9~ Is she the kind of woman who’s fickle and flighty?
“Hmm, love?” Upon hearing this, Aistride was flabbergasted for a long while.
“It’s love, isn’t it? Or what do you think? Or does Aistride’s friend circle have a buddy with a bit of possessive feeling towards you? No, right? Because this is not a normal friend relationship. It already transcends friendship.”
“But, it’s not that absolute, is it?” Aistride seemed to want to make one last stand. “It could possibly be………”
“What else could it be?” Princess Filisia, supporting her cheeks with her hands, gazed at Aistride with a smile.
Aistride was momentarily speechless. After much deliberation, it appeared that apart from insisting stubbornly that it’s a friendly relationship, there were no other options.
What else could it be? If it’s not mutual feelings, then it’s unrequited love.
“Worrying about the possibility of him accepting another’s confession, losing sleep and appetite, do you really think this is anything but love? There’s no other plausible explanation,” Princess Filisia remarked, pointing out the rather obvious emotion. Aistride should not fail to understand this.
She was just pretending to be confused, fooling herself, while attempting to fool others as well.
Unbeknownst to her, her little scheme was clear as day to anyone with a positive emotional IQ. The only person who thought others hadn’t noticed was herself.
In reality, she was fooling everyone except herself.
Everyone in the Brilliant Sun and Moon except for the little fool, Wenfu, was crystal clear about who Aistride liked, but Princess Filisia still had some concerns.
Aistride probably doesn’t know that Dillin is Tillysha. What would her reaction be when she finds out? Would she accept it calmly, or would she strongly reject it, harboring resentment towards Dillin for not disclosing it earlier? Or perhaps because of their same gender, afraid to take it further?
No one knows what hasn’t happened yet. Whether the two are destined for each other or just have a destined connection, no one knows.
“You’ve never felt this kind of emotion towards anyone before, am I right, Aistride?” As a team member, Princess Filisia felt she should lend a hand, pushing where she could.
“Yes…” After hesitating for a moment, Aistride nodded.
“Right, you should remember this unique feeling. Because from now on, there might be no other passion that invigorates your youth like this.”
“Let me ask, has Aistride ever experienced being declared love to?”
“Yes.”
“Then now, can you empathize with their feelings? Because now, you are the same.” Princess Filisia continued to guide her.
“Now think about it. The behavior of those who pursued you might have seemed a bit ridiculous to you back then, but doesn’t it seem understandable now?”
Dinner time had ended, Wenfu was in charge of washing the dishes, Princess Filisia was tidying up the leftover food on the table, Yimi was reading a book, and only Aistride couldn’t calm down. Sitting by the window, she blew cool wind.
Silver strands of hair followed the direction of the wind and brushed past her cheek, and the cold crescent moon provided a little light for the deep autumn courtyard.
Unlike Princess Filisia’s expectation, what Aistride was perplexed by wasn’t her own feelings, but rather…
Why did she fall for Tillysha, who’s the same s*x?
This kind of liking seemed so natural, as if it was simply an inevitable development, nothing surprising.
So, when she realized her feelings, although she found it somewhat unbearable, her heart was not actually surprised.
Maybe, had she known her feelings all along? Just unable to acknowledge it instinctively.
What made her suffer and hesitate most was something else.
Even before the last straw was broken, her feelings towards Dillin were undoubtedly about romance between men and women. Before she gave herself a proper definition, she unconsciously liked someone else. This was what Aistride couldn’t accept.
Is she really that fickle woman??
Aistride stared at the flawless moon in the sky, feeling like a lead lump was stuck in her throat, heavy-hearted and unable to speak.
She was still having feelings for Dillin the other day, and now this, even with a hint of playing field on two boats.
Recalling Tillysha’s words to her, Aistride felt they weren’t unreasonable.
Maybe her emotions were not so pure after all, somewhat fickle.
She disgraced the elves.
A sudden thought came to her, and Aistride made a decision in secret.
—-
The morning light had yet to fully illuminate the curtain under the eaves when Tillysha descended the stairs, catching the scent of food, pancakes and corn soup. The uniqueness of Wenfu’s culinary skills had become the taste of the start of school.
