The really scary thing this Halloween is I actually got this out. More at the end.


Chapter 5: Checkmate


"Congratulations!"

The clerk gives us a warm smile before telling us to pick any price from the stand, as I just finished sweeping up one of those carnival games where you throw a ball to break plates, having used my pitching arm to shatter each one.

Sometimes carnival games come down to sheer luck, and some with a fair amount of rigging such as pumping basketballs up a little more than usual to make them extra bouncy so they don't bounce right back into the rim, but this is one of those where a well trained arm can overcome that disadvantage. I wouldn't call myself a professional, but I think I'm at least a little above amateur.

For the past week or so, I'd been practicing, both in getting my pitching arm back into shape, and then working on my batting skills. I'm probably nowhere as good as I was back in my prime in high school, but I'm not bad anymore. Actually, in batting, I've probably got more practice in than I ever did back in high school, having primarily pitched.

"Hehe, well, it's your turn to pick, Uni."

"Hmph."

As for "us", it was me, Lady Vert, Lady Nepgear, and Lady Uni. Lady Nepgear had come to visit Lady Vert, as the two of them were fairly close. As Lady Nepgear and Lady Uni are fairly joined at the hip, it seems that the latter of the two ended up coming along.

She's every bit as prickly as she was when we first met, and the looks from strangers being thrown our way due to Lady Vert clinging onto my arm were nowhere nearly as scary as the glare that was surely burning a hole in the back of my skull courtesy of Lady Uni. If looks could kill, the funeral would have been yesterday.

"Then, that one."

Lady Uni's pick ends up being a large black rabbit with an eyepatch, which is a bit gloomy looking, but when put next to her pitch black hair and fierce eyes, fits well. Though, even if it is a bit gloomy, it still is cute.

"Then, onto the next one~"

It's a tense, rather than awkward silence as we walk to the next game, as Lady Vert and Lady Nepgear are engrossed in their conversation while Lady Uni and I hang back about three feet, quietly stewing.

Occasionally, when I glance over, I find Lady Uni also looking my way, with her "Hmph!"ing as she turns her head away. Sheesh… I know she really likes her sister and might have issues with others being closer to Noire, but this… this is a whole new level.

Honestly, I think I'd take being beat up by an angry, overprotective brother at this point. And even Melanie's father wasn't as terrifying when I went to him to ask permission to date her when I look back on it. But then again, Melanie's father wasn't a goddess.

...well, back then, I guess he was more terrifying to me than the goddesses.

"So, what do you two think?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry."

Lady Vert giggles, clearly being able to tell Lady Uni and I weren't paying that much attention to their conversation.

"Well, I just wanted your opinion on something, is all." Lady Vert then smiles, producing her phone. On the screen, it's… "It seems Blanc decided to come out with her boyfriend this morning, and the news is all abuzz about it. Ufu, what clever timing, though, she timed their appearance just after all of the usual morning shows."

"Sounds like Lady Blanc, alright." I say, smiling back. "It would help him from being hounded all day."

"Hmph. Blanc can do what she wants."

"Well, you should pay attention, Uni. After all, one day that might be you~"

"Haaaaaah!?" she suddenly shouts, Lady Vert smiling as it seems Lady Uni has fallen into her trap.

"Oh my, what a strong reaction. Don't tell me you've gotten ahead of your sister in that regard~?"

"I have NOT!"

"What's his name~?"

"Mghghmmm…!"

"Vert, you should probably stop." I say, trying to smile to assuage the rising tension from Lady Uni. "Lady Uni doesn't seem like the type to lie, so we should believe her."

"Hm, hm, okay~"

With that, Lady Vert and Lady Nepgear go back to talking to themselves. I glance over at Lady Uni, where she crosses her arms and sharply looks away.

"Hmph! I don't need you to defend me!"

"I know, Lady Uni, but even so, I can't just do nothing."

"Hmph!"

I try not to sigh, letting her go off.

Truthfully, it ends up being like this for basically the whole day.

There's really no openings. As expected of the rather cautious and at this point, rather hostile, Lady Uni. To earn her trust, it won't be as simple as simply treating her kindly.

