Breakfast had been...normal enough, Elizabeth half believed that Rossie would ask her for guarantees, pledges, even an [Oath] wasn't out of bounds of what she expected to give.

 

A [System] enforced one that is.

 

But Rossie...hadn't asked anything of her.

 

"Don't you want...guarantees?" Elizabeth asked the pink-haired girl while changing into her uniform.

 

Rossie hadn't wanted to let her be away from her, so she needed to stay in the same room and change together, at least she allowed some privacy by casting a thin [Shadow Wall] that hid the body from the neck down.

 

Not that she wasn't able to see through the shadows...Or would peek at the other girl...

 

"I don't need anything like that, I trust you Eli-Eli. You wouldn't lie to me would you?" Said Rossie without a care in the world.

 

The other girl had already finished changing and was just sitting there waiting for her.

 

It made her self-conscious of herself to be honest, and while the shadow wall hid her body, it didn't hide her bodyline, so really, it was more like Rossie was seeing her wearing a skintight suit.

 

"No, I wouldn't..." Answered Elizabeth, focusing on how one wears a blouse and skirt.

 

Not on how exposed she felt at the moment, no sir.

 

"Okay, let's go then," Elizabeth said after finished changing.

 

"Where are we going?" Asked Rossie, it was obvious the need to ask. Since they didn't have classes scheduled till December.

 

Two whole months for self-study and training.

 

"To the main building, I need to ask Agatha a few things..." Elizabeth answered wondering how she was going to ditch Rossie.

 

"Hmm....I need to check on something myself, can you wait for me at the reception area?" Rossie asked, that was surprising.

 

Rossie usually never left her alone.

 

"Is everything all right?" Asked Elizabeth, something wasn't quite right.

 

She wouldn't mind the extra time alone of course, since the question she was about to ask Agatha could make Rossie angry. But she needed to make sure.

 

"Yes, I have actually been meaning to do something. I need to finish some odd jobs I took to [Heal] people, they have been pestering me about it, so I will be out for a few hours." Rossie answered, that seemed...odd.

 

She was aware that Rossie had been working as a [Healer] but who could annoy Rossie so much that she had asked for time to go alone? Usually, she didn't mind her accompanying her.

 

Well, this could work. "Sure, if you need me just ask one of the [Shadow Guards] within your shadow, they will let me know." Elizabeth said and at the same time, one of the [Royal Guards] rose from Rossie's shadow to give her a salute.

 

"...Since when do your [Shadow Dragons] have armor?" Asked the pink-haired girl.

 

"...Don't think about it." Answered Elizabeth, "They will do fine as a distraction for you to escape if needed."

 

"[We live to serve Mistress.]" Said the Royal Guard who gave a small bow and then melted back into Rossie's shadow.

 

"...since when can they talk?" Rossie asked again.

 

That was interesting, she heard him talk? Wasn't that more of a mental interpretation of their mana communicating with her?

 

"...Don't think about it." Either way, Elizabeth pretended that it was normal, "You know how it is with [Summons], sometimes they speak, and sometimes they don't."

 

"Eli-Eli, only high order [Familiars] speak, is this because of the [Soul] you are sticking into your summons?" Rossie seemed to wonder as the girl sent a mana pulse into her shadow.

 

Of course the mana harmless flooded into the shadow and passed as if nothing through her [Summons] she even felt the egg within the [Shadow Haven] devour happily the extra mana that overflowed.

 

"Hmm....nothing?" Rossie wondered aloud as her mana didn't seem to latch into the [Royal Guards] within her own shadow.

 

That was interesting to see, were her [Royal Guards] special?

 

"Can you try and detect any of the other [Shadow Dragon] around?" Elizabeth asked.

 

Rossie for her part just fed more mana into her already-cast spell and let it go around the apartment.

 

Currently, there were the remaining royal guards in her shadow, some [Scouts] around, and then of course. The rest of her army within her [Shadow Haven].

 

"Hmm...I think there are around five?" Rossie said as if not sure, "I feel like there should be more, but I'm not sure why."

 

That had been one weird statement.

 

"Can you point em?" Elizabeth wondered who the five detected had been. Maybe one of the remaining knights?

 

"Hmm....Under that chair, there is one...There is one by the main entrance door, one in the back door, one in the kitchen, and finally one in the roof." Rossie pointed them one by one, and...

 

All of them were [Scouts], and more importantly, they all had a few extra shadow dragons with them, and not all of the scouts had been detected either.

 

Had those revealed themselves intentionally?

