3 August 2018
Iceland, seven in the morning. . .
“Senpai, this country is so beautiful.”
“Yeah, no kidding! This feels like one of those beautiful and calm areas in a TV show!”
Miage Yuki, the fourth Judge, the Judge of Envy, is currently flying in the sky atop a peacock made of ice. Fukibayashi Neo, her Support as well as her lover, is also flying atop the peacock. He’s sitting behind her, and they are flying above the city.
“Hm? Senpai, I didn’t know you watched TV.”
“W-What’s that supposed to mean?”
“From both my memories and your memories, you spent most of your everyday studying.”
“But the Sword of Purification didn’t exactly pull out every single detail of my past memories, right? Only the ones with the strongest emotions?”
“Right. I forgot about that part.”
“Eh? Please don’t! You’re the Judge here, and I’m just your helper! You’re supposed to be in charge here!”
“Senpai, reminding me about things that I forget is your job as well, and you’re doing it perfectly.”
“Huh? Oh, uh, thanks!”
“Wait a minute, you didn’t really forget, did you? Are you just testing me? You were, after all, one of the best students back in high school! There’s no way you can’t memorize Judge stuff compared to all of those studying materials from school!”
“By the way, Senpai, why don’t you wrap your hand around my waist?”
“Trying to change the subject, are you?”
“Just grab my waist already, Senpai! We’re dating anyway!”
“. . .”
But Neo went silent without answering her for a brief moment.
“I. . .I might get too full of myself and start grabbing something else. . .”
“. . .”
Yuki went silent, hearing his answer, and her face went slightly red, though her facial expression remained neutral, as always.
“So, you’re saying I might get pregnant? Then let’s not, Senpai. Pregnancy during our Judge duty would be troublesome.”
“HEY NOW!! I DIDN’T EVEN THINK THAT FAR, KOUHAI-KUN!! I NEVER REALIZED THAT YOU ARE A PERVERT THIS WHOLE TIME!!”
“I was joking, Senpai. I purposefully take things too far as a joke to invoke my own emotion. And sexual jokes are the best way to make someone react, so I figured it would be the strongest trigger. Who knows that my emotion might actually come back?”
*!*
“So, you’re saying they might come back?”
“I don’t know yet. I only first thought this was possible because of the fact that I cried ugly back then after we both received Karin-senpai’s memories.”
“I see. . .”
“(That adorable kouhai from back then might come back and merge with this new one.)” thinks Neo to himself with a smile.
“So, any cases yet?”
“Hmm, this is a pretty small town, and probably only a few hundred people live here. Wanna sightsee as we wait for any cases, Senpai?”
“Alright then! It’s a date!”
“My first date with Senpai. Finally.”
This is one of those rare free times for the Judge and the Support. A peaceful moment without any crime scenes for a little while. Yuki and Neo decided to sightsee in the city below. The ice peacock descends towards the ground quickly.
*FLAPS*
And it flaps its wings to counter the momentum it was descending and stops perfectly 1cm above the ground. As always, even though it's made of ice, Yuki animates the peacock so masterfully that its movement makes it look like it’s actually a living being.
*thud*
Neo jumps off first from the ice peacock. He immediately turns around and raises his hand towards Yuki.
“Wow, you’re so manly, Senpai. I feel so lucky to have you.”
“Don’t mention it!”
Yuki gladly takes Neo’s hand, and she hops off from the ice peacock. The ice peacock quickly melts and vanishes as per Yuki’s will.
“So, what should we do first, Senpai?”
“Let’s find a restaurant or a diner! We haven’t had breakfast today!”
“Lead the way.” said Yuki, as she offered him her hand.
“With pleasure!” replied Neo as he gently took her hand.
Yuki and Neo start walking across the small town while holding hands. They look to their left and right to enjoy this beautiful city. There are people outside, but only very few compared to how many people are in a giant bustling city. This feels like an escapism of some sort.
“Senpai. Someone has a flower garden in their front yard.” said Yuki as she points northwest.
“Wow!”
They both walk towards the house. They see that the small flower garden is filled with many different types of colors and species. The flowers are red, blue, yellow, purple, pink, and so on. There are also colorful butterflies of different types and species hovering over the flower garden.
“Senpai, I’ve never been one to like flowers all that much, but when I see how many different colors are in this small patch together, it looks so harmonious and pretty to look at.”
“I feel the same way. A man who likes flowers is rare compared to a woman who does, but yeah, it’s beautiful to look at!” said Neo with a smile.
“. . .”
Yuki sees Neo’s smile and looks the other way.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Nothing,”
“(Your smile is still the most beautiful in comparison.)” thinks Yuki in secret.
They proceed to keep walking ahead. Though they don’t find any specific thing for a while, they are still in awe of the entire atmosphere of this city.
“Kouhai, look up!!” said Neo as he pointed his free hand to the sky.
