Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Side Story: Commemorative Photo
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To someone standing on the boundary between illusion and reality, dreams were no longer a respite. Uncontrolled rampaging mana breathed life into the dreams, and those vitalized dreams became indistinguishable from reality.
A frigid prison cell, and friends screaming as they died. Was this a dream?
Indistinguishable.
Blood trickling down, corpses mangled beyond recognition. Was this a dream?
Indistinguishable.
The sun and moon flipped upside down, time twisted into knots. Was this a dream?
Indistinguishable.
Yuna Yurensuto Violetiris, the Violet Magic Tower Master, hadn't had a proper night's sleep since the moment she ascended to her position. It had been over a decade of insomnia.
Fortunately, her body showed no abnormalities.
She cleared the fatigue accumulated in her brain with mana. So, the side effects of prolonged sleep deprivation—like delirium or impaired judgment—didn't occur.
Her mind was different.
Picture a tiny island in the midst of a vast, wave-tossed sea. When towering waves crash over the sturdy island, it might look intact at first glance, but it's unmistakably eroded. The debris is carried away by the waves, hidden in the ocean depths.
We know it. The island will eventually erode away completely. The Violet Magic Tower Master could envision the end of her sanity.
That's why.
"Lately, I haven't been sleeping well... What do I need to do to sleep deeply?"
She had asked indirectly like that. At the Magic Tower.
But the mage handled it with action instead of mere words.
The nameless mage immediately scooped Yuna up, laid her in bed, brought warm milk laced with a spoonful of honey, brushed her teeth after she finished drinking, gave her a full-body massage, even cleaned her ears, tucked her in, and stroked her hair beside her.
That night, the nameless mage appeared in Yuna's dream. It left her mentally exhausted in a different way.
It felt good, but it didn't solve the root problem. So, she asked Pingbalrez... no, Yuri Lanster, the same question. Around the end of the first day at Crown Hall.
The pink-haired succubus declared with utter confidence.
"Sleep naked."
"...?"
"There are various scholarly theories on human origins, but they all agree on one thing: 'Ancient humans wore no clothes.' That means they lived naked and slept naked, which—"
Yuri Lanster's naked sleep theory delved into creation and origins, leaving a deep impression on Yuna. So, she gave it a try.
The night before, before falling asleep, she warned the nameless mage, "Don't, absolutely do not come in!" And she even landed a low kick on the mage, who wore an expression like, "The Tower Master is at that age now..."
After agonizing for about thirty minutes over whether to do it, she slipped under the covers and finally stripped off all her clothes before sleeping.
That night, she dreamed of Yuri Lanster, the mage, and herself running naked across a lush green meadow.
And now, before Lorey came rushing in to explain. On the morning of the second day at Crown Hall.
"Tower Master, I'm coming in?"
"...!!!!!!"
Disaster struck Yuna Yurensuto Violetiris, wriggling naked under the covers.
That bastard said "I'm coming in?" but it's no different from just barging in. Living so casually had turned bursting into each other's rooms into a habit.
What to put on first.
Normally, Yuna would slip on her panties without a second thought. Then the top, skirt, coat—and the usual Tower Master outfit was complete.
But now... time was short. The nameless mage was moments from breaching.
In the worst case, the mage might enter before she could finish dressing. Reality was merciless...!!
So, she needed the quickest, best option. The Tower Master's mind raced. First, push panties to the bottom priority.
Being seen in just panties was embarrassing. But with a skirt on, the lower half was covered anyway, putting it above panties in viability.
No wind indoors, so even more effective.
She hurriedly pulled on the skirt. Then the door rattled. By her calculations, one piece left...!
Next was the top. Black, slightly mesh-like, clingy material. But getting into such tight clothing... took forever!
Struggling to get her head through the neck would waste time, leaving her upper body half-exposed with her face and arms trapped. So.
"...In that case!"
The coat. Just swing her arms in and it was on!
Whoosh.
Done. Now just zip it up. It'd look a bit loose, but outwardly, a normal Yuna outfit. Yuna fiddled with the coat's hem.
"...Hyaah!!"
No zipper...!!
