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Chapter 19

MIRA DRIED HER FLUSHED SKIN and wrapped her bath towel around the pure rabbit. It peeked out of a small gap and squeaked happily. She then put the rabbit down gently on a shelf and opened a bag nearby. Inside were sexy lingerie and a babydoll slip, but Mira pretended not to see them and searched until she found a pair of real underwear.

Hm…? Ah, this must be the laundry I gave Mariana the other day. Mira appreciated that it was there, as she was running out of normal underwear. With mental thanks to Mariana, she took out a pair and put the bag into her Item Box.

Now partially clad, Mira untied her hair and recalled the magic White had taught her.

Mm… Might as well just try drying it for now. White had forced her to learn other hair-care methods, but Mira chased them off into the corner of her mind, deciding to start with baby steps.

“Ooh!” When she activated the spell, each brush of her hand through her hair dried it more and more. She tried the spell on the bunny, and its sky-blue fur was dry and soft in no time.

It was truly practical magic. Just using it reminded Mira of one very popular film and book series about a magical school of witchcraft and wizardry. Now that was proper use of fantasy. Not just flashy battles, but magic in everyday life.

Mira donned a bathrobe and left the changing room, cradling her companion in her arms. In the living room, a bouquet of delectable spices greeted her. The cooking was done except for some finishing touches, and Mariana was setting the table.

“Miss Mira. It won’t be long, so please have a seat.”

“Very well. By the way, I noticed you put the other day’s laundry in my bag. Thank you.” Mira approached the fairy, looking at her hair. It gleamed like sapphire, fluttering with every little movement.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s all part of the job.”

After getting a good look, Mira rather reluctantly stepped away and sat on the sofa. Her rabbit jumped up as well and curled on the seat next to her.

“Is something the matter?” Mariana asked, head tilted to one side. Even distracted from her task, she moved flawlessly as she placed teacups on the table and poured black tea.

“Ah, nothing. I learned magic that dries hair, so I was going to use it if yours was still wet. But, no, it’s dry already,” Mira said and sipped at her tea.

As she did, Mariana suddenly pulled off her apron and dashed to the changing room.

“Erm, what are you doing?” Mira called.

“I’m going to wash my hair again!” Mariana cried, reaching for the doorknob.

“No, wait! Wait!” Mira managed to stop her, scooping up the apron to hand back to Mariana.

“My apologies. I should have prioritized the meal,” Mariana said as she tied the apron around herself and resumed preparing dinner.

Mira murmured with an exasperated grin, “No, that’s not why I stopped you…” 

“You never touch me, Miss Mira.” Mariana looked down sadly, avoiding eye contact with her. “I…I want you to touch me more.”

Mariana still had the memory of Mira’s warmth as she wiped away her tears, but that was all that she had. She yearned for more than just that.

Mira’s offer to dry her hair had been too tempting to pass up. Mariana knew that she was being impudent, but to feel her master’s touch, she’d thought she had to seize the opportunity. Perhaps these thirty long years had more of an effect on her than Mira had thought.

Mira realized that, although they had felt each other in the bath and in bed, Mariana had initiated all that. She was even a little surprised at herself for offering to dry Mariana’s hair, despite being overtly aware that she would have her hands on a woman. Moreover, the person she was touching would likewise be hyperaware of it.

She followed Mariana with her eyes, gazing at the devoted fairy. Two impulses struck her at once: to hug this adorable lady, and to protect her beloved aide.

Noticing Mira’s conflicted gaze, Mariana prompted, “Miss Mira?”

“Oh, erm. Right, uh…” Mira stammered and looked away for a moment, but she steeled herself and focused again. She felt warmth spread through her—crystallizing, gaining form—as she decided what to do. “Now that I think about it…I may have held back.”

Mira reached out to touch Mariana’s cheek, taking a moment to feel the girl’s warmth through her palm.

“This is the second time…” Mariana closed her eyes tenderly, and a big smile bloomed on her face.