*!*
There is a cloud above the sky that has a shape resembling that of a heart.
“Senpai, is that basically our God saying that we should get married immediately?”
“I-I-I appreciate that you are so quick to say the M-word regarding me, but we don’t have that kinda money, you know!”
“(The M-word?)”
“Let’s infiltrate a mafia hideout and steal their assets.”
“P-Please do not resort to robbery regarding our marriage. . . How are we gonna explain to people when they ask about our journey beforehand. . .?”
“Wrong, Senpai. It’s not exactly robbery when you steal from a criminal organization.”
“Hmm, I can’t argue with that, but please don’t! Marriage is sacred, so the way we get married should also be legal and sacred!”
“Okay, Senpai. I am happy that you think of it that much. It means you’re taking me seriously. Thank you, Senpai.”
“Y-You’re welcome!”
*!!*
*Sigh*
“Seems like our short date is over. . .” said Neo, a little bit disappointed.
“Short is an understatement. We’ve only been holding hands for 15 minutes. Oh, well, time for our Judge duty.”
Yuki and Neo let go of their hand-holding. Yuki immediately creates another peacock made of ice that is generated from her feet. They immediately hop onto it, and the ice peacock flies higher towards the sky and leaves the small town.
.
.
.
3 August 2018
North part of the South pole, Antarctica continent, 09:12 in the morning. . .
“Wow, all I can see is snow after flying for this long.”
“I’m still impressed by how fast Hana-san can fly.”
“Well, this is a lot more convenient than I initially thought. And also much better than carrying you two while flying.”
Quroe, Luna, and Kasumi are all flying above the South Pole. Quroe is by himself, using his Aura blade to blitz through the sky. Luna uses her Faith power to summon ‘Hana’ to carry both her and Kasumi in her arms as she flies fast through the sky as well. Quroe can move at the speed of sound, but he has to adjust his speed to go a lot slower to match ‘Hana’s’ speed so that he doesn’t leave them behind.
“Luna, we’ve finally arrived on this continent. Where are the bad guys that you said are chasing after you?”
“W-well, according to the info I heard, is that they’re somewhere here. And that is all that I know. . .”
“Tch! Searching the continent without any leads. This is going to take a while!”
“I can’t believe that an entire Underworld organization wants you dead, Luna-chan! What have you done to them in the past?” asks Kasumi.
Luna has told Kasumi about her deal with Quroe about protecting her from her pursuer, and Quroe suggested that destroying them is the fastest way to complete this deal. However, Luna herself hasn’t told both Quroe and Kasumi everything about her past that caused her to be pursued in the first place.
“. . .I can’t say yet, Kasumi-chan. I apologize.”
“I see. Then please tell us when you’re ready, Luna-chan.”
“Tch! But it would’ve helped us a lot if we knew the context, Luna!”
“. . .I’m sorry, Quroe-san.”
“Q-Quroe-kun! She doesn’t have to tell us anything if she’s not willing to!”
“. . .*SIGH* Alright, alright! I get it.”
The relationship between these three has changed slightly. Quroe no longer addresses Luna as brat, but rather calls her by her name, though without any honorifics. Luna herself has started to address Quroe with his given name rather than his family name. And Kasumi now addresses Quroe as Quroe-kun. These changes are very minor, but the impact they had during their everyday conversation now makes them look like three people who have been hanging out for most of their lives.
*GROWL*
*!*
“Alright, whose stomach was that?” asks Quroe.
“Not me!” said Luna.
Kasumi slowly raises her right hand up, with her face turning red slightly.
“It was me, Quroe-kun. . .”
“. . .”
There was a moment of silence between the three. Only the sounds of air, gently crashing against them, can be heard.
“Let’s have lunch!” said Quroe.
And the two of them nod silently.
“Wait, are there even any cities here, let alone restaurants or diners?” asks Luna.
“I have no idea. This is my first time in this place.” said Quroe.
“Uhh, same.” said Kasumi.
“But do not worry! We can just kill a polar bear and grill its meat.” said Quroe.
“Eh? But bear meat is incredibly gamey, Quroe-kun! If you just grill it without any seasoning, it’s going to taste horrible, especially the aftertaste!” said Kasumi.
“Why do you sound like you had bear meat before?”
“Because I did!”
“EH?” said Luna.
“I-it was a long time ago in the past! I was lucky to be able to eat expensive cuisines such as bear meat! A-Anyway, bear meat is not really recommended for survival food because of the parasites that reside in their meat. If we don’t know how to properly cook it, it might turn fatal to all of us!”
“I see. Thank you for the warning!” said Quroe.
“Wow, Quroe-kun! This means that we could’ve died if we had never met Kasumi in the first place.” said Luna.
“Say thank you, God, Luna!” said Quroe.
“Thank you, God!” said Luna cheerfully.
“Hm? Wait, Kasumi! I remember you wearing a butler outfit the first time we met. Can’t you cook the bear meat instead?” asks Quroe.
