Clarice fia Atlee was looking at the lovey-dovey interaction between her fiance and another girl she only knew the name of. At first, she dismissed the rumors that Jilk fia Marmoria had a close interaction with another girl told by her entourage as hogwash. But after seeing it with her own eyes, there was no denying it.
Jilk was ignoring her in favor of the new girl.
Looking at the barest hint of a smile on Jilk's face, it seemed that he really was having fun with her, something that Clarice had consistently failed to do. Jilk never showed any sign of being comfortable when they interacted since they were little.
Her heart felt as if it was squeezed. Holding back a sob, she ran away from the scene.
Her steps were forcibly stopped a few seconds in because she crashed onto something.
"Ouch." In her hurry, she didn't pay attention to the view in front of her and crashed onto someone.
"Are you okay?" The one who said that was the scholarship student. While Clarice didn't know her personally, especially since she was a second-year student, the scholarship student was infamous as the only commoner in the school. "Here, let me heal your scraps."
Clarice's attention immediately went to her knees. Indeed, there were scrapes from their collision. The scholarship student's hand glowed white for a second before her knees healed. "There!"
She helped her stand up with a smile on her face. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Olivia," she curtsied. "May I know your name?"
Hmm, interesting. The rumors said that the scholarship student was a hick who didn't know manners. But she clearly showed a suitable manner to greet a noble just now. Either she started learning, or the rumor was overblown by people who didn't like her.
"Clarice fia Atlee, a second year," she also curtsied. "Pleased to meet you, Olivia."
Olivia's eyes shone. "A second year! Amazing! A real senpai! I must tell Leon!"
Clarice blinked. "What? Sampie? What's that?"
"It's a word Leon taught me! It means a respectable senior!" Olivia replied, but she quickly changed her tone. "More importantly, are you okay, Senpai? Why were you running?"
Being asked that made her think of Jilk and that harlot again. Biting her lips, she tried to hold back her emotion.
"Ah," Olivia responded. "I'm sorry if I sounded too presumptuous. Farewell."
She curtsied and bowed a little.
Clarice just stood there, looking at the retreating commoner. For a rumored countryside hick, Olivia had quite the manner, respecting her status as a noble and even restraining herself from prying more despite her clear, fussy nature. Soon after, the commoner was joined by an unremarkable boy with a cat in his arms. They talked, and Olivia giggled.
How envious. Even a commoner like her found someone she felt comfortable with. Her? She had just lost Jilk to some harlot.
Pulling her hand into a fist, Clarice resolved her heart. She would not give up on Jilk. She would definitely make Jilk look at her! She was his fiancee, after all.
"Hm? What is this?"
Clarice opened her fist to see a blue light that coalescence into a solid item. It looked like a mini-dress toy for dolls, Clarice thought to herself. The design was really ornate for a toy, though. Taking a better look at it, it seemed like there was a button behind it. She pressed the button and from the bottom came out the bottom half of a key.
"So this is a key?" She asked no one. "Oh well."
Pocketing it, Clarice walked away.
As Olivia was getting comfortable with Leon, she looked back toward the retreating senior. She was too forward to a noble. She had to restrain herself. But...
Helping someone else was something she resolved to do ever since she heard about the previous Cure Flora from Leon. She wanted to live up to Leon's expectations! ...not that Leon ever voiced it, though. But, but, she knew deep down that the previous Cure Flora was amazing, and she wanted some of Leon's admiration for her!
...Then maybe Leon would look at her. Sometimes whenever he regaled Olivia and Fragrance tales about Haruka Haruno, there was a nostalgic smile on his face, as if he was reliving good memories. She wanted to carve new memories with Leon too!
"What's wrong-fura, Livia?" Fragrance, the cat from Hope Kingdom, asked her when she sensed Olivia's inner turmoil.
"That Senpai..."
"'Senpai'? Wait, did you really use it with a real senior?" Leon looked at her, surprised.
"Fura! Why do you look surprised-fura!" Fragrance clawed Leon's face.
"Ouch! Ouch! You damn cat! Stop it!"
"Look, Olivia is sad-fura!"
"Ah..."
"...Is it no good?" Olivia asked Leon.
"No. I don't really mind if you use it. I just wondered why?" Leon stopped walking and let go of Fragrance. Olivia then kneeled down and opened her arms, welcoming the cat. Stroking Fragrance's furs always had a calming effect on her.
Olivia thought for a moment. She reflexively used 'senpai' on Lady Atlee because of Leon's stories about Haruka. She unconsciously wanted to emulate her predecessor more. But should she tell this to Leon? It was too embarrassing! Not to mention, it would make her sound like she was trying too hard.
Looking down at the ground, Olivia sighed. "Nothing in particular... I just like the word 'senpai.'"
Because that was Leon's nickname from his past life.
"Livia?" Fragrance looked up to her face from her arms. "Leon, you idiot-fura! Don't make Livia sad-fura!"
