“Th-This is incredible!” Izuna exclaimed, her eyes going wide with shock behind the bangs that kept them hidden. The potion Aisha had taken out from her implausibly tiny pouch had had a tremendous effect. Her wounds and fatigue were both completely gone, whisked away by the motes of light that surrounded her body.
“It’s one of Mistress’s items, after all,” Aisha said, pride clear in her voice.
“Your mistress again...” Izuna pouted. “She’s all you ever talk about.”
“I’m sure you’ll get along with her!” Aisha declared. “Mistress Nacht is a really kindhearted person.” She took a drink of a healing potion herself and retched. “Bleh! It’s bitter...”
“You don’t have to drink it,” Izuna told her. “It’ll have the same effect if you sprinkle it over your body.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Aisha followed Izuna’s advice. As her wounds vanished, she gave a small sigh. Then, breathing deeply, she made up her mind to get it over with. “Izuna...” she said. “There are some things I should tell you...” She had to tell Izuna the truth or else her friend would never move on with her life.
“All right,” Izuna said. “I’m listening. Go ahead.” It seemed she had been ready for this conversation ever since the power that had enveloped the city had suddenly vanished. Izuna had already made up her mind to move forward on her own.
So Aisha told her everything. She told her that Analissia had been the one behind her parents’ murder. That she had laughed at Izuna. That she had been using Izuna and nothing more. And then, she gave Izuna the message Analissia had left for her: “If you hate me now, please don’t hesitate to kill me.”
Aisha didn’t know why Analissia had wanted her to give Izuna that message. She wondered if it would have been better to keep it secret for the sake of her friend. But whatever it was that they were going to do about Analissia, it needed to be Izuna’s decision. The woman had lived with her and acted as her false family, after all. In Aisha’s mind, that was enough reason to let her make the call.
“I get the sense you were waiting for me to tell you that,” Aisha said. “Whatever you decide, Izuna, you’ll have my support. But living in hatred is—”
“Don’t worry,” said Izuna, cutting her off. “I understand. Really, don’t worry. I’ll be all right as long as you’re with me.” Izuna slowly parted her hair, showing her eyes as she spoke. “My sister is very smart. She doesn’t do things for no reason.” Aisha saw Analissia as nothing but a villain, but perhaps Izuna had a different perspective on the woman. “Still, I should go see her at least. I won’t understand anything if I don’t talk to her.” She clung to Aisha’s sleeve, complicated emotions raging inside her. “I can’t forgive her for what she did! But she was also kind to me. It was fake, but she treated me with love...”
Aisha could sense the turmoil in Izuna’s heart. “Whatever decision you make, I’m on your side.”
“I know. Thank you, Aisha.”
Then, all of a sudden, something strange began happening in the sky, interrupting their conversation. “Nh!” Izuna cried. The first thing they saw was light. It was so bright that it threatened to burn their retinas, even from as high up in the sky as it was. Aisha’s spell earlier had enveloped a portion of the sky and reduced the vast noble estate to ruins, but this spell made hers look like mere child’s play. It was overwhelming. All of Estoll seemed to shake.
“Wh-What’s th-that?!” Izuna stuttered, too overwhelmed by shock for her mouth to work properly. It was like her field of vision—no, the very sky itself—had been replaced. The moonlit night sky was shining as if it were midday.
“O-Oh!” said Aisha. “Don’t worry! I think Mistress is just getting a bit carried away...”
Before their eyes was a great golden dragon, shining like the sun, its light reaching every corner of Estoll. Then, the great dragon’s mouth opened wide in a roar. Aisha hurried to cover her ears as an explosion of sound impacted her whole body. That was just a shock wave, though; Aisha could only imagine how much power the attack itself had contained.
The shock waves rippled outward like an explosion. And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the dragon vanished.
Izuna stared up, dumbfounded. “The sky...changed...” she said. And indeed it had. The clouds that had been drifting overhead were gone. The moons shone down from the clear sky above, seemingly even brighter than they had been before.
Aisha sighed. “Mistress...” she said, “please don’t forget that there’s a city beneath you...”
Aisha’s attitude only served to increase Izuna’s shock. “Wow, Aisha,” she said. “You act like you see this every day.”
The city was in chaos. Knights and priests and people of all vocations were running around in a panic, trying desperately to understand what was happening.
“Izuna, look!” said Aisha, pointing up at the sky. Something was falling—a person. There was no mistaking it. They were plummeting from the sky headfirst.
