Chapter 96: My Feelings For…
Disclaimer:
Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter and now we get back to the canon, kinda ;). I'm enjoying writing about the Star Festival and it's a great opportunity to develop some characters, so I think it's worth it.
That also brings me onto my next point. A guest gave a review of the last chapter and called it a "crappy chapter" and to get back to the canon as they were skipping through it all. Well, unfortunately for you, I will not be doing what you say :). If you just want to go through the canon, there's a manga and anime called "Black Clover" that you may enjoy. Clearly, you don't understand what happens on this site. (Fans make/adapt their own versions of a story…). I understand that I stray from canon with all the OCs and different plot points that I'm weaving in but, again, that's the point of this site :).
There are references to events in past chapters to help with foreshadowing and whatnot. Here they are:
Chapter 10, 21, 29, 61
With that said, I hope you enjoy!
"I sure hope things are alright…".
Mimosa, along with the rest of the group, were standing around in anticipation to see either Lucas, Daisy, or hopefully both, return with smiles. The Vermillion ended up sitting down on a stool and rested her elbows on the round table in front of her.
"My plans for tonight hit a block… kinda. We did a lot of activities that I had planned but I didn't think we'd be with so many others. I mean, I am having fun but…", she brought her hands to her chest to feel her beating heart. "No, don't lose heart, Mimosa, you still have a few hours left!"
While Mimosa was in her own head, she didn't even notice the person coming up to her from the side. This person bent down and showed the royal an ice-cream cone, practically shoving it in her face.
"Here, on me!" Kahono smiled, showing that she had another cone in her free hand.
The royal looked up and past the pink and white umbrella that shadowed the table. She saw the Song mage and smiled. "Oh, wow, thanks!" Mimosa smiled with her mouth wide open. She accepted the treat and the teen sat down next to her.
"I wasn't sure what flavour to get you so I went with the safe option - vanilla! Everyone loves vanilla ice-cream, right?" Kahono put her thumbs up.
"Haha, you're right. Well, I like chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and ooh! I love mint chocolate and pistachio, oh, and also -".
"You like them all by the sound of it!" Kahono said quickly, giggling afterwards.
Mimosa went red for a few seconds before licking her ice-cream. "Y-Yeah, that is true. What about you?"
The singer repeatedly tapped her cheek with her finger. "Hm, I'm exactly the same! We don't have ice-cream at the Seabed Temple but, sometimes I take a wander around Raquey and buy some from the vendors, hehehe…", she admitted but put her finger by her lips.
"Your secret is safe with me!" Mimosa saluted.
"What secret?" Kiato overheard and walked over.
"Oh, how she buys ice-cream in secret", Mimosa blurted without realising.
"Mimosa!"
"Oops!"
Kahono face-palmed whilst Mimosa kept waving her hands as a form of apology. The red-haired singer looked flustered whilst the latter was sweating.
"Oh, that's not a secret, everyone knows about her little trips outside our home. She's never discreet with it either considering that every time she returns, she only speaks about ice-cream as if she's purposely giving us hints to start making them", Kiato nodded.
Kahono turned red and then let out a sigh, shrugging her shoulders. "I can always count on my lovely brother to expose me…!"
"By the way, what are the others doing?" Kiato asked, looking around. "I don't see them".
"I asked Asta about what activity to do next and he said he'll go look around. Then, I sent Noelle, or rather forced her to go. The three siblings went with them!" Kahono explained. "Maybe something will happen? Hehe…".
"How come you forced her? I doubt she'd react well to something like that", Mimosa tapped her chin as she thought.
"Well…", the two siblings smirked. "Let's see if she makes a move on him with this. If she doesn't, then I'll really have to get serious!" Kahono giggled to herself. After that, she shook her head, seeing as Mimosa was confused. "Well, that's enough of that, let's get to the real business. Kiato, would you like to explain?"
"What's going on?" Mimosa asked, licking her ice-cream.
Kiato put his hand near his mouth as if to mask what he was about to say. "Well… My sister and I have noticed something quite important. I hope it's alright for me to say and, since the others aren't around - You like Lucas, don't you?"
Mimosa tensed up and was about to deny what he said, but she quickly relaxed a few seconds later. "I got a bit nervous there but…", she sighed and put her head in her hands. "I'm tired of acting like I don't when I really, really do…".
Kiato pumped his fist. "So, the two of us were bang on, haha", he put his thumb up. "I don't think I'll mention Daisy since letting Mimosa know that practically all of us know about her crush may be slightly off-putting…".
"Woohoo, we were right!" Kahono winked.
"Usually I'd just try to brush off the comment but my friends in the squad all know and well, so do you two. I can't keep hiding it, I don't want to hide it anymore, but it's still nerve-wracking! How do I go on from here?" Mimosa asked, feeling defeated.
The dancer put his finger to the side of his head. "Well, you have to confirm your feelings and then, if you're able to, let him know!"
"To tell you the truth, the whole triple date thing was made specifically for you and Noelle. Daisy was really pumped up for it", Kahono added.
"What?! Then when you three were talking about the pairings… H-Hang on, wait a minute, then Daisy knows about my crush?!" Mimosa gasped and flinched which unfortunately made her ice-cream fall to the floor.
Kiato face-palmed upon hearing what his sister said. "I told myself I wouldn't mention Daisy but Kahono here just does whatever!"
The royal put her hands to her head and kept shaking herself. "If she knows… and she helped make this plan, then does that really mean that she doesn't like Lucas in that way? She… did admit that he was just a friend to her… Was that the truth? Hm, if it is then can I really…?"
As Mimosa thought deeply about what to do, the one that she definitely did not expect to see at that exact moment coincidentally showed up.
"Yoohoo!" Daisy saluted with her free hand with the other one around Mimosa's shoulders. She brought the royal towards her and smiled. "Missed me?"
Feeling the contact, she jumped. "D-D-Daisy?!" Mimosa exclaimed, grabbing the attention of the other three. She was still half-thinking about her knowing about her crush on Lucas when she happened to show up.