Mira realized that her hand was now on a woman’s cheek. When she moved her fingertips, Mariana reacted as if it tickled. They made eye contact again.

Why do I feel like we skipped a few steps?!

Perhaps caressing a woman’s cheek was an overly drastic action. As she stared at Mariana, Mira realized that they had breezed past too many stages in the “normal” flow of things. She should have started with holding Mariana’s hand or stroking her hair. But the first time she’d touched her had been to wipe her tears, so she might as well take things from there. 

“Anyway, how about that dinner?!” Mira dropped her hand and rushed to the sofa to cover up her awkwardness.

“Yes, of course.” Mariana put her hand on the spot where Mira’s had been and smiled. With a renewed spirit, she resumed preparing dinner.

Before long, Mariana placed a meal so intricate that it would have put a high-class restaurant to shame in front of Mira. 

Mira couldn’t believe just one woman had made it. “How luxurious.”

“I had a lovely selection of ingredients, after all,” Mariana replied, cutting the exquisitely cooked roast. Indeed, the ingredients she’d used were all first-class.

“This is fantastic,” Mira said, salivating at the sight and smell.

The roast was cooked perfectly, and it had an absolutely gorgeous profile when Mariana sliced it. Also gracing the table were a colorful salad, golden soup, and thinly sliced bread. There were veggie sticks for the pure rabbit as well.

“Here you go. Eat to your heart’s content.” Mariana bowed.

Mira dug in with great pleasure. Mmm! I never understood when people said something melts in your mouth—but this is it!

“Ah, wonderful,” Mira muttered around the bite. A broad grin of pure contentment spread across her face.

“Thank you very much.” Mariana smiled and bowed before wiping Mira’s chin with a napkin.

“I can do that myself, thank you,” Mira protested, though it didn’t stop Mariana in the slightest. “Aren’t you going to eat? Come and join me.”

“I’ve already had my fill.”

In serving her master, Mariana was truly in her element. Her incredible service even extended to the pure rabbit, allowing the mage and her fuzzy friend to enjoy a satisfying, peaceful time together.

***

Now full, Mira lay on the sofa in her living room and stared at her map with the comforting sound of dishwashing in the background.

Traveling will take an awful lot of time without my floating island. So many nights spent away from home… I may even have to camp occasionally.

Mira checked the distance and time to reach the Forest of the Devout, then calculated how long it would take to get to the Isuzu Alliance headquarters. Adding in breaks and camping, she concluded that it would be at least three days. She buried her face in a pillow on the couch, dejected.

Three days of riding Pegasus! My poor thighs can’t handle that.

She had thought that on the way back too. Pegasus was fast, but even half a day of riding took a toll. Mira had taken plenty of breaks, and yet she still found herself exhausted now. There was no way she could manage three days of that.

Surely this trip can wait until the wagon is complete.

Once her wagon was finished, she knew she could travel in comfort all day long. She fantasized about flying through the sky in luxury, watching the clouds and land slip past.

Mira leaned back and cradled her pure rabbit against her face. “You’d prefer that too, wouldn’t yooou?” The bunny squeaked joyfully in her hands. 

Just then, Mariana finished cleaning and peeked from behind the rabbit. The maid’s appearance startled Mira; she jumped and froze.

“By the way, Miss Mira…”

“Y-yes?!” Mira put the pure rabbit in her lap and gave it a pseudo-calm pat on the head. Unfortunately, it was too late to hide her lovey-dovey doting on the pet.


If Mariana noticed, she didn’t say so. Instead, she asked, “What’s the bunny’s name?” 

It was then that Mira realized she hadn’t named the rabbit yet. “Ah, come to think of it… Do you have a name?” she asked her furry friend.

The rabbit shook its head.

“Oho! Did you see that? It understands me!” The rabbit’s reaction prompted Mira to hug it and turn to Mariana with excited eyes. She repeated the question; the bunny once again shook its head.

