After successfully Recruiting Tsukiyomi Fuya, the problem of Tsukiyomi Fuya's Calamity Aura seemed to resolve itself in the same instant.
Once the contract was signed, everything about Tsukiyomi Fuya became transparent in front of Su Yuzu.
Su Yuzu could pinpoint exactly where the Calamity Aura hid inside Tsukiyomi Fuya's body.
Instead of having to draw it out bit by bit through the wound punched clean through Tsukiyomi Fuya's shoulder.
The Calamity Aura of the Seat of Evil, corrosive as it was, was routed and slaughtered before a Su Yuzu who had already devoured the Seat of Evil itself.
It went so smoothly that Su Yuzu almost felt embarrassed about it.
That card, the Advanced Combat Records, had turned into nothing more than decorative icing on the cake.
"No—"
Su Yuzu, feeling just a little guilty, smiled quietly to herself.
The Blessing bestowed by Lady Fate had, after all, restored a huge chunk of health to Tsukiyomi Fuya-senpai, whose power had been temporarily drained hollow.
The only problem was… Tsukiyomi Fuya, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her one working left hand lay near her ear, dangling as though she had given up entirely.
The woman's knees were clamped hard together. She seemed to want to draw her legs up, yet even that simple motion was beyond her now.
Wiping the corner of her lips, wearing the look of someone thoroughly satisfied, the girl pushed open the door of the hospital room.
Outside the room—
Pairs of anxious, uneasy eyes fixed on Su Yuzu.
They had been waiting outside the whole time.
Thankfully… the room's soundproofing was excellent.
Otherwise… Su Yuzu would probably have had one more amusement to play with.
Something like: Tsukiyomi-senpai, I don't imagine you'd want your colleagues hearing this weak side of you, would you~
Su Yuzu's appearance was, frankly, not the least bit reassuring.
It looked nothing like a girl who'd simply had a few private words with Tsukiyomi Fuya, and much more like… striking while the iron was hot?
After all, the girl's brows and eyes seemed to be steeped in a soul-stealing softness.
That thoroughly-had-her-fill afterglow really made it hard for anyone to relax.
Su Yuzu leaned against the doorway.
She watched Tsukiyomi Fuya inside the room, red-faced and utterly devoid of the will to live, being arranged at will into positions convenient for a physical examination under her colleagues' disbelieving stares, while electrodes for monitoring vital signs were pressed to her wrists and chest.
Then she watched Tsukiyomi Fuya-senpai throw a helpless, pleading look in her direction. The moment those cold monitoring electrodes touched that soft, delicate skin, her whole body shivered, her toes curling.
Su Yuzu made a point of pretending she hadn't seen a thing and walked out of the room entirely.
"Nngh—"
She could practically hear the sound of Tsukiyomi Fuya-senpai struggling behind her.
Outside the hospital room—
In front of Su Yuzu stood Soga Yura, hesitation written all over her face.
With Soga Yura's keen perception, she hadn't peeked into the room to spy on what exactly had been going on in there.
But… certain sounds, like a bed frame knocking and rattling against the wall, Soga Yura had heard with perfect clarity.
The tips of the girl's ears looked flushed and hot.
"Ms. Tsukiyomi… she's all right now?" After hesitating a moment, Soga Yura asked Su Yuzu haltingly.
Su Yuzu gave a small nod. "She's fine.
Lady Fate always shows mercy to heroes~"
"Tsukiyomi-senpai is out of danger."
Soga Yura's lips parted. She caught the scent drifting from Su Yuzu… that rich, gardenia-like fragrance. She knew perfectly well that Tsukiyomi-senpai had been on the verge of dying, and that was the only reason Yuzu had resorted to certain special methods.
Methods… something like the ones that had brought that little stray kitten and Raven back from the Edge of Aberration, now used to save Ms. Tsukiyomi Fuya.
Even so, Soga Yura felt something sour stirring inside her.
