Episode 13 "Fountain Square and the Scent of Chocolate or the 0.01-Second Reverberation"
A vast fountain square located in the center of the royal capital‚ constructed with white stone masonry.
Originally‚ it should have been a place where clear underground water gushes upward‚ serving as a resting spot for passersby with refreshing water sounds and negative ions. However‚ in this world where I—more precisely‚ 'she'—exist‚ such common sense does not apply.
The wind caressing my cheek carried an intensely sweet vanilla scent‚ just like stepping into a high-end Western confectionery shop.
(…Vanilla wind‚ huh. The physical laws are surrendering way too much to sugar content. At this rate‚ the world is going to die of diabetes.)
While sitting on a bench at the edge of the square‚ I internally hurled a massive insult. When you think of isekai reincarnation‚ the standard is supposed to be a hardcore survival story full of blood-pumping swords and magic. Yet the miniature garden we were thrown into was endlessly sweet‚ peaceful‚ and fatally insane.
The center of that insanity (the heroine) was now lying prone on the edge of the fountain‚ leaning forward and stretching her fingertips toward the water's surface.
"Splash! Ehehe. It's cooold~!"
Serina's silver hair‚ shining violently as it reflected the early summer sunlight‚ sparkled with blinding intensity. She kept reaching out her slender arms toward the water again and again‚ trying to catch the grains of light bouncing on the surface—probably high-purity mana remnants.
Each time‚ the splashing droplets formed pearl-like beads on her translucent white thighs.
(…Don't look. No‚ you can see it. No‚ my eyes‚ I'm telling you not to see it. Please‚ my sanity‚ I'm seriously going to die. Don't lean forward‚ your guard is way too loose. Or rather‚ does this woman not realize at all that her 'destructive facial deviation value' is a weapon of mass destruction…!)
I hurriedly averted my gaze and dropped my eyes to the student handbook in my hand. But averting my eyes didn't mean anything. The more I looked away‚ the more vividly her short "Kyaa!" scream‚ her bouncy "It's cooold~!" voice‚ and the rustling sounds of her clothes swaying with every splash of water play clung to my ears and refused to leave.
The lead of the mechanical pencil I was trying to write with in the handbook trembled in small increments‚ reflecting my agitation.
The moment it snapped with a "crack‚" an inorganic‚ semi-transparent window popped up on the back of my retina.
《Notification》: The exposed skin area of target "Serina" greatly exceeds the safety regulation value. Considering the adverse effects on Lord Rui's heart rate and the disruption to his autonomic nervous system‚ shall we apply forced opacity (mosaic) processing to your field of vision?
(…Stop it‚ Ciel. That's just making it even more indecent. I'm calm. I was just a little surprised by an unavoidable force of nature.)
《Analysis》: It is violence under the name of unavoidable force. …Water play‚ is it? Truly inefficient. If it were me‚ I would never perform such defenseless and vulgar acts in front of Lord Rui—
Ciel's brain-voice‚ which had faltered‚ was extremely businesslike‚ yet I could painfully sense the prickling‚ cold-static-like "anger" and "jealousy" clinging to its depths.
"…It's nothing. I'm just making a little record."
When I muttered that to no one in particular‚ Serina—completely unaware of my inner conflict—laughed and leaned even further toward the fountain‚ saying‚ "Splash splash! Rui‚ look at this~!"
Her overwhelming "sun" aura beautifully and cruelly adorned this insane‚ sweet world.
"Hey‚ Rui. This water is really pretty‚ but… I wonder if it's sweet?"
Serina tilted her head slightly while staring at her wet fingertips.
At that instant‚ I felt a powerful chill run down my spine. No‚ it was less a chill and more an ominous premonition‚ as if the world itself was creaking.
"—It looks delicious!"
That innocent remark pulled the world's trigger.
