Hello again! So I did say last chapter that I would put both Bulls and Blue Roses in the same chapter, but hehehehehe I couldn't! I had a lot of fun writing those scene and in the end Charlotte will have to wait until next chapter before I can have fun torturing her with her feelings xD
Anyway, hope you'll enjoy the chapter!
"He really is lazy." So Aurora thought for the umpteenth time as she put the finishing touch on her report.
She was currently in Noelle's room, writing something that was writing itself, not that Yami was interested in knowing that.
When they returned, Yami took pity on her and announced that the next two days would be forced rest for the Bulls, so she would have at least the opportunity to talk with all the members during their limited time together.
And so, besides having this blasted thing to write, Aurora was busy interacting with nearly all the Black Bulls.
That, and more writing, as she decided to hold a diary for the remainder of the swap.
As for why she was in Noelle's room…
Earlier
"So, the captain did all of this… Just for you to write a report?" Asta said, barely holding back his mirth at Aurora's annoyed expression. "Seems like him, alright."
Aurora's annoyance didn't let up as they walked into the kitchen for Asta to grab something to eat. He paused momentarily and handed her something else - a tablet of thin dark brown… square-looking thing.
"What is this?" Aurora looked at it dubiously.
"That's chocolate! Charmy-paisen made a cake last time with it! You can even melt it and drink it with milk, but it's also delicious as it is! Try it!" Asta said with a bright smile, and Aurora swallowed her retort and put the tablet to her mouth before biting into a little chunk.
"Mmmhhh…" Pure bliss exploded in her mouth as a rich sweetness and perfectly balanced bitterness clashed within her mouth to form an unmatched taste.
"Well? How is it?" Asta grinned, and the sight of it made Aurora recall the stray cats back at Hage.
"Mhhhh." She said eloquently, biting into a bigger chunk. Asta laughed and led her out of the kitchen to sit at the living room table, where Noelle was already sitting, reading silently. It reminded Aurora to show her father the weird book she had bought at Sarah's library.
"Whatchu reading, Noelle?" Asta said as he approached her, startling the girl out of her reading.
"Wah! Don't come too close to me like that, Bakasta!" She shouted as her face suddenly turned into an interesting shade of red.
Aurora sat opposite her, watching what would be an exciting scene.
Asta smiled at her, undeterred. "I can't remember the last time I read something. Aurora and Yuno found me passed out under a tree after searching me for hours, apparently." He laughed without a care, and Aurora noticed Noelle staring at him.
"He-Heee… Well, it's not like I found that interesting or anything, but I'm surprised you tried to read something…."
"We were as surprised as you are," Aurora said after swallowing another bite of chocolatey wonder. "But I don't think you ever tried again after that, Asta. You were too busy training!"
"Yep!" He popped the 'p .'"And it paid off, right? Look at those guns!" He flexed, and while the sight of his biceps was impressive, Aurora chuckled, sending him a thumbs up. "At this rate, you'll surpass your stupid captain quickly!" Aurora said, and she was pretty surprised not to feel any anger when thinking about Yami.
The power of chocolate was something else.
Noelle tried her hardest not to stare at Asta, and Aurora could feel something small coming from the girl.
A sweet and pure scent and Aurora realized with a startle that it was…
"By the way, Aurora," Asta said more seriously, lowering his arms, "d'you know where to sleep tonight?" Aurora shook her head. It was a good question, and she didn't have an answer. "How about my room? We could sleep together, like old times!" He declared innocently, and Aurora felt herself sweat.
She was not against it at all because it was Asta, and she was Aurora, and they were siblings in all but blood -"
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You-you-you can't!" Noelle shouted, her pretty face flaming red.
"Eh? But we did all the time in the orphanage! Yuno, Aurora, me, and everyone else! When it got cold, we huddled together to keep warm and all!" Asta argued back, and Noelle clammed up because while it was a good argument, it wasn't the point she wanted to make, and she didn't know how to say it to Asta.
"Sorry, Asta, but Noelle already invited me to sleep in her room." The two turned towards Aurora, and Noelle looked at her like she had grown a second head. "Right?" she emphasized the word, and Noelle seemed to catch her meaning. "Ri-right!" She flipped her hair, and her countenance made a one-eighty. "It's my duty as a royal!"
Asta looked a bit disappointed, but he didn't push the subject. "I didn't know you became such good friends like that! But it's great! Another time, then!"
