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I failed and my reward was a kiss?

Edited by: Trismegistus Shandy
Beta Read by: Yuki Kitsune, M A Thermidor

A perspective by Marigold:

You’re probably wondering why I punched that poor guy and stole his bounder.  There are a few reasons. I noticed that Aimi was acting abnormally. Not that I know her well enough to really make a judgement as to what is normal behavior for her. Half the time I’ve known her, she’s been crazy and has done insane damage.  I considered that it might be form of dementia which leads to her strange lapses in judgement. Between us, I thought it had to do with ambrosia.

I know it has strange effects on Bushi. Since somehow Aimi was in possession of a summoning technique I’d never seen, it would be best to keep her away from that substance.

I was desperate for a quick exit solution.  Visions of Wilted Rose going up in flames nagged at me, and that spurred me into action.  I noticed that green adventurer was planning to run into the Wildflower Funeral Plains. It’s a typical thing that many do, particularly those from this area.  They charge into those plains seeking to make their fortune, but not many can outwit a stylidium lily, let alone a pod of them. Two purposes juxtaposed in my mind.  I knocked him out the moment he confirmed my suspicion. It was my way out of a potentially disastrous situation!

I could have just grabbed Aimi, but how could I leave poor Iris alone when I finally had her curative elixir in my pouch?  I momentarily overcame my limits. The bounder leapt through the plains, and something I expected happened. A lily was attracted instantly by the noises and ripples of its leaping.  It tried its typical methods to capture me, but I think it decided that carefully baited traps wouldn’t work on us.

No amount of food or gold would stop me.  Finally, it did something really sneaky. It set up a small orchard of fruit trees ahead.  I laughed as we ran. Maybe the leaping of the bounder was blocking Aimi’s strange ability.  I think that’s pretty likely, actually. I was pretty confident that no lily could fool me, but I didn’t notice the tendril strung quickly between trees.  The bounder leapt high as it ran, but the timing of the lily’s ploy was too good. The bounder fell forward and the three of us went flying to slam into another tree.

I yelled when I realized that I’d been fooled.  Sadly, the poor bounder hadn’t survived that tactic. It had fallen too heavily forward.  I wondered if at least the poor dead animal would distract the lily, but I don’t think they have much of an appetite for bounders.  It went right for me as I struggled to my feet. Iris had collapsed after that high speed collision. Aimi was shaking her head and seemed to be out of her mind.  I felt bad for the both of them. I’d dragged them into a dangerous place, but it was the only solution I could see.

I’d have run in the other direction, but we were closer to the plains.  The ground erupted beneath and the tendrils writhed around us. I struck surgically at the ones that tried to grasp me.  Unfortunately, the other two were immediately captured. Iris was wrapped entirely in tendrils. Honestly, I was elated to have finally received the elixir from that annoying alchemist.  Something belatedly occured to me as I considered the puzzle of Iris. Iris wouldn’t eat or drink anything except for grass. At least there were some fluids in the grass. All the grass she ate may have kept her from dehydrating, but there’s no way grass could indefinitely keep her alive!

Well, that’s it for my side of things for now!

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Aimi-chan gets the spotlight again… sort of! uuuuu...

I woke up feeling pretty woozy!  All the pain I was in woke me up, and I felt more clear-headed.  That feeling of impending crisis faded away. Isn’t that weird, since I was in a ton of pain and my life was clearly at risk? I’m referring to that strange feeling deep inside me. It just builds up at certain times, and I’d  barely noticed it. Between the tendrils wrapped around my head, I could see Marigold-onee-sama bravely fighting off the tendrils below seeking to capture her like me. All I could think was: Yay! Fight on, Onee-sama!  You’re strong! At least you’ll survive, right?

The tendrils started to crush me, and I felt a sharp pain as the tendrils squeezed me.  I started to scream, but the tendrils around my neck clenched tightly. I wasn’t sure that Onee-sama had the strength to rescue the both of us when she was desperate to just defend herself.  I thought Marigold-onee-sama could get away, at least! Poor Iris-chan would die, probably. Tears leaked from my eyes as I started to suffocate. The tendrils tightened and I heard and felt something snap. It was loud, and the sound echoed through my head.

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When I woke, I found myself in a dark place.  I looked around desperately as tears poured from my eyes.  The echoes of that intense pain haunted me for a couple of minutes.  I realized something even more important.

Staker-sama had taken me again!

I leapt to my feet and ran again in a mad search for Stalker-sama.  “Stalker-sama! Where are you? I want to hug you!”

I suddenly ran into something hard.  My nose hurt! I yelled as I rebounded off the surface, and I fell against another hard object.  When I looked around me, light was blooming around, lighting up the darkness a little. I discovered when I could see enough that I was in a cage!  I gasped and bounced off the bars on each side of me. I didn’t like to be trapped, even if it was Stalker-sama’s doing! “N-nooo… Stalker-sama! Why did you put me in a cage?”

