Chapter 58 – Knock-off Love, Defective Affection

I should’ve noticed this Yuuki is fake sooner
To begin with, there’s no way Arina who could move with godlike speed would silently watch as this kind of thing happens
Having calmed down, Rosé kicked the fake in annoyance.
“There was a fake of Marquis Isky too, right? This is probably the same thing. … except that this one looks like it was made in a hurry, it’s a deadbeat compared to that one”
Explained Arina with a smile. Then, she told her off like it was something funny.

“And you sure can talk about being in love with Yuu-kun, being so easily fooled by something like this”

The moment Rosé heard that, she struck Arina with the rod she was holding with all her strength.
Her body moved on its own when she heard the horrible insult.
Arina stopped it with one hand as if it were nothing.
It made a shiing sound like metal striking against metal.
“A lot happened, I was tired”
It felt like an excuse even to herself, but Rosé had fallen sick ¹. When she had went into denial of herself, Yuuki suddenly appeared and her eyes became clouded with joy. Otherwise, she would never have mistaken the fake for Yuuki.

“Hmph, sure. A similar one came to Arina, but a fake isn’t going to make me passionate like you were. Hm, but you can’t help it, can you. You’re not on the same level as Arina who knows Yuu-kun the best. Ahahaha♪”
She struck her with the rod once again. This time at her head. The metal bent.
Damn monster … she can still laugh even when hit right on the top of the head. So irritating.
“Did you come here to make fun of me?”
“Not at all. Arina came to help, you know. Arina’s going to be troubled if a fake stole Yuu-kun’s Princess Rosé. Though, since it turned into something funny Arina ended up watching quietly. … ah, I know”
Arina snapped her finger, then pierced it through the cathedral floor. Several arms came out.
In the blink of an eye, the arms restrained Rosé’s body. One of them was holding her head like it was going to pluck it.

“Since you look like you’re getting too carried away, Arina will tell you this. Your feelings are an imitation Arina ‘planted’ in you. Arina is only letting you take Arina’s place. It will never compare to Arina’s real thing. You understand, don’t you—? ♪”
“So what about it! Ugh–!!”
Her words stopped in mid-track. She clearly felt Arina’s killing intent in her hazy vision.
“Arina’s saying, the mere knock-off should never again think about double suicides with Yuu-kun. What are you, an idiot? Do you understand? Smart Rosé understands, right?”
“——”
Rosé did not nod her head.
He only happened to be a fake today.
She believed, if Yuuki really wanted it, what she did was not wrong.
“Say it … ‘yes I understand'”
“No”
Arina’s disgust was plain on her face. She’s already irritated at Rosé stubbornness.
“Listen to Arina, knock-off. I can turn you into a meat doll that can’t think about anything but Yuuki you know?”
“Sure. Do what you like”
She hadn’t gone so bad as to back down with just that.
Furthermore, even if that were what she became, she doesn’t mind if she could think of Yuuki.
— however.
“Ah, I know. In that case Arina will erase your feelings for Yuu-kun”
“—!?”
Her body suddenly filled with dread.
“Arina feels bad for Yuu-kun, but Arina can’t let a toy that won’t listen to what she’s told near him. Arina must consider Yuu-kun’s safety, so Arina needs to have Rosé leave the stage.”
“H, hold on! You planted this on your own didn’t you!? Then to take it away after all this …!!”
“Don’t worry. Arina will explain to Yuu-kun. See ya, bye-bye. Thank you for your service”
Blood drained from her body. She felt pain running on the back of her head.
To lose her feelings for Yuuki, that was the most unbearable thing for Rosé.
For Rosé, he was right now the last thing supporting her heart in the maelstrom of her life.

“No, stop, please! I’m begging you! I won’t do anything selfish anymore! Anything but that!!”
“My my, how desperate. It’s not like Arina’s taking your life you know”
“This is more important than my life!! You know that!!”
Arina made an evil smile.
“So will the good girl Rosé listen to Arina properly and give Yuu-kun looots of love as Arina’s knock-off?”
Her attitude was as if she were telling of a little girl.
Rosé had no choice but to accept.
“… I’ll listen to you. Please, forgive me”
After she unwillingly said so, the grotesque arms returned to the ground.