Aurora and Noelle made eye contact, and the former winked at her, even though she looked slightly torn.
"I'll have to talk to her about that… That scent… It was quite different from Mimosa's…" she nodded to herself.
"So, with that said, could you show me your room, Noelle? I'd like to start on my report."
"Your report?" she asked curiously. Aurora shook her head and took another bite of chocolate. She could her annoyance creep up as she recounted what happened earlier to the other girl.
The fact that Noelle actually snorted and shared a knowing look with Asta didn't help.
"As expected, huh…"
After that, Noelle showed Aurora her room and told her it was okay for the other girl to sleep in her room. In fact, she felt like she was looking forward to it.
The day passed uneventfully, and in the evening, Aurora had dinner with all of them, and she couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun while eating. She had been discussing his transformation with Asta on her left, and Noelle, sitting across her, offered her input from time to time until Magna swept Asta from his corner to talk with him and Yami at the far end of the table.
It left Aurora with Noelle, and both were happy to have found enough common grounds to not let the conversation die rather pathetically.
They talked about magic, but when Aurora asked Noelle to tell her more about her brother, the noble girl said she wanted to know more about Asta in return.
"Well, you probably know him by now. He's kind of loud and doesn't have an indoor voice, he doesn't know how to cook, and he's got the attention span of a kid when it comes to things he doesn't like, I don't think I ever see him read a book and he barely knows how to do an addition…." Aurora listed with a small smile, and Noelle found herself nodding.
"Right! The last time he tried to think about something, his head literally started smoking!"
"It's kinda hard to watch, right?" They giggled conspicuously. "But you know, despite all that, no one in this world is more devoted, kind, and righteous than Asta. He's the kind of guy who gets angry for his friends, yet he's always able to see the bigger picture, and as a result, people start to better themselves and believe in themselves even more. Did that happen to you?" Aurora asked her new friend, who blushed because she hit the hail on the head.
"It- It's not like that happened to me or anything, okay?!" Noelle retorted a bit forcefully. "But I'll admit, he can have his moments… But that guy! He has that obnoxious habit of becoming friends with people who tried to kill him! And that's because he talked to them with his sunny smile and -" Aurora peered at her with an annoying grin. "Stop it! It's not like I'm watching him all the time! Not at all! In fact, I just took to watch him because - because Nero is always on his head!"
"But Nero isn't here right now- I haven't seen it at all, in fact."
"Yeah, I remember seeing it yesterday when Asta got up, but it wasn't there in the evening when he returned from his course."
"You really watch him a lot." Aurora grinned. "Just making an observation!" She added when Noelle glared at her. "Tell me about Nero then! What kind of bird is it? Why did it stick with you until now?"
Noelle frowned in thought. "I really don't know. To be honest, it's quite weird that it stayed with us. Perhaps Asta's presence had a calming effect? I don't really know much about anti-birds." She commented, taking a spoonful of her soup.
"An anti-bird…? Staying in a den of powerful mages?"
"It's oddly intelligent too. Now that I think about it, it was always there when we found a magic stone, and it's always been helpful to us during missions." Noelle shrugged while speaking. "I've seen and heard so many strange things nowadays that an intelligent bird doesn't really surprise me…."
"...Huh… Yeah…. I don't think a bird has anything to do with the Eye of the Midnight Sun or their plans. Otherwise, it wouldn't have helped you." Aurora said while eating some delicious bread.
"My thoughts exactly." The conversation lulled briefly as Aurora pondered how best to break the news to Noelle. "Anyway, I could tell you more about Asta if you want." Noelle turned her head towards her and tried very hard not to look interested.
"It's not like I'm super interested or anything, but I guess that knowing more about him can't hurt."
"It wouldn't have convinced me even if I wasn't smelling her need…."
"All right, but on one condition." She was a bit nosy, but these two girls (as far as she knew, they were the only two, but give it time) needed either a reality check or a boost in motivation.
Yuno and her and everyone back at the orphanage or even in Hage knew of Asta's affection for Sister Lily. Even if he was teased mercilessly for it, the pure devotion he has for the older girl was something he also refused to give up, even if it was doomed from the very beginning.
And unless Asta made significant progress in his goal of becoming the Wizard King, his relationship with Sister Lily would never evolve, and the other girls would be some kind of hopeless suitors for a good while.
