PHASE 54 - THE GRAND CONFESSION SERENADE

“Burst! !!!” Lord Hel spawned meter-long wolverine claws from her fists, and charged with an intent to tear my clothes to pieces! She got my shoulder and the right part of my skirt, and now I’m revealing a little more of my skin!

Is she planning to embarrass me in front of Rikkun!?

“ Set!” I cast upon my magical wand. It grew a green energy sword on its tip, and I used it to parry the blades of the goddess of death!

The metallic echoes of our blades clashing made colorful glowing sparks. Our attacks answered each other. After a series of exchanging blows, Lord Hel and I made a step back to catch our breaths.

Meanwhile, the audience had this “Wooooow!” expression. You can’t see this type of fabulous choreography in live action movies and anime. Little did they know that we are fighting for real.

“Hah!” Hell (Goddess Hel/Emily) made a single laugh. “Our difference in power is enormous! You better give up your prince charming!”

“Hell… Why are you doing this!?” I held my aching chest.

“I’m doing this for love, of course!” Hell chinned up and made a grin. “I am worthy of his love! So give it up!”

She’s serious!

But I’m serious too!

“With determination, I refuse to give him up!” I cried.

I pointed my magical wand at the rascal goddess and charged it with energy! Photon particles gathered around it, which made the magical wand Weapon Gem glowing with gold!

“Haaaaaa!!!” I shouted.

But suddenly…

“!!!”

A lance from behind passed through just above my left shoulder with the speed of light! It was so fast that Lord Hel didn’t have the chance to evade it! Now her heart is pierced by the mysterious electrifying spear!

“T-This is…” Lord Hel fell flat on the ground as soon as the magical spear that skewered her heart disappeared. Her whole body was covered with twinkling static sparks. Her blood started to crawl on the wooden stage.

“Whoooooooaaa!” The audience is impressed!

But-but-but! Lord Hel got her heart stabbed for real! She’s dead!

I hanged my jaws. Cold sweat ran through my face. That spell… It can’t be!

I looked at Asumi-nee who appears to have thrown the spear from behind the curtains. Her eyebrows are telling me that she’s furious, so she unleashed the for this musical play’s sake.

My fellow shrine maiden Ayano who’s beside Asumi-nee raised a set of the glow-in-the-dark placard for me to notice. She cycled it like an idiot board.

The first placard says: “Don’t worry, Lord Hel is the Goddess of Death.”

The second placard says: “She can’t die if she’s killed.”

The third and last placard says: “Asumi-nee merely paralyzed her. Proceed with the play.”

...

They didn’t have to kill her just for this play!

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My wariness about the fallen goddess waved off when I saw her moving. She can only wiggle her limbs because of the paralyzing effect. But she's alive. It seems that she’s immortal after all.

“Ma...Magical Idol Tiara-chan… You… You are worthy of his love… I… I have nothing more to say…. Now, go… Go and follow your shouting heart...”

After delivering her last line, she died. Then the curtains closed, and the stage blackened.

<>

Behind the scenes, the Drama Club hurriedly mopped the blood-stained area. Asumi-nee approached me with a thumbs-up and so is Ayano, Miss Harie, and Miss Awane.

“Good job!” They all shouted.

“...A-Ahahaha…” I dumbly laughed as I scratched my head. “That last part though…”

“Never mind that!” Asumi-nee cheered. “The final part is about to commence! Now it’s all up to you to convey your feelings to him!”

“Go, Tiara, go!”

Everyone…

The whole Idol Club, The whole Drama Club, and my fellow shrine maidens cheered. It brings tears in my eyes that they are supporting me in this fight for love.

I wiped my soaking eyes and gave them the fierce glare of my determination as I pumped both of my fists with whole-hearted energy!

“Right! I’ll do my best!”

<>

The curtains opened and the stage brightened, revealing me on my ordinary school uniform. The background stage, however, has been changed to the colorful garden of rainbow flowers.

The stage is being showered by tiny specks of glowing orbs of light. Quintessences. The shrine maidens hidden above the ceiling are responsible for making this fabulous shower of lights. Just a simple glance of it makes every living person smile without fail.

The violin music came in, uttering a bittersweet romantic symphony that echoes through everyone’s hearts.

Especially Rikkun’s heart.

Slowly, his seat began to move forward until it became a part of the stage. Rikkun was surprised when he realized that only his special seat is moving. He never saw it coming. Not at all.

There were few magical and mechanical adjustments to his seat which transformed into a throne of transparent diamonds. It was Key-chan’s intelligence and efforts that made this kind of chair possible, and it shifted pretty well.

“...I… I don’t know what to say…” Rikkun whispered so softly that only the two of us in the stage can hear. “Is this musical play… especially for me?”

I just answered him with the brightest smile I got.

Then I proceeded to sing from the depths of my heart, perfectly syncing the symphony of the violin as I gracefully walked closer.

<>

This is the music in my heart;

This is what I felt for you from the start.

All of the lyrics I tried hard to hide;

They are now bursting out from inside.

So this is my song to you,

Filled with my feelings true.

I know I can’t help it but mere words won’t do.

I have once locked away all the feelings I knew,

And I have only opened my heart to you.

With just your single glance;

What they called luck and chance.

I always knew that it had to be you

They say that words can lie

But now I can’t deny.

I always knew that it had to be you

With every step, we will move on instead,

It doesn’t matter what obstacle that waits ahead.

The memories and feelings we hold dear,

We worried that they may all disappear.

But I know now that we’re hand in hand,

That our overwhelming love will make destiny understand.

I can’t say for sure how our fates will unfold,

I can’t change what our futures may hold.

But all I wish is for you to be with me in it;

For every day, every hour, every minute.

Because I am meant to be

Wherever you are next to me.

<>

I walked slowly to the man I love. My heart is throbbing so fast and it’s releasing overflowing life energy around me. I never realized that I’m already on my , transforming my school outfit to a pure white silk dress with magical floating white scarf and ten slim angel wings on my back.

“T-Tiara…” Rikkun astoundingly muttered. Tears are about to crawl to his boiling red cheeks.

This… This is the power of my love for Rikkun in all the timelines, and I’m going to release it now!

I gently caressed his cheeks first, and then I genuflected. I grabbed the most precious treasure from my back pocket and revealed to him a small square encasement that I opened.

A platinum ring shined as it peeked out.

“Rikkun… No… Mister Alaric Eisenhower… I love you. I have always loved you from the start…”

Everybody was silent. The violin stops. And now, only my words and feelings can dominate this noiseless atmosphere.

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

I did it.

I did it.

I finally did it.

I have finally conveyed my true feelings to him.

Now it’s up to him to accept my love or not. Will he reject me?

…

Rikkun is silent.

I looked above and saw the man of my dreams crying. He’s trying to suppress his tears but he’s doing a bad job. Warm water fell down from his eyes like a waterfall, and he’s covering his trembling mouth with his hand. His face is too red as if it’s on the verge of exploding.

“...Yes…” Rikkun said, trying to muffle his cries. “I do… I love you too, Tiara Hikari…”

“...R-Rikkun…” Now my eyes began to flood. I proceeded to insert the platinum ring on his finger with no problems. “Thank you… for loving me…”

Then… I jumped to him and gave him the warmest hug I could ever give.