Midnight.

　Light Marvel sneaked out of his room.

　Currently, besides Light, there are three people on duty inside the inn, two guards, two kinsmen knights, and one Seven. Outside the inn, there were five kinsman knights on patrol.

　Other than Seven's presence, it's "business as usual" for Light.

　Hence, the way to get out was also familiar.

　In order to avoid being found by the guarded knights of the room, I climbed over the wall of the open-air bath and went outside.

　The next open-air bath leading from there belongs to his destination, Seven's room.

　Light unilaterally decided that he would eat dinner today in Seven's room, pretending to go to the bathroom while he ate, and unlocked the window in the washroom leading to the open-air bath.

　From there, he would be able to sneak into Seven's room.

　And, sure enough, the lock was left unlocked.


'............'

　He killed his breath, opened the window slowly and noiselessly, and slid his thin body into the crack.

　The infiltration was successful. The rest of the way through the changing room and onward to Seven's sleeping quarters.


"!

　A rustling of bushes outside rustled in the wind.

　Light turned around and strained his eyes, but it was too dark to see clearly.

　Normally, the situation would have already been found by Anko. However, Seven is hiding the fact that she is a second. Therefore, it was risky to summon Anko, so he didn't let her look around.


............

　Holding his throbbing heart and moving quietly, Light takes out a blade from his inventory.

　It was a pair of scissors (...) - something he asked the matchmaker to bring to him after dinner.

　Wright was planning to use these scissors to cut the sleeping Seven's hair.

　A half-hearted provocation would only irritate him. But if he tore that beautiful silvery-white hair to shreds, he must be angry with the quicksand. He thought to himself.


　This was a sober and pinchy situation for Seven.

　The condition for the Wraith to be able to undo the changes (henge) was to take damage. In other words, if a girl's skin was pricked by a needle, she would take 1 damage and the change would be released.

　And damage assessment exists for hair, too.

　In Mövius Online, if your hair is cut by scissors, you take "0 damage".

　Even though your HP has not been cut at all, you have taken damage. Strange as it sounds, this was Mövius Online's system.

　Therefore, with this 0 damage, Wraith's change would be unraveled.

　The moment the scissors entered his hair, Seven would become a second first test.


　But such a thing, Light had no way of knowing.

　He just wanted Seven to get angry and scold him so badly that he went to set up the escalating prank.

　Hence, he is not aware of how badly he is trying to do something that he is not supposed to do.


Humph: "......

　Watching Seven's sleeping face, Wright opens the scissors.

　What can I say to agitate him in the morning, and this guy will be the angriest of all?　He gently took Seven's bangs in his hand as he thought about all of this--.



"Your Highness!　What are you doing?!

!


　Just as I was about to put the scissors in, a loud voice came from behind me.

　The owner of the voice was a woman. It was the matchmaker to whom Seven had handed over the heartfelt hints.


　She had personally stood by Seven's side like a squire, 24 hours a day. Seven had readily accepted her as such, saying, "So that's how it is. Seven didn't know much about the work of a matchmaker at a high-class inn.

　As it happened, she was cleaning the open-air bath she would be taking the next morning for Seven, who seemed to enjoy taking a bath, when she saw a light coming over the wall.

　Normally she would have called out to Light at that moment. But she's getting 1M gold coins from Seven. That's why she had a hunch that this was the "chore" that Seven was talking about.

　So I hid in the bushes to avoid being seen by Light, and followed him through the window.

　That's how I arrived at the scene of the crime.


''Even Your Highness can't allow such a thing!　Please don't do this!

　Stopping the prince's delinquency - I see, this is a job worth five months' salary, she was inwardly convinced.

　At the same time, she also regretted why she had accepted such a job.

　Her hands are shaking tremulously. Of course. My life was at stake.

　If Wright said "death penalty" right now, right here and now, he would really be killed. The prince has so much power.


''...... .......''

　When the matchmaker's voice turned back to him, Wright looked impatient for a moment, but ...... his expression gradually cooled.


　It doesn't matter if they find out anyway.

　No, rather, he's doing it to be found out and to be pissed off.

　Wright reopened up.

　Ignoring the matchmaker, he turned to Seven and opened the scissors again.

'Your Highness, please stop!　Your Highness!

　It's pretty loud, but Seven shows no signs of waking up.


'Your Highness!'

Whoa!

　The matchmaker, who had stepped on the ground that she couldn't stop just by talking to him, grabbed Light by the shoulders and pulled him forward.

　Wright slumped back and rolled onto the tatami mat.


''......!''

　Seeing the light that had turned into an upturned turtle, Nakai's face suddenly turned pale.


''Nah...... Nakai-esque!　How dare you roll the prince to the floor!　I'm sure you're ready for it!

　Wright is enraged by the humiliation.

'Shh, but this was the only way!
Do not think that you can stop the prince from doing what he is doing!
I have a problem with you cutting your hair without your permission!
This is my Kingsguard!　What I do with my kinsmen is my business!
Oh, insolence!

　The nakai, who inadvertently argued against it.


