A simple sentence, how hard can it be to say?

Three days have passed since the incident with the possession. Neither Veronica nor Eveline were badly hurt, but the latter had to stay a little bit longer in the medical ward. Something to do with a basic checkup and making sure that the flesh wounds made by the markings will heal up well if Alice understood everything correctly.

Despite it being Sunday, which meant a somewhat free day for the half-angel, both she and Lilim decided to spend their free time training. Alice, due to the tutoring given her by the succubus, had a much better understanding of her spear and no longer made wide slashes with it, save for spells, but rather tried to adjust to the tip that Lilim told her, which was trying to incapacitate the enemy by stabbing their weak points.

Right now, Alice was jumping around the succubus, Rosary, time and time again, being reflected by Prince. The head of the spear was constantly aimed at the demon's knees and elbows from different directions. At first, the half-angel was making long pokes from a distance, something that Lilim blocked effortlessly. Seeing it not work, the ginger-haired girl came closer with each parried stab, now making short but quick pokes, which gave the demon some slight trouble. Of course, the troubles came from Lilim holding her weapon with only one hand, as she wanted to make this fair for the half-angel. There would be no point to it if she was knocking her spear out of her hands with every unsuccessful poke.

"Come on, put your heart into it." Lilim encored the half-angel. This seemed to work on Alice, as her next flurry of attacks was getting much closer to breaking the succubus's defense. Though the blue-eyed demon had little to no problems reading where the next strike would be, Alice always looked where she would strike next, making Lilim only need to observe her eyes. It's not like the demon didn't enjoy staring into those little emeralds, but an attack should never be made obvious. As she blocked yet another fruitless poke, the demon felt that something was off. The head of the spear did not retreat; instead, Alice slashed with the blunt part of it right at Lilim's wrist. Succubus's grip on the weapon loosened, and the half-angel used that opportunity to strike it out of her hand. With another well-timed slash, the Prince was lying on the ground with a rather proud Lilim next to it.

"Cheeky little angel you are. Mixing up strikes like that." She praised the angel as she went to retrieve her katana.

"I've been learning from the best, so that is to be expected."

"Well, I guess, but you still have a lot to learn. I would like to stop making it so obvious where you will strike. You constantly look at the spot where you want to hit, even multiple times, before making a strike. This gives me a chance to prepare myself."

"I know, but it's hard to strike without making sure it's safe to do so. And besides, you sure do stare a lot into my eyes."

"It's not my fault that you have such pretty emerald eyes." Lilim went close to Alice's face and looked her straight in the eyes. To be honest, succubus never really had a good chance to take a closer look at her face. Those pretty eyes weren't the only thing that she loved. Her smooth skin, that little nose, and even the scar gave her more charm. Sadly, it was usually covered by her orange hair, which seemed to be curlier with each passing day. The flustered half-angel had a hard time maintaining eye contact and eventually broke it.

"I... have pretty eyes? What are you...?" Alice didn't know how to respond to that. While she liked to pretend that Lilim's teasing no longer had an effect on her, in the past few days those teases became much more common, and no longer did they feel like such; instead, they were more like genuine compliments. If Alice didn't know any better, she would say that Lilim had feelings for her. No, she couldn't give herself hope. They were friends, and besides, what could such a pretty succubus see in her anyway?

Fortunately for the flustered angel, Maria came in to see what they were doing, bringing them a bunch of spare towels and bottles of water. Seeing Alice's red face, she already knew who was responsible for that. The half-angel noticed her brown-haired savior and silently pleaded for the ‘maid’ as Lilim kept calling her to save her from further embarrassment.

"Lilim, could I borrow Alice for a minute? I need her for one thing." Maria said as she placed the towels and bottles down.

"Sure thing, but make sure she's back home before ten." The intern could only roll her eyes at that. While she didn't mind the succubus all that much, she was glad that she wasn't the one who had to deal with her antics. Both girls went to the long corridor that connected the training hall with the main building. It had gray walls that only seemed darker thanks to the non-functioning lamps and the covered-up windows. In fact, it looked more like a corridor from a school than something that a professional foundation would use. Maria sat on the small wooden bench that stood next to a small locker, and Alice sat to her right.

