“Here.”
Wu Yan treated Illya and Miyu to ice cream.
“I bought it from the cafe last time. It isn’t as good as the sundae but it is still very good in my opinion.”
“T-THanks.”
The two girls accepted the ice cream. However, they didn’t chomp down on it because they still had qualms about this ordeal. Wu Yan shrugged after seeing their dark looks.
“I went through the trouble of searching for your school and came to check on you girls. Somehow, I am getting the feeling that I am not welcome here.”
“No, it’s not like that.”
Miyu shook her head.
“We didn’t expect to see you here.”
Illya rubbed the back of her head.
“Why are you here?”
“Like I said, I came to check on you two.”
He squatted down while the two girls sat on the swings.
“A certain twin-tailed birdie told me that you two are very sad so I came to see you two.”
“Twintails?”
“Rin?”
“Rin-nee?”
Illya asked.
“She told us to stay distant but she ended up finding Onii-san anyway.”
“She told you to stay away from me?”
He scratched his cheek.
“I see, I guess that’s why you two aren’t happy right now.”
The two girls lowered their heads.
“I… I don’t want to fight Onii-san.”
Illya mumbled.
“We are all friends, why must we do this?”
“Friends?”
He gasped.
“You pegged me as a friend?”
“More like, a brother figure?”
Illya continued.
“Did you not see us that way?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
He rubbed their heads.
“Rin and the rich blonde chick probably won’t approve of your perceptions. We stand on different viewpoints after all.”
“Is that why we must fight?”
Illya still couldn’t understand this concept.
“I don’t understand. It’s just some stupid cards, why do we have to hurt each other?!”
Illya yelled while Miyu stayed silent. This is a rare outburst from Illya.
Miyu who has a mysterious background shouldn’t be lumped in with this universe’s Illya. Had she not known Ruby, Rin, and the magical underworld, she would have lived like a normal schoolgirl.
She is just a kid.
Telling her to fight someone who treated her to a sundae, played with her, guided her, and even saved her, is like telling her to do the impossible.
Miyu is also reluctant to fight him.
The two kids are too kind.
“Well, Miyu? What do you have to say?”
He let Illya vent before turning to Miyu.
“Do you wish to fight me?”
“Luvia took care of me and provided me a home, education, and food. In exchange, I promised I would help her retrieve the cards.”
Miyu bit her lips.
“If Luvia wants me to fight then I will do it!”
“Miyu.”
Illya couldn’t believe her ears.
“You would raise a blade against Onii-san?”
“I don’t want to!”
Miyu growled.
“But, if fighting is the only option then I will fight!”
“Why?…”
Illya couldn’t hide her confusion.
“Isn’t it strange to fight Onii-san for the cards?”
“But…”
“Okay, let’s calm down for a minute.”
Wu Yan pressed their heads down as the conversation heated up.
He sat down on a nearby swing. He looked up at the sky with a bitter smile.
“I didn’t think the notion of us fighting would weigh so heavily on your minds. I screwed up on this end.”
“You screwed up?”
Illya and Miyu asked.
“See, I have been fighting for so long that I forgot what fighting means for two teenage girls like you two.”
He chuckled.
“I already made up my mind to subdue you two in battle without giving it much thought. I treated our upcoming fight as a small bump in the road. Had Rin not mentioned anything, I wouldn’t have been any wiser.”
“Look, I need those cards just like Rin.”
He closed his eyes.
“The reason I pursue power is that it is one of the few means to an absolute end I cannot forsake. We could never compromise, this is why we must fight.”
Miyu lowered her head while Illya is still bewildered.
“Why?”
“Why indeed.”
He chortled.
“Since it’s something we want, we have to put in maximum effort, that’s all there is to it.”
The two girls turned still.
“Fighting is a way to resolve this conflict of interest. But, we won’t harm you girls and you girls will not fight seriously. Why do you fear a battle on this scale?”
His deep red eyes felt like a pair of hypnotic rubies.
“Rin resolved herself to fight hard and make us work out butts off to get the cards from her. We too will fight and if we lose can do nothing but hand the cards over.”
“After that, what’s stopping us from hanging out like friends again?”
He asked.
“This is a fight so that the losing side will have no regrets.”
“Regrets.”
Illy and Miyu mumbled.
“Fights don’t have to end in death. We are just going to rob each other of the cards. Think of it like a contest with a slightly more violent twist.”
He stood up.
He gave the two girls a warm smile.
“Look, how about this? Once the fight is over, let’s go hang out and go shopping again.”
“Go out together?”
Illya and Miyu turned bright.
Yeah…x
