Chapter 18

1.

"Exchange...?"

"Sure, let's trade. I don't really mind."

Let's calculate our chances. We'd subdued them, but without someone keeping watch, we had no way of knowing when those two witches might turn on us.

Peridot was still writhing, bleeding more by the second.

"Stop racking your brains. I can see your eyes darting around. If you won't accept the trade, I'll start by tearing this woman's arm off."

"Gaaah!!"

As Iris spoke, she lifted the foot she'd had on Peridot's backside, kicked her in the flank to roll her onto her side, then planted her foot on Peridot's ribs and grabbed the arm that had been flailing.

I knew that if she simply pulled, it would come right off.

"We're the ones with an injured person here. Is that all the consideration prisoners get?"

"But if I don't provoke you like this, you'll just keep scheming."

Peridot's arm dangled limply as Iris shook it back and forth.

There was nothing we could do. Iris was an opponent we couldn't guarantee a victory against, and right now, either Ruby or I would have to keep an eye on the two witches with us.

It was best to accept Iris's offer.

"All right. Ruby, hand that witch over to me."

"...Okay."

Ruby studied Iris's expression, then slowly came over and handed Opal to me. I enlarged the bubble trapping the rose-haired witch and put Opal inside it, too.

I climbed down from the bubble and stood beside Ruby. With two people inside, it had grown quite large and floated beside us.

"You really are sensible. Let's each go our separate ways, then."

Iris let go of Peridot's arm and lifted the foot she'd been crushing her ribs with. Honestly, it had been bothering me so much I was about to shoot her with a water cannon.

I slowly closed the distance between us. Ruby followed with a worried expression, while Iris waited quietly to see if there was any way she could move Peridot.

Peridot was still bleeding. I had a feeling that if we fought any longer, her life would be in danger.

More than anything, if we kept fighting, I knew Iris would 'tear' Peridot's arm off, just as she'd threatened.

"You can deal with the bubble yourselves."

"What a pain. If I just give it a little shove, will it move forward?"

"The witches inside will get dizzy."

As Iris and I passed each other, I started to help Peridot up, then stopped. If there was no way to give her even basic first aid, touching her might only make things worse.

More than that, Iris was still nearby, and I didn't want to use my powers with her so close.

"I was thinking of hitting you from behind, but you did something to that bubble, didn't you?"

"It'll explode in a minute."

"That's a funny joke. Heh heh."

It was a lie, though.

Iris pressed a finger firmly into the bubble. After confirming her finger sank into it like a sponge, she bent it and 'tore' the bubble's surface apart.

I hadn't expected her to break the bubble like that.

"If you pull a stunt like this again, I'll beat you until you really beg me to kill you, okay?"

"Of course."

As if I believed that.

Ruby carried Peridot on her back. Peridot flinched with every movement, but the wounds on her back were too serious for us to put her on a stretcher.

We were lucky the blood had clotted around the wounds, so at least she wasn't bleeding anymore.

"A-anyway, this was your fault. Make sure you tell Master exactly what happened."

Iris said that to the witches as she slung one over each shoulder, both of them larger than she was.

She was probably talking to Opal, whose familiar had been discovered and brought this attack down on them.

So she'd amplified her physical abilities, amplified her mana, used that mana to strengthen her body, and then amplified that enhancement, too.

With my mana sight, I could see the whole process clearly.

Iris grumbled as she turned toward us, as if to say goodbye.

"Wow, your eyes have gotten seriously creepy. They're just like that esper's."

Iris chuckled, then seemed to remember something and kicked off the ground, launching herself dozens of meters away.

By esper, she must have meant Dojin. I knew he had mana sight, but it was a relief to have her confirm it like that.

"Let's head to the hospital for now, too."

"Yeah. Could you take care of the bubble?"

"I'll make sure you have a smooth, comfortable ride."

I formed a bubble around Ruby and Peridot.

2.

Three days passed.

Peridot had lost more blood than expected. When Iris had stepped on her side, she'd broken two ribs,

and they'd found a poison that suppressed mana in the wood splinters embedded in her back. For someone who possessed mana, her injuries were severe enough to require a week to recover from.

I was startled when the doctor said that without mana, she might have been in danger of dying from blood loss on the way here.

"Aww... I shouldn't have put that stuff in the wooden constructs..."

Of all her injuries, she was especially upset about the poison that suppressed mana, since she'd made it herself.

Beside her, as part of my bridal lessons, I peeled some fruit and arranged it neatly on a plate before giving it to her.

Peridot, who'd been feeling down, brightened when she saw the neatly peeled apple on the plate.

"Wow, Lapis. You're really good at peeling them now."

"Yes, I've been practicing."

I'd sacrificed more than ten apples to get that good, but let's keep that to ourselves.

I quietly wiped the paring knife clean and put it away in its prepared leather sheath. Just then, my smartphone buzzed and the screen lit up.

[Dojin: Visiting the hospital again today?]

[Lapis: Yes! I'll switch with you in three hours.]

As I sent the message with a big smile, Peridot's expression turned sour.

"Honestly, your face changes the moment you get a message from your boyfriend."

"Does it?"

I couldn't help it. I was always looking forward to hearing from Dojin.

