"Turn Around and Face Me!" 03 (Pixiv Fanbox)

03. How it all began

Do I like Lily?

―That should be obvious.

“No, it’s not that I like her.”

“… Eh?”

“Eh, ehhh?”

“Hm?”

My answer resulted in expressions that seemed to be a mix of surprise and disappointment. Perhaps they had been expecting something else.

“Oh? What a response, Lily, might you be feeling lonely? I’ve heard all about this. You’ve finally entered the lovestruck phase, haven’t you!”

“Y-You’re wrong…!”

“… Not this again.”

“Hold on a second, just what do you mean! Explain yourself!”

Mei had long figured it out, but Simone remained perplexed. At that exact moment, however, we found ourselves at the front of the line. To keep things moving along, we quickly accepted our meals and found a table for four. I was having beef stew, Lily and Mei had curry, and Simone a tonkatsu set. There was something I wanted to say to Mei about her choice, but I decided I’d leave that for another day.

After we seated ourselves and expressed our gratitude, I decided to answer Simone’s earlier question.

“Well, to put it simply, I do not like Lily-sama, I like her a lot… No, in fact, I’m in love with her!”

“I… I see…”

“… She’s just Mama Rei all over again.”

Mei’s call out was right on the mark, so all I could do was try and gloss things over and move on. In response to my dauntless confession, Simone appeared unsettled. Hm, could this be…? As I enjoyed my stew, which was surprisingly high quality for cafeteria food, I decided to follow up with Simone.

“Simone, do you think less of me for being so unashamed about my feelings despite Lily-sama and I both being women?”

“No, nothing like that. I mean, gay marriage has been legal in Bauer for a while now, so why should I?”

“… All thanks to our mamas.”

“Y-Yuu-sama and Misha-san contributed a lot too.”

Yes, that was right. The Bauer Kingdom had legalized gay marriage just a number of years ago. Our mothers and their companions were at the center of the movement. Yuu-sama was literally former royalty, and now a high ranking cardinal within the Spirit Church. Misha-san was a childhood friend to both of our mothers, Yuu-sama’s spouse, and a nun with a sharp mind.

Now, back to the subject at hand.

Simply put, though the queer community was by no means a majority, legally, our kingdom did support gay marriage.

“Yes, that’s right. However, it can’t be denied that many people still give us strange looks whenever they see us. I was just curious to know what you yourself thought, Simone.”

“… I―!”

Simone almost gave a snap reaction, but just barely held her tongue to give herself some time to think. Then, after chewing through both her thoughts and some of her pickled vegetables that came as a set with her curry, she gave her answer.

“I can’t say I’m entirely unbiased, I guess. I mean, I’ve seen plenty of people who claimed to be unbiased and inclusive, but then blatantly discriminated against me.”

“I believe that’s a very healthy way to look at things, Simone. I mean, everyone has their own biases. I think that it’s a rare talent to be self aware of your own.”

“Do you really think it’s that impressive… No, that’s not it!”

Simone stopped herself to return to the topic at hand.

“So, once again, Alea, you like Lily, right?”

“Why yes, so much so that, ‘like’, is too lukewarm of an expression.”

“… I see… So, what about her do you like?”

“All of her.”

“… Simone, it’s better if you don’t take her so seriously. It’ll just tire you out. Leave dealing with her to Mei instead.”

“Ah, hahaha…”

They all reacted with exasperation, but these were undeniably my true feelings.

After that, we finished our meal, brushed our teeth, and bathed. All that was left was for us to go to bed. When the lights went out, there was a momentary silence. I thought that we would all just fall asleep, but Simone was the one to break the silence.

“Alea, so what made you fall in love with Lily in the first place?”

“Oh, so you did want to continue? Sure, I don’t mind at all. If it’s about Lily-sama, I could talk about her all night.”

“… Mei’s going to sleep, in search of Alea’s soft embrace in dreamland.”

“Ah, ahaha…”

Though Mei said that, it was clear she didn’t intend to sleep. I could feel her attention directed toward me, trying to get a read on the situation. Remaining aware of that, I continued.

“Hm, well, I suppose it was probably when Lily-sama completely and utterly destroyed me. I guess you could say that’s when it all started.”

“Eh, Alea? You don’t look it, but could it be that you’re actually an M…?”

