"Yo! My fellow comrade! We haven't seen each other in days, yet you remain exactly the same as always."
"Joy. It has been a long time, Yumetsuki."
"Yeah, it really has been a long time..." Yumetsuki looked at her two good friends, letting out a nostalgic sigh before tilting her head in confusion. "Putting me aside, you two have changed quite a bit. What's with that outfit...?"
Right now, the Yamai sisters weren't wearing their full Astral Dresses. Aside from the chains around their necks and limbs, the original straitjacket-like bindings had completely vanished. In their place were highly fashionable, cute summer outfits, accompanied only by the single wings and weapons that formed their astral dress Elohim Tzabaoth.
But more importantly, the invisible wall of hostility that had always stood between Kaguya and Yuzuru felt completely gone.
"Well... right now, manifesting my Astral Dress to this extent is my absolute limit."
"Helplessness. We originally could have created much more powerful storms..."
Despite saying that, Kaguya and Yuzuru didn't show a single ounce of dissatisfaction with their current condition. Instead, they wore incredibly happy, blissful expressions.
"You can't fully manifest your Astral Dresses...?" Yumetsuki frowned slightly. Then, as if realizing something, her eyes widened in absolute disbelief. "Wait, don't tell me you two...!"
The Yamai sisters exchanged a glance and flashed meaningful, knowing smiles. Instead of answering Yumetsuki's question, they each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her up into the sky.
"Hey! What are you guys planning?!"
Given the Yamai sisters's current power level, it wouldn't have been hard for Yumetsuki to break free. But since there was no way they harbored any malicious intent toward her, she just let them pull her along, looking thoroughly confused.
In response to her confusion, Kaguya and Yuzuru smiled brightly and answered:
"What do you mean? Didn't I forge a contract of destiny with you back then? It is time for me to fulfill my vow."
"Return. Repaying you for that dinner back then."
....
"I say..."
Sitting at a table in a secluded corner of a family restaurant, Yumetsuki's mouth twitched uncontrollably as she watched the two girls sitting across from her.
"Here~ Yuzuru, open your mouth. Say 'Ahh~'"
Kaguya scooped up a spoonful of the freshly served chocolate parfait and lovingly fed it to Yuzuru.
"Praise. It is truly delicious."
Yuzuru naturally opened her small mouth, accepted the spoon, and spoke with an expression of pure bliss.
"Ah... No matter how many times I look, I just can't get enough. As expected of my other half! The hidden charm beneath that sleepy face is absolutely peerless. Even I feel completely overshadowed!"
"Shyness. As a return gift, Kaguya must also eat Yuzuru's parfait. Come, open your mouth~"
"Ahh~"
Watching Kaguya eat her parfait, a look of pure intoxication appeared on Yuzuru's usually listless face.
"Sigh. As expected of Kaguya. Even when she is being fed, she is incredibly cute. Yuzuru feels like she is about to lose control of herself."
"Kyaa~ You're so mean! Yuzuru is obviously the cuter one! Here, ahh~"
"Smile. No, Kaguya is. Ahh~"
After that, the two joyfully smiled at each other while continuously feeding each other spoonfuls of dessert.
....Why? According to the Yamais, I'm supposed to be the guest of honor for this get together. So why exactly do I feel this overwhelming sense of being an incredibly unnecessary third wheel...?
Okay, sure. Yumetsuki had known from the start that the Yamai sisters actually had a great relationship. And yes, she was the one who told them they should get along and be good friends. But seeing them completely drop their guards and aggressively flirt with each other in public... Yumetsuki felt like her entire worldview had just shattered with a loud CRASH!
"Hm? What is wrong, Yumetsuki? You do not look very happy, and you haven't touched your food."
"Question. Do you not have an appetite?"
Seeing Yumetsuki staring blankly into space with an empty, dead-inside expression, Yuzuru and Kaguya finally snapped out of their little two-person world and asked with genuine concern.
You seriously have the nerve to ask why?!
A vein throbbed on Yumetsuki's forehead as she secretly clenched her fists under the table. But seeing their genuinely worried expressions, she gave up with a heavy sigh. Covering her face to hide the imaginary tears forming in the corners of her eyes, she said in an incredibly tragic tone: "I'm fine... You guys just keep going... Just watching you two... makes me feel completely full."
Seeing Yumetsuki's reaction, the Yamai sisters instantly realized that leaving her completely ignored was way too mean.
"Haha... S-Sorry about that. We accidentally forgot you were here, Yumetsuki."
"Apology. We hosted this gathering specifically for Yumetsuki, but accidentally forgot about Yumetsuki."
