HELD hostage in his powerful gaze, Aki felt the heat of his purple eyes burning into her skin, while feeling her toes curling in her shoes. She froze in place, forgetting to blink.
Leo loves…me?
Time dragged on as she tilted her head from side to side trying to get out any water from the time she fell into the gutter because she couldn’t believe her ears.
Growing impatient, Leo heaved a long, theatric sigh. “…Are you seriously zoning out in the middle of my once in a lifetime confession?
“...Huh?” she uttered a little slow. “I-I’m not zoning out! You just took me by surprise is all… Do you really…?” Aki timidly peered up at him through her lashes.
Does Leo really love me? The gentle, manly, sharper than a tack, perfect Mage with unparalleled magic really has feelings for plain little old me?
Completely flabbergasted with disbelief, she blankly stood there pointing to herself.
He cleared his throat and shyly averted his eyes from her. “…Well, I’ll be honest with ya, I’m having a hard time believin’ I’ve fallen for someone as klutzy, meddlesome, and hopelessly too good for her own good like you, okay? Somethin’ in my brain must’ve gone awry along the way…”
“…Hmm? Is that right? What a thing to say about someone you love,” she huffed and pouted her lips.
Leo threw his hands up and raced to correct himself. “Gah! Sorry! I didn’t mean it that way! I don’t know why, but I just can’t say what I mean when it matters… I’m sorry.” Shoulders slumped forward with red ears, he buried his face in his hand.
Aki accidentally laughed out loud at him for acting so different from the normally confident and teasing Genius Mage. Leo can be pretty cute sometimes.
He glanced awkwardly at her through his fingers and exhaled for what seemed like a minute as he calmed himself. Then he lifted his head and met her gaze with seriousness gleaming in his eyes.
“You know, I…I’ve always thought you were super c-cute for tryin’ your hardest to adapt to our world… And before I knew it, I sorta fell for you, I guess?”
Aki’s heart drummed louder in her ears with each word Leo haltingly confessed to her. Uwah! How do I react? This is so embarrassing!
“Tha…thank…you…?”
Feeling like her face was on fire, Aki turned her head aside to hide the heat staining her cheeks.
Being told “I love you” from a sincere, amazing man like Leo brought her incredible joy. She had always cherished and cared for him, too. But her feelings for him weren’t romantic. They were more in line with the familial love one might have for an older brother.
That’s why I can’t respond in kind to his feelings… With that thought came images of her time together with Elias. The man I love most, and who I recently learned feels the same about me. My boyfriend.
Aki bit the inside of her cheek as she replayed the happy smile and peaceful expressions he always reserved for her. She was supposed to protect him after becoming the closest person to him, yet she couldn’t stop him from losing his mind. Worst yet, her carelessness invited the disaster that caused his powers to go berserk.
Resulting in Louis, Mina, and Leo getting hurt when they only came to help.
That’s why…that’s why I have to stop Elias. As his secretary and as his girlfriend.
Aki worked out her feeling and looked up at Leo, determined to tell him her answer. First, she had to let him know she was dating Elias.
“Listen, Leo, I—”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he sharply cut her off. Aki gasped and closed her mouth. A sad smile tugged at his lips. “You love Elias and he loves you, right? I’ve known that since day one. You don’t have to repeat it. I didn’t confess lookin’ for an answer. I just wanted to tell you how I felt while I can. That’s all.” He paused before lightly adding, “So I don’t have any regrets, you know?” This time he flashed his trademark rogue’s grin.
Leo… His smile stabbed Aki right in the heart, and tears stung her eyes. He still cares about me even though he knows I have feelings for Elias. It’s so painful not being able to return his sincere feelings.
“…I’m sorry, Leo. I’m so sorry…!” She hung her head, ashamed that apologizing was all she could do.
Leo gave her a hard whack on the shoulder. “C’mon, don’t start apologizin’! You’re putting me on the spot with your tears! Just gettin’ to tell you how I feel leaves me free of regrets.” He ruffled the top of her head and turned on his heel to go now that he had gotten that off his chest.
“…Thanks, Aki,” he whispered when all she did was stare long and hard at his back. “You made me unbelievably happy by answering my summoning as the Hero’s Right-hand. I’m seriously glad you came to us—that you came to me.” He took a breath. “…I’m countin’ on ya to bring back Johann. See ya.”
Leo raised his hand in a farewell wave as he took one step and then one more step closer to the underground lake where Elias waited.
Aki’s eyes fastened on his broad back, and she clenched her trembling hands.
Leo is going to leave. If I let him go like this, I might never see him again. His cheerful, impish grin might be gone to me forever. Fighting Elias is the same as betting with his life. I don’t… Aki bit down on her lip. I don’t want that to happen!