“Who’s a good baby?” Mira put the rabbit back in her lap and played with it.

“Yes, very good!” Mariana watched lovingly, smiling at Mira’s excitement.

When Mira stared at the pure rabbit, it returned her gaze and squeaked. Then it rubbed its face against her hand and licked her fingers.

Aargh! It’s too cute! She battled to maintain a semblance of cool and stop the grin from spreading back onto her face. Then inspiration struck, based on a character from Crayon Something-or-other starring a little boy named Shin.

“How about Hopzaemon?!”

Imagining itself with such a name, the pure rabbit turned away with a pout. Mariana glared at Mira sourly.

“Forget I said anything. It just, er, came to mind.”

Since she’d spent time with the Isuzu medium known as Blue, thoughts of the medium Kagura had infiltrated Mira’s head. Chuckling that Kagura’s naming sense had poisoned her brain, Mira thought of other ideas.

“What would be a good name? Hopnoshin? No, I’m just kidding! Hmmm… Hop, rabbit, blue…” Mira furrowed her brow and grumbled to herself as she beheld the bunny. It looked up at her expectantly.

Mariana had an idea. “Actually, Miss Mira… Is the rabbit a boy?” The maid had been wondering whether it was male, given Mira’s name suggestions. To Mariana’s knowledge, this bunny was much rounder and had longer ears than most male pure rabbits.

“I…don’t know.” The idea had never occurred to Mira. “What are you?” She slowly cocked her head, maintaining eye contact with the bunny. Next to her, Mariana followed suit. The rabbit had no comment. “Well, faster if we just look, I suppose.”

Mira laid the pure rabbit across her lap, pinching and opening its little legs. Because of its thick blue fur, however, its defining bits weren’t readily visible. Mariana leaned in to assist.

“Miss Mira, perhaps you could be a little gentler…?” Mariana suggested, soothing the pure rabbit as it panicked at being flipped over suddenly. She then got to work divining its nature. “Ah. He seems to be a she.”

The rabbit, freed from restraint, stood on two legs atop Mira’s lap. It pushed its front legs against her stomach, giving her a look of reproachment.

“You were a girl all this time? Hmm… Hoppette?” The rabbit shrank back. Mariana once again shot a rather cold look Mira’s way, so she gave up on the joke names at once. “Kidding! Just kidding. What kind of name, though? Hop—mmgh. Blue Bunny, Four Lucky Feet, Blue Thumper, Blue Blur, Noriko, Blue Mossball, Alive or Alive…”

Mira recalled nicknames players had given pure rabbits back in the day. The bunny looked up at her with its round eyes and twitching ears, occasionally squeaking. Its adorableness stole Mira’s concentration away until she was petting the rabbit’s head, ears, back, and legs single-mindedly.

“Um, Miss Mira…” Mariana whispered, bringing Mira to her senses.

“Don’t worry, I’m still thinking. This is necessary to find her true name.” Mira slowly looked up, and before her eyes was Mariana’s face. The maid seemed to be searching for words she couldn’t find. 

Relieved that she wasn’t getting another stern look for goofing off, Mira followed Mariana’s gaze. “Want to pet her?” she offered.

“Yes!” Mariana instantly squatted and put a hand on the pure rabbit’s fur. A grin spread over her face as she looked up at Mira. “Have you decided on a name yet?”

Mariana lowering herself to be at eye level with the rabbit also offered an exquisite view down her top. After a few seconds of staring, Mira averted her eyes and weakly replied, “Not yet…”

“There’s no need to rush it, though you will have trouble addressing her. A name received from someone you love is a real treasure. I’m sure she’ll adore any name you give her, as long as you put care and thought into it,” Mariana said, doting on the rabbit as she brushed her fingers through its fur. The pure rabbit closed its eyes and let out a long squeak, as if agreeing with Mariana.

“Hrmm… This is a big responsibility.”

A name is a treasure. Mira had never thought of it like that, but Mariana had driven home the importance of the situation. She tensed up and faced the rabbit again.

