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Disclaimer: I don't own Tokidoki Bosotto Roshiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san or any of its characters...
Yuki was speechless for a while, completely taken aback with what her maid just seemingly pulled out of nowhere, before descending into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"Pfft— fuwahahahahaha!" she laughed to the point that she had to cover her mouth to stifle her noises. "I know it's not your intention to be funny, Ayano… but you can be so funny when you're not trying to be!"
The maid only stared at her, having no verbal response but her gaze seemed to convey confusion.
"—but to answer your initial question, nah. Nothing's wrong with Onii-chan right now. Honestly, I'm amazed by him. It's been months since we got stuck here, but Masachika-kun is still mentally and emotionally strong. Even Sarashina-senpai has some off days where she's having a hard time focusing, and there's no doubt it's because she thinks of Kenzaki-senpai. Compared to her, my brother hasn't faltered yet."
Ayano continued to observe the look of pure admiration visible on her master's face for a moment before responding with a nod.
Of course, she couldn't bring herself to disagree when she shared the same sentiment.
"Yes. Masachika-sama is an amazing individual inside and outside. To be one of the people that he cares about soothes my well-being."
"Mm-mm. And it's because of my brother that I can still keep my head up high and believe that everything will be fine. Don't you think so too, Ayano?"
"If Masachika-sama and Yuki-sama believe so, then I feel the same."
"Good," Yuki nodded smugly. "Nonetheless, this doesn't mean that nothing bad could happen to my brother. He's still human after all, so I won't be surprised if he cracks under all this pressure."
"I will make sure to comfort him and provide for anything that he needs if it happens," the maid stated.
"I'm sure you will, but the same thing could also happen to you, Ayano."
Ayano tilted her head. "What do you mean by that, Yuki-sama?"
Yuki leaned against the wall behind her as she adopted a more serious look, "You told me before, didn't you? This whole thing is alarming, and you felt panicked like the rest of us. I don't want to imagine how it'd look, but there's always a chance that it's you who gives in to the pressure of our situation."
"Yuki-sama, you can be assured that I will do my best to—"
"Whatever you tell me, it won't change the fact that you're a human being with emotions like the rest of us. Back home, we may be completely different from each other but out here, we're the same. I know you're probably going to ignore what I say but out here, I'm not your master and you're not my servant. We're two girls who are doing our best to survive."
"I understand, Yuki-sama. But in order for us to get through this dilemma, one must not give in to distress and panic—"
"Don't give me any of that. Regardless of what you think, I have a gut feeling that you're only trying to convince yourself, Ayano."
Those words only brought even more questions for the cute maid, so much that she started making confused noises.
"Haha… at this point, I'm so used to seeing you having this stoic expression on your face that it's almost impossible for me to imagine you feeling something else. Still, it could happen and as your friend, I'd rather not see it for myself. In that case, you can count on Onii-chan to help you."
"I do not wish to be a burden to Masachika-sama or you, Yuki-sama."
"I'd understand that if there was ever a scenario where I'm capable of helping you, Ayano. But unfortunately, I'm not. The only reason why I haven't cracked under all this pressure is because of him, really."
Yuki lowered her head for a brief moment, before taking a deep breath.
"Without my brother, I don't even know where I would be. I don't even think I'll be able to stay sane without him."
Ayano was left completely silent, for a while at least. She was already aware that Yuki looked up to and loved her older brother, though it seems that she underestimated how much her master did so. It didn't even occur to her that Yuki relied on Masachika this much, or that she needed his presence for own sanity.
But at the same time, it made sense. In their childhood years, Yuki always relied on her older brother in everything that didn't require physical work. Suffering from asthma back then had a lot of major drawbacks for the young girl, and it required Masachika to be constantly by her side.
While Ayano herself made sure to assist Yuki as much as she could, the latter always needed Masachika more and he responded by being there for his sister.
It's one of the reasons why she admired him so much.
"I cannot say I fully understand, but I can see how Masachika-sama is a strong pillar for those around him."
"Am I finally getting through? Masachika-kun will never turn you down, Ayano. I know he won't. You said it yourself too, you're one of the people that he cares about."
"...I will heed your advice, Yuki-sama. I shall approach Masachika-sama in times of distress."
"That's good enough."
Yuki smiled to herself. Her brother may be unwilling to follow through with what she had planned for now, but things were going differently with Ayano. There's still a chance for things to play out exactly how she intended,
"By the way, where did you even get those things? Did you actually bring those when we got here, Ayano?" Yuki asked, pointing to the things that were in her maid's grasp.
Ayano nodded eagerly, as though she was excited to explain her reasons why.
"I always bring a pair with me in the possibility that a scenario like this happens. A scenario in which Masachika-sama is in need of sexual relief whenever it happens. A servant such as myself has to be prepared at all times."
"I guess I should have expected an answer like that…" Yuki sweat-dropped. "Where the hell have you been keeping those then?"
"In my bra, Yuki-sama."
