Ch.106106. Amethyst and Garnet (6)

“Seohyun! I’ve drawn the water for y… Hup.”

“…Ah.”

I was entrusting my body completely to Seohyun.

With all my soaked clothes removed.

There was no point in keeping those wet clothes on—I’d only catch a cold or worse.

So I had taken everything off, letting her dry me as needed.

But Blanc happened to see it.

Of course, this could be considered a medical procedure, but…

“…Blanc, that reaction is making me embarrassed…”

If Blanc keeps watching with that embarrassed expression, of course I’d feel shy…

“Ah, s-sorry…”

Startled, Blanc scurried back to her room.

Her face was so red…

…

Wait, I should be the one feeling embarrassed.

Why is Blanc more embarrassed than I am…?

“…Seohyun, let’s go upstairs quickly.”

“Ah, okay…”

“If only I had wrapped the towel around you fast… never mind… sigh…”

Now I can’t even remember what happened earlier.

…

Why did she look at me that way before leaving?

Why…

Seohyun stopped drying me and wrapped me in a towel.

“…I’ll carry you.”

“What are you saying! I-I can go by myself!”

Having suffered a mental shock, and then seeing Blanc’s reaction…

I responded sensitively to her offer to carry me.

“Ah, okay…”

Seohyun, who had also suffered a mental shock, became timid…

And I only realized this after seeing her reaction.

“…Seohyun, I think neither of us is in our right mind right now.”

“…Yeah.”

“So. Let’s just go inside and soak in the water without thinking. Being in warm water might help clear our heads.”

“…I guess so.”

“Yes. I was being too sensitive. Today is your day. I’m supposed to grant your wishes without reservation. Everything that happened today… yes, I suppose it’s my responsibility. Continuing this conversation here would be inefficient, wouldn’t it? It’s cold, let’s go upstairs quickly.”

I rambled on to her, hardly knowing what I was saying.

It wouldn’t be right for her to feel bad on her special day.

This is supposed to be a day when she feels good, not gloomy because of me.

I should apologize for my behavior earlier.

Once we get inside.

“Come on, let’s go up.”

“Y-yeah…”

But Seohyun still didn’t seem to feel better.

“Um… Seohyun, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah…”

…What went wrong?

She seems to feel guilty about not protecting me.

That’s why she keeps trying to dry me and be nice to me.

…If that’s the case.

“…Ah, somehow I’m still too cold to move…”

“Ah, um… I’ll c-carry… no…”

“So you weren’t actually refusing when I asked you to carry me. Yes, please carry me. I’m cold. Hurry and carry me.”

“…Okay.”

“That’s right. I’m being silly too. I’ve been clinging to you all the way here, so what’s there to be embarrassed about? I’ve already shown you everything. Right?”

“Uh, y-yeah…?”

“Well, today is your day… If we want to watch that movie, we should warm up quickly. Shouldn’t we forget about all this and move on? How did my passionate fool become a real fool now?”

I can’t stand to see her looking so dejected.

It’s Seohyun’s day.

It’s Seohyun’s day.

Just because of me.

How mentally cornered I am right now doesn’t matter.

That’s a problem for later.

What’s most important now…

Is that I have something I need to do.

Doing that is what matters most.

“…Aren’t you going to carry me?”

“Ah, no…”

“Hurry and carry me. I said I’m cold.”

Even if this strange approach is all I can think of.

And even if this improvised solution is all I have.

Seohyun’s face is finally starting to look a bit better.

Getting so upset over the death of one villain?

Doesn’t that disqualify you as a magical girl?

She picks me up tightly.

Supporting my back and thighs.

The princess carry, as they call it.

Somehow I feel like I’ve been carried this way too often lately.

Really, everyone who offers to carry me does it like this…

Is Arin going to do this to me next…?

The cumbersome towel has already been set aside, so we can just go straight into the bathtub.

But why is Seohyun blushing again?

What if she turns the same color as her hair?

“Um… Bine…”

“Yes…?”

“Why did you take off the towel…?”

“In the bathtub anyway…”

“…”

“…Oh.”

“Let’s go quickly.”

“Wait a moment, could you please pick up the towel…? I can’t reach… Hey, Seohyun? Seohyun???”

Being sexually harassed like this, and by Seohyun of all people…

My body heated up before even getting into the warm water.

Seohyun put me down in the bathtub and fled, saying she needed to get herself ready too.

Of course, I was left unable to think straight. How unfair of her.

…

I mean, even though she did dry every part of my body with the towel.

