How it could have been
Chapter 11: Please save my little sister — Part 2
Riser raised his eyebrows, looking surprisedly at Kuroka. She appeared to be quite composed, the weight of her question seemingly not affecting her at all. Her nonchalant gaze that locked onto his puzzled one almost made him doubt his ears and believe that she'd only asked him if he could give her an apple or something.
Well. Almost, that is.
As much as the young woman tried to project a calm and unconcerned mood . . . there were a few flaws in her acting that Riser didn't fail to notice.
While a wide smile was strewn upon her beautiful face, she had already licked her drying lips twice since she had posed the question and had gulped roughly — as if there was no saliva in her parched mouth to ease the action — just as many times.
Her golden eyes, so charming as they stared unblinkingly at him . . . though he was already familiar with what those otherworldly eclipses spelled. There was no need to mention their intensity as she observed his every move was thousands of times more penetrating than when he had annoyed her earlier.
Her long, slender fingers with their sharply shaped yet stylishly black painted nails . . . he couldn't see much of them anymore. The girl's hands were balled into trembling fists and she was probably the only one who had failed to notice the slight trickle of crimson oozing from them.
". . ."
. . . All those little signs spelled one thing to Riser — the girl was deadly serious in her question.
". . ."
She was also afraid, anxious, worried sick, and more than a little desperate . . .
". . ."
The boy sighed, closing his eyes. He had seen enough to come to a decision.
"Nyahaha, that was just a joke! I got you, nya~ "
Kuroka laughed out loud but her voice came out broken and her eyes dimmed to the point they almost lost their light, hot tears of frustration and defeat pooling unknowingly at their corners.
She had gotten her answer.
Just like that time, she had been foolish enough to place her hopes on the so-called nobility . . . only to have her expectations mercilessly trashed. She had not been wrong, they were all the same — there could not be a different one amongst their dastardly ilk. Only an idiot with flowers for their brains would believe differently.
"Nyaaa~ The look on your face was priceless~"
A choked sob slithered its way in between her cheery words but her desperate mind failed to pick it up.
"You are such a dummy to fall for it, nya~~"
She didn't want to leave poor, young Shirone to fend for herself but . . . it seemed . . . there was no other choice anymore. She would have to go with her original plan, despite how much it cut at her heart to do so. As long as Shirone could be safe, it didn't matter what happened to—
"Very well. I'll save your sister."
"?"
Kuroka blinked, a stupid look on her face as it froze somewhere in the middle between her acted expression and the true, dispirited one that slowly started to leak out.
"Huh?"
Her reply too, it had been an intelligent one. But who could blame her? Her mind kind of froze when the boy's completely unexpected words made their way in.
Kuroka blinked stupidly once more and the tried to reboot.
". . . What did you just say, nya? I think I might have misheard."
No. It's not that she might have misheard, she had to have misheard. It didn't make any sense otherwise. It was surely just her overtaxed and depressed mind playing dirty tricks on her now that any chance for the future she yearned for was gone.
Yes, that had to be it. It was the only reasonable answer. There's no way the boy had said that he would save Shirone—
"I said, I'll save your sister."
. . . Except he did.
Kuroka had no choice but to believe now — the trusty ears she was so proud of were just as trusty today and were still strong in spurning off the not-so-trusty brain's advances and attempts to cooperate in all.
But . . . but . . . Even if her ears might not have misheard . . . there still had to be a way she had misunderstood something here. Things couldn't turn for the better this suddenly.
"Kuroka, instead of looking for more and more reasons to deny reality, shouldn't you rather explain the situation?"
Looking at the girl's tense face, one that wished only to lighten up in excitement and hope but was still fearful to do so, Riser admonished gently. It was plain to see what the girl worried about — her thoughts were written all over her face, tails, and ears. As always, they were good at debunking their owner's true thoughts.
Kuroka took a deep, calming breath before focusing her gaze, now sharp, on the boy's patiently awaiting visage. ". . . Can you swear you're saying only the truth, nya? That you're not toying with me again?" Making sure of this point was crucial. "I am not in the mood to forgive such lies."
