«Eliss… seriously, what the hell is going on here?!» Aoshi blurts out, running a hand through his hair in disbelief.
Eliss sits primly on the couch, as docile as a well-trained puppy — and, for the sake of his poor mental health, she's finally fully dressed. No more of that sexy maid apron that covered everything except what it was actually supposed to cover. At least now, he could talk to her without risking a nosebleed.
«What do you mean? You're my boyfriend — it's only natural I take care of our home and make sure you always find me super sexy. A girl's gotta keep her man entertained, right? Anyway… next time you come home with a friend, let me know first. It was really embarrassing being half-naked in front of him too…» she murmurs, cheeks turning red.
«Will you stop calling me your boyfriend already?!» Aoshi groans. «Is this some kind of hidden-camera prank? Where are the cameras? Come on, everyone out — the joke's over! Someone out there's definitely having a good laugh at my expense! It's almost dark, and there's no way I'm letting you crash here again tonight, so… out!»
On the outside, Aoshi looks calm and composed — but inside, he's a volcano about to blow.
Last night, when I invited her to stay over, I honestly thought she was just drunk. I mean, she was rambling about wanting to spend the rest of her life with me even though we'd met, what, two minutes earlier? But today… she's even worse! Maybe she's a psycho. One of those women who seduce guys, get invited to their apartments, and then kill them in their sleep?! Well, if that's the case, it's a bit too late to do anything about it now — she's already spent the night here! Yeah, no doubt about it — either this is a prank or she's completely out of her mind.
Whatever the truth is, one thing's for sure — there's no way that girl's actually in love with me! If there's one thing Miori taught me, it's to never, ever trust beautiful women. When someone way out of my league suddenly shows interest, there's always something shady going on. Always. This morning was beyond humiliating… every pair of eyes was on me — mocking, pitying, judging. I was the clown of the entire university.
Because of my stupidity, I let myself get fooled once — but it's not happening again! Whatever Eliss is planning, I won't let her make a fool out of me too!
«It's not a joke, idiot…» Eliss mutters, rubbing her thighs in embarrassment. «I… I really am in love with you. Madly in love with you, to be precise…»
The color of Aoshi's face shifts in an instant from a faint pastel pink to a deep tomato red — a chaotic mix of agitation, embarrassment, and anger that sends him into total confusion.
«W-What are you even saying?! You and I don't even know each other! How can you possibly say you're madly in love with me?!» he bursts out — completely losing it, at that critical stage of panic where self-control takes a sudden leave of absence to make room for something far more dangerous — raw impulsiveness. «This doesn't make any sense — not even in science fiction! There's no way a freaking bombshell like you — one of those girls you'd do every single wild thing with from morning till night, then fall asleep with a grin on your face, knowing that even if the world ended that night, you'd die without regrets — could fall in love with a guy like me… in less than twenty-four hours!»
«And yet… it's true,» she replies with a Buddha-level calm, giving a little shrug. «Besides, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't know where else to go…»
«W-What do you mean you don't know where to go?! You've got a home, right?! Parents who must be looking for you this very second!»
Wait… Eliss has been away from home since at least last night. What if someone's worried sick about her? What if they've already called the police?!
Shit… if the cops find out she's here and barge into my place, tearing everything apart from top to bottom, they'll find those erotic RPGs that pervert Takuma left here so his mom wouldn't accidentally discover them while cleaning — stuff I'm not even sure is legal to own!
Damn it, damn it, damn it — I have to throw her out before I end up behind bars because of her!
«My home is very far away — farther than you could ever imagine. Think of any place in this world. Now… my home is even farther than that. Infinitely farther,» Eliss murmurs. «That's because…»
Her face turns an even deeper shade of red than Aoshi's.
I… I don't want to tell him who I really am. Raelor always warned me to hide my true identity whenever I'm outside the kingdom. After all, that old drunkard of a father of mine is the ruler of the Kingdom of Ravessia — one of the most powerful figures in all of Elyndra — and I, the princess, his daughter, could easily become a target for one of the crown's enemies and be used as a bargaining chip.
But he's the one holding my heart right now. I can't lie to him — it's stronger than me! No matter how hard I try to resist the charm spell that somehow backfired on me, I just can't… my body moves on its own, and my will is slowly being overwhelmed by the magic itself.
I have no choice — I'll tell him everything! Only then will that fool finally understand why I, the most beautiful creature to ever exist, am so hopelessly obsessed with a good-for-nothing like him!
«…That's because I don't belong to this world,» she adds, her voice firm and steady.
«Y-You don't belong to this world…? First you say you're crazy about me, and now this? What do you take me for, some kind of clown?! A gullible idiot?! Just how far are you planning to go to make me look ridiculous?!» Aoshi stammers nervously.
But Eliss pays no attention to his words. She suddenly jumps up from the couch so fast that Aoshi nearly falls backward in fright.
«The reason every cell of my body is hopelessly drawn to you — as well as my true nature…» she begins, her tone deadly serious.
With determined steps, she walks to each of the three windows of the small apartment, sealing them one by one and making sure that no one outside can possibly peek in.
The apartment is swallowed by total darkness — not a single ray of sunlight seeps through, as if night itself had fallen. But that darkness lasts only a moment, soon replaced by a sinister, eerie purple glow.
And the source of that eerie light… is none other than Eliss herself.