“I-I apologize, Quroe-kun! I was more of a bodyguard than an actual butler! That was just a uniform for me.” said Kasumi.
“I see. Alright, let’s land!”
As per Quroe’s order, they all landed on the snow immediately. Quroe landed smoothly with his Faith power, and Luna also orders Hana to land smoothly on the snow. She discards ‘Hana’ shortly after.
“. . .It’s just a snowy landscape in every direction. How are we going to find food, Quroe-san?” asks Luna.
*!*
Quroe suddenly pulls out a plastic bag full of junk food meals from under his coat.
“Actually, I already took care of our food problem.”
“WOOWWW!! YAY MORE BURGERS AND FRIES!!” said Luna, cheering with her two hands raised upwards.
“W-When did you buy these Quroe-kun?”
“Right at the last city before we reached here. I bought them secretly, so I don’t see Luna constantly begging for them. I also meant this for an emergency, that’s why I brought up bear meat earlier.”
“W-WHA--? YOU THINK I’D DO THAT, QUROE-SAN?”
“Well, yeah! I know now how much you like junk food.”
“. . .Well, I can’t deny that possibility.” said Luna as she twiddles with her finger.
“L-Luna-chan, at least try to argue and defend yourself.” said Kasumi.
“. . .”
Quroe stares towards Kasumi’s left hand.
“Kasumi, does that still hurt?”
“Hm? Oh, this?”
Kasumi places her right hand over the stump on her left hand.
“It still hurts, but don’t worry about it, Quroe-kun! I can manage this amount of pain. Just this much pain is nothing compared to how it feels the first time inside that maze.”
“I see.”
Quroe looks saddened. He feels responsible for that wound even though, realistically, he had nothing to do with how Kasumi was wounded. It all happened because an outsider decided to satisfy his vengeance towards society, so Kasumi has to pay the price, even though she shouldn’t.
“Oh, well, let’s just eat!”
“Shouldn’t we find a shelter first?” asks Luna.
“Okay, where?” asks Quroe.
“Point taken, Quroe-san!” said Luna.
“Don’t forget to pray, you two!” said Kasumi.
“Understood!” said Quroe.
“Of course!” said Luna.
The three of them prayed and ended up having lunch in the middle of the snowfield, sitting down on the snow without a care in the world.
A few minutes later, they have finished everything and their stomachs are full.
“Fuuh!! THAT WAS GOOD!!” shouts Luna.
“Of course you say that!” said Quroe.
“Well, any food tastes delicious when you’re hungry!” said Kasumi.
“Okay, wanna continue right away or should we take a short break to let the food digest?” asked Quroe.
“Hmm, let’s wait for 15 minutes, Quroe-san!” suggests Luna.
“I agree, Quroe-kun! It’s not good to move around after lunch!” said Kasumi.
“Alright, then!”
They continue to wait and sit on the snow together.
*!!!*
*FWOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH*
But then a huge blizzard suddenly occurs.
“OH NO!!”
“THIS IS BAD!!”
“TcH!!”
Quroe quickly grabs the two of them and covers himself with his Aura blade. He quickly flies at the speed of sound in a random direction to find shelter.
*!*
Quroe sees a mountain and finds a small opening at its foot, possibly a cave.
“Let’s stay there for a while!”
He quickly made his way towards the opening and went inside.
“Phew! Made it!”
“Wow, the weather is so extreme in this place! Wearing all of these outfits, and it still feels freezing! BRRRRR!!” said Luna.
“Thank you for your quick reaction, Quroe-kun!” said Kasumi.
“Don’t mention it!”
They wait inside the cave for an entire hour, but the blizzard is only getting harsher.
“Seems like we’ll be here for a long time!”
“BRRRRRR!!!! Q-QUROE-SAN!! BRRR!!! I AM FREEZING!!!”
Luna is shaking terribly as she sits down in the cave, folding her legs and hugging herself to protect her body from the cold.
“Q-Quroe-kun! What should we do?”
Quroe thinks quickly for a second.
“Let’s do this then!!”
Quroe opens up his coat, and he sits down next to Luna on her left. She hugs her and wraps his coat over her entire body to keep her body warm.
“There are no trees around here, so this is our next best option! Endure this for now, Luna!” said Quroe.
“O-o-o-o-okay, Quroe-san! T-t-t-thank you-u-u-u-uuuu. . .”
“You’re welcome!”
“. . .”
Kasumi sees that Luna is still shivering. She sits down next to her as well on her right and hugs her as well to keep her body warmer.
“You feel okay, Luna-chan?”
“Y-y-y-yeah. . . A little b-b-b-bit. . .”
“Okay, stop talking and go rest! You’ll need it!”
“O-o-o-okay. . .”
The blizzard kept going for an entire day, so they all slept together in that position until tomorrow. Kasumi and Quroe’s heads are leaning against one another during their sleep.