"Don't apologize for that! It just makes it hurt even more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Her tear ducts unable to withstand the sheer bitterness in her heart any longer, Yumetsuki let out a wail, bolted out of her seat, and ran out of the restaurant, leaving a trail of sparkling tears in the air.
"E-Eh?! Wait! Don't leave, Yumetsuki!"
"Panic. Please do not run away, Yumetsuki!"
The Yamai sisters quickly jumped out of their seats and chased after her.
------Chasing yumetsuki back divider line-----
"Hey... Yumetsuki, I know I was wrong. So please don't be mad anymore, okay?"
"Apology. Please eat something to calm your anger, Yumetsuki. The omurice is very delicious."
Kaguya scratched her head apologetically, putting her hands together in a pleading gesture toward Yumetsuki. Sitting next to her, Yuzuru pushed the freshly served dish in front of Yumetsuki as a peace offering.
"Hmph!"
Sitting across from them, Yumetsuki completely ignored the food. She turned her head away, her cheeks puffed out, making it blatantly obvious that she was currently in a terrible mood.
"Ah... She's completely mad."
"Miscalculation. We really messed things up."
Seeing the situation, Kaguya and Yuzuru felt a wave of distress. They had originally intended to cheer Yumetsuki up. Who would have thought they'd accidentally slip into their usual two-person world, ignore everyone else, and end up making things ten times worse?
"Uh... what should we do now?"
"Suggestion. Shall we reference the Shido Conquest Guidebook that Reine-sensei gave us?"
"Oh! As expected of my other half! A brilliant proposal."
Dammit, what are those two whispering about? Just hold out a little longer, and I'll give in and forgive them!
Noticing Kaguya and Yuzuru whispering to each other, Yumetsuki started feeling a bit anxious. It was rare to reunite with the only true friends she had made in this world, yet she ended up getting the cold shoulder. The whole thing had made Yumetsuki feel genuinely down.
In truth, Yumetsuki had already forgiven them. As their friend, she was genuinely happy to see them getting along so well. But out of lingering dissatisfaction, Yumetsuki subconsciously started acting spoiled and threw a bit of a tantrum.
Ryougi Yumetsuki had known for a while that, after acquiring a female body, she wouldn't be able to completely maintain a male mindset forever. Since the pros and cons of this mental shift were still unclear, Yumetsuki had adopted a "wait and see" attitude toward it.
But right now, because she threw a fit over such a petty thing and missed the perfect timing to say, "I forgive you," Yumetsuki was swimming in regret.
"Yumetsuki, Yuzuru and I know we were wrong. Could you please turn back around?"
"Request. Please calm down and listen to us, Yumetsuki."
Hearing their voices right next to her ears, Yumetsuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly arranged her face into a serious expression and turned back around.
"Listen here, you guys... Mmph?!"
Before she could deliver her lecture, two spoons were simultaneously shoved into Yumetsuki's small mouth. Two distinct, faintly sweet flavors, accompanied by a refreshing coldness, spread across her tongue.
"How is it, Yumetsuki? This is a special VIP treatment from me. Accept it with a heart full of gratitude!"
"Question. Would you like another bite?"
"...W-W-W-W-W-What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Hearing Kaguya and Yuzuru's voices by her ears, Yumetsuki froze for a solid second. When she finally snapped back to reality, her face exploded into an unprecedented shade of tomato red as she screamed.
Did I just get fed with an 'Ahh~'?! That incredibly embarrassing couple thing?!
"Ho~ I never expected Yumetsuki to make an expression like that! This is a truly wonderful surprise."
"Agreement. It is extremely cute."
The Yamai sisters' eyes sparkled as if they had just discovered a fascinating new toy.
"Y-You two! You clearly aren't sorry at all! I-I'm ignoring you!"
Blushing furiously, Yumetsuki pointed at them. Finally, as if her brain had overheated and was venting massive amounts of steam, she aggressively turned her head away again.
The moment the words left her mouth, Yumetsuki instantly flipped countless imaginary tables in her mind.
Dammit! I am NOT a tsundere! (╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴
"Come on, come on! The chocolate parfait is delicious! Here, Yumetsuki, ahh~"
"Likewise. The strawberry parfait is a masterpiece. Ahh~"
"...Ahh~"
Dammit... I feel like I just threw away something incredibly important as a human being.
While savoring the rich, sweet flavor of the parfait in her mouth, Yumetsuki wept silently in her heart.
Original author's Note (PS): Let me clarify right now, this novel is going the yome (marrying out/romance) route... Probably. →_→