"So, what's been bothering you?" Maria had expected it to be quite a long talk since the half-angel didn't belong to those who spilled out what they had in mind.

"It's about Lilim; she was rather blunt today." Something serious must have happened.

"What's about her? Did she do anything to you?"

"No, but she's been quite feisty. I don't really know how to say it. I mean, she was always teasing me, but lately she has been doing it much more, and now they don't even feel like teases."

"So, like compliments, flirts?"

"Yeah, wait what? You think?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"It can't be. And even if so, then why? She is a really beautiful succubus, and I do doubt that she would waste time on someone as simple as me. I mean, with her beauty, she could have anyone in the world. Seriously, her blue eyes would mesmerize anyone."

"So she's a beauty, you say?" Maria couldn't help but smirk a little. If her nose was right, then it looked like their little angel had finally fallen in love with someone. To think that kids mature so quickly. Of course, first love was no laughing matter, as it could make or break her, and she was here to make sure that even if Lilim wasn't the one, Alice wouldn't be too scarred by the experience. Maria knew firsthand how badly a first relationship could affect someone. "Oh, it sounds to me like you've got yourself a crush."

"You think? No, no, no. I mean, I like her pretty eyes and her silky, smooth black hair. The white dress that only makes her much more beautiful and further enchants her ideal skin. How she carries herself with grace and that warm smile that she gives me, how she wants to be my prince, but that's all there is to it... You think it's a crush?" Alice asked with a lot of doubt in her voice.

"Absolutely. Now we only have to see if this is just a crush or maybe something more genuine. Sadly, for that, we will have to wait a while. If that feeling doesn't fade, then it's probably something more."

"Right, but what can I do now? What if I say something stupid to her because of that? Or what if she simply teases me without any further meaning and doesn't feel the same?"

"I would recommend just telling her how you feel right now. There really isn't any use in keeping that inside, and if she doesn't feel the same? Well, that sucks, but at least you won't give yourself false hopes any longer."

"Wait. You want me to tell her that I've got a crush on her?" Maria simply nodded, not really understanding what a big problem it could be. Having many crushes herself, she did just that, and most of the time it was for the better. "There is no way in hell that I can go and say it out loud."

"So what do you want to do? Wait it out?"

"Maybe. Look, I want to give myself time to prepare; there is no reason to rush things. I'll just wait and see how it goes. Now I think I should return to Lilim."Saying that the half-angel steadily made her way towards the training hall, thinking for the entire time about what she felt towards the demon. She admired her that much. And she liked her as a friend—even really liked her. She liked her so much that it might have been a crush. But crushes come and go, right? There is no reason to stress yourself over them.

As she entered the hall, Lilim was sitting on the bench, waiting for the half-angel. Seeing her enter, she sent the ginger-haired girl one of the warmest smiles that she had ever seen. She would do everything to keep that smile on her face. Even her eyes, usually cold, were much warmer. There was no way that she could muster the courage to tell her about her crush. Making a fool of herself before such a beautiful girl would haunt her till her death.

"What took you so long? I thought that she had stolen you from me." Alice found it hard to answer. Not because of the topic but because of the way the succubus spoke. Was she always this caring? To be frank, the half-angel didn't know much about crushes and love, but seeing someone else in such a good light from nowhere had to mean something. Not only that, Lilim seemed perfect to her. Now that she thought about it, it was like this from the day they met. Even at first sight, Alice could see that she was, in fact, the most beautiful demon that she had ever seen. And now said demon was gesturing at her to sit right next to her.

"Nothing like that. She just needed help with something. You know, papers and such." Lilim wasn't really buying that. Ever since she returned, the blush on her face, which apparently the half-angel did not notice, had not worn down and she seemed to be jumpier than normally. Perhaps it was due to all of the stress that she has experienced lately. But even then, lying in order to not bother her, Alice should know better.

