Chapter 138: Get a Little Closer!
[June 1st, late at night.]
[When you couldn't sleep and went to the riverbank for some fresh air, you saw a figure sitting there drinking beer.]
[It was Jeanne Alter.]
The night was thick as if dyed in black ink, the layers of trees all shrouded in darkness. The entire world had become silent and deep, making human thoughts sink to the bottom of the sea, washing away distractions and leaving the mind completely blank.
The sound of flowing river water mixed with the rustling of night wind through the leaves — like delicate strings plucked by Tristan, gently accompanying the sultry summer night.
Eikou quickly noticed the Dragon Witch sitting by the river.
"Jeanne Alter..."
At first, he was going to greet her aloud, but after thinking for a bit, he tiptoed closer and pressed his hands onto her soft, pale cheeks, intending to startle her.
It wasn't often that there was a chance for just the two of them alone, under such a quiet, atmospheric night — he really couldn't resist teasing her a little!
"Mm!!!!... do you think that's funny, idiot?"
Jeanne Alter's soft, fragrant shoulders trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and spoke in a helpless tone.
Vaguely, Eikou could smell alcohol on the Dragon Witch.
"Very, very funny,"
Eikou grinned, then naturally sat down beside her. He picked up a can of beer from the pile.
"Dear Jeanne Alter-chan, why are you sitting here drinking beer alone? Why didn't you message me and ask if I was asleep, so I could come drink with you?"
"I didn't want to drink with you."
Jeanne Alter pouted slightly, turning her head away coldly.
"But I want to drink with you."
Eikou said as he popped open the beer can — the soft pshh echoed clearly in the quiet summer night.
He thought that answer would make Jeanne Alter flustered or panic, but instead, after hearing it, she grew even quieter.
Jeanne Alter finished the beer in her hand, then casually threw the can far away — even deliberately with force, creating a crisp thud sound — expressing her dissatisfaction in a childish way.
But even before she did that, Eikou had already noticed something was off about her.
He wanted to joke, saying "throwing things like that is really careless," but now it was probably better to talk to her seriously.
"...Jeanne Alter,"
He said quietly, taking a sip of beer,
"If something's bothering you, you can always talk to me, right? We already agreed on that, didn't we?"
"It has nothing to do with you. Why should I ask you for help?"
"It's because of Marie, isn't it?" he asked.
"No," Jeanne Alter said irritably as she opened another can of beer, "but I want to ask you something — the day after tomorrow, are you going on a date with that royal cow?"
Eikou froze slightly, muttering in his heart: Where did you even hear that from?
What kind of intelligence network and surveillance system do these girls have, or did Marie Alter tell her herself?
"That's true."
He nodded and admitted,
"Then it seems, dear Jeanne Alter-chan, you're jealous. Do you want me to explain it clearly to you?"
"That's not it, I just asked casually. Don't want to disturb the two of you lovebirds! Just to avoid misunderstandings, you get it? Since you're going on a date, I should make the relationship clear."
"Oh? And what kind of misunderstanding exactly should we avoid?" Eikou smiled mischievously, leaning closer to her. "What kind of relationship do we have, then?"
"Because… that… is… that thing, okay!"
Perhaps because she was a little drunk, Jeanne Alter's words slurred slightly, her sentences vague and indistinct.
Under the pale moonlight as thin as a veil of silk, her beautiful cheeks glowed even redder from the alcohol.
"…How wonderful for you,"
In the end, Jeanne Alter couldn't manage to explain anything, only spoke bitterly,
"You really are popular, huh. So many girls like you. That Marie girl is adored by everyone, countless people line up to chase after her, and yet she ends up liking you."
"So you are jealous after all."
"I don't care." Jeanne Alter shrugged.
"Seeing you so upset, I have to explain properly, don't I? That date with her actually has a lot of complicated circumstances, so it's not easy to refuse..."
Eikou sighed inwardly. At last, he understood why Jeanne Alter had been acting so strangely all evening.
Marie had used the hot spring incident to morally bind him — he could only obediently accept the invitation.
"Don't act like you're innocent. You think you've done nothing wrong?"
Jeanne Alter frowned, her delicate brows furrowing,
"It's exactly because you're always so gentle and never firm when refusing people that you make them misunderstand! If you don't like being clung to, say it directly. If you don't want to be misunderstood, make it clear from the start. You let people misunderstand, and now who are you blaming? Idiot!"
"Heaven bear witness, I really did make it clear to Marie from the start. I told her I'm a pure-love warrior, Eikoucles, I truly don't want to mess with that group of married women."
"Who the hell is Eikoucles?!"
But in truth, Jeanne Alter was right. Not being good at rejecting others, always caring about their feelings — that was Eikou's fatal flaw.
However...
Deep down, Eikou vaguely understood why Jeanne Alter was truly angry about this.
[In places you don't know, Jeanne Alter might have been harboring many negative emotions.]
[The matter with Zenobia, the matter with Tomoe Gozen and Bradamante, and a certain club you knew nothing about — and most importantly, Marie Alter, who was growing ever closer to you.]
Hearing that, Eikou quietly took another sip of beer.
It seemed he had finally understood the real reason Jeanne Alter was angry and uneasy.
The night air was silent, filled only with the sound of flowing water by the riverbank. The moonlight, gentle and fragmented, rippled across the surface of the stream.
"So..."
He adjusted his tone and spoke seriously,
"Jeanne Alter, do you really think you misunderstood? Do you think, in my heart, you're not someone special?"
"Interpret it however you like!"
Seemingly touched at her most sensitive point, Jeanne Alter turned her head away in a huff.
"No, you have to listen to me first,"
Eikou gathered his courage and carefully took hold of Jeanne Alter's small, cold, slender hand.
The moment he touched her hand, Jeanne Alter flinched as if shocked by electricity, but he held on tightly, not allowing her to pull away.
"I'm not kind to you just because that's how I am — it's because I genuinely want to get closer to you. What I said during Truth or Dare, I meant every word. I like a girl who's not perfect, full of flaws, but still adorable — and those flaws are exactly what make her so lovable."
Eikou's expression turned more serious than ever before.
"To put it simply, I never wanted to reject you. You didn't misunderstand anything. Jeanne Alter, can I get a little closer to you?"
"Umm..."
The beautiful, cold face of the Dragon Witch instantly flushed bright red.
...