"I will be honest with you: my sensibility to mana is much different than all of you here. I can actually understand instinctively what you're feeling. What I mean, and even if you deny it, Noelle… You're starting to crush on Asta rather hard." "Or rather, she is falling in love… But she has to realize it herself."
"Wha-wha-whaa-" She looked ready to implode, so Aurora gestured for her to wait. "I know it's sudden, but you must know it won't lead you anywhere. I'm sure you've heard of Sister Lily, and I know Asta; he won't look at another girl until she has not rejected him definitively." Aurora said, closing her eyes momentarily as she felt Noelle calm down.
"...I'm not crushing on that idiot. No way." Noelle responded quietly. "But let's say I was -and it's just an if!- well… I'm no longer a quitter. So I'll hold on to those feelings until I understand them properly. And then I'll act." She looked straight at Aurora with a fierce gaze, then her smile turned a bit more sheepish. "I guess it's like you said: I've been inspired by Bakasta."
Aurora returned her smile and looked at Noelle in small wonder. "You're pretty incredible, Noelle. For what it's worth, I'm on your side." That seemed to surprise her friend, who looked surprisingly flushed. "Especially after this morning…." Aurora mumbled the last part to herself.
"Did you say somethingggg, Aurora-channn?" A voice slurred into her left ear as a soft, long arm snaked around her neck.
"Waaah!" Taken by surprise, Aurora jerked a bit, knocking her knee painfully on the table. "Oww…"
"Hahaha! Didn't mean to shurprise you!" The owner of the voice swayed and looked at her, laughter etched on her face.
"Well, at least it amuses you, Vanessa-san… So you're drinking directly from the bottle? That's kinda impressive!" Aurora admitted, eyeing the half-empty bottle, impressed, as Noelle smacked her hand on her forehead.
"Heheheh, shanks! … Wait, you're not getting rid of me! I heard shomeshing intereshing here… You were talking about crushes, right?! Well, I got shomeshing interesting to tell you…." Her voice became lower and lower as if she knew something of vital importance when in reality, she was just really drunk.
"Well, I know for shure that Asta has feelings for a girl from hish village!" Vanessa wiggled her eyebrows, and even Aurora suddenly felt very tired. "but shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht!" she put a finger on her lips. "It's she-cret." then she winked and promptly resumed drinking from her bottle.
"..."
"..."
"Pfff…" Both Noelle and Aurora started to giggle uncontrollably. "Is this always like this?" Aurora asked, looking around her. Wherever she looked, people were laughing, grumbling, eating, talking, and nearly everyone had a smile. Aurora's heartwarming feelings all around her had coiled around her like a warm blanket.
"More and less. You get used to it." Noelle smiled contently before turning back to Aurora. "Anyway, you said you'd tell me more about Asta! And what's this thing about being able to feel-?" She was interrupted as Asta sat beside her, a new plate of eggs and perfectly cooked vegetables in his hands.
"I heard you say my name, Noelle! What's up? What were you talking about?" He asked nonchalantly as he started to eat.
And, of course, Vanessa chose the perfect moment to reappear. "They were talking about crushes!" Aurora noted that she pointed to him before refocusing on a new bottle.
Wasn't alcoholic beverage supposed to be really bad if one drink too much of it?
"So you were talking about my crush? Or is someone crushing on me?" Asta asked them as if he was asking about tomorrow's weather, too busy shoveling food in his mouth to notice the petrified and flushed royal next to him.
"E-We-well-of course n-"
"Noelle asked me if I was crushing on you because she thought we looked much closer than average siblings." Aurora cut her off and bluffed to try and stir the conversation away. She felt Noelle's surprise and gratitude.
"The less she denies it to his face, the better!"
"Ah, well, no offense, but with your 'interesting' siblings, no wonder you thought that, Noelle. But no, we like each other like true siblings!" Asta grinned proudly at them, and Aurora returned it. "I'm not like Yuno…" He mumbled to himself. Aurora wanted to hear more about Noelle's sibling, but she caught on Asta mumbling.
"What's this about Yuno, Asta?"
"Eh? Ahh, he's the one who's crushing on-mmmmmfff!" Before he could finish, Finral appeared from nowhere and put an entire mutton leg in Asta's mouth.
"Asta-kun, there are some things you must never do as a man, and you were about to do one of these." Asta blinked, while Aurora and Noelle looked a bit dumbfounded.