"Right, so what do you say about continuing our little sparring?" Alice nodded. At least that would help her organize her thoughts. Picking up the Rosary, she took a battle stance. Lilim simply put Prince over her shoulder, her slight overconfidence showing. The succubus then lunged at the half-angel, who managed to block the black blade with the pole of her spear. Lilim put slightly more pressure on the sword and, using the occasion, swept the angel right off her feet, catching her right before she hit the ground.

"Rule number one: always have your feet steady on the ground." Lilim said, as she was rather close to the green-eyed girl. So close, in fact, that the half-angel couldn't focus on anything else than those blue eyes that looked at her with such warmth and care. She felt her face heat up drastically, and Lilim saw the blush turn into full-on redness. Alice jumped away from the demon as if she were struck by lightning and ran off into the corridor, saying that she had to leave to the bathroom, leaving the dumbfounded demon alone. Something was surely wrong with Alice today.

Alice had not returned to the training hall. As Lilim later was told, she had to go home because apparently she wasn't feeling well. Now the succubus was more than sure that it was the result of all of that stress. Seeing how she was free, Maria decided to ask Lilim for help with making space in the old storage room. The said room was rather small, being filled with various boxes and binders. Their job was simple. Just take out all of the necessary documents and put them in one container. Anything older than 2004 was to be put into the archives.

With the additional help, the task went smoothly, and slightly past noon, the storage room was half empty. Both girls decided to give themselves a momentary break.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Lilim asked all of a sudden. Maria could only wonder what she wanted from her.

"Sure."

"Did you also notice something strange about Al today?" So that's where this was going. They were both pretty hopeless, if she was being honest. But at the very least she could learn if Lilim was by any chance interested in the half-angel and spare her any further disappointment.

"Not really; she seemed pretty normal to me."

"Maybe I'm just overthinking things. I dunno; I'm just worried about her. I guess she's been going through a lot of stress in the past few days, and I've been needlessly teasing her. I hope I didn't make her mad or anything."

"I don't think that was it. But you could tone down the teases slightly."

"Yeah, I guess. You know what? It's kind of funny now that I think about it. I mean, before, I wouldn't give a damn about some angel, but here I am."

"I get what you say. Alice has this specific effect on people. Speaking of our bundle of joy, what do you think about her?" Maria decided to push things further. A casual conversation would get her nowhere. Lilim closed her eyes for a while and scratched her head. Granted, it might have been a somewhat out-of-place question, but she hoped that Lilim wouldn't suspect anything.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"Well, she is naive." The succubus started, catching the brown-haired ‘maid’ off guard. That honestly wasn't what she expected. "Always trying to find the good in everyone, even those stupid demon hunters. But honestly, I think it is sweet to a certain degree, even if not childish." Now that was something she was hoping to hear. She had to agree. Alice always wanted to believe that no one was truly bad, save for a few causes.

"Of course, I can't stand how she tries to hide everything that bothers her. I get that she doesn't want to trouble anyone. I just wish that she understood that by acting like that, she makes us worry about her even more." Once again, Maria had to agree with the demon. Even if she was bleeding to death, she wouldn't ask anyone for help. She wondered if every angel was like that. "Now that I think about it, she is pretty sweet after all. I can see how our little bundle of energy keeps the whole Force together." Lilim kept on mumbling more to herself than to the intern. It wasn't until she noticed that Maria was still with her that she stopped.

"You have quite a lot of good things to say about her."

"She did save my ass after all. And she is quite pretty, even if she herself doesn't notice that."

"Would you believe it if I told you that Alice said the same thing about you?"

"What?" The flustered look on the succubus face was priceless. It was the first time that Maria saw her face any other color than pale white. It was sort of refreshing even. "Hey, don't you dare tease me like that."

"I'm not. Look, it seems like Alice might have a crush on you, but you didn't hear that from me, okay?" The intern decided that it was no longer worth beating around the bush. Lilim should know what the half-angel feels towards her, and if she doesn't reciprocate the feelings, then at the very least it was worth a shot.

