Peridot
I took pride in always fulfilling my duties. When you live the kind of life I've lived, that wasn't an unusual stance; some things simply had to be done, good or bad, and your feelings about them were irrelevant. It doesn't matter if you like taking out the trash or not; if you don't do it, you'll attract vermin to your house. So, you grit your teeth and take out the trash, even when that nasty, murky liquid drips onto your foot and ruins your entire day... or even when the handle of your knife is so worn and soaked in blood that the only way to keep holding it is to tape it to your hand. You take out the trash.
So why...?! I wondered, gripping the steering wheel hard enough to turn my knuckles white.
No matter how much I gritted my teeth, clenched my jaw, dug my nails into my palms, or tensed my toes and abs, I simply couldn't get into the mindset to take out the trash. Or rather, to bring the trash in.
Why won't my dick go soft?! From the moment I clocked out and left work, throughout the entire drive, and even after waiting in the apartment parking lot for nearly twenty minutes, my erection simply wouldn't go away.
I sighed, practically tearing at my skin as I rubbed my face.
"Whatever my duty as a brother might be, this definitely isn't one of them." I knew that full well, just as I knew that unless I pulled myself together, the real trash that needed to be taken out would be me, thrown right out the top-floor window.
In twenty-four years of life, not once had I ever thought of my twin sister that way. When we slept together in her tiny cabin, the ease with which she fell asleep and the warmth of her body made me think only that it was good for her to be rested and healthy for the next operation; even when I watched her in the base showers, all I thought upon seeing her naked body was that her flawless complexion was a sign I was doing a good job, I felt proud.
And wasn't that normal? We were biological twins, raised together and fully aware of it.
Yes, something has changed, and it wasn't the years she'd spent living with her father, I thought, certain that, until that very morning, I could have seen Jade wearing nothing but her pilot's flight suit with nothing underneath and felt absolutely no sexual arousal.
My heart pounded.
Wait, why did I think of my sister wearing something like that?! That was way too specific!
"Shit! I just had to come home and ask her that, didn't I?" I held back from punching myself, and took a deep breath. "Calm down, Peri; you aren't making any logical sense. If you can forgive her for... for what she was doing earlier, then you can forgive yourself for this awkward situation, too."
It was true; the reasons I'd given Jade applied to me as well, after all, our lives hadn't been that different until just two years ago. True, I'd integrated into society earlier than she had, but I hadn't exactly had a wealth of romantic experiences either.
There was a civilian I dated for a while, but her desires were simply impossible for me to read, and she dumped me because I never understood her; then there was an ex-soldier who was more assertive... much more assertive. Too much so, in fact. I was the one who pushed her away. But in both cases, physical intimacy had been a complicated issue.
No, any form of relaxation was complicated; I recalled the first girl's words: "It's like you never really came back from there." And just like magic, my erection finally subsided.
I sighed.
"Let's do this. After putting me through all that, I'm even more motivated to wipe the floor with Jade in that little game of hers! She can't fool me, I'm certain she's online somewhere in Vanguard!"
Game Over ☠
Jade
The [Nun] said her goodbyes and left with surprising cordiality, explaining that the last dungeon had given her plenty to think about; it had also made her realize she didn't have what it took to keep helping Legiano on his mission, especially after what happened to the NPCs who had been following him. And speaking of them:
"Whoever finished them off came from the capital," Legiano said, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the ammo casing, which bore the mark of a high-end manufacturer from the capital. A police officer had secured the evidence and handed it to us upon our return, though the bodies had already been buried. "And they had plenty of money, plus two specific targets in mind."
"Does that match the description of the person you're looking for?" I asked, holding my chin and closely examining the ammo I had fired myself.
"Yeah."
"Wow, she sounds terrifying!"
"She is. But she made a mistake." He stood up, furrowing his brow as he put the casing away. "She left me alive."
"Where are you going?"
"To the capital."
Time to say goodbye to this arc's heroine and head in the exact opposite direction of this guy. This is Anelise's grand finale, so let's put on a show! I thought. In the end, all that planning to have fun playing video games with my brother turned out to be a waste, but what can you do? Nobody told him to... Anyway, it was his fault!
"I see..." I paused, clasping my hands behind my back.
In the light of the setting sun, the brown hair of my disguise seemed to burn with the unspoken emotions of the character I was playing. Suddenly, Anelise felt so awkward, dressed in those grease-stained clothes, devoid of any charm! Oh, the poor thing simply wasn't leading-heroine material, and she knew it all too well.
Legiano stopped too and smiled at me.
"Thanks for your help so far, Anelise. We wouldn't have made it out of that dungeon alive if it weren't for you."
"Oh, i-it was nothing. I didn't really do much compared to the two of you." As the smile faded from my face, the bittersweet happiness Anelise had felt just a moment ago vanished like words lost to the wind: "Actually, I put everyone in danger. I... was just a burden. I am a burden."
My hands clenched into fists, and for a moment, I experienced a flashback completely unrelated to the character: dirty dishes and laundry piled high all around me, while a computer screen played a video at a very low volume, quiet enough for whoever was on the other side of my door to forget I existed, at least until the next morning, when my mess would painfully remind them all over again.
"That's not true. Anelise, you..." That handsome bastard of an avatar adjusted his collar, blushing ever so slightly before finishing: "You aren't a burden. You never were."
My eyes met his, as if finding their way home.
"Well, then... Goodbye. If you pass through the capital, give me a shout, you've already got me on your friends list." Legiano put on a polite smile, nodded, and turned his back on me.
"Wait!" I grabbed his hand.
What am I doing?
"Wait" I repeated.
"...What is it?"
I should just be waving and saying goodbye right now!
I should, but...
"Are you going to continue your mission alone?"
"Yes. No matter what, I need to find that person; it's my duty. Besides, even though they were just NPCs, I owe a lot to Mira and Silas; the least I can do for them is avenge them."
"I knew it."
Duty, duty, duty... That's no way to enjoy a game!
"Ai, ai, well, I guess there's no helping it then. I suppose I have to keep traveling with you!"
At least until you forget that ridiculous philosophy of yours!
"No, no, I can't allow that. You have no idea how dangerous the person I'm hunting is."
"I get it, I get it. That's just one more reason not to leave you alone!" Heading toward the train station, I concluded, "Let's go buy our tickets, then! To the capital!"
"No, wait!" Legiano tried to stop me, but since I didn't listen, he sighed and started walking beside me.