"You were listening?" Noelle asked him, and Finral smiled at her, but Aurora could tell he was feeling pretty exasperated right now.
"And I think I just prevented Asta-kun from committing the worst thing a man can do to another. So let's go, Asta-kun. I'll tell you all about that." He grabbed Asta, flashed them a peace sign, and left with him.
Aurora could hear Finral talk about "another man's love" or something as her foster brother was trying his best to eat that mutton.
"... Yuno is crushing on someone?" She mumbled to herself. For some reason, a scene of Yuno holding hands with another girl flashed into her head, and she realized she was frowning deeply.
… She felt a bit angry too, to the point that Gaius appeared to paw at her face."
"Aurora? Are you all right?" Even Noelle noticed something was bothering her.
"Peachy, I think… It's nothing." She shook her head to try and clear it off. "More importantly, what's this about siblings? I thought you only had one brother, the captain of the Silver Eagle."
If she had remarked on the abrupt change of subjects, Noelle didn't say anything.
"Ah… Well, I have another elder brother and a sister, too…."
"In the Silver Eagle too?" Aurora frowned. She didn't really like where this was going. When Noelle nodded, she looked worriedly at Asta, who shook his head as if to say, "she'll deal with it herself."
Aurora nodded. This was a disconcerting piece of news, but it seemed nobles weren't above discrimination in their own family.
"Well, I'll try not to aggravate them because I'll have to go there in three days."
"Please be careful... My family isn't evil, but…." She lowered her head to hide her growing shame.
But it was something Aurora could feel easily. "They're bullies, right?"
"... Basically."
"Then, don't worry; as it happens, I'm very good at dealing with those kinds of people -without magic!"
Noelle had a little subdued smile, but Aurora felt her sadness, so she made a gesture, and Gaius jumped on Noelle's head, tickling her with her tail, which elicited a laugh from the noble girl.
"Kyu!"
"Ahhh, you're so cute!" Her sadness disappeared as fast as it came. Smiling faintly, Aurora thought back to Yuno and to what Asta said.
It was like a broken record in her head.
"I never even thought about it before… Yuno crushing on someone…." That weird feeling, a mix of frustration, anger, and discomfort, started to boil again. "I've got to ask him about that…" she thought glumly.
A welcome distraction came when Grey called her and asked her timidly more details about her father, or rather what she felt, inheriting his time magic.
Pleasantly surprised she wasn't the one asking magic, Aurora answered this question and the next as best as she could, annoying thoughts leaving her mind as the night went on.
Then, an idea flashed through her—a good idea.
"Grey-san, if you don't mind, I have something to ask…."
When Noelle decided to retreat to her room for the night, Aurora followed her.
"I'll probably take a quick bath. You want to come with me?" Noelle asked her. "I tend to take one before bed when I get the chance."
"Sure!
The bath was a quiet and quick affair. Noelle guided her towards the large tub, where Aurora sneakily took a peak at Noelle and finally realized that the two girls crushing more or less openly on Asta were drop-dead gorgeous.
And they both had big breasts.
"I'm still growing, so everything's fine!"
"Ugh… I wonder when they'll stop growing… The shoulder pain is really a bother. I'm a bit envious that you don't seem to have that problem, Aurora… Are you okay? Your eyebrows are twitching a bit."
Aurora smiled beatifically at her.
"... I'm fine!"
"It will be a bit cramped with the two of us, but it should be fine. We're not exactly fat." Noelle commented as she sat on the bed.
She really did look excited.
"You sure it's not a bother? Because if it is-" Noelle raised her hand. "It's not. As a royal, it is a given I should extend my hand to the less fortunate.' Noelle sniffed proudly.
"... Can't we just say you're looking forward to having a sleepover with friends?"
"Wh-wha-" Noelle blushed, but there was no denying her small burst of happiness… And confusion. "Wait. Friends?"
At the same time, someone knocked on the door and, without preamble, swung it open.
"We're heeeere ~ Sorry to intrude!" A smiling and sober Vanessa stood at the entrance, flanked by Grey. "Charmy said she was tired after tonight and wanted to sleep early, but she got us some food, and I got the drinks! No alcohol, don't worry!"
"Ahh, it's okay, it's okay!" Aurora smiled to mask her disappointment. It had been a unique chance to unwind and get to know her fellow female knights better.
"... What's happening? Why are there so many people in my room?"
