"I love you.


"Kyu.

　A tone that seemed to be squeezed out from her cool vocal cords.

　The music box's fantastic melody, reminiscent of a snowy landscape, no longer matches the air here at all.
　The elegance of the past has died out, and it was only a moment ago that a panicked Futa took Lilac in his arms.

What are you doing?
No, no, no. I thought I should tell you my honest feelings.
Who told you to do that? It's a bloodbath.
Bloodbath.

　Lilac breathed out a sigh of relief when I finally picked her up.

　She glanced around aimlessly and closed her eyes to hide her agitation.

"I love you!

"........................... ...
"Miss Lilac?　Are you okay?

　I couldn't, I had that scene burned into the back of my eyelids.


　What?　What?


　That was the name of the emotion that dominated Lilac's mind.

　Unless her ears had suddenly lost the ability to translate certain languages, what he had just blurted out to her must have been a confession of love.

　But why?

"......?

　I stared at him with moist eyes, and he tilted his head as if he was in trouble.

Why are you looking so nonchalant?
What?
What did you just say?
"...... That you love Master Lilac.
".................. Oh.

　She nodded her head in agreement.
　She stood up to leave Huta's arms for now.

"I love Lilac M. Fangini.

　The full affirmation had been heartwarming. I admit it.
　And sure enough, I thought to myself.
　I thought to myself, "Why don't you take those feelings out on Lilac herself?

　But...

　I just...

Well, I'm used to that sort of thing in my position, so I'm not upset.
Oh, so that was...
It was just a little heel tangled in the carpet.
The way you lost your balance, you fell on your back.
I didn't flip over.
No.
No, he didn't.
...... Well, if you insist, Miss Lilac.

　And then he's even willing to play along with the deception.
　What is it?

　I straighten my posture and turn to face Futa.

"Is that what you're going to say when you suddenly come in?
"I'm sorry ...... about that.

　I'm not trying to discredit his behavior.
　It's just that I was surprisingly upset - and more importantly, for some reason, not amused.

　I still don't know what the cause of that was, though.

"I would like you to place more importance on the atmosphere.
"Atmosphere?

　Yes, for example, under the stars that day.
　Night is good. Or indoors, in a dance hall after the heat of the day has died down, or in a private room.

"........................ isn't it?
"Yeah, ......?

　I knew that I was completely alone in a dilemma.
　He knew he was completely alone in the ditch.

　The raised eyebrows never welcomed Futa's words.
　His cheeks were a little hot, but it would be unreasonable to expect Futa to know that.

　In fact, his behavior from earlier clearly showed that he did not like Futa's behavior.
　--He suddenly burst into the room and confessed to her, so it was only natural.

I'm sorry, I'm on a bit of a mission myself.
"Huh?

　Yeah, that wasn't funny.
　She looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

　And Lilac, after a moment of frustration, finally put her doubts to rest.
　Yes. What was the difference in temperature between her and him, compared to how pathetically moved she had been by his words?
　I didn't like it.

　To be more specific.

　If that's what you meant by "I love you," say it first.

　When I thought that, I felt myself in the mirror complaining about what I was expecting, and it made me look very shallow.

　That was also annoying.

Mr. Viciedo was still in my mind.


"Yes.

　The source of my sense of mission.

　The name I didn't really want to hear spilled out of Futa's mouth, and he bit his lip slightly.

In the end, that man acted for King Gilbert, but ...... did not reach him. The only thing that remains is King Gilbert's empty heart.
"............

　He didn't say that King Gilbert was that kind of person.
　I'm not trying to be selfish.

I'm not trying to be selfish, and I've told Lilac that I don't care how much she uses me. So I'm not like Mr. Viciedo. ...... I thought so, but...

　I'm not sure what to say.
　I'm sure you're not the only one.
　I can say now that I will not let that happen.
　But I wonder if the same is true for Viciedo and Gilbert.

　I'm fine now.
　You keep thinking that, and then you realize there's a crack.
　That's the scariest part.