"I literally only asked her! Why are you blaming me!?"
Olivia couldn't stop the smile from spreading to her face. Seeing Leon and Fragrance's antics always lifted her mood. The two always fought, but they were always in sync whenever it was about fighting Dysdark.
Speaking of, she had to fight two more Zetsuborg after her first transformation. In those times, Leon was always there beside her. Well, figuratively, since he couldn't fight together with her. But he was always there, looking for the weak points of the Zetsuborg, encouraging her, or giving her the cue to use Mode Elegant.
To be honest, fighting Dysdark as the Princess Precure was really tiring, even more tiring than just exhausting her magic after using it to heal. Coupled with the fact that she had to learn basic noble etiquette from Leon, not to mention the schoolwork, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that she was overdoing it.
But since Leon was always there with her, she did not want to disappoint him.
"Anyway, Livia. If you want to, you can use it for anyone. Just remember their station and consent," Leon broke his arguments with Fragrance to remind her about 'senpai.'
"...Then, shall I call you Senpai too? You're my senior in Precure-related matters, after all."
Leon's eyes widened for an instant before he looked away and sighed. "If that's what you want."
She giggled. "Okay, Leon."
"Oi, what happened to 'Senpai?'"
"I just want to ask for confirmation, Senpai."
Leon grumbled, leaving Olivia to giggle again. Leon was honestly the best thing that happened to her since entering the Academy. Well, being a Princess Precure would've been the best, but since that and Leon both entered her life in a short timeframe, she associated both with Leon.
"Leon?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"What for?"
Olivia didn't answer. She just smiled.
"Uh... you're welcome."
The second time Clarice met with the scholarship student was a few minutes after she cried alone on a bench. Jilk was ignoring her to be with his new girl. He did not even deem her important enough to talk to and chose to fully devote his attention to that Lafan girl.
"Oh my, it's Senpai. Good Afternoon, Senpai. May I ask why you are-Ah..."
Clarice did not look up, but she could never forget the strange, foreign words that the scholarship student used. She then felt her, Olivia if she remembered right, sit beside her.
"I may be able to use healing magic, but there are some wounds that I can't heal. In those times, My mother always told me that being there was enough to help. You can continue, Senpai. I'll be here beside you."
Clarice took the offer. Although, she stopped after a minute because being seen was too embarrassing. By a junior, no less! And a commoner on top of that!
Her emotions subsided, and Clarice looked at the smiling Olivia beside her. On her lap was a cute, purple-furred cat meowing cutely as Olivia petted her.
"That's..."
"Oh, this is Fragrance. My-well, not officially 'my' cat, but I love her nonetheless," Oliva hugged the cat. "Would you like to pet her?"
"Meow?"
That's so cute!
In an instant, she was upon the purple cat, stroking its back. The cat purred in happiness in response, and that made her smile. The cat jumped towards her lap, meowing cutely.
"Awww~"
Yeah, Fragrance is charming! Although, she has a love-hate relationship with Leon."
Clarice's ears caught that name. Again, she attributed things to this Leon. Last time she told her that the foreign word she used came from that Leon. She assumed that Leon was the guy who had been with her a week ago.
Her hand stopped. She looked down in thought. Deep down, she knew that Olivia didn't do it out of malice. But mentioning that she had a stable relationship when Clarice's own heart was just broken...
"Ah- Please forgive my slight," Olivia instantly stood up from the bench and bowed.
"No. I understand you have no malicious intention," Clarice smiled sadly. "Thank you for accompanying me. I asked my followers to leave me alone for a few hours, but I clearly do need a companion."
She did not want her followers to see how pathetic she was about losing Jilk. Despite being followers, she did not restrict them from forging friendships with others. Hence, if they suddenly acted suspiciously, their acquaintance would know that something happened and might connect it to her problematic relationship with her fiance.
Sitting back again, Olivia scooted closer to Clarice and extended her arms to pet Fragrance.
"Would you like me to hear you out?"
"I would like that, yes."
Olivia smiled, "Thank you for trusting me, Senpai."
And so Clarice poured all her hearts to Olivia and Fragrance. She told her about her engagement with Jilk. How he suddenly changed after entering the Academy this year. Her suspicions about Lafan. She said everything she had tried to bury for the past three weeks. Throughout her story, Olivia never interrupted her. She patiently listened to all the things she said.
"-and that's when you found me," Clarice finished the tale with an unladylike snort. She was laughing at her own situation. "It's pathetic, right?"
But Olivia did something unexpected. She grabbed Clarice's shoulder and forced her to look into her eyes.
"Pardon my rudeness, Lady Atlee, but please look into my eyes."
Clarice did so and saw empathy in those eyes. She gritted her teeth. But before she could say anything, Olivia continued.
"There is nothing pathetic about grieving. You lost something, and you cried. That's why, Senpai..."
Olivia moved her arms to grasp Clarice's face.