"For a sleepover, of course! I figured it would be an excellent opportunity to try and get to know you better without all the boys… Besides, tomorrow is a rest day, so we might as well take advantage of it, right?" Aurora asked them hopefully. "I hope I'm not intruding at all! I just thought - well-" She started to blatter, but Noelle cut her off.
"Ahhh, I see. You were the one who truly looked forward to that, right, Aurora?" She asked her mischievously.
It was Aurora's turn to blush. "We-well, the only girl older than me back at Hage was sister Lily, and it's not like we could have done it with just the two of us… In fact, I never really had any girl friend my age growing up." She admitted, a bit embarrassed.
"Well, I never had any friends growing up, to begin with…." Noelle muttered. The night made wonder for her bluntness, it seemed.
"Wow, me neither!" Vanessa blinked, surprised.
"... M-me neither…." Grey mumbled timidly.
The four girls looked at each other, before laughing, at first in a self-deprecating way, then more genuinely, to the point where all tension in the room disappeared.
"I wanted to say it wasn't a contest, but it was something alright," Vanessa commented, still chuckling. Everyone agreed with her. "Still, it's a great opportunity, and I just have to ask; Aurora-chan, tell us more about your father! What's it like, being the Wizard King's daughter?" She turned to the younger knight with a knowing smile.
"Well, not as exciting as you may think it is," Aurora said truthfully. She scratched her cheek, "Don't get me wrong, I'm super happy I found my father; it was why I joined the Magic Knights, after all."
Seeing everyone's attention on her, Aurora felt like the blush on her face, about to disappear, returned with a vangeance.
"I'm not like Asta or Yuno: I don't have a grand goal or motivation. And now that I found my father, I don't know where to go. So I'm just doing my job because that way, I can keep seeing him anytime we can."
"That happened really fast, though. It was during the attack, right?" Noelle asked her.
"Yep. I really felt weird back then, but now we're just trying our best. Imagine, after more than ten years!" She actually grinned at that. "It's a bit awkward and bizarre, but we're getting there," Aurora admitted with a little smile.
"That reminds me: were your hairs always like that, Aurora-chan? I remember you being entirely blonde." Vanessa asked her with a frown.
"Ahh… Well, I was sent on a mission before the attack on the capital, and I was attacked by someone who was definitely the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. My hairs were like that after I woke up…." She tugged at it. "Probably the result of whatever he tried and failed to do to me because my dad got me out, apparently." Aurora recounted with a slight smile.
"You didn't try turning them back?"
"For whatever reason, I can't. As if they were always that way, to begin with… I don't feel weird, and I'm not cursed in any way or form, so I learned to accept it." Aurora explained to Vanessa, who nodded, surprised the younger knight was so comprehensive.
Meanwhile, Grey was nibbling a bit on a biscuit as if to summon her courage. "An-and… How do you d-deal with all the attention… Wah!?" She asked during the lull and was surprised when Gaius barreled into her and took position on her lap.
She instinctively started to pet him.
Aurora laughed, but not to mock the shy knight. "Well, it's not what you think. Father never made it official, and I asked him not to, so people other than those present that day don't know or simply don't believe it." Aurora started to explain, resigned. "Before, I wasn't the most popular 'cause I was a peasant, and now I'm a peasant and a liar for the most part, so now I'm probably one the most, if not the most, hated person in my squad. No matter how much captain Vangeance does or says to keep them in line, they always come back… Honestly, it's a bit depressing; you'd think they'd have better things to do by now."
"Wow… Because of your record, I thought the Golden Dawn was more… Flawless than that." Vanessa told Aurora, who was busy sharing a biscuit with Gaius.
"No, not at all. Morons exist everywhere, you know."
"Too true." Vanessa snorted. "But does it bother you?"
Aurora pondered the question for a bit. "Well…" She thought about how Roland started to ignore her. "I guess a little bit? I mean, is it that much of a big deal? It's not changing anything…, but it seems it does for some people. It's not like the position of Wizard King is hereditary, and I couldn't care less about it. So what if I'm my father's daughter? It doesn't really change who I am."
"You're right. Where we came from isn't what's important. I learned that when I faced my mother again." Vanessa nodded with a fond smile.
"Exactly. My father told me what's important is the decisions and choices we make. That makes us who we truly are, far more than our abilities - even if your family decides to hate you for whatever reason.
