You're Damian, Aren't You...?(2)
I never knew the words "let's go back" could sound so terrifying. Thinking of Rumani, who had run away after sowing all the practical causes, I muttered a small curse under my breath. Seeing Leticia's somewhat chilly expression, I quickly shut my mouth. It felt like I shouldn't say anything right now.
I might not know the details, but I could tell that Leticia was angry because of me. I wasn't so dense that I couldn't pick up on that much. And most of all, there was no spark of life in Leticia's eyes.
Gulp.
Swallowing hard, I forced a smile and spoke to her.
"Leticia?"
"What."
"...Ah, never mind."
Startled by Leticia's cold reply, I flinched and quietly tucked my tail between my legs. With a collar around my neck, I felt exactly like a dog that had done something wrong to its owner. But right now, soothing Leticia's mood came first.
"Um... Leticia? What are you going to do when we get back? It's late, so maybe get ready for bed?"
"...."
"L-Leticia...?"
"...I'll do some research."
So what kind of research are you talking about? At least include the subject so I can understand, but Leticia didn't tell me. Trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, I forced my twitching lips into a smile and tried to initiate conversation several times, but Leticia only gave short, one-word answers. She didn't say anything more. Every time her tone softened a bit, I would blurt out random things, creating a vicious cycle.
"Look, Leticia! The moon is really beautiful."
"Yeah, it is pretty."
I raised my tension in a way that wasn't like me, but the response that came back was lukewarm. With Leticia seeming thoroughly angry, I followed silently behind her all the way back to the academy, only breaking out in cold sweat inside.
My throat was burning. It wasn't just thirst; Leticia's chilly gaze was overwhelming me. If I had known it would be like this, I should have drunk more water... no, blood in advance.
Leo had said it was getting too late and that he should head back to the mansion, mentioning he'd visit again later before leaving. So now I was walking alone with Leticia under the flickering streetlights that seemed like they could go out at any moment. That might be why being with her felt even more agonizing. It would have been better if Leo was there. Ah, maybe not. From what I saw earlier, Leo also seemed to be watching Leticia's mood. Could it be that he noticed Leticia was in a bad mood and ran away first? If so, Leo made a rational choice. Take me with you.
Even though I knew I couldn't follow Leo, I held onto vain hope and was blankly staring at the empty space Leo left when Leticia's voice in my ear snapped me back to reality.
"Charlotte."
"Y-yes?!"
"What are you so startled about. You're acting like someone's going to eat you."
How could I not be startled when the person right in front of me looked like she would devour me without mercy if I let my guard down even a little. By the way, she had been ignoring everything I said until now, so I never dreamed she would speak first.
Leticia, who had completely turned around and stopped in her place, staring at me with fierce eyes, had a sticky obsession in her pupils that wasn't there moments ago. I swallowed again. It was an emotion I couldn't read.
Under the flickering streetlight, Leticia and I looked at each other. Both of us with expressions that said we had a lot to say to one another.
Leticia's expression, which had been as cold as the snow falling in the Lisianthes Territory, had returned to her usual blank face before I knew it.
How much time had passed? After a long silence where we just looked at each other with moving lips, Leticia broke it first.
Leticia said in a seemingly resolute tone.
"You don't need to read my mood. I simply got sulky, that's all. Why? Even if you don't know, I can't stand seeing another girl pestering you."
Her words made me let out a hollow laugh. So the reason she was angry was because I had been kissed by another girl. That was practically a disaster for me too.
The words What are you to me rose up to my throat, but I closed my mouth at the right timing and didn't let them out. Still, it was a truly absurd answer to hear. If it had been back in my Damian Radius days, being kissed by another woman would naturally warrant jealousy from a lover, but right now we weren't in any relationship. There was nowhere, nowhere, for her to have any reason to obsess over me. Did she know that this was driving me insane?
The emotions I had suppressed came bursting out. Really. Leticia, what on earth are you thinking?
