Chapter 32: Pay

I spotted Linne as soon as I entered the classroom. She was staring out the window, her usual sharp gaze fixed on something outside.

…Or perhaps she was just spacing out.
I had a feeling…

I walked over to her and cleared my throat.

“Ahem!”

“Oh…Ellie? What brings you…”

Her brown eyes turned to me, wide with surprise. Her reaction annoyed me.

“What do you mean ‘what brings me’? I’m just…sitting in my seat.”

I’d sat elsewhere yesterday, so her question was understandable.

I just liked this seat. Nothing more. I hoped she didn’t misunderstand.

“Oh, no, of course. Sit down.”

Linne smiled brightly, but the sight of her goofy face made my worries from last night seem trivial. Then, her expression turned serious.

“Are you feeling unwell? You look pale.”

“Ugh, that’s…”

Was it that obvious?
I’d tried to look presentable.

Her concern pricked my conscience, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t tell her I’d spent a sleepless night agonizing over her, and that it coincided with… that time of the month.

I remembered this morning. A sharp pain in my lower abdomen, followed by…blood. A lot of it.

It was expected, but still unpleasant. Where did all that blood even come from, in this small body? I sighed.

At least I was handling it better now. My first period, a few years ago, was a disaster. I’d cried and wailed, and Sister had a hard time calming me down.

In the end, she’d resorted to drastic measures.

Kiss—

Her sudden kiss had stopped my tears, though it nearly stopped my heart as well.

Kissing Sister…
That wasn’t normal sibling behavior.

Could it be…that she felt the same way?

The thought filled me with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. What would I tell Mother and Father? How many children could Sister bear? What would we name them? My mind raced with happy fantasies.

Of course, it was just wishful thinking. Sister probably didn’t feel the same way.

She’d only kissed me to stop me from crying. It must have been a last resort. She probably hated it. I was such a troublesome younger sister.

But I felt a strange sense of triumph. I’d stolen Sister’s first kiss. Though she probably didn’t consider it a big deal.

She’d been happy that I’d become a “woman,” though I felt like my past life had been invalidated. But I couldn’t refuse her gift.

She gave me a pair of tiny shoes, baby shoes, actually. I couldn’t wear them. She knew my shoe size…

She sometimes showed me the shoes, her eyes blazing with…something I couldn’t decipher. Was she touched that I’d kept them?

“Ellie?”

Linne’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She’d asked me something… about why I looked pale. I couldn’t tell her the truth yet.

“…It’s nothing.”

I avoided her gaze, feeling uncomfortable. Silence hung between us.

****

I still wanted to thank Linne. After much deliberation last night, I’d reached a conclusion.

“Sara, help me!”

I’d seek outside counsel. They weren’t as smart as me, obviously, but it was important to consider different perspectives.

It was free-for-all sparring time, and Linne was dueling Nina. I had to find a way to thank her before she returned.

Sara narrowed her blue eyes.

“What’s this, Ellie? You’re actually seeking my help?”

“Well, it’s like this…”

I explained yesterday’s incident, omitting the part about crying like a baby in front of Linne. I must have been under some kind of spell.

I was a cold, emotionless swordswoman. I might wield the Flame Sword, but my heart was as cold as ice.

Sara smiled faintly and fell into thought, twisting a strand of her blue hair and staring at me intently.

She was no match for my genius intellect. But I waited patiently. A wise man waits ten years, or so I’d heard. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for, though.

Finally, Sara’s eyes lit up.

“Could you…lean closer?”

It seemed…suspicious, but I went along with it. I approached cautiously, and she leaned closer, her lips near my ear.

Chomp—

“Eek?!”

She bit my ear! I tried to pull away, but my body went limp. Her wet tongue tickled my ear, my legs giving way beneath me. Sara’s slender arm supported me.

Slurp—chomp…

“Haa…stop…”

She ignored my plea, the wet sucking sounds making my head spin. I finally escaped after a prolonged…ear assault.

“Hee hee, sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”

“You…pervert!”

She didn’t look sorry at all. Perhaps that was a talent in itself.

I was furious, but I refrained from violence. I wasn’t a monster who hit girls.

I clenched my fists, calculating the optimal trajectory for a punch.

I’d hear her out first.

I lowered my fists and leaned closer.

“So…”

Chomp—

“Eek?!”

I fell for it again. Such a cheap trick…did she think I was stupid? I wouldn’t let her get away with this.

Sara wouldn’t leave me alone. Even a slight breeze against my ears made me shudder. But I finally heard her suggestion.

“You…pervert! What are you asking me to do?!”

“Just try it. It’ll definitely work, hee hee.”

“Ugh…”

It sounded like a joke. Or perhaps…it was a pervert’s idea of a suitable solution. Sara’s persistence was…persuasive.

Then, a brilliant idea struck me, a much better plan than Sara’s. She was no match for my intellect. My eyes sparkled as I shared my superior strategy.

“Why don’t you go and thank her for me?”

“…Sigh.”

Sara’s rare serious expression was intimidating. The air around us grew cold.

I instinctively cowered, avoiding her gaze.

“I’m sorry…”

Her expression softened. She suddenly pinched my cheeks, stretching them painfully.

“There, there…don’t be so down.”

“Ow…”

“It seems Linea is coming back. Let’s hurry.”

Linne was walking towards us with Nina, the duel apparently over. I wasn’t ready, but…

Should I just run away?

Did I even need to thank her? She didn’t seem to care.

I turned to leave, but Sara grabbed my shoulder.

“Ellie, you haven’t forgotten our wager, have you?”

“Wager? What wager…?”

Of course I remembered. How could I forget my humiliating defeat? But I avoided her gaze, pretending to be clueless.

“Too bad. I was hoping for something simple, but I’ll have to think of something else. For example…”

Sara licked her lips, staring at my ears. I quickly interrupted her.

“Of course I remember! The wish, right? Tell me what it is.”

I felt like I was falling into her trap, but I had no choice. I could only hope it was something simple.

“Hee hee…my wish is for you to thank Linne.”

“Wh…what?”

Seriously?

She wasn’t lying. She was definitely crazy. Or maybe…this was a good thing.

Stupid girl. She’d regret this later.

I smirked internally, enjoying her foolishness. Sara held onto me as Linne approached. I was pushed in front of Linne, Sara’s hand on my back.

“What’s going on? Do you have something to say?”

Linne looked confused, not a single drop of sweat on her despite the duel.

Seeing her goofy face, I steeled my resolve.

“Um…Linne?”

This was all because of Sara’s wish. And Linne supposedly liked these things. I wasn’t doing this of my own free will.

I just had to thank her and get it over with…!

Embarrassed, I closed my eyes, lifted my shirt slightly, and exposed my stomach to Linne.