Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, the Boings, and the Mole

ALEXIA MIDGAR

“What the hell does that woman think she’s doing…?”

I spat the words out along with a sharp click of my tongue.

“It appears Rose-sama has fled toward the north of the Royal Capital,” Natsume said, her voice dripping with clinical detachment as she lounged on my sofa. “In all likelihood, she hasn’t actually left the city yet.”

I shot her a bitter look and clicked my tongue again.

It was only thanks to this woman that the details of Rose’s Fiance Murder Attempt had reached my ears in the first place. She was sketchy as hell, but I couldn't deny that her information network was top-tier. She’d already fed me plenty of juicy rumors regarding the Cult of Diabolos.

“The King of Oriana seems intent on handling this as an internal matter for the Oriana Kingdom. He’s already sent a formal request to the Midgar Kingdom asking us to keep our noses out of it.”

“How convenient. And suspicious.”

“Quite. While we could technically judge her under the laws of the Midgar Kingdom, doing so would jeopardize diplomatic relations. Our government will most likely refrain from intervening.”

“Hmph. My father will probably just sit on his hands and ‘wait and see.’”

I pictured my old man’s "peace at any price" face and felt the urge to click my tongue a third time.

“Rose-sama’s fiancé is Doem Ketsuhat, the second son of a ducal house in the Oriana Kingdom. If she’s caught, the punishment will be severe.”

“She’s royalty, so they’ll probably skip the execution, but that just leaves imprisonment or exile. Regardless, we need to secure Rose-senpai before the Oriana Kingdom gets their hands on her. I want to hear the story from her own mouth.”

“Please, wait. Rose-sama didn't say a word to us about this. It’s highly probable she wanted to avoid dragging us into a mess that could spark an international incident.”

“And? Your point being?”

I narrowed my eyes, staring Natsume down.

“I believe that rash actions should be avoided.”

“Meaning I should just abandon her?”

“I didn’t say that. I simply suggested we think carefully before we act.”

“Oh? So you're saying I don't think?”

“I didn’t say that. I merely think you should take a little more time to process things.”

“Excuse me? Are you calling me an idiot?”

“I didn’t say that. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, after all.”

“Listen here, if you’ve got something to say, why don't you say it to my face?”

“Oh dear, how terrifying…”

Natsume pulled her shoulders in, her eyes shimmering with faux-anxiety.

I marched over and hauled her up by the collar. Her low-cut neckline dipped, and those two massive mounds of hers did a little boing-boing dance.

“Don’t you dare play the innocent maiden with me.”

I glared at her from point-blank range.

“Hieee! P-please don’t kill me…!”

She squirmed, trying to wiggle out of my grip, which only made her chest do the boing-boing again. That’s when I spotted it—a mole right on one of those boings. For some reason, seeing it made me intensely irritated.

“This is why you're so transparent. You're laying it on way too thick.”

“Fueee…”

“I’ll kill you.”

“Hawawa…”

She looked up at me with teary eyes. I clicked my tongue one last time and shoved her back onto the sofa.

Natsume collapsed with a dull thud.

“Rose-senpai must have had a reason. I know she didn't want to involve us. That’s exactly why I’m so pissed off.”

“H-huh?”

“When someone tells me to stop, I want to do it more. And when someone tells me they don’t want to involve me, I want to be involved even more. That's just how I am.”

“Um…”

Natsume looked up at me with a face that screamed she had no idea how to respond to my brand of logic.

“We’re comrades. I don’t care what you’re actually plotting deep down, but we agreed to work together. Right?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then I’m not abandoning a comrade. And that includes you. Got it?”

“…Yes.”

Natsume looked down for a moment before standing back up.

“In that case, I shall continue to gather information on Rose-sama. There are some dark rumors surrounding her fiancé as well; I’ll look into those too.”

“Well, aren’t you being obedient all of a sudden? I’ll go consult with my sister.”

“Then let us exchange intel again tonight.”

“You certainly have a gift for bouncing back quickly, don't you?”

“Until then.”

“Try not to get caught,” I added.

“You as well, Alexia-sama.”

Natsume gave a polite bow and saw herself out.

I watched her back as she left, then let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Well… I guess I’ll just have to make it work somehow.”

I straightened my disheveled clothes and followed her out of the room. Things were about to get messy.