 

"[Yes Mistress, we have determined that since you are known to have used Shadow Dragons before. It would be better if we keep a certain amount of presence around so that rogue elements don't think to look for the other members.]" Beatrice... No, that wasn't Beatrice.

 

"[Who is this?]" Elizabeth asked towards her [Shadow Haven].

 

"[I'm working as assistant to Miss Beatrice and Lord Nyxfyre while they awake. I have no name as of now.]" That was interesting, not that another [Shadow Dragon] spoke to her.

 

Plenty of them had spoken to her when giving her reports, and her new castes all had spoken too. No, the thing was...They all spoke in the same even no identifiable tone, this one though?

 

She was speaking like a normal person, almost like Beatrice and Sebastian had.

 

"Eli-Eli?" Rossie brought her back from her musings, "Did I miss one?"

 

She looked so cute while frowning and thinking hard!

 

"One or two," Elizabeth answered, not wanting to mention that she missed around 61 shadow dragons. "Anyway, let's go Rossie. We can go together till the MPI and then you can go to the Teleport chamber and I to Agatha's Office."

 

So Rossie smiled while looking around the apartment, she seemed to glare at each shadow that passed as if wanting to know if someone was there, no one answered back the glare of course.

 

Elizabeth would banish any of her [Shadow Dragon] that even dared to glare at Rossie, but it was kind of adorable seeing Rossie pout because she wasn't able to find the other [Shadow Dragon].

---

The walk into the MPI had been fun, most of the other students had gotten used to Elizabeth and Rossie walking with their arms interwound speaking and laughing.

 

"Morning Elizabeth." They even greeted her!

 

"Good Morning to you too Karen ♪" Of course Elizabeth answered in kind to those who greeted her.

 

"...And Good Morning Rossaline." And they even greeted Rossie too!

 

"...Morning." Of course, her adorable, cute, and well-mannered Rossie answered in kind.

 

"...." Most of the students that greeted them did a small bow to both of them and ran away to their respective groups of friends where they quickly got intercepted and moved along.

 

What was that about?

 

"...I will leave you here Eli-Eli. If you finish first just give me a call, if I'm close to a teleportation station I will tell you the address." Rossie said as she freed herself from her arm.

 

THE GALL

 

"Will you be okay Rossie?" Elizabeth asked as the other girl seemed to stop in her tracks at the question.

 

"...I should be, this will not take too long. I just need to deal with something." The other girl answered, she didn't seem to want to leave.

 

"I can send Agatha a message and go with you." Elizabeth really didn't want to do that, but she also wasn't comfortable leaving Rossie like this.

 

Rossie seemed to struggle to decide what to do, but in the end, she sighed and shook her head.

 

"No, it's okay really. Just..." Rossie started saying and then looking around as if searching for something she nodded her head, "...can I get a goodbye....kiss?"

 

SO ADORABLE WADFASDFLAKSDHFA

 

"...Please?" Rossie was blushing while trying to look everywhere but at her.

 

Elizabeth was aware that she also was blushing, but unlike her, she wasn't looking everywhere, her shadows did that for her, no. She was looking at Rossie, the usually happy and boisterous girl was gone.

 

Instead, it was a girl who seemed embarrassed for asking something and wanted to run away. Elizabeth of course wouldn't allow that, not after this cute adorable creature had asked that.

 

Was she...really that worried about whatever she was going to do?

 

"Rossie, Mama always used to say that asking for this kind of thing when you were worried about something was called a [Death Flag], an event that made sure that whatever you wanted to do would fail." Elizabeth started saying, as she spoke she saw the mood in the pink-haired girl drop by the second.

 

Even her face started to look down, "But," and at this word, the other girl looked up, "I trust that you will still achieve whatever you are going to do and return to me."

 

And with that said she pulled the other girl towards her and kissed her.

 

A small gesture of love, something so simple and mundane that everyone around had seen it once or twice on this campus today, and yet everyone seemed to stop moving and stare at them.

 

SHE WAS JUST KISSING HER GIRLFRIEND, CAN'T A GIRL GET SOME PRIVACY?!?

 

She was half tempted to [impale] them with shadow spikes, but resisted the impulse and focused on enjoying Rossie's lips.

 

"...I wanted it on the cheek, but this is better ♥." Rossie said as they separated from the kiss.

 

She wanted more...She couldn't help but bite her lips at the idea of having to be away from her lovely Rossie, "I can take it back if you didn't want it on the lips..." Elizabeth said hoping for an affirmative answer, just so she could kiss her again.