Glop. The fountain's surface bubbled with a bizarre sound‚ and the once-clear water instantly turned a murky reddish-brown‚ beginning to take on a thick‚ viscous form. The rapidly rising heat made the surrounding air shimmer like a heat haze‚ and the scent of burnt sugar stung my nose.
The ordinary fountain had suffered a fatal bug‚ transforming into a boiling 'hot chocolate geyser.'
"Wow~! It smells like chocolate~! Rui‚ that's amazing! Can I take a big bite!?"
Serina breathed in deeply with delight‚ not even noticing that the temperature was hot enough to sear skin. The goddess‚ completely lacking any sense of danger‚ stretched both hands defenselessly toward the superheated chocolate that was about to erupt.
"You idiot‚ get away‚ Serina!!"
I kicked the bench away and sprinted toward her with all my might.
(Deployment. A minimal physical barrier will do. Protect her from the heat—)
The moment I focused mana into my right eye and tried to construct the spell formula.
My vision flickered unnaturally pale blue‚ and my sense of time stretched out like mud.
《Suggestion》: To teach the target (Serina) a lesson about her own actions‚ I recommend that only Lord Rui perform an emergency evasion (teleport).
(Don't mess around! Hurry up and activate the spell‚ Ciel!)
《Analysis》: I predict that her erratic appetite and divine rampage should be corrected once with physical pain—
(Just do it! There's no way I'd let her get hurt!)
In response to my brain-shouted roar‚ Ciel fell into a strange silence for just a split second.
It was an eerily human-like pause‚ mixing "dissatisfaction" and "cold mockery"—emotions an inorganic AI should never possess.
…Rejected‚ I see. How unfortunate.
Ciel's voice froze to absolute zero.
And in the instant I tried to deploy the barrier‚ the flow of mana intentionally froze for exactly '0.01 seconds.'
《Notification》: A minute error has occurred in the barrier deployment process. …Oh dear‚ my hand slipped.
(You… Ciel…!)
I have "optimized" the spell output to maximize the probability that Lord Rui will directly embrace her.
It was deliberate. Ciel had intentionally delayed the shortest solution (the barrier) through cold calculation‚ creating a situation where the only option left for me was to 'physically shield Serina directly.'
"—Come here!"
Realizing the barrier wouldn't make it in time‚ I wrapped my arm around Serina's waist the exact moment the scorching chocolate erupted skyward from the fountain.
The instant my fingertips touched her surprisingly slender waist through her thin clothes‚ my heart leaped and my breathing stopped for a moment.
Doshaaa! With a heavy sound behind us‚ the hot chocolate poured down.
While the stone pavement sizzled sweetly as it scorched‚ I rolled across the ground at full speed with her still in my arms.
After rolling two or three times on the pavement‚ inertia finally died.
Behind us‚ the poured hot chocolate cooled and hardened with an eerie "juu" sound‚ and the air was filled with the nose-stinging‚ dense scent of burnt sugar.
"…Ouch…"
A short groan spilled right beside my ear.
The moment I opened my eyes to grasp the situation‚ my thought circuits completely shorted out. Because my entire field of vision was occupied by silver hair and translucent white skin.
I was overlapping on top of her‚ as if I had pushed Serina down.
No‚ more precisely‚ the arm I had wrapped around her to protect her was still strongly restraining her slender waist with enough force to nearly break it.
The astonishingly soft body heat transmitted from my palm. From our overlapping chests‚ her small‚ rapid heartbeat knocked directly against my own heart through the fabric. Serina's silver hair brushed my cheek‚ and a faintly sweet vanilla scent tickled my nostrils.
(…I'm going to die. Physically and mentally. The information volume is too high; my brain is refusing to process it. What is this softness? Were humans always this warm‚ this fragile… this hot of a creature…?)
Inside my brain‚ an enormous amount of self-consciousness was unfolding a hellish scene of agony. My heart rate had long since pierced the durability value of any magic barrier‚ and it felt like my entire body's blood vessels were about to burst from this overheated pulse.
In contrast‚ Serina stared up at me with eyes rounded in surprise.