As though a pot of aged vinegar were fermenting and souring right behind her ribs.
At last Soga Yura couldn't hold it back. She gave Su Yuzu a long, plaintive look and said softly, "Lady Fate hasn't shown Ms. Tsukiyomi any mercy in nearly twenty-odd years."
Su Yuzu's smile turned a touch awkward.
She hurriedly wrapped her arms around Soga Yura, resting her chin on the girl's shoulder.
"There wasn't anything I could do~"
"You saw the state she was in just now, Sister…"
The girl's wheedling voice left Soga Yura with no way to refuse. And besides… Soga Yura understood that this was not the moment to be unreasonable.
But—
Soga Yura lowered her eyes.
Yuzu's words… seemed to be a tacit admission that the divine miracles Lady Fate had been working around her all this time really were directly connected to her.
And more than that — Yuzu could even steer them at will.
Then… Soga Yura's expression shifted all at once into furious embarrassment.
She remembered the night she'd heard that Yuzu had broken into the underground drainage system and rushed there in a panic.
Lady Fate had struck her with a heavy blow, leaving her clutching her skirt tight, biting her lip, watching in wounded silence as that Raptor woman carried her Yuzu away.
She remembered… that time in the movie theater.
Watching that Raptor woman chatting and laughing with her Yuzu, while she herself was so frightened by the horror film she was nearly in tears.
Then two consecutive heavy strikes from Lady Fate had knocked her flat, breaking her down until all she could do was flee the movie theater in tears.
And even… she remembered more than that.
That unnamed, wicked deity always chose the most inopportune moment to ambush her, making her lose face in front of Yuzu again and again, her dignity shredded to nothing.
So… the mastermind behind it all had been Yuzu.
Soga Yura had suspected it for a long while, but now that the suspicion had been all but confirmed, the shame and indignation in the girl's chest spread like wildfire through dry grass.
Soga Yura gently pushed Yuzu away.
Then she carefully stole a glance at Yuzu's expression before switching over into angry mode.
"Y-you smell like gardenias. All over."
"D-Don't touch me!"
Soga Yura sneaked one more peek at Yuzu's reaction, then stamped her foot, spun around, and ran off.
Su Yuzu absently tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, caught between laughter and exasperation as she watched Soga Yura go.
Kind of… cute, actually?
Su Yuzu glanced back into the hospital room.
Tsukiyomi-senpai, her face a picture of Shame, despair, and outright social death, was still undergoing her Healing-type examination.
She squirmed instinctively, and then, when the Healing-type senpai beside her wondered aloud whether Ms. Tsukiyomi had changed clothes at some point, every last trace of will to live drained out of her.
Su Yuzu winked at Tsukiyomi Fuya, then backed away step by step under Tsukiyomi Fuya's tight-lipped stare.
And then—
Thud!
Su Yuzu found herself colliding with a remarkably soft embrace.
The person hugged her from behind.
A figure that full and soft — in this entire base, only two people could possibly possess one.
But Tsukiyomi Fuya-senpai was still inside the hospital room suffering her fate, and the little rabbit… Su Yuzu breathed in the rich fragrance behind her. Definitely not the little rabbit.
Su Yuzu turned her head on reflex and found herself looking into a pair of smiling eyes, beautiful as still lakes.
"S-Sakura, uh—"
"Hmm?" Sakura Koishin promptly hugged Su Yuzu and smothered her face against her chest.
Su Yuzu squirmed. "Sister Sakura!"
"Sister Sakura!!!"
Only then did Sakura Koishin let her go.
"Long time no see~"
"Little Yuzu." Sakura Koishin nuzzled her cheek affectionately against Su Yuzu's face.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!!!" Behind Sakura Koishin, Sakura Mai braced herself against the wall and hinted furiously — no, made it about as unsubtle as it could get.
Sakura Koishin's expression turned serious.
"There's something~"
"I'd like to discuss with you, Little Yuzu."
____
________________________________________
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