Volume 9 Chapter 4 Part 1 (1/2)
Once the banquet drew to a close, the main guests -s.h.i.+n and his group- went to their a.s.signed rooms inside the guildhouse. They had one room each, but as expected Yuzuha slipped into s.h.i.+n's room.
”I guess I got a little tipsy.”
Yuzuha had curled up into a ball on the bed as soon as they entered the room, and s.h.i.+n left to take a walk in the guildhouse to sober up.
s.h.i.+n knew Kuchinas.h.i.+ and her guild from before, so he was also familiar with the structure of the guildhouse to a degree. Given his familiarity combined with the map, he wouldnt lose his way.
Even if he b.u.mped into other guild members, his name and face were already well known, so as long as he avoided any places where only guild members were allowed, there wouldn't be any problems.
”Hm? This presence is”
Following the presence displayed on the map, s.h.i.+n arrived in a part of the guildhouse resembling a garden.
The square-shaped garden was about 20 mels wide. The walls hid it from the rest of the building, so it was well suited to practicing with weapons and techniques.
It was already well into the night; the moon and stars were s.h.i.+ning gently on the garden's gra.s.s and flowers.
”So it was really you, Tiera.”
He had felt her presence already, but as the map showed, there was already someone in the garden.
The moonlight was s.h.i.+ning on Tiera's silhouette, alone in the darkness of the night. She was looking at the sky, still clad in the priestess clothes she wore at the banquet.
”Oh, you didn't change yet? ..Tiera?”
s.h.i.+n called to Tiera, who was still looking up to the sky, a distant look in her eyes, but received no response.
s.h.i.+n felt something was off, and called her again; Tiera then finally moved.
Slowly, she raised her arms, then opened them wide. As she did this, she lightly spun on her feet.
Afterward, without stopping, she continued dancing, as if she was playing with some invisible creature.
”Is this Kagurathe dance offered to the G.o.ds?”
Priestess robes, a silhouette bathed in the moonlight that felt almost otherworldly, movements apparently lacking any regularity.
Looking at Tiera's flowing black hair, s.h.i.+n was reminded of the Kagura, a dance offered to the G.o.ds of s.h.i.+nto shrines, which he had seen on TV in the past.
That Kagura dance was very slow-paced, but he felt that Tiera's dance shared a similar atmosphere. Her expression also suggested that she had fallen into a sort of trance.
”.”
Without realizing it, s.h.i.+n had lost track of time, absorbed in Tiera's dance.
How much time had pa.s.sed? As if repeating the first movements in reverse, Tiera lowered her arms while spinning, then stopped completely.
She was looking at the sky again, just like she did when s.h.i.+n had arrived. Her position and posture were also identical; if s.h.i.+n had not seen her dance, he would think she had just continued looking at the sky all the while.
If something had changed, it was the moonlight, which seemed to s.h.i.+ne on Tiera more brightly than before.
”The stars are really beautiful.”
”Hm? Ohyeah, that's true.”
When had she noticed him? Tiera turned towards s.h.i.+n and talked to him.
Tiera's faint smile gave her an almost mystical aura. As if the person s.h.i.+n was now looking at was someone else.
”s.h.i.+n, did you come to look at the stars too?”
”No, I just wanted to feel the night breeze a bit. AndI didn't mean to peek, but I saw your dance. I'm not going to ask what it was, nor will I talk to anyone about it, so rest easy.”
He was a little undecided first, but s.h.i.+n then opted to tell her the honest truth.
s.h.i.+n had decided to wait until she said the word before he talked about her circ.u.mstances. Thus he told her that he had no intention of inquiring any further.
”I see. But, I think that it's alright if it's you, s.h.i.+n. It could even be that I called for you.”
Tiera walked towards s.h.i.+n, smiling to tell him that there was nothing to worry about. At the same time, she said something cryptic.
”You were calling? Can I ask what that means?”
”Wait just a little more, please. Or I can't explain well enough.”
Tiera extended a hand towards s.h.i.+n's cheeks while speaking. She touched him gently, as if handling something broken.
”Tierano, you are”
The feeling s.h.i.+n had of something being off grew larger and larger. What he thought was just his imagination became reality.
With eyes that seemed lost into s.p.a.ce, she looked straight towards s.h.i.+n. He returned the look, trying to grasp what was hidden deep within her eyes.
