A Bouquet of Lilies
Known in hushed tones as the Barrier Collapse Incident.
It was a kind of freak accident: the barrier erected by Purity Academy to screen its incoming students had been destroyed by an impact of unknown origin. In the immediate aftermath, the Zerta Kingdom and Academy officials launched a full investigation into the cause.
Through the city's surveillance cameras, they caught footage of a man striking the barrier. Cross-referencing his appearance with the checkpoint records, they identified him as an outsider who had come from beyond the city walls, and mobilized a response at once.
His claim that it hadn't been intentional, combined with the Academy's offer to take responsibility for the incident and bring the man into its care, prompted the kingdom's high officials to simply bury the whole affair. To the public, they announced that the machine generating the mana barrier had malfunctioned, and that it was nothing more than an accident.
Every single application submitted by those who had streamed into the arena after the barrier shattered was rejected without exception. Only the man who had smashed it alone was granted admission — a fact that was kept under strictest secrecy.
In any case, once the commotion had died down, the entrance examinations proceeded as normal. Those who had submitted their applications and proven their eligibility put their talents on display before the Academy officials, one test after another.
Crack!
"Gwaaagh!"
The blunt tip of a bamboo sword, saturated with black mana, drove straight into her opponent's solar plexus. With a heavy, resounding thud, the sparring partner standing across the arena floor let out a short groan and collapsed backward.
"That's the match!"
The observing Academy officials declared the bout over, raising the hand of the woman standing at her ease before her fallen opponent.
"Winner — Chloe Opal!"
Enthusiastic applause erupted, celebrating her victory. Letting the cheers and accolades wash over her back without a second glance, Chloe made her way to a bench and began gathering her things.
"Good work out there, Chloe."
Yupi, who had been watching her closely, approached the moment the bout ended.
"Instructor."
"That makes ten wins now. With results like these, top of Class A is as good as yours."
"Thank you for the compliment. But this much isn't enough."
"Have some confidence. Everyone you faced today was a formidable competitor from the upper ranks of the entrance exams."
"Haha."
Yupi heaped praise upon her, declaring it a splendid display worthy of the next head of House Opal.
But the recipient of all that flattery simply laughed it off with an awkward smile.
"You don't seem very pleased. If anyone else heard what I just said, they'd be asking me to confirm it twice."
"As I understand it, first place is decided by comparing the overall scores of every applicant. Someone better than me could be out there, so I'm not going to get ahead of myself."
"Hm. The way I see it, your mind's less on first place and more on somewhere else entirely."
"..."
Without taking her eyes off the contestants preparing for the next match, Yupi carried on the conversation.
"It's that man you saw on the walkway, isn't it? He's on your mind."
"That's—!"
Chloe shot to her feet at Yupi's words. She tried to stack up excuses, but none would come out.
Because she had spoken the truth. Because the blade had found its mark.
"Solis. A man with mana. He's the first since the Sword Saint, head of House Opal. More than enough reason to be interested."
At those words, Chloe's hands tightened into fists atop her knees.
She knew all too well that the world was overflowing with people stronger than she was.
The Sword Saint, and Yupi standing before her — both were beings far beyond her current reach.
But she had believed, at least, that among her own generation she had no equal.
Then the bronze-skinned man had appeared before her and handed her a crushing defeat. Even her most heartfelt strike had been parried with effortless composure, answered by an immediate counter — and in that moment she had felt a gap between them so vast it bordered on despair.
Every time she recalled it, that bitter humiliation came back to life in vivid detail, leaving a deep scratch across her pride.
"Don't brood over one loss. In life there are days you win and days you lose — that's all it is."
"That man... his name was Solis, you said?"
"That's right. Is there something you'd like to know about him?"
"In your judgment, Instructor — is he strong?"
At Chloe's question, Yupi stroked her chin and fell into thought. At last, having finished her calculations, she offered her assessment.
"He'd be the finest among the students about to enroll. But pitting him against a Royal Guardian is still premature."
"Meaning he's below my father."
"Precisely. Which is exactly why I'm so looking forward to it. Such overflowing potential — can he survive the Academy's grueling curriculum and rise to the very summit?"
"..."
Chloe chose silence over an answer.