Despite the dangerous pressure slowly leaking from the lithe form of the gorgeous ravenette and making its way to envelop his body, Riser couldn't resist giving an exasperated eye roll. As if he would play around in this kind of situation.
". . . As expected, you can't promise. I knew that—"
"I, Riser Phenex, swear upon my life—"
"!"
Kuroka's, as well as Yubelluna's eyes, widened in alarm as the boy opened his mouth.
"— that I will spare no expense trying to save Kuroka's sister —"
The cat girl gasped in astonishment.
"— and return the girl safe and sound to her."
". . ."
As Riser finished his vow, Kuroka could only watch in dumbfounded amazement, her mouth agape and her eyes widened owlishly and unblinking. Her tails had frozen in shock and the feline ears above her head were so erect one could have mistaken her for a seasoned wolf girl.
. . . She had truly not expected the boy to deal out such a hand.
When she had seen him close his eyes, and then let out that fed-up sigh . . . she had thought he found her request annoying and was ready to turn her down or even go as far as to reprimand her for not knowing her place and posing such an unreasonable request to a noble . . . not even in her wildest dreams had she expected the boy— . . . no, Riser to not only accept her plea but to go much further and swear an oath to do as such. He literally willingly put his life on the line for a person he's barely met and a complete stranger!
But . . . why? He had no reason to. Kuroka couldn't prize herself a specialist in Devil contracts and oaths, but she knew enough about them that she won't fall prey to their sweet yet guileful spiels and reasonable but vile to the moon and back written deals — that only meant the absurdity of his move left her even more befuddled, the reason for his action clear as mud in her mind.
Magical contracts and oaths were absolute. Rather than being enforced by threat of punishment by a lawful governing body like it was the case with the regular ones, the kind of oath the boy swore was simply physically impossible to break.
For example, if someone made an oath to keep a secret, even if they at some point decided they have to reveal it, their mouths wouldn't open to save their lives. Even if they tried to outsmart this system and go around the imposed physical constraints by employing a mind-reader to search for the said secret or simply extracting the memory of the matter and having the interested party view it . . . the results would still come as blanks.
In Riser's situation, things were even clearer than that — now that he swore so, whether he wanted it or not, he had to abide by the terms he had bound himself to and do his damnedest to fulfill them, meaning, he had to rescue Shirone and do so without her suffering any harm . . . or die trying. The fool hadn't even left himself a loophole that could absolve him of the penalty in case of exceptional circumstances. Although the thought filled Kuroka with no small amounts of dread and had her wanting to rush back by Shirone's side this instant, who said that her younger couldn't experience a sudden bout of great misfortune and be hit by a meteor while playing on a swing or simply take a walk in town and meet a mentally deranged Maou with a kink for acting out slasher movies.
. . . As importable as those far-fetched examples might have sounded, the chance of either of them happening was not completely zero — Riser could as well drop dead the next second.
The myriad of other less ridiculous and more probable possibilities that could lead to his sudden and immature death should have filled the boy with panic and remorse at his stupidity, yet there he was smiling proudly at her.
. . . For the life of her, Kuroka couldn't figure out if the boy was simply a truly well-meant daredevil who wasn't afraid of death or an utter idiot who failed to realize the implications of his deed.
"How about this, Kuroka? Do you now believe that I'm serious?"
"Yes, I believe you're sick in the head, nya!"
". . ."
Cue owlish blink.
"Huh . . .?"
The one who let out this intelligent reply was, of course, Riser. It was his turn now to be confused. There had been a great deal of scenarios he had envisioned his sincere oath leading to but having an irate cat girl rebuke him angrily while staring daggers at him was not one of them. There was no need for her to pledge her eternal love to him or something but, instead of looking like she was about to swallow him whole and not even burp after . . . shouldn't she have shown some gratitude or something . . .?
"She's right, Young Master!"
Yubelluna also erupted from the side, the truckload of decibels she had put into that cry reawakening in him the fear of being dominated by sharp, loud caterwauls. He had Kuroka to thank for that.