“Good morning, Tillysha-sister, meow~”
“Good morning, little Wenfu.”
Starting the first day of school seeing Wenfu’s full-of-energy smile felt like an instant healing.
Princess Filisia was already nowhere to be seen on the dining table, probably out for morning exercise. Yimi, who was about finished eating, gave her a nod, which served as a greeting.
Tillysha understood the nature of such “tsundere” personalities.
Sitting at the table, with only her and Yimi left, looking around, Tillysha found it strange that the figure that ought to be there was missing at the dining table.
“Wenfu, has Aistride not woken up yet?”
“Nope, Aistride-sister woke up early today. When I went out to buy breakfast, I saw her leave, saying she didn’t want breakfast and would eat at the cafeteria,” Wenfu’s cat ears waggled a bit as she continued to gnaw on her bread, swinging her legs which weren’t long enough to reach the ground.
“Ah.” Tillysha didn’t find it strange at all, likely Aistride wanted to change her taste buds.
Although Dillin’s identity was no longer necessary, there was still a need to put up appearances.
Her intuitive perception made Tillysha feel a sense of predestination, that keeping Dillin’s identity might be for the best. She could be honest internally, but not externally. No one must know that Dillin and Tillysha are the same person.
Otherwise, just the ability of the Divine Son and Goddess to appear in one person is enough to cause a great stir.
To avoid unnecessary complications, Tillysha had ‘Dillin’ go out early that morning, heading off to Son of God Academy to start the normal daily mode, out of the way.
Aistride went to eat in the dining hall. Breakfast was just her, Yimi, and Wenfu.
After the meal, Tillysha helped Wenfu with the dishes. She didn’t know if it was Wenfu’s illusion, but she thought that the Tillysha tying the apron now was different from a few months ago. She seemed to have taken on the air of a “virtuous wife and good mother.”
“Yimi, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Say.” Yimi bent down to tidy up her bag, not even looking at Tillysha.
“Do you know about my artificial form?”
“You mean that magical puppet?” Yimi glanced at Tillysha. “Is it that the details of that magical puppet are not well simulated, not good enough to keep you entertained?”
“Keep saying these nonsensical things and you won’t get to sleep in the bed tonight.”
“……What do you want me to do?” Yimi immediately gave up her bravado when faced with Tillysha’s deathly smile.
“Nothing much, just want you to keep an eye on that puppet and ensure it doesn’t get found out by outsiders.”
“Your puppet is well-crafted, and the enchantments are decent, but even then it’s still a puppet. Any capable Divine Son would see through it easily.”
“So, I want you to add an extra ‘mental protection shield’ to the puppet, preventing those Divine Sons from detecting the real truth of the puppet using their powers.”
“You can do it, since you’re a sorceress, right?”
“Is that it?”
“Yes, and another thing, when the puppet encounters trouble, save it.”
“I’m not in the same class as that puppet, so I’ll do my best.”
After making the deal with Yimi, the latter was about to leave with her bag.
“Wait, don’t go yet, I have a gift for you.”
“Today’s not the Mother Goddess Festival.” Even though Yimi said this, she stopped at the entrance anyway, and then saw Tillysha magically pull out a yellow duck styled backpack.
“Your old bag has holes in it, it’s not usable anymore. And the color doesn’t match your appearance. Use this,” Tillysha, still in her apron, grinned as she held the shoulder straps of the backpack.
“Look, the color is similar to your hair. I picked it out carefully. Do you like it~?”
“……Your sense of style is still stuck in the Seven Saints era,” Yimi blankly critiqued. “I don’t want it. If I carry this, it’s embarrassing. I’d rather stick with this old one, at least no one will laugh at me.”
“You even talk about yellow ducks, truly ugly and unique in its own way, making your outdated aesthetic feel like postmodernism……”
“Do you find my bed room hard and difficult to sleep on, Yimi?” Tillysha suddenly asked with concern.
“Huh? No……..”
“It is, I can see it. Your jaw seems dislocated, opening and closing without control from your brain.” Tillysha touched Yimi’s cheek affectionately. “Here, sleep on the sofa for a few days to recuperate.”
“You’re the one with a dislocated jaw! I don’t……….”