"Oh."
While the pair were unaware of it, a certain silver-haired girl walked up to them with an uneasy look on her face, like she was here for something important.
"Yuki-san?"
"Alya-san. Fancy seeing you here," Yuki raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly not expecting to see the half-Russian here when her job at this time should be checking on the crops with her sister.
Meanwhile, Ayano bowed her head upon seeing her. "Good morning, Alisa-sama."
A small smile appeared on Alya's face in return, "Good morning to you both as well. What were you two doing, if I may ask?"
"We just finished checking on the panels out here, so we have time to talk with you before we go check on our water supply. Something you need from us, Alya-san?"
"Really? I'd like to help you with that, Yuki-san."
Yuki raised an eyebrow at the strange plea that came out of her mouth, before quickly realizing that there must be a reason for this.
There's no way that Alya would willingly lend her a hand like this… if she didn't have a reason why.
"There is no need, Alisa-sama. I am already assisting Yuki-sama," Ayano stated.
The Suou heiress turned to the maid and chuckled, "Actually, Ayano… I think I'd like to see where this little interaction goes. I'm kind of interested. You can go help everyone else instead."
"As you wish, Yuki-sama. Good luck to you and Alisa-sama."
Without another word, Ayano nodded and walked off, leaving the pair alone. Once she was sure that her servant couldn't possibly hear their subsequent conversation, Yuki turned to her companion afterwards.
"Let's get going, Alya-san."
Alisa nodded and followed after Yuki, while making sure that they were alone. Once they had entered the forest and were on their way to the well, Yuki decided that it was time to get to the main point of this encounter.
"I'm surprised with you, Alya-san. This is the first time that you've willingly helped me with something, or anyone else for that matter. Back then, you only helped Masha-senpai and even now, you've lent a hand towards everyone except for me. I thought we already let bygones be bygones?"
"I'm sorry," Alisa bowed her head in shame, knowing it was true.
"Hahahaha, don't worry about it! It's not a big deal," she grinned. "So why did you want to help me this time around?"
The half-Russian took a deep breath. "That's because… I wanted to talk to you about something, Yuki-san."
"Don't tell me… you're going to confess your love for me?!" Yuki covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. "And here I thought you had feelings for Onii-chan? I'm really sorry, I'd love to give you the answer that you're looking for, Alya-san… but I have to turn you down!"
Alya sweat-dropped, "Uhhh… no. But you are correct in that I wished to discuss Masachika-kun."
"Hah! I saw that coming. Lay it on me, then. Whatever it's about, it'll definitely make this whole job a lot less boring. It's way better to have a conversation with someone while doing this."
"Okay…" Alya nodded slowly, as she tried to figure out how to get her intended words out. "N-Not that I'm questioning your actions, Yuki-san, but… you're aware of what you are doing, right?"
"Of course I know what I'm doing, Alya-san. I have control over my decisions and what I want to do… unless Masachika-kun tells me otherwise," Yuki smirked, knowing exactly what her companion was implying. "Is there something specific you wish to tell me?"
"T-That! Exactly that!" exclaimed the silver-haired girl, pointing to her owner's younger sister in disbelief. "You and Masachika-kun! You and h-him…! The two of you…"
"Alya-san, you're gonna have to speak up, you know? I can't quite understand what you're trying to say~"
"You… and Masachika-kun… you two—"
"Fuck like rabbits? Screw like our lives depended on it? Do the deed like nothing else matters? Make love as if we were the most passionate couple ever?" Yuki uttered without an ounce of shame. "Is that what you were trying to say, Alya-san?"
Too flustered to say anything after Yuki's open declaration, Alya simply nodded with a red face.
"Well, I have nothing else to say to you other than it's true. Masachika-kun and I have been going at it for longer than you have~"
"L-Longer…" Alya mumbled. "S-So that means… you two… this whole time…"
"Eh, maybe several weeks? It all started when you went off on us, really," Yuki shrugged. When she noticed the look of alarm on the other girl's face, which made her roll her eyes. "Oh, don't give me that look, Alya-san. Did you really think we have been doing this for longer than that?"
"I'm sorry, but… your demeanor and actions make me believe that to be the case, Yuki-san."
"I think seeing me with Masachika-kun might have caused your mind to short-circuit, Alya-san. If you had said that while we were still at school, I'd have thought you'd gone crazy."
"Can you really blame me for thinking that way…?"
Yuki shrugged once more. "No, I suppose I can't… but I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Go ahead and ask while you can."
"If it's fine with you…" Alya shook her head to get herself back on track. "You are aware that… you are doing this with your own brother, right?"
"Hmm… I feel like I already answered this question, but yes. I'm fully aware of what I'm doing, Alya-san~"
"Y-You don't think that what you're doing is wrong, Yuki-san?
"Do you think I'm hurting anyone because of my relationship with my brother, Alya-san? Does someone get hurt with every second I spend with him?"
