Chapter - 11

"Hey Ikki… do you want to… do it with me?"

"...Eh?"

For an instant, Ikki couldn't understand what he had just been asked. But the confusion from the surprise attack only lasted that instant. He immediately understood how lethal the inquiry was.

"EEEEEHHHHH!?"

He screamed from astonishment.

"W-Wait, Stella, do you know what you just said to me!?"

"Yes… I understand it."

"Erk."

Ikki was reflected in earnest scarlet eyes. Those eyes were slightly clouded in fever, but gave an extremely serious gaze. It wasn't a joke, she definitely wasn't saying it because she was delirious from fever. Stella was seriously asking Ikki. Ikki recognized it at that moment.

"…*gulp*"

But even if he recognized it, what should he do? Should he say what he really thought?

Ikki didn't deny the answer to that question one bit. Of course he wanted to. Not just today. Whenever he kissed her, whenever he held her hands, whenever he hugged her. At various times, Ikki felt that impulse in himself. It was right on target. Because Ikki was a boy, and Stella was a girl. There was no way he could deceive himself. It was the natural progression in how a person thinks of his sweetheart.

Nevertheless. There was a special meaning in those words. Humans were creatures who confirmed their intentions with words. Those confirmed intentions decided the distance between two people. If Ikki returned an honest answer here, if Stella answered as well―

…The things that came out of our mouths can't be taken back…!

He wasn't confident enough to finish it. If he finished it in this place, after going back to the dorm, after Stella's cold got better, those things would be settled but there would be other effects he couldn't suppress.

But he must not do that. Ikki thought so. He couldn't make a mistake in this procedure. Therefore―

"Sorry…. That question, I can't answer it yet."

Gazing straight back at those scarlet eyes, Ikki gave his response.

"Stella, I love you, and I want to say so proudly in front of everyone. Shizuku and Alice of course, and even people we don't know… even Stella's parents. I think these feelings inside me are the most wonderful emotions. But… if our relationship changes like this right now, I think I would feel guilty in front of your parents. I think I should stand proudly in front of them."

Both Stella and Ikki had mature bodies. It wasn't like there was any fear of what others might think. But still―Ikki thought there was a proper procedure for such important things. Stella was a precious treasure raised by her parents. If he would get involved, he had to at least greet them. He thought that was rather expected of a man.

"That's why, sorry."

He couldn't answer Stella's question, so Ikki apologized again. Saying so honestly, Ikki grasped even the rest of the current of the current situation. He really wanted to announce the relationship between him and Stella. If he did so, he could stand proud in front of anyone and say that he loved Stella. But he couldn't do that, in the end. If he announced it, there would be a scandal. Stella, who was a public figure, would suffer under the burden whether she's willing or not. He wanted to protect her from that during the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. For that reason, he had to respect that limit during that time.

That was what Ikki thought. It was a stubborn way to think, but this was something he couldn't compromise. Even if she thought he was a loser for it. Ikki explained this to Stella.

"No, that's not it."

Suddenly, Stella entwined her fingers with Ikki's. She gave a firm smile with her feverish expression.

"I said something strange, and bothered you to think about it so seriously. Sorry."

She apologized to Ikki. That expression was feverish and hot, but it wasn't just from illness.

「I love you, and I want to say so proudly in front of everyone.」

…He thought of me that importantly….

In truth, Stella hadn't been thinking of Ikki as much as he had been thinking of her. Stella had only been looking only at Ikki in front of her, but Ikki had been looking toward the people in her background, as well as keeping the relationship between them going into the future in mind as well.

It―made her very happy. Because he was thinking so seriously about their relationship, treating it as something important.

I say that, but… what was I doing!?

Just by taking off her clothes a little, from getting a little excited, she had forgotten her chastity. Not just today. It kept happening recently. A unicorn would shun such a maiden.

Ikki is more like a maiden, isn't he?

She became ashamed after realizing her intentional thoughtlessness from before.

"…I must've become strange from the fever. I'll take a little rest."

Blaming her shame on her illness, Stella settled herself sideways on the blanket.

"Yeah. I'll keep an eye on the fire."

Ikki didn't keep going with the current topic either. Rather than talk about it with a girl, he held off. He probably thought he was embarrassing Stella as well. Setting aside those thoughts, Stella wanted to curl up.

But―

Stella, who was happy that Ikki thought so seriously about their relationship―

I really want him to say it properly after all.

Examining Ikki's words, even the feverish and befuddled Stella could understand his clumsy answer. What kind of answer was "I can't answer"? Examining the context made it simple to understand. However―she didn't want to just imagine it. She wanted to hear it from his own mouth, with his own voice.

Stella thought so no matter what. He would say it in due time. Believing that, it would probably be a mistake if she hurried him.

She didn't understand it, but she was certain of one thing.

…I'm kind of naughty….

The girl right now was clearly self-aware about that.

Soon after the question that was a little dangerous, Stella fell asleep wrapped in her blanket. However, she only did so for thirty minutes. When she woke up again, Stella's condition had become alarmingly stable. Her sweat that was flowing like a waterfall had stopped, and she spoke more without painful breaths, so with her body already revitalized she sat next to Ikki. Her cheeks were still flushed from fever, but if it was to that extent, she probably wouldn't develop pneumonia. Ikki was relieved that Stella had gotten back a bit of her vigor.

If it's like this, it might be okay to have a little talk.

Ikki thought it would be okay for her to sleep until the rescuers came, but whether Stella was bad at staying still and enjoying leisure, or whether her embarrassment at the conversation before had already come back, she was going on and on about various school topics with an unusual talkativeness. It was fun to listen to her, but Ikki only wanted to hear one thing.

