Chapter 117 : How Pure Anna Is, Isn't She
I felt no pain at all.
It could be said to be the worst possible timing—Nora happened to turn around just then, and caught off guard, she had no time to respond to my loss of composure.
I crashed head-on into the turning Nora, and she didn't have time to steady her footing to support my unbalanced form. Perhaps it was related to Nora also wearing high heels, but whatever the case may be,
The reality was that Nora and I were now less than a centimeter apart, nose to nose.
So close that I could clearly see her delicate eyelashes, with our astonished faces reflected in each other's pupils.
"..."
"..."
My body was intertwined with Nora's delicate frame.
We were even just a little bit away from our lips meeting completely.
Rather, even now, Nora's rosy lips were so close at hand. Surely they would be as sweet and soft as honey. For a moment, the absurd thought of pressing against them flashed through my mind.
In the end, thanks to the dull sensation in my chest, my blank mind was filled with color again. Only then did I realize that I hadn't accidentally given away my first kiss...
It was because both our chests had provided a buffer.
Since coming to the Lemoria continent, Nora was the most voluptuous among the girls I had encountered. On this basis, both sides had contributed to the cushioning.
Since I was currently only wearing stickers, I experienced Nora's abundant elasticity firsthand.
"You—you—"
Nora pressed my shoulders and roughly pushed me away.
"My body and soul belong to Lady Sister! Don't even think about it!"
Nora simply drew her scythe from her storage space, domineeringly positioning it horizontally across her chest.
"Could it be that your real target is actually me?! Your true intention isn't Lady Sister at all?"
"It's not like that!"
"I would never submit to you! How dare you toy with Lady Sister's pure feelings. That's unforgivable!"
The agitated Nora directly swung her scythe at me. To be precise, the blade wasn't facing toward me—it seemed she only wanted to knock me unconscious with the scythe's handle.
I hurriedly extended my chains to block Nora's scythe. She was stunned for a moment, probably not expecting that I could materialize weapons out of thin air once in combat mode. Taking advantage of this opening, I grabbed Nora's wrist and pinned her against the wall.
"Let go of me! Even if you get my body, you'll never have my heart!"
"Why would I want your heart... It was just an accident. Sorry."
"An accident?"
"I twisted my ankle in these high heels."
Even when I had rushed up to grab Nora just now, I nearly fell again. But the same mistake wouldn't work twice on a maid.
"...Release me first."
Nora appeared to have regained her composure. As long as she wasn't swinging her scythe at me, I had no need to continue restraining her.
Nora waved the scythe in her hand, no longer in combat mode. She stored the scythe back in her storage space, then looked at my twisted right foot.
"I got too excited. I'm ashamed."
"It's nothing... But for Head Maid Nora to say such things..."
Thinking back on it made me break out in a cold sweat. It was perfectly normal to let one's imagination run wild when suddenly being pushed down, but I didn't have the tools for such crimes, and there were age restrictions too. Why would Nora think I was really going to do something?
"I have an obligation to preserve my chastity for Lady Sister."
"What I mean is, we're both girls, so there wouldn't be that kind of development..."
Admitting out loud that I was a girl felt strangely complicated, but thanks to this point, Nora could believe my explanation. If I were a boy who had just fallen on top of Nora, I probably couldn't clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River.
No wait, if I were a boy, I wouldn't be wearing high heels in the first place...
However, upon hearing my supposedly reasonable explanation, Nora frowned.
"It's not possible between girls? Are you serious?"
"Isn't that right?"
I couldn't understand Nora's counter-question. Ask a hundred people and they'd all give the same answer, wouldn't they?
"Hasn't Lady Sister expressed her feelings quite straightforwardly?"
"Uh..."
Chris? She did say things about eloping and witnessing a wedding under the sacred tree in Midgard, but I hadn't taken it to heart.
"...Lady Sister is nowhere near as frivolous about her feelings as you imagine."
Nora sighed and spoke somewhat sadly.
If I had to say, Chris did call Carol Cat and Sigrdrífa cute too, but she only made a fuss about wanting to marry me specifically. Could it be that...
Was Chris serious?
An absurd hypothesis popped into my mind.
But thinking it over, I rejected it again. I'm a girl now, and Chris is too. Wouldn't that be strange?
"After tonight, you might change your current perspective."
"I-I see..."
"Speaking of which, what did you come to find me for?"
"Well..."
I lowered my head, not daring to look directly into Nora's eyes. I inexplicably felt a sense of guilt.
"I wanted to ask if there are any sanitary pads?"
"Sanitary pads... Could it be that you're in your special period?"
Nora's reaction clearly showed she understood. I nodded desperately as if granted amnesty.
"There are. Lady Sister allows maids to use them during their special periods. Tonight you're qualified to kneel down and thank Lady Sister, but you're not allowed to kiss Lady Sister's jade feet."
I wouldn't be grateful to that extent... Incidentally, that tone made it sound like Nora had actually kissed them before. I must be overthinking it.
"How truly inconvenient."
"Eh? Are they all used up?"
"I'm referring to the fact that you happen to be in your special period... Don't misunderstand, it's not that I'm concerned about you. I just don't want to disturb Lady Sister's good mood. I suggest you confess voluntarily tonight. Lady Sister is magnanimous and won't force anyone into difficulties."
"Thank you..."
I inexplicably felt I should express gratitude, with a sense of having received guidance.
Actually, I was becoming more and more confused. What exactly was going to happen tonight?