"Are you serious?" Now the succubus looked to be more lost than ever, with a clear confusion and some perplexity painting in her. Maria didn't think that she would see such a wide range of emotions on Lilim's face today, but it was already a weird day to begin with.

"Absolutely. And maybe you should talk with her about it. I understand if that isn't who you are into, but please be delicate about that."

"Wait, no, that wasn't what I meant. But are you absolutely serious?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Shit..." Lilim muttered, not really knowing how to react to that. If it were true, then it would explain why Alice was so jumpy today. But to think that she had a crush on her "I mean, she is a nice girl, but I don't think that I am the right candidate for her."

"Oh, come on, you can't be that much of a hopeless romantic. And even if you were, I doubt that you would be bigger than Al is."

"No, that's not it... I just don't want to hurt her." It was partially true. Rather, she didn't want her to hurt Alice. She wouldn't mind having the half-angel as her partner, but she really did doubt that it would be a good idea.

Here you are again, doubting me to the full extent of your heart. Don't you understand that I want the best for you?

Her bloody voice once again echoed in her head. Wanting the best for her—what a stupid joke! If that were the case, then she would stay asleep.

"I can't really imagine you hurting her, of all people." Lilim smiled at that. Maria put too much faith in her. She too wanted to believe in that, but she knew that the truth might be different. She didn't want to lose anyone else; she couldn't. Of course, succubus guesses that the maid meant a broken heart or something of the sort. If only that would be the worst outcome. Alice did mention that you have called yourself ‘her prince’. The blue-eyed demon never thought that the half-angel would take that seriously. She really did feel something for her, it would seem.

"I guess..." Lilim paused for a long time, trying to think of what she should say. In fact, she had to think about all the arguments ‘against’ accepting Alice. Most of them led to the fear of her. So that's how it was, huh? Of course, it wouldn't be any other way. Lilim almost laughed. To think that she would give up on her again. She was powerless; there was nothing she could do to harm the half-angel. But then again, why would she do it in the first place? Lilim was making herself anxious for no reason. "You know what? I think I'll try. There is no harm in that, right?" She was right; there was no harm in that. Just like there were no reasons to listen to what she had to say, she never meant well for her anyway.

Lilim, do you not understand? You will hurt yourself again. I don't want that, we don't want that. Do I have to remind you of what happened last time?

You are the one who doesn't understand. I don't need your "worries."

I only want you to be happy. It's normal for me to be worried about you.

If you want me to be happy, then just shut up.

Fine, if that's how you want it, then let it be so. But don't come back crying to me later.

With that, the echoing voice in her ceased, and Lilim hoped for more than a while. Maria looked rather pleased with her answer, slowly returning to her duties. She took another bunch of papers from the storage room. Succubus quickly went to help her, and in just a few trips to the container and back, the old room was now waiting to be filled anew. The only thing left was to dust it off and clean it, just so no one would have to get covered in the dust just like they were. Lilim was thinking about what she said earlier. Just how should she approach the half-angel? Saying it straight to her face looked like the best option, but it wasn't what she would consider ‘romantic’. Even if this was just a simple crush and nothing more, there was no reason to half-ass it.

"What do you say I should do with Al?"

"I dunno, take her somewhere nice? There should be something going on at the lake today, so maybe go there? But have you decided what you want to do? You have said that you will try, but what happens after that?"

"To be fair, I am still not sure if I am the right candidate. Alice is a good friend, and honestly, I'm slightly afraid that it will just make things awkward between us."

"I kind of get you."

"But then again, I won't know if I don't try. So where is the lake?"

Alice was lying on her bed. It was long past noon, maybe four p.m., and the streets were as busy as always, the noise coming from them drowning out the green-eyed girl's thoughts. She felt bad for lying to Beatrice about not feeling well, but she had to get some time alone. The longer she was thinking, the worse the fact of spilling everything on Maria became. Just why did she have to do that? She could have kept everything inside, not bothering anyone or worrying that Lilim might learn about her crush. The succubus probably didn't even swing that way, and even if she did, there was no way that she would look at her. The teases probably meant nothing. And what she felt was only a crush, not even love. Just what the hell was she supposed to do in this situation?