So Ikki confirmed that Stella had enough energy to converse, and opened a topic himself.

"Hey, Stella."

"Hmm? What?"

"What kind of people are your parents?"

"Why… do you want to know?"

"Well you see, since we're together, we'll have to announce it sometime, right? Because of that, we have to greet them, after all. I want to know what kind of people they are before I meet them."

Meeting Stella's parents. It was unavoidable. In other words, it was a first step. At the latest, it would happen after the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. But as far as Ikki was concerned, he had to avoid confronting Stella's parents without having any information. At least, what kind of people they were. He had to know that much.

So he asked Stella, but―

"Oh, s-so that's why…. In order to announce it, huh… ooh."

To that question, Stella's face became noticeably pale. It was an expression that plainly rejected his inquiry as disagreeable. In the end―

"Hey Ikki. I have a suggestion, but… can't we hide the marriage until the last minute?"

As one would expect, Ikki couldn't hide his bewilderment.

"No, of course there's no way we could do that…. It might be good to not announce it to the world, but if we don't tell your parents at the very least…."

"About that, a daughter can just tell her father 'Surprise~☆' one way or another."

"That kind of 'Surprise~☆' isn't cute, you know. If we're not careful, he'll have a heart attack."

At least Ikki was confident that if his sister invited their father to her wedding one day over the morning newspaper, it wouldn't end with just spitting out coffee.

"But, but…."

"Umm… do you not want me to meet your parents that much?"

Having been taken to the heart of the matter, Stella nodded with a bit, though she was divided on the issue.

"Ooh… Mother is a commoner, you know? But Father is a very eccentric person, and really dotes on me, so… if he hears that you and I are together…."

"He might oppose our relationship?"

"No. I don't think he'd oppose it."

"Then wouldn't it be fine―"

"But before deciding whether to approve it or object to it, I think he'll bury you when you come to Vermillion to greet him."

That would be absolutely not fine.

"So you're saying that since he's a genuine king, I'm not refined enough…."

"No, it's not about being refined."

Ikki had huge headache, though not from something like Stella's cold. Definitely not. But in order to properly love Stella, it was necessary to follow this procedure. That was absolute. This was a situation he wouldn't be allowed to escape. What kind of existence was his opponent? Ikki had no choice but to face him. Therefore he would do his best, and give the king of Vermillion a favorable impression.

"…W-Well, he at least treasures his daughter, right? Then he's a good father, isn't he?"

"He can't let go of his children, you know. He opposed it weeping when I decided to study abroad."

"No, anybody would try to stop it if his daughter went to study abroad because 'I'm going in order to find someone stronger than me'."

"At that time, Mother saved me by putting Father in prison, some way or another."

"'Some way or another'!? She put a king in prison 'some way or another'!? Your mother doesn't really sound like a commoner!"

"Oh, that's right. If Mother put Father in prison this time too…."

"No no no! It's fine! We'll meet them normally!"

"Eh? But you'll die?"

"Did you just say something staggering like it was natural?"

Ikki recoiled a bit at the words Stella gave with such a serious look. But for him, he was resolved for the sake of associating with Stella.

"…I'm happy that Stella is worried for me, and though the explanation ended really strangely, but I won't run away from this. I'll meet Stella's father properly, and fight for his approval. That's something I have to do as a man."

Ikki's voice was colored by a strong determination. A strong determination that would never be shaken. Understanding that, Stella took a single breath.

"…I get it. Then let's go to Vermillion and meet them."

"Me too, I wonder if I should greet your parents?"

Stella's expression was self-conscious as she asked that. It was reasonable. She knew that outside of Shizuku, Ikki didn't have a good relationship with his family.

And the truth was, Ikki's own expression clouded over at the question. He didn't know. Whether or not it was necessary.

―Really, was he considered a child of that family anymore? He who defied their commands, ran away from home―no, whether his father even considered them family. Ikki thought of this while recalling his own father's face.

And after thinking for a while….

"You're right. I think it's important, so when the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival is over, shall we go to the Kurogane house together once?"

Ikki answered that way. At least Ikki… thought of his father as family. His father didn't want to deal with Ikki as his son even once, but he was still Ikki's irreplaceable parent. In Ikki's heart, he wanted the day that they understood each other to come. Therefore he believed that there were still family bonds.

"…Okay. I understand."

Stella nodded at Ikki's answer.

―Honestly speaking, Stella had been uneasy about Ikki's reply at that time. Stella knew how Ikki was treated by the Kurogane family from Kurono, from Shizuku, and from Ikki himself.

「You can't do anything, so don't try.」

Were those words that a father would tell his real child? Giving up on a child's potential arbitrarily, and not just doing that, but further crushing him. That kind of parental relationship, if Stella who was brought up by loving parents saw it, it was frankly abnormal. It wasn't something parents would do. That was why she was uneasy.

「There were still family bonds.」

Thinking of the situation that way―wasn't that too naïve? And that naïve thinking, someday… wouldn't Ikki's heart be decisively wounded?

But she couldn't say so. Of course not. Your father doesn't think of you as his child anymore. There was no way she could say something so wretched.

So Stella could only believe it herself. That Ikki's faint hope wouldn't be betrayed.

―And like that, the time came for silence between the two to break.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Ikki and Stella raised their heads.

They noticed it. The earth was shaking slightly.

Stella spoke.

"I wonder what it is? An earthquake?"