"I… don't think so…"
"Does it hurt you, Alya-san? Does my relationship with Masachika-kun bother you, in particular? You can be honest with me, you know? I won't get mad at the answer you give me."
Alya actually thought about that question for a good few seconds, because it involved her personal feelings on the matter. Only after reaching their destination that she finally came up with an answer.
"N-Not anymore, I suppose…" she admitted.
It was ironic; she felt jealous of Yuki because of how close she was to her brother compared to her, and that was before finding out about their true relationship.
Now, though?
Alya didn't feel like she was jealous of them anymore, especially when she and Masachika have a relationship of their own. And, uh… she and Yuki were well-aware of each other's presence during a certain activity too.
In hindsight, there's nothing to be jealous about, really.
"Well, if that's the case, then that means I'm not hurting anyone. If you're not bothered by it, then that means we're good!" exclaimed Yuki.
"But hasn't it once occurred to you that you've done something taboo? Something forbidden in the eyes of society? Your relationship with Masachika can even cause the two of you to be imprisoned. Does that not bother you, Yuki-san?!"
Yuki raised her hands before her, "Calm down there, Alya-san. You're speaking as if I'm planning to announce the relationship I have with my brother to the entire world, which I'm not."
Alya lowered her head, "Sorry…"
"Look, I'm not stupid. I know the consequences that would come from telling other people about our relationship. That's why I've kept quiet about it. You're the only one who knows about us but speaking of which, what about you?" Yuki pointed out, turning the tables on her. "What are you going to do with this information? Are you going to tell someone else about me and Masachika-kun, Alya-san?"
"...no. I wouldn't," the half-Russian shook her head. "I wouldn't do such a thing to Masachika-kun. If word about this gets out, I can't imagine what it would do to his life…"
"Glad to hear it! Mm… I can't wait for the next time that we spend time together, Alya-san! I'll be looking forward to it~"
Yuki licked her lips in a sensual manner, which made Alya blush before she slapped herself out of it. This reaction brought a good laugh out of Masachika's sister, who was clearly enjoying this for what it was.
"Oh, Alya-san… we're going to have a lot of fun while we're here, I can tell. The third act is just beginning too."
Alya couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that last statement, "Third act? What do you mean by that, Yuki-san?"
"I think it'll be better if you see what I mean with your own eyes, hehe…"
Masachika made sure to keep his distance from Nonoa while they were exploring another open clearing of the forest, which was a plan that was going well so far.
He was also fortunate that his companion cooperated and left him alone for now, though he was sure that Nonoa could just end this temporary peace for him by striking up another conversation between them at any moment.
He took advantage of this temporary peace by shifting his focus towards another person, not wanting to spend this entire time worrying about the blonde menace. That would mean letting Nonoa get a victory over him and he didn't want that to happen.
Masachika's thoughts drifted towards a certain maid, someone whom he's been thinking of a lot more often lately, all because of his sister's words about her.
"Ugh. This is because of you, Yuki."
He wouldn't openly admit it to her, but what Yuki said that time stuck with him until now and no matter how hard he tried to be free from it, Masachika couldn't help himself.
No, it's not because Yuki said that Ayano was 'interested' in him. He didn't want to think about that at all, whatever it could mean. He was more concerned with the girl's well-being, truth be told.
Masachika agreed with Yuki on one thing, and that's the fact that Ayano was a human being with emotions like that.
While there's no telling if her morale or mental fortitude was holding up, Ayano admitted that there were times where she felt worried for their survival. It's a little unsettling to imagine the cute maid in such a state, but not too ridiculous to be deemed impossible.
"I'm probably the only one who knows about it, unless Yuki does as well."
Whether Yuki found out about it on her own or she got Ayano to admit the truth, it doesn't matter.
It's clear to him that the maid whom he grew up with along with his sister was someone whom he would have to keep an eye on.
"I don't want anything bad to happen to her too, but I already did my part. I told her that she can always come talk to me, and it's up to Ayano to do that if she wants to. I'm not going to walk up to her and demand she tell me what's wrong. She can decide that on her own."
In spite of what he was telling himself, Masachika knew that Ayano wouldn't do that unless she was ordered to. If anything, she would talk about how unfitting it would be for a maid to be vulnerable to her own emotions instead.
"Damn, I hate that I can see that happening for real, but I can't do anything. I don't want to do anything. I'll just have to be ready to give her a hand when she needs it. Just like when—"
A brief memory flashed in his mind for a few seconds, and it was when Yuki went to his room that one crucial night… when they crossed a line that they can never go back to at this point.
An image of Yuki's tearful look was what played next only this time, it was replaced by Ayano's. As hard as it was to believe, it may actually become reality because of what she told him.
No matter how little emotion she shows, there's no way that Ayano can take on the struggles they've had on this island without personal feelings of the sort.
"...that's not going to happen. Not while I can do something to prevent it," Masachika swore to himself while clenching his fist tightly.
MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*
-Lance