As Kiato and Kahono walked up to Daisy, one Black Bull and the three of the younger Calors also returned.
"Ah, it's Big Sis!" Grace, Sonia, and Chloe shouted as they ran up to her.
"Hey, you guys… I trust you didn't cause too many problems?" Daisy smiled with her eyes closed.
Noelle also joined in and now there was a circle around the Ice mage, all eyes focusing on her.
"There you are! We were worried sick about y- well, the others were! I knew you'd be okay since Lucas went to get you but you shouldn't just disappear like that, hmph!" Noelle sighed and turned her head away as if she was trying to be strict.
"Did we do something to annoy you? Maybe I assumed too much and came off too strong…", Kahono apologised.
"We don't know each other well enough, so maybe that played into you leaving. We're sorry!" Kiato bowed repeatedly.
Daisy kept waving her hands across her face. She was sweating with worry and the nerves were getting strong as she took in all the reactions.
"N-No, it had nothing to do with you lot! I just… I had to-!"
"She just really had to go to the toilet!"
A shout from outside the immediate circle was heard. The seven people around Daisy turned to face the voice whilst the one in the middle was stuck still, her face reddening further as the seconds went by.
Lucas was walking up with his right hand around his mouth, cupping it so that his voice could travel further. His left hand was occupied with Alice holding onto it.
"We're all back", Lucas smiled, waving at everyone.
"Big Sis…", Alice said softly as she walked over to Daisy.
"The t-toilet…", Kiato said with as straight a face as he could make.
"Hm, well you can never judge how desperate the bathroom could be for a girl", Kahono nodded.
Then, eyes fell on Daisy who was on the floor on all fours. Her face was as red as a tomato and sweat was forming into a puddle right below her face.
"Y-Yeah, I just really had to go…". Daisy struggled to say as she bit her lip with a sense of frustration. She looked at everyone slyly, checking if they were judging her but there was no sense of that. Instead, she realised that one face was missing.
"Where's Asta?"
"Hey, guys! You'll never guess what I spotte- Oh, you're all back!"
Now, all eyes turned to the voice that was coming from elsewhere. It was Asta and he ran back to join everyone.
"Everything is all good now, I assume? Your ki was odd the whole time earlier but it seems like it's gotten better now", Asta pointed out.
"Y-Yeah, all good now…", she smiled.
"That's good. Oh, right, I found this huge haunted house a few streets down that way! I think it'll be really fun if we all go!"
Everyone looked at one another and the general consensus was 'yes' but there was one that objected to the immediate idea, and it was none other than Daisy who had her hand up.
"Um, Rebecca is waiting for me just nearby and I thought I'd spend the rest of the festival with her. Uh, I know I caused you all to worry and I'm sorry to leave you all, and um…", she carried on but a hand on her shoulder made her stop. She looked to the right and saw that it was Lucas.
"Don't worry about it! We'll probably see each other again at the concert or at the awards ceremony anyway", he smiled with a thumbs up to her.
"Y-Yeah, I'll make sure to see you all then!" Daisy waved.
"Thank you for having us…!" The four younger siblings jumped and waved.
"Bye bye!"
"Nice to meet ya!"
The singer-dancer duo waved their new friend away.
"See you in a bit!" Asta, Noelle, and Mimosa shouted.
"Good luck, Noelle, and you too, Mimosa!" The Ice mage shouted as she walked further away. She winked as she looked at the two cousins, giggling slightly.
"Huh, what is she wishing us for?" Noelle wondered.
"Don't tell me… Well, since she knows about my crush, and she's supporting me… then I'll take all the good luck I can get!" Mimosa thought to herself, pumping her fists.
Lucas was the last to wave but, when he did, he made sure to use his right hand which showed off his newly-acquired silver-chained bracelet.
Daisy returned all the gestures and then used her left hand for Lucas, brandishing her own gift that she received.
The large group had become smaller now with Daisy and her siblings leaving. Asta was taking the remaining ones to a haunted house that he saw and he was leading the way with Lucas right next to him.
"Hey, I wanted to ask earlier but what was Daisy's ki telling you?" Lucas asked.
"Hm, it was weird since it was different from pure sadness. It was like it was a mix of a lot of different emotions and I couldn't quite pinpoint which ones, and that was why I didn't really bring it up beforehand since I didn't know where to start asking", Asta replied, hands behind his head. "Anyway, I think that weird ki was gone when she came back. You had something to do with that, right? You are a great friend to her".
The smile from Asta was enough to make Lucas smile back at him. He kept on walking beside him and saw the building come up in front of them.
It was largely black, brown, and grey with cobwebs adorning large parts of the structure. A fenced area was around the building with a few lanterns around the edge, dimly lighting up the space.
"Ooh, I don't know about this…", Mimosa said to herself as she started to shake.
"Wow, Mimosa, I didn't think you were such a scaredy cat", Noelle replied, flicking her ponytail. "Something like this is no match for me!"
"Have you ever seen something like this?" Lucas asked Asta.
"No, never, which is why I really wanna go inside!" He replied, stars in his eyes.
Kiato and Kahono exchanged sly glances and chuckled.
"We won't join you in this since the ice-cream from earlier is taking its time to settle, so why don't you four go in pairs and beat the haunted house?" Kahono suggested, holding her stomach.
"H-Hey, I had ice-cream as we-!"
"Nope!"
Mimosa was interrupted and shut down by the collective response of both siblings. The two practically pushed the four in the haunted house with them having no say in the matter. The Magic Knights walked through the entrance and carried on whilst another part of the haunted house was starting to get busy.
Sekke was behind a wall with the reverse side of a painting facing near his head. He was talking to another person right next to him and both were wearing things like white sheets, zombie masks, and red makeup around their eyes and mouths.
"So, to make some easy money, all we have to do is act like monsters and scare the pants off the people who walk by. This'll be easy, bah-ha!" The Bronze mage chuckled.
"Sounds good! Shall we go first and then you?" The other guy asked to which Sekke nodded.