"Yo, Livia. I didn't see you in our usual meeting place. What hap... -!"
Someone entered the scene and cut Olivia off.
"W-Wait. Sorry. I didn't see you from afar! Fragrance! I said I was sorry! W-wha! Hey! Stop it! Stop it, you damn cat!"
Clarice saw an unremarkable young man being scratched off by the purple cat. She then assumed that this guy was the Leon Olivia always talked about. After two more minutes of Fragrance scratching Leon's entire body, the cat left him with a meow and went back to her lap.
"Ahaha, please pardon the sight, Senpai. As I said before, Leon and Fragrance have a love-hate relationship," Olivia excused them before approaching Leon, who was still lying on the ground. "Leon! You need to be more delicate to girls!"
"...Yeah. I'm sorry. I honestly thought you were bullied by someone else again, so I barged in without thinking."
Olivia's eyes softened at Leon's admission. Slowly, she put her hand over Leon's body, and soon, it glowed. She was healing Leon's scratch wounds, Clarice concluded. She had once seen that glow when Olivia healed her scraps before.
"Meow~" The cat on her lap meowed in disappointment when it saw what Olivia was doing. From what she observed, there was no love between Fragrance and Leon. Why did Olivia describe it as a 'love-hate relationship'?
"Thank you, Leon."
"No, thank you, Livia. If it weren't for you, who knows how many scars I'll have from that damned monster."
"MEOW!"
"I spoke no lies!"
"Meow! Meow!"
"Whatever."
...Did she just witness a human and a cat have verbal spats? How did Leon even understand the meowing? Was this why Olivia just giggled? Was this the love in the love-hate relationship?
"Anyway, Leon. Come on, I'll introduce you to Senpai."
Leon blinked before he turned his attention to her, absorbing the sight of her from head to toe. He then looked again at Olivia. "You really call her 'senpai?'" There was a big grin on his face. "Are you really not embarrassed calling someone else with a term they don't even understand?"
"Leon!" Olivia pouted cutely. "You've always teased me about this!"
"Meow! Meow! Meow!" Even the cat went angry again at Leon's teasing.
"And besides, Lady Atlee doesn't mind if I call her Senpai. Isn't that right, Senpai?" Olivia turned to her, asking for confirmation.
"Olivia helped me. I don't mind being called a 'sampie.' It means respectable senior, right? Unless Olivia lied to me."
"It is," Leon nodded. "Well met, My Lady. My name is Leon fou Bartfort."
Ah... so Leon was the infamous Bartfort who made a name for himself from adventuring.
"Clarice fia Atlee. Well met, Bartfort."
"Anyway, Livia. I wanted to ask why you're here with Lady Atlee, but I'm sure Fragrance would've just scratched me again if I did so," Leon grumbled.
"Meow!"
"Shut up! Anyway. I just want to say that it's about time for your training."
"Ah!" Olivia perked up. "I forgot!"
She faced Clarice before bowing. "I'm sorry, Senpai. I have a previous arrangement with Leon and Master. Still, I feel bad leaving you hanging, especially since the content of our talk is..."
Olivia trailed off in the end there, but Clarice understood her meaning. She still wanted to talk with her.
From the side, she heard Leon sighing. "Seriously? Oi, Livia. It's not as if you can't skip for a day. If you want to skip, just tell me, damn it. Don't make me feel guilty like this."
Olivia smiled. "Thank you, Leon. But I really do need the lesson."
"Hmm, what lesson are you taking with Bartfort, Olivia?"
"Etiquette and tea brewing!" Olivia answered her question. "I never knew there were lots of ways to mess up tea! Nobles are really amazing."
So Olivia did take classes in noble etiquette. No wonder she was not as the rumors suggested. A helpful, kind girl who strived to improve herself...
"Say, Olivia. What do you say about joining me? I'll make sure the others treat you gently."
It was clear to her that Leon wanted to say something. The way he clenched his fist and the frown on his face told her so. He wanted to intervene and say something to help Olivia, but for some reason, he held himself back.
Hearing Leon's sigh, she wondered what was running in his head.
Olivia smiled at her.
"Thank you for the offer, Senpai. But while I really appreciate your offer, I can't accept it."
Clarice frowned but nodded. "Understandable. You already have someone," her eyes went to Leon's figure.
Unexpectedly, that made Olivia blush up a storm. "W-Wha! What are you saying, Senpai! Leon and I aren't like that at all!" She tried to cover her reddening face with her hands. It made Clarice chuckle. Surprisingly, though, she heard Leon scoff.
"Yeah. I'm just a friend."
Clarice looked at the two. Oh, honestly... she thought to herself. Here she was being ignored by Jilk and being consoled by Olivia. But the girl also had a similar problem as her? Give her a break.
"I see... Moving on, I accept your refusal," Clarice nodded. "No hard feelings from me."
"Oi, Livia. Let's go. Master is waiting."
