Chapter 34

I was so distraught that I almost forgot to mention Gabriella’s actions during our combat exercise. The sergeant told me she would ‘look into it’. From most people, that would have been a brush-off. From the glint in her eye, though? I almost felt sorry for Ms. Hernandez.

Almost. She’d left me with a big damn mess to clean up.

“Not very fun, is it?” said Yukiko. She had pulled up a chair and parked herself a respectful distance from the sergeant’s office.

“Ms. Sato! What a surprise.”

The short woman shrugged. “I heard what happened and I thought you could use some support. I am your class rep, after all.”

“Not anymore, you aren’t,” I said, offering her a hand up. “We graduated, remember?”

She shrugged again as we started walking away. “At the end of the day, you’re still my kouhai. I’m responsible for you. But again, not very fun to be on the receiving end, is it?’

“What isn’t….” I stopped in place. “Oh, that.”

“Oh, that,” she said, looking disgusted at the memory. “Just my first kiss taken without my say-so. No big deal.”

“You know I am sorry about that,” I said. “I was a different person back then, and a much worse one.”

“So was I, in my own way,” she replied. “Still, you see why I reacted the way I did.”

“Yes, it does tend to leave one feeling a bit violated,” I replied. “I still have nightmares about you slamming me into the elevator’s ceiling.” I glanced around, realizing that we were airing some dirty laundry out in the open. “Is it just you here?”

She nodded, but stayed quiet. We walked in uncomfortable silence for a moment.

Well, I was bound for an awkward conversation with Mariko. Why not have a little fun on the way to the gallows? “So, you let Mariko beat you in melee range. How the devil did that happen?”

“I didn’t let her do anything,” said Yukiko. “First off, a certain somebody sent an ensorcelled bird behind us to start screaming its head off in your voice. We thought we’d been surrounded. Hiro-kins is rather fond of pincer attacks. We wasted precious time sending Buddy to investigate those bushes.”

“I see my trick worked,” I said. “Still, going up close and personal with Gravity Shift seems like a poor idea.”

Yukiko frowned. “I might have made things harder for myself. In the mornings, I’d been using Gravity Shift to help Hiro with his strength training. I’m always careful with how much pressure I put on people. Well he… he shrugged off my normal grip, and by the time I tried to increase it, Mariko was in my face. She was able to use that practice sword almost half-decently. I had to pay attention to my defense.”

“Do I have you to thank for that shiner she’s wearing?” I asked, moving ahead of her and forcing her to stop.

“Calm down, Marlowe,” she said. “It was a combat exercise. In a real fight, I wouldn’t have used the blunt end of my naginata.”

“I’m perfectly calm. Just… well, I worry about her.”

Her eyebrow arched. “Perfectly calm? You didn’t have to see the death glare you just shot me.”

“Maybe not perfectly calm…”

Yukiko’s knowing smirk was irritating, as always. “You’re such a doting boyfriend, for being a playboy cad.”

“Former playboy cad, thank you very much,” I said.

“Hm. Maybe not a cad, at least,” she said, her good cheer fading. “Anyway, Kiyo used the distraction to tag me with a Magic Bolt and I had to play dead.”

“What was Kowalski doing during all this?”

Yukiko groaned. “You know him. He has so much potential, but he gets in his own way. As soon as Mariko closed in on me, he ordered Buddy to help, but he’s soft on her. That hesitation let Hiro cast a Proxy Fireball and that was it. It really wasn’t my finest hour.”

“You were outnumbered,” I said.

“So were you,” said Yukiko. “You won, though. A little noise in the rear shouldn’t have thrown me off my game like that. In an actual fight, that would have been the end.”

I only nodded. Yukiko Sato was one of the loveliest women I’d ever met and, despite her sharp tongue and harsh expressions, my first instinct was still to try and comfort her. The threat of devilmaid magic had instilled that faux-chivalry in me. Unfortunately, that instinct had just gotten me in trouble with Gabriella. I really needed to work on that, just like Yukiko had to work on her situational awareness.

“Either way, I’d much rather work with you than against you,” I said.

“That I can agree to,” she said. “I’ll take it as a compliment that you’d rather solo two wizards than face me.”

