Chapter 29 – I Want to Dance With You
I then returned to the garden and the outdoor party ended without any other incident.
The assassin did not strike again after all.
I knew in my head that it was unlikely, but I was relieved when it really didn’t happen.
“—I guess everyone’s gone home now.”
“Yes.”
Yuzuriha-san and I are the only ones left in the garden where the party was held.
The lights are out and we only have starlight to rely on, but both Yuzuriha-san and I could see each other reasonably well.
“So, Yuzuriha-san, what is the purpose of bringing me here?”
I haven’t told Yuzuriha-san that she was almost assassinated. So it can’t be about that.
I couldn’t bring myself to mention the assassination to Yuzuriha-san, who was enjoying herself at the outdoor party.
The Duke said he would tell her himself later, and I thought Yuzuriha-san could at least enjoy the party today.
“What’s my purpose? That would be to dance with you.”
“…Eh?”
“Under the romantic starlight, me in a nice dress, dancing a song with my partner—I have been dreaming of such a moment for a very long time.”
I don’t really have any memories of doing things that would make me called a partner by Yuzuriha-san.
Maybe just one.
Yuzuriha-san risked her life to protect me in the midst of a battle with a wandering white-haired vampire—at that time, we were certainly partners.
“If it’s just the two of us, I don’t need all this stuff anymore.”
Yuzuriha-san threw down the cape that was slung over her shoulders.
Two overripe melons, with each of them larger than my head, asserted their presence with a lively bounce.
The valley is so deep that it seems like it could swallow my entire forearm.
“You know… Since I was a child, I’ve always admired it.”
“Admired what?”
“I, even as a rough woman like me, have always admired having a partner who sees me as an equal. Even someone like the Killing Goddess, feared by both men and women, needs someone who recognizes her for who she is…”
“…Yes…”
“But that man, of course, saw me only as a partner, and never once as a woman. That’s why I’m going to take revenge on him.”
“…Yes…”
“On a romantic night under the starry sky, in an empty garden, I would dance with my partner, all dressed up. At that moment, my partner would realize that I am not only a reliable comrade, but also a woman his age—That’s the kind of story I imagine.”
That is surely what Yuzuriha-san has been seeking all along.
And unfortunately, it’s likely that she couldn’t find someone suitable as a partner.
She made her first battle when she was only 10 years old, and she’s been running through the battlefield ever since, all this time.
“So what do you think, Suzuha-kun’s older brother? Can I have this pleasure…?”
I’m sure even Yuzuriha-san probably knows deep down…
She knows I’m not the ideal partner she’s always dreamed of…
I am just a guy who happened to be there, with neither the experience of being in a relationship nor enough knowledge about each other.
Therefore…
I have only one answer.
“—Please take my hand, my lady.”
“—Yes—!!”
I held out my hand respectfully in a fake aristocrat style, and Yuzuriha-san held it with a smile so big she looked as if she was about to cry.
I was then strongly pulled along by her, still holding my hand.
This is just pretend play.
It’s essentially no different from playing house like children do.
That’s why Yuzuriha-san has no qualms about treating me, only for now, as if I really was her partner of many years.
Our dance began under the moonlight.
As a commoner, I naturally have no knowledge of dance steps.
So I had to move in time with Yuzuriha-san’s movements.
“It’s truly impressive that you can match the rhythm without knowing anything about the steps… Hmm, from now on, why don’t I give you a dance lesson in person?”
“I respectfully decline.”
“Don’t be shy. The price is, yes, an extra hour of training and a massage afterwards.”
“That’s why I declined.”
After that, the dance continued on and on until Suzuha found us and jumped at us, shouting, “Not fair! I want to dance with Nii-san too!”