Lady Vert is doing her best, though, having constantly given us time alone. Though, I don't think for a second Lady Uni is fooled.

"She doesn't give up, does she?" I hear Lady Uni say to herself as we drink some lemonade to beat the heat, waiting for Lady Nepgear and Lady Vert to return from the haunted house attraction in the shade.

"Vert does as she pleases." I say, getting a sigh from Lady Uni.

"That's something we can agree on."

"Seems like a first, huh?"

"Hmph."

Haaaa… here it goes again.

...I keep waiting for a good chance, but at this rate, with the day running out…

I can't just sit around forever.

"Lady Uni."

She tilts her head, gesturing for me to speak. "Uhhuh?"

"I… know that you don't like me, and maybe it's too much to ask to be friends, but I'd like to at least lower the animosity between us."

I briefly considered invoking Lady Noire's name, but decided against it. This should be between the two of us. Saying something like "This is for the sake of Lady Noire" would be cheap, and more importantly, it would just be a blatant misstep and pandering.

"And?" She asks, crossing her arms.

"That's all, really." I say, not sure where to go from here.

"Why? Not everyone has to like you. Not everyone will."

"That's…" I pause. "For the full truth, it's because you are Lady Noire's sister."

"That's all this about, huh? Getting my approval or something?"

"Not quite. It's hard to get along with someone if you don't get along with their friends and family, after all. It really puts a strain on everyone involved. Like, if a friend's father disliked me, it would be hard on me to know they'll get a talking to if they let it slip that we were hanging out. And I wouldn't want my friend to lie on our behalf. I like to live honestly, after all."

Lady Uni turns her head away. "Hmph."

"I'm not asking to be liked, but I would like to be less than disliked by you, Lady Uni."

She gives me an incredulous look, as if I'm asking for something insane.

"We don't even know each other."

"Well, we're fixing that now, aren't we?"

I hear Lady Uni click her tongue at that. However, she suddenly seems to have an inspired shine in her eyes, which gives me a foreboding feeling.

"Then, I think I have a good way to really get to know you, Elliot."

"What is it?"

I see Lady Vert returning out of the corner of my eye as Lady Uni starts to walk away.

"If I, the sister of your so beloved Noire," she starts with an awful amount of venom in her voice, "told you to stay away from her, what would you do?"

I don't have time to even get a word out of a formulated response by the time Lady Uni greets Lady Vert. How sneaky with that timing.

"Try to answer by tonight, okay?"

"Ooooh, are you stealing him away?" Lady Vert asks.

"As if!" Lady Uni yells back, with Lady Vert dodging the shove from her.

Lady Uni goes back over to Lady Nepager, a bit more pep in her step. Lady Vert raises an eyebrow, but I only shrug.

Well… I guess the truth'll be dragged out of me sooner or later.


I can only continue eating my ice cream sundae as Lady Vert elegantly laughs, apparently very amused at the situation.

"You already have your answer, don't you?"

Lady Vert manages to stop her giggling fit for long enough to ask.

I sigh, putting my plastic spoon down as I look into the already-melting vanilla ice cream mixing with the fudge.

"Yes, I do. It's not like I haven't had to think about this question before and knowing Lady Uni's disposition on me, it was something I've already had to contend with."

I'm sure Lady Uni meant to checkmate me with this question. If I say I'll leave, then she'll do just that. If I say I wouldn't, then there's no budging. It was a really well laid trap.

...well, it would be, had I not already been prepared for this.

"I'll make sure to give you two some space, later."

"You're having a lot of fun with this."

"Ufufu, well, after seeing all that you've done, I didn't think this would be much of a road bump to set you back."

"Haaa…. nothing ever seems to get by you."

"That's the role of a big sister, isn't it~?"

"I guess so."

"After all, I don't have a younger sibling like the others, so let me dote like this, okay~?"

I can only sigh, to which Lady Vert laughs.

"Though."

"Hm?"

"Do you think it'll be enough?"

