Translator: Ranzan

  「I’ve never felt her ever be weak. Not once.」


  「Oh, that idiot’s weak all right.」


  「Maybe she is, maybe I just don’t know, but it exists. But since I’ve never seen it, I can’t love her.」


  「I’ve never shown you either.」


  「I wonder.」


  He said it with enough confidence to put a smile on his face as he said it.

  「I’d kill you leaving no trace, so if you shame mean I’d rather bite off my tongue and die, and then explode taking you with me.」


  With one shoulder turned, with on arm, he counted on his fingers in front of Youran.

  「Someone who does that isn’t strong.」


  「You have to really commit yourself to do that though.」


  「That cliched phrase again, and it takes more courage to live on afterwards.」


  「All the cliched things you say make you seem ridiculous.」


  「I guess, but that has nothing to do with it.」


  He took a breath, and then said it clearly.

  「You’re weak.」


  With the same tone as with Leticia, and the same implicit confidence.

  「That’s why I love you too.」


  「…」


  Youran was silent, looked straight ahead, and didn’t move as Taiyou held her.

  Her chest rose a bit as she breathed.

  Maybe there was something in the breath, he thought, but didn’t pursue it.

  Taiyou wanted to hear her speak.

  At the most important time, for her to speak.

  He knew how she was feeling.

  So he waited, continued to wait.

  「I…」


  Finally, Youran opened her mouth.

  He was expectant, and waited.

  「I…I…」


  Something was strange about her.

  Her shoulders were shaking, as Taiyou could feel Youran’s emotions begin to rise.

  「I am…Youran Shingetsu no Kami Juunishima! I…am strong!」


  She shouted, that phrase Taiyou was used to hearing.

  Suddenly she sprung from his embrace and dashed from the room.

  Taiyou flinched back, staggered.

  「Youran…」


  Taiyou’s shoulders slumped.

  Youran’s refusal made him wonder what he had said that caused it.

  What was the mistake he made.

  Grasping the answer was like trying to grasp water in your fingers, just like Youran had fled from his arms.

  He had put all his power into this appeal, and now was disappointed.

  His heart was broken.

  「Husband…」


  「…!! Kohaku!」


  He was called suddenly, which jolted him again.

  He turned to the voice and there was Kohaku in a uniform, sitting in the window.

  「Kohaku, when did you get there?」


  「That doesn’t matter now.」


  Kohaku deflected his question in a rare tone that Taiyou hadn’t heard from Kohaku.

  「Instead of that husband, you need to pursue her.」


  「Yeah, but she just refused me…」


  「When people can’t put into words things other than their own ideas, they can only express things they want or think they should do. It’s the same as those that fool others worrying about being fooled by someone else’s ideas.」


  「Wait, what does that mean?」


  「That girl’s wanted something from you from the beginning.」


  「…from me?」


  After Kohaku told him that, he searched his memory.

  What Youran wanted from him, or what she told him she wanted.

  He couldn’t find it, and thought there was nothing.

  What Youran wanted from Taiyou…or had asked him…nothing.

  He thought that far, and then try approaching it a different way.

  Maybe not just me, but something that she wanted for me.

  If that’s the case.

  「As as slave?」


  「…」


  「She wants to surrender to me, to give in to me?」


  「…」


  「But she said she doesn’t want to change her heart…」


  「…」


  「…! That was just stubborness?」


  「…」


  「If that’s so, then what I should do is…Kohaku!」


  「I’ll say this just in case, that I may be wrong. It might just be my opinion.」


  As she stated it, she looked up at him.

  「Or, maybe you’d like to try anyway?」


  「Ways and means.」


  Taiyou answered quickly, with his usual cliche.

  「The way is to not let her flee, and to make her mine. I remembered that from the advice you gave, Kohaku.」


  「Hmph.」


  「So the means don’t matter, no, the same as before, the most important thing is to not let her flee.」


  「Hee hee.」


  Kohaku laughed and wore a satisfied expression.

  「You were able to work through it in your head. Good job, husband.」


  As she said that, she smiled gracefully.

  After giving him something like a lecture, she now returned back to the wife we was used to.

  「All thanks to you Kohaku, thanks.」


  「What? You said you’d make us all happy, right?」


  He didn’t need to ask who was.

  「Yes, everyone happy!」


  「Now you can undertake the mission of getting her, husband!」


  「Thanks!」


  He said his peace, and then turned to leave.

  Kohaku called him back momentarily.

  「Husband.」


  「What is it?」


  「I am…strong.」


  As Kohaku said that, it reminded him of something, the way that Youran had said that to him.

  Taiyou grimaced a bit.

  「Give me a moment, to express myself better, okay?」


  「It’s my request.」


  As Kohaku said that, Taiyou thought that this time he would do it, as he left the sleeping Leticia in the nurse’s room.

  The method that Kohaku suggested, and the purpose that Taiyou was reminded of.

  The ways to make Youran his.

  Even if the means were different, even if she did blow herself up and take him with her.

  To stop that, he’s have to appeal to her heart.

  He was shaken momentarily, by someone with the same disposition as him, made to go into a region he had never been before.

  That made his heart shake, the fact he had momentarily lost her.

  From now on, Taiyou thought, I won’t be lost.

  ———


  The chime beginning fifth period at the school sounded, as Taiyou rushed down the hall.

  He ignored the jerseyed P.E. teacher that yelled at him to stop running.

  As he ran, he called the fairy.

  「Hera!」


  「Ta-dah!」


  「Where is Youran?」


  「Um, over here. Up here, desu.」


  「Up?」


  「Yes, desu. You can climb up using the stairs.」


  「Up.」


  Restating the words as if examining them.

  Youran had gone up the stairs.

  When someone flees in a building, except for special cases, they usually run to the stupidest place possible.

  For most buildings, the farther up you run, the less places there are to flee to.

  Running up the stairs is like a vertical dead end.

  There’s no reason a girl like Youran Juunishima wouldn’t know that.

  So there were two possibilities.

  One, that she was panicked, or two, that she wasn’t running.

  「Or it could be number two.」


  「What, desu?」


  「Ah, nothing. You go to where Youran is and check her location.」


  「Roger!」


  He said his thanks to Hera as she flew and disappeared into the ceiling.

  After he followed, running up the stairs and promising himself.

  This time he would get Youran’s heart.

  Can’t wait to see more? Want to show your support? to be a patron and get additional chapters ahead of time!