"Why do you have to always be so reckless?!" A few tears started to gather at the corners of the teenage girl's large, purple orbs and she continued shouting in frustration . . . her fair, slender had also snaked its way to his ear and was doing damage akin to a lion's bite to it.
Her actions had Riser greet his teeth in pain. Though it was more of a mental than a physical one.
. . . He would never ever understand the girls and the haphazard and honestly disturbing way their minds worked — just what had he done this time . . .? He believed he had done quite well to show his earnestness in helping the ravenette.
Noticing the boy's lack of comprehension, the pair of girls got even angrier—
"You're a fool, Master!"
"A fool indeed, nya. One greater than a young kitten who would choose pork over fish for dessert, nya."
—and commenced to dish out childish insults. Outlandish and borderline racist too, in Kuroka's case.
". . . What's wrong with the two of you? I did nothing wrong," Riser grumbled under his breath. "Also, Luna, if you don't stop, it'll fall off."
More than used to pain as he was, he could still not beat the girl's experience when it came to twisting his ears — she knew exactly how to make him extra uncomfortable.
"Even if it fell off, it would grow right back. This is punishment."
". . ."
Seeing her Master's wronged and unconvinced expression, Yubelluna sighed and leveled up the strength of her fingers a notch. She then proceeded to explain to him exactly what had them 'out for his blood', "Young Master, just how many times makes it now that you've sworn heavy oaths for no reason at all?"
"I always do it for good reasons, though?"
"Well, yes," the girl agreed, not denying the fact, "but you didn't have to swear on your life! Again! Just why do you keep doing that?! Master should be more than aware of the dangers!"
Riser scoffed, "Of course I am aware. That's exactly why I did so."
"?"
"Have you seen the face Kuroka was making earlier?"
"T-That's—"
She had seen it. The bitter despair and the complete resolve to prepare for the worst . . . all alone. Had the boy not taken her face, she would have tried her best instead to console her. As much of a shameless woman who kept blatantly seducing her lord she was, no one deserved to show that much misery.
"Do you think anything less than a big shock like that could have snapped her out of that wallowing and made her believe we're sincere?"
'So you know that what you did was shocking,' Yubelluna grumbled mentally but outwardly, she only sighed a quiet, "No." She then finally loosened her grip on her Master's ear, letting the poor appendage get some much-needed blood flowing back in. Although dissatisfied and more than a little worried about his safety, she couldn't do much now that the oath was sworn, its clauses were already in effect. "Kuroka-sama, I beg you not to tell another soul about my Lord's foolishness."
Kuroka nodded, "I know, nya." Letting other people know the Phenex boy swore an oath that led to his death if unfulfilled could easily attract some not-so-well-wishers — not only would it place him in danger but worse, even Shirone, whose hurt was a requisite in order to harm the boy, would definitely experience misfortune.
". . ."
Kuroka felt even more disgruntled with the boy's recklessness now that she realized the scale of dangers her sister could be exposed to had suddenly skyrocketed. She expressed that dissatisfaction by drawing closer to the boy — so that he would enter her range — and then she assaulted him with a flurry of vexed tail slaps.
". . ."
Riser resigned himself. It seemed that expecting some gratitude for his show of sincerity had been too much to ask for. While having his nose tickled by the gentle swishing of her tails, he asked Kuroka, "I have already sworn to aid you, but that won't get me far if I'm not privy to the whole story. Care to share some details? Do you know where we can find your sister at least?"
Kuroka sniffed, "Of course, I do! And you're an idiot for only asking that now, nya."
Riser scoffed in return, "And when should I have? You didn't give me the opportunity."
". . ." Kuroka flinched a bit but her tails increased their striking tempo and added some force behind them, "At least do it before swearing a potentially lethal oath!"
". . ."
Should he point out to her that this advice of hers simply hadn't been an option at that time? With the speed the girl had been sinking into despair at that time . . . let alone asking for the specifics, even getting to hear them out would have posed an ordeal. And had it not been for the flashy flash of light and the steering of his demonic power — both proofs that the oath took effect — she probably wouldn't have heard his words either. Thus, her suggestion was not a valid one . . . not that he would tell her, though.