Her eyes were golden, but also contained hues different from the color yellow. What her slightly transparent pupils reflected was the black-haired man he always saw in the mirror? Not this time.
Not him, someone wrapped in mist, was looking back at him. As he tried to uncover the ident.i.ty of that mysterious figure, something soft and warm touched s.h.i.+n's lips.
”Hnn..mmh..nnh”
What had touched s.h.i.+n's lips was Tiera's. All his focus was concentrated on her eyes, and he hadn't noticed her coming closer and closer.
Her hands, which had been gently caressing his cheeks, were now holding them firmly. A pa.s.sionate kiss, unthinkable for the usual Tiera, united the two together.
A single teardrop escaped Tiera's eyes as they were kissing. Her expression, differently from before, was both earnest and charming.
The sudden event had stopped s.h.i.+n's thought process, but after a few seconds it started again.
Thinking that this could not be allowed to continue, he put his hands on Tiera's shoulders and tried to break free.
”Hn?”
Fortunately, his hands touched Tiera's shoulders just as she had pulled back slightly to breathe. That moment, the light of reason returned to Tiera's eyes.
She seemed to be completely unaware of what was happening and just stood there, frozen. Before her eyes, however, was a long thread uniting s.h.i.+n and Tiera's lips.
The thread s.h.i.+ning in the moonlight was a product of s.h.i.+n's, or Tiera's, or both of their saliva.
”Ah? W-why.?”
Tiera seemed absolutely confused and would just repeat ”why?” over and over.
If this was daytime, her violently blus.h.i.+ng face would be clearly visible.
”I-Idid I reallys.h.i.+n?”
She didn't say what she did. Or rather, she couldn't.
Her hands, holding s.h.i.+n's face.
A distance so close they could feel each other breathing.
The thread hanging between their lips.
Adding all of these elements, it was more than clear what had just happened.
”Ni.”
”Tiera, first of all, hear me ou”
”NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”
Upon reaching the apex of confusion, Tiera could not hear s.h.i.+n's words and ran away as fast as she could. Just like a veteran ninja, she deftly slipped away from s.h.i.+n and ran off, totally oblivious of her priestess robes.
Her screams echoing through the guildhouse, Tiera ran through the corridors at a speed that would make the average Chosen One grow pale. In just a few seconds she had turned the corner and disappeared.
”What in the”
Considering what happened, s.h.i.+n couldn't just go after her and just stayed behind; for a while, all he could do was just stand there, dumbfounded.
The next morning, s.h.i.+n took Yuzuha to the breakfast hall, rubbing his still half-closed eyes.
Still sleepy, Yuzuha held onto s.h.i.+n's hand, almost dozing off while they walked.
In the guildhouse, breakfast was served at a specific time; s.h.i.+n's group would eat it alongside the other members.
As he was heading towards the hall, s.h.i.+n met Filma and Tiera. Filma greeted him as usual, but Tiera turned violently red as soon as she saw s.h.i.+n and hurried on towards the hall.
”.hey, s.h.i.+n. Something happened to Tiera yesterday, right?”
Filma could not fail to notice Tiera's crystal clear reaction. She could not let it go either, so she pressed s.h.i.+n, smiling.
”Something happened, yeah you can say that. But I can't wrap my mind around it either. I wanted to ask her about it yesterday, but she ran off before I could.”
”You did something to make her run away, right? Something so embarra.s.sing that she turned red like that.”
”Don't say it like I'm the bad guy! I don't get what's going on either!”
Filma's face was coming closer and closer, but s.h.i.+n pushed her away.
As it wasn't possible to ask Tiera about what happened, s.h.i.+n could think of only one person to ask for help. But in that case, he had to explain what happened the night before.
”I can't just let this go, thoughI'd really rather not, but I'll go talk with someone who might know what happened. I'll leave Yuzuha to you.”
s.h.i.+n entrusted Yuzuha to Filma and headed to Schnee's room. When he pa.s.sed in front of the room a.s.signed to Schnee, he had felt her presence inside.
When s.h.i.+n knocked on the door, Schnee came out right away; she was about to go out too.
”s.h.i.+n? I don't see Yuzuha with you, did something happen?”
”There's something I want to ask you about Tiera. There's still some time until breakfast, will you hear me out?”