The first pairing to come by were Lucas and Mimosa who were slowly walking through the eerie building.
"I'm really not good with things like this…", Mimosa said, trying to conceal a whimper.
"I'm not sure what to think about these things. Like Asta, I've never been in one before", Lucas replied. "You can walk closer if you want considering you're…", he said before he turned to look at the royal who was all the way across the hallway from him. "... that far away".
Mimosa sweat-dropped and wiped her hands on her clothes. "I'm all sweaty from the nerves now. On top of the haunted house being scary, I'm now quite conscious about Lucas and how to act around him. I'm sure those two made me pair up with Lucas as part of their matchmaking plan!"
The royal slowly got closer and closer to Lucas and the pair entered the room. There were pieces of furniture lying all around in various positions. The chairs were upside down, the tables had fallen on the floor, and there were cobwebs in the corners of the room.
As the two made their way, noises could be heard from all around the room. There were bumps, the sound of someone blowing air, and things being knocked over.
"Did you just… k-knock that painting over?" Mimosa pointed at the wall beside them.
"N-No… I swear it moved on its own…!" Lucas replied, inching closer to Mimosa until their shoulders touched.
Not reacting to the contact as she was too focused on her surroundings, Mimosa quickly turned her head to a bit of movement in the corner. With a whisper, she leaned in towards Lucas's ear.
"I think there's someone else in here w-w-w-with us…!"
Lucas gulped but stepped in front of the Plant mage. He took her right hand with his left and the two inched closer to the corner where they thought someone was. This time, Mimosa definitely noticed the touch as she started to go red but didn't say anything.
With his free hand, he touched the sheet that they thought was moving but he immediately jumped back as the white cloth rose up, revealing a figure underneath with blood all over its face.
"ARGH, HOW DARE YOU DISTURB ME IN MY HOUSE!"
"AHHHHH!" The two screamed and started running around the room, holding one another's hands as tightly as possible. They tried to find the exit only to be met with a firmly-shut, white door in front of them.
"This has to be the exit!" Lucas pushed the door with a lot of strength until it flung open. However, it only revealed something else other than the outside that they hoped was waiting for them.
It was the same white sheet with the person huddled underneath it. Upon closer inspection, this monster had what looked to be blood pouring from its eyes as if it had been crying.
"NOOOOO!" The two shouted and pulled the doorknob back, shutting the door once again.
The pair went through the room for a good few minutes before finally finding the right exit which led them outside. Lucas and Mimosa stumbled through until they left the area and leaned against the fence outside of the building, taking their time to recover their sanity.
"Th-That was…".
"Awesome!"
"Wait what…?"
Lucas had his right hand on his beating heart but Mimosa's praise for their experience was what shocked him the most.
"I thought you said you weren't good with scary stuff like that", he asked.
"I mean… I'm not, but you can't lie and say that wasn't fun! Running around like kids, away from whatever was chasing us - It was exciting!" Mimosa smiled.
"When you put it like that, I guess you're right, haha!" Lucas replied.
The two kept laughing but it eventually came to a halt when they realised something. Both their eyes shifted lower and lower until they got to their hands and saw that they were still tightly holding onto each other.
Lucas quickly let go and fiddled with his collar. "W-Wow… I'm a bit sweaty after a-all of th-that…!"
Mimosa covered her entire face with her hands, one being much warmer than the other. She couldn't say anything except for a few, short squeals even in her own head.
From nearby, Kiato and Kahono smiled at their reactions and fist-bumped each other.
"Looks like Pair 1 was a success! It was right to push Mimosa in since it looks like they got closer!" Kahono squealed, her tongue changing into the shape of a heart.
"A moment of uncertain danger can make two people closer than ever!" Kiato added, putting his hands together and spinning on the spot.
"Now, if Asta and Noelle go the same route they should come out the same as those two. I can't wait to see her in his arms, hehehe!" Kahono thought as she looked at the haunted house once more.
Inside the building, the second pairing were walking through a separate hallway. They reached the first room and were walking through without much care for what was around them.
"I thought this place was supposed to be scary", Noelle said, standing tall with her arms folded.
"Well, we only just entered the room so maybe things will start scaring us in a bit!" Asta replied, looking around.
They walked towards a wall on the right which had a picture of a ghost hanging loosely as it was moving ever so slightly from side-to-side.
"Huh, is this supposed to be the scary thing?" Asta pointed.
"It can't be just that, surely". Noelle looked unimpressed with the ghost and decided to lean closer until the picture was mere inches away from her face.
Eventually, the picture frame fell to the floor and cracked but there was a hole left in the wall. It looked like the frame was covering it and Noelle looked around it.
"Hm, a random hole…?" She got even closer until a figure jumped up and stuck its head out from the hole.
"WHO GOES THERE?!"
The figure that showed up had cracks in its face with red markings around its lips and eyes. Some of its teeth were missing and there were black patches all over its skin as if it had been rotting away. It raised both its arms as if it were going to grab the royal.
"IT'S THE SAME ZOMBIES FROM THE CAPITAL ATTACK!" Asta and Noelle screamed.
Since Noelle was the closest, she reacted first. However, unlike Lucas and Mimosa who responded by running and finding a way out, she decided to do something completely different.
"Here, take this!" Noelle pointed her wand and shot out multiple balls of water which completely soaked and sent the zombie flying.
"Wait, wait, wait… this is getting out of control!" Sekke thought. Underneath his mask, he was panicking as he was now just being attacked.
"You didn't learn your lesson last time, did you?!" Asta shouted, bringing out his Demon-Slayer sword and whacking Sekke across the side which, again, sent him flying.
These attacks went on for a few minutes and everyone on the outside were wondering what on earth was happening. They saw streams and balls of water flying out of the window with loud sounds of breaking and smashing ringing around the entire area.
Eventually, Asta and Noelle managed to leave the room and were breathing heavily with their hands on their knees. The Black Bulls put their weapon and wand away and wiped their foreheads with their arms, getting rid of the sweat.
The first ones to come up to them were the performer duo and Kahono was the one the most animated.
