┬┴┬┴  (ᗒᗣᗕ) =*O..O*= (    )( ) =*O..O*= (ᗒᗣᗕ)  ┬┴┬┴

N-noooo! It was a misunderstanding!

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

 

We returned back to the battleground and gathered up the tendrils.  We went quickly to avoid more issues. For a change, Iris-chan focused and helped.  When we had gathered them and Onee-sama had cast that strange arcarray spell thing on them, we were able to hurry back to Wilted Rose.

 

Marigold-onee-sama led the way and on the way we ran into another dandelion, but she got rid of it really quickly!  I was amazed! The moment it exploded from the ground in front of us, she drew her sword in a blink! She leapt on it and drove her blade into it.  That itself didn’t finish it, but as it thrashed, she leapt backward and dove forward again. As its tentacles flailed towards her, she cut all of them with an amazing display of skill!  Iris-chan hung back with me while we watched together.

 

“Ahhhh! I wanna help!  Give me my knives back, Marigold!” Iris-chan crowed.

 

The dandelion had had enough and started to burrow away, but Marigold-onee-sama leapt on it again, plunging her sword into its body from above, skewering it like a kebab.  She spun on the sword and the torque turned the dandelion into vegetable ribbons!

 

This time she didn’t bother to loot its corpse.  We continued to Wilted Rose. Thankfully, we weren’t too deep into the plains.  She looked at Iris-chan with a frown. “I’m not sure it’d be a good idea to give you your knives back… are you sure you wouldn’t mess something up?”

 

“I’m sure!” Iris-chan’s expression was overly angelic. She glomped Marigold-onee-sama, looking up into her eyes, and her lashes fluttered as she begged.

 

“No… not yet.” Onee-sama rolled her eyes, continuing.  She dragged Iris along with her. Nothing or no one would stop her.  Iris-chan dug her heels into the turf of the grass as we approached the edge of Wilted Rose.

 

“I didn’t think you wanted to be a thief!” Iris-chan protested. “You’re a paragon!  If you keep them, you’re a thief!”

 

I gaped.  “S-she stole your knives?”

 

“NO!” Onee-sama denied, waving her hands exaggeratedly.  “I’m keeping her from hurting herself or anyone else! That’s all!”

 

“Nooooo! I won’t mess anything up!” Iris-chan complained. “I promise! Pinky-promise!”

 

Marigold-onee-sama stared at her again, fidgeted a moment, and then quickly turned. “No.  I don’t believe you!”

 

“Give it back!!!” Iris-chan yowled. “Give it back, you beast!  Gimme! You thief! You took away my special thing! Give it baaaaaaaack!”

 

The burghers on the edge of Wilted Rose stopped doing what they were doing.  They stared at Onee-sama.

 

I blushed redly.  It sounded kind of naughty! What kind of an impression will people have of Onee-sama, listening to this kind of thing?

 

I charged ahead and glomped Marigold-onee-sama. “Noooo! Onee-sama is the best!” I turned to look at the crowd and waved my hands rapidly.  My ears twitched and my tail thrashed like tendrils. “Her technique is amazing! She’s amazing! Don’t think badly of her!”

 

Iris-chan looked at me and her lips pursed, and I could see mischief sparkle in her eyes. “Marigold-sama’s technique is better than the Goddess’!” She glomped Onee-sama’s other side. “But still… why would you steal my special thing from me?  Take responsibility!” she yelled.

 

The crowd thickened as Iris-chan carried on.

 

N-no! I have to stop this!

 

“Onee-sama is the most responsible person ever!  She always takes care of you! Be grateful to her!  She’d look after you for your whole life!” I glomped Iris-chan. “Q-quiet… s-stop…” I mewled.

 

Marigold-onee-sama was blushing redly. It seemed what Iris-chan had done wasn’t lost on her.  She seemed like she’d shorted out!

 

“Take responsibility!  Give me my virginity!” Iris-chan crowed.  I froze when she said that. N-no! She took it to that level!  She’s lying!

 

Onee-sama started stammering as she fell to her knees.

 

“No!  It’s not what you think!” I yelled.  “S-she’s an idiot!”

 

“The idiot calls someone an idiot?” Iris-chan’s eyes flashed. “Who knows better than an idiot?”

 

“Ehhhh?  Idiot? N-no! I had top scores in school!” I yelled, blushing profusely. “I’m not stupid!” I fidgeted.