“Take it how you like,” I said before shooting her a wink. Anybody else might have taken that as flirting. Yukiko knew better.

Right? Our Father Below, I hoped so; I didn’t need her on my case, too.

“I think I will,” she said. Yukiko’s smiles were rare. Not smirks or knowing grins; those were all too common. No, the real smiles without pretense. They always felt like a reward, which Hiro had told me was why he’d chosen her out of his admirers.

“Still, Soren,” she said, her face returning to its normal state of all-business, “you really need to do something about this. You’re starting to build your own unwanted harem, and I’d like to think you know better than to cheat on Mariko.”

“I’m really not trying to. I’ve attracted Ms. Hernandez’s eye because she thinks I’m ‘playing hard to get,’ or some rubbish. She’s been told to back off multiple times.”

“She isn’t the one I’m worried about,” said Yukiko.

I wasn’t sure what Yukiko was going on about, but I didn’t have the time to ask for clarification, since we had arrived in the mess hall. The others were playing a round of War of the Arcane. It worked as a snow-day alternative to unit combat training, I supposed.

“I forgot to ask,” said Yukiko. “How much trouble are you in?”

“None for the kiss,” I said. “I might have been too open with some of my… hidden talents, and now I’m being forced to help Mr. Lahlou with his reverse engineering studies.”

“Hidden talents? You mean…” Yukiko mouthed ‘demonic’.

“The same,” I said.

“Thank God,” she said. “Those were only going to make us targets.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re having an attack of morality.”

“Not really,” she said. “Magic is a tool, and their tools have proven to be extremely effective. I’m more worried about some mundane soldiers seeing you throw around those sorts of spells and calling in an artillery strike on us. From a distance, they couldn’t see you were hornless.”

She couldn’t have meant that as an insult, but it still stung.

**************

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

I ended up playing War of the Arcane with Mariko and, to my surprise, she didn’t bring up Gabriella’s unwelcome advances. That struck me as a bit odd, but I also didn’t want to discuss it in public. The conversation was occupied with discussions about game mechanics and general tactics.

“I had wondered why the dice target was so much higher when the unit is in light brush,” said Mariko, moving her infantry into position in the green hex. “The fighting today taught me better.”

“Cover is shockingly important,” I said. “The best way to not be shot is to not be seen.”

She smirked at that. “The real winning move is to never fight at all.”

“That reminds me,” I said. “How has your Lovely Alchemy been progressing? Are you going to be turning trash into gold any time soon?”

She stuck out her tongue as she considered her next move before shifting a squad of wizards into position to cover her infantry. “I remember why I never liked Chemistry classes. It is all so impersonal. I like history and stories, not mols and chemical bonds.”

“A pity your magic doesn’t let you alter history, then.”

“That would have been a blessing,” she said, before pausing a moment. “Then again, we would have never met.” She reached across the table and brushed my hand as I moved a mackie-drawn cannon into position.

“That would have been an absolute tragedy, my dear,” I said taking her hand to give her fingers a quick kiss. The redness that spread across her dimpled cheeks told me she loved that maneuver.

“I will need that back to continue playing,” she said.

“Then the winning move would be to keep going,” I said.

“Kasasagi…”

I reluctantly released her after the soft rebuke.

Mariko’s performance in that match could best be described as workmanlike. She didn’t make any critical errors, but I noticed she wasn’t always making the best choices. I tried to point out her mistakes, but she shut me down.

“I want to see how far I can get on my own. And no going easy on me!”

“If you insist,” I said, resisting the urge to make the obvious dirty rejoinder.

I was true to my word; in the end, I managed to bait out her faster units, split them off from the main body, and take her apart in detail.

“I think I see why you won in England,” she said after my final simulated Bloody Lance. There was disappointment in her voice; I hadn’t realized she’d taken the game so seriously.

“You mean my daring escape, of course,” I said, laughing nervously as I shifted in my seat. Nobody was paying us any mind as they were focused on their own games, but paranoia is its own reward. “It used to seem so glorious, but meeting you all certainly put it in context.”