"Or your squad." Noelle piped up.
"Or your squad. You just have to look back and acknowledge that fact." Aurora quoted, her index finger raised.
The silence that followed was anything but uncomfortable.
And surprisingly, it was Grey who broke it. "A-Anytime the boys aren't here, our talks suddenly become deeper and more interesting… O-or am I reading a bit too much into that?" She said, petting Gaius to steady herself. Noelle and Vanessa looked at her in wonder before sharing a look with Aurora, which had the three girls in stitches.
Grey put her head in her hands and wished to disappear.
"I wasn't expecting you to be so… Sassy, Grey!" Vanessa said after calming down. "It's great!"
"Fueeeehhhh…"
"But it's true! I mean, all the boys here aren't the brightest." Noelle admitted with a grin.
"Yep, yep. And to be honest, not many would be good boyfriend material." But, this time, Vanessa's smile was downright evil as she peered at Noelle. "But I bet you'd disagree with me, right, Noelle-chan?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" A blushing Noelle shrieked. "None whatsoever!"
"Oh, reallyyyyy?" Vanessa trailed off. "So what about your early conversation with Aurora-chan during dinner?"
"What about that?! What is it?" Noelle asked with defiance, and Vanessa's smile became bigger, if not malicious.
Meanwhile, Aurora went to sit next to Grey, who was drinking some kind of syrup. They looked at the two girls like you'd look at a fight.
"So, you weren't talking about a hypothetical crush on Asta?" Vanessa asked her as Grey rounded on Noelle too. "Noelle, you're crushing on Asta?"
"Where did her shyness go?" Aurora looked at Grey's glass dubiously.
"I'm definitely not crushing on Bakasta or anything!"
Vanessa sighed in relief. "Oh thank god…"
"Wh-what do you mean?" Noelle asked her, even more guarded.
Aurora immediately understood what Vanessa was about to do. And indeed, the older girl put her right hand on her cheek to look demure. "That means less competition, is what I mean."
"And Asta does like his women older…." Aurora added, trailing off.
It was kinda funny in a sadistic way to see the way Noelle's face lost all color. However, Vanessa decided to have pity on the girl and told her the truth. However, her smile still was weird. "I'm just kidding! But I find your reaction very… Interesting, Noelle-chan." She weirdly stroked her hands.
"Stop doing that! And stop giggling, Grey! I saw the way you look at Gauche sometimes!" Noelle pointed at the blue-haired girl, who looked like a deer in headlights.
But for whatever reason, today wasn't the day Grey would blush and disappear as always. "O-o-ooh? And what about Vanessa?! I saw you drinking directly from the bottle Captain Yami drank earlier!" She glared at the beautiful witch, whose cheeks became rosier.
"Yeah?! Because he knows his drink! And besides, I'm not the one who got lost checking out Asta's body when we were at Raquel!"
"How could you know when you were too busy checking out the captain!"
"Hah? I'm not the one who needed forever to choose a swimsuit to please Asta! And what about Grey? I remember you being more sneaky than that when staring at Gauche, girl!"
"Hahhhh?!"
As the three-way match continued, Gaius retreated into Aurora's waiting embrace and nuzzled in her arms...
"Aren't sleepovers the best, Ga-chan?" She stated happily.
"Hey! Don't talk as if you're not concerned, Aurora! I saw your reaction earlier!" Noelle suddenly directed her attention to her. "The guy who joined the Golden Dawn with you, Yuno! What's the story with him?!"
"Eh?!" Aurora looked at her, her eyes wide. "Yuno? He's like a brother to me, like Asta… Yeah!" She said, thinking about what she heard during dinner, and made a face.
"That! That face! You were making the same one!" Noelle continued, determined.
"Eh? What face?" Aurora blushed self-consciously.
"The face of someone who's bothered about something, Aurora-chan," Vanessa told her, a glint in her eyes. "Perhaps we could help you? If you want to. Tell us: what do you think about him?" She offered.
Despite sensing the rampant curiosity, Aurora nodded.
"Well… I grew up with Asta and Yuno, and we're the same age, so we were almost always together. I never really saw them as anything but my brothers, you know? That didn't change with Asta, but lately, with Yuno… I mean, he's always the same guy I always knew! He's quite handsome, but I never did care until now! He has no tact; you always feel he looks down on you! He's arrogant!" She exclaimed rather hotly, clenching her right fist. "
The others girls waited for her to continue.
