Couldn't Say It, So It Burst Out
"Ooooh…."
Gayul let out a breath of pure admiration.
In her years upon the throne, she had watched no small number of martial artists. Even through eyes that had seen so many, Hoeyeon stood among the rarest of the rare — a fighter with scarcely any true equal left in the world.
That was why the master-and-disciple bout between Hoeyeon and Eunha last time had reached a height so breathtaking it had sent shivers down her spine.
Yujeong was a step below those two.
But only a single step. Just one.
"'Tis enough to break the heart," Arang murmured, and Gayul understood the feeling perfectly.
Of course both of them wanted Hoeyeon to be the stronger. She was a companion who would face danger at their side from now on, so they wanted her strong. The feelings and memories they had built while living with her made them want her strong. And as martial artists themselves, their awe of Hoeyeon had turned into genuine support — so they wanted her strong for that, too.
And yet watching someone only a single step behind fight with everything she had to close that gap, only to fall short of it in the end… it was, just as Arang had said, enough to break the heart.
"!!"
Yujeong's eyes flew wide, and in that same instant the storm-like clash of Hoeyeon and Yujeong froze still.
Hoeyeon's blade rested against Yujeong's throat. Yujeong's sword had stopped halfway through an upward cut from below.
One breath later, both women withdrew their blades at once, sheathed them at once, and bowed to each other at once.
"Thank you for the instruction, Senior Sister."
"My thanks for the lesson as well, Junior Sister."
When they raised their heads again, Yujeong's legs immediately gave out beneath her, trembling so hard she crumpled straight to the ground.
"Uwaaah… Senior Sister Hoeyeon really is strong…."
She had held on through the proper forms until the sparring session was complete — but the moment it ended, every last scrap of tension drained out of her.
"You're strong too."
Not wanting to be the only one left standing over Yujeong, who had already planted herself on the dirt, Hoeyeon crouched down on her heels.
"You're still stronger, Senior Sister… How did you even predict that earlier?"
"The diagonal cut on the third exchange? Your arm muscle twitched like this."
"That barely twitched at all. An ant flinching would be more obvious. Then when I jumped two moves later…."
At first the two swordswomen's post-match breakdown was something an outsider could still follow. Before long, though, it slipped into a realm no one who hadn't walked that path could hope to understand.
"Shall we leave the two of them to talk awhile? I have never seen Hoeyeon speak with such joy."
"Just as you say. Let us give them the space."
"Come, let us go inside."
Arang nodded and headed into the house first. Gayul fell in behind her without thinking and found herself following into an inner room.
"Where exactly are we right now?"
Gayul opened as she settled into her seat. Arang made a thoughtful sound and let the silence hang a moment.
"An important question, that. But before it, there is one thing this one would ask of thee."
"Hm? And what is that?"
Something more important than geography? Gayul looked puzzled. Arang nodded and asked.
"Dost thou intend to become Hoeyeon's mate?"
Golden eyes locked straight onto blue ones.
As if to say a lie would not be forgiven.
A partner you could talk to on equal footing was precious in and of itself.
Among Hoeyeon's own disciples, and among her fellow senior and junior sisters as well, people she could have that kind of conversation with were vanishingly few.
"—so if you pull just a little there, you can bait them into overcommitting and slip past— cough! cough! Sorry, hang on…."
Hoeyeon, mid-passionate explanation, broke into a coughing fit.
"Ah, we should head inside. I think I can stand now."
Yujeong stretched her back and worked the stiffness from her limbs — then suddenly remembered something that had been nagging at her ever since reuniting with Hoeyeon.
"Come to think of it, is Gayul your lover, Senior Sister?"
"Khhrk—!?"
"Senior Sister!? Water — drink some water!"
Hoeyeon had swallowed wrong and started choking on her own spit. Yujeong scrambled to thump her on the back.
That was when a tremendous crash erupted from inside the house.
Yujeong looked up in shock just as a blue-haired woman came flying out through the door.
"Gayul?!"
"…Art thou a complete idiot?"
Arang's voice rolled out from inside the house, low and dangerous.
Lies would not be forgiven? Of course not.
But even Arang herself had not predicted there might be something harder to endure than a lie.
"No — wait. This one apologizes. The wording was wrong."
Arang drew a breath and tried again.
"Art thou a goddamn idiot?"
Gayul stared at the sky for a moment, then slowly pushed herself up off the dirt.
"It seems some beast has forgotten how to speak like a person and needs to be taught again. Do not worry overmuch — I shall instruct you personally."
"Who is teaching whom? Methinks it is this one who must teach an idiot how to speak like a person."
"S-Senior Sister! Gayul and Arang are—!"
Yujeong said urgently.
I should break those two up… right?
Hoeyeon thought. The question mark was there because she was not at all certain she would walk away unscathed if she put herself between them.
Not physically. Emotionally.
"I asked how thou wished to be with Hoeyeon, and what didst thou say? That thou didst not rightly know about mates?"
"Ah."
The words furious Arang spat out confirmed that Hoeyeon's worry had been entirely justified.
Gayul and Arang charged straight at each other.
"Then what else is one supposed to say when one does not know?!"
"That is precisely why this one is asking how thou canst not know!"