Released, Rosé fell down on her backside.
… she’s been ground to dust today. After realizing just how powerless she was as a Princess, the lover that came for her was a fake. Then to top it off, she realized the monster of a love rival was holding her feelings that was her last pillar like a dog’s leash.
Rosé sighed. Too tired to feel grief.
Arina came over to her, smiling. She offered her a hand.
She hesitated to take the homicidal demon’s hand a little, but she probably wouldn’t do anything more than this.
Rosé quietly accepted her help to stand.
“Arina is in a good mood today, so Arina didn’t end up doing anything too terrible to you”
“You sure can talk about yourself. And you did do something quite terrible to me”
“You know, just now, Arina properly confessed to Yuu-kun. Yuu-kun knows now, even though Arina decided to not say …. Yuu-kun said, say it properly. Ehehee”
Kyah, Arina made a cute shriek.
“Arina feels embarassed just remembering it♪”
Rosé did not want to hear such an irritating story, but Arina just kept on going and going.
Strangely, when she’s like this, Arina seemed like a normal girl in love just like Mist and the other girls.

— in that case, it was a little strange.

“I’ve been wondering for a while. You can control people’s minds, right? Wouldn’t it be easy for you to make Yuuki yours?”
“Arina? Do that to Yuu-kun? What for?”
“Don’t you want Yuuki to look at you?”
“— … Weeel, it would make Arina happy like nothing else if Yuu-kun would love Arina like that, but, Arina won’t do something so insulting to Yuu-kun”
Which means, she wouldn’t hurt or endanger Yuuki in any way or form.
But nevertheless, for someone who was in love with Yuuki this much, it’s a wonder that she didn’t show any sign of possessiveness or envy like Mist and Rosé did. She could have kept him for herself, and yet on the contrary, she even implanted a love for Yuuki in Rosé, increasing the number of rivals she had.
If she wanted to, she could have made Rosé into an inhuman bundle of loyalty like Glenn did, but at most, she only added a bit so that she matched Yuuki’s disposition.
“If you wanted to manipulate me, then why did you keep me human? It would’ve been quicker to make a puppet of me rather than making me fall for Yuuki”
Then Arina’s smile vanished.
Rosé was shocked. In an instant, Arina’s face turned sad.
“… It’s impossible for Arina. Arina’s puppet can’t do anything more than Arina can. There are too many things Arina can’t give Yuu-kun”
For the first time, the demon that always sneers at humans showed a human side.
Rosé finally understood.

She didn’t feel she had the charms of a woman.

Even with her godlike powers, even with the power to cross time.
“Arina couldn’t become the kind of woman Yuu-kun wants. Arina is broken. The reason Yuu-kun always watches over Arina is in the end as a ‘guardian’. Even if Arina had the hairstyle Yuu-kun likes, even if Arina had a body Yuu-kun likes, even if Arina learned to act like Yuu-kun wants. Yuu-kun would have no need of a changed Arina”
Arina had already realized that that thickheaded boy had no awareness of it.
It was the only thing Arina fundamentally couldn’t have, self confidence as a woman.
And she was bound by the fetters of a ‘childhood friend’, making her unable to move.
She came to the conclusion that she could never satisfy her beloved by herself.
Therefore she used other women to compensate for it.
… Though indeed, the fact that her own greed had manifested warped, as a desire to give Yuuki everything, also had something to do with it …
Arina cast her head down for a while, then said
“Forget about that just now. If you tell Yuu-kun I’ll kill you”
She then turned her back.

… There wasn’t any room for sympathy, but Rosé found her a little pitiable.

As she tried to say something to her, the air around Arina changed.
“Princess Rosé, hold this”
She threw her something.
The Magic item Yuuki had with him … if she remembered correctly, it was called an E:ID phone.
“And this is?”
“You’ve seen how to use it, right? It can do less than Yuu-kun’s, but I’m going to be a little busy so you should defend yourself on your own”
Black shadows creeped along the chapel walls.
Several of them.
“A guest, I wonder?”
“Something like that”

[Ready]

Arina and Rosé readied their swords.
Standing with their backs against each other.