“No, not at all. It’s a bit of a long story, do you mind?”

“I’m the one that asked.”

After making it clear that I didn’t mind if they fell asleep in the middle of it, I shared my story.

“It all happened back when I had just entered middle school.”

　◆◇◆◇◆

“I’m home.”

“… Welcome home.”

“Welcome home!”

“W-Welcome home.”

When I returned home, Mother Claire, Mother Rei, and one other individual, Lily-sama, were there to greet me. For some reason, Mother Claire appeared to have a stiff expression.

“Hello, Lily-sama, how have you been?”

“Ah, uhm… Well, maybe feeling a little nervous.”

“Nervous? Why?”

“Alea, could we have a moment? Come and sit down.”

“Eh?”

“Just come.”

I felt that Mother Claire’s voice was a little more stern than usual. In addition, Mother Rei seemed to be deep in thought as well. For now, I decided that I’d just listen to them and sit down.

“What might be the matter, mothers?”

“Alea, today… One of your teachers from school reached out to us.”

“According to them, you’ve become the leader of the bullies in your class?”

My mothers were clearly pained, as though they had a headache.

“The leader of the bullies? I wouldn’t put it that way.”

“From everything we’ve heard, I don’t know what else to think.”

“… Well, come to think of it back when Claire was at the institute―”

“Rei, talking about that now will only complicate things, shush.”

“Got it~”

I watched as Mother Claire shot Mother Rei down. I couldn’t help but feel that the two of them had really never changed. Even as such idle thoughts passed by, I felt I had a pretty good idea what they may be referring to.

“I mean, I’ve gathered some willing volunteers that help me solve some problems.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

“Is there something wrong with what I’ve been doing?”

“Yes, something very wrong.”

Mother Claire briefly rubbed her temples, then with a stern expression, continued.

“Alea. Don’t you think you may have let your strength get to your head? Don’t you think you might’ve gone too far?”

“No, that’s not it at all.”

“So, you mean to say the serious injuries you gave to that group of boys last week wasn’t taking things too far?”

“That’s right.”

I felt there had been a bit of a misunderstanding, so I began to explain.

“Last week, there was this girl who was being harassed by those boys. It’s not like I was just bullying the powerless, why would I ever do that?”

“At this point, it’s not about the cause, or whether or not you felt your actions were justified. The fact of the matter is, you hurt these boys enough that they had to be sent to the infirmary!”

The infirmaries were care facilities run by the followers of the Spirit Church, the primary religion of our world. When people either fell ill or were injured, the infirmaries were often their first choice for care.

“Well yes… I can’t sit quietly and just watch when I see such tyranny right in front of me.”

“Yes, that in and of itself is not a bad thing. However, if you yourself take things too far, you become almost just as bad as the very bullies you tried to punish.”

Hearing Mother Claire say that was rather vexing. From the bottom of my heart I believed what I did was a good thing. I would not stand that it be painted in a negative light, even should it be my own mother telling me so.

“But mother, aren’t you the one always saying that we shouldn’t run from our ideals to be complacent in reality? That those who hold their ideals high must also act and carry them out?”

“And you mean to say that’s all you’ve done here, nothing more?”

“That’s exactly right.”

In the first place, the fault should lie with the school for allowing such bullying to go on. If our instructors had taken proper countermeasures, I would have never gotten involved.

“It’s true that I hurt them, but those injuries weren’t something that the infirmaries can’t heal.”

“Do you really think that it doesn’t matter so long as the injuries can be treated? I’ve been informed of the injuries those boys received. They had broken bones and deep cuts, not to mention countless smaller scratches and bruises… Do you really think magic can treat the fear they experienced?”

“It comes with the territory. If that’s where you’re taking this, couldn’t you say the same about the emotional trauma that the girl who was being harassed experienced?”

For a while after that, the argument between myself and Mother Claire continued. Both of us firmly believed in the validity of our own points, seeing no reason to back down.

“Sigh… Alea, don’t you think you’re getting a tad carried away?”

“No, not at all. I won’t let that slide. In what way am I getting carried away?”

“You’ve convinced yourself that you’ve done no wrong here, haven’t you.”

“I haven’t convinced myself of anything. It's a simple fact that I haven’t.”