Ticklish as they may be, Riser felt this cute version of slapping was Kuroka's way of saying that she's accepted his sincerity. They didn't hurt after all.
". . . You're insufferable, nya." Kuroka didn't like the stubborn look on the boy's face — it made her feel like she was the one in the wrong here. She shook her head powerlessly and retracted her tails behind her plump yet toned derrière that was greatly outlined by the way the seiza she was still sitting in stretched the material of her kimono. She then schooled her features into a solemn expression. "Before I tell you my— . . . our story, please let me ask you something. "She paused for a moment to make sure she had gotten his attention, her golden gaze locked on his sky-blue one. She then added, "And please answer seriously this time, nya."
The boy unconsciously straightened his back, wiping away the small grin that came with the girl's choice of a pet name for him. He acquiesced to her request with a curt nod.
At that, Kuroka took a deep breath before starting, "Please don't think I am not grateful for the support you've promised me, I really am . . . I may have snapped a bit at you, but that was only because the selfless and absolute method you had employed greatly shocked and flustered me . . . It was totally stupid, nya."
Riser smiled softly. He was glad to hear that, regardless of how unnecessary that last bit he felt was. "Don't sweat it, please continue."
Kuroka took the hint and went straight to the point, her countenance as grim as it was hopeful, "Why is it that you so readily accepted my selfish request, nya? Without even knowing what it entailed, you did not hesitate to swear an oath, trusting without question the words of a person who, until yesterday, had been a literal stranger to you. I may have helped you once, but it was that big of a deal and no one forced you to repay your debt," the girl swallowed nervously, "That's why . . . why?"
". . ."
Riser took a few moments to ponder her words. He had expected her to bring up something else but it seemed the kitty was still strung over the matter, bringing it up continuously. Although he couldn't say he was annoyed by her persistence, the ongoing doubting of the intentions behind his actions was starting to get at him. Before he flared up and said something he would definitely regret later, he had to make the matter clear and once and for all dispel her suspicions. Thus, the boy carefully chose his words and said, "First of all, you're wrong."
"?"
"You're wrong to say that you helping us was not that big of a deal."
". . ."
"For you, certainly, it might have been just a just choice between helping or not helping, but for us, it had been the difference between coming back to our families and not having the chance to see them anymore — you've saved our lives."
". . ."
"I'm very grateful for that, so don't say that anymore."
Riser gazed sternly at Kuroka, who, after a few moments of pondering, nodded with a smile.
. . . Considering the way the two parties acted, their exchange appeared to be quite weird. While Kuroka eventually assumed her part as the party accepting the gratitude, Riser, on the other hand, even though he was sincerely delivering his words, didn't act his role that well — it was not everyday that one said their thanks in a form of admonishment.
"Also," the boy continued, his countenance turning weird, "you might have downplayed the whole situation out of humbleness, but weren't you the one who suffered the most from that sonic attack of yours? You've come out quite worse for the wear and been out cold for the longest. It's strange that you say you didn't do—"
"That's not quite the truth, nya," Kuroka interrupted with a musical giggle that was equal parts mischievous and pleased with herself. It gave the impression that she was the only one privy to some inside story.
"?"
"It's true that I've got hurt and all, nya . . . but it honestly wasn't such a big deal."
". . ."
Noticing the incomprehensible gazes the kids were directing her way, Kuroka continued, "You see, nya, I may be a real cutie as a kitten, but the amount of power I can harness in that form is pitifully low compared to my real form — bombarding the enemies with an attack that does 1000 points of damage to them while I also suffer 800 is about the limit of what I can do it that restricted state, nya. I usually refrain from getting violent as a kitty."
The kids looked at each other, their next question very much the same. Yubelluna spoke up, "Then, Kuroka-sama, why didn't you, um, appear in your . . . real form?"
"Isn't that obvious, nya?"
". . . Not really, no."
"Sigh . . ." Kuroka put on a condescending expression which, for some reason, really pissed the younger girl off. "You're a woman as well, girl. You should know that us, maidens, shouldn't give up all our secrets easily. Especially on our first date, nya." She shook her head disapprovingly. "Don't you even know this basic truth, nya? I'm shocked, nya."
