Ren woke up with a start when he felt someone was watching him. He sat up and found Pirika gazing at him, smiling.
Damn, did he fall so deeply asleep that he didn't notice someone's eyes on him? He was being careless already! What if it turned out to be someone with malicious intentions? He could have long been dead!
"Had a nice slumber, Sleeping Beauty?" she asked, smiling sweetly.
"How long had you been looking at me, woman?" he asked, annoyed.
"Long enough to hear you moaning." She shrugged. "You were dreaming."
"H-Huh?" He vaguely remembered the feeling of drowning or something, but he couldn't really tell. Anyway, she had no right to know things that he wasn't telling. "I didn't," he said instead, determined to not let her score one over him.
"You did," she said matter-of-factly. "It was a REM sleep even."
Oh no, not another psycho term again, the boy thought.
"For your information, REM sleep is a recurrent stage of normal sleep that is characterized by distinctive patterns of brain waves, rapid movements of the eye under closed lids, and dreaming," she said. Ren thought she should have spoke in French, and he could have understood her better.
But since she put the verbal joust into medical grounds, he couldn't make a comeback, so he decided that he would yield a little.
"Fine, I did dream," he admitted. "I dreamt that I was so angry at you for dishing out our psychotic talks so I took a knife and stabbed you thirteen…no FOURTEEN times!" he said, smirking. "I then placed your gory remains in a sack and had it collected by a plane on a one-way trip to the North Pole."
She looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "Wow, I never would have thought you would be the one to dream that."
He was starting to get nervous with that smile. "W-What do you mean?" he asked, although unsure whether he really wanted to know the answer.
"Anger is an example of glorious release of human passion, something that is covered by libido, a.k.a. your favorite word," she said, smiling. "It means you feel some kind of uncontrollable passion when you see me, and because of that, you stabbed me. I take it that you lust after me?"
"WHAT?!" His heart sank when he realized what she meant by her interpretation of the "stabbing". Stabs of passion…bullshit.
"Do you want me to elaborate, Ren Tao? I can give you a review on sexual reproduction-"
"Shut the hell up!"
But apparently, the girl wasn't done yet. "You collected me in a sack, meaning, you intend to keep me. You had me sent to the North Pole because my presence disturbs you, and you are not strong enough for me," she finished with a flourish. "You want me so badly that you intend to fight that feeling, even if it kills you."
He couldn't believe how the tables were turned over. He got up, scowling. "I was lying."
"I don't think so," she said in a soft but lofty voice.
"I'm going to get started on the dinner," he said grumpily. Oh why oh why didn't he escape when he had the chance?
He tried to ignore the delighted laughter from the ainu girl.
"You talked!" Lyserg gaped at her. "H-How…"
She couldn't protest anymore. She tried to bypass his shoulders, but he held her back.
"Let's talk," he said firmly. "Literally, please."
She was forced to sit down as Lyserg crossed his legs and stared at her.
"Tell me who you really are, John, and what is your reason for deceiving me," he commanded, eyes on her.
She sighed and took off her bonnet. Down fell her silver locks, and she looked up at him expectantly.
He didn't even looked surprised. "Jeanne-sama, right?"
She nodded slowly. "Have you known all along, Lyserg Diethyl-san?"
"No," he replied truthfully. "But your eyes gave me a clue."
"I'm sorry for leading you on, Diethyl-san," she said shamefully. "You have been so generous to me…"
"There must be a reason for your masquerade, Jeanne-sama," he said. "And if you would feel better, you can tell me about it. I can help you. I'm working on your case, and I'll be able to stop the people who are looking for you."
"Oh!" It didn't sound like a blackmail, but it still seemed like one. He was telling her that he was the only one who could help her.
"I'm sorry for sounding too harsh, but you really intrigued me," said Lyserg, smiling. "If you won't tell me, I will still help you."
"Ah!" Her eyes shook, then she looked down. "Thank you, Diethyl-san," she said softly. "Maybe I will tell you, when the right time comes."
"Good enough," he agreed. "For the meantime, you can live with me. No one would suspect that you are staying in the house of the person who's investigating your case."
"True," she agreed, feeling a rush of overwhelming gratitude.
"But we have a problem…you see, I have a housemate here…and he doesn't want women around…" Lyserg didn't know how to start explaining the circumstances. "H-He is a little weird…a doctor, actually…"
"No, please don't worry," she said quickly. "I will continue my masquerade."
"He will return from his trip within this week," he said. "So I hope you won't find it too hard to continue pretending…?"
"No trouble at all." She smiled at him gratefully and bowed again. "Thank you so much once more, Diethyl-san."
He nodded.
"Tamao has a soulmate?" Horo Horo was walking home already, but he still couldn't stop thinking about what his friend said. Whoever thought of the word soulmate anyway? Now he was starting to get curious of his own soulmate too!
"I wonder if my soulmate even exists in this lifetime," he said thoughtfully. "How unfair! Tamao's got omens on her mate and I don't!"
All his life, he had been contented with his everyday routine of eating, escaping his sister's training sessions, eating Tamao's cakes and pies, sparring with Yoh, and sleeping. Now he wanted to try something new. This whole soulmate thing was a novelty for him.
When he said that he didn't care whether he finds his soulmate awhile ago, it was half-truth only. Sure, he liked food, but it would be nice to fall in love with something that doesn't disappear after you eat it.
He grinned. "If Tamao learns what I'm thinking of, she'll start calling me perverted again…which will be pretty painful on my part… because it's true and the truth always hurts."
But still, he couldn't stop thinking about Tamao's own soulmate. He knew it was ill to think this, but he suddenly wished she won't find him yet, at least until he doesn't find his own soulmate.
Probably because Tamao was the only woman he knew that he could be affectionate with. If she finds another man before he finds someone to replace her position in his life, he would surely kill that man.
Selfish, but it was what he felt.
"Maybe I better ask Pirika about this whole soulmate thingie," he mused. "She seems to know a lot about those soul things."
He continued to walk home, this time humming happily. He now has a new mission in life: to find his soulmate before Tamao finds hers!
tsuzuku