"Damn it… it took me years just to get her to respond to me normally," Brandish muttered darkly.
"And this guy—less than an hour, and he's already done everything I struggled for all those years? That's just unfair, isn't it?"
Watching the scene unfold only made her feel worse by the second.
On what basis?
Was it just because this guy was good-looking?
…Though—
Brandish stole a glance at Rain. Her face heated up slightly.
Annoyingly enough, he was pretty good-looking.
"But Dimaria isn't that kind of person, right?"
No matter how she thought about it, it still didn't make sense.
"I'm telling you," Brandish said, turning toward Rain suspiciously, "what kind of heart-controlling magic did you use on Dimaria? There's no way she'd suddenly act like this otherwise."
Other than magic, she genuinely couldn't think of any explanation that would make Dimaria Yesta change so drastically in such a short time.
Rain blinked, then rolled his eyes.
"What do you take me for? Do I look like someone who uses magic to control people's hearts?"
"And what are you, exactly?" Brandish scoffed, arms crossed.
"I don't know who you are, but one thing's for sure—you're definitely not a good person."
After all, what kind of good person would hit her there?
"…Huh?"
Rain's expression shifted. His gaze sharpened instantly as he looked at Brandish.
"I said," he stepped closer, his tone dropping, "you've gotten pretty bold lately, haven't you?"
"What—what are you talking about?"
Brandish felt a bad premonition the moment she met his eyes.
"I mean, Brandish," Rain said calmly, closing the distance between them,
"when did you start talking to me like that?"
"W-Who gave you permission to call me that?!" Brandish snapped, suddenly flustered.
"And since when were we close enough for that?!"
Her heart started pounding for reasons she absolutely refused to acknowledge.
"Tsk," Rain smiled faintly. "Brandish, that's pretty hurtful. Aren't we already… battle partners?"
"You pervert!" Brandish yelled, her face turning red.
"Don't bring that up!"
"So," Rain continued lazily, eyes narrowing,
"don't you think your attitude is a little arrogant? Talking to your master like that?"
The air suddenly changed.
A pressure descended the moment Rain released a hint of his presence.
"G-gulp…"
Brandish stiffened.
Why… why was the pressure this strong?
She wasn't weak—far from it.
And yet, for some reason, her body was trembling uncontrollably.
No—she could resist.
She had to.
"Hm?"
Rain casually raised his hand, as if about to flick her forehead.
"I—I was wrong, Master! Don't hit me!"
The words slipped out before Brandish's brain could stop them.
"..."
The atmosphere froze.
No one had expected that.
Not Dimaria.
Not Erza.
Not even Rain himself.
"???"
Rain stared at Brandish in complete silence, momentarily unsure how to react.
"…Ah."
The second the words registered, Brandish realized what she had just said.
She instantly crouched down, hugging her head.
"I—I really said that… didn't I?"
"Do I have something wrong with my brain?"
"What are they thinking of me now?!"
"They're definitely going to think I'm a total pervert!"
At this point, she genuinely wanted to knock herself out just to escape the embarrassment.
"…Brandish," Dimaria said slowly, her expression strange,
"do you… actually like that kind of thing?"
"I—I—I—!"
Under the combined gazes of Rain, Erza, and Dimaria—each looking at her like she was some kind of hopeless deviant—Brandish finally gave up.
No matter how much she explained, it wouldn't help.
…Fine.
Pervert it is.
She was too tired to fight it anymore.
In a way… wasn't this technically resolved?
Yeah.
Perfectly resolved.
Probably.
Dimaria Yesta's Home
That night, Rain, Erza, and Brandish came to Dimaria's residence and shared a hearty dinner together.
And during the break—
"Explain yourself."
Erza stared at Rain with an expression that demanded answers.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?" Rain asked, confused, as they stepped out onto the balcony.
"Shouldn't you," Erza said seriously,
"explain the current situation?"
What she didn't say was the strange feeling tightening in her chest.
Watching how naturally Dimaria reacted to Rain…
how close she seemed to him…
It left her feeling unsettled.
Complex.
Uncomfortable.
She didn't realize it yet—but the emotion stirring inside her was jealousy.
It was too fast.
Way too fast.
"How did she get that close to you already…?" Erza wondered silently.
"Is this about Dimaria?" Rain asked, quickly catching on.
"…Mm."
Erza nodded.
Even the way he referred to her sounded intimate.
You've never called me that, she thought quietly.
"Actually," Rain said, scratching his head,
"when I absorbed the remnant soul of the God of Time earlier… Dimaria's soul ended up fusing with mine for a moment. After that—"
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