“I’m all done making potions for the day, Aoi!”
I was lazing around in bed, reading a gaming magazine Karumi had brought me from Japan and fighting off the drowsiness of the potion poisoning, when Ann slipped under the covers and wrapped her arms around me.
“Ann, I don’t mind if you wanna snuggle, but could you maybe stay above the waist?” I was under strict orders to avoid all medicines, and that included my go-to sedative herb. I hadn’t had to endure the full force of Ann’s cuddling in a while, and keeping my composure was proving difficult.
When Ann had told me about how she’d taken Donnel, Carla, and their crews into the labyrinth that day and gone after the straggler hunters from behind, I’d scolded her for putting herself in harm’s way. But then Mary had muttered under her breath about how I’d already nearly died just from facing nine of them, and it’d come out that Ann had saved me from another twenty. After that, Ann had gotten hopping mad at me instead and chewed me out for always overdoing it. The way she’d teared up as she chastised me was horribly unfair. I never stood a chance.
“Aoi, Mary, let’s take a nap! C’mon, we already wrapped up our work for the day, so we deserve a break.”
Ann and Mary were even closer of late. Had something nice happened between the two of them? Mary was playing Gun Gust more and more on her new computer, which she rationalized by saying she had to keep training. Yeah, she was hooked.
“That’s a splendid idea, Ann. To tell the truth, I’d been hoping our whole family could sleep together today.”
Even Mary hopped into bed. She looked happier these days, and I felt like she’d been taking on some of Ann’s carefree nature.
Ann’s soft snores tugged at me to go to sleep, but when I tried to close my eyes, Mary whispered to me.
“Aoi, isn’t my salary a burden?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but yeah, it’s going to be tough to scrape up the money.”
Mary had signed a contract and was formally my labyrinth guardian, and her rate was not cheap. Well, I mean, I’d set it myself. But after I’d gone so far to recruit her to my party, I didn’t want to compromise on her pay and look bad just because I was kind of broke.
“I’ve been fretting over it, to tell the truth, but I think I’ve come up with a solution, a way you won’t be obligated to pay me anymore. What do you say we give it a try? I think it will solve all our problems.”
She was right, but that was something we were better off saving for the future. She murmured something about just not feeling right without a last name.
“...Not just yet. I think we’re fine the way we are.”
I was half-asleep thanks to the potion poisoning, but even in that state, my instincts still preserved me from danger, like the way I dodged mines in an FPS game.
“What a stubborn man. Oh, wait. Does that mean we’ll do it someday?”
“Someday... Okay.”
“It’s a promise, then, and I never forget promises. I look forward to that day.”
Mary nodded, looking satisfied by my answer, and closed her eyes with a cute little yawn.
“Wait. What?”
I came wide awake, my eyes popping open. I had the strangest sensation, which was somehow incredibly familiar, like I’d put my foot down on a trap and felt it sink in, and yet I’d still miraculously evaded it.
“Hmm...?”
I sat up and looked around, but all I could see was Ann and Mary, both sound asleep. Maybe it’d just been my imagination?
I lay down again and looked at Mary. As her little hand clung to the hem of my shirt and her angelic face drifted up and down from the deep breaths of sleep, I made her a promise in my heart. Mary, I know you’ve been through a lot of hard times, but I promise you, I will never let you face them alone again. No matter what life throws at you, playing on a team makes it more fun. I can’t guarantee there will be a reward at the end of every stage we clear, but even if there’s no treasure waiting, Ann and I will make one for you. I mean, c’mon, you never read about a character going through hell in the main game, finally reaching a happy ending, and then see the fandisk come out and undo all the good things, right? No writer is that dumb. They’d get flamed right off the internet. Hell, their company building would probably get burned to the ground. I’ll spoil you every day. I’ll make you so happy you change class from Dark Knight to Delight. So prepare yourself, because you’re going to see just how fun the game of life truly is.
The End