"What on earth… were you doing?!" She shouted, waving her arms and legs about.
"Oh, hi, Kahono. There was an enemy back there and we just defeated it!" Asta put his hands to his hips and smiled.
"It was kinda scary but we saved the Capital once again", Noelle added.
Kahono face-palmed. "They were fakes, you two! They were supposed to scare you!"
"H-Huh… fakes?"
"Ah, so they were fakes!"
Asta and Noelle walked next to each other with the former looking surprised, whilst the latter looked annoyed.
"Well, they were quite obviously fakes, Bakasta. I didn't want you to feel left out so I went along with your childish reactions!" Noelle pouted, her cheeks reddening.
Next to them, Lucas and Mimosa were walking but their conversation was much more calm and friendly.
"You know what? Those haunted houses are quite cool when you think about it. We should make it a thing where we go to one every Star Festival!" Lucas pumped his fists, seeming excited about the prospect.
"Ooh, I'm not sure if I can handle the yearly scares but…", she pictured her holding Lucas's hand in her mind and a smile slowly etched across her face. "... hm, actually… I think I can get used to it… hehe".
As the two pairs walked on, Kiato and Kahono observed both from behind.
"Well, Lucas and Mimosa seem to be a bit closer but it's nothing too different from before. I thought they'd still be holding hands but it seems like they got self-conscious about it", Kiato explained.
"At least there's progress with those two! With Asta and Noelle, one is dense and the other is stubborn. Instead of getting closer in that haunted house, they decided to destroy it!" Kahono pouted, shrugging her shoulders.
"Are we… doing the right thing?"
"Hm?"
Kiato carried on. "Well, we know about the girls but… do we even know if Lucas and Asta feel the same way? Would it be right to force them into something if they don't even see the girls like that?"
Kahono tapped her cheek with her finger as she was deep in thought. "You ask this now but not earlier?" She laughed. "Hm, you bring up a good point. Who wouldn't fall for those two royal beauties but… it is a good question. Let's just ask the boys!" She said as she rushed over to the two Black Bulls.
"Asta!" Kahono called out and got his attention. She grabbed his hand and he followed, leaving Noelle behind and far enough so that she wouldn't hear anything.
"I've been meaning to ask, but… what does Noelle mean to you?" She whispered just in case.
Asta furrowed his brow, looking down at the floor. "What does she mean to me…?" He thought hard.
Whilst Kahono got to work, so did Kiato. He shook his head and then laughed awkwardly. "I guess that leaves me with the two Golden Dawns". He quickened his pace to where the two were and waved. "Yo, can I just borrow Lucas for a quick second, Mimosa?"
Seeing as the Dance mage put his arm around Lucas's shoulder, Mimosa nodded. "Sure, you don't have to ask me anyway!"
"Wh-What's up?" Lucas asked, startled by Kiato's sudden entrance.
He took Lucas a few paces ahead, leaving Mimosa far away enough so that she couldn't hear what was being said.
"Can I ask you something important?" Kiato asked.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Well, you're a guy like me, right?"
"Um, yeah…? What kind of question is that?" Lucas tilted his head, confused.
"And some boys like girls… Is there a specific girl that makes you feel a certain way, you know, in a different way as to other girls. Say… Mimosa, for example?" Kiato rubbed his chin, taking slight glances to the royal who was behind them.
Lucas froze for a second or two. "This again, huh? A few months ago, Melanie asked if I had a girlfriend when I came back to visit and she mentioned both Daisy and Mimosa. It was the same with Vanessa when she asked about liking Daisy in a different way. Now, it's about Mimosa again? Just… What is it with everyone? Why are they so interested in these things? Can I not just be with them as friends?"
Kiato pouted as he saw how silent Lucas was. "Hm, did I end up confusing him? Well, I'll help him out a bit". He brought him closer and asked him; "Specifically, what do you think about her?"
Lucas brought his hand to his chin and looked up to the sky. "What do I think about her…? I think she's -!"
Kiato quickly waved his hands in front of Lucas's face. "Hey, you don't have to answer right now. Just… you know, sit on the question for a while", he smiled and then turned so that he couldn't see his face. "Okay… Now that I've planted the idea in his head, I can leave these two to bond on their own while he thinks about what I said. It's a bit different for Asta and Noelle who need some guidance, hehe… Ooh, I have an idea!"
The dancer turned back to Lucas and shouted to Mimosa. "Hey, come over here for a second", he said and she joined up. "I've got an idea for a performance that I want to do in a bit. It's kind of like the street performance we did earlier. Can I count on you two to help me out?"
Lucas and Mimosa exchanged looks and pointed at themselves. "H-Huh, us two help you out?"
"It's nothing too difficult! Just um…", he coughed to give himself some time. "To be honest, I just want them two to go off on their own for a bit, but I need an excuse. Hmm… I guess it'll do…", he coughed again. "Can you two get me some flowers, please?"
Lucas had stars in his eyes upon hearing the topic. "Flowers, huh? I can do that!"
"I forgot he likes his flowers", Mimosa smiled. "I'll help out. Will any type do?"
"Sure! I'll leave it up to you two!" Kiato nodded before walking away towards Kahono.
Lucas turned to Mimosa. "Shall we get going, then?" He smiled.
"Hm, this place looks familiar…".
Lucas turned his head around, looking at the buildings around him. It was different to the streets of the Royal Capital, but also quite similar in a certain way. The huge hubbub and the busy buzz of the festival had dwindled down as the two walked on.
"It should look familiar to you. It's the place I showed you and Yuno around when you first joined the squad, remember? Not to mention, the place where you had your entrance exam", Mimosa replied, pointing to her head repeatedly.
He scratched his chin and then clapped his hands. "Wait, this is Kikka? Then that means this is the Common Realm. How are we here when we were just in the Royal Capital?"
"Kikka borders the Noble Realm so you can find yourself travelling through quite easily. Most of the border around the two realms are just plain and rocky grasslands but Kikka is one of the only castle towns that actually stretches across the border", Mimosa answered.