"Coming!" Olivia turned towards her and then frowned. "Still... I hope we can still be friends!"
Clarice's mouth opened. Before she could answer, Olivia already ran to catch up with Leon.
That girl...
Clarice smiled. If Olivia didn't run in a hurry, she would've answered with 'yes.'
Another day, another effort of her to reach out to Jilk was ignored by him.
Clarice sighed. Her followers were all concerned for her. It was clear to them that something had happened to her, but she still did not want to share her problem with them.
"Oh, Senpai!"
There was only one person who called her that. She looked up to see Olivia walking towards her.
"Good afternoon, Senpai."
"Afternoon, Olivia," she replied as Olivia took a seat beside her. "No Bartfort today?"
"He arranged today to be a free day with Master. I think he wants me to talk with you," Olivia blushed.
"Bartfort is a good man, huh?" Clarice smiled at the wistful look on Olivia's face. "You like him?"
"I-I..." Olivia sighed before looking down at her feet. "...yes. I like Leon. But I think Leon does not like me that way..."
Clarice looked at her weirdly. Here was a guy who barged into her conversation because he thought she was being bullied again, and Olivia did not think Leon liked her?
"More importantly, Senpai. What about you? Are you here alone today because of Lord Marmoria again?"
Clarice nodded. "He still ignored me."
"That's too bad, Senpai. But isn't Lord Marmoria too cruel? If he rejected you properly, you could at least have closure. The fact that he did not and just stringing you along speaks badly of him."
...is this girl serious? Clarice looked at her, mouth agape. This commoner here badmouthed one of the Prince's entourage?
"Careful about what you're saying, Olivia. Mind your position."
Olivia blinked. "Oh... right. Leon and Master always reminded me about that. Please pardon me, Senpai. But my point still stands!"
Clarice chuckled. "I don't disagree, but it's better for you to not vocalize it."
"Understood!"
They continued talking about things. From Olivia's experience in the Academy, future lessons for Olivia that Clarice had studied, to small matters like each other's favorite food. Clarice actually had fun talking with Olivia like this. This was different from talking with her followers. Sure, their topics were the same, but Olivia never minded her position as a higher-ranked noble like her followers. No, Olivia respected Clarice as her respectable senior with her usage of the foreign word. And strangely enough, Clarice didn't really mind that.
Olivia's attention suddenly turned when they felt a quake.
"Did you feel that?" Olivia asked Clarice.
"Yeah... don't tell me the rumors about monsters in the school area are true?"
So far, rumors about gigantic monsters attacking the school floated around the student body. The weird thing about it was that even though they wrecked things such as trees and buildings, after some time passed and the monster went away somewhere, all those wrecked things turned back into the way it was before. The uprooted trees stood back up, and the rubbles formed back into sturdy buildings. Even the footsteps of the monsters, which should've been visible, were nowhere to be found. The students who ran away and reported things were then labeled as attention seekers, resulting in none trying to prove the rumors true.
Clarice herself did not believe in the rumors because she hadn't seen them with her own eyes, both the destroyed things and the monster itself.
"I'm sorry, Senpai. I have to go."
...however, it seemed that Olivia was a believer in the rumors? Because she suddenly ran somewhere.
"...Wait, Olivia!"
Clarice had no choice but to chase after her. This commoner, who surprisingly had become friends with her, was running towards the unknown. Who knew if the rumors were true and she was suddenly got crushed by the gigantic feet coming down on her from above?
But Olivia did not heed her call. She kept running towards what she suspected was the cause of the quake. And so Clarice kept following her.
"Livia! Come on-fura!"
"Sorry, Fragrance. I was talking with Senpai! Let's go!"
...what in the name of the Saint was that?! Fragrance, the purple cat that she petted yesterday, was running alongside Olivia and talking with her! Clarice massaged her temple but did not stop running. When she looked at Olivia and Fragrance again, it wasn't imagination. They were still running together.
The desire to call out to Olivia receded. She wanted to know more about what just happened, so she better keep quiet.
After a few more minutes of running, Olivia and Fragrance stopped in front of a rampaging giant heart.
"...What?" Clarice once again couldn't comprehend the scene in front of her. Hiding nearby, what she saw didn't change. A big, red heart with arms and legs; for some reason, the heart had a face and wore pointed triangle sunglasses. A similarly-sized crown adorned its head.
"Steal!" Olivia shouted towards a figure floating in the sky. "You still keep doing this?!"
'Keep?' Clarice asked herself, intrigued at the situation she found herself watching.
"All for Lord Dyspear," was Steal's answer.
"Who did you target this-gasp!" Olivia turned her head towards the floating cage near Steal. Clarice did the same and couldn't stop her own gasp of surprise.
"That's Lord Marmoria!"
Jilk... he was unconscious inside the floating black cage.
"Jilk!" She found herself shouting towards the cage. It inadvertently caught everyone's attention when she came out of the hiding place.
