Volume 7 10 — The Fiancée out of the Blue

Volume 7 Chapter 10: The Fiancée out of the Blue

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The 18th day of the second month.

It had been two days since the so-called accident in the office. It was a weekend.

The sky had been clear all day. It was 1 in the afternoon, the sun shining down upon the world.

Strauski Megmica looked up at the hospital.

The general hospital was the largest in the Capital District, its doctors famed for their skill. Multiple wards towered over the ground.

Meg was in her uniform. Though she was dressed for class, she held in her hands not her bag but a bouquet of flowers.

Eyes brimming with tears, Meg slowly began to walk again, her pigtails swishing.

She stepped in through the main doors and headed to the reception desk to check in.

She filled in a form and received a visitor’s pass and a room number.

And soon Meg stood before a hospital room labeled with the name ‘Maxwell’.

For four minutes she simply stood before the door.

Without warning, the door opened.

“Whoa.”

The previous visitor was surprised to see Meg.

It was Larry, wearing jeans and a sweater and holding a leather jacket under his arm. He slowly shut the door and came out into the hall.

“Hey there, Megmica,” he whispered.

“Good afternoon, Larry. Er…”

Meg could not continue. Larry looked her in the eye.

“Yeah. It’s all right now,” he said. Meg was shocked.

“Are you certain of this? Can you know?”

“Yeah,” Larry said firmly. “Anyway, I gotta get going. Seron’s been knocked out with painkillers for a bit, but you should stay with him in case something happens, Megmica. Watch over him until he wakes up, all right? Thanks!”

“Huh? Er, I—”

Before Meg could properly respond, Larry waved and departed down the hall.

Twenty steps later, he looked back.

“Please…”

Meg was no longer in the hallway.

When Larry went down to the lobby, he spotted a familiar face sitting on a bench.

“Hey there!”

“Hi Larry,” Jenny replied glumly. Larry took a seat on her right.

Jenny was wearing long pants and a rough winter jacket. She was dressed almost as casually as Larry was.

“You’re here too, eh? Might want to wait a bit if you want to see Seron.”

“I know. Why else would I be sitting around in the lobby?” Jenny shot back. Larry thought for a moment and gave her a thumbs-up.

“I get it! You saw Megmica too. So you got the hint and decided to wait here. That’s our president for you.”

Jenny glared. “Anyway, Megmica’s gone to his room, right?”

“Yep. More like I pushed her in there, asking her to look after Seron.”

“Hmph. Not bad. For you, anyway,” Jenny replied, taciturn.

“There’s nothing to worry about now.”

“What d’you mean?”

“They’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about them.”

This time, it was Jenny’s turn to think.

She looked into Larry’s profiled face—his bright blue eyes—and thought. And reached an answer.

“Ah, that thing you said about the eyes,” Jenny said with a nod, remembering how Larry had seen through Stella in an instant.

“More or less, yeah.”

Larry slightly held up his left hand. The wristwatch from the star was on his wrist.

He checked the time—

“Huh?”

And noticed Jenny’s gaze on him. He turned.

She was staring. Unamused, but not bored.

“What is it?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing. It looks like I’m still all right.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re too stupid to understand.”

“What.”

“You wouldn’t understand even if you were smart, either.”

“Huh?”

“No one in the world can really know how other people feel.”

“Sure, even an idiot like me knows that much.”

“Hah hah! That’s true.”

“Whoa! That’s unusual.”

“What is?”

“You putting on such a bright smile. You looked just like that photo from three years ago.”

Jenny was caught off-guard for a moment, but she soon smiled. This time, the smile was that of a hunter locked on to a new scoop.

“Say, Larry.”

“Yeah?”

“Suppose Seron and Megmica go to the dance together.”

“Hm? Oh right, it’s still more than a month away. Seron’ll make it out of the hospital in time.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“Don’t you want to see how they’ll look as they dance in front of half the school?”

“Heck yeah!”

“Right? And wouldn’t you want to take photos of it all too?”

“Yeah!”

“Perfect. Then as president, I’m granting you special permission!”