Lucas nodded. "Oh, that's quite cool. How big must the Star Festival be that it goes over into Kikka?"
"You haven't experienced anything yet, haha. In the coming years, you'll understand just how big this festival really is! Besides, Asta, Noelle, and the others aren't too far away either", she replied. "We did use our brooms to get here after all".
"You know, when Kiato said about helping him with his performance, I thought he was asking us to sing and dance with him. I… am not cut out for that, I'll tell you that much!" Lucas laughed, forming an 'X' with his arms.
"Hm…", Mimosa pondered for a few seconds. "I'd be quite intrigued to see how you dance, hehe", she smiled.
"Never tried it so I assume not very well! What about you - have you ever danced?"
"Yeah, I've had a bit of experience. House Vermillion occasionally throws parties that I have to attend. Also, when I was young, I had dance parties all the time! Noelle used to come and her dancing was… let's say… raw", she giggled before looking at her squad mate again. "Maybe… you can come round next time to d-dance…", she stuttered as she said, her cheeks starting to blush.
Lucas looked up into the air, imagining himself dancing. First he started to spin, and then he fell to the floor almost immediately. "Ugh… Well, if it ever comes to that I'll need a good teacher!"
"Oh no…".
Instead of a reply to Lucas's suggestion, he saw Mimosa's shocked face as she suddenly stopped. He was about to ask what was wrong but, as he followed her line of sight, he got his answer anyway. A few metres in front of the two, the flower store that they were headed to was broken and smashed into.
The two rushed over and saw that the door was broken through near the handle. Next to the door, the glass windows were smashed with the flower displays all trampled on and destroyed.
"Forced entry?" Lucas theorised as he looked around.
"Seems like it. It's just a flower shop, why would peop-!" Mimosa started to say but some noise from inside the store made her jump. She turned to Lucas and both of them nodded.
Mimosa slowly pushed the door, making sure it wouldn't creak as it moved. As she did, Lucas entered and used his left hand to generate some light in the dark space.
The light illuminated the area and revealed how much of a mess was inside. There were torn flower petals all over the floor with muddy footprints covering each inch. There were signs of force and also broken glass around the edges where the windows were.
"Whoever did this made a big mess". Lucas knelt down to examine the footprints.
"True. With how it looks, the crime wasn't calculated either, but frenzied", Mimosa replied.
"Ah, you're finally here. Hm, well, the damage is done already so you can leave now".
A sudden voice spoke up from the corner of the room. Lucas directed his light over and it showed that it was an elderly man sitting in the corner on a small chair.
The two mages walked over and Mimosa cleared her throat.
"Sorry, what do you mean? We just came here looking for flowers and saw the worrying state your store was in".
The elderly man sighed. "Don't act as if you care. I know you're trying to save face but you Magic Knights are all the same".
Lucas and Mimosa shrugged at each other, confused as to what he was hinting at.
"Um, we really don't understand what you mean", Lucas said as he walked over, standing next to Mimosa.
The man sighed once again before getting off his chair. He walked over to the smashed-in door and opened it.
"I was standing right here a few hours ago, about to close up shop for the night. Due to the fact that I couldn't get a permit to sell my goods in the capital for the festival, I had to settle here where business was slow as a lot of potential customers were where the activities were. As I went to close, two men came up to me asking for a handful of flowers but, when I told them the prices, they got angry and violent with me. To be honest, them asking for flowers was minor - I believe they came looking for trouble".
Lucas's face turned to anger whilst Mimosa's turned to sadness. She reached over with her hand but the man just turned his back on her.
"Did they… hurt you in any way?" She asked, bringing her outstretched hand back.
"You could say that. Although they didn't hurt me physically, they did hurt my livelihood. All this…", he looked around despairingly. "... To fix it is out of question", he sighed.
"What about the nightly patrols? There should be Magic Knights stationed in quieter parts of each realm on nights like these. I'm sure there are patrols in Kikka, especially as it's a castle town". Mimosa walked outside, turning her head to each street in hopes of seeing another Magic Knight.
The elderly man widened his eyes but they weren't of surprise, just of anger. "You really don't get it, do you? Whilst my store was getting destroyed, I called out to a Magic Knight who happened to be walking by. Do you know what he did? He laughed and walked away, leaving me in the state that you see me in now".
The man walked closer to Lucas so that the light would show more of him. His clothing was average but there was considerable patchwork all around with a lot of threads becoming loose and dangling down on the sides. His face was wrinkly and his eyes were dull as if there was no light behind them.
"How could a Magic Knight do such a thing?!" Lucas raised his voice, rubbing his face in frustration. "Sir, is there anything we can do? Do you know the direction these people went in?"
"No, boy, I was busy trying to fix my store but then I realised there was no point".
Mimosa rummaged around in her satchel, bringing out her coin pouch. "I can pay… for all the damages that were done. We might not be able to catch the ones who did all this but… I can do this much!"
"I don't want your charity".
"With this money, you'll be able to fix things…", she continued, shaking as she tried handing her money over.
"I'm telling you. I don't want it and I don't want to hear anymore from you", the man raised his voice.
Mimosa carried on. She was panicking but her kindness was still trying to shine through her downhearted feelings. She put her coin pouch in front of the man, hoping he'd finally accept but the expression on his face only told one story.
Seeing his face, Lucas was about to put his hand on his squad mate's shoulder. "M-Mimosa, I don't think you shoul-!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Mimosa said her bit first.
"Please, Sir… Just take the money!"
However, as she pleaded with the man, the man started to grit his teeth in anger. He raised his hand and slapped the coin pouch away and it landed on the streets, coins spilling out and falling on the floor.
"I told you… GET OUT!"
With the door slammed shut on the two Magic Knights, silence resumed in the quiet town of Kikka. The street lamps started to flicker and extinguish.
Lucas and Mimosa were flying back to the streets of the Royal Capital on their brooms. The cold, evening air breezed past the two mages but the silence between the two remained.