Leticia swept back the hair that had caught on her ear toward me, who was making a mysterious expression. She narrowed her mysteriously shining purple eyes and asked bluntly, without any lead-up.
"Are you curious?"
"...About what."
"What else? You were curious, weren't you? About why I—who's supposedly seeing you for the first time, who would detest demons—am obsessing over a demon like you to this extent."
"...It'd be a lie to say I wasn't curious, but it's unexpected. So it wasn't simply that you saved me because you were bored."
"You're still bad at lying, as always."
As always?
"What do you mean by that?"
"You're bad at lying, but whenever you try to hide the truth, you have this habit of trembling your pupils."
"...?"
"Your habit hasn't changed at all."
I opened my eyes wide. The words Leticia muttered as if to herself were enough to shake me. That's right. You were always like that. I thought it was strange from the start how you acted like you knew me well. If you knew my identity, then all your behavior until now makes sense. But if that's the case, why didn't you press me about it?
Did you know my identity all along?
When I lifted my head with an anxious face like someone demanding an explanation, Leticia, who had her arms crossed, sighed as if she was the one frustrated, then suddenly lifted the corners of her mouth shyly. It was an enchanting smile. It was the smile of someone enraptured. Leticia's smile, even showing a blush on her cheeks like a lion before fresh prey, was dazzling enough to blind the beholder, but to me, it sent shivers down my spine.
At Leticia's ominous aura, I unconsciously took a step back, and Leticia grabbed my shoulder firmly as if she wouldn't let me escape.
"You noticed? No. Since it looks like you've noticed for quite some time, this is probably pointless to say."
"...You."
"I've been waiting. I've endured it, holding back tightly. Even when I wasn't certain it was you, I waited for you to say it with your own mouth. Because you did the same before."
But now I can't do it anymore. I can't hold back any longer. The very fact that another woman is showing interest in you displeases me.
Leticia added.
"Having me as your only lover is enough, isn't it?"
"Don't run away."
Whoosh. An arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me forward. Since I didn't resist the touch, I helplessly fell into Leticia's embrace and looked up at her with a dazed expression. Unlike me, whose mind had turned pure white, Leticia—perhaps not entirely fine—breathed roughly as she pushed me against the wall. A cold sensation lingered on my back. Since Leticia was taller, I was helplessly trapped in her arms.
Unable to keep up with the sudden event, I felt a chill when I looked at Leticia in my confusion.
"...Leticia."
"Haa—."
"What... wait a moment."
"That damn 'what.' Charlotte, did you know that when you're flustered, your head doesn't work well either? If you were going to hide it, you should have hidden it properly. You only made me suffer."
You know your personality is bad, right? Trying to hide your identity even from me—there's no way that would work.
Leticia, with a sinister smile, buried her face in my cleavage and said.
"When I first saw you, I thought the summoning had failed. However, I wasn't disappointed. Why? Although I called it summoning a demon, it wasn't necessarily a summoning that called only a demon. Did you know that the magic also included a spell to summon a specific person?"
"...."
"You're not surprised? As expected, you knew. So when you were summoned, I was disappointed but not devastated. The demon summoning created by the ancient ones was just a part of my goal to summon 'Damian Radius.' Honestly, I didn't care what happened with the demon summoning... but my suspicions gradually turned into certainty."
My thoughts stopped. Hiding my trembling voice, I looked down at Leticia, who was tightening her arms around my waist as if to say don't run away, and opened my mouth.
"...That means..."
"There's no way I would have forgotten you after failing several times and hoping for success over and over. I learned all magic, with and without it, while only looking at you. I didn't know the hair you left behind would help, but it seems the Goddess wanted me to be happy."
"Wait, wait. Leticia, calm down a bit...!"
"Is there a need to calm down? More than that, your flustered appearance is cute too. I didn't expect you to appear as a woman, but your female form is quite refreshing."
Right, Damian?
"Don't deny it. Even if you deny it, I'll find out as much as you deny."
Finally, Leticia erased her smile toward the cornered mouse and drove in the wedge decisively.