 

"I would love for you to try and take it back...But I do need to go. See you in a few hours." Rossie answered as she walked towards the door that would lead her to the Teleportation station.

 

"[Make sure nothing happens to her, if anyone dares to even raise a hand against her...KILL HIM.]" Elizabeth ordered the [Royal Guards] within Rossie's shadow.

 

She didn't move till she got an affirmative answer from them, and when she stopped staring at the door Rossie walked...She found half the students staring at her.

 

"What? Can't a girl kiss her girlfriend?" Elizabeth said half annoyed.

 

She may have released some killing intent at those rude students and may have also opened a couple hundred eyes from within the shadows surrounding the more...vocal students who were gossiping about her Girlfriend.

 

But she would plead the fifth on both accusations, if Rossie wasn't able to detect her [Minions] chances were no other student around could, so they wouldn't be able to prove anything anyway.

 

Instead, she focused her senses on one of the [Shadow Dragons] that was scouting ahead, the one closest to Agatha's office, since Rossie had left the MPI she had no reason to waste her time walking around.

 

What was she supposed to do, mingle with people who seemed to not like her girlfriend?

 

Hah!

 

"[Shadow Step]" So she focused on her [Soulscape] and willed the skill to activate disappearing from the place she had been.

 

After she left most of the shadows around closed their eyes and maws, allowing everyone around to drop to the floor as the heavy pressure dissipated.

 

But Elizabeth didn't care about them, she was already in a foul mood because Rossie seemed to be dealing with something that she didn't want her to see.

 

And worse she couldn't even complain!

 

Because she was doing the same! Was she showing a face like Rossie?

 

Had she asked for a kiss for that reason?

 

...Probably.

 

"Stop souring the mana and enter if come with me, otherwise leave!" A voice sounded from behind the door.

 

She had arrived in the hallway outside Agatha's office, and had spent the last few seconds mussing about if she should follow after Rossie or not.

 

But that had shaken her, was her mana really souring the area around?

 

She tried to see it, but couldn't notice any difference, her [Eyes] didn't seem to find anything different. And while she had [Maws] they were mostly decorative as she wasn't actually able to taste anything with them.

 

"Coming." So Elizabeth didn't dwell on it longer and walked into the office.

 

It was...more normal than she expected, somehow she thought it would be a creepy place filled with ancient tomes and full of the stink of scrolls and perhaps a cauldron here or there with weird liquid bubbling.

 

Instead what she found was an office very ordinary, Agatha's office was mundane enough that it could pass as the office of a government worker, the most out of place she found was a poster of a Magical Girl with dark purple hair and a pink dress with a magic wand that was adorned with stars.

 

It was- "That is not me and there is no evidence under the seven heavenly planes or four hellscapes that you can find to prove it." Agatha said before she was able to finish her line of thought.

 

"I beg your pardon?" Asked Elizabeth confused.

 

She thought that the magic wand design was similar to what her Mother may use, not that the girl looked like Agatha, for starters this one seemed to be around 10-12 years old, and while Agatha's body was younger thanks to the [Young Body] skill, no way she would be...

 

Oh...

 

"Oh..." Elizabeth suddenly became painfully aware of something very important.

 

"Nope, not having this conversation. I knew that [Odyssey] would screw me over with that, but why did she put it there today...I will make sure the next time she descends to be there and shove my foot-" Agatha started rambling as she glared at the poster.

 

"My condolences," Elizabeth said, she was aware that her Mother had a soft spot for younger Magical Girls. She, after all, made this whole profession with the very idea of having more girls in frilly dresses to enjoy seeing.

 

Also because it boosted her ego to have said girls fawn over her, but that was beside the point.

 

"...Did you need something Miss Starbright?" Agatha asked suddenly, pretending as if the previous conversation hadn't happened at all.

 

"...why yes I wanted to ask something, but I need the agreement of confidentiality, preferably a binding one." Elizabeth answered in kind. She could understand wanting to ignore something her Mother caused.

 

"...[I will vow to no disclose what is spoken here so long the other party agrees to the same, the time in question will be from today at 10:00 till either party leaves the room.]" Agatha started speaking as a magical circle grew under them.

 

She looked at her watch and found that...this arrangement would make it so even stuff that happened before she walked here would be...Oh...

 

"[I agree to the terms.]" Elizabeth answered, aware that Agatha wanted to make sure that her previous slip would be buried under the magical equivalent of a safe.

 

She would be happy to oblige, after all, what she was going to ask was...troublesome.

 

"So with that out of the way, what is the problem Elizabeth?" Agatha asked more relaxed. Elizabeth almost felt bad about this.