"Senpai!"
"Hm? What's a civilian doing here?"
"Return my fiance!" Clarice glared at the floating man.
Steal furrowed her eyebrows. "Fiance?" He looked Clarice up and down. "You look nothing like the woman in his dream."
Olivia gasped. "...No way..."
"What?"
"That's right," Steal casually answered. "His dream is to serve his Prince with that blonde woman he loves. Are you his ex or something?"
Clarice fell down to her knees. Jilk was... she wasn't even in his vision anymore...
"Stop it!" Olivia shouted. "You've stolen Lord Marmoria's dream! Don't steal her hope, please! If you insist on continuing your wicked way..."
Olivia brought up her Princess Perfume and Dress-Up Key. "Precure, Princess Engage!"
In a flash of light, Cure Flora replaced Olivia.
"Do prepare yourself!"
Without waiting, Cure Flora jumped and landed a drop-kick at the Heart Zetsuborg.
"Boorg!"
The impact of the kick shook the ground. Slowly, flower petals floated around them. Flora followed her kick with a jump, and then she landed, taking her distance from the monster.
"Zetsuborg!"
"Senpai!" Flora called out to Clarice. "Get a hold of yourself!"
"...Olivia?" Clarice finally came out of her stupor. "What is happening?"
"It's too long to answer. The short answer is that you must keep yourself together and not lose hope!"
The Heart Zetsuborg threw his crown and forced Flora to jump away. Missing its target, the crown turned back and was caught by the Zetsuborg. It then jumped and threw a punch toward the falling Flora.
Bracing herself, Flora put up her arms to shield her body. When the monster's punch hit her arms, she was thrown away with a loud 'BAM!' once her body hit the ground.
"Ghah!"
"Flora!" Fragrance shouted from the side, concern apparent in her tone.
"...Hope..."
The hope that Jilk still cared about her... She was just deluding herself. Jilk never loved her. Once a better girl entered his life, she became his world. It was even reflected in his dream. There was no place for Clarice fia Atlee besides Jilk fia Marmoria. Then... if that was the case... where should she cling to hope?
Clarice let out a squeak of surprise when her shoulder was grabbed by someone.
"The heck is Flora doing? The first thing I'm gonna teach her after this is to remove civilian from the crossfire, damn it."
It was...!
"Bartfort?" She voiced her surprise.
"I'm sorry that we couldn't have our meeting in a better circumstance, Lady Atlee. But it's best if you stay away from the battlefield," Leon swiped her off her feet and carried her away.
"T-This is improper!" Clarice protested once she realized Leon was carrying her in a princess carry.
"You want me to drag your body across the field? Damn that cat, at least have the decency to help civilians, damn it!"
Flora's fist clashed with the Zetsuborg's body behind them as Leon stopped and put her down. "There. It's safer here. Please wait here; I'm going back."
And then Leon ran, leaving her.
"Wait... please..."
Everyone was leaving her. Jilk, who left her for another girl. Olivia left her to face the monster. And then Bartfort, who extended his help but only for a second before he went away. Everyone was...
More flower petals danced around her, courtesy of Flora's attack. However, no matter how many petals were there, they couldn't heal her wounded heart.
Would her follower follow their steps and leave her? She never told them about Jilk's situation. She could imagine their disappointed face before, one by one, they took a step away from her.
She was alone in her misery.
BAM!
Dust spread around her vicinity as Flora was thrown in her direction.
"Senpai!" Flora came towards her after the dust settled and grabbed her hands. "I know the situation is cruel. But you must be strong! As somebody told me before, if you keep up your hope, there will always be a way!"
"...Where should I cling to?"
"Me!" Flora declared, full of confidence. "I am still here with you, Senpai!"
Flora stood up, and with her, she raised Clarice up.
"O hope trapped within the spiral of despair, I shall free you now! Do prepare yourself!" She declared to Clarice, pointing her finger toward her. "Please watch me, Senpai."
Flora then turned her attention towards the Zetsuborg, who was coming down on them.
Clarice closed her eyes, fearing for the worst. But she did not feel any pain.
"I won't... let you!" She heard the familiar voice of Flora coming from near her. Gathering her courage to open her eyes, Clarice gasped when she saw Flora using both arms to block the Zetsuborg attack that would've crushed the two of them. Her legs were pushed into the ground, signaling how much power she exerted to block the weight from above.
"You're..."
"I shall free Senpai's hope! I will not let you attack Senpai! Haaaaaaaaaa!" Flora pushed with all her might and threw the Zetsuborg.
"Zetsu...?"
Within an instant, she put both arms on the ground and twisted her body, launching an uppercut kick. As the flower petals floated around, Flora jumped and engaged the Zetsuborg mid-air. Punch, chop, guard, guard again, punch again, spin, and kick. Flora relentlessly gave the Zetsuborg a barrage of constant attacks.