The Dual mage looked at the one in front. "That whole situation was tough for both of us but Mimosa took it worse than me. She actively tried to make things better which only made the man angrier. Hmph, she still did more than me though…".
As the two flew, Mimosa eventually turned around and feigned a smile. "Ha, it seems like Kiato will have to make do without the flowers for the performance!"
"Mimosa…".
"Maybe if we were quicker, we could've got those flowers for him!" She slammed her fist on her open palm.
"It happened hours ago…".
"Perhaps I should've asked to meet at Kikka at the start. Then we'd have found the culprits!"
"You had no way of knowing…".
Everytime Mimosa tried to smile and blame herself for what happened, Lucas tried to bring her back into reality. He hurried the pace at which he was flying, now beside the royal.
"The actual ones that are at fault are the ones who vandalised and destroyed the man's store, as well as the Magic Knight who ignored his pleas for help", Lucas reiterated.
"Yeah, but… maybe if I was friendlier, he'd have accepted my he-".
"You can't keep blaming yourself for this, Mimosa. Listen…". Lucas sped up so he was slightly in front of her. He turned around and was now flying backwards on his broom. "Obviously, we'll report this and all, but… it seems like this affected you quite a bit", he said.
Mimosa's fake smile finally went away, being replaced with a frown after a big sigh. She dropped her shoulders and nodded. "You're right. The whole situation just… reminded me of Noelle.
"Of Noelle?"
"Do you know why Noelle uses a wand for her magic?" Mimosa asked.
"For her magic control, right? I heard that she's not that good with it", Lucas replied.
"Correct. Despite her training and training, no matter if it was in secret or not, she couldn't get her magic in control unless it was through that wand that she bought a few months ago", she replied.
Lucas was about to say something as he was confused where this conversation was leading to. However, he stayed silent as Mimosa was about to go further into it anyway.
"It was a few years ago…".
FLASHBACK - FIVE YEARS AGO:
"Ahhhh!" A young, short-haired girl fell to the grassy floor in a clumsy tumble. Her vermillion hair was covered in dirt and twigs, and she tried her best to brush the mess away.
"Come on, Mimosa! You're so clumsy... I wonder what you'd do without me!" Another young girl with silver hair that twisted down into two thin ponytails spoke. She extended her hand towards Mimosa who happily took the gentle invitation.
"Haha, Noelle! You're the best!" The young royal laughed as she pulled herself back up.
The two cousins kept on walking with each other, Mimosa slightly behind as she was trying not to trip over again.
"Hey, Mimosa. Your magic revolves around nature, right? I was thinking, to help you practice we should be outside all around nature!" Noelle smiled. "We're only ten-year-olds but nothing hurts practicing... I mean... I'm only here to practice myself but thought you might get some good out of it! That's one of the reasons I brought you here!" The Silva blushed.
It was during this time where Noelle was feeling severely outcasted by her family. The way they treated her was not the best and she didn't have a single person she could turn to... that was except for when Mimosa had come to visit.
Despite having terrible magic control, Noelle did her best to support her cousin from the Vermillion family. Although she masked it with annoyance, Mimosa knew that Noelle had the best intentions.
At the start, Noelle was always there for me when it came to practicing with my magic. Even though training was looked down upon when you're a royal, especially if you're from the Silva family, she still chose to take on that burden to help me out.
We snuck out all the time; We shot blasts of our magic at trees, planted and watered seeds, used our magic to play with each other. It was fun being with her.
Then, four years after that…
"Wow! Your magic control is impressive, not to mention your recovery abilities are very powerful! Who taught you?" One of the royal guards spoke to Mimosa who had just finished healing his injury he had sustained from chasing a criminal around.
"Oh, my family were very helpful in helping me control my magic, as well as Noe-", she was cut off by another guard joining in the conversation.
"Very impressive magic! The royals are blessed with capable magic users... it's just a shame that the Silva House's youngest sibling is the only one who's terrible at magic", he spoke with a specific disdain to his voice.
Mimosa didn't know what to say. It was true that Noelle wasn't very good at magic control, but she knew how hard she trained every day. Mimosa also remembered how Noelle would spend hours with her training with magic, even after practicing with her, though this was a secret between the two. The royal wanted to defend her Silva cousin from the abuse she was receiving but she couldn't for some reason..
"Wa-wai... wait. Noelle is... She's not usele-", she was interrupted once more by the guard who was talking.
"Oh sorry, Lady Mimosa. Were you saying something?" He bowed courteously.
"S-sorry, no I wasn't...", she looked down at the floor.
A few days later, the Vermillion thought about visiting Noelle again to see if she wanted help with her magic practice. She walked towards the Silva residence, escorted by the Vermillion House Guards, she heard the loud splashes of water to her right.
"Noelle?" Mimosa ran towards the sound and just as she thought, Noelle was there practicing with her Water Magic. "Okay, now we can practi-", the royal felt a presence behind her and turned her head to face it.
"Lady Mimosa. I know you two are close but a royal from the Vermillion House shouldn't stoop to the same level of ability as that young Silva right there", one of the guards commented.
"She's my cousin...", Mimosa responded quickly, yet softly.
"I assure you. Leaving her for now will be the best for the House of Vermillion and its reputation", the other guard added.
With heavy reluctance and a heart that began to be shrouded in confusion, Mimosa accepted. "O-okay...", she frowned.
FLASHBACK - END
"She never managed to get control of her magic. If I was helping her, and wasn't afraid to speak up... Maybe… If I was stronger, or perhaps more determined to defend Noelle from the baseless rumours that were spreading about her, then maybe she wouldn't be so distant from people", Mimosa sighed.
"Distant?" Lucas repeated, not seeing how Noelle is like that.
"You don't really see it since this Noelle is the only one you've known, but I've known a different one from before. Even though she had her family problems, she was happy, cheery, open with a lot of other people, but as the rumours built up she retreated in a shell that she made to protect herself".
"Is that why she acts differently when it comes to Asta? Is it that she can't be honest with herself?" Lucas theorised, putting some pieces together.