I am one of the world’s Ten Saviors’, Claire François’, own daughter. I don’t see any reason that I should have to live restraining myself. I’ve always done my best to ensure that I don’t stray from what I believe to be right, so even if it were my own mother, I would not allow her to deny that.

“… It’s just as you see. That’s why, I’d like to leave her in your hands, Cardinal Lily.”

“P-Perhaps if you talked things over just a little more…”

“No, this fool of a daughter clearly isn’t willing to listen, so I believe this pain is one she must go through to learn.”

“B-But…”

“Hey, wait just one moment, just what are you talking about?”

Having suddenly lost sight of the conversation, I asked Mother Claire for clarification.

“Alea, you and Cardinal Lily are to face each other in a duel.”

“Huh?”

“W-We’re really going to do this!?”

I couldn’t see what she was getting at. Me and Cardinal Lily were to fight in a duel?

“Mother, I must say I don’t see the point of this.”

“It’s simple. Cardinal Lily will be the one to admonish you for your conceit.”

“And for that, we’re going to have a duel?”

“That’s right.”

“L-Lily still hasn’t agreed to this…!”

Our conversation continued on, leaving Lily-sama behind in her panic.

“Mother Claire, might you consider that it is actually you, my mothers, who have been blinded by your own conceit?”

“… What was that?”

The air in the room was suddenly prickly and tense. This was the obvious result. I had, very clearly, picked a fight with Mother Claire.

“It’s been several years now since you were referred to as the Ten Saviors. Mothers, having been so long don’t you think you may be a tad rusty?”

“Do you intend to say that we’re inferior to you?”

“Well, if we consider your wisdom and refinement, and other such factors, I do understand that I am still far from catching up to the two of you. But in combat? That’s a separate matter, isn’t it?”

My master was none other than the late Empress of the Naa Empire, Empress Dorothea herself. I even inherited the honored title of the God of the Sword. That title wasn’t one that I held just for show. The difference between I, who continued to train every single day, and my mothers, who had long distanced themselves from combat to live in peace, could not be more obvious.

“That may be true, at least for Rei and I.”

“In that case…”

“But, Cardinal Lily is different.”

Mother Claire once again looked toward Lily-sama. Her gaze was filled with confidence, but Lily-sama herself didn’t seem to share that confidence as her eyes darted around the room in every possible direction.

“Cardinal Lily commands the church’s combat regiment and continues to go out on expeditions to hunt monsters. Don’t think you’ll so easily be able to defeat her.”

“W-Wait, Claire-sama!? W-What are you doing pouring oil onto flame!?”

“Go Lily~ Do your best~”

“R-Rei-san, please, stop her!”

“Ah, but you know, I actually agree with Claire and think that it’d be best if Alea learned this lesson now, even if it might hurt a little.”

“B-But shouldn’t Lily have a say in this too? You can’t just force Lily to…”

This all felt extremely vexing to me. The fact that my mothers spoke as though it was a given that I’d be the one to lose.

“Fine then. I’ll accept this duel.”

“A-Alea-chan, not you too!?”

“But, there will be no complaints should some degree of harm fall on Lily-sama right?”

“Sure, that’s fine.”

“L-Lily might have some complaints about that though!?”

“Go for it Lily~ Do your best~”

“L-Like Lily said, Rei-san, please, stop them!”

And so, it was decided that Lily-sama and I would square off in a duel.

“For this duel, weapons and magic will both be permitted. Mei will maintain a barrier that will mitigate harm, so feel free to go all out.”

“… Why does Mei have to get dragged into this too…?”

“S-Sorry, Mei-chan.”

Lily-sama and I moved to the large open field behind our house. Mei, who had been called out here just to help facilitate our duel, puffed her cheeks and pouted.

“Are you ready, Lily-sama?”

“Agh… L-Lily asks that you take it easy on her…”

Even now, Lily-sama did not seem eager about this. In such a state, I didn’t believe she’d stand a chance against me, the God of the Sword.

“Alright, take your stances!”

At Mother Claire’s signal, with my wooden sword in hand, I readied myself. Lily-sama too held two short wooden rods, taking the place of the twin daggers that she was proficient in.

“―Fight!”