"That is..." Clarice did not turn her eyes away from the shining figure in the sky. Slowly, she clenched her fist.
If Olivia was there with her, then...
Suddenly, a bright light came out of her pocket.
"Oi, seriously..." She heard Leon comment from the side.
Bringing out the lit-up thing from her pocket, she saw that it was the key from before.
"Lady Atlee!" She turned her head when she heard Leon calling her. "Use this!"
"Eh?" She was caught off-guard when Leon threw something at her. Scrambling herself to catch the thrown item, she let out a sigh of relief when she caught it safely. "What is this?"
It was a perfume bottle, she realized. She turned the bottle around in her hand as she puzzled over Leon's words. Looking at the keyhole, she understood.
Putting the blue key inside the keyhole, Clarice's sight was blinded by the bright light that suddenly emanated from the bottle and the key.
Clarice opened her eyes to see a vast space full of turquoise color.
"This is..."
"Welcome," she heard a dignified voice calling out to her. Looking around, she found an elegant green-haired girl around her age who was smiling at her. "I've been waiting for you."
"Who are you?"
"Minami Kaidou. Your predecessor," she curtsied. Her green hair swayed as she bowed her head. "I know you have many questions. I shall endeavor to answer all of them."
"That girl... it was really Olivia, then?"
"Indeed. That girl is Cure Flora. The Legendary Warrior Princess Precure," Minami nodded.
"Then... what is that monster? And that floating guy? What about Jilk, and why is he inside the cage? What did that guy mean by Jilk's dream? How did he know about it?"
"That monster is Zetsuborg; a dream made manifest and twisted into monsters. That floating guy is not someone I know, but I assume he is the new general of Dysdark. I don't know this Jilk, but if he is inside the cage, then that means his dream is taken away from him. It's dangerous because you will be trapped for eternity once you're trapped inside unless your dream essence is returned to you. A moment before someone's dream is taken and turned into Zetsuborg, they usually manifest, and the people in the vicinity can see them clearly. I assume that's how he knows about this Jilk's dream," Minami answered.
"I see..." Clarice replied as she digested the information.
"You are here, inside your heart. I reached out to you once you put your Dress-Up Key inside the Princess Perfume. I want to talk," Minami took Clarice's hand and dragged her down to sit. "May I your name?"
"Clarice fia Atlee, thank you for your answer, Lady Kaidou."
"Oh, it's been long since I've been called Lady Kaidou," Minami chuckled. "Lady Clarice. Am I allowed to call you that?"
She got a nod from Clarice before she continued.
"Tell me, Lady Clarice, what is your dream?"
"My dream..." She had two dreams. One was marrying Jilk to make her parents, who arranged for them, happy. The second was expanding the Atlee family business so that it could prosper and she could help the people under her.
"That's a nice dream. Respectable too," Minami suddenly said, surprising her.
"How-"
"This is your heart, remember?" Minami pointed at the big screen, which suddenly appeared in front of them. On the screen, the dream she had just thought was displayed for Minami to see.
"But..." Now she had to discard her dream of marrying Jilk. She wouldn't be able to reach it when Jilk's own dream was to marry Marie.
"That's fine," Minami pointed out. "It's okay to discard one dream and choose a new one. You might not be able to get your dream, but nobody says you can't have a new one."
She pointed at her own self. "I, too, changed my course. At first, I was proud of my family and wanted to continue the family business. However, as time goes, and with support from everyone, I changed my dream. In the end, I made it comes true."
Her happy ending with Jilk might be out of reach, but that didn't mean she couldn't reach for something greater. She still had her dream of expanding her family business too. Rather than focusing on something she couldn't win, with Jilk continuing to ignore her, it was better to focus on another within her reach.
Taking a deep breath, Clarice's eyes turned serious. She had decided. "Thank you, Lady Kaidou. Now I'm ready."
After getting her question answered, Clarice pieced things together, especially when she saw that Olivia did the same before transforming into Cure Flora. Clarice was to become a new Princess Precure.
"One more thing. I don't claim to understand your relationship with this Jilk you're longing for. But, do you understand the consequence of being a Princess Precure and fighting the Zetsuborg?"
Clarice fell silent.
Deep down, she knew. But she didn't dare to voice her affirmation for fear of breaking down.
"I see. Then I'm satisfied," Minami nodded. She then grasped Clarice's shoulder. "I don't want you to have any regrets, Lady Clarice."
"I don't know if I will be happy, but one thing is for sure..." Clarice forced a smile. "I will never regret this."
If she turned into a Princess Precure and helped Flora fight the Zetsuborg, then it basically meant she would help keep Jilk's dream of marrying Marie alive. Were she an evil villainess, she could have let Jilk and his dream be trapped for eternity. That way, even if she couldn't have his heart, that harlot Marie wouldn't have him either.
But...
