Qian Huanyue: I'm Done

"Huanyue!" Overwhelmed by emotions like joy and exhaustion, Shiori suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded, nearly collapsing.

"What's wrong, Shiori?" Qian Huanyue steadied her with concern and wiped the tears from the corners of Shiori's eyes with her thumb.

The moment she saw those tears—

A thought flashed through Qian Huanyue's mind—she was no fool.

A few days ago, while rescuing Nia Honjo, she had been ambushed by a wizard named Ellen Mira Mathers and suffered badly.

The pain of that sword piercing through her body and the memory of blood flowing freely were still vivid.

But strangely enough, after being seriously wounded, weak and furious as she was, she found that her Angel, [Seraph of Thousand Blades], had become even easier to wield. Her body had even displayed a healing effect similar to Kurumi's [Dalet], one that "reversed the body's time," rapidly restoring her wounds.

Then, enraged, she had wreaked havoc on DEM's buildings and equipment. She had not held back her attacks either, killing quite a few of the wizards who had surrounded her...

—Could Shiori have seen those scenes...?

—No way?!

The thought made Qian Huanyue's heart sink sharply.

If Shiori had not only seen her suffer that severe injury, but had also seen her coldly destroy and kill like a vengeful demon afterward...

No wonder... No wonder Shiori had become so haggard and weak, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

...She must have seen it. Ratatoskr loved spying on people like that.

Eek...! Black history!

...So embarrassing. Knowing that her out-of-control rampage had been witnessed in full was only slightly better than becoming an Inverse Spirit. Just thinking about it made smoke seem ready to rise from her head.

...So humiliating. She felt sick at having her ugly state, immersed in destruction at that moment, exposed.

...She wanted to run away, return straight to the Tokisaki Residence and never leave again, or sleep in space like Mukuro Hoshimiya—anything, as long as she vanished from Shiori's sight immediately!

In any case, an especially awkward heat did rise from Qian Huanyue's face, dyeing even the tips of her ears crimson.

For once, she somewhat empathized with the Spirit named Natsumi.

As for guilt, though, she did not feel any at all.

Hmph. She would never show mercy to wizards who wanted to hurt her.

After barely managing to calm herself down—

Qian Huanyue was always able to swiftly hide her emotions behind a casual smile. She formed a nearly perfect curve with her lips. "Haven't you been resting properly lately, Shiori?"

"A little." Shiori's eyes brimmed with tears that seemed to smile as she wiped some away. "Umm... honestly, I really do seem to like crying."

"Looks like it." Tilting her head, Qian Huanyue spoke in her usual relaxed, teasing tone. "Shiori really is a huge crybaby."

She had already seen Shiori cry twice before this.

"As long as you're okay, Huanyue..."

Hearing something similar to what she had expected, Qian Huanyue revealed a slightly helpless expression, her smile fading somewhat.

"Sure enough... You saw it that day, didn't you, Shiori?"

"Mm... I did. Thankfully, you were okay, Huanyue. That's really wonderful."

"...You saw something that awful... It must have scared you terribly."

Alarms immediately sounded through Kotori's earpiece and on the bridge where the Fraxinus crew were stationed.

"Shiori! Qian Huanyue! Qian Huanyue's mood value is dropping rapidly! It's gone from 70 to 55, and it's still falling! Idiot big sister, what did you just say? Change the subject, quickly!"

"Huanyue! It doesn't matter! I'm just so glad you're safe." Shiori was genuinely happy, grateful that Huanyue had not truly suffered and that she was standing before her, healthy and well.

Yet beneath that relief was an unshakable ache.

It must have hurt terribly when that blade pierced through her body...

How could a Spirit possibly not feel pain?

"It must have... hurt a lot, right?" The thought made her unable to stop herself from asking with concern.

"...Hm? Are you worried about me, Shiori?" Qian Huanyue turned her head away, her voice becoming exceptionally gentle. "Thank you."

Although the pain had been so bad at the time that she had nearly thought she was going to die, Qian Huanyue had underestimated her own abilities then. In truth, she was very strong.

"...Well... it really did hurt a lot then."