This time, she took my hand. “Remember, Soren: you are forgiven.”

“Wow, you two really aren’t going to talk about it, are you?” asked the disembodied voice standing over us.

I sniffed, finally detecting Kiyo’s tell-tale scent of citrus and vanilla. Having the game in the mess hall must have masked the odor.

“Kiyo?” asked Mariko. “What are you doing here?’

She shrugged as she came back into view. “I beat Hiroto and he had to use the bathroom. Figured I’d watch the fireworks, but you’re just being lovey-dovey. What gives?”

Mariko frowned. “It is hardly Soren’s fault that he was kissed!”

“I was asking Hiroto about it,” she said. “He said Magpie over here gave her a big ol’ hug after she lost. Kinda suspicious.”

“You did?” asked Mariko, her tone icy.

“Yes,” I said, glaring at Kiyo. “I beat her and the girl started sobbing like an infant in front of me. It seemed like the thing to do.”

“It did?’ asked Mariko. “Why?”

“You don’t know how pathetic she looked,” I said. “I couldn’t bear to watch.”

Mariko still frowned, but nodded. “That does sound like you. You are a bit too kind, Kasasagi.”

“Sneaking around and lying also sounds like him,” said Kiyo. “He has a track record.”

I had to shove aside a flare of anger. There was no sense starting a shouting match in front of everyone. “I see you were digging for dirt. Is that why you asked Hiroto to play?”

“Maybe,” she said, awkwardly playing with her ponytail. “But seriously, Mariko, what the heck? You were so pissed when we caught them!”

“I thought about it while Soren was with the instructors,” she said. “Soren had no guilt in his eyes when we got out of the woods, and she went for him. She was trying to make trouble. Besides,” she added, giving me a reassuring smile, “Sergeant Lakhdar sent him straight back to us instead of punishing him. That means she thinks he is innocent.”

“Exactly,” I said. “Ms. Hernandez is fixated on me for some reason and won’t take no for an answer.”

Kiyo always seemed like her eyes were a size too large for her head, but they seemed enormous as she goggled at Mariko. “You’re taking his word for it? He’s kissed her twice now!”

“Twice?” It was Mariko’s turn for her eyes to go wide. “This was not the first time?”

We were starting to draw attention; Kiyo and I had mostly kept our voices down, but Mariko had just about shouted that last part. Without another word, I grabbed them both by the wrists and led them both outside. We didn’t have to leave the doorway of the mess hall to get some privacy; nobody else cared to brave the falling snow.

“Yes, twice. She thinks I’m playing hard to get,” I said. “I never invite anything! She knows damn well we’re dating.”

“Why did you not say anything before?” asked Mariko.

“Frankly, my dear, you’ve been positively miserable,” I said. “You’ve had quite enough on your mind. I thought I had handled it; apparently, she disagreed.”

Mariko looked me dead in the eye. “What else have you not told me?”

“Gabriella kissed me twice and has been flirting with me when she’s had the chance. I should have told our commanders the first time.” I studiously ignored Kiyo’s knowing grin as her lobbed grenade hit home. “I also must have a second shadow for anybody to know about the first time.”

“Psht, yeah, shoot the messenger,” said Kiyo, her teeth chattering in the chill air. “You’re the one who keeps making smoke and swearing there’s no fire. Face it, Mariko, he’s sneaking around behind your back.”

“No, I’m not!” I hissed. “Mariko, think back to before we dated. Did I ever deny you a shoulder to cry on?”

“W-well, no,” she said.

“And we certainly weren’t doing anything while I was dating you, Kiyo,” I said. “Look me in the eye, Mariko. I swear, it is you and only you. I’m not Paul, looking to move on to the next girl. I love you.”

“Oh sure, now he can say it,” muttered Kiyo.

“Hush, you!” I snapped. “What is your problem?”

“I’m just a concerned friend who doesn’t want Mariko making the same mistake I did,” said Kiyo, rubbing her arms.

“St. Bernard’s Charm,” said Mariko, giving Kiyo’s body a brief aura as the spell took effect. “Now you can stand still.”