Besides, well, I'd already become a complete woman, anyway.

How many times had I cried out beneath Dojin, moaning away? I had no intention of claiming I wasn't a woman, or that I used to be a man, at this point.

[Dojin: I bought a car.]

[Lapis: A car? You have a license?]

There were driver's licenses in this world, too.

I just flew around on my bubble, but the Association had once made a request that felt like a warning, telling me not to do that in the city.

At least I was wearing shorts that day. I couldn't do it on days when I wore a dress.

After all, I'm not some pervert who goes around showing people my panties.

[Dojin: You don't really like teleporting, so I bought a car.]

[Lapis: (A bunny emoji hugging a heart-shaped cushion)]

[Lapis: Thank you for thinking of me.]

But considering how giddy just exchanging messages with Dojin made me, maybe I really was a pervert.

When I kept staring at my smartphone, Peridot seemed to get a little sulky, puffing out her cheeks.

"Peridot?"

"Pay attention to your boyfriend, you lovebirds."

"Should I really leave, then?"

"Please stay and keep me company. I'm bored out of my mind in the hospital."

Maybe Peridot had just been teasing me, because she immediately broke into a bright smile.

But I couldn't think of anything we could do together in the hospital.

She said the wounds on her back had almost healed and no longer hurt, but broken ribs normally took more than two months to heal.

I remembered the doctor explaining that, although the poison had slowed it down, her mana-assisted healing was progressing well enough that she'd recover in a week.

"Just talk with me, then. Ruby won't be here for another three hours."

"Sure. Want me to peel some more apples?"

"Yes. Apples are delicious. Lately, I've been craving desserts more than meals."

"Me too."

Maybe because I'd always had a naturally good figure, I'd started watching my diet so I could maintain it.

At least on days I went on dates with Dojin, our lovey-dovey activities helped me burn calories. On the other days, I'd make do with a salad for a meal.

Of course, I liked meat, too. But it was true that I'd cut down on how much I ate. Lately, even two rolls of kimbap felt like too much to finish.

Anyway, after eating like that, there were plenty of days when I'd fill up on dessert instead.

"Sigh... Iris was so strong."

Come to think of it, Peridot was 0–2 against her, just like me.

And Iris, who used martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, was the fastest and had the strongest attacks of anyone I'd faced so far.

Honestly, I still had no idea how I was supposed to beat her.

"Honestly, I don't know how I could beat her, either."

I remembered my nickname, Mana Tank. But one of her punches would hit harder than a decent cannon shot.

I mean a proper punch, thrown with the right form—not some casual swing.

When I got stronger, I'd thought I could beat Iris. But it turned out she'd been fighting me while playing around, from her perspective.

I neatly peeled two more apples with the paring knife and arranged them on the plate. This time, I made a rabbit-shaped apple, too.

"It's a rabbit apple! I've only ever seen those online."

It seemed Peridot knew about them, too. They were cute, after all. It made sense she'd know.

"I've tried a few times, but this is the first time I got it right."

I picked up a few pieces of apple to eat and fed a few to Peridot.

"Lapis is so nice when I'm hurt..."

"I'm always nice."

Really.

Since we were both just teasing each other, it turned into a joke we could laugh off.

Though I was half serious.

Time passed surprisingly quickly.

We traded silly jokes,

and chatted about what clothes were comfortable or pretty these days. It really did make the time fly.

"Nothing happened, right?"

Ruby asked as she came in carrying the food Peridot had requested. Peridot had pestered her, saying, "I want Shine Muscat grapes,"

but Ruby had gone and bought a whole box. She really knew how to go all out.

"That is very Ruby of you."

"You're not making fun of me, are you?"

"I'm not making fun of you..."

Could a way of shopping that suited someone's personality really count as an insult? Well, I guess it could sound sarcastic.

I washed the Shine Muscat grapes in the box thoroughly with water.

"Can I have one, too?"

"Aren't you going on a date soon?"

"I have a small appetite, anyway, so I won't eat much."

Fruit had been so delicious lately.

"Oh, now that I think about it, I feel like I've figured something out. It seems like certain forms make it stronger when I bring it forth, but I can't quite pin down how."

"In my case, it just happened while I was thinking it over..."

My bubble form had already let me skip ahead a whole stage, so I'd had a clue to work with. Honestly, that bubble was a real lifesaver.

Ruby might be struggling because she didn't have anything like that to guide her and had to feel her way along.

"In my case, I just wanted to make a dragon..."

So it had been an accident for Peridot.

3.

As I left the hospital and checked my smartphone, I saw a message from Dojin.

[Dojin: (A rough photo of a car)]

[Lapis: Did you choose a plain car on purpose?]

Dojin's car was a little understated. I'd thought he'd buy something like a two-seater sports car.

Those have a certain romantic appeal, too.

"I don't like attracting attention."

"That's true, I suppose."

Before I knew it, Dojin had appeared right in front of me. Maybe he couldn't be bothered to text? Or had he hurried over because he wanted to see me?

If it was the latter, I'd be happy.

"Where are we going that you brought the car?"

"I'm going to see the Sword Saint. Let's go to my place."

"...Huh?"

What was this, some kind of meeting-the-parents thing?