She could hardly say that compared to the agony of a light sword piercing through her body, what bothered her more was having been seen in such a bedraggled, out-of-control state, could she?

Whenever she thought of that, Huanyue's eyes uncontrollably turned into spiraling, dizzy circles.

Tohka watched the subtle atmosphere in the living room with some concern. Her large purple eyes blinked, and she wisely did not interrupt.

Clenching her little fists, she thought indignantly, So that's how it is. That Ellen person really is awful. I really want to give her a good beating!

Shiori's hand gently brushed through Qian Huanyue's silver hair, soothingly rubbing her head.

"Ah..." Qian Huanyue let out a soft sigh and ultimately allowed the intimate gesture. "So, could you stop making such a scary face?"

"Rather than that, you should worry more about your own condition, Shiori. Compared to me, you're much weaker."

"I haven't encountered anything that dangerous yet," Shiori replied softly.

"Hmph..." Qian Huanyue snorted softly. "What a naive girl."

—That's because I kept you from it, idiot Shiori.

Even after hearing that, Shiori did not deny it. She merely smiled faintly.

But who could possibly know?

The instant I watched you get pierced through by that light sword, my heart nearly stopped beating.

Every time I closed my eyes these past few days, all I saw was you lying in a pool of blood.

I was like a prisoner trapped in a nightmare. I clearly wanted to rush over, hold you, save you, yet I could only pound helplessly at the screen from the other side.

That heart-rending torment... hurt hundreds, thousands of times more than any wound.

"Hey, hey, hey?" Qian Huanyue waved a hand before Shiori's eyes. "Why did you suddenly space out? You really should get some sleep."

"Ah... sorry." She quickly blinked, trying to bring her focus back into clarity, then scratched her cheek awkwardly. "I just got a little distracted. Maybe I really am too tired."

She did not dare say what had just crossed her mind. That would only make Huanyue blame herself even more and make the atmosphere heavier.

Qian Huanyue stared at her for several seconds, those pale violet eyes seeming able to see through people's hearts.

She did not press further, merely letting out a soft chuckle as she poked Shiori's forehead. "You're really sly, Shiori. I can't ignore your condition anymore."

Shiori felt herself being "lifted" onto the sofa by some force, with something incredibly soft placed beneath her head.

That warm body temperature, along with that sweet, fresh scent—

The "pillow" she was resting against was clearly Qian Huanyue's lap!!!

—Wait! Calm down!

This was not the time to think about that, Shiori!

She could clearly feel the texture of the fabric of Huanyue's skirt, as well as the warmth passing through it. Her cheeks grew so hot that steam nearly rose from them.

"W-Wait, Huanyue?!" She scrambled to prop herself up, only to be gently pressed back down.

"Don't move." Qian Huanyue's voice came from above, carrying a playful gentleness. "Didn't you say you were tired? Shiori-chan should rest for a while first."

She really had been led around by the nose.

As Shiori thought that, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. The warm body temperature and reassuring scent gradually loosened her tense nerves.

"Huanyue..." she murmured unconsciously, her voice heavy with sleepiness.

"Mm?" Qian Huanyue's reply was soft.

"I'll save you." The promise slipped from Shiori's lips like a dream murmur, yet it carried unquestionable determination.

"..."

She neither denied that vow nor easily accepted it.

"Sleep." Her voice remained gentle. "Saving Spirits was never supposed to be a mission you had to bear."

But if Mio found out, would she erase her existence with the Angel [■]? Qian Huanyue thought pessimistically.

Then she stopped caring about it.

Those were matters for the future, after all.

She then made a "shh" gesture to Tohka, blinking slyly to signal her to come closer.

Tohka understood immediately and crept over on tiptoe.

"Look," Qian Huanyue whispered, her fingertip touching Shiori's sleeping profile. "Isn't this kind of fun?"

Since she had already died of embarrassment today, she might as well do some more interesting things.

"Like this." Qian Huanyue chuckled, guiding Tohka's finger to gently poke Shiori's soft cheek.

Tohka's eyes widened in delight, as though she had discovered a new continent.

The two Spirits exchanged a smile and silently played with the face of the deeply sleeping Shiori.