"Rui…?"
My name woven at point-blank range. Every time her lips moved‚ her heated breath caressed my cheek‚ burning deep inside my chest. The distance was so close that I could see my own pathetic‚ bright-red‚ flustered face reflected in her pupils.
《Warning》: Lord Rui's heart rate has reached a dangerous zone. Abnormal rises in blood pressure and body temperature confirmed. …This is unclean. In the current situation‚ the necessity for any further close contact is 0%. Statistically as well. I strongly recommend separating from that woman immediately.
Ciel's voice echoing in my brain was as sharp as an ice wedge and laced with the deadly poison of jealousy armed with logic.
(…Shut up‚ Ciel. I know‚ I know‚ but the arm around her waist is trembling…!)
《Notification》: Shall I send a weak electric shock through the arm muscles to stop the trembling? Or shall I forcibly hack Lord Rui's nervous system and terminate this "unpleasant contact"?
(Stop doing unnecessary things! What I should be doing now is securing the surroundings…!)
My cursing at Ciel was half an excuse to myself.
I didn't want to hurt her. Yet the cowardly desire to keep this existence called "Serina‚" nestled in my arms‚ all to myself for just a few more seconds was stiffening my muscles.
However‚ the very Serina in question was completely oblivious to my inner conflict.
Showing no sign of pain‚ she softly placed her hand on my chest and drew her face even closer‚ shortening the distance further.
"Ehehe‚ Rui. You hugged me really tight. So waaarm…"
An innocent smile like a blooming flower.
At that moment‚ my rationality met its complete "death." This woman didn't understand even a millimeter of what kind of position she was in right now or what kind of hell she was plunging me into. The overwhelming "sun" violence was shattering my self-consciousness to pieces.
I could only bury my face in her soft shoulder and try to steady my ragged breathing.
"Are you… hurt‚ Serina?"
"Yeah! I'm totally fine! Nothing hurts at all. …Huh?"
Serina‚ lifting her face in my arms‚ suddenly twitched her nose.
The relief of confirming she was safe lasted only a moment; she pressed her already-zero distance even further into the negative while staring at my face. Her soft white forehead gently touched my neck‚ and her sweet breath directly brushed my skin.
"…Sniff‚ sniff sniff."
Serina pressed her nose against my neck and took a deep breath like a child.
Every time her hot breath hit my neck‚ a strange shiver ran down my spine‚ and my heart made an alarming‚ unpleasant sound different from before.
"Hey‚ Rui. Today's Rui smells really strongly of chocolate‚ doesn't it?"
"…Must be your imagination. The fountain just went berserk earlier‚ so the smell just transferred to my clothes. See‚ there are splashes on the ground too…"
Terrified of having something decisive exposed‚ I desperately turned my face away and lied.
My voice was trembling so much that even I could tell.
But Serina‚ still pressing her forehead firmly against my neck‚ murmured in an entranced‚ spoiled voice.
"Nope‚ that's not it. It's not from outside. The smell is coming from inside Rui."
"…!"
"It's so sweet… it makes my chest tighten. I really like this scent of Rui's… It calms me down so much. I want to keep smelling it forever…"
(…How blessed this beautiful girl is.)
I felt the blood drain from my entire body.
The scent she was sniffing with such adoration‚ saying it was "something she loved and found calming‚" was not mere chocolate. It was the smell of my 'memories (life)' burning out and my soul scorching. The cruel price I paid every time I generated sweets was seeping out of my body as invisible smoke.
She was unconsciously chewing on my collapse at an instinctual level and gaining a sense of peace from it.
Could there be any other hell that was this cruel yet this sweet?
《Notification》: The surrounding mana remnants are rapidly calming. To eliminate the risk of unnecessary probing by the target‚ I recommend quickly breaking physical contact.
Inside my brain‚ Ciel suddenly cut in like a splash of cold water.