"I should have kept my mouth shut. Now only wait for me to spill everything out on Lilim and make everything awkward. What should I do, mom?" The half-angel's gaze stopped at the photograph. Before she could further question her choice, someone knocked on the door. Who could it be now? No one of them had ordered anything, and she doubted that any of her friends would come now that she was still supposed to be on the job. Opening the doors, she saw the familiar black-haired demon, who this time was strangely avoiding her eyes.

"Lilim? What are you doing here? Did something happen in the Force?"

"Alice, we are going on a date." Lilim answered without her usual confidence in her voice.

"DATE!?" Alice had to make sure that she heard everything right. She even pinched herself. It did hurt, so she wasn't dreaming.

"Take that as you will. Now come on, I'll explain everything along the way." The succubus took the hand of the still-confused half-angel, who couldn't believe what was happening. Alice was glad that she changed clothes earlier, wearing similar things to when she made the ‘surprise’ party. Lilim dragged her out of the apartment and went with her to downtown, where they went down the alleyway leading to the lake. The road itself went through another park, this one much bigger and more in the eastern part of the town, almost ending at the outskirts. Alice still had a hard time processing what was going on. She was going on a date with Lilim. It had to be a dream. Did it mean that the succubus also felt something for her? Being lost in thoughts, she didn't even hear what the blue-eyed demon was telling her.

"So I've decided that a nice stroll through the park and then a break at the lake might be a nice start. Hey, Al, have you even been listening to me?" Lilim asked, finally noticing that the half-angel still had her head high in the clouds.

"Oh, um, sorry, no. I'm still trying to check if that's real. I mean, it was rather sudden." The half-angel said, constantly looking away from the demon, her gaze jumping from one wooden stall with food to another. Due to it being the weekend, various vendors had a perfect opportunity to earn some more money and maybe even become much more ‘famous’ on the local market. There were stalls with various handmade parties, sweet apples, and, of course, candies and cotton candy.

"Yeah, sorry for that. I've just seen you rather troubled today, and I couldn't help myself. Remember that even you have to take a break from time to time." So that was all it was? A simple, friendly walk? She couldn't be mad at Lilim; after all, she didn't know about her feelings, but it did sting a little. But then again, if that was it, then why would she call it a date? Even for a tease, it was going too far. In all of her thinking, the half-angel did not notice that Lilim was still lacking her usual cool demeanor. Instead, she acted rather weirdly, barely making eye contact.

"Thanks, it's nice of you." Alice knew that it wasn't exactly true. She was glad that the demon wanted to go out with her somewhere, but it wasn't what she expected. And she had only herself to blame for such stupid expectations. "Um, Lilim, there is something I want to tell you." The half-angel added quickly, her cheeks turning red. She had to act now; there might not have been a better moment. If now she doesn't say what she feels, then she might as well forget about it, and if Lilim doesn't happen to feel the same, then she will somehow live with that, maybe.

"Sure, what is it?" Lilim finally faced Alice, standing so that the peaceful lake that glistered from the sun was right behind her, almost as if she were posing for a painting. With her beautiful smile and those pretty blue eyes, Alice found herself helpless and couldn't even muster a single word. Just how in hell did the world want her to exclaim her love for the succubus? “How about we take a seat first? It seems to be important.” The succubus tried to play it cool. Even if outside she seemed unfazed about it, even nonchalant, inside she was sweating bullets. She guessed what Alice wanted to tell her, and she still didn't know how to respond to that. A simple "Sure, why not?" probably wouldn't cut it. And the matter of the half-angel being so flustered that she couldn't even say it normally only made it worse. It was more than clear that she didn't have any experience in that, and succubus couldn't remember when the last time she felt like that was. For their fortune, or misfortune, there was an entire free bench far from most people, right next to the renewed white bridge that went into the quarter length of the lake. A perfect place for a moment like that.