“Aw, what, no hug for me?” asked Kiyo, looking my way. “He did that on Christmas Eve, y’know. Let me hold him for warmth. He was even going to let me under the covers with you two, ‘til I hurt his feelings.”

Mariko didn’t look angry at that confession so much as confused.

My hands balled into fists at my side. “Was that… that was a damn trap, wasn’t it?”

Kiyo looked positively radiant. “See, Mariko? He doesn’t even deny it. He’s sneaking around with girls here, girls in North Ireland, even his ex. Get out before the other shoe really drops.”

“Mariko…” I said.

Mariko was taken aback, and silent tears had started rolling down her cheeks. “K-kasasagi, that is an awful lot of red flags…”

“Soren Marlowe’s flag emporium, more like,” said Kiyo.

I ignored Kiyo; she was just trying to needle us into saying something rash. Her game was obvious, though. There were advantages to dealing with the machinations of an awkward introvert; she wasn’t suited to subtlety.

Instead, I reached out, and Mariko let me take her hand in both of mine, which I took as a good sign. “Mariko, do you remember what you said to me in Iceland? That I was forgiven?” She nodded. “Those words saved me. Whatever other rotten things I’ve done or will ever do, I will never do anything to violate that faith in me.”

Mariko hesitated a long moment, and I could see the gears in her head turning as she glanced from me, to Kiyo, and back again.

I don’t know how long we stood in silence, waiting for her response. I think Kiyo and I waited just as anxiously, though for different reasons.

“Soren, this is all difficult to swallow… but I trust you.”

“What?” If Kiyo’s shout hadn’t been muffled by the falling snow, they’d have heard her down in Nagaoka.

“There will have to be changes, but I will give you another chance. After everything you have done for me, you have earned that.” Mariko took a step closer to me. “Kiyo, I know Soren hurt you, but he feels awful about it, and—”

“I can’t believe this!” Kiyo stomped towards us, her dark eyes filling with bitter tears. “Mariko, wake up! He’s a demon!” Thank Our Father Below for the quieting effect of the snow, or they’d have heard that in the lowlands, too. “He’s an awful monster, but you keep forgiving him no matter what he does! He’s obviously fooling around with Gabby and God knows who else! Are you blind, or are you just dumb? How can you—”

The slap was over as suddenly as it began. Mariko kept her hand raised afterwards, even as Kiyo staggered back.

“Mariko?” I asked, my tongue too tied to say anything else after the sudden attack.

“Let me handle this, Soren,” said Mariko.

“Huh?” Kiyo’s hand rose to her reddening cheek. “What was that for?”

“Kiyo,” said Mariko, her voice quavering as she finally lowered her hand, “you have had an awful year. I have even held you while you cried over it. That does not give you the right to sabotage us.”

“It isn’t about me,” she said. “I-it’s for your own good.”

“I cannot believe that. Even if it is about him, Soren… no, Malthus is remorseful, even if he seems to think he shouldn’t be. Forgive him like I have; it will set you free. Nothing good will come from you obsessing over him.”

Kiyo’s face screwed up. “Wh-when he backstabs you, I get to say I told you so.”

Mariko tilted her head. “What will you do when he does not?”

Kiyo’s jaw worked a moment before she spun on her heel and dashed back into the building.

As soon as she was out of sight, Mariko deflated like a balloon with a leak. “Oh, thank goodness that is over.”

I put a hand on her back to steady her. “That’s certainly one way to handle it.”

She looked down at her slapping-hand as though it had betrayed her. I think she was just as surprised by her outburst as I was. “Not the right way.”

“It was effective, at least,” I said.

She gripped her trembling limb. “The combat training is rubbing off on me. I will have to be more mindful. And Soren?”

“Yes, my dear?”

She looked up at me, smiling sweetly. “Remember, I am your only dear.”

“Of course, my dear,” I said.

“And you have no feelings for Ms. Hernandez?”

“Only if irritation counts as a feeling,” I replied.

She nodded. “You have done so much for me, so I will believe you. If anybody else tries to become your dear, let me know immediately. She and I will have words, or else we will have words.”

Funny how she could say it so sweetly, yet with an air of menace. “Of course.” It seemed like the safest response.