Souen no Historia

Chapter 22

Souji and Yoyo returned to the mansion and received a warm welcome from the maids. Even Ninthe was crying and hugging Yoyo. Yoyo gently hugged her back, and she patted Ninthe’s head with a smile. Souji thought it was strange that his mother wasn’t here and asked the other maids. “You return too faast~,” a scream of grievance could be heard from one of the rooms. Apparently didn’t seem to have finished arranging the doc.u.ments even after they returned. Okay, wage reduction it is, Souji decided in his mind.Afterwards everyone had dinner. The unchanging daily life was something to be happy about for Souji. When night came, Souji was at Yoyo’s room as he was told to come. Yoyo, whose skin was flushed from having entered the bath, was incredibly s.e.xy.Such a Yoyo was lying on the bed and, “Souji, do it.” At the moment he saw her bewitching smile, his heart seemed like it could be held directly as it jumped out. The thin piece of clothing clearly defined her tender body line. “Do-dodododo it, as in?” He desperately tried to suppress his agitation, but he couldn’t handle this situation that well. Thus Yoyo was smiling like a child whose prank had succeeded and, “Ara? Didn’t I say it? To ma.s.sage me that is.”“Eh? A… AH!” He recalled that she certainly said that in the church. (Wh-What…… a ma.s.sage huh…… fuu, I was too eager.) Though he somehow managed to not to let it show on his face, “Fufu, if it’s not a ma.s.sage, I wonder what Souji was thinking?”“Uh…….”“Will you tell me? My butler-san?”“Uu…… I-I can’t match Ojou-sama….” Gakkuri, his shoulders drooped. Yoyo was smiling happily as she saw such a Souji. “Fufufu, then please.”“As you wish.” At Yoyo’s command, Souji began to ma.s.sage her. Since the beginning Souji had something he wanted to know so he asked her. “Ojou-sama, may I ask one thing?”“What is it?”“Why were those two let go?” It was about Femme and Testarossa. Though they weren’t after her life, it was strange that she just released her without blaming her. “Ara, would it be better to kill them?”“Next time they might come after Ojou-sama.”“You just said something scary. Fufu, but rest a.s.sured. I am not blaming them because I want to make them learn.”“Learn?”“That no matter what they do it will be useless. Rather, you should have noticed that.” Just as Yoyo said, he had noticed her intention by leaving those girls alone. However, he couldn’t confirm it. He now knows that it was correct after he heard her words. “That kind of fellow should have considerable connections. Surely this event would be spread to those people. It will be best for them to think to never antagonize you. Well, in the end it was just my wishful thinking.”“...... That’s just like Ojou-sama.”“Fufu, for me to be able to choose such reckless action is also because you are here, Souji. Therefore I trust you, Souji.”“Please leave it to me.” The ma.s.sage continued for a while, silence flowed until Yoyo opened her mouth. “...... hey, Souji.”“Yes?”“... thank you for everything.”“... no need, after all I am Yoyo-ojousama’s butler.”“Fufu, that is so. You are my butler. My one and only… bu… tler…”“... Ojou-sama?”“...” Apparently she seemed to have fallen asleep. Today was a rough day. Though it wasn’t expressed on Yoyo’s face at all, she was still a teenaged girl, so, no matter how determined she was, she must have exhausted her mind. Souji thought of supporting her to at least relieve her somewhat. That was to repay her kindness of allowing him to serve her as a butler, and…. (For Yoyo-ojousama to become happy….) He wished that, that’s why he was here. He wanted to protect Yoyo’s smile. Though she didn’t smile innocently, when she sees the others from the mansion, Souji knew her smile was truly a happy one.These small shoulders shouldered a lot of things. There’s also her wish for the happiness of everyone inside this mansion. If Yoyo wished for the happiness of everyone inside this mansion, Souji decided to wish for her happiness.She breathed calmly as Souji put a blanket over her, and he went out of the room without making any noise. “...... thank you, my Souji.” Regrettably, her mutters didn’t reach Souji.   After Yoyo fall asleep, Souji returned to his room and sat on his bed. He recalled what happened today and had a bitter expression.The reason was that Yoyo was easily kidnapped by the enemy. Certainly the enemy had one of the rare magics; even so it was the truth that Yoyo was kidnapped under his watch. “Fuu, if one aims at Ojou-sama from now on was someone with a troublesome magic just like invisibility magic….” This time, Femme didn’t have any reason to kill or injure Yoyo. But if it was an extremist whose goal was to erase Yoyo, then she would already no longer be in this world.Souji saw outside of the window from the bed, and there a huge moon that couldn’t have existed in j.a.pan peeped inside. “...... If there is a power that can immediately perceive Ojou-sama’s crisis….” Souji stood up from the bed. Then he spread his right hand and watched it. “That’s right. I only have to create such a flame.” Souji shut his eyes and concentrated his will in his right chest. Dokun dokun, it throbbed, and it gradually heated up. As he felt the heat that seemed to burn in him, he extracted the magic power from the source, the Magic Core. The magic power that was raging inside his body was focused to his right hand. (A power that can perceive the danger that appears at any time….) Thus a flame appeared in Souji’s right hand. The flame’s color was a beautiful yellow like that of the moon that floated in the sky.   “Souji collapsed, you say?” Yoyo thought it was odd because Souji, who always come to wake her up in the morning, didn’t. Instead, Ninthe rushed inside with her eyes swollen with tears.According to her story, because she didn’t see Souji, who always waters the flowers early in the morning, Ninthe went to his room as it was unusual for him to wake up late. However, after receiving no response from her knocking, she thought he went out somewhere. Ninthe watered the flowers in his stead, but Souji still didn’t come. The other maids who woke up to work were also asking for Souji’s whereabouts, but she could only say that she didn’t know. Ninthe, who thought it was indeed strange, explained the situation to Kaina, and for the time being they went back to Souji’s room. There was still no answer even when they knocked. Kaina said, “I am coming in,” and opened the door, and then they discovered Souji who had collapsed on the floor inside.Yoyo who didn’t understand what had happened hurriedly went to Souji’s room. Yesterday, there was no particular change in his appearance. There were certainly various things such as the kidnapping, but they weren’t enemies who could defeat Souji. Even at the time of the ma.s.sage last night, he looked just as usual. (Yet…… kh!?) With unusually impatient looks, Yoyo pa.s.sed through between the maids and entered Souji’s room. In the bed was Souji lying down and breathing painfully. “...... Souji.” She asked Kaina who was beside her about the situation. “I don’t understand. However his temperature was very high and the magic power in his body is not stable also.” Because it was a matter of her son, even Kaina didn’t act with her usual innocent self with her current frustrated expression.Yoyo touched Souji’s hand. Sweat flowed from his whole body as he seemed to be in a great pain. Moreover just as Kaina had said, his body had an unbelievable temperature. “Just what is the cause? Don’t tell me something happen in yesterday’s kidnapping….”“No, I didn’t see such a situation.”“Maybe magic that acted slow…… or he was poisoned without his knowing….” Though Kaina said such scary things, Yoyo shook her head to deny those. “...Souji ma.s.saged me last night. At the time, I saw… Souji’s body. Though he was a little tired, his health was excellent.”“There’s should be no mistake if Yoyo-sama said that…… then why…?”“Uu~ Zoooooji-zabaaaaa~h!” Hearing Yoyo and Kaina’s conversation, Ninthe became even more worried. Her tears and running nose were running down her messy face. “...... for now let me see him again….” Yoyo narrowed her eyes as she watched Souji and, “Uh…… a…….”“Souji-!” Souji weakly opened his eyes. “Haa haa haa…… O-...... jo-…… u…… -sama?” Souji moved only his eyes and he noticed that everyone inside the mansion had gathered, “Wh-...... why……?”“Souji, just what had happened to you? No, that’s okay now, anyway….”“Th-...... this….” Souji gritted his teeth, trembling, and reached with his right hand towards Yoyo. His right hand was strongly clenched. Instinctively, Yoyo gently wrapped that fist with both hands. “...... Souji?”“Open…… it….”“Eh? Open? What?”“...... the hand.”“...... your hand?” Yoyo didn’t understand Souji’s words. Even so she placed her hands under Souji’s fist. Souji’s fist slowly opened.Potoh, something dropped into Yoyo’s hands. It was a necklace. A small tag-like thing was attached at the front with a crest she never saw before was carved there in yellow. “...... Souji?” She groaned as she couldn’t judge just what this means. Souji was smiling even though it must have been painful. “If…… Ojou-sama has that………... I’ll always be………... able to come…... to Ojou-sama’s side.” Hah, Yoyo looked down at that necklace, and she touched the crest carved in the tag. She then closed her eyes and raised her face as she noticed something. “Souji…… you….” She understood everything. About why Souji had become like this. All of this………… was for a certain person.Yoyo quietly stood up and, “Everyone, fall back a little.” As if she had predicted it, Kaina and Ninthe left from beside the bed. Having confirmed that, Yoyo looked down at Souji’s face, and she put right hand on his forehead.

 

Faint light came out of Yoyo’s body.