Reconciliation
"Uhm, th-that is··········"
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing·····."
Leira, who had already been swayed by Ariel, was dithering, unable to properly convey what she wanted to say.
Honestly, Leira had noticed the strange feeling midway through, but once caught in the unavoidable trap of "don't you love Rie?", finding a way out was impossible.
And more than anything else,
-Ziiiiiiii··········.
In the numerous eyes staring at her, a faint mix of anticipation and envy could be seen.
Moreover, with Mineba in particular staring intently at her with such expectant eyes, it was perhaps a natural consequence that the pressure on her also increased.
"Ughhh··········"
As Leira bowed her head deeply, glancing furtively at Rie and the Witches, Rie, who was watching her from beside her, quickly began to rack her brain.
"Excuse me."
Rie, who prided herself on her quick thinking, finished her thoughts in just a few seconds and then called out to the Witches.
Naturally, the Witches and Leira began to look at Rie with gazes that asked what was happening.
Only after a certain amount of attention had gathered did Rie open her mouth to present her thoughts.
"I did make a contract of marriage with Leira. But you see, actually··········"
"Actually?"
Rie decided to reveal a small part of the privacy between herself and Leira.
"In bed, it's clearly decided 'who's on top and who's on bottom,' you see."
"Ri-Rie?"
At the sudden remark, Leira urgently called out to Rie, but it had no effect on Rie whatsoever.
"If you're talking about 'top and bottom,' what is it you desire?"
Ariel asked back.
"If you're asking us to kiss in front of everyone, I believe the parties involved also need to give their permission, but··········"
"Ah, if that's too much pressure, you don't have to··········"
"No."
Rie cut Ariel off and said.
Then, meeting the eyes of the woman who clearly seemed to have a talent for leading Witches, she opened her mouth.
"I'll do it for you. The kiss."
"···············What is it you want?"
Ariel revised her assessment of Rie before her.
Perhaps, she thought, Rie was likely an orator similar to herself.
As long as Mineba was interested, she definitely intended to grant their request.
However, if it was too excessive a demand,
'There's no helping it.'
She would just have to try persuading Mineba herself.
Fortunately, however, the card Rie played was not too excessive.
"Please stop treating Leira like a traitor from now on."
"···············"
That was quite an easy request.
No, perhaps it was even a natural thing to ask.
Indeed, even if Leira chose love and abandoned the reproduction of their species, they certainly had no right to treat her as a traitor.
'But, what about the other Witches··········'
Would they readily agree?
"Alright."
"··········?"
But the answer came from behind.
And when Ariel turned around, the woman who had answered Rie's offer was··········
"··········Mineba?"
It was Mineba.
No, more than that, was it really okay for a conclusion to be reached so easily?
It was as if··········
Just as Ariel's thoughts were reaching a conclusion,
"W-wait a minute·····!"
What interrupted Ariel's thoughts was Leira's voice, sounding extremely urgent.
"Ri-Rie! What are you doing! I-I'm fine, so·····!"
Overwhelmed with panic, Leira urgently grabbed Rie's arm, trying to stop her.
The Leira that Ariel knew had always been that kind of child.
Even in minor squabbles, not even big fights, just the usual bickering among Witches, Leira was always the child who would mediate the conflict, even at her own expense.
Perhaps it was because she always felt a strong sense of responsibility for her actions, but whenever she was even slightly involved, she was always quick to blame herself.
But when such a child came to them one day to announce her marriage.
That was when the trouble began.
A few Witches, including the somewhat overly curious Remil, began to ask various questions about the person Leira was marrying.
When they heard all of Leira's explanations and realized that the woman named Rie had no innate talent for Mana whatsoever, the Witches began to ostracize Leira.
Naturally, if the mother who was to bear the child had no talent, the baby wouldn't be able to withstand the Witch's Mana and would die.
Implantation Magic, structurally, can only be achieved if at least two Witches cooperate.