As they took a seat, the half-angel felt as if she were sitting on needles. Lilim also didn't seem to be her usual calm self. She could swear that the succubus's cheeks had a slight pink tint to them. Something that has not happened often, if ever.

"So what's the thing you wanted to tell me?" Here came the question that Alice dreaded the most. She had to carefully choose her words. One mistake, and it will all be over. But how, just how, could she say what she felt to Lilim? She felt her face heat up drastically as the blue-eyed demon kept staring at her in anticipation. The half-angel couldn't keep her waiting. Before she could think through all possible outcomes, her mouth acted on its own.

"Lilim, you see, I think I might have a crush on you." Even if the succubus knew what was coming, it still shocked her. She didn't know how to react to that. Literal ages have passed since she was in any similar situation, and to make matters worse, this time someone was exclaiming their love for her. Alice kept on fidgeting, her face getting redder with each second, having a hard time keeping eye contact. "And I understand if you... if you don't feel the same, but if maybe then...maybe...maybe..." The green-eyed girl couldn't get the last part of her sentence out, stumbling on her words and losing confidence the longer she was repeating them. Lilim knew she had to help Alice get out everything that she had bottled inside.

"Calm down, take a deep breath, and slowly say what you have in mind." The succubus instructed, and the angel did as she was told. It didn't really make much of a difference, but it seemed like Alice was slightly calmer knowing that Lilim was there for her. The same Lilim that made her act like this in the first place

"Lilim, would you like to be my girlfriend?...There! I said it!" Alice straight up shouted while standing up, almost jumping from the bench, filled to the brim with a newfound confidence, before slumping down in it just a mere second later, losing the energy momentarily as she awaited for the answer.

"Alice." The succubus started, her tone of voice being rather serious. It was the second time that the half-angel heard her talk like that, let alone use her name. "Before I say anything, I need you to know that I am not the perfect partner for you and that you shouldn't be getting yourself into such a mess. Knowing this, do you still want to be with me?" Alice didn't really understand what Lilim meant by calling herself a mess. And the thing with not being the right partner. If the half-angel had to guess, then she would say that it had something to do with succubus's eyes. Either that or with that mysterious Alicia. But Alice didn't consider her a mess, not by a long shot. And what if she wasn't perfect? No one is; if she were bothered by any problems, then the green-eyed girl would gladly help her.

"Even so, I still want to be with you. Besides, isn't every relationship a mess at the beginning? We will have to figure it out ourselves, and that, I think, is the fun part. I mean slowly improvising on each other's imperfections and helping in hard times. What's a better way to create a strong and unbreakable bond?"

"If that's your answer, then I guess there will be no harm in trying it out. So with that, I can say that our first date was rather successful." Alice snuggled up with Lilim, taking a deep breath of relief. It wasn't as scary as she thought it would be. She closed her eyes and took in the beautiful moment, listening to how the small waves crashed into the smaller beach. This saved succubus the trouble of hiding her reddening face as she put her hand on half-angel's fluffy orange hair.

"What will we do from now on?" Alice almost whispered, not wanting to break the atmosphere.

"Just like you said. Figure it out slowly. I guess this is the first time that you have ever been in a relationship." The green-eyed girl only nodded, which allowed the black-haired demon to continue. "That will mean that we will have to trust each other, so no keeping secrets or anything that bothers us from one another. If there is a problem, we have to try to fix it or even simply talk it out. But I'll lecture you on that later."

"I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about that. You almost sound like you have been through this talk at least once". Still having her eyes closed and taking in the moment, Alice missed the second in which Lilim's eyes seemed to be duller than usual, staring far into the lake. With that one sentence, an image of another ginger-haired girl crossed her mind. She remembered that she got the same talk from her. So similar at first glance and yet so much different from the half-angel whose head was still resting on her shoulder.

"Yeah, maybe I was." Lilim replied, staring at the sun that was starting to set, casting an orange glow over the park that was reflected in the lake.