“Be quiet.” Stalker-sama’s melodious voice spoke up. I launched myself towards the voice and crashed into the bars again.  She was there, standing outside the cage, wearing that beautiful dress!

“Stalker-sama!” I cried out, reaching for her through the bars.  She still had that beautiful luminous skin! Her dark hair was amazingly gorgeous. She was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen!

“Silence!” Stalker-sama commanded me quietly.  I opened my mouth to cry out again by instinct; her beautiful voice did things to me.  I found that I wasn’t able to speak. My mouth was covered with a strip of duct tape. “Aimi, maybe now you’ll…”

Elation filled my body as her voice rippled through me.  I tore the duct tape from my mouth. Doing that hurt so much! “Stalker-sama!” I squeed.  “Can I hug you? I went through lots! All I want to do is hug you!”

Stalker-sama clapped the palm of her hand to her forehead. “There’s no turning you off, I see.  You haven’t changed in…”

“Stalker-sama!” I giggled.  “I’m sowwy, it’s my nature!”  Desperate for that hug, I started tearing at the bars.  I was filled with fervor, like a yuri berserker! I strained against them and slowly bent the bars.

Stalker-sama watched me and gaped at me.  “Very well…” She turned away and as I bounded out to embrace her, everything around me changed.  Fires leapt up and the darkness returned. Below my feet I felt a searing hot surface. As I was about to glomp Stalker-sama, black chains wrapped around me and bore me down to the hot skillet-like ground.

“S-stalker-sama!”  I cried, feeling terror.  The feel of the chains were too hot.  The experience was like torture. “I-I’m sowwy… I love…” I gasped a plea. Then Stalker-sama turned around. She transformed into an old man with a sadistic expression. My beautiful Stalker-sama was replaced by an old man demon with burning eyes.

“Enough!” he roared.  I winced and tears poured from my eyes.  That beautiful voice was gone, replaced with a raspy dark voice.  

“S-Stalker-sam-sama…” I sniffled.

“Quiet!  Close that obnoxious mouth!” the demon yelled at me. “You never listen to anyone!  Now sit and listen for the first time in your life! How did you learn anything in school with an attention span like that?”

I thought about that question and chewed my lip. I didn’t dare to respond.  I thought about my teachers back in the schools I’d gone to. None of those were sexy women.  They were all men. Some of my friends had gone crazy for the handsomer ones, but I hadn’t. It was easy to focus when all I had to do was focus on my lessons.  I’d always wanted a beautiful teacher!

“Good,” the demon snarled at me.  “You’re finally speechless. Now, listen.  You died again!  You’re facing the consequences of your stupidity, Aimi!”

“C-consequences?” I yelped.  “I didn’t…” I stammered as I looked downwards.  The chains still held and burned me. It felt like hot coals fastened all over my body.  The dress Onee-sama had gifted me was smoking and it burst into flames around me. That hurt even more!

“Yes, you’re in hell.  You’ll be here for eternity.  Your time in any world is ended,” he stated menacingly.

I cried softly and sagged.  Then I smiled softly. “Love isn’t that weak, Stalker-sama.  I know you, even if your voice and face are different.  It’s you, my Stalker-sama!” I shouted aloud, giggling.  I charged to my feet and felt a surge of energy inside me.  It hurt so much and the chains were heavy but my love was surging within me.  “Something like this wouldn’t beat me!”

I charged at him… no, her.  The chains restrained me, and I strained. As my determination mounted even while the pain did, I struggled and fought. Those feelings impelled me and filled me with strength to charge onwards. That pain escalated to the point where I couldn’t bear it, but my love would defeat it! “My Stalker-sama!” I crowed.  

His eyes bugged as the chains binding me suddenly shattered. I catapulted forward and glomped her energetically.  The terrifying scene of hell dissipated to fade gently into that golden room with blue skies high above with clouds skidding over rapidly.  We collapsed to the floor of this beautiful, heavenly room. My arms were tightly wrapped around her waist. I nuzzled and snuggled the soft fabric of her dress, nuzzling her chest.  I looked up into her eyes.

“If I’m really dead, Stalker-sama… it’s okay. If I can be here with you forever, I’m happy!” My kitty ears twitched as I gazed up into her face.  She raised her hand as if to strike me, but it came down gently between my ears.

“You freaking idiot.  Every time I try to give you information, you behave like this!” A warm feeling spread through my body as she pet me.  

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Iris’ notes about her small part of the encounter:

Marigold’s dash into the plains was pretty awesome.  Though going into them with weak, baby-like me wasn’t really the best idea.  I understand why she did it. Interestingly enough, I discovered something strange.  It’s not something that anyone could ever have discovered under normal circumstances.