Lady Vert giggles at this before smiling softly at me. "I think it will be, if there's no ulterior motives in your answer. You will be answering truthfully, right?"

"It's a bit of a non-answer, but an answer nonetheless. However, I don't intend to obscure my true thoughts on the matter."

"Then, I think that will be enough. Uni might not like what you have to hear, but if it's the truth, then you should be able to get to her." Lady Vert swirls the fruit smoothie in her cup before continuing. "I don't think you'll be able to get her to like you with just a few words, but that isn't your aim, right?"

"Mhm."

"So," Lady Vert's smile turns a bit teasing, "just what is your objective with Uni, then?"

"I…"

Surely, things would be a lot easier if Lady Uni did like me. I would be worried about if Uni would say something that might cause friction between Lady Noire and I, especially if I were to change the current relationship between us. But, before that even became a factor…

I think back to the morning I first met Lady Uni, when I was up with the rest of the CPU Candidates at breakfast.

Well, the reason I wanted to smooth things over that morning was it sounded like I had been a playboy, having danced with Lady Blanc in private, had a meal given to me by Lady Neptune, was getting friendly with Lady Nepgear, and then having danced in front of the public with Lady Noire. But, ultimately, I think the underlying feeling was…

...I wanted Lady Noire to be okay being with me. Whatever it was, friends, lovers, or just fellow party members. Lady Uni seemed to dislike the notion of me being there, but when she learned I had done everything for her sister, she seemed to soften up just a bit.

So, I didn't necessarily want to be friends with Lady Uni, or for her to like me. That would be nice, but at the end of the day, I just wanted Lady Uni to accept me being there. Maybe at first it was for Lady Noire, but as I've learned to want a little more for myself, it's… that I want her to be okay with me being there, because I want to be together with Lady Noire.

...goodness, it's embarrassing even just thinking that. I'm glad the ice cream is here, otherwise I'd overheat between the summer and these thoughts.

"...I want her to be okay with me being there, next to Lady Noire."

"Ufufufu~ Your face is red, you know?"

"..I know." I mumble, facing away as Lady Vert giggles again.

"Then, I know you'll be fine, Elliot."

The rest of the day flies on by after that, and soon enough, we all retire back to the Basilicom for some well deserved rest. Lady Vert tells me to go ahead up to the garden we talked at before, where I assume she'll be sending Lady Uni.

My answer isn't anything terribly complex, really.

It's just…

"So, do you have your answer?"

I turn around, facing away from the sparkling skyline of Leanbox's twinkling city, and find Lady Ubni standing by one of the columns in the garden, her arms crossed.

Then, I surely, but confidently, nod.

"I do, Lady Uni." I say, not wavering in my voice.

"Then, let's hear it."

While her words are as sharp as a knife, there's excitement in them. This is her moment where she checkmates me, after all, and I'm sure she's already envisioning her victory.

"Well, simply put," I say, pausing as I think about how to word this.

No, rather, I didn't have to think about how to word this. I paused because something like satisfaction suddenly overtook me. While it had taken me a while to find this answer, I felt that I had really come to understand Lady Noire and her sister over time, and just knowing I had managed to come that far was an achievement, I think.

"...I simply don't think it's necessary to answer, because you'd never really ask for such a thing."

"That's not an answer!"

"It is my answer, though." I say, closing my eyes and summoning whatever courage I can find to keep going before opening them, looking right into Lady Uni's eyes. "Lady Uni, I know that you dislike me, for many reasons, but I also know that you truly love and cherish your sister. While this may be overstepping my boundaries, I know that you are aware Lady Noire and I are friends, and neither of us have piles of friends to fall back on if we were to split apart, and I know that you understand how much a single friendship means to her because of that. And because of that, I know that you would never willing tell one of her friends to leave her!"

I unconsciously raised my voice at the last sentence, and I swear I hear that embarrassing outburst echo in the hallways.

Lady Uni doesn't answer immediately, regardless.

The two of us simply stare each other down.

Her arms come down from being crossed, her fists balled up, and she opens her mouth to yell something, but nothing comes out. She turns beet red, closing her mouth, trying to find her words.

