(Arianne’s POV)

  The sharp, piercing tip of a tanto’s bde hungrily seeks out to meet with the bare flesh of my neck, but it’s halted by Stinger’s pole, mere resulting in a fsh of sparks and the deep, resonant sound of metal on metal.

  “Hmph. Let’s take a break for now.”

  “That would be proper, wouldn’t it?”

  Yoko withdraws her weapon and sheaths it deftly. I colpse Stinger, sit down on a rather uncomfortable metal chair and into my tote bag for a rge thermos.

  “Do you fancy some tea?”

  “Yes, please.”, Yoko nods, plopping herself onto the floor.

  Our training thus far has been quite fruitful. We’ve both already taken a step forward in terms of both physical and magical prowess, and in only two weeks to boot. Training with someone around your level can do wonders for your competitive spirit.

  But I still can’t help but be impressed by Yoko’s strength..

  No doubt, the Colen family is by no means a special family. Nor were any of those who married into it, but yet Govvy, Yoko and Naoya all seem to be extremely suited towards being formidable fighters.

  “Here you go.”

  “Thanks. Is something bothering you? It seems like you’re lost in thought a little.”

  “It’s nothing much, I was just thinking about how I’ll be marrying into such an interesting family.”, I smile. “Hey, I noticed that you actually sit like a dy now. I guess you were worried about Govvy not being interested in a tomboy after all.”

  Yoko bitterly frowns at me. She seems surprisingly irked by my light prodding.

  “That was one of the reasons you and I couldn’t get along back then, you always had to make me feel uncomfortable in my own skin.”, she says, unable to mask all of the bitterness in her words.

  Genuinely taken aback, I’m momentarily dumbstruck, causing an awkward silence to fill the room.

  “Sorry, Yoko.”, I say finally. “I was bang out of order back then, and I didn’t mean for it to be rough for you.”

  “Don’t worry about it too much.”, Yoko shakes her head. “After all, I was just as bad. Remember the pranks I used to pull on you?”

  “Like when you cut off one of my pigtails and stuck it to the top of my head using chewing gum. Yes, I recall.”

  Yoko grimaces slightly upon retrospecting such events.

  “Blimey, we really had it out for each other then, didn’t we? Otherwise we were both well-behaved.”

  “Well, I’m gd that we’re on better terms now.”, I simper. “I daresay we may even be friends now.”

  To my astonishment, Yoko nods in agreement. I mean-I’m gd that it’s mutual, but I didn’t expect to concur so readily.

  “That’s why I want to talk to you about Aniki. Remember how you told Akane and I about how Aniki was behaving before you two met Kageyama-san? He was acting like that again when he got us from school two weeks ago.”

  Hmmph. I really don’t like that…Especially since Govvy refuses to say what’s bothering him.

  “And it started after Akane brought up how some girls in our css thought that he was shady and dangerous looking, then he went on to say that it’s understandable for them to feel that way because of the eyes being the windows to the soul or whatever…”

  Govvy was acting like that because he felt self-conscious of his appearance? How abnormal of him..

  “He usually doesn’t care about those things that much, though…It has to be something else.”, I postute. “Say, you don’t think that-”

  “Yeah, I do.”, Yoko says gravely. “Aniki is still carrying the burden of Granddad’s passing.”

  “I had a bad feeling that it was that.”, I sigh. “If only Grandpa Elroy didn’t die that day, and so horribly at that.”

  “At this point, I believe that the only person that could get Aniki to forgive himself is Granddad. As, I don’t think that’s possible.”

  Ugh, I hate talking about things like this. I feel so helpless knowing that I can do nothing to heal the heart of my most beloved. I can feel my eyes getting full at the mere thought of it.

  Then, Yoko holds my hand, her grip is firm, yet socing.

  “Don’t worry, Arianne. I know it hurts to think about how much Aniki is suffering, but we can’t despair. You and I have grown strong, not just for our own ambitions, but to keep Aniki safe.”

  I blink away my tears and look at Yoko, who gazes directly into my eyes. With no hesitation, I mimic her actions. I can’t look away now, I can’t.

  “Now, Akane has joined us in protecting and loving Aniki, and the three of us will do just that until forever. We will never let him go, right?”

  “Never.”, I reply strongly. “I learned (Ethereal Bindings) to make sure of that, you know?”

  Yoko giggles loudly.

  “Ehehehehehe, so I’ve been told. Let’s work together to make sure we all have some way of holding him, just in case of a highly unlikely outcome. Although for some strange reason I feel like we'll be getting some reinforcements."

  “Unfortunately, I can't help be agree.”, I smile brightly. “Nonetheless, it’s a pleasure to be working with you!”

  “The feeling’s mutual! Although, I wish we’d come to this covenant earlier, ehehehe.”

  “Ohohoho! If only that had been that case!”

  Govvy, my darling, there’s nothing to fear. No matter how dark and grim it may get, no matter how painful and heartbreaking the road ahead becomes, we will be with you forever.

  Forever, I promise.