“Leo! Wait!” Aki yelled so loud at his back she scared herself. Her high-pitched voice bounced off the stone walls, startling him into stopping and looking back at her.
“What’s the problem?”
“Leo....you’re…you’re a coward!” she wailed.
“…Huh?” Leo’s eyebrow shot into his hairline at her sudden accusation.
Planting her hands on her hips, she bent forward and ranted, “You’re a coward because you confessed your feelings to me and are walking off into the sunset all cool and awesome without waiting for my response! You’re so not cool!”
“…Not cool? What are you, a schoolgirl? I mean, I know your answer without hearin’—”
“So you’d better—” Aki shouted over Leo as she ran and threw her arms around his back, hugging the living daylights out of him. Surprised as he was, he caught her perfectly in his arms. Tears glittering in her eyes, she gazed up at him and buried her hands into his robe. “You’d better stay safe until I come back with Johann so I can tell you my answer! I’m gonna…” She took a deep breath and flashed a teary smile at him. “I’m gonna reject you so hard you won’t know what hit you!”
Leo gawked at Aki for a long moment before bursting out laughing so hard his voice shook the cold hall. He bent over clutching his stomach laughing like he had just heard the most ridiculous, happiest thing in the world.
“Now that’s a good one! I have to survive the battle of my life so I can be rejected by you! What a deal! You really are the biggest dummy in the world…!” A single tear streaked down his cheek.
“Leo…?”
“Wow. Am I cryin’? Ah, well, I’m just too dang happy hearing that from you… Scared. I’m honestly scared. If I die, I’ll never get to see you, Elias, Johann, and the people I care most about again. Thinkin’ about it like that scares me senseless. I definitely don’t want to die.” Leo hugged her back, squeezing tighter than usual to keep his fears in check.
Aki massaged circles into his back, feeling him shaking a little in her arms. “Then please promise me that you will stay alive until I get back. Promise you won’t lose no matter what he throws at you.” She pulled her head away from his chest and looked up at him.
His clear purple eyes wavered and he gave a small nod. “I promise I won’t lose no matter what, so share some of your good luck with me. That way I can safely reunite with you,” he said, then whispered, “Elias, forgive me for this.”
Leo moved Aki’s bangs off her forehead and pressed his lips against the exposed skin.
✦ ✦ ✦
Realizing what he just did to her, Aki turned cherry red and held her hands against her forehead while he pulled away from their embrace.
Turning red up to the tips of his ears, Leo flashed the smug smile of a boy who’d succeeded in pulling off the prank of a lifetime. “Thanks a bunch, Aki. You don’t mind giving a little present like that to the poor fella you plan on cruelly rejectin’, right?”
“H-How could you—” she stuttered when he put his hands on her shoulder and turned her in the opposite direction. “Leo?”
“Run!” He gave her back a little push. He loudly clapped his hands to stop her from turning to look at him. “Don’t look back! Run! Go! Now!”
Leo…! Understanding what he wanted brought tears to her eyes for the hundredth time that day. I can’t look back. I can’t stand still. I have to bring Johann here no matter what it takes. That’s the only way I can help Leo.
Aki raised her head in the direction she was heading and hardened her resolve. “I know you’ll keep your promise…!” she said in parting, then ran full speed ahead without looking back.
Run! Run! Run! Run as fast as you can so you can bring Johann back even a second sooner!
✦ ✦ ✦
LISTENING to Aki’s footfalls fade into the distance, Leo stood perfectly still with his back to her. “‘I’m gonna reject you so hard you won’t know what hit you,’ huh?”
She’s seriously amusing. I can’t believe she had me make a ridiculous promise to keep safe just so she can reject me.
Leo loved the way she expressed her real feelings without any filters. He had a thing for the way she always caught him off guard and led him around by the nose with her absurd, out-of-nowhere actions.
“…I love ya, Aki. I love ya as much as Elias does.”
So I’m gonna win this duel with Elias and let him know if he keeps being a coward, I’m gonna steal you out from under his heroic nose.
Just because Aki rejects me doesn’t mean I’m gonna give up on her. And if I want to live to stand a chance at winning her over, I’d better survive this fight.
“Okay, time to do this.” Leo rolled his shoulders before staring down the gutter they’d escaped through.
He had to do this to keep his promise with Aki. To save his best friend Elias. And to survive another day so he could continue laughing alongside his irreplaceable friends.
Leo ran his finger over the lips that had kissed Aki’s forehead. Stealing a single kiss was enough to make him feel like she was by his side, cheering him on.
“You can do this, me…! Now’s the time to show off your skill as the Genius Mage Leo!”