Koyaga slowly nodded with a pained look, and she said, as she looked at her hands that were over her lap, “What if I told you I think I am having feelings for you? In the beginning, I may have used you to try to forget Mere, but lately… Not only because of all the fun we had on this bed but also travelling and talking with you. You are nice to be with, you know? It’s no surprise, Mere... I mean, I don’t know what you did with her, but I am assuming…”
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“Yes. We did. And she told me that in three years, we could be together because I was too young to be accepted as her partner by the Nobles, or the country.”
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“I see… And are you also willing to wait that long? A lot can happen in the Academy, you know? You can die during an exercise, or be badly injured, or meet a pretty girl like Tresuria and forget all about the Princess.”
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Nozomu slowly shook his head. “That won’t ever happen. It’s kind of hard for me to explain, but I know I won’t ever be able to forget the Princess. I wasn’t counting on meeting her and feeling like this, or else, you and me… wouldn’t ever happen… I am sorry…”
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“Don’t be. I am not sorry. We had a lot of fun, and it’s not like we can’t be friends or see each other. I just… need to think for a while. You are right, you know? I could be with Mere for all these years, even if only in secret, but I really thought she would be better off without me. Since she is with you, there is no point in trying to approach her now. I guess I can at least tell her I am, and I will always be, her friend. That should count for something, right?”
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“I think she will be thrilled if you tell her that. I got the impression she was rather lonely in that big Castle without real friends. All the Nobles of her court care more about their own butt than being her friend and helping her. If by chance you two find out that you still love each other, I won’t stand in your way. I respect you way too much to stop you from being happy, even if I get sad because she chose you instead of me.”
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Koyaga made a slight smile and got up. She pulled Nozomu to get near her and caressed his forehead. “You have a gentle soul, Nozomu. I can’t even be angry with you for choosing Mere instead of me, so I hope you won’t be angry with me if she chooses me instead of you. I am going to see her tomorrow morning, and I might stay with her for the entire day. We have a lot to catch up on. Do you mind going to the next City all alone?”
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“Maybe Taisetsuna can go with me. I am going to ask the Guild Master tomorrow morning. She complained that she also wanted a day off to travel to other Cities like I am doing lately.”
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“Yeah, the poor girl is killing herself with all the extra work your new food has caused. She deserves to travel for a day. Now, get out of here. I need to think about what I am going to say to Mere, and I want to sleep early.”
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As Nozomu was going to the door, he looked back and asked, “Are you okay? You seem…”
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“Nah, I am sort of alright, don’t worry. We both knew what we had, and it was bound to end, eventually. It was fun while it lasted, right?”
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“Yes, it sure was. You are an amazing woman, Koyaga. I believe you will find someone, be it a man or a woman.”
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He opened the door, and after carefully peeking at both sides, he went to the corridor and carefully closed the door. He walked up the stairs in silence, so as not to alert the Guild Master or the Cook.
In her room, Koyaga’s forced smile when Nozomu left slowly turned into curled lips as her eyes became wet. She leaned her face over the pillow and muffled her sobbing.
Despite how strong she pretended to be when Nozomu rejected her, the pain was almost unbearable, and after he left, she couldn’t hold the tears anymore.
She cried for a while, and then raised her head and got up. She went to the basin in a corner of the room and washed her face.
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After sitting on her bed again, she mumbled to herself, “You knew this was going to happen, dumb woman. He would definitely find someone he liked. You were just dumb enough to think you could be the one that he loved. It sure was fun… At the very least, I have some pleasant memories to recall the next time I eat pizza... Mere… It had to be Mere, from all the women out there… dumb Koyaga, dumb! You could be with her all this time… dumb, so dumb… now you may end up alone again...”
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She took her clothes off and continued to throw them on the floor in a rage, insulting herself over and over. She then laid on the bed after putting her nightgown on and sighed. “Yeah, there’s no point in overthinking this stuff; it will only make me sad. Tomorrow… Yeah, tomorrow I will go see her and talk to her.”
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Koyaga closed her eyes and mumbled to sleep, remembering all her adventures at the Academy, with the awkward Princess who was always telling her it was a bad idea to run through the corridors in the middle of the night to get to the kitchen for a late snack.
…
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Early in the morning, Taisetsuna and Nozomu left the Guild for the next City on their list, Puurmani, near the border with the Ifranluan Empire.
When they both exited the Magical Circle with their Unicorns, they saw themselves surrounded by a platoon of City Guards.
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One of them, with an insignia on the left side of his vest, took one step forward and asked while glancing at the frowning Unicorns that had an enormous concentration of Magic in their horns. “Who are you and what is the purpose of your visit?”
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Nozomu tapped Rampage’s snout and tried to calm him down while answering, “I am Nozomu Shinchaku, and she is Taisetsuna Kawa. We came to talk with the Guild Master. Do you mind telling your men to back down? You are making my friend nervous, and if he kills any of you, it will be your fault.”
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“If you can’t control your Unicorn, you can’t be in this City!”
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“If you don’t back away with your men, you won’t go home tonight to your family. Are you sure you want to keep on making him angry? He is very calm most of the time, but you know for sure that Unicorns don’t like people. Despite how many of you there are, I seriously doubt you will be a match for him. And Furnace is right here as well.”
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The Capitan took one step back and told his men to lower their weapons. They moved to the side of the main road where the Magical Circle was located, and the Capitan spoke as Nozomu started to walk again. “Keep them close to you at all times, and if they attack someone, you will be arrested.”