S-still…

…

Maybe I should just dunk my head in the tub and sleep eternally…

No, I can’t do that.

Sigh…

I sank deeper into the water and fell into thought.

* * *

It was all my fault.

I diligently dried Bine off. When I was about to put her in the bathtub, her behavior seemed similar to usual.

That’s somewhat of a relief.

But still… still.

The mistake I made.

Bine almost died.

I had no idea she was thinking that way.

What on earth.

Sigh.

Only now do I feel a bit cold.

Ah, that’s right.

I fell into the lake too.

The lake water was cold.

How cold must it have been for Bine?

In that piercing coldness.

And she didn’t enter willingly to save someone.

She was forced to the bottom of the lake by someone’s malice.

I can’t even imagine how much pain Bine must have felt.

It’s all my fault.

…

I was too complacent.

It’s strange how Bine suddenly changed her demeanor.

Saying it was to reassure me.

How obvious does she have to make it?

A person’s mood can’t change that quickly.

A person’s thoughts can’t change that quickly.

Why is she hiding it?

To reassure me.

Why?

I’m the one who let her suffer such a terrible thing.

I failed to protect her.

As a magical girl, how could I fail to protect someone I live with?

I gather all the towels Bine had been using and place them in the laundry room.

…

Without Bine, there wouldn’t even be these sorted bins here.

In this short time, Bine has already infiltrated every corner of my life.

To say she wants to die, to let her die.

Really…

I released my transformed state, which had become damp, and returned to my everyday appearance.

I seem to have used more magical power than usual.

Was I exerting more force?

Or was I wasting magic inefficiently?

Ah, that’s right.

I jumped in recklessly to save Bine.

I didn’t even take my wand.

Something only someone overflowing with magic like Yunseul unnie would do.

“Haah… really.”

After infiltrating someone else’s life so thoroughly, to say you want to die, that you wish to die.

I don’t want to part ways now.

…Ah.

In the past, when we were villain and magical girl.

I wanted to smash her head into the bottom of that lake so badly.

I wanted to break that stiff neck and drop her.

But now…

I don’t know.

Since we agreed to bathe together, I enter the bathroom.

Bine has her head half-submerged and her eyes closed.

…

Even though she’s a supernatural being, I can’t help but worry.

I approach and call out to her.

“Bine.”

No response.

For a moment, my heart felt like it dropped.

This time, I decided to poke her cheek while calling her.

That way, I could tell if Bine was really okay.

My mind was already filled with negative thoughts.

After what happened earlier, if she had dark thoughts.

While I left her alone.

That shouldn’t happen.

I poke her cheek.

It’s soft…

A little deeper.

Squish—

“Bine…?”

“…Ah.”

“Bine…!”

“Hyat?!”

Unable to contain my joy, I hugged Bine tightly.

“W-wait a minute! I-I’m completely naked right now! S-suddenly?!”

“Bine, thank goodness, thank goodness… thank, haah… I thought something had gone wrong again…”

Bine glared at me with a look of exasperation.

Of course, since I was hugging her tightly, I couldn’t really see that look.

“…Were you worried I might make a bad choice?”

“Yeah…”

“Why would I do that? That would be stupid. Earlier I was just shocked. I have things I need to do… I can’t die until then.”

“Things you need to do…?”

Bine is no longer a villain.

She has no powers.

Of course, if I loosened the seal a little, she could use her powers again…

But, things she needs to do…?

Doesn’t she have none now…?

“Why are you so surprised? Are you worried I might become a villain again? Well… if I do become a villain again, I’ll make sure to hit you less painfully, Seohyun.”

“Bine…? Bine, you…?”

Pfft.

With a laugh, Bine pushed me away and said:

“I’m just joking, a joke. Geez. Can’t I make jokes like this?”

“I-I thought…”

“Thought what?”

“I don’t want to fight with you anymore…”

“What kind of magical girl has become so soft? Hm? This won’t do…”

“No… Bine… but you… ugh…”

I can’t continue my words.

I’m too embarrassed.

Come to think of it, I’m doing something quite bold right now…

But somehow that one sentence feels more embarrassing than our bare skin touching.

“Well. What do you think my job is? What I’m doing right now. I’m spending my time with all of you, aren’t I?”

Bine held both my hands and told me:

“You all need to be happy. That’s my job. For this month.”

“…”

“…If you look at me with those eyes, I… I just worked up the courage…”

Bine’s face turns red.

Ah, how cute.

She’s flustered.

…Should I do it?

Oh, whatever.

Splash—!