Leyfa smiled wryly at Sofie’s wailing and walked over to pat her on the head. “What an ugly crying face...”
It was like the two of them were in their own world, happily enveloped in an inviolable holy aura. It was all Miya and I could do to watch over them quietly.
“They’ve completely forgotten we’re here.”
“All’s well that ends well, right?”
Although we were completely left out, a warm feeling filled my heart.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Are you sure about turning Princess Leyfa down?” I asked after we left the hotel room. I knew it was tactless of me, but I was more concerned about making sure Sofie had no regrets.
She nodded, her eyes still puffy from crying. “Yup. I stand by my decision. She already said I could come back to her once we’ve cleared the dungeon.”
“All right.”
I was relieved to hear the confidence in her voice. In that moment, I was truly glad I’d invited Sofie into the Arrivers.
“Let’s go home,” I said.
Feeling like the air had been cleared, we left the lobby and exited the building...where we ran into the two people we least expected to see.
“We’ve finally caught them! In the middle of a secret rendezvous, no less!”
“Note and Sofie are leaving a hotel together...?”
It was Roslia in her hat-and-sunglasses reporter getup with Erin, who looked like her soul was leaving her body through her mouth. Why were the two of them here?! And what were they doing?!
“You two look confused, so allow me to explain,” Reporter Roslia announced, ignoring the half-dead Reporter Erin. “It was a peaceful afternoon on a day off when a certain man and woman sneaked out of the house. All this, mind you, after they’d spent a suspicious night together in the dungeon. Talk about a juicy scoop! We had no choice but to follow them! My journalistic spirit demanded it!”
I was struck dumb, but my life was full of awkward moments like this. I was already used to them and no longer had the energy to be surprised by every little thing.
You’re not even a real reporter, Roslia...
I guess she just enjoyed this kind of thing. She’d gone all out back when we were tailing Jin too.
“What do you think, Reporter Erin? We’ve now acquired irrefutable proof. You tried to deny that Note would ever do such a thing earlier, so how are you feeling?”
“I want to die. The end.”
“You heard it right here on scene!”
Yeah, Roslia was definitely enjoying herself right now. Rather than interrogating me over a crime she knew I was innocent of, she was instead having fun tormenting Erin—who, with all two of her brain cells, fell for it splendidly.
“So, Sofie, what’d you do in that hotel room?” Roslia asked impishly.
“I cried a lot,” she answered.
“Hey, don’t give them the wrong idea!” I fussed.
She’d definitely done that on purpose. Sofie knew exactly what she was saying.
“I’m going to die... When I’m reborn...I want to be a mere weed...” the weird shadow standing next to Roslia muttered.
Weeds have it rough too, you know? Enjoy being human a little more, will you?
“All right! That’s one rival down. All that’s left now is Miya,” muttered the reporter with ultramarine hair in an almost equally unsettling fashion, all while pumping her fist.
You’re being written off, Erin! Better hurry up and show some signs of life!
Why had Miya’s name come up just now anyway? There was even less chance of anything happening with her than with Sofie. Especially considering her opinion of me.
“Nice one, Sofie!” Roslia cheered.
“I don’t know what I did, but I’m happy to be of service.”
“I’ll be counting on you to help me take down Miya too.”
“I have my own score to settle with that half-elf for removing me from Princess Leyfa’s service. I’ll gladly help you defeat her.”
The normally docile Sofie’s motivated for once! You’d better make a run for it, Miya!
I wanted to go warn her straight away, but I figured these two would only follow me and cause more trouble. My childhood friend had grown into a great fighter. Surely she could handle two assassins on her own... Yeah, that’s what I told myself. Even though I could only picture Roslia bullying her to tears.
“Don’t go too far, you two,” I ultimately said, deciding to leave it at a light warning.
Sorry for being a heartless childhood friend, Miya...
“Anyway, Sofie,” Roslia piped up, “you sure look refreshed. Like a weight’s been lifted off your shoulders.”
“Do I?”
“Looks that way to me. What’d you really do with Note?”
“Hmm... I wonder.”
“What an unexpected response! She’s not denying it! Has the impossible truly happened?!” Roslia suddenly started sweating at the brow, exchanging a panicked look with the half-dead Erin.
She’d set this whole trap, so what was she doing falling for it? I guess this is what they mean when they say “hoisted by your own petard.”
“What do we do?! What do we do?! Did we just get our man stolen from us?! I’ve done the stealing before, but this is my first time on the receiving end! What are you supposed to do when this happens?! What is this tightness in my chest?!”
“Find your inner peace... Become a mere weed...”
Roslia’s just reaping what she’s sown. Don’t convert her to your weird weed cult, Erin. We don’t need a new religion, and we sure as heck don’t need two weeds in the party.
“Is that what I should’ve done when everything was so painful? Just become a mere weed...?”
Don’t you go eating this up too, Sofie!
On the surface, Sofie seemed like the type to fall for a cult hook, line, and sinker. She kind of had a dark cloud over her and a habit of depending on others.
“Hey, uh, it’s not too late for you to go back to Princess Leyfa, you know?” I offered while watching Sofie and Roslia worship their new leader, Erin. Even as their friend, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to join a party causing such a weird scene in public.
However, Sofie shook her head. “Nope. I like it here,” she said.
She was smiling now, brighter than anything I’d ever—
“It’s the dawning of the age of weeds!”
“Knock it off!” I couldn’t help retorting.