 

“Scores? What?  Are you a thief too?” Iris-chan asked me. Her nose twitched, and she glomped me.

 

“Ohhhh, a catburglar!” she whispered in my ear. “Help me steal something beautiful, Aimi-chan… I have a score to settle too.”

 

I looked into her eyes, blinking as I showed my astonishment. “N-no… I’m not a bad girl! I don’t steal anything!”

 

“Hehe… you stole her heart, right? Marigold!” Iris-chan grinned.  “You clever little thief!”

 

“S-st-stole… wh-what?” I gasped, at a loss for how to respond to that.  Marigold-onee-sama and I were a matched pair with how we were both shocked.  It was an Iris-chan win… Uuuuuu…

 

Onee-sama finally moved her fingers in the air and a bunch of knives fell into a pile. “I should pawn them…” Onee-sama fidgeted.  “J-just take them back!”

 

“Yay!” Iris-chan squeed as she glomped the pile of knives. It looked really dangerous to do that. She snuggled them.  “My special thing! Yaaaay!” Is she going to stab herself by mistake?

 

⁎^_-⁎  =O..o=  =o..O= =O..o=   =o..O= =O..o= =o..O=   ⁎-_^⁎

 

We continued onwards into town.  Marigold-onee-sama looked really annoyed and Iris-chan seemed really happy. She was squirming and rubbing herself in a really perverted way as we walked.  I knew she was caressing the various knives she’d somehow hidden in her rags. It looked really bad.

 

Onee-sama’s eyes flicked from time to time to Iris-chan and her eyes rolled as she blushed, embarrassed by her behavior.

 

We crossed the large bridge to the other side of the river.  She stalked towards a shop, and when we reached it she screamed.  I was shocked by that. I jumped and scurried to glomp her. “Onee-sama!  What’s wrong?”

 

Marigold-onee-sama looked at me and her eyes sparked. I flinched and squirmed. She pet my head and forced a smile. She looked at the door and I noticed there was a paper nailed to the door.  She slapped it, and looked at me. “This is what’s wrong!”

 

I frowned and looked at the paper, feeling happy she wasn’t mad at me!  I chewed my lip and fidgeted as I tried to make sense of what was on the paper.  There were strange symbols there. One looked like an upside down cone with a line across the tip.  The rest I couldn’t interpret.

 

“Um… I-I can’t read that, Onee-sama…” I mewled.

 

“It’s okay.  I figured that.” Marigold-onee-sama smiled more genuinely. “Bushi don’t have a writing system.  They have a very complex sign language. They learned the human tongue to communicate properly with us.  It may have been taught to them, and the ones that returned to their tribes taught them.”

 

“Ehhh… oh… I see…” I floundered.  I don’t know anything about the Bushi!  What should I do? I think maybe I should finally tell her the truth, shouldn’t I?

 

Marigold-onee-sama’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve waited for a good time to do this… it’s a bit awkward, since my skill level is low.  I’ve been told it’s sloppy.” She blushed and then moved her hands. She fidgeted so cutely my heart started beating quickly.

 

“Ummmu… I don’t know…” I chewed my lip. “I-I’m not…” I stammered.

 

Marigold-onee-sama’s expression changed.  She was squirming and wiggling a little, but suddenly she looked really sad.  “O-oh… okay… D-don’t worry about it…” I think I saw a tear leak down from one of her eyes, but I wasn’t sure.

 

She turned her attention back to the paper, taking a deep breath. “Y-yes! This paper! Oh! I’m so annoyed!  That old jerk alchemist! How could he go somewhere when I need him! Auggghhh!” she yelled.

 

“W-went somewhere?” I asked, blinking.

 

“Ooohooo… Did you really… Are you really?” Iris-chan’s nose twitched. She looked at me then. “You’re so cold-hearted, Aimi-chan!”

 

My eyes widened. “W-what?  I didn’t… N-- What did I do?”

 

“Yeah! He went to the mountains!” Onee-sama growled. “That old miser!  I wanted him to make a new elixir… something that would really cure Iris-chan!”

 

“B-but… I’m better!” Iris-chan exclaimed. She started dancing. “Could I do this, if I wasn’t better?”

 

I watched her and gaped.  Her short green hair swayed as she danced in those rags.  I thought she really needed new clothes… she looked like a dirty beggar.  The way her hair waved in the breeze made me think of the plains. I noticed something else.  Her skin was a little greenish. S-she’s still sick!