Therefore, perhaps they naturally tried to distance themselves from her so that no Witch would come forward to help Leira and Rie with their Implantation Magic.
Witches, for the survival of their species, generally had a much stronger Maternal Love than ordinary women.
Please, so that Leira would not make the wrong choice.
Please, so that she would not understand the pain of losing a child.
Perhaps, that might have been the reason why the other Witches also began to ostracize Leira.
Of course, no one knew for sure.
There might simply have been Witches who were angry at the fact that they wouldn't see descendants.
No one would ever know the truth.
If that's how things had come to be, up until now.
Perhaps Leira falling in love with Rie wasn't simply because she was captivated by her looks.
Rather, just looking at her, she seemed like the kind of person who would sacrifice herself to make Leira happier.
Rie grabbed the arm of the flustered Leira, who was trying to stop her, and restrained her actions.
But Leira didn't seem willing to back down easily either, and despite Mineba's too-easy acceptance of Rie's offer, Leira kept insisting that she was fine··········
Suddenly, Rie raised her hand high into the air-
-Slaap!
"Kyaaahhh?!?"
She then brought her palm down on Leira's butt.
""··········?""
As the Witches all widened their eyes in surprise at the utterly incomprehensible situation,
Rie, who wasn't finished yet, raised the corner of her eye at Leira and said.
"Honey, we'll talk about this at home, won't we?"
"H-heeek·····, I-I'm sorryyyy·····."
However, Rie's mouth, as she spoke to Leira, wasn't smiling at all.
Having thus subdued Leira, Rie looked back at Mineba and continued speaking.
"Then, may I take it that you will treat Leira as you did before, from now on?"
""···············""
At Rie's utterly unpredictable audacity, the other Witches all began to shrink back slightly,
Except for two.
Mineba and Ariel showed no change in expression whatsoever.
On the contrary, Mineba smiled faintly, finding Rie amusing, and replied.
"Of course. After all, it was I who called both of you here."
"··········Huh?"
As Rie stood dumbfounded, surprised that not only Leira but she herself had been called,
Mineba pulled the flinching Leira beside her with magic.
-Poof.
"·····Eh."
As her face was buried in that large chest, Leira added a foolish interjection, but.
Mineba gently began to stroke Leira's head.
Then, subtly burying Leira's face so deeply in her chest that she couldn't breathe, and hugging her with all her might,
"Mph, Mphh!"
Leira quickly began to tap, begging to be saved.
Mineba whispered into Leira's ear, just loud enough for the two of them to hear,
"That's a relief, Leira."
"···············"
After whispering that, she immediately let go.
Of course, Leira, whose mind was now filled with thoughts from Mineba's words, chose silence.
Rie, perhaps not expecting things to go so smoothly, was still dumbfounded.
Mineba turned around and conveyed her message to the Witches with her gaze.
'Get along well with Leira,' she seemed to say.
Some Witches, whose positions had changed in an instant like this, frowned, but they did not defy Mineba's will.
Ariel proudly apologized to Leira and Rie in front of everyone.
"I'm sorry, Leira. For denying your love."
"Y-yes, what?"
"The woman named Rie over there merely lacks Mana. She seems to be a person of many talents in various ways."
Ariel readily accepted Leira and Rie's marriage.
Witches instinctively choose talented individuals for the sake of their descendants.
And Leira, too, had simply chosen a talented person.
As time passes, such fruits of love also exist, she thought.
Ariel shattered her own prejudices and supported their love.
"Ah, that fucking bitch. She just does whatever she wants."
Remil finally understood what had happened and let out a string of colorful curses.
However, she too did not oppose anyone's opinion.
"Her personality is truly fucking awful."
Remil simply disliked Mineba for having planned everything without her knowing anything.
Just as everything seemed to be heading towards a happy ending-
"Now, please show us the two of you kissing."
Mineba reminded them that this matter was not yet over.
After all, her deal would only be concluded once the two of them shared a kiss right here.