"So you mean that you didn't want to have them know who you really are?"
Riser inferred while he swiftly gathered his visibly pissed-off Queen in his arms and started stroking her head soothingly. The girl struggled in vain for a few moments before resigning herself to enjoying her Master's affections.
Just why Kuroka had chosen this moment to pay back the debt she owed the Queen for her earlier stings, he didn't know. He knew, instead, that right now wasn't quite the time to let them fight. They could do that to their hearts' content after they've finished the conversation.
Sending a condemning gaze to Kuroka who only giggled in response, Riser added, "Am I right?"
"Nyufufu, of course!" She concurred proudly. "It's a basic courtesy not to use your real face when playing dishonest games or facing enemies, nya! Why face repercussions when it's so much easier not having to deal with them, nya~"
Riser found himself agreeing with that statement. Or rather, the cat girl had enlightened him.
With the way his reputation unknowingly closed doors even the prestige of his clan couldn't hope to reopen and the way almost his every new meeting started with having to deal with prejudiced opinions and sometimes contempt . . . should he actually commit a crime of sorts and be caught for it . . . would certainly be of no help to him.
Thus, Riser decided to look into a way that would allow him to emulate the possibility Kuroka had shown to him. While he already had a method that could be called a spitting copy of the girl's . . . for various reasons, he refrained from even considering it.
Yep. For various reasons.
"And that's my point," Riser put away his thoughts and earnestly said to Kuroka. "You are my benefactor, so please regard yourself as such."
"Is that so?" Kuroka nodded and exchanged the hippie smile tugging at her lips for a sedated one. She could be a serious kitty too, if she wanted. "Allow me to thank you, then." Still seated, she lowered her head reverently and dipped her torso in a bow until her large breasts almost touched her tights. The last doubt left her mind — Riser was truly unlike the rest of the Devil aristocracy she had had the displeasure to meet. "Thank you . . . truly, thank you. I, Kuroka, swear that I will never forget this debt."
"? I am the one in debt, though?"
"For agreeing to my request, I mean, nya."
"Ah, yeah. There was that as well," the boy coughed, having almost forgotten about it. "Then, now that we are done with all the formalities, please tell us that story you've promised us. I'm curious just how someone who's apparently as strong as you are needs my help to save someone."
"Not just apparently," Kuroka pouted, dissatisfied. "I really am super duper powerful, nya."
"Aha."
"And I don't need you to personally help me, nya. I'm aware that you're just a weakling. It's your family and its connections and influence that I hope could make more of a difference, nya."
". . . Aha."
"The issue us sisters face can't be solved by simply going into a rampage, nya. Although, not without chances of success, the demerits are too harsh even if I do end up with the best case scenario."
". . ."
"It's scary, nya, and I don't want you to die just like that, so no violence until all the other options are void. For someone as weak as you, it's better to stay back and—"
". . . Just start your story already."
"Okay, nya!"
Thus, under the gaze of one dispirited boy and one curious girl, Kuroka recounted the story of her life.
AN: Greetings!
To think that today is the first anniversary of this story . . . I kind of moved. It had even passed the 100k words milestone a while ago . . . though I can't say I've advanced that much towards the goal I originally envisioned. So many words and yet only a week or so passed since Riser's made such a good first impression on the girls . . . even I think I'm a bit too long-winded. For every chapter I write , I have an outline plotted but when I actually set myself to writing, I just can't seem to be straightforward — I always find myself meandering.
. . . I think it has something to do with my chronic dislike of rushed and/or summarily built stories.
On another hand, regarding the question I posed in the last chapter's author note, I've got a few PMs and all I can say is that the opinions were unified in the favour of this "short chapters — higher update frequency" policy.
Well, what can I say? If you wish for it, I'll try to comply.
I hope you've enjoyed the chapter~ Thank you for taking the time to read it~
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me through PMs or reviews.
PS: I'm glad you enjoy my take on Kuroka, T-B-R. Thanks!
Have a good day!