«I’m an idiot! An idiot! A damn idiot!» Aoshi yells, furiously punching his futon, consud by blind rage as tears blur his vision.
On his phone, three missed calls from Mr. Tobita stare back at him. The last ti they saw each other, Eliss had ntioned she’d convinced her forr employer to take him back, so Aoshi can only assu that’s the reason for those calls — and the thought makes his despair swell even more. It feels as if, even though she’s no longer there with him, she’s still watching over him, still helping and supporting him as he struggles through the problems of his everyday life.
The clothes Aoshi wore that day lie scattered in a ssy heap at the foot of the futon, while the sink is overflowing with dirty dishes, cups, and pots crusted with dried food. The cheerful presence of the girl who used to fill the apartnt with light while cooking and taking care of the house already feels like a distant, impossibly distant mory — even though not even twenty-four hours have passed since she left. Those monts had beco so routine that Aoshi can almost still hear her lively voice teasing him:
«I know I’m beautiful, but are you planning to stare at all day, or are you coming to help wash and dry the dishes?»
And whenever Aoshi stepped up beside her to help, Eliss would always follow it up with her usual provocative remarks:
«A-Aoshi, if you brush against my elbow one more ti, I’m going to end up wetter than these dishes.»
Every ti she talked to him like that, Aoshi would get irritated and feel awkward in the face of those constant, shaless provocations. And yet now, he would give anything just to wash the dishes with her one last ti. But Eliss is gone, and a heavy silence hangs over the dark apartnt — a silence broken only by Aoshi’s curses and sobs.
«I-I’m such an idiot for letting myself get so involved! Or maybe I was just stupid for not trying harder to stop her — to convince her to stay here. Even though... what could I ever have said to a princess to make her spend the rest of her life with a nobody like ? There’s no logical reason she should have done that... just like there shouldn’t be any reason for to feel like this right now.»
Aoshi lets out a long sigh, his breathing heavy and uneven after ten straight minutes of relentlessly pounding the futon.
«And yet, it’s only been a little over three months... is it really possible to fall in love with soone so deeply that your life stops making sense in such a short ti...?» Aoshi murmurs through sobs.
Then suddenly...
Knock! Knock!
Soone knocks at the door.
«Co in...» Aoshi mutters hoarsely.
Ayane — or at least that’s who he assus it must be. After the long afternoon of emotional venting at the maid café, Ayane had promised she’d stop by that evening, once she finished helping her mother, to check on him and help if he needed anything. Being seen in such a miserable state isn’t exactly the best way to reassure her, so Aoshi hastily tries to pull himself together and regain at least a shred of dignity.
But the mont the door opens, he realizes it’s not Ayane.
Standing in the doorway is a tall, broad man with long, neatly kept black hair, dressed like a British dandy from another era. Under one arm, he’s carrying an enormous solid gold ingot.
Ah... right. That’s right — the twenty kilos of gold Eliss promised . I completely forgot about it... I must really be a ss if I managed to wipe sothing like that from my mind. And sohow, right now, I’d choose Eliss over that mountain of gold a thousand tis over, even if I could live comfortably for the rest of my life with it. I guess that’s what being in love ans. What a pain...
«My dear boy, it’s been quite so ti since we last saw each other, hasn’t it?» Raelor says, wearing an overly friendly, playful smile — one that feels completely out of place in the gloom that fills the apartnt.
«Yeah,» Aoshi replies flatly, his voice hollow and distant, without even looking at him.
«I imagine Princess Eliss already explained everything to you. In any case, this is your reward for the three months during which you kindly made yourself available so the princess could serve her punishnt. King Azhelar Narkhalis — Eliss’s father — agrees with that you did an excellent job, so I’d say this small token of gratitude is more than deserved. So... where would you like to put it?»
«Leave it wherever you want...» Aoshi mutters, still not eting his gaze.
«Are you sure? Don’t let appearances fool you — it’s quite heavy, so it would be best to place it sowhere—»
«Leave it wherever you want and get lost!» Aoshi snaps, hot tears streaming down his cheeks. «Actually, take it with you — I don’t care about it anymore!»
For a brief mont, a more serious, satisfied smile surfaces on Raelor’s face, before he slips back into his playful, almost mocking expression.
«A human refusing such an amount of gold? How peculiar...» Raelor murmurs, his voice dripping with exaggerated amazent.
«Maybe...» Aoshi replies quietly. «But accepting that gold would an admitting that Eliss was nothing more than a burden to — that this is so kind of paynt for having hosted and endured her. And that’s sothing I could never admit, no matter what. In a way, Eliss herself was my greatest reward for going along with that absurd punishnt sche, and all the gold in this world and yours combined isn’t worth even a single second of the mories of those three months she spent here. That’s why I can’t accept it,» Aoshi concludes.
Once again, Raelor’s mocking grin briefly turns into a satisfied smile.
«Instead,» Aoshi continues, «if you truly feel like you owe sothing, then tell how Eliss is. I imagine you’ve already removed the so-called charming magic that bound her to , so... how did it go? Does she feel better? Calr? I sincerely hope those kisses — and those slightly more intense monts we shared — didn’t wound her pride so deeply that she’s cursing my na from morning to night...»
«Ah yes, the charming magic...» Raelor repeats lightly, taking a few steps toward Aoshi. «You see, boy, there’s sothing I think you should know about that so-called charming magic.»
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