"But sometimes, he can be quite thoughtful and is kind and somehow always know what to do or say to cheer me up even though most of the time he's a genius when it comes to putting his foot in his mouth, and he's always ready to help people, even when the people in question don't want to. He's - he's a fantastic person, and sometimes I feel weird when I'm with him." She scratched her head, embarrassed. There was their bout before when she met Bell and fell on top of him.
Back then, Aurora tried to play it off, but she felt really weird, and Yuno, too; she smelled something coming from him, something he was trying to contain somehow.
… She noticed that smell that morning, even when he put his foot in his mouth in pure Yuno fashion.
She blushed again, realizing the other girls were waiting for her to continue.
"Well, I'm paying more attention to him than before. I'm spending a lot less time with him than before, and every time I see him, he feels more… Amazing, you know? Like Asta, but not really… It's just… It feels weird! Just this morning, I woke up early to prepare myself, but I really wanted to know what Yuno would think, and I felt oddly bothered when he didn't pick it up, whereas I couldn't care less before…."
Noelle looked weirdly, and Vanessa had a downright insane smile.
"Your feelings are starting to change, and you don't know how to deal with it. You're starting to 'have an interest in him.'" Grey summarized neatly. "Am I right?"
"She's kinda scary when she's like that…." Vanessa muttered to no one.
"An interest, you say… I guess? I mean, I've always liked him, but… Am I starting to crush on him? Is that it?" Aurora asked the other girls.
Vanessa and Noelle looked away from Aurora's hopeful gaze as if they were on the same wavelength.
"I wouldn't know; it's not like I'm crushing on Asta or anything!"
"Yes. Sorry, Aurora-chan, we wouldn't know." Vanessa sounded like she was trying her best not to laugh.
"You are so lying! Look at me!" When they didn't, Aurora turned her gaze to the last girl. "Grey-san!" Aurora called the blue haired-girl, who chose that moment to remember she was supposed to be cripplingly shy.
"I-I-I-I Idontknowaboutthateither!" she said in a hurry before using her magic to transform into her usual form of an abnormally fat man.
"..." Aurora peered at the three traitors in front of her. "Sleepovers are really the best, right, Ga-chan?" She said to her familiar, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Oblivious to it, Gaius licked her hand.
"I need to find someone who could help me… But who?" Aurora thought.
They continued to talk about other things for sometime, mainly things Aurora had no idea existed, like make-up and even fashionable clothes, before Noelle yawned and ended the little gathering shortly after.
Settling into the bed next to Noelle, Aurora didn't fight off her exhaustion and slept soundly.
Her second and last day with the Bulls was absolutely uneventful, to say the least. When she handed him her completed report, Yami asked her if she could see the future with her magic, and when Aurora told him she couldn't do it properly, he went off grumbling with Magna and Finral in toe somewhere, presumably to hand out the report, and she didn't see them before evening.
Meanwhile, Luck tried to fight her again, but Aurora managed to force him to talk about his magic and mana sensibility instead. When Asta, who left to try and find Nero, returned after failing to do so (Noelle dragged him back), he asked them if they wanted to spar; however, Aurora accepted, and they took turns fighting other while Gordon was the referee.
Although she was amazed at how strong Asta had gotten, he never tried to use his Black form. When Aurora asked him about it after beating him, he admitted he didn't know how.
"Hmmm… Well, let's think about it! I want to see it!" Asta blinked.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised…."
"If you can master it, you'll become strong anyway, so it's a win-win situation!" Aurora told him excitedly, sitting down and putting her hands on the grass on each side. "You told me you could cut any magic while in this form, like, really unstoppable?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"Hmmm…. So that power is something related to your anti-magic.. hmm…." Asta looked at his thinking sister, who peered at his sword intently and saw on her face the moment she got an idea. "... That has to be it, but I'm not sure…" she mumbled. "Right! Asta!"
"Yeah?"
"Captain Yami taught you how to read ki, right?"
"Yeah, I can feel a lot more things now! Whether it's fighting or not, it's super useful!"
"Hmhm!" Aurora nodded energetically. "And did you ever try to use it on yourself? I mean, feeling your ki. I can feel something unnatural inside the sword, and it must be the anti-magic, right? So maybe you could control it if you could manage to feel it like you're feeling ki?"
