PHASE 35 - WE ADOPTED A NEW TSUNDERE KITTEN

It’s been months since I last held my lover’s hand, and I’d say it’s as smooth and warm as ever. Tiara’s hand is like a heated clay dough that you can squeeze and play with it. Walking hand-in-hand, we made a final tour in this Realm of the Frozen Soul.

Having the out of Tiara’s heart, she is no longer sealed as the Frozen Soul. The connection of the Heavenly Blade of Eternity from both of us will be severed once we exit this place. So this is the final moment where we’ll have to see the crystallization of our love together for all the seven million timelines Tiara went through.

When we went in front of the frozen sword, the diamond blades twinkled with rainbows. It’s as if it is also saying its final goodbye to us.

“...” I muttered. “Thanks for saving me. Thanks for saving Tiara. Thanks for saving everyone. And thank you for choosing and trusting me.”

When I looked at my side, I noticed that Tiara was staring at my face. She’s smiling innocently, like a child who just presented her kindergarten Valentine's card to her parents.

“I’m sure will miss you too, Rikkun.” Tiara chuckled.

“Yeah.” I matched her smile. “But there’s something I missed more.”

“Eh?” Tiara adorably tilted her head. “What is it, Rikkun?”

“Guess.” I held my chin up high.

“Ah! I know it!” Tiara pumped her fists. “You’re trying to flirt! Then I’ll guess it then! Y-You... miss my k-kiss?” Tiara blushed as she said that sentence.

“I miss that too, but there is something more that I wanted for a very long time.” I waved my index finger, indicating that she’s wrong.

“Y-You miss my hugs then?” Tiara pressed her face forward jollily.

“That’s the second on my list. But not the first one.” I said.

“Auuu…” Tiara cried. After a second, her lightbulb went bright. “Y-You miss our master-and-dog foreplay!”

“Not that…” I sighed with disappointment.

“Auuu…” Tiara cried once again. “What is it, Rikkun? I can’t think of anything else…”

“Your punch.” I made an innocent smile.

“E-EEEEEEH!?” Tiara’s eyes opened wide.

“Uh… Tiara…” I scratched my head as I embarrassingly scratched the back of my head. “Can you… punch me? In the nose, please... I quite miss it.”

“Eeeeeeh!?” Tiara shrieked once again. “W-What are you talking about, Rikkun!?”

“Please punch me, Tiara!” I knelt down as if she’s my personal Buddha. “I really wanted you to punch me! I don’t want to think of this as a dream, so please punch me!”

“I-I-I don’t know what’s happening to you, Rikkun…” Tiara held her chest. “B-But if you insist… here it is!”

Tiara bent her right elbow and channeled healing energy on her fist. With a perfect angle of momentum and right force, she unleashed a powerful right straight aiming at my nose!

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“!!!”

Boom! The dimension shattered, and there was a fast shockwave that dissolved immediately.

“Gwahaack!!!”

As a result of Tiara’s excessively powerful punch, I rolled three times on the icy floor before getting splat on the ground. The punch shattered my nose and shook my brain, but it immediately healed due to the healing properties of that punching spell. However, my battered body sustained injuries.

“R-Rikkun! Are you alright!?” Tiara immediately approached me.

“Yeah… I’m… fine…” I said as I held my nose. Now I sound like Squidward.

Her punch was actually a confirmation that she’s finally back. That’s the first thing she did to me when we first met (at least in this timeline) so I really wanted her to do it again. Good thing she’s still the very same Tiara I know… and the very same right jab that used to break my nose a million times.

<>

“So, my promise has been fulfilled. I guess my job here is done~”

Erylle said as she approached me and Tiara. The blonde runt Jeanne also tagged along to converse with us.

“Miss Erylle… Thank you for helping us.” Tiara politely bowed. “If it wasn’t for you, we-”

“Don’t sweat it, Tiara~” Erylle immediately hugged Tiara tight as if she’s a big teddy bear. “I’m just compensating all the favors you have done to me. Now we’re even, my cute puppy!”

“A-Ah! Miss Erylle! Y-You’re suffocating me!” Tiara cried.

I looked at the blonde runt who was just enjoying the sight of the two ex-Frozen Souls. For some reason, I can sense the loneliness in Jeanne’s purple eyes. She seems to be spacing out. I’ve known Amy since I was a child so I know if she’s sad or not, and I’m pretty sure Jeanne acts the same.

“Jeanne…” I called her attention.

“W-What is it, Alaric?”

“What are you going to do now?” I frowned.

Jeanne matched my facial expression and then she bowed down. “To be honest, I don’t know. Hades has destroyed my home universe, so I no longer have a place to stay.”

I already know that she will answer in that manner, and I also wanted to talk to her about a solution. I scratched my head as I tried to muster my courage and offer something that the selfish me wouldn’t usually do.

“Err… I-If you want, you can stay with us…”

“W-What!?” Jeanne blushed, but she’s not exactly surprised. Given that Jeannette von Noctises are geniuses, she would not be awed. She’s just touched.

“In my universe, Jeannette Fontaine von Noctis was a hero. She sacrificed herself for all of us, and she has left some people behind. There were gaps and holes left on the people she loved the most, including her parents. It would be best if you take the place of Jeannette Fontaine von Noctis in our universe… I think...”

“I-Is that really okay with you!?” Jeanne exclaimed, and now I can sense happiness in her tone and her eyes.

“Well… what choice do you have anyway?” I laughed.

“Hey, hey, Rikkun!” Tiara pulled my sleeve when she finally escaped from Erylle’s grasp. “I’m sure Mister and Miss Fontaine would be glad to have their Necchan back!”

Tiara immediately approached Jeanne and knelt down. She grabbed both of her hands as if she’s begging for something, and then her sky-blue-eyes locked with the blonde runt’s purple irises.

“Please, Jecchan!” Tiara gently shook Jeanne’s hand. “Please come with us!”

“J-Jecchan!?” Jeanne screamed.

"Yes!" Tiara nodded like happy kiddo. "'Jeanne' plus '-chan' is Jecchan!"

Tiara's innocence is adorable, but it would help me a lot if she could stop making weird nicknames...

However, Jeanne didn't seem to hate it.

Jeanne blushed in full red alert, and she’s now as unsightly as an apple skin. At first, she wanted to shrug the annoying puppy off, but when she checked on those adorable eyes, she couldn’t help but get brainwashed. After a moment, she sighed down, finally accepting her defeat.

“Fine, fine.” Jeanne turned away like a true tsundere. “Alaric is right. I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Yay! Now I have a new friend Jecchan!” Tiara cheered like a kid. “Now we do the Friendly Handshake Song!”

“Y-You what now!?”

Tiara grabbed Jeanne's soft hand and started to gently shake it. “Je-an-nette is my friend~ Oh I’m grateful that I’ve met her~”

As Tiara’s soothing voice made a nursery rhyme song, I couldn’t help but make a smile on my face. Erylle couldn’t resist it either, and she’s even crying buckets as if she’s watching a soap opera.

“Welcome, Jecchan!” Tiara immediately hugged the blonde runt.

The blonde runt did not resist, not even a tiny bit. She just accepted Tiara’s hug with tearful eyes and a picturesque-smile on her face. Her twinkling purple irises are big and wide as if she's an abandoned kitten who just got a new owner.

And so, the Gate Guardian from Hell’s Prison, who has lost her universe, has found her new home.