Thirty-Eighth Chapter: Ash as Usual – Part One
“Are you serious?”
“You got it.”
“Seriously serious?”
“Yes, really truly seriously.”
Makoto finally gave up.
Although it was good that she didn’t need to incur any great cost or do anything against her principles, this was close to being an ultimate insult in terms of her rank…
How could she possibly say it out loud!
And how did he manage to say it?
“So, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
Facing the indignant stare from Makoto, Ash poured himself another cup of coffee. This time, he savored it slowly instead of drinking it down in one go.
Indeed, only by experiencing such intense flavors could he feel the taste deeply.
“I… I understand!”
Finally, under Ash’s silent coercion, Makoto gave in.
“You will agree, right?”
“You keep asking. Of course, I’ll keep my promise. That’s what a novelist friend of mine taught me.”
Besides, why would he lie about something like this?
The girl nodded slightly, mouthing words so low they were nearly inaudible.
“B…..”
“Mhm, but if you don’t let me hear clearly, I won’t acknowledge it.”
Liar! You heard me whispering earlier, there’s no way you can’t hear me now!
Recognizing that Ash was in charge, Makoto took a deep breath, her face gradually cooling down, determined to make a decision for her beloved princess again.
Let’s just get this over with!
“Ring Ring!”
After ringing the bell at Ash’s door, Rikka waited for a response but received none after several attempts.
“There’s no one inside, perhaps Mr. Ash has gone out. Didn’t he say he’d be home today?”
Could he still be sleeping in?
As she gradually understood Ash’s temperament outside of battle, Rikka sighed and retrieved the spare key from above the doorframe to enter the house.
“Excuse me… Eh?”
Quick-eyed Rikka spotted another pair of shoes in the entrance. They clearly weren’t Ash’s and belonged to someone around her age, likely a girl.
“And they look so familiar…”
Feeling something wasn’t right, Rikka muttered as she entered the living room ready to investigate further.
“Dad!!! Please help me, I’m begging you!”
Entering the room, Rikka saw Makoto, fists clenched tightly, closing her eyes out of shame, crying out to Ash in a quivering voice.
Rikka was shocked by the sight.
“Eh?”
Seeing the same scene, Makoto, with tears in her eyes, looked directly at a dumbfounded Rikka.
“You… You…?!”
Her gaping mouth couldn’t find its way shut, and her hand trembled as she pointed to Makoto and then to Ash.
Her normal complexion turned beet red, and her brain was completely fried from shame. Her head felt like it could fry an egg; her mind was practically blank.
“Me…?”
She pointed to herself, embarrassed. Being seen in such a situation, Makoto immediately had a strong urge to go to the Kingdom of Cards to confront the Selfish King and meet her end alongside him. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
“Hey, Rikka, you came at a perfect moment.”
Of the three, only Ash reclined on the sofa, talking to Rikka casually, as if nothing had happened.
In the next moment, a black shadow lunged towards his palm!
“Alright, alright, it’s okay not to cry. It’s not your fault.”
Ash frowned at the red handprint on his palm. If he hadn’t reacted in time, the slap would’ve connected with his face.
“Hey, that hurt!”
In principle, it was consensual. Calling him dad doesn’t mean he’s supposed to take her as his daughter. Even if there was a slight mishap, should he be blamed?
Although Ash himself wasn’t reasonable, he could make others logical.
Ignoring Ash’s rebuke, both Rikka, who was comforting Makoto, and Makoto, who was sobbing in pain, remained silent.
“Hey, did you hear me speaking?”
“Sniffling—”
The only response was Makoto’s sobs.
Makoto, feeling extremely wronged, cried as Rikka hugged her gently. The blue-haired girl held her comfortingly, stroking her back.
“Cut it out.”
Having been ignored, Ash lowered his hand and lay back down.
Once Makoto recovered from her extreme embarrassment and almost found a way to crawl into a crevice, the girls exchanged information intending to figure out the reason behind each other’s presence.
“So this is why Makoto?”
Speechless upon hearing the reason, Rikka found Ash not the type to ask questions as he wasn’t very helpful in these situations.
Though she understood Makoto’s urgency to protect the princess, sometimes overreaction led to the opposite effect and might invite trouble, much like it did now.
“Do share again if anything comes up, otherwise, we’ll just fall into similar traps.”
“Hey hey, Rikka, your phrasing makes it seem too ambiguous,” Ash immediately protested hearing her criticism.
“This was her own request, and I am the one deciding my actions.”
Talking idly, Ash seemed to get carried away with every word.
“And given her stubbornness, it’s only fair she gets played around with if she’s not clever enough.”
I would make her warm my bed three times!
At Ash’s words, Makoto, already in tears, was even more heartbroken.
But Rikka couldn’t stand Ash’s words, confronting him fearlessly despite the height difference.
“Hold on—Mr. Ash, that’s taking it too far!”
“While Makoto is somewhat stubborn, that’s no reason for you to use her feelings against her.”
“But I’m ba—”
Before Ash could finish expressing his stance, Rikka cut him off.
“Don’t you think good people shouldn’t be bullied?!”
Opening her tear-reddened eyes, Makoto, after this experience, felt even more grateful to Rikka.
Smiling at Makoto, Rikka felt that Makoto, who was usually surrounded by Ai, wasn’t as overwhelming as before.
“Why exactly are you here, Rikka? Is it because he…?”
“You’re asking about this?”
Originally, Ash’s rescue of the baby profoundly impacted Rikka. Lately, she also began to doubt if becoming a doctor like her mother was truly her dream.
During a test where her recent events impacted her ranking from first to second, she took a chance while seeking solace and asked Ash, who she’d left contact details with, as part of her quest to clarify her aspirations and learn the essentials to becoming a doctor.
“At the time, I felt the same way as you now.”
Rikka recounted their shared experience with a mature perspective.
Upon learning Rikka’s request, Ash, wanting equal exchange, required her to do something in return. Despite her initial shock, she was soon overwhelmed with cleaning duties when she was handed a broom.
Entering Ash’s messy house, Rikka felt despair at how slovenly the place was.
“Truly, I’ve never met such a lazy person! The clutter everywhere, garbage scattered around recklessly. Saying it’s fine as long as it’s liveable is one thing, but it’s his place!”
Enduring Ash lounging around while she cleaned, Rikka painstakingly kept at it for days.
“At first, he even mocked me by making messes while I cleaned!”
At her wits’ end, Rikka transformed into a Diamond Angel and engaged him in several heated rounds. Though she was thrown repeatedly, her determination was evident enough to make Ash behave better.
Through Rikka’s description, one could imagine how chaotic those moments were.
Occasionally visiting during mealtimes, Rikka witnessed his bizarre habits, never bothering to cook properly, always resorting to instant noodles or junk food. Once, she found his concoctions so unbearable she took it upon herself to cook for him.
“As a result, every meal ends with strange seasonings that totally obliterate the original flavor. Just wasting someone else’s effort!”
Through their interactions, the image Rikka had formed of Ash declined sharply from “mysterious rival” to “lazy dog,” unable to manage his basic needs, thus becoming a giant child.
How does one switch between intense combat to such laziness entirely?
This was beyond comprehension for Rikka.