Asta blinked again, then his eyes grew wide. "AAAAH! I'll try!"
Asta didn't try. Asta succeeded. After a minute or so, he took a stance where he wielded his sword perpendicular to his body, in front of him, and put his left hand on the flat of the blade.
Aurora felt the weird thing grow much more prominent until it overflowed from the container that was his body, changing it to something much darker.
His whole right side looked demoniac, with a horn growing out of his head and his eye turning red.
Gordon and Luck looked at Asta in wonder, especially the latter.
Noelle had a look of recognition on her face.
"That's so cooooool! I'll name it Black Asta!" Aurora said, eyes sparkling. "How do you feel? Your body? Can you move?" She asked in rapid succession.
"I feel fine, but I feel a strange pull…." Asta said, struggling a bit. Aurora pondered it for a moment, recalling what they talked about.
"Well, from what Noelle told me yesterday, you're honing on magical power. So, if I do this," she moved away a fair bit before focusing her magic power and releasing it, "you should be pulled around- woah, it's working!" Aurora said, stars in her eyes.
"Watch ouuuuuuuuut!" Asta was rushing through the air towards her at full speed as if to run her through.
But because his movements were so predictable, Aurora simply jumped out of the way and put a lid on her magic, making it as inexistent as possible.
It seemed to do the trick as Asta stopped his movements.
"Hmmm… Looks like you'll have to train to get rid of that weakness; otherwise, an intelligent opponent would easily take advantage of that."
"Yeah, you're right, and that's not all," Asta said, clenching his teeth, "I don't think I can hold that form for long. I can feel it…!"
"Huh. Well, let's see how long. But for now," Aurora turned to Luck and Noelle, who had been watching thus far. "how about the two of you help out? We'll take turns upping our power to help Asta resist the pull and how long he can maintain this form."
They both nodded, and soon, Asta was being pulled in three locations as the three Magic Knights took turns raising and lowering their magic power, firing low-powered spells - that even Noelle could spell without a problem - at him all the while.
And after barely five minutes, Asta was done.
"Hmmmm…. You'll need to train a lot more if you want to use that power. Are you okay?" Aurora asked him rather worriedly.
"Yeah, it's just… I feel like my body is running on fumes." Asta said as his sister's eyes reflected her worries. "Don't worry; give me thirty minutes, and I'll be up!"
"All right. But don't overuse it, okay?"
"Yeah. I still don't know what Anti-Magic does to my body. But I wonder what Yuno will think about it! That'll be my secret weapon!" Asta said, smiling, and Aurora returned it, giggling.
"Even if it's Yuno, Asta will give anyone a run for their money if he masters this form!"
After talking down Luck again because he wanted Asta to fight him immediately, the two guys were waiting for Asta to be up again to spar again (with Asta using his Black Asta form this time.)
Noelle went to Aurora and sat in the grass next to her. "That was really well done, discovering Asta's power and weakness like that…."
"He would have discovered it by himself eventually; I just gave him a little push!"
"Still! You changed gears quickly after yesterday. Honestly, part of me worried it'll weigh in on your consciousness, all those questions."
"It did, but I found a solution, actually."
"Really?!" Noelle asked eagerly, and Aurora nodded. "I need to find someone who can confirm my feelings. And to do that, I need someone - a girl who's been thoroughly crushing on someone."
Noelle looked unimpressed. "Right… And what if she never admits it?"
"That's a good question." Aurora smirked as she looked at her friend, "I'd find you and compare her behavior to yours, I guess." Noelle scowled, not amused.
"But I don't think it will come to this; ideally, I'd like to talk with someone in my position, a knight, ideally older, with a more experience than me, and she had to know the person she's interested in for quite some time!" Aurora declared with determination.
"Uhuh. And where will you find that person?"
"... That's a work in progress!"
"I'll bet."
The day after
Aurora gazed at the beautiful, older, and more experimented knight.
"Once again, it may only be for two days, but let me welcome you to the Blue Roses, Aurora-san." Charlotte Roselei, captain of the said squad, greeted Aurora as such.
"Y-yes! Thank you very much!" Aurora saluted her, and the fleeting smile she received startled her.
"... Found her!"
Yey, so next chapter, Blue Roses and I'll try to put the Silver Eagle too, cause I have an idea how this will end :)
Hope you enjoyed! See ya next chapter! (don't hesitate to review, especially if I made a mistake!)