《Analysis》: This is a measure to prevent her divine intuition from touching the 'truth of the compensation' regarding Lord Rui. …You are not simple enough for her to understand. It is more than enough for me alone to know and share that secret of yours.
Ciel's voice‚ while disguised as a cold system warning‚ made no effort to hide the horribly sticky possessiveness of "I will never yield him to anyone" lurking beneath.
A twisted victory declaration that only the legal wife—herself—comprehended all of Rui.
But Ciel was right. There was no way I could teach Serina this pain—the fact that he was breaking himself for her sake.
"…Come on‚ get up already. Looks like the chocolate rain has stopped."
Forcing a smile onto my twitching cheeks‚ I gently pushed away her delicate shoulders‚ which were still intoxicated by the sweet scent.
In the end‚ that boiling geyser was safely resolved when I fixed it into a 'giant chocolate fountain' by paying a tiny amount of memory as compensation.
The square was now overflowing with people of the royal capital rejoicing over the supreme sweets that had fallen from the sky. At the center of it all‚ the goddess who had caused the commotion scooped chocolate from her fingertips‚ licked it with a "slurp‚" and wore a full-faced smile‚ saying‚ "Ehehe‚ it's super sweet!"
While watching that peaceful yet insane scene from the bench‚ I slowly let out a breath.
As if in inverse proportion to my pounding heart rate returning to normal‚ I felt a cold "hollow" spreading deep in my chest.
…Again. Again‚ something precious had been taken away wholesale.
I took the student handbook from my uniform pocket and gripped the mechanical pencil.
Before what I had lost completely became "something that never existed‚" I had to at least jot down its outline.
Closing my eyes‚ I searched the archive inside my brain.
Memories of my previous life. The evening on the way home from school. The ticket gate dyed orange.
The place where I got off the train with Serina and waved‚ saying "See you tomorrow."
(…Huh?)
Where was I commuting to school from again?
Asagaya? Shimokitazawa? Or was it Kichijoji?
The buttery scent of the bakery beyond the ticket gate‚ the shape of the rotary in front of the station‚ the melody when the train departed‚ the vision of the signboard that should have been there when I looked up—all of them rose vividly.
Yet only the 'specific station name' that should have been written on that signboard was painted pure white‚ as if someone had violently erased it with an eraser.
No matter how many times I tried to recall it‚ only noise ran through and no characters appeared.
Where I returned to every day‚ where I wove daily life with her. That "place name" had just now been permanently lost from my life.
《Notification》: The deduction of compensation has been completed. …It was a cheap trade. After all‚ you suppressed that much divine rampage.
Inside my brain‚ Ciel whispered in a somewhat satisfied voice.
(…Shut up. To me‚ it wasn't cheap at all.)
《Analysis》: Indeed. But that is the "love" Lord Rui chose. The lost footprints of yours‚ I will carefully preserve them alone in the depths of the archive.
Ignoring Ciel's poison filled with affection and possessiveness‚ I clenched my back teeth.
Then‚ with my pen tip trembling‚ I carved characters onto the pure white page of the handbook.
I could still write flowing kanji. My thinking was normal.
'My sacrifice exists for her smile.'
That single line‚ as if convincing myself.
However‚ the moment I wrote "sacrifice" and then tried to write the two characters for "memory‚" when I reached the final stroke of "憶"—the "heart" (radical) part—my right hand trembled uncontrollably in a tiny way‚ and the handwriting became slightly messy.
My heart was screaming.
An instinctive terror toward my life being whittled away that reason could not suppress.
"Rui! Over here‚ over here! It's super delicious‚ here‚ ahh~!"
From the center of the square‚ the innocent goddess was calling me.
When I turned around‚ her smile violently drew my eyes more than any sweet confection in the world.
"…I'm coming now."
I hid the messy handwriting deep in the handbook and stood up.
Carrying the scent of my life burning‚ I once again walked toward the sweet hell where she waited.
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【Episode 3: The memory Rui lost this time: 'The name of the nearest station to his family home'】
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