She loved Jilk. There was no doubt about it. She loved her fiance. She still loved him even after he left and ignored her for the past weeks. It was unreasonable, she knew, but she couldn't help it. She loved him. And because she loved him, she was prepared to do anything to keep his dream alive, even if his dream was to marry someone else.
Loving was not possessing. To love Jilk did not mean that she had to have his heart.
After all...
Letting go was another form of love, wasn't it?
Her determination was mirrored in her eyes. Minami smiled as she looked at her.
"I'm proud of you, Lady Clarice."
Clarice nodded, not trusting herself to say anything lest her emotion spilled.
"Then, Follow after me."
"Precure! Princess Engage!"
Pouring all her emotion, Clarice shouted. She put the key into the keyhole on the perfume bottle, and within seconds, the bottle was filled with blue liquid. Once it was full, Clarice sprayed it around her body. From her legs, it went up to her body and then her arms. Each time it sprayed her body with its blue liquid, it glowed brightly. She then opened both her arms, and sudden showers of water splashed onto her body; each splash turned the lights into boots, gloves, and a dress. It wasn't complete yet as she resprayed the liquid, and it coalesced into a ball of water. The water ball popped, and from inside came out an ornate golden tiara. Without command, she put the tiara on top of her head, and her brown-colored hair grew longer and covered in light. In an instant, the glow died down, and its color was now an ocean blue, flowing down in a curled ponytail. Her bangs had purple streaks to complement the ocean blue color.
Once she was finished, Clarice took a look at her entire body. With a smile on her face, she curtsied toward Minami, who replied in kind.
"Now, together with me."
"Princess of the Crystal Clear Seas! Cure Mermaid!"
"You look dashing, Lady Clarice," Minami had a nostalgic look on her face as if she was recalling all the memories she had on her journey fighting Dysdark.
"Thank you, Lady Kaidou. I'm sure you were even more amazing than me."
"...Make me proud, okay?" There were tears in Minami's eyes, but she tried to hold back for appearance's sake. "I really miss the good times with my friends."
Minami's body was then enveloped by the same turquoise light covering Clarice. She realized that it was time for them to part ways forever.
"Lady Kaidou! Thank you very much!"
"It was the least I could do for my successor."
"I will cherish the time I spend with all my friends! So that in the future, I can have the same look as the one you have now!"
The light turned brighter, forcing Clarice to close her eyes.
When she opened it again, she had already left the place she was before and found herself back on the Academy ground.
"Senpai!"
"Flora... Call me Mermaid," she greeted her companion as Flora ran to her excitedly.
"Mermaid!"
Clarice smiled at her softly. "I think that's enough name-calling. We have something else to do, haven't we?"
"Right!"
Both of them looked at the Zetsuborg.
"O dream entrapped within the frozen cage! I shall reclaim you now! Do prepare yourself!"
Flora wasted no time leaping towards the Zetsuborg. Mermaid followed close behind. The Zetsuborg did not wait for them and threw his crown in their direction. Flora dodged by a hair's breadth and continued approaching the Heart Zetsuborg. Having seen the attack before, Mermaid realized it would return to the Zetsuborg.
"Haaaaaa!" Mid-air, she kicked the crown away from its trajectory.
"Zetsu!" It shouted in surprise.
As Mermaid thought, it wasn't some sort of magnetism that made the crown come back to it. Rather, it operated in principle similar to a boomerang, even if it was aerodynamically impossible to have a circular object behaving like a boomerang. She guessed it was a magical property of the Zetsuborg itself.
With its sole projectile weapon neutralized, Flora was free to wreak havoc upon the Zetsuborg. Punch, dodge, kick, block, twist, and punch again when it was open!
Mermaid followed through by jumping to the sky and letting gravity do the rest.
"Take this!" She descended from above and kicked it in the head.
"Boooorrg!"
The Zetsuborg shouted in pain when Mermaid's feet met its body.
"Now, Mermaid! Use Mode Elegant!" Mermaid heard Leon shouting from below.
She nodded before inserting the key into the perfume again.
"Exchange! Mode Elegant!"
In an instant, her entire body was covered by a bright light. When it receded, her dress had now changed. Before, it was a puffy skirt, but now it was down to her ankle. Mermaid smiled when the long skirt gave her the reminiscent of a mermaid.
Extending her arms, balls of water appeared from the ground, circling above her.
"Roar, O Sea! Precure, Mermaid Ripple!"
The balls of water melded into one big ring, and once she pushed her arms upwards, it shot an immense torrent of water toward the Zetsuborg.
"Dreaming..." It muttered as it was purified back into the essence of dreams amidst the waterdrops.
"Farewell," Mermaid said as she curtsied.
"A new Princess Precure, huh? I must report this to Lord Dyspear," Steal remarked before opening a portal somewhere and entering it.
"Mermaid!" Flora approached her. She also saw Leon run towards her from a distance with Fragrance in his arms.
