Chapter 86: Under the spotlight
The border between night and dusk. When he look at the sky at that time of day, when the evening darkness has swallowed up the light on the ground and the world has been dyed a deep blue, and the residue of the sunset and the pure white moonlight dimly illuminate the sky, He felt an indescribable sense of loneliness that comes over him.
It’s as if this day, despite its fantastic beauty, has melted into darkness and disappeared. It’s as if someone who has been by his side for so long has gone somewhere far away. It’s a strange feeling of loneliness.
In the dark, moonlit bathroom, there is a figure resembling the boy’s. The pale shadow, illuminated by the minimal light of the magic stone and the moonlight, is surrounded by a languid atmosphere, and even has a hint of glamour.
Flicking his fingers through his dripping black hair, he immerses himself in the tub.
The reflection of the moonlight on the surface of the water, stirred by the ripples caused by the water landing, shimmers with dreamy colours.
The boy, Ran Kirishima, blinked his unfeeling eyes and thought that bathing in the middle of the night was a pleasant experience.
It’s not only the moonlight that makes him nervous, but also the fact that the bathroom is lit up with lights. The bathroom, decorated with the lights of the magic stones that emit a pale blue light, reminds him of earth in the twilight, creating a calm atmosphere.
Ran dipped his hand in the tub to splash some water on his face, but stopped.
He thought about washing his face to change his mind, which was a bit hazy due to exhaustion. The water in which he is now immersed is not suitable for this purpose.
He stretches out his arm and says a small chant in his mouth. Instantly, a blue light runs down Ran’s arm and a ball of water appears in his palm.
Ran dexterously brought it up to his face and poked it with his fingertips, causing it to burst right in front of his face.
“………… cold”
Wiping his face with his arm, Ran meditates with a satisfied look on his face.
His eyelids are closed and he can see his first experience in this world - the training he had with his class.
Ran’s survival has been revealed to the Saints, including the Queen’s side, so there is no need to hide and sneak around. The secret training in the underground called SM playground was removed yesterday. From today onwards, Ran will be trained in the same place as the rest of the saints.
Of course, Ran was worried. Even though he was accepted in the end, he had been almost killed once. There is always the possibility that when he is defenceless, he could be targeted. Even if he has his loved ones at his side, he can never be too careful. One moment of carelessness can literally be the difference between life and death.
These concerns were resolved by the knights of the first concubine.
As was the case with the knight who trained Kanami. There are a few knights of the first concubine who are participating in some of the training.
Ran was told that he would not be completely at the mercy of the Queen’s side.
Furthermore, according to Walkins, the queen’s people “can no longer kill Ran”. Ran asked for a detailed explanation, but Walkins just said in his usual persistent voice, “It’s all right, it’s all right,” so Ran never found out why.
“Sure, well, they didn’t do anything weird to me.Maybe it’s really safe. Though it’s worth being …… vigilant.”
He has been training in combat for a long time now, with insufficient equipment and time. Ran, who has fallen behind in his training in many ways, has to work harder than anyone else.
With the encouragement of Saki and Misuzu, who had already mastered the basics, Ran worked hard to complete today’s training.
“I thought I was used to training alone, but it’s always fun to train with a girl……”
Whenever Ran makes a mistake and things don’t go well, all he gets is encouragement in a lovely voice, not abuse or reprimand.
Morever, they’ll give a wink to Ran and tell him that they would reward him if he did well, and the girls gave him lots and lots of sweet love calls. After a series of mistakes in the morning, the three of them spent the rest of the afternoon making out with each other in a feast of rewards and services.
“Ha…… It’s still light out, but it’s refreshing to be with Ran.”
“…… Haaaa, Kiririn is really cool. I’m so happy ……”
Remembering the words of love that were spoken by them, Ran couldn’t help but relax his mouth.
Misuzu and Saki stare at Ran with the eyes of a maiden in love. It’s not like a night out where Ran or the girls have been summoned to do something naughty. But it’s nice to be able to look at each other and see each other’s faces clearly and distinctly.
Today’s training was a sweet time, with two of the class idols in attendance at the same time. The three of them took a lunch break together and spent it in the shade of a tree, feeding each other sandwiches.
After a long time, Ran was able to spend a fulfilling day for the first time.
However, it does not mean that Ran does not understand his current situation.
It turned out to be a good thing, though, and Ran unconsciously abandoned thinking about it too much.
It’s not something that can just be swept under the rug and left to happen.
The reason why Ran encountered his classmates this time was because Sayaka and Misuzu went along with Yamashiro and Ryuzaki’s invitation.
At first, Ran thought that Sayaka was the one who triggered this incident because of the shackles that she was put on by Misuzu. In fact, not long ago, Yuri had mentioned that something was going on between Sayaka and Yamashiro, suggesting something weird about Yamashiro, and somehow Misuzu is involved.
But after gathering information, it turned out to be a big mistake.
It was not Sayaka who was taken out first, but Misuzu. It is said that Ryuzaki, under the orders of Yamashiro, had persuaded Misuzu, and she had taken Sayaka to the room where Yamashiro was hiding.
Ran asked Misuzu about the incident, but she couldn’t help Ran to find out why.
Apparently, Misuzu doesn’t remember much about last night. One of the Ran’s skills was the inability to lie to their master. However, it seems Mizusu wasn’t lying. She couldn’t remember what happened last night.
All she remembers is, Ryuzaki is asking her to call Sayaka and he’ll be waiting for her.
What did Ryuzaki tell her to do and why did he specifically choose Sayaka to bring her out? Sayaka tried to retrace her memory, but it was so hazy thus she could not reach the answer.
Since Misuzu doesn’t remember, Ran can’t help but to give up and let the matter on pause for awhile.