“A girl!” Izuna exclaimed.
“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What?!” Aisha stammered. “I-I have to catch her!” She called on the spirits of wind, and they caught the girl gently as she fell.
“Mrr...” the girl mumbled, unconscious. Her clothing was in tatters, exposing her skin, and her wide-open eyes were rolled all the way back into her head. It looked like she had passed out while screaming.
Aisha took the girl in her arms when she suddenly heard yet another voice. “Looks like things went all right on your end too, Aisha,” said Nacht. “I guess that’s a wrap!”
“Mistress!” Aisha cried, beaming with delight. She turned her face up to gaze in admiration at her beautiful mistress. Aisha took it all in—her long black hair fluttering in the breeze. Her clear, commanding eyes with their golden rings that shone like the light of the moons. Her unnaturally gorgeous body, and her dress that glittered with starlight. Anyone who beheld such a vision of beauty would surely have their heart stolen in a second. Aisha’s mistress had arrived.
“That’s...your mistress?” Izuna murmured fearfully.
“Um...Mistress?” Aisha asked. “Wh-What did you do to this girl?” The girl in question was currently passed out in Aisha’s arms, muttering words she didn’t understand.
“Ah,” Nacht replied with a smile. “She turned out to be a bit tougher than I anticipated, so I guess I forgot to pull my punches. Seems like I still have a lot to learn too!” To Aisha, it didn’t seem like a laughing matter at all. True, her battle with Izuna had been much the same, but Nacht’s magic had thrown all of Estoll into chaos. Even so, Nacht laughed happily as she regarded the scene around her. “No big deal! We can leave the cleanup to Tina. We are going to have a feast in celebration of friendships renewed.”
“Do we have a choice...?” Aisha asked, shooting Nacht a dirty look. Nacht took it in stride, ignoring the comment with a grin. Then, she stepped up to Izuna.
“Hm...” she said, looking the girl directly in the eyes. “They are lovely. I’m Aisha’s mistress. The name’s Nacht, but you can go ahead and call me your bestie.”
“I’m...Izuna,” Izuna said, lowering her gaze as she answered.
“No lowering your head,” Nacht insisted.
“I...”
“And no averting your eyes. Aisha said they’re beautiful. You should take pride in them. Even if all of humanity is mocking you behind your back, even if the entire city hates you, even if every last living being on the planet starts making fun of them, Aisha said they were beautiful! So try being proud for a change! Aisha’s opinion is worth more than anyone else in the entire world. Am I wrong?”
“No...!” said Izuna, looking Nacht in the eye. “You’re right!”
“Don’t forget that warmth,” Nacht said, smiling. “As long as you have that, you’ll never have to be alone again.”
“I won’t!” said Izuna without hesitation. Nacht nodded, satisfied.
“I’m really glad Aisha made a friend,” she said. “Take care of her for me, okay, Izuna?”
“Y-You take care of her too!” The two shook hands as Aisha watched silently, hiding her embarrassment deep within her heart. But that didn’t matter. She was happy just seeing Izuna and Nacht shake hands.
“I hope you two get along well,” Nacht said. “As friends.” Perhaps it was Izuna’s imagination, but it seemed like Nacht had placed an unnatural emphasis on the word “friends.” It was like all the kindness from moments before had simply vanished.
“O-Of course!” said Izuna. “Aisha’s my best friend!”
Now that Izuna had stopped demurring, Nacht’s gaze became one of pure hostility. Sparks flew between them. Aisha began frantically looking this way and that, wondering what she should do. “Hmph,” said Nacht. “Take good care of my Aisha.”
That time, she had placed the emphasis on “my.” In fact, now that Izuna was looking, Nacht had taken Aisha’s hand in hers at some point.
Aisha was happy, but she couldn’t bear the deadly looks the two were giving each other. “P-Please, you two!” she said. “Please try to get along!”
“Aisha...” Nacht said. “All right, then! I told you I wouldn’t turn down a request from you, no matter how much I hate it. I’m here for you, after all!” She took Izuna’s hand with her free one, still holding on to Aisha’s with her other.
“Huuuh?!” was all Aisha could say.
“There’s a number of things we should discuss,” Nacht said.
“Yes...” said Izuna. “I have a lot I want to ask too.”
They kept their fierce gazes fixed on one another, the pressure building higher and higher until Aisha interposed herself between the pair. “Please!” she shrieked, her voice echoing in the night. “Would you two please at least try to get along?!”
Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! 2
~Fin