There was Yujeong to consider, and they risked being seen by people from the village, so magic and fox forms were off the table. Fortunate for Hoeyeon.
Fists, however, were no problem at all. Unfortunate for Hoeyeon.
"S-Senior Sister? Those two are actually really good at fighting…."
"Your first reaction is to appreciate the technique. You really are a martial artist through and through, Yujeong."
Hoeyeon felt a headache coming on and sighed.
"Whether thou wilt take a mate or not is secondary — surely thou knowest whether thou wantest one or not!"
"And that is why I keep saying I do not know!"
Gayul blocked a punch aimed at her jaw and drove a knee upward as she shouted.
"What does 'mate' even mean in the first place?!"
"Not even an idiot — art thou a block of wood?! The world is crawling with mates!"
"I am a person for whom marriage is complicated, and you know that full well!!"
Arang smashed Gayul's rising knee aside with an elbow and twisted her body, slipping straight into Gayul's guard.
"Who spoke of marriage?! This one said mate — mate! Lover! Sweetheart! Beloved!"
"What in heaven's name are you babbling about in broad daylight?!"
"Says the one who was about to pair off and cling to her in broad daylight?!"
From inside Gayul's guard, Arang tried to bury a fist in her stomach; Gayul blocked it. Gayul's close-range knife-hand strike was dodged by Arang.
"Wow, but they really can fight."
"Senior Sister! I think it's about time we actually stop them!"
Weren't you just standing there admiring them a second ago?
Hoeyeon swallowed the words that had climbed all the way to her throat. Yujeong was right — if she left them to it, one or both of them was going to get hurt.
"Whatever I do with Hoeyeon is none of your concern!"
"And why would that be none of this one's concern?!"
Self-restraint already blurred past recognition by rage was forgotten entirely in the heat of bodies colliding. That was why Arang let the next words spill out.
"If thou wilt not be her mate — then this one could be instead, could she not!!!!"
Both fighters froze solid at the same time.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Eh?"
The sounds came, in order, from Hoeyeon, Gayul, and Yujeong.
"…."
Arang lost her words. She still tried — something, anything — but locked in that frozen posture, all she could manage was to open and close her mouth soundlessly.
It was a degree of mortification Arang had never once felt in her entire life.
And once the mortification ebbed, embarrassment of equal force crashed over her. Not merely crashed — wrapped around her and crushed her flat.
"…Arang?"
"No!"
Hoeyeon's voice gave Arang her words back.
Exactly one word.
"Uh—"
"No! It is not!"
"…Uh."
"It is not, so it is not, therefore it is not!"
"…."
Afraid that speaking again would only produce a fourth "not," Hoeyeon tried silence instead.
"It is not, in any case!"
Having found one more thing to say, Arang shouted it and bolted back into the house. She moved so fast a gust of wind swept past in her wake.
From inside came the slam of a door banging shut.
"…Um… Senior Sister, about the repairs…."
"Yeah… you don't need to worry about that."
With Arang and Gayul's personalities, they'd hand over enough money for repairs to build an entire extra room. Factor in everything they owed from before and it might be enough to put up a whole new house. Would it become a full estate? Wow, Yujeong, you're rich now.
"Honestly… what was Arang even upset about in the first place?"
While Hoeyeon fled into a world of idle speculation, Gayul approached, brushing the dust from her clothes.
"Uh, Gayul."
"Mm. Hoeyeon."
"…."
"…."
The atmosphere was awkward enough to twist a person into knots.
"Ahem. Ah. Yes."
Determined to break the discomfort, Gayul decided to ask about the thing that had been bothering her for a little while now.
"Why does Arang speak as though there is only a single seat for a mate? Do either of you have any idea why?"
"??????????"
"…………?"
What on earth is this one talking about now.
"Pathetic…."
Arang had buried her face in a pillow.
She was too ashamed to show her face. Literally.
Lies would not be forgiven?
Who was saying that to whom? By what right?
An idiot who did not even know her own heart?
Again — who was saying that to whom?
"So pathetic…."
With her face mashed into the pillow it was hard to breathe, but that was preferable.
A divine beast renowned even among the Hoin — already famous for strength and beauty — as especially strong and beautiful?
The title was so excessive it felt like something hung on her as deliberate mockery. Like hanging a sign that said "King of Kings" around a beggar's neck and laughing.
"I have no retort even to being called a beast…."
Ah, maybe she should just do that. Write "beast" on a placard and wear it around. Someone who hadn't even known her own feelings, then lied the moment they burst out — didn't "beast" suit her perfectly? And on top of that she'd gotten angry at Gayul?
"Woof woof."
Arang tried barking, then flopped over sideways still pressing the pillow to her face.
She did not want to think. Not that she disliked any particular thought — she disliked the act of thinking itself.
"…………Woof woof."
A divine beast strong even alone, lofty because of that strength, who moved human hearts with grace and mercy. A great fox who formed no faction yet could raise one whenever she pleased.
Anyone who knew Arang, seeing this scene, would naturally assume their own senses had failed them.
Somehow this is getting kind of fun?
"Woof woof, awoooo, heehee."
…Or they might conclude they had simply gone mad.
"So then, why do all of you."
Gayul was frustrated.
"Speak as though, simply because two people have married, no one else may enter?"