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Nozomu stopped and faced the Captain, and explained, “We came because the Princess told us to come. I will tell her upon my return how well I was treated, don’t worry. If any of your men or some stupid person attacks my friend, no way will I take the blame if he defends himself!”
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The Captain gulped and forced a slight smile. “The Princess, you say? Why didn’t you say that in the first place? The Guild of Adventurers is straight ahead, on the right side. It’s a big dark brown building, easy to spot. My men will escort you there, at a safe distance, of course.”
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“Of course… I hope by safe, you mean where you are and without drawing any weapons. My Unicorn is overly protective, and the last time a City Guard made him angry, he saw himself looking at the tip of his horn, which was aimed at his neck.”
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Nozomu placed his hand over the side of Rampage and gently tapped him as they walked along the street, trying to calm him. The City Guards kept on following them, walking at the edge of the street and always looking at them.
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Nozomu whispered to Taisetsuna, puzzled by their reception and the suspicious looks on the Guards. “Why do you think they are like this? Do you think they receive everyone that comes from the Magical Circle with a group of Guards?”
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“Probably. We are close to the border with the Empire, and Cities like this are always on high alert because in the event of an invasion, they will be the first to be attacked, and Magical Circles are a good way of creating a distraction by sending a platoon of soldiers inside a walled City.”
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“Still, this is overly exaggerated. The moment they saw us, they should have relaxed. Do we look like a distraction for an invasion or what?”
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Taisetsuna answered in an even lower whisper that Nozomu could barely listen. “What do you think? Two youngsters with two Unicorns? Unheard of! You know Unicorns are so rare, and never once has a Unicorn entered a City. Well, not peacefully, that is. There was once a Unicorn that took down a City while chasing a group of Adventurers that tried to catch him.”
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Nozomu didn’t answer but kept on tapping Rampage’s back, to make sure he didn’t get too nervous with the Guards around.
When they reached the Guild, Nozomu took the Unicorns to the stable that was on the right side of the Guild, and he then opened the door for Taisetsuna. The Guards remained near the entrance of the stable, making sure the Unicorns didn’t leave.
Inside, there were some groups of Adventurers at the tables, and a few looking at the Quest Board. From the front of the Board, a Snake-kind girl came, with long light brown hair floating behind her, and a long loose green blouse, and she stood next to Nozomu, slithering at his side as he walked, with a big smile on her face.
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“Hello there, stranger! What brought you here today? Something fun?”
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“Hi. Well, I suppose you can say that.”
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Taisetsuna growled and said, “Get lost! No one called for you!”
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The smiling girl pointed with her thumb at the angry Taisetsuna and asked, “Is she your girlfriend? If she is not, are you looking for one?”
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“She is family, and no, I am not looking for a girlfriend. Why? Are you looking for a boyfriend?”
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“No, I was just asking. So, if she is not your girlfriend, why did she react like that? Does she do that every time a girl approaches you?”
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Taisetsuna pulled Nozomu away from the smiling girl and stood in front of her. “Only when the girl is a Snake-kind. Get lost! I won’t tell you twice!”
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The girl put her hands on Taisetsuna’s face and looked closely into her eyes with her mouth wide open. “Oh! You have the most gorgeous eyes! So cute! I bet you make all the guys go crazy! And you are pretty too! I just want to kiss you, hug you, and take you home with me!”
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Taisetsuna tried to speak while her cheeks were being squashed. “Let… me… go… before I smack you!”
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“You look cute with that angry frown on your forehead! Oh my, I think I am going to kiss you! Yes, I will!”
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Before Taisetsuna could get free, she got a voracious kiss and jolted at the bifurcated tongue that entered her mouth and licked everything. She tried to push the unknown girl away, only to realise that she was enveloped by her muscular lower half, snake-like body, and couldn’t move a single muscle.
Nozomu opened his eyes wide in disbelief to see the smiling girl winking at him as she broke the kiss.
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She let Taisetsuna go and tilted her head with a big smile plastered on her face. “That was fun! What is your name, gorgeous? Come on, tell me already! I didn’t bite your tongue out, you know?”
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“I… I am Taisetsuna… Kawa…”
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“Cool name! Treasured river in the old language is an awesome name! I am Chujitsuna Hito, and it means faithful one, but everyone calls me Chuji. Don’t worry, I am not into girls, but I either kissed you or punched you for being so mean to someone you don’t know. My mother always told me it was always better to kiss than to punch, so, a kiss I chose! Did you like it? I was once told that I was a great kisser!”
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Nozomu spoke after gulping. “You know, that was a strange thing to do if you are not into girls. You could just have told her not to be rude.”
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“Yeah, I could do that… But this was so much better! Did you see the look on her face? Darn funny, it was! So, and what is your name, blondie?”
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“I am Nozomu Shinchaku. Nice to meet you, Chuji.”
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The Snake-kind girl made two fists shaking in front of her shoulders, and screeched. “Kyia! Another awesome name! New hope is such a cool name! Who chose your names? I so want to meet him!”
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“It was the Priest that raised us, actually. Your parents are Snake-kind as well? Or one of them is something else?”
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“Mother is Snake-kind, father is something else. Hehehe! A Cat-kind, nonetheless. A strong and very handsome one! My mother had to knock out every girl that approached my father when she was hunting him down. She says she had to hunt him down because he was always escaping from her. She eventually conquered him and they got married. Two years later, cute little me was born! Sixteen years later, here I am, training to be an Adventurer! A mighty Adventurer, killer of Monsters! Saviour of lost children! Amazing rider! Awesome fighter! Hehehe! I already worked on my presentation, see? Pretty cool, right? Right?”
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