Chapter 149 – Trial (7)

“A ring…?”

“Yes.”

Rubia stood and offered her hand.

“Let’s go.”

“…Uh… Stealing is wrong on Earth.”

She paused, hand still outstretched, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer.

Step, step.

“Hah, I know that. It’s the same in the Empire. What do you take me for?”

Step, step.

I took two steps back.

“Th-Then where are we getting these rings…?”

“You’ll see. Come on.”

She offered her hand again.

“But… you said no touching—”

“Holding hands is normal for friends. You’ve seen it, right?”

“I… guess…?”

“Of course.”

Her hand swayed enticingly. I swallowed hard.

It would be soft. Warm… comforting. It would feel nice…

But taking her hand felt like a huge transgression. I’d already crossed enough lines, but this…

But what if she’s disappointed if I don’t?

What if she sulks and ignores me?

“Aren’t you going to take it?”

“Eek!”

This is like being asked to choose between Mom and Dad!

I tried to think objectively… What if the real Rubia is watching?

Then…

“Um… R-Rubia.”

“Yes?”

“I… made you dinner… and coffee… So… h-holding hands is… too much…”

Shaking my head, I moved to stand beside her.

“Let’s just… go.”

“…Heehee. Alright.”

I snuck a peek at her face. Instead of disappointment, she was smiling even brighter.

“…You’re not disappointed?”

“Honestly, I thought I would be. But this is… surprisingly nice. Heehee.”

“O-Oh…”

Rubia nodded and gently guided me towards the door.

“Let’s go.”

“Uh… Okay…”

Step, step.

Tap, tap.

“Um… can I change? These are my pajamas…”

“It’s fine.”

“—Ugh…”

We reached the entrance and put on our shoes.

“Just getting rings is boring.”

With a click, Rubia swung open the door.

“…Huh?”

“Let’s have some fun first.”

Beyond the doorway was the amusement park I’d visited with Mom and Dad.

“R-Rubia…? What’s all this?”

“What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?”

“I… Uh… What?”

As I stepped outside, my clothes transformed.

“…A school uniform?”

Then…

Then, then, then…

No way…

Is Rubia…?

I turned to look at her. She was smiling quietly.

“—Gasp…”

Sure enough, she was wearing the same uniform.

But… it looked completely different on her.

On me, it was just… plain. Too big, even, my hands barely peeking out of the sleeves.

But on Rubia…

Well, let’s just say she looked incredible.

“How do I look? Is it weird?”

“You look… beautiful… Really beautiful…”

“Heehee… Really? That’s a relief.”

She lowered her head with a shy smile. She was breathtaking.

For a moment, I just stared, forgetting to breathe.

“…Noah?”

“—Huh? Y-Yes!”

“You’re staring.”

“S-Sorry…”

Her skirt swayed precariously with each step. It was so short…

Even though there’s no one around… it’s still nerve-wracking.

“You look good too, Noah. Pretty. And cute.”

“Ugh… But the skirt is too short.”

“No one’s around.”

She twirled, checking herself out, then grinned.

“You know, you’ve never seen my underwear, have you?”

“…No, I haven’t.”

“Want to?”

Her breath tickled my ear as she leaned in close.

“—Wah! N-No! Not at all!”

I flinched back. Rubia smirked and pulled me closer by the waist.

“I’d love to show you, but… accidental glimpses are always better.”

Two—ahem—prominent features threatened to burst free of her uniform, pressing softly against my face.

“See if you can catch a peek. I’m wearing something nice today.”

“—Mmph! Mmph!”

“What should we do first? Hmm… Let’s get some snacks.”

She spun around, her silvery hair swirling, her skirt dancing around her.

“Come on! Let’s go!”

“…Okay…”

Forcing my gaze upwards, I followed her.

Pure thoughts. Pure thoughts. Pure thoughts.

***

“Haa… That was fun.”

Rubia stretched, yawning, then ran a hand through her hair and looked up at the sky.

“Time flies…”

The sky had deepened to a dusky blue, casting a lonely hue.

“Did you have fun, Noah?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, taking a small bite of my cotton candy.

“I was curious how this memory-recreation would work, but I’m surprised how real it feels. Here, say ‘ahh’…”

Rubia nudged my arm and opened her mouth.

“Ahh…”

I mimicked her. A ridiculously ugly bunny-shaped gummy appeared in my mouth.

“And we can even buy snacks! That’s good, right?”

I chewed and swallowed, nodding.

“Yeah, but… we didn’t exactly buy them… we kind of took—”

“Hey, we left money. That counts as buying.”

“But that was Empire currency… it’s not the same…”

“Oh? Those coins are made of real gold, so they’re worth even more.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

Rubia puffed out her chest confidently, then glanced at my cotton candy.

“Want some?”

“It’s too cute to eat…”

“Hmm… Cute?”

I examined the cotton candy bunny, the park’s mascot.

The gummy, the cotton candy, even the candy from earlier—all ugly. They deserved a flick to the forehead.

Annoyed, I took a large bite.

“Heehee. Me too. Can I have a piece?”

“Sure.”

I tore off a bunny ear and offered it—

“—Yipe! Rubia!”

“Hmm?”

“My finger! Why—Hngh… Stop!”

She’d taken my finger along with the cotton candy, playfully teasing it with her tongue.

The sensation was strange. I tried to pull away, but she held it gently between her teeth.

“—Hnngh… Stop…”

Slurp.

She released my finger, a glistening strand of saliva trailing between us. Rubia giggled.

“Mmm… Delicious.”

“—Ugh… What…”

I wiped my finger on my skirt.

“…No more for you.”

“Then I’ll just steal some.”

“—I’ll eat it all first!”

I turned away. Rustle. Rubia was suddenly in my lap.

Her silver hair brushed against my face, her warm breath tickled my neck.

“Then I’ll just take it from your mouth.”

“—Hic!”

Rubia giggled at my hiccup and pressed her forehead to mine.

“Going to eat it all?”

“…N-No…”

“Then?”

“…I’ll share.”

“Good.”

Rubia nodded, satisfied, but didn’t move.

“R-Rubia?”

“Yes?”

“How long… are you going to stay there…?”

“Until you feed me.”

“…I can feed you from here…”

Her hair swayed as she shook her head.

“I want it now.”

“—Heck…”

With trembling hands, I carefully fed her a piece of cotton candy. Slowly, but quickly enough that she couldn’t bite my fingers. Like playing “Bo-ri Bo-ri Rice” as a kid.

Swoosh.

Success!

Rubia blinked, surprised, then chewed and swallowed.

“Th-There!”

She stared at me for a moment, a strange smile playing on her lips, before getting off my lap.

I finally exhaled and fixed my clothes—pulled down my skirt, re-buttoned my shirt.

After a moment, I took another bite of the ugly bunny.

“Still… you’re definitely Rubia…”

“Hm?”

“Well… the other Rubia did the same thing. Teased my fingers while I was feeding her cotton candy…”

I trailed off, lost in the memory, and took another bite. Then I grabbed a gummy from Rubia’s bag.

Cotton candy.

Gummy.

I stuffed all the remaining sweets in my mouth. Even for me, a sugar fiend, it was overwhelmingly sweet.

“It’s getting late… Should we ride the Ferris wheel?”

Rubia stood, watching me with a gentle smile.

“We have to end our date properly.”

It was her usual smile, yet somehow… different.

She offered her hand.

I stood, and took it.