"I see that you understand, judging by your reaction there", Mimosa nodded. "Although, because of my inability to speak up, it did help me figure out my own goal. Our trip to the Forgotten Forest cemented what I wanted to do as well".
Mimosa started to smile. "I'm a support mage with recovery spells, but I thought I wanted to be more and that's why I started to develop an attack spell. I used one in the Temple of Valchronos but it was powered up through all of the natural mana that was around, but now I'm refining and practicing with it in a normal state", she pumped her fists.
Lucas smiled. "Looks like she cheered herself up. I guess she just needed to talk things out instead of letting it sit inside". He put his thumb up. "Do you still want to work towards being an attack mage?"
"It would be useful so I need to practice, but my ultimate goal is definitely to be a support. Not just a mage, but a person who can support her peers in any and every way. I guess… that's why the incident earlier hit me hard… I couldn't support that man in his time of need. I understand that it's not my fault, but I am going to work harder!"
Mimosa smiled brightly as she declared her goal confidently. The faraway lights of the Star Festival were getting closer and they served to illuminate the royal's cheerful expression.
"Mimosa… you're…", Lucas paused, stopping what he was going to say. "So, that's her goal. Seeing her honesty like this is… reassuring. I understood why she was hurt, and her strength pulled her out of her rut. She was vulnerable, but she trusted me. Her goal… I respect it a whole lot ".
Suddenly, Kiato's voice entered his mind;
"Is there a specific girl that makes you feel a certain way, you know, in a different way as to other girls. Say… Mimosa, for example?"
After reporting the incident to one of the senior Magic Knights that were stationed nearby, the two Golden Dawn mages returned back to where Asta and the rest of the group were. Instead of seeing the four enjoying an activity or sitting down at a stall, it looked like they were in the middle of something important.
"Is that… Noelle?" Mimosa said, walking closer to the commotion.
The youngest Silva sibling walked towards a woman and her child who were bowing down on the floor towards her. There was a crowd of nobles and commoners around them as they looked on.
"Royalty like me, like my family… have the best magic in this kingdom. We tower above the nobles, commoners, and peasants as we're stronger and more able than them".
The crowd was murmuring and it sounded like they agreed with what she was saying.
"That's right! A lowly commoner should never be speaking to a noble, let alone a royal!"
"Serves them right for even being near one of the Silvas!"
Noelle paused and what she said next wiped the smug look off from the negative crowd. The nobles that were smirking were left dumbfounded whilst the commoners and others were left with hope.
"Because we're stronger… we should be helping those who struggle, and offer a helping hand to everyone! Looking down on others because of factors that they can't change is the work of someone with a shallow heart!"
Noelle put her hand on the young girl's head and used her other hand to help the woman up from the floor, elevating her to an equal footing with herself.
"You two should enjoy this festival. Whether you're a royal, a noble, commoner, or peasant… We should all be together!"
The commoners all clapped their hands together, creating a large round of applause for the young Silva. A few of the nobles around joined in, smiling and nodding at each looked like Noelle's speech got through to some of them and everyone that stayed started cheering.
Lucas and Mimosa exchanged confused looks.
"I'm not sure what happened for Noelle to say all that, but…",
"... who can disagree with it, hm?" Mimosa finished. She decided to leave Lucas and ran over to Noelle who looked like she was very happy with herself judging by her closed eyes and proud smirk.
As this happened, Kiato rushed over since he spotted Lucas in the corner of his eye.
"Oh, hi, Kiato, we couldn't find the flowers that you wanted…", Lucas shrugged, thinking back to all that happened earlier.
Kiato waved his hands. "That's fine. Honestly, I just said all that to leave you and Mimosa alone together, hehe".
Lucas tensed up and let out a sigh. "You and your schemes… Just what did you plan tonight?"
"Haha, nevermind all that! We just spent half an hour looking for this kid's mother, so I guess that's the same amount of time you left for, huh? Well, anyway, tell me what happened!" He said excitedly, jumping up and down like a little kid in hopes of getting something they wanted.
Lucas replayed Kiato's question in his head one more time;
"Is there a specific girl that makes you feel a certain way, you know, in a different way as to other girls. Say… Mimosa, for example?"
Lucas put his fingers to his chin before breathing in and out. "I have… somewhat of an answer but I'm not sure if it's what you're hoping for".
Kiato was getting impatient but he didn't say anything. Instead, he just waited for the answer as hot air came out of his flaring nostrils.
The Dual mage thought back through the various moments in his Magic Knight career so far.
"The time I first let my anger take over to defend Mimosa…".
Lucas felt anger in his heart towards someone for the first time. His eyes started glowing a bright blue ever so suddenly and an eerie presence overshadowed him for a brief moment. This presence was strong enough that it made Lucas retaliate for the first time.
"That's rich coming from you, Alecdora". Lucas spoke in a monotonous voice. He turned around and what others could see was a personality that completely differed from how they normal perceived Lucas as.
"What is that supposed to mean, peasant?" Alecdora replied in a tone of disgust.
"I'm just saying, you're complaining about Mimosa being injured in one of her first dungeon explorations but if I recall correctly… didn't you actually get injured in your own explorations whilst Letoile and I had to protect you? I haven't seen you at the base for weeks since then… were you hiding your face?"
"The time I was having trouble with my Time Magic…".
"Since it's getting late, when you train next, I have a little piece of advice that could work. If you're struggling with something, just take a breather and remind yourself why you're doing it in the first place and your mind should become calm and make it easy for you to move forward", the royal tilted her head and smiled.
"Focus on why I'm doing it in the first place, hm? I guess it's because I want to become stronger", he replied.
Mimosa pouted and crossed her arms. "That's not right, is it?"
Lucas wondered why she said that. "It's not? Oh… It's not because I guess I want to be stronger. It is because I want to be stronger". He pumped his fist.
"When she reassured me about my transformation…".
"It was like you were right there with us, but it also wasn't", she explained further.
The Time mage's mind went back to the blue figure he saw when he was starting to wake up. It looked just like him, but he knew it wasn't him.