Misuzu is not a drunkard or a delinquent, nor has she ever been prone to forgetting things.
This means that there’s someone who may temper with her memories while she was unconscious.
“I suppose I’d better ask Walkins when I get a chance.”
Is there such a thing as a malignant inherent magic skill or secret art that can temper one’s memory?
If so, who has done so?
If Ran had made a mistake, both Misuzu and Sayaka could have been in terrible trouble. There is a possibility that it could have ended badly. It is an unacceptable act. It’s a terrible thing for a human being to temper another person’s memory with a malicious ability. Even if the heavens allow it, this Kirishima Ran will not allow it.
“As soon as I find out who did it, it’s payback time.”
Throwing an oversized boomerang, Ran once again found himself in a whirlpool of thoughts.
Speaking of Sayaka, there was something Ran was curious about.
After a sugar-sweet lunch with two of his class idols, Kanami told me that Sayaka had been looking for Ran.
From last night’s incident, which led to the revelation of Ran’s survival, until now Sayaka and Ran have not spoken to each other.
It’s not that Ran was avoiding her. When he was alone with Sayaka last night, he tried to make conversation with her as much as he could.
The same goes for Yamashiro, Ran doesn’t know if Sayaka is still trying to come to terms with last night’s events or perhaps because Ra hasn’t been able to sort out what happened last night in Sayaka.
She seemed to have a lot on her mind. And if Ran’s presence could be a source of support for Sayaka - someone to talk to about her worries, someone to talk to about her pain - then Ran would be more than happy.
During the lunch hour, Ran was preoccupied with Misuzu and Saki, so he didn’t have time to look properly at Sayaka.
At dinner time, Sayaka,Ran and all of their classmates gather in the same cafeteria. It was a good time to talk with Sayaka but…
“I didn’t get a chance to talk to her…… What am I doing…”
Ran couldn’t get out of his seat because he was caught up in a hectic conversation between Sakuya and Hibiki during the meal (standing up during a meal is bad manners, even in this world).
After the meal, Hibiki and Sakuya parted ways from Ran, and Ran decided to finally visit Sayaka’s group.
When Sayaka noticed Ran was approaching, she turned her eyes away and walked out of the dining room as if she were running away.
If one looks at it from a bird’s-eye view, they can see that Sayaka is being stubborn or Ran is disliked.
Ran understood that this was probably not that simple for her.
Her face was a little flushed as she ran to the door with her hands folded in front of her chest. She probably had a mixture of emotions and panicked, and ran away involuntarily.
Ran thought he should have gone after her, but stopped midway as he, himself, also couldn’t think straight and just watched her go away.
Anyway, these things only get worse the longer he waits and the harder it is to settle with Sayaka.
It is an undeniable fact that Sayaka was looking for Ran at lunchtime.
“I’ll visit Sayaka’s bedroom tonight”
◇◇◇
-It was not long after that Ran felt someone in the changing room, which was supposed to be empty.
Whether it is the sound of footsteps or the rustling of clothes, the faint noise made in the darkness made Ran tense.
There is not much moonlight, and the light from the magic stone in the changing room does not reach that far. The area around the entrance to the bathroom is closed off in the dark.
Soaked up to his neck in hot water, Ran makes no move to show his alarm. Even though he can wear a fighting spirit, he is completely defenceless while bathing. Supposedly a butler, should have been on guard.
“Wouldn’t it be strange if there was a secret service specialising in assassinations?”
Assassins who sneak up on people without a sound and kill their guards with a single blow. From fantasy to history, they are the convenient assassins of many creations.
Despite being naked. Ran readies himself for a fight, but then he notices something strange.
Why would an assassin who could knock out a seasoned butler with a single blow, without making a sound, be doing the exact opposite of an assassin?
It’s not that Ran was an expert at detecting signs,Ran is just an ordinary high school student with no common sense. How could he detect the presence of a talented assassin?
If someone from the queen’s side had tried to attack Ran while he was bathing, he would have been dead already at this very moment.
So who is it?
Who would be allowed to enter the bathroom without being caught by the butler’s security? It could be Walkins or a knight from the first concubine.
Ran didn’t want the bathroom door to open and see a naked Walkins standing there. Ran’s mouth twists in self-mockery.
As usual, he would said, ‘Oh, my goodness, Kirishima Ran. What a coincidence to meet you here.’ Ran is not going to lie, it would be weird if he said something like, ‘I’m going to wash your back in celebration of your acceptance of existence.’
Inspiring himself with an impossible joke, he stared silently at the moonlit water.
How long had passed? Suddenly the door of the bathroom was opened and a white shadow appeared through the crack in the door.
The sound of wet floors and damp soles against each other - the sound of flapping feet - echoes through the tranquillity of the bathroom. In the bathtub, Ran swallows his trembling feelings and turns his face towards the presence of the intruder to expose its true identity.
“……eh?”
The bathrooms, decorated with magic stone lamps and moonlight, have a magical gloom, reminiscent of the coming of evening.
Reflected in the pale, dim moonlight, the place looks like a stage in the spotlight.
The pale glow is a natural spotlight that illuminates the intruder, who is wrapped in a pure white towel, silently looking down at Ran, who is still in the bathtub.
The figure finds itself staring at him, admiring the beauty of his body.
When Ran sees the translucent white skin and the smooth body with few bumps. Ran was speechless, it’s like when he found something he thought he’d lost.Ran felt a kind of relief that slowly dissolved into a feeling of welling up.
The anxiety and caution faded away. The white skin reflected in the moonlight was that of the person he wanted more than anything.
“Sayaka……?”
Her brown hair was untied and brushed away with her fingers, and her eyes, narrowed by low vision, twinkled innocently.
The intruder, wrapped in a bath towel, smiled softly at the surprised look on Ran’s face.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