　They probably didn't do it because they wanted to.

But I thought I should tell them what I could. Before it's too late.
"............ before it's too late.

　I was dumbfounded. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea. You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

　She laughs at his eyes as he stares at her, which is funny.

"Hmm, hmm.
"Did I say something funny?
Because ...... did you think that whether or not you rushed into my room today would change our relationship?
"No, I mean. No, I mean, there's nothing wrong with being quick!
Yes, ......, it's true, you never know what's going to happen.
Do they think I'm an idiot?
They think I'm pretty stupid.
Really?

　Yeah, yeah .
　Giggling, she elegantly put her hand over her mouth through her dress gloves and laughed.
　Lilac, he thought.

　I'm a little upset because you're jumping in so suddenly.
　And a little annoyed when he said he had a mission.

　But surely he was not lying when he said that.

　--I can feel that I'm loved more than ever.

　It's the first time I've felt that way.
　I'm very happy, but at the same time I regret it.

　But at the same time, I regret it, because I and Futa are not Gilbert and Viciedo.

"I understand your feelings, Futa. --I understand how you feel.
That's good. ......?
Yeah. And you didn't have to say it from the front.
I thought you heard me!
"Well, I don't know.

　He stuck out his tongue in a mischievous manner.
　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.

But I'm still a little angry.
"What?

　It's only when you're in a good mood that you can say what you really feel.

　It's not Gilbert and Viciedo, it's Lilac and Futa.

　There is a fundamental difference between Lilac and Futa.

"Do you love me, head-on?
Yes. ...... What?

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　I'm not going to show you my slightly vermillion-red cheeks, but I don't want to. I don't want to show him my slightly reddened cheeks, but that would be pointless, so I stare at him with firm determination.

Why aren't you even a little embarrassed?

　Normally, saying "I love you" to a person of the opposite s*x would cause misunderstandings.
　If you don't understand what I'm trying to say here, you're just a fool.

　Futa is not just an idiot.
　Then there is another reason in his mind.

　I'd like to get rid of it here if I could, because it's quite a hindrance, but Lilac knew that would be difficult too.

　Embarrassment is called s*xuality, and something that gets in the way is called respect.

　If all you feel is that "obstacle," then it is sad, lonely, painful, and scary.

　There have been times when I have been unable to take a step forward because of this.

　But.

I've been there before, but I never took the first step.
"............ that is.

　I wanted to say, "Yes.
　Not too long ago, I would have nodded and just held hands with him to repay him for saving me.

　But... As a princess. Knowing her weakness as a girl.


　It would be a lie to say that he did not feel any emotion at all at the sight of her beauty.

　And the impression that she was a woman, that she had dared to take root, upset Futa once again.

"Hmm.

　For some reason, Lilac was pleased with herself.
　She was confident in her appearance, and after Futa's arrival, she began to pay more attention to it.
　For example, she changed her perfume from time to time to see how Futa would react.

　Should I also be particular about my hairstyle? If I dress up as a maid, I can find out to some extent.

　Above all, yes. The fact that Futa's favorite color is silver is a big advantage... he thinks nonsensically. If your hair was red, he'd like it red.

　Anyway.
　I knew that it would not be impossible to make him feel something other than respect.

"Then say it again. Just like you did when you jumped in. Come on, come on!

　--Or maybe he was just frustrated for some reason.

　Or maybe he was just frustrated that he got turned over.

　Or maybe he was just frustrated that he was the only one who took it to mean that, and that he was upset.

　That may have been a good thing and a bad thing for a warrior who cares about winning and losing, but in any case.

　How can I say that I love her head-on after setting the scene so well?
　In front of Lilac, whose curiosity, expectations, and competitive spirit were all mixed up and she couldn't quite figure out what was going on.

　Futa looked straight at Lilac and said.

I love you.
"........................ why?



　There is a difference between s*xual love (that) and respect (this).


　I'm not going to be able to do it.

　I've never had anything like this go wrong in my life.

　Oddly enough, it was the same as the number of times she had been loved.