 

"What do you know about [Bindings] between people, those that encroach upon the [Soul], [Soulscape] and are fueled by [Mana]." Elizabeth started her line of questions

 

"...Did you spend time with Akira?" Was the first question Agatha asked, suddenly more serious, almost angry? No, she was angry, she could [see] her mana seething within her.

 

Wishing to release, to search, to [Destroy].

 

"Huh? No. Eww....god no ewwwww." Was the answer Elizabeth gave while shuddering at the mere idea of that.

 

The idea of that [Slimy creature]... [Spending time with her]...

 

*shudders*

 

"Huh? Then why...? Did Rossaline? No, I would had Akira here complaining...or we would have heard the alarm...Did a friend?" Agatha started calming down and her mana seemed to relax.

 

"I made a [Link] with...someone...But that changed recently." Elizabeth started speaking, suddenly embarrassed for having to explain this.

 

"...So you made a [Link] with a [Special one] and are wondering what will happen to it? Usually, the first one is made of normal mana, if you and your partner don't nurture their relationship or if anyone's feelings change it will degrade on its own. Its okay, most girls go through that. The only difference is that as [Magical Girls] ours are more obvious to us." Agatha smiled as she started explaining.

 

She even brought some pamphlets that read [My First Love and My First Bond.] or [Practice safe intercourse, use your Shift as a preventive measure.]

 

That was interesting but "I know that...Our... [Link] changed recently...It turned into..." Now how would she explain that.

 

"It's okay, maybe he didn't think the same as you. They tend to [Degrade] over time sometimes, just...Don't dwell on it, it will get better." Agatha started to try and calm her.

 

Degrade? That wasn't the problem!

 

"IT TURNED INTO CHAINS!" Elizabeth screamed as her face turned beet red. "...It turned into chains and a [Lock] formed within the [Soulscape]...The relationship was 99/1 my way...but I pushed for a 50/50..."

 

Agatha finally stopped trying to console her and turned serious, "99/1 your way? That... what kind of degenerate would give away all their...I mean, that may sound romantic in books but in real life.... He would be a mere [Slave], no...less than that, he would be a [Thing] for you to play with him... And he wanted to be [Yours]?"

 

Agatha started warily measure her, "Do you [Swear] that you moved it to 50...No wait, if a [Lock] formed then it must be 50/50 huh...So his feelings aren't the problem. But... Usually, this only happens after a [Wedding]... You....are too [Young] to... How did you even... What kind of life have you lived that someone is willing to pledge so much to you? Or for you to be willing to match it?"

 

Agatha opened one of the drawers of her desk, pulled a bottle of what looked to be an alcoholic drink, and drank half of the bottle before storing the bottle away.

 

She seemed to enjoy the feeling for half a minute before casting [Healing] magic to get rid of the poison in her veins, "So... Did you regret it?" And asked as such.

 

"OF COURSE NO!" Elizabeth answered immediately, she was offended Agatha even thought that.

 

"Of course you don't...So, what is the problem then? I can't condone you having sex on campus and getting pregnant, bad image for a [Villain], [Hero], or [Magical Girl]." Agatha said and stopped for a second, "Actually, who was brave enough to get over Rossaline? I don't want to sound rude, but your friend scares most of the [Villains] we have on campus, so anyone brave enough to get over her must get a commendation...And protection."

 

...Rude, her Rossie wasn't scary at all...Okay, maybe a little.

 

"...Rossie..." Elizabeth mumbled, she suddenly wasn't brave enough to answer to Agatha. She was brave enough to kiss her in front of strangers, brave enough to defend her...

 

She also had professed her love in front of Agatha when returning to school actually...But to outright say that she [Loved] her?

 

Why was it embarrassing?

 

Was it because Agatha seemed to believe that her partner was a man?

 

Was it because she had gotten angry at the thought of her being [Abused] by Akira? She didn't want to disappoint her?

 

...Maybe.

 

It was because she almost could feel Mother's gaze behind Agatha, was this how it felt to confess you had a lover to your parents then? Perhaps.

 

"What about Miss Rossaline? Oooh, do you want advice on how to broach it to your friend? Can't help you with that, that girl is something else." Agatha said while laughing.

 

"I made the [Link] with Rossie...She was the one that wanted to give [All] of her to me... She is the one I [Love]...And that is the reason I want help with this...I...I want to know if I can...change some parts of it without her notice." Elizabeth ended saying.

 

"....Oh...." Agatha answered back as she let herself sink into her chair. "...well shit."

 

...Rude.