“Ah! Is this…?” Mariana murmured. She untangled a hair from her finger and put it in her palm. The vivid blue hair stood out against the pale skin of her hand.

“Must have come out while you were petting her,” said Mira. “Why don’t you take it? They say it’s a good-luck charm.”

“Can I really have it?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll treasure this.”

Plenty more where that came from. Mira watched Mariana place the hair gingerly into a handkerchief, still thinking of a suitable name.

“Oh!” Mariana gasped. “Miss Mira, there are some on your clothes as well.” She pointed at Mira’s robe. There, Mira saw several blue lines. The hairs must have come out naturally, since she had been playing with the rabbit on her lap.

“Cleaning up after her may be difficult,” Mira mused. Whether she was home or not, Mariana always tidied this room. That was her job, after all.

“It seems this spot will be packed full of good luck soon, doesn’t it?” Mariana picked off the hairs and grinned.

The movements of Mariana’s hands entranced Mira for a moment before she blurted out, “Very true!”

The rabbit squeaked for more petting, and finally, a name came to Mira’s mind. The pure rabbit—a girl who brought good luck wherever she went. What better name than the Goddess of Luck’s?

“I’ve got it. Your name is Fortuna! For short, we can call you Luna!” With that declaration, Mira peeked furtively at Mariana.

“Fortuna! A name passed down among fairies. I think it’s the perfect name for her.”

“Isn’t it?!” Mira swelled with joy, happy that her choice finally met with approval. She lifted the pure rabbit high into the air. It wiggled gleefully in her hands, having received a true treasure from her.

Perhaps out of relief, or because she’d relaxed now, Mira yawned and closed her eyes atop the couch. I am too tired.

Mariana placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “Miss Mira? If you’re going to sleep, perhaps you should head to bed. You might catch a cold here.”

“Hrmm… Ah, right. That is true.” Dragged back from the cusp of dreams, Mira shooed Luna off her lap and sluggishly stood.

Mariana led her master off and helped her get ready for bed, closely followed by the blue bunny. Once in her pajamas, Mira picked up Luna and went into her bedroom.

On the bed were a cushion and two pillows, one of which was clearly the pillow Mariana had brought in the other night. Mira turned to see that Mariana had changed into sleepwear as well.

“Ah, this again,” Mira sighed.

“If you’re against it, then…I’ll sleep somewhere else,” Mariana replied, her tone suddenly dejected.

“No, I…I don’t mind.”

“Thank you!”

Mira didn’t mind; she even enjoyed it! The problem was simply that she was very tired, and she wasn’t used to sleeping with someone.

“Now, I’ll be going to the castle in the morning,” Mira said. “Better get right to sleep.” She set Luna on the cushion, swapped pillows so she’d be sleeping on the other side of the bed, and lay down.

“Of course.” Mariana, perplexed by the last-minute change, slipped into bed. “Ah… Miss Mira?”

“Come now, you know how this works. So…?” Mira said bashfully. Under the blanket, she reached her right hand out to hold Mariana’s left.

Restoring a blessing required a right hand holding a left hand, and Mira’s change in position made that much less awkward. Only the moonlight coming through the window illuminated the room. It wasn’t enough to reveal Mira’s full figure, leaving her bright-red face blessedly in the dark.

“Of course. Good night,” said Mariana. Though she saw little of Mira’s face, she felt the girl’s blush in the warmth of her hand.

Mariana was not ignorant of romance, so she did not wholly miss the point of Mira’s gesture. Still, she didn’t fully understand the weight of Mira’s intent either. Mariana offered body and soul to her master, and she considered herself Mira’s possession. Such feelings were far deeper than simple romance.

She appreciated being valued as a woman, but more than anything, Mariana wanted to be wanted.

Light seeped through the gaps under the blanket. Snuggling with Mira, Mariana gently closed her eyes and prayed that this warmth would never leave her again.



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