Before Yimi could finish her protest, Tillysha’s smooth, thin fingers gently lifted Yimi’s clean chin, making her eyes meet Tillysha’s ‘concerned’ gaze.
“I, I understand………”
“Hmm? So, this backpack~?”
“….I’ll carry it. It’s truly inappropriate.” Yimi’s voice was faint, trying to make one last rebuttal but was mercilessly denied by Tillysha.
“Don’t be shy anymore. I’ve said it’s a gift, so take it. Wanting something internally but refusing it on the outside out of shyness, is really annoying.”
“Mmn, I’ll eat you someday……..” Yimi mumbled, her voice laced with a tinge of resentment.
Who likes yellow ducks? Only you would like them, right?
Yimi’s face clearly showed ‘willing but not willing’, as if she was spilling all her beans, dumping everything from her old bag into the yellow duck backpack Tillysha gave her. With Tillysha’s help, she strapped on the small, cute backpack.
“Wow, that’s amazing.” Tillysha clasped her hands, complimenting with a grin. “Next time, I’ll get you a yellow duck hat and a children’s dress and socks, it will definitely match.”
A yellow duck backpack paired with a yellow duck hat and children’s white stockings, together with Yimi’s youthful stature and face, is just the typical configuration for a grade school girl.
“……” Yimi looked up at the sky, feeling utterly hopeless without complaint.
She resisted being seen as a kid by others, so her clothing choices leaned towards maturity.
Even though maturity wasn’t quite suitable for her, Tillysha’s arrangement directly changed her appearance which was only junior high school level into preschool level.
There’s nothing she could do, since she was living under someone else’s roof.
Cursing a certain trashy woman in her heart, she walked out the door with a gloomy mood, her little steps carrying her away while Tillysha waved goodbye like a mother sending her child to school.
“Ha, Miss Yimi sure has it hard,” watching Yimi leave, Wenfu could almost see the cloud hovering over the blonde girl’s head with her own eyes.
“Yumi? Does Wenfu like this kind of bag too? I’ll get you one someday too.”
“Eh, no need, Wenfu already has one.” Wenfu didn’t dislike the youthful little backpack. In her view, it was cute, but she didn’t want Tillysha to spend money unnecessarily, so she declined.
Looking at the time, Tillysha thought she should go as well, heading towards the Goddess Academy with Wenfu.
After a vacation, the Goddess Academy didn’t have any dust on it, which likely meant someone was maintaining it regularly.
As soon as Tillysha entered, she saw the familiar silver silhouette sitting by the bed, the morning light illuminating the side of the girl’s face, her silver hair like draped with a holy veil.
Her serene face and elegant posture suggested she was reading the new textbook.
“Good morning, Aistride, did you sleep well yesterday?”
“Hmm, good morning. Yes,” upon hearing Tillysha’s voice, Aistride didn’t even look up, nodding briefly, with an answer that was succinct but rather dismissive.
“Good morning, Aistride-sister.”
“Hmm, good morning, Wenfu.” Upon hearing Wenfu’s voice, Aistride smoothed her smooth side bangs and gave Wenfu a gentle smile, like fresh spring water flowing over rocks. Her lavender eyes seemed to twinkle like stars.
“Eh eh………” Wenfu looked at Aistride, then at Tillysha, and somehow felt that Aistride’s attitude towards Tillysha today felt different.
It wasn’t her illusion, was it?
“Decent sleep, then?” Tillysha didn’t seem to mind much, sitting beside Aistride.
In class A, students were grouped into teams for seating arrangements, and the Goddess members of each team sat adjacent.
However, just when Tillysha sat down, Aistride got up. With a cold face, she said, “Sorry, I’ll be excused for a moment,” and quietly took her things and left the classroom.
“Eh?” Wenfu tilted her head. “Class is about to start. Where’s Aistride-sister going?”
Tillysha was silent, watching Aistride’s retreating figure. Not long after, Aistride returned, but instead of sitting in her original position, she sat in the front row, separated by a row from Tillysha.
“Eeeh………” Even Wenfu with her sharp mind sensed the difference. Looking at Tillysha, then at Aistride, she didn’t understand if the two had any kind of conflict.
