Onesuko’s First Time

I took two rough gemstones out of the griffon bird’s nest.

When I pinched them between my fingers and showed Onesuko below, she collapsed like her legs had turned to jelly.

“Th-That’s… impossible… This can’t be real… There’s no way… no way three gems could be found in a single day… It’s absolutely impossible…”

Onesuko sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

My “Is that so?” didn’t reach her at all.

“Y-Yes, that’s right, this is a dream, a dream. It has to be a dream. I’ll say it as many times as it takes until I wake up—this is definitely a drea—!”

“It’s not a dream. It just means your wish to become his holy knight is the real thing.”

As I said that, I sat down on the branch.

Right then Tom came over too and sat neatly beside me.

Onesuko, still sitting with her knees tucked to the side, looked up at us with dazed eyes like she was still dreaming.

“S-So… what does that mean…?”

“If you have a dream you want to make come true, and you wish for it hard and work to achieve it, you’ll draw in what you need. That’s why you found those rough stones wedged in the rock here. That’s what you call fate.”

“This is… fate…? Even meeting you…?”

“At the very least, that’s what I believe. And this was my dream, too.”

“Your… dream…?”

“Yeah. I wanted to support people’s dreams like this. So maybe we were drawn to each other.”

When I flashed her a big grin from the tree, Onesuko jolted like she’d been struck by lightning.

And for some reason she suddenly started stammering.

“H-Hihih… drawn to each other!?”

“Yeah. Back then I didn’t have strength like Monsoon, and I couldn’t use magic like Cyaruru either. So I wasn’t good at fighting. That’s why when I entered this academy, I decided I’d support everyone’s dreams through crafting. …Alright, it’s done.”

From up in the tree I let the two gemstones go. “Here—catch.”

The cut red and yellow gems blended their shine in midair, scattering orange light as they fell.

Onesuko caught them in both hands as usual, her eyes going wide and blank.

“…All three gems are complete. Yeah, this really is a dream after all. Or rather, I’m being drugged into seeing hallucinations. Because there’s no way I could clear the first trial of a holy knight this quickly. Even Elrond, the legendary holy knight, took three whole years.”

She nodded to herself, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

“And the biggest proof of all is that there’s no way I would ever feel like this about a boy. I decided I’d never fall for a boy, and that I’d devote this body only to Monaka-sama. That was close. I almost ended up offering some ‘knightly gratitude’ to a boy because of the drug.”

Onesuko muttered on and on, then suddenly looked up.

In that instant, her feverish face drained pale.

…Biyoyooooo~~n!

It happened exactly as I bent the branch and started sailing into the air like launching off a diving board.

“Eek…!? Aaaaaaaahーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー!?!?”

I was aiming to jump away from Onesuko, spin in the air, and land cleanly.

But for some reason, Onesuko—

“D-Don’t die! Leopin-kuuuuuuunーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーn!!!!”

With a desperate expression, she threw her arms wide and charged in to catch me.

“Whoa—h-hey, that’s dangerous, stop!?”

…THUDーーーーーーーー!

Right before I landed, I got tackled in a hug and sent flying bodily.

Bad luck: the ground ahead dropped into a low cliff, and Onesuko and I tumbled down together in a rolling heap, still clinging to each other.

The shock of the fall made the boy’s head spin, but he managed to stay conscious without passing out.

Beyond his whirling vision was the figure of a girl.

The girl was draped over the boy, staring fixedly down at him.

The girl’s long hair fell across the boy’s face.

The boy realized he was in a position where the girl was on top of him.

The boy asked, “Are you hurt?” But there was no answer.

“Are you okay? Does anything hurt? If you can’t move, then—”

The boy tried to raise his body, but the girl immediately entwined her fingers with his hand.

Hand in hand like lovers, she pushed him down firmly.

“W-What is it, Onesuko…?”

But the boy’s words cut off.

Because the girl’s eyes were now moist, like jewels sunk to the bottom of a deep sea.

“I… I can’t… anymore…!”

“Can’t what?”

Inside the girl, a first-time surge of fierce emotion churned.

—It’s a hallucination, it’s the drug, I keep trying to convince myself…!

I can’t, I really can’t anymore!

I can’t hold it back… this feeling…!

The feeling that this person is truly amazing…!

He found all three gems for the holy knight’s trial—and he even processed them for me!

And not in a year—not even a day—in just a few hours…!

A-Amazing…! He’s too amazing…!

And he didn’t use that achievement to demand anything indecent from me…!

He even gave the credit to his pet…!

It’s different…! He’s too different…!

From the men I’ve known…!

I’ve never met a man like this before…!

Now I understand Monaka-sama’s feelings…!

Why Monaka-sama is always talking about him…!

And why, whenever she does, her face looks so full of happiness…!

Ah—my heart has been taken over too…!

I’ve decided…!

If it’s him… it’s okay to give it…!

My first and last…!

And then, the girl moved.

Toward the boy she had pinned so he couldn’t move.

Her cherry-colored lips finally spun the forbidden words.

“…L-Leopin-kun… thank… you…”

And as if to seal her own lips, she pressed them to the boy’s….