She'd been wearing it unzipped and flapping around so much that she'd never fixed the broken zipper! A critical oversight. Yuna looked down at herself.
Skin exposed along her centerline. Cover the navel or the chest? No, she had a bit of time now. Wrap herself in the blanket like armor...!
"Oh."
"Oh, you're going wild with the outfit today."
"Uh, uh? Ah, y-yeah! Th-that, that kind of mood... mood...!!"
Time's up.
I grabbed Pingbalrez by the hair as she flipped out and lunged.
"Pingbalrez, don't."
"No, isn't the Tower Master the one seducing right now?"
Drag drag drag.
I was pulling her hair with all my strength, but I was the one getting dragged. Are even your roots that strong, Yuri Lanster!
This girl's eyes were glazed over. Yuna's wild fashion had awakened her inner beast. Well, I'd cast level-two lust suppression the moment I entered, so I got it.
"S-so... why are we here?"
Yuna's face burned red as she twisted her body sideways, hugging herself with both arms. If you're that embarrassed, why chase wild fashion?
Not blaming her. I felt infinite gratitude. But... Pingbalrez was the problem. Shouldn't have brought her.
"Tower Master, may I assist with your bath?"
"Ow, damn it. Look, the reason we're here is to take a group photo."
"...Photo?"
Right, a photo.
I wanted to commemorate this moment. I'd neglected such things while buried in research, but lately, I felt like carefully building memories.
Wouldn't it be fun in old age to flip through a photo album and reminisce? The more photos, the better. Plus.
Maybe. Just maybe.
It could become a family photo.
I shook the camera. Expensive one-use model from the magic tool shop, studded with crystal orbs.
"Brought the camera too. Nice to have a record, right?"
"Yes, so look this way and say your name and age..."
"Hurry and cast self-restraint, now. Bind yourself."
"Ph-photo... Hehe."
Good reactions. Worried she might hate it.
I set up the tripod first, fired a warning shot at Pingbalrez untying her necktie, positioned the crystal orb-camera properly.
Set the timer, fired another warning at Pingbalrez doffing her jacket, called the Tower Master. Her in the center would be perfect.
"Okay, everyone look at the crystal orb. Strike a pose."
"P-pose? Like, what kind...?"
"Just natural. Whatever expression you want to remember, I think."
A photo is carving out a moment to frame. The more emotion, the better. Marking how I felt then, how happy I was—perfect.
"...Uh, uhee."
Tower Master Yuna smiled awkwardly as could be.
"... "
"... "
Pingbalrez and I locked eyes. Same thought.
"...Delete it?"
"Pass."
"Wh-what are you two doiiiing...!!"
Pingbalrez and I flanked Yuna, clinging tight. Natural expressions matter here. Awkward smiles don't cut it.
Pingbalrez pressed flush against the Tower Master, oozing desire; Yuna pushed her face away with one hand.
I pressed close too, but she didn't push me. How's that, Pingbalrez? This is the bond built over ten years with Yuna. Don't get ideas.
While shielding the Tower Master from Pingbalrez's sneaky wandering hands from behind, I faced the camera.
"Okay, Tower Master, look at the camera. Cheese."
"I-in this situation...?!"
"Chee-se."
"Pingbalrez, camera. Camera. Stop ogling our Yuna!"
"O-our Yuna...?!"
Click.
"Not bad, right?"
"Sexy, love it."
"...Confiscated!"
The Tower Master snatched the photo.
After that, Lorey arrived, we resolved to raid the mansion, fought, self-destructed it, and the nameless mage got hauled to prison.
Yuna Yurensuto Violetiris sat on a tall building's roof, gazing at Crown Hall's nightscape. The city looked unchanged from yesterday, but it didn't feel joyful.
She knew why. The mage wasn't beside her.
"Barely... half a day."
How had she survived boredom without him? She wondered.
Yuna pulled out the confiscated photo and looked down at it. Her photo self looked flustered, but happy or unhappy? Undeniably happy.
Flutter.
Yuna turned into a butterfly and took to the sky. With Yuri Lanster off to the Second Prince, the mage would soon be freed from prison. But Yuna couldn't wait longer.
Lonely, she decided to fly to his side now.