The silence hangs for a solid thirty seconds, before instead of a yell, is a whisper.

"...unfair." She says, hanging her head down.

"—?"

"Unfair! That kind of answer is unfair!" Lady Uni shouts as she turns her head up, her arms held back as she leans forward, clearly upset. "That's not…!"

"I… I can't, I won't apologize for it. But—" I pause, forcing down a gulp. "...if there comes a day that our friendship is splintered or starts being harmful to each other, and you really believe me leaving Lady Noire will be for the best, I know you'll then be able to say it, because at that point I won't really be a friend, I'd just be someone hurting her, and if that happens, I'll have to consider it then."

"You wouldn't just go?"

I look down at the grasses, clenching my fists, before I look back up at her. "I… I'd want to see if I could make it work. I wouldn't want to give up so easily, not for Lady Noire. So if you told me to leave her alone, then I know that it's for a serious reason, and not just disliking me."

Lady Uni looks back at me with a complicated facial expression, before sighing and slumping her shoulders.

"You two are too similar."

After a slight pause, with something that's a half-pout, half-frustrated yell, Lady Uni points aggressively at me with her right pointer finger with a stern expression.

"So don't screw this up, you got it!?"

I give as much of an encouraging smile as I can.

"Of course, Lady Uni."

"And no matter what you become to her, you'll never be her sister!"

It's hard to keep my smile from widening.

How silly.

Of course, even in my wildest dreams, I never even thought that I would surpass the bond Lady Uni and Lady Noire have as sisters. She doesn't have to worry about that at all.

"I know, Lady Uni. I'll never be able to hold a candle to you."

"As long as you understand that! Hmph!"

With that, Lady Uni storms out with a huff.

It's certainly not full approval, but it's more than the tense barely-there tolerance I had before. It's something, and that's all I can ask for.

Somehow, I wonder if this was a little too easy, but then again, it must've been something like a surprise attack. She was so confident in her victory, only for her to get blindsided. So, a retreat was in order for the time being.

But those last words, to not mess this up…

...they feel a little bit like acceptance, in her own, prickly sort of way. Maybe she had already seen the direction Lady Noire and I might be going, and while she was unhappy about it, she didn't want to get too in the way. You know, sort of vet me, by being an obstacle I'd have to overcome.

I'm sure this won't be the end of it. Every day, I'll have to prove to her that I'm not hurting Lady Noire by being near her. But that's something I'm willing to do.

After all, I…

...well, those words are better saved for the person who I want to hear them. It would be pretty lame if I could say them in my head, but couldn't get them out to the person it really matters to.

I turn back towards the city, looking out that sparkling cityscape. There's still a lot of chaos in my heart, regarding how I feel and what I want to do, but with one less worry for me to shoulder…

...I think I can move a little more confidently.


So NaNoWriMo is about to hit, and I got slammed with a flurry of inspiration. I'm trying not to half-ass it this year, either, unlike the past three or so years I've done it.

Anyways, back in the office 5 days a week, sucks. Kills all my time for writing… except when I slack off lmao. I actually wrote the entire next chapter while at work in a notebook, but I have to type it up then edit it. Usually they're a lot shorter than I'd like, so I have to go back and edit/add parts that I think are too brief. Like, for example, this chapter was only about 5 pages in my editor when I wrote it word for word out of my notebook. Added a few more scenes and narration to make it not painfully short and extrapolate on things I missed out on.

This chapter was hard as nuts, though, which probably contributed to how short it was, as I couldn't find the inspiration for it until recently. Uni is probably one of the characters I consider really difficult to get right. I wanted her to have a certain level of antagonism that was believable and not overly cartoonish, but I wanted the resolution to be something believable. I added a bit of text in there to imply that Uni did recognize where Noire/Elliot were going, so she's just making sure he's ready to overcome in her own special way to kind of convey that further.

Either way, yeah, after this is a lot more smooth sailing. Between my free time getting nix'd and how hard Uni was to write, I had a lot of difficulty with this one. The next chapter though, ho, I was on fire, as it was loooooads easier to write.

Anyways, see you all next time.