He could do it. Unlike an incomplete thing like me. So she repeated to herself, over and over.
At the end of her resentful gaze lay her own two legs, planted on the ground.
"Miss."
In the middle of their lively conversation, an elderly man in full butler's dress approached Chloe and bowed with practiced courtesy.
"Uncle Albert. You've come."
"Yes, miss. Upon receiving word that your evaluation was complete, I had the car brought around. Shall we be off?"
"Thank you. I'll follow shortly."
Chloe instructed the butler to go on ahead, then turned to Yupi.
"I'll be going now. And Eva... please look after her well."
"Of course. Get home safe."
After their brief farewell, Chloe made her way out of the arena. Spotting the black limousine waiting outside, she leaned back against the leather sofa within with the butler's help. Only after confirming that she was properly seated did Albert press the accelerator.
The car glided down the road, and beyond the frame of the window, scenery flashed past in an instant, captured by Chloe's eyes.
"Miss, how did the entrance examination go?"
"Passed without any trouble. The instructor said I'd be accepted at the top of the list."
"Congratulations. I'm certain the Head of House will be delighted as well."
The butler offered her his heartfelt encouragement, but it never reached Chloe, whose mind was elsewhere entirely.
"Solis."
She turned the name of the man she'd met on the walkway over and over in her mind.
...
Time passed, the day waned, and night fell.
By the time Chloe and Albert arrived at the family's estate, she had already instructed the butler to report her Academy acceptance to her father, and headed straight for the bath to wash the day away.
Shhhhaaaa!
Warm water streamed down her skin.
It felt as though the day's exhaustion were washing away with it.
Thump!
"I'm beat."
Chloe flopped onto her bed, a bathrobe draped carelessly around her.
Her damp hair soaked into the sheets, leaving a wet patch — but such trifles never registered in her exhausted mind.
"And today was the absolute worst."
Everything had gone according to plan.
She had filled out her application to Purity Academy, taken the entrance examination, passed with flying colors — and Yupi Citrine, an Academy instructor no less, had all but guaranteed her a first-place seat. A flawless finish.
Except for exactly one thing.
Had it not been for Solis, today would have been a perfect day.
That insolent bastard!
Chloe loved women — her own sex — but she was far from a male chauvinist.
The person she respected above all others was her father, who had always stood at her side, watching over her. A man who bore the weight of the family in silence, the most reliable man in the entire world.
Because such a man had been her measuring stick, her standards for judging men were punishingly strict. And Solis didn't merely fall short of that standard — he lagged so far behind it he was barely in the same race.
That arrogant attitude, as if simply being accepted into the Academy were achievement enough. That reckless wastefulness, tossing aside the glory of first place that some applicants would have traded their souls for. Not a trace of humility anywhere on him.
His behavior was no better than a beast's, either. Pretending to bow in greeting to Yupi while thrusting his nose between her legs — such vulgarity. Shamelessly exposing himself wherever he pleased, that cock of his, that huge thing slapping aga... aga...!
"Uwaaah!"
The memory she wanted to erase surfaced unbidden, and Chloe thrashed against the bed to shake it off. Muttering to herself as if to swear she'd forget it quickly, she squeezed her eyes shut and clutched a pillow for dear life—
"Chloe."
A familiar voice pierced her ear. She tried to deny it as a hallucination, but the voice only grew clearer.
"Chloe, wake up."
"E-Eva!"
When she lifted her eyelids, Eva was beside her. She rubbed her eyes as if to deny reality itself, but the figure before her was unmistakably the Eva she knew.
Hair white as fresh winter snow, eyes like emeralds gleaming with a brilliant light.
A girl who startled at everything like a small rabbit — delicate, adorable, the kind of person you wanted to protect. A wonderful friend who, despite self-esteem sunk to the floor, knew how to see her own convictions through when the moment demanded it.
And that very girl — her dearest friend and the woman she loved most in the world — was lying right beside her in her bedroom. What was more startling still was what she was wearing. Or rather, what she wasn't.
A sheer white nightgown that hid nothing, with black lingerie beneath in stark contrast to its pure color, Eva leaned her body against Chloe's shoulder, trailing a sweet fragrance in her wake.
What on earth is going on?