Petty tricks were unnecessary when it came to true swordsmanship. What my master, Dorothea-sama, taught me was simple. Close the distance as quickly as possible, and then, from as close as possible, swing through―that was the essence of what she taught me. It was precisely because the concept was simple that the execution was difficult to master. However, once one had mastered it, it would prove difficult to defend against. I continued my regular training in order to be able to do this.

(Let’s end this quickly.)

I was sure Lily-sama felt this whole ordeal to be bothersome as well. This may hurt her, but ending this quickly would be best for Lily-sama as well.

―I was only able to hold onto such idle thoughts for the first couple of times we crossed blades.

“Krh…!”

“My, what’s the matter, Alea? Your form has begun to look sloppy.”

“Mother, I ask that you remain quiet!”

Even without Mother Claire having to point it out to me, I was already painfully aware. Nothing that I tried seemed to work in my favor. Even when I swung my sword as fast as I could, that swing was blocked before it could reach max speed. My approach, which I thought I had trained to perfection, was dealt with by proper spacing. Lily simply never allowed me to close the distance the way I wanted to. In exchange, attacks that did fulfill all of the criteria I had failed, struck at me in doubles. It was an absolute nightmare.

This was something I was told afterward, but apparently Lily-sama had been using magic to manipulate time to compound her technique. As I had never experienced such a thing before, it was only natural I was at her mercy.

“Lily-sama, just finish me.”

“… Alea-chan… Sorry.”

Those words were the last thing that I heard before I blacked out.

　◆◇◆◇◆

“Wow… Something like that really happened?”

“That’s right. That was the first time in my life I’d tasted such complete defeat.”

“I-It was rather immature for Lily to take things so far…”

“… But also because of that, Alea is now head over heels for Lily-sama.”

“That’s why?”

“Yes.”

Looking back, Mother Claire was absolutely right back then. I had convinced myself that I was somehow a perfect being without flaw. Though Mei outdid me in magic and in her studies, I thought that no one could match me when it came to anything else.I had let my ego run loose.

And, it was none other than Lily-sama who gave me the overwhelming, “No”, that I needed to ground me.

“Lily-sama possesses not only the swordsmanship and technique, but is also a first class caster. This doesn’t apply only to combat either. She can cook, clean, and always performs well in her studies too. Sewing may be the one thing that she struggles with.”

“T-That’s too much praise!”

“And yet, as you can see, she remains humble. And, on top of all that, she still wants to attend this academy to develop herself even further, so I had to admit my defeat.”

Strangely, the fact that there was someone so much better than me out there did not put me down. Instead, it made me feel joy. With my sights fixed on that person, Lily-sama, I found that my attraction for her only grew and grew.

“… So uhm, Alea, are you sure you aren’t just an M?”

“When you say it like that it paints me in a bad light, but I suppose I can’t deny the possibility. I mean I am Mother Rei’s daughter as well.”

“… What a thing to say.”

“I-If Rei-san heard you she’d cry!”

“Perhaps she would. In that case, don’t you think that I, who would say something like that and make my own mother cry deserve a strict punishment!? Well? Lily-sama!?”

“I-Is a punishment really something you should ask for so happily!?”

Well, putting Mother Rei aside for now.

“And so, that’s basically how I fell head over heels for Lily-sama. Lily-sama still can’t seem to get Mother Rei out of her head though.”

“I’ve heard about that too. Just what is it that you like so much about Rei-sama anyway, I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

“Just what are you saying!? Rei-san is a wonderful person!”

“… There’s no salvation for her. However, Mei will surely save Alea one day.”

As such idle banter continued on, the night grew late. We decided to call the conversation for the night. As I closed my eyes―a thought crossed my mind.

“Hey, Lily-sama.”

“… W-What is it, Alea-chan?”

When I called up toward the upper bunk, Lily-sama offered a hesitant response.

“Thank you for defeating me back then.

“L-Lily honestly regrets it a little… If that never happened, Alea-chan’s feelings might have never twisted to be like this…”

“These feelings aren’t twisted. You know, Lily-sama, I really do love you, don’t you see?”

“…”

Lily-sama didn’t respond. She truly was such a sinful individual.

“It’s getting rather late. Good night.”

“G-Good night.”

Tomorrow, we will officially start our new lives at the academy. Doing all that I could to suppress my heart that bounced in anticipation, I steadied my breathing and invited sleep to come upon me.