“I object.”
It took a moment for me to process that. “What?”
Rion and I had come out to the garden to get a look at the reception venue. That was when something unexpected happened.
“Ah, Thee-chan,” said Rion.
Indeed, Thee-chan, or Dorothy, had appeared in full combat dress. At least, she was in basically the same equipment as she had been during our exhibition match. Anyway, she stood in front of us, fully prepared, while saying the line she needed to stop our marriage.
Um, wait. This is way too fast, don’t you think? The ceremony hasn’t even started yet. And how long have you been waiting there?
“Good morning, Dorothy. Thank you for taking care of the place while we were gone yesterday. You really helped, since everyone was out.”
“Ah, no, that’s not true. The maids were around too, so I was really just here. I didn’t really do any— Wait, we’re off track!” Dorothy shouted.
Ohhh, Dorothy can make retorts like that too. Impressive.
“Ah, that’s the uniform from the academy, isn’t it? But...wait...it looks similar, but there’s something different?” Rion asked.
“Well, you see, Efil-san modified it to withstand intense battles,” Dorothy replied. “The uniform still looks the same, but comparatively, its performance now is like heaven and earth. Night and day. Or Rion-san and that idiot Charles, if you prefer— Wait, we’re losing focus again!”
The way she went along with jokes and then suddenly replied snarkily to them was getting to be a work of art, given how beautiful it was.
You’re the type to get swept up in the flow, aren’t you, Dorothy?
“Rion-san...I’m being serious right now!” Dorothy pleaded. “I’m glad you’re welcoming me casually like a friend, but please, go along with the seriousness for now!”
“Um, but I was asking you that seriously.” Rion said.
“As expected of you, Rion-san. Your eye is sharper than most. Yes, exactly. These clothes are much more powerful than before. Its surprising performance will...” Dorothy started.
She was now continuing her honest and detailed explanation from before.
Uh-huh. So, you’re trying to forcefully wipe away what you said into nothingness, huh? Still, hasn’t she lost sight of herself with how much she likes Rion?
“...and that’s it, in short. Do you understand how serious I am now, Kelvin-san?” Dorothy asked.
“Ah, sorry. I wasn’t listening. What did you say?”
Dorothy let out a wordless scream of frustration.
“Honestly, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to joke around, I was just surprised because this is all so sudden.”
“Sudden? Heh! That doesn’t sound like someone who’s as much of a battle junkie as you,” Dorothy scoffed. “Someone with your level of addiction would normally not even need to be given a starting signal.”
“Well, yeah, but...”
Of course, we’d known Dorothy would be challenging us today. Though she had been staying here under the pretense of a sleepover, she had essentially been freeloading this entire time, so her declaring her objection at this exact moment was an utter surprise. I mean, we had just earlier been eating breakfast together, you know? She seemed to have completely settled into life at our house. She often sat at the table in pajamas, after all, and was constantly rubbing the drowsiness out of her eyes. It really felt like she was making herself at home.
“Like, no matter how cool you try to make yourself look to us...well...you know?”
“What do you mean, you know? And don’t look to Rion for agreement!” Dorothy argued. “That was just...right, just a ploy to make you, Kelvin-san, my enemy, let your guard down. If I’d acted like when I first woke up, you would definitely assume that I wouldn’t challenge you for a while yet. So you totally fell for my trap, Kelvin-san! Heh heh heh heh heh... The match is over before it even started!”
“Oh...um...really?”
How should I put it? She really came up with a cute little plan. But why did she choose a mental ambush instead of a physical one? Even if it worked, I’d only kind of be like, “Oh, okay?” Of course, it wouldn’t have any effect on the fight afterward. The Dorothy from the exhibition match would’ve launched a surprise attack using Time Magic. Did this girl become more of a fool by interacting with Rion?
“Well then, let’s get to the match. I can’t allow that idiot Charles to see Rion-san in a dress, and I’m sure he’s coming,” said Dorothy. “Being exposed to his rotten gaze would kill the dress! I’ll end this before then!”
“Huh? That’s your real aim? W-Well, I’m fine with it, but we can’t fight here. This place isn’t tough enough to withstand an all-out fight between us, and we can’t make trouble for everyone else.”
“I-I know that! I would never do that to you when you’ve been letting me stay all this time. More than anything, I can’t make trouble for Rion-san or the maids either,” Dorothy replied.
“Okay, yeah. What about me, though?”
Dorothy paused for a moment. “In your case, Kelvin-san, wouldn’t you be happy about it? And I would hate that reaction in and of itself.”
“Hey.”
You really get me, don’t you? Oh, I mean, we can’t allow this place to get trashed, okay? I would only be happy about the fight itself, but I’m capable of thinking about many things at once, which is why I asked you that question. Please don’t misunderstand.
“I would like for us to make use of the underground training area you have. We won’t stand out there, and it should be sturdy enough,” said Dorothy.
“The underground training area, huh? You’re right, that place could stand up to us. It even has some audience seating, so the guests who came early can watch. Okay, let’s go with your suggestion.”
“Yep yep! Looks like it’s all decided,” said Rion. “Ah, I’m going to be fighting today, okay, Kel-nii?”
“Huh?” both Dorothy and I harmonized perfectly.
Uh...what? R-Rion, what did you just...?
“Don’t ‘huh’ me, Kel-nii,” said Rion. “You’re still tired from the fight yesterday, aren’t you? And even if you fight Thee-chan here, there’ll still be another five objection matches waiting for you, so you can’t push yourself!”
“Uh, er...I appreciate your loving concern, Rion, but I’m not that tired from yesterda—”
“Don’t try to bluff me, Kel-nii,” Rion cut me off. “You’ve been weird since this morning. I’ve been watching you!”
I had nothing to say to that.
But...you’re wrong, Rion. That exhaustion wasn’t from the fight yesterday but from Shutola— Ugh, how should I explain it to her?! I mean, it doesn’t change that I’m tired, so it won’t be convincing no matter what I say!
“Hey, come on, I’ll recover after eating Efil’s cooking...”
“No! If you’re so tired that you need to rely on Efil-nee’s cooking, then it’s best to leave it to me, since I’m at a hundred percent!” Rion insisted.
“Urrghhh...”
Rion was using logic and pure love for me as her weapons, so I couldn’t fight back any further.
“Rion-san, don’t you think it would be best to heed Kelvin-san’s desires every so often?” Dorothy tried. “Look at how much he wants to fight. They say people know themselves best, so don’t you think believing in him to be the best course of action?”
Yes! Here comes support from someone completely unexpected! You’re totally right! Say more, Dorothy!
“What do you really think, Thee-chan?” Rion asked.
Dorothy hesitated, but then she said, “I want to blow Kelvin-san away, not you, Rion-san. I want to turn him into dust in the wind!”
“Okay, yeah. I’ll be the one fighting you,” Rion confirmed.
“Ah, okay...” both Dorothy and I muttered in harmony once more, hanging our heads.