"… but that's how I know you'll be able to control it", Mimosa added. This prompted Lucas's full attention as his eyes shifted back to Mimosa's.
"You were still there and since that was the case, you'll be able to", she smiled. "You were fighting right alongside us. It was intense but at the end of the day, it is your power. Who knows? I wonder what you'll be able to do once you're fully in control of that transformation!"
"And, of course, the hug from her on the first day we went around Kikka, right near the start…".
"Phew... that was harder than I thought! Here you go-", Lucas was interrupted by a sudden hug from the royal Vermillion. He struggled at first as he didn't realise what was happening, but quickly embraced it.
"Thank you so much! It may not look like much, but that coin pouch was actually a gift from my mother... and you got it back for me!" Mimosa cheered.
"Haha, no worries. Are you sure I deserve a hug for that though?" Lucas scratched his hair.
"Silly, it's not just that. The few days you've been with us have shown you are a great guy, I mean, you even brought me flowers! No one has ever done or thought about doing anything like this for me... I'm a royal so we don't have too many friends, but there's definitely something different about you! I can't thank you enough", she responded.
Lucas lifted his head and looked at Kiato. He felt his heart jump and his stomach feel odd. "My feelings for Mimosa… I believe that there might be… s-s-something there", he gulped. "I'm not sure if it's a like in that sense, or even l-l-l-l-love… but I do know it's different to what I see a normal friend as… I just… I'm not sure yet", he gulped. He was fidgeting and twiddling his fingers, getting more nervous as time went on.
The Dance mage's face slowly turned into a beaming smile. "At least you see something".
Lucas lowered his head and shrugged his shoulders as if there was a weight now placed on them. "So, David's comment earlier was about this, I think...". He looked up into the sky and thought back to his squad mate's comment;
"Well, anyway, when a boy and a girl are together in certain scenarios, it's classed as a date. I don't need to tell you what a date is, right?"
"Dates can include anything like going on a picnic or to restaurants. Parties and festivals are also included, and even just spending time together classes as a date".
He then looked where Mimosa was headed, walking towards Noelle.
"Would this night be classed as a date? If David's right, and it does seem like he is, then it most definitely looks like one. Did... Mimosa know it as well? And... if she did, then does that mean she likes me in th-that way...?"
Whilst Lucas pondered about the heavy question, Asta started to walk up to Noelle with a smile on his face. Mimosa brushed past him to beat him there but he was still able to say what he wanted to.
He replayed Kahono's words in his head once again;
"What does Noelle mean to you?"
Unlike Lucas's nervous and staggered reply, Asta was going down a different route. He looked straight at Noelle and smiled toothily. He thought about her speech and nodded to himself.
"I guess… I like you quite a bit, Noelle!"
As Asta said that, fireworks appeared and exploded in the sky, splashing the darkened evening sky with a rainbow of colours.
Noelle's face lit up with a red flush and she didn't know what to say. The one that did have something to say, yet kept it all in her thoughts, was Kahono on the side who was busy waving her arms about with wide and excited eyes.
"Yes, yes, this is it! I wasted all that energy trying to get Noelle to open up but I should've just had Asta say what he truly felt! A confession like that is bound to get the appropriate reaction from the girl, right?!"
The one that just reached Noelle fell on the floor in a comedic fashion after hearing that confession of some sort. Mimosa lifted her head and her eyes were sparkling.
"W-Wait… A confession, really? Asta… did he just c-c-c-confess to Noelle? I'm pretty sure that she likes him back, so are they going to be a couple?! Noelle… she was so confident earlier with that little girl. Does that mean… she'll accept it?!"
Contrary to both Kahono's and Mimosa's thoughts…
"Wh-Wh-What on earth are you thinking you utter moron?! Where did that… c-c-conf - argh! You can't j-just say things like that all r-randomly…! Have you… lost your mind?!" Noelle exclaimed, stamping her feet in the ground. She pointed her wand at Asta and sent a blast of water right at him, lifting and sending him high up into the sky.
"What was that for?!" The magicless mage shouted, his voice getting quieter as he flew off.
"I'll save you, don't worry!" Lucas suddenly appeared, shouting and flying off on his broom in the hopes of catching the swordsman. "Hm, maybe Noelle still needs to work on that part…".
The two teens who were rooting for Noelle had their jaws drop to the floor. The joy in their bodies was replaced by utter shock that froze them for a minute or two.
"Noelle… What the hell are you doing?! Asta confessed… I think?" Mimosa thought.
Kahono eventually dropped to her knees. "All of that work… was for naught", she cried. "Asta is too dense and Noelle is too stubborn. Something big has to happen for either one of them to get into a relationship…!"
Eventually, all that was left of the group was Mimosa, Kiato, and Kahono. Noelle was out of service at the moment as hot steam was erupting from the top of her head.
"I guess the matchmaking plan didn't go all too well, did it?" Kahono said as she recovered. She turned to Kiato who had a different, more happy look on his face.
"I… wouldn't say that", he smiled before gesturing over to Mimosa.
Mimosa turned red for a few seconds. "N-Nothing happened between Lucas and I…!" She quickly waved her hands uncontrollably.
"You didn't get to tell him how you felt?" The singer asked.
"Not exactly, but… my feelings for him are the real deal, I know that properly now. To confess to him… I can't do it just now, but I will make him fall for me. That is something… I'm sure to do!"
NOTES:
Ahhh! We had quite the chapter this time with plenty of feelings, emotion, and like/love? Which one is it for Lucas? Hehe…
This chapter took a while to come out since I was thinking about the confession scene a lot and how to do it, but I decided to do it quite naturally as I did.
I also wrote Lucas and Mimosa helping out Emma, the little girl, alongside Noelle but then it ended up being too similar to Noelle's moment. I didn't want to take away from that.
Saying that, I still didn't focus all too much on the whole Asta and Noelle moment as it wasn't a main focus of mine in this fic. With regards to romance etc, the Golden Dawn is my priority right now and we all know how the AstaxNoelle moments go. I hope that makes sense.