"Flora..." She was embraced by the happy Flora upon her arrival. "Wai-" Surprised, she couldn't keep her balance, and both of them tumbled on the ground.
"I'm so happy, Mermaid!"
"Well, first, I should say welcome to the team, Cure Mermaid." Leon put Fragrance on the ground and greeted them.
"That really surprised me-fura. I never expected Clarice to become Cure Mermaid!" Fragrance jumped towards Mermaid's arms.
Stroking the cat's fur, Mermaid's expression softened.
"To be honest, after asking around about the Atlee family, I kind of suspected it," Leon confessed. "It's why I didn't hesitate to throw the Princess Perfume bottle to you. I know you will become the next Princess Precure."
"What-fura?! How come?!"
"Yeah!"
Both Fragrance and Flora questioned Leon.
"I know everyone here comes from noble families. But when I asked around, people surprisingly had a good opinion of you. Though I had to assure some of them that I don't have the slightest intention to hurt you before they answered."
...That must have been her followers, Clarice sighed.
"From there, I also get the information about your family's airbike business. And then there is the fact that you're our senior," Leon continued, nodding to himself. "That's a carbon copy of Kaidou's life at Noble Academy, believe it or not."
Flora linked her hands together with stars appearing in her eyes. "How wonderful! Please tell us more about the previous Cure Mermaid, Leon!"
"Right, right. Before that, there is one more thing that you need to do, Cure Mermaid," Leon pointed out at the black cage imprisoning the unconscious form of Jilk fia Marmoria.
"...That's right," Clarice nodded. Here she was, facing the form of her fiance.
"Mermaid, if it's still too hard for you, then I can do it," Flora offered her a way out.
She sent a grateful smile towards the earnest girl but shook her head. While it was generous of Flora, this was not something she could leave to the other girl. No, because it was Jilk, Mermaid-no, Clarice fia Atlee had to be the one facing his unconscious body and releasing his dream, not anyone else.
Exhaling, Mermaid straightened her heart and brought up her Dress-Up Key.
"Open! Door to the dreams!"
She inserted the key and twisted it, releasing Jilk from his imprisonment. It was at this moment that the vision entered everyone's sight.
Marie entered his room. "Dear, it's time to take a break."
Jilk rose up from his seat and kneeled upon Marie. "My love... thank you!"
He opened his hand, ready to take Marie's own. Once Marie got the clue, she extended hers to Jilk's open palm, and without waiting, Jilk kissed it gently.
"I must help King Julius in keeping the kingdom prospering. But sometimes, I always lose myself in my work. Thank you for being there with me, Marie..."
"Of course, you are the one I love the most, after all."
"And you are also the one I love the most," Jilk replied in kind. "I'm happy I can call you my wife."
Marie averted her eyes from Jilk, blush imminent on her cheeks.
The dream then faded. Jilk opened his eyes.
"Marie! Wait, that creepy man! Where is he?! I must keep Marie safe!" Jilk immediately looked around, looking for Marie's figure. When he found none, he stood up and began to run.
"Marie!"
He never realized that he was being observed from nearby. Behind some trees, Olivia, Leon, and Clarice, together with Fragrance in Clarice's arms, looked on as Jilk's form slowly left their sight.
"...Is it really okay?"
Olivia quietly asked Clarice.
"It is. I'm ready to let him go. And yet..." Clarice answered. Her voice started to crack halfway through her sentence. Even if her heart was unwavering, actually saying it was a different matter altogether.
Slowly but surely, the dam holding back her emotion cracked.
"Senpai..." Olivia trailed off, seeing the condition of her senior. Without any prompt, she hugged Clarice.
"Why? Why does it hurt so much?" Clarice asked between her sobs.
Nobody answered for none of them had experienced the same feeling. Any answers from them would just be platitudes that wouldn't help Clarice.
Olivia then stroked Clarice's head and aimed so that she was crying on her shoulder instead. "Let it all out, Senpai."
And so Clarice did.
A/N: Clarice joined the party! Why did I make her Cure Mermaid? Well, as Leon said, she has some similarities with Kaidou Minami, the previous Cure Mermaid. Aside from that, I don't know, but I do love what I write; a brokenhearted woman being healed by her junior and entertained by the fight between the mob and the mascot. Fun fact, I wrote the early parts with Gyaru!Clarice in mind before I checked wiki and manga and remembered that Clarice was a Seiso before her broken engagement. Jilk was alone with Marie because it was a Jilk event instead of group events. Where is Marie? Of course she was running away once she saw Jilk captured. I actually had a funny alternative ending scene where Jilk saw Cure Mermaid and his heart wavered between Marie and Mermaid, but the tone would clash with the tragic heroine vibes Clarice exudes, so I choose the more bittersweet ending where Clarice learn to love and let go instead of running away and resent Jilk. Ah fuck, I really love the fact that Clarice still choose to free Jilk's dream of marrying Marie and moving on. That's a serious best girl vibes!