　Wright glared at Nakai with a single word, "...... ho,

''You're talking back to the prince?''
But, sir,
You still don't seem to know your place, do you?

　Moving to stand in front of the standing matchmaker, Wright showed him the scissors and said.

'You think you can disobey me?'
...... No.
'I'll cut your hair first. Seven is next.
............ yes. But,
'But?　But what?　Are you still insulting me?
...... Sorry. It's nothing.
That's good.


　It was tens of thousands of times better to just get a haircut than to be punished for insult.

　In the first place, there are only a few people in this empire who have the power to stop the prince's actions. Leaving that to the matchmaker of a nondescript inn was an impossible task at the foundation.

　The matchmaker gave up everything and calmly observed the prince in front of him.


　Oh, he's being stubborn. It was obvious that he was.

　He's been exposed for his misdeeds, he's distraught, his pride won't allow him to do so, and he's trying to somehow gain the upper hand, wielding his power and forcing the interloper in front of him to give in.


　-- if he gets licked, it's the end of the world. Once the prince is licked and he is no longer the prince, there is nothing left for Light to do. Because he is painfully aware of this, Light is more brash than anyone else.

　The sense of inferiority and loneliness that Light has had since he was a child has made him feel this way. This is now a disease. This is a disease that keeps Wright overstressed.


　Nakai thought. I didn't save His Highness, he thought. I couldn't do my job.

　I will return the 1M gold coin to Master Seven. She made up her mind and stared blankly at the approaching scissors.



"-You're a lot of things to say when you're quiet.


　...... Before long.

　Behind the light, a figure about a head larger than him - Seven - was standing behind him.


''Wha......!?''

　He then grabbed Wright's head eagle-headedly and gaggedly twisted it counterclockwise to make eye to eye contact.

'You're not here to cut my hair, are you?

　It was a very quiet voice.

　But the power was more than enough.

'So ...... it is.'
But she's about to cut her hair, the matchmaker.
That's because this guy was insulting me--
'Insults?　Who was insulted, when and how. Tell me, and I'll listen.

　Seven's hands are filled with power, and Wright opens his mouth, frowning at the pain that is slowly coming.


'An insult is an insult!　For a commoner to defy the prince and talk back to him is nothing short of insulting!

Okay, you're half dead then.

!


　Seven said, in her usual style, not knowing what was "okay" and what was "then".

　Wright is confused. I don't know what that means. But Seven is already shaking her fist in the air. If he doesn't do something about it, he'll be left half-dead with no idea what it means.

　The nakai, who was watching from the side, thought That's a lot of speed ...... and.

''Well, wait!　Wait!　It's early!
What the f*ck?
Why?
Why, because you were cheeky and annoying to me, and I'm half dead.

!

　Wright huffs.

　The same recklessness he had been subjected to was being returned.


...... I'll say it again. You're not here to cut your housekeeper's hair, are you? You know. You're here to cut my hair, aren't you?
"~!

　He shouted at me at close range and Light shrank back.

'So you didn't know why I was going to half-kill you. So, wait, I asked you desperately why. But, you see, the matchmaker didn't ask that. Even though I didn't know why, I just accepted it quietly. Do you know why?
I'm the prince.
Yeah. But that's not all.

　Seven removed her hand from Wright's head and faced him squarely and said.

'It's because I have no hostility towards you. Because she doesn't have the slightest idea of harming you. Because she's a very good person. So I accepted it in silence. You were going to tear such a person's hair to shreds.
...... .......

　After being told that, Light realized for the first time.

　The reason why the matchmaker didn't resist was because he wasn't an enemy.

　The more he thought about it, the more he learned. And gradually, he became more and more aware and his blood began to boil. Maybe I was about to do something really serious, I thought.


Well, if you're prepared to become a bad guy with a reasonable amount of determination, you can do whatever you want. But the question is, what's the goal?

　Purpose. No way, they can see through you?　Such were Wright's concerns shortly afterwards.

'You wanted to piss me off, didn't you?
No, no!
It's the same. You've been watching this all day, I can feel it.
......~~!

　He hurriedly denied it, but Light's face was bright red as an answer.

　He tried to run away unbearably, but Seven grabbed his hand and he couldn't escape.

　His face was getting hotter and hotter. Seven's words reverberated in Light's brain.


　He'd been watching all along - that was what he was essentially looking for more than a scolding, more than anything else.

　There was no need to go out of his way to make him angry. Seven had been looking at the lights for a long time.

　Wright's wish for someone to be watching him had already been fulfilled.


''Come on, that's the end of it.

　But Seven's actions don't stop there.

　Saying that, she brushes her forehead out of Light's disgusted bangs.

　The next moment--





　Gosh!　-- and a dull sound.


　Dekopin (・・・・).

　Wright held his forehead and contorted his face in terrible pain.

'...... eh?'

　The matchmaker couldn't believe her eyes. The damage that was glimpsed was "203".

　203 damage ...... In other words, enough to kill the weakest type of demon or so with a single deco pin.