Bewildered, Chloe tried to retrace her memories to make sense of the situation.
"What's wrong? Your face has gone as red as a tomato."
"N-No, it's just, um..."
"Don't run away. Look at me."
"Mmf—!"
Mwah! Chup!
Eva boldly lunged in and stole Chloe's lips. Drowning in confusion, Chloe flailed her hands at empty air, squirming.
Soft, tangled tongues slicked over one another's skin, sharing a heat that only grew.
Heavy sighs spilled between their lips, feeding the fervor of the kiss — again and again their mouths folded together without pause, as if vowing never to let go.
"Pwah!"
Sticky saliva stretched between them like a skein of thread, bridging the small gap. They exchanged glances glistening with a longing that refused any parting.
Eva and I... we just kissed.
Unable to shake off the lingering heat of it, Chloe panted for breath, shivering from a rush of electric exhilaration.
Eva, by contrast, showed not a trace of fatigue as she cupped Chloe's cheek.
"You know, I've known for a long time that you like me, Chloe."
"..."
"And I like you too, Chloe. Not just as a friend — as a woman."
"Eh!?"
It felt like a hammer to the skull. She'd thought it was nothing but a hopeless fantasy she'd nursed alone — and now Eva was saying she liked her back?
"Eva, I—!"
"Shh."
The instant Chloe tried to continue, Eva's index finger pressed against her lips.
"Leave it to me right now. I'll take care of everything."
With those words, Eva moved the finger from Chloe's lips down along her jaw.
From the jaw to the valley of her chest, from the valley down the smooth plane of her stomach, the fingertip glided effortlessly along her skin before coming to rest upon that sanctuary no hand had ever touched.
"You're soaked. You came just from kissing?"
"Th-That's, um, because..."
"Honestly, our Chloe is such a pervert."
Skrrrk.
Chloe felt something small and hard press into her pussy. The sensation was electric, dizzying — utterly new — and her body instinctively tried to pull back, but Eva pinned her shoulders down, leaving her nowhere to run.
"Don't move. It's just getting fun."
"Nghh... aah!"
"You don't have to hold back. Let's come together."
Eva's sultry breath tickled the shell of Chloe's ear.
Her index and middle fingers danced in an expert rhythm, relentlessly stirring the depths of her pussy.
Squelch-squelch-squelch-squelch.
Skrrk-skrrk-skrrk.
"Nngh... hah! Mmhmm!"
Chloe's back arched under the waves of pleasure crashing over her.
She was the daughter of a noble house, a woman raised to carry herself with dignity — and yet, fully aware of it, she couldn't stop the beast-like cries spilling from her throat.
"E-Eva...! Ngh, hahh, I can't—! Aahhhnn!"
As a finishing touch, Eva's thumb pressed down firmly on the sensitive bud of her clit below her slit, and a trembling bolt shot up through her as orgasm broke over her like a tsunami.
Fssshh-fssshh!
At her climax, Chloe squirted freely from between her thighs. An unspeakable sense of release wrapped around her entire body.
Ahh... I came.
Limp against the bed, Chloe shuddered in small aftershocks. Her spent, half-unfocused pupils drifted toward the ceiling.
The afterglow wouldn't fade. She felt so languid her consciousness might slip away at any moment — but Eva paid her state no heed, draping herself over her collapsed body.
"Chloe, I can't hold back anymore."
"Eva... I..."
"Let's keep doing this. From now on."
"K-Keep doing this?!"
"Feeling good together, all of us? What do you say?"
Inside Chloe, reason and emotion collided head-on.
Was it all right to do something this indecent with someone she wasn't even dating? Before that — was it acceptable, as a human being, to enter a forbidden relationship with another woman?
Countless worries and agonies swirled through her head — but the decision came swiftly. If she had already crossed the river that must not be crossed, then the right path was to walk the one that led to no regrets.
"Yes. Let's!"
Shaking off her hesitation, Chloe answered with a blooming smile. Hand in hand, the two of them braced themselves to step over the threshold into adulthood.
"Hey, mister. She said yes!"
"Hm?"
"Seriously, you two went at it and had all the fun without me. I'm hurt."
And then, all at once, the Golden Sun appeared.