I drooled and squirmed and screamed as the tendrils started to writhe around my body. I experienced terror even in my infant-like state.  The tendrils quickly wrapped around my head. They knew that their prey could be disabled quickly by breaking a victim’s neck. They constricted my throat, and it was pretty terrifying.  Something smelled pretty tasty to me despite the situation. Instead of shaking, my compulsion kicked in. I started biting at the tendril as savagely as I did grass. If I wanted to hurt people, I could have done so even in my condition. I wasn’t really trying to eat them.  People weren’t grass, and I’m no cannibal! So embarrassing…

I started to tear at the tendrils with my teeth like I would grass.  It tasted different, but the flavor might have been a little better. I heard the lily start screaming as I was eating it viciously instead of it eating me!  

ヽ(°◇° )ノ  ヽ(°◇° )ノ ヽ(°◇° )ノ   ヽ(°◇° )ノ ヽ(°◇° )ノ ヽ(°◇° )ノ

Aimi gets the spotlight again!

My eyes shot wide open. I felt energy surge from my body as I’d felt before. I knew I had broken those chains, but they were replaced by others again.  I heard a roaring rumbling noise that was kind of familiar to me, followed by the noises of shattering glass. A loud familiar scream echoed through my ears. It was muffled by what was around my head.  I felt myself go flying, but instead of falling heavily on the ground as I’d expected, I felt arms around me.

What was binding my head loosened.  The sunlight blinded me, and I thought it might be Stalker-sama reconsidering putting me back in some kind of prison, but instead I saw different eyes.  I knew those eyes, but they were filled with determination and joy. It was Iris, the green-haired girl with a baby-like mind! She was holding me with a silly warm expression.  I noticed then that Iris was actually standing upright! She looked sane! Was Iris-chan this cool? Her short green hair waved gently in the breeze like grass.

“I-Iris-chan! You’re back!” Marigold-onee-sama laughed aloud.

“Hehe… Yup! I’m baaaaack!” Iris giggled.

Was Iris-chan this cute?  She was silly and kind of insane before; this was a different Iris-chan!  Her lips spread widely and I smiled brightly to know that she was finally okay! Hopefully this meant we wouldn’t have to deal with a crazy baby-like Iris anymore!

She shocked me again as she always did when she leaned down and kissed me.  Instead of an innocent kiss, this kiss was without a doubt an adult kiss, with tongue.  

Uggghhh! It still tasted bad! It still tasted like grass, but that other bad taste had faded somewhat. I couldn’t focus much on how bad the taste was, though.  She was kissing me more intensely than anyone ever had, even including Camel. A kiss from a Camel! I imagined Camelia with the face of a camel.

I was suddenly yanked from Iris-chan’s arms.  I gasped as I was finally able to breathe. My heart was racing after that sexy kiss. “You shouldn’t overdo it, Iris-chan!” I heard Marigold-onee-sama’s voice, and she sounded a little... petulant?

I looked up into her eyes, blushing redly. “Um, Onee-sama... could you maybe cut away these tendrils?” I struggled a little.

“Not yet…” Marigold-onee-sama murmured.  I pouted when she said that. I saw her blush and fidget for a long moment as she held me.

“Are you going to just hold her like that?” Iris giggled.  “Do… it… do… it… do… ittttttt!” she cheered like one of my schoolmates back in elementary school.  She hadn’t been cheering for me. It was for one of my friends who was planning to confess to a boy.  It was a girl I had a crush on. It hurt a lot to see her confess to that boy, but I was happy for her, since it was her love, and I was at least her friend!  

No matter what cute girl I was attracted to, she never returned my feelings. I’d confessed to a few of them too!  The last person I’d confessed to was the worst, really. It didn’t go well at all! Uuuuuuuu!

I started, sniffling, remembering those experiences. Suddenly, Onee-sama kissed me herself!

“Yaaaayyyyy! WAY TO GO!” Iris-chan cheered as I blushed and that kiss exploded my head.  Marigold-onee-sama’s mouth tasted like sugar and salt-coated sunflower seeds.

B-but… I-I love… Stalker-sama…  I want you to kiss me!

(ง ^-^)ง  (⁎^˃ᆺ˂^⁎) (　＾∇＾)   (~‾▿‾)~ (　＾∇＾) (⁎^˃ᆺ˂^⁎)   (ง ^-^)ง

Rellawing

It's the end of volume one of this light novel series!  If you want it to continue on Sunday, please fave, rate, and leave feedback! :3  Thank you very much for your support thusfar!

Courtesy of MA Thermidor

Volume two teaser cover

Should it march onwards?