Yandere? Archetype?

“Oh! Silly me! Did you really make the villain make a monologue to go and save Senpai too? Sorry, but I’m no amature. After all, Raijin’s time is ticking, and aren’t you wondering where Yasachu and Nikami went?” Yuutsu chuckled, flipping her head towards Ajisa. Tears started to fall from her grinning face, despite her turning her back on me, I noticed it.

“You’re just going to let me go free?” I asked, turning my back on her and waited for her answer. I figured there was going to be a catch somewhere, but she was too unpredictable with all of the nonsense she spoke.

“Mhm! After all, you’re important to Nikami. Can’t have you dying, trust me when I say I promised to not kill any of you three.” Yuutsu kicked Ajisa to lay on her stomach, cackling to herself as I quickly bolted out of there.

I dashed through the woods, following the trail that everyone left when they came looking for me. I panted, feeling the mana loss with all of the vines I summoned earlier. When my vision cleared, I found the back of the school and I’ve never been so relieved seeing a wall before.

I ran towards the infirmary, each step filled with desperation. My calmness was hung by a thread, tearing up as I held the fabric of Raijin’s clothes. Please, please, I need to use these long legs to get there in time!

“Is anyone here?!” I kicked the door open, seeing her highness getting oddly close to the unconscious knight's face. She turned towards me when she heard the slam and didn’t flitch, only keeping a smile and slowly leaned backward to face me.

“What’s wrong?” She asked in a low tone, eyeing Raijin’s body.

“I desperately need healing, please.” I kept composure, despite all the blood and sweat on my clothes.

“Kiyu-san just left a while ago, she should be here anytime now… Ah! Here she is, could you heal the prince for us?” Shoubu waved at someone behind me, turning as quickly as I could, I bowed down at the shivering librarian.

“Shu-shukona-sama?! You’re here?! Wa-wait oh my gosh-” She screamed when seeing the blood, gesturing towards a bed and I softly placed Raijin there.

She placed a hand on Raijin’s shoulder, a soft green light coming from her hand. I placed all of my weight in a chair, covering my head and closed my eyes. Groaning silently, my chest raised and lowered at a rapid pace, shaking.

I know too well what this feeling is, that horrible dread and guilt. It's going to be my fault if Raijin dies, due to me not being fast enough. I saw flashes of a female being a faceless figure on top of a bed, moving away from my hand and gazing at the blood on it. I parted my lips, grimacing. Flashes with me carrying my sister's body made me frozen in place, terrified to even breathe.

Nonono, this is… No, is this her illusions again? It’s all too similar.

It’s too late, I didn’t hear Raijin’s breathing, Rai lost too much blood and I didn’t carry Raijin fast enough. I made someone die by my foolishness again.

You’re useless.

My family is right, I am useless. I can’t even save my own best friend, I can’t even get being a sacrifice right. I got Raijin hurt, not to mention I don’t know where Nika and Yasachu are.

You can’t even get to play the part of the ground they step on correctly, you crumble at the slightest pressure.

“Am-amatarini-sama!” I felt an embrace, a foriegn one, but welcoming. My shivers got worse being touched by someone, turning and pushing her away, I got greeted by glasses in front of my blurry vision. Light green hair locks flowing down to her chest, flashes of my elder sister came into my mind and I pulled her closer instead.

“I-I deeply apologize for being a failure! I got someone close to me dead again! Onee-sama… I really am useless…” I couldn’t understand what the voices in the background were saying, the only thing that filled my mind was my heavy breathing and failure.

My shoulders were grabbed, pushing me away and gripping me tightly. I felt my bigger sister’s hand shaking, gently holding me in place to make me face her.

“I-I have no right to say this, but you aren’t useless at all! What are you ta-talking about…? Gakerumi-sama is in a sta-stable condition…” That high pitched voice caught me off guard, snapping me out of my trance and being able to see the woman in front of me as who she is.

My chest lowered, gulping down my corruption of tears. I bit my lip, covering my face and looked away from her.

“I apologize for crying.” Biting my lip, the intonation of my voice wavered. I clenched my jaw and kept my lips together, refusing to even look at the two girls in front of me.

“Do-don’t! Please, do-don’t ever apologize for crying! It’s okay! I-it’s normal to cry when you're under stress!” Why are you crying unexpectedly? Or is it just me…?

She pulled me, cradling me and my sniffled whimpers before I finally screamed out all of my agony. This warmth, it’s strange, yet why do I melt at it? My vocal cords were tingling all over, yet it was as if a lump that I have kept there for years had been suddenly spat out. I gripped her clothing tightly, screeching as I bawled. The guilt, the pain, the fear, the regret, it was all yelled out. I didn’t freeze up, I didn’t straighten my back, I had been in the embrace of someone who was weeping as well. She caressed my head as if holding something delicate, tears falling into my hair and whimpering near my ears as well.

I was never close with this girl, she was the noble I disliked. A shy, immature mage that always hid behind a book. Yet why does her embrace resemble my dearest sister? She was the only person that understood me at this moment of time.

Third Person POV

Waking up by the wails, the knight lifted her body at attention, alerting herself in saving someone in trouble. But she was met by Shukona and her older sister screaming their hearts out. She lunged forward and opened her mouth but the princess had other plans, covering her mouth and pulling her back to the bed. Saboten’s ear twitched, whipping her head to the female asking for an explanation but was hushed by a gentle smile with her index finger in the middle of it.

She tilted her head in confusion, sniffing her sobs hearing two people cry in the same room, which caused Shoubu’s smile to twitch. In silence, the princess guided the knight outside the room by the hand and shut the door, still hearing their exasperated shrieks.

Leaning on the door, she pulled the sobbing knight close to her side.

“Why are you crying?” Shoubu asked, facing forward and rubbing the back of the girl.

“I-its just… Hearing all of their emotions through their cracked voices are just… Painful. I don’t understand why they’re crying, bu-but I am still crying with them… It breaks my heart hearing them like that.” Saboten replied while wiping her tears with her fingers, but they kept on coming.

Shoubu just stood there with her gentle smile, wrapping her hands around her to try to make her feel better. Yet, she kept on smiling. Unlike the knight, Shoubu didn’t know how to feel empathy. By all means, that doesn’t mean that she’ll let others get hurt, it’s her duty to lead people and lead them to the path least painful for everyone. But in the end, she feels pain to be something that she has to get over, feeling pain is pleasurable in the end. So why should she cry?

A smile.

A smile she always keeps despite everything around her in a messy tragedy.

She understood from the start she wasn’t a normal person.

“I-I am so sorry for crying princess! I-I don’t know how to stop it-” The knight started to explain herself with sobs, but Shoubu only chuckled.

“No no, it’s alright. You can cry as much as you want, I know you’re going to ask a lot of questions but I’d rather have you calm, breaking news in this state would just make it worse.” After all, she can’t understand how you can cry just by seeing someone sad. In a way, she was jealous and curious.

“Th-thank you for being so patient with me…” Saboten hung her head low, closing her eyes.

Seeing that her ears twitched ever so slightly, Shoubu assumed that someone was going towards them. And she was right, a small white haired girl ran towards them as she panted, opening her mouth and yelled out,

“They’re all dead!” A blood curdling scream stopped them from their tracks, blinking slowly, Shoubu titled her head.

“Ara ara, what do you mean by that?”