　It's not a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but it's not a bad idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.


''Uu, ugh, ugly, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh...''

　A few seconds passed, and tears slowly poured out of Wright's eyes.


　-- it was too much, it hurt.

　Without a doubt, it was the most painful moment of my life.

　It hurt more than when I hit my nose against the door, more than when I hit my foot against the bedpost, more than when I slipped down the stairs.

　It hurt. That's all it took, and strangely enough, it didn't stop me from crying.

　I thought that crying in front of Seven and the commoners would be a humiliation.

　And yet, for some reason, it's ...... refreshing.

　The reassurance that it's okay to show your weak self with this guy next to you is what makes it so.

　I've cried so much that I can't take it back.

　Then there's no need to be brave anymore.

''Ugh!　Uuuuuuuuuuut!


　The matchmaker looked at Wright, who squatted down on Seven's futon and sobbed, with a worried look on her face, and Seven looked at her with a look of relief.

　And then the night drew to a close.



　　* * * *



　It was a few minutes after Light, who must have been tired of crying, began to sleep regularly under my covers. I didn't get much sleep.

　My matchmaker has laid out another futon for me and I'm lying next to Light, but I can't fall asleep.

　I'm thinking about a lot of things.

　This little brat has a little bit of that in common with me as a child.

　He has that pointy feeling where he thinks a licking is the end of the world. That's exactly what it is.

　Maybe that's why. I can't help but wonder about Wright's future.

　This guy, if you tweak the direction he's going in a little bit, maybe ......, that's what I'm thinking.



'............ despise, did you?'

　Before I knew it, I didn't hear any more sleep.

　Instead, I could hear the weak voice of the lights.


'On the contrary, do you think so?'

　When I asked him back, Wright snickered and replied.

'You're not that kind of guy. You're more rude, foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, confident, insensitive, caring and disgusting. You wouldn't despise me if I cried.
If you know what I'm talking about, why do you ask?
...... I don't know, I was worried. But I knew you would.

　Maybe it was because he woke up in his sleep, or maybe it was because he cried a lot, but Wright was very honest.

'It's always been this way. I have an inferiority complex with your sister. Father dismissed me as incompetent and wouldn't let me see mother. I have been lonely. I've always been insecure.
Will I ever see my mother again?
Father is very jealous. It seems that your mother's love for me, her son, is unbearable to him. It's made your mother feel imprisoned.
That's ...... simply creepy.

　The emperor, I feel like I've lost out in admiration for being a loving wife.

　Then Wright chuckles deep in his throat with a crooked smile.

'Did you call your father creepy?　I'm a prince. I am the son of the Emperor.
Do you want the death penalty?
...... No way.


　A single sigh of huff and a moment of silence.

　The breaths of two people, the smell of tatami mats, the fuzzy bedding, and the grain of the wood on the ceiling that was faintly visible to my eyes, which were used to the darkness of night. It's kind of nostalgic.

　It reminds me of the school trip. This is how we used to spend the night, talking about the girls we liked. The next morning, the whole class found out. I've been on the receiving end of the rumor that I was the one to divulge the truth about ......, but now that I think about it, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I was an elementary school student and that was stupid.


"I need a little help with my problems.

　As I was smiling as I was thinking about this, Light uttered that.

'If it's okay with me.'
I hate it, but I can't have anything but freaks like you.

　It's a terrible thing to say. But I'm happy about it. So I silently urged Wright's advice.

"I want to do something about this feeling of inferiority and loneliness I have.
Why?
Because if you keep this up, you'll end up like that again. I'll have to be brave again and protect my petty pride.
You don't like that.
Yes. You don't know what this agony is, though, do you?

　No, I understand.

　Don't suck up to adults, kid.

　We all used to be kids, remember?

"Only one of two things can fix this.
Two?　Can you solve it?
Yeah.

　It's simple.


Run or fight.


　I escaped.

　How about you?

　I can say I'm fighting lightly now. But you will have a hard time afterwards, and you will want to run away again and again and again.


　I won't let you. I won't let you.

"If you resist ...... now, you get one as a bonus.


　Once warped, you can never go back to the way things were.

　Just like I'm obsessed with being number one in the world and Champagne is obsessed with being a young lady, if you go crazy, that's it.

　You'll still be fine. You'll do something about that inferiority complex and loneliness before it clings and doesn't leave you.


...... Maybe if I had a brother like you, I wouldn't be so warped.

　Maybe.

　But it's not too late.



Seven, I need you to help me.

It's no problem.


　In the dimly lit room, I grinned back - and for the first time, the lights showed a clear smile.


　It's starting right now.

　Light is going to stand up to his father and sister to overcome his feelings of inferiority and loneliness.

　All I have to do is stand next to them.

　It's only four weeks until the end of the empire - no, the end of the emperor.




...... Hey, Seven.
What?
We had a moment.
Oh.
A...... a, u ...... a, e, e ...... and...
'Oh?　Aiueo?
"...... Nothing!　Go to bed, rude!
Yeah, .......