“Permission for what?”

“Do I really have to spell it out for you? You’re really dense, you know that?”

“Yes, I know that. So please spell it out for me?”

“What I’m trying to say is…”

“Yeah?”

“…Do you know how to dance, Larry?”

* * *

Seron was asleep.

He lay in a luxurious bed in a luxurious private room, bathed in the soft sunlight that filtered though the curtains.

Meg sat on a chair beside the bed, watching his face. Once she had put the flowers she brought in a vase, she had been left with nothing else to do.

This time, she did not fall asleep.

She watched Seron’s sleeping face, her gaze never wavering.

The minute hand on the clock had done nearly a 360 when a voice broke the silence.

“Mr. Maxwell?”

A nurse quietly stepped inside. She gave Meg a brief nod when the latter turned.

“How is he? Not out of sorts at all?” Asked the nurse.

“Yes, he is feeling well, I think,” Meg replied.

“Then I’ll be back in an hour,” the nurse replied, departing.

Meg watched the door until it closed and turned back to Seron.

“Ah!”

“…”

Their eyes met.

“Er…I…erm…”

Meg was lost for words.

“What a strange dream.” Seron, meanwhile, was calm. “Larry’s turned into Megmica.”

“I-it is not a dream!”

“Whoa!” Seron flinched, cringing when his injury ached.

“Oh, I am very sorry…I am sorry that I spoke in a loud voice. I will speak in a normal voice…”

Meg briefly explained how she had switched with Larry and that she was here to visit.

“I see… Thank you for the flowers,” Seron said, finally calm.

Meg, however, was not. She took an angry breath.

Gritting her molars and baring her teeth, she glared.

“What was it that you did?!” She demanded in as loud a voice as she could use in the hospital.

“Huh? Wha…?” Seron blinked.

“Why did you do something that was so risky?! Why?! Jumping to a person carrying a weapon!”

“…Oh. Right.”

“Do you really say, ‘oh right’ in a time like this, Seron? You may have almost died! It was dangerous!”

“No, really. It wasn’t that serious. It’ll only take two weeks to heal—”

“That is not the problem!”

Tears began to fall from Meg’s eyes.

“Er… Miss Strauski Megmica, please listen to me,” Seron said in response. “There’s something I would like to tell you,” he said quietly and politely.

“Er… Miss Strauski Megmica, please listen to me,” Seron said in response. “There’s something I would like to tell you,” he said quietly and politely.

Meg wiped away her tears and snapped, “please say it!”

“Thank you. You see, I’m glad things turned out this way. I really am.”

“Why?”

“Because things stopped at this, when it could have been so much worse. Someone could have died.”

“But!”

“If you’d been stabbed, Megmica…and if you’d died…that wouldn’t have been the end. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself—I might have killed myself to follow after you.”

“Wh-what?! Killing yourself to follow me? That is too scary, Seron, please do not say it!”

“I would choose to follow the one I love to the depths of hell.”

“What—”

Meg paused.

Memories of the previous summer flashed past. The beautiful forests and flowers of Ercho Village. And her own words, spoken on the balcony with the beautiful view.

The next thing she heard was in Bezelese.

It was slow, awkward, and badly pronounced—

“I, love you. More than, anyone else.”

But it was a clear and resolute confession.

“Then—!”

Meg responded in a furious flurry of Bezelese. The only thing Seron understood properly was the first word.

“———— no —————! ———————, ——, ———————————! My ————————, ———————————!”

Seron froze for a moment at the barrage, but he managed to respond.

“Please, speak slowly. I do not, understand.”

Meg smiled and responded to Seron slowly, with a very gentle voice.

“I also love you very much.”

“I understand, those words. Please, go out with me,” Seron replied.

Meg gave a nod.

Meg remained on the chair and Seron lay in his bed.

They continued to talk, looking into each other’s eyes.

“Now, I will speak in Roxchean again, Seron.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Please! Now even at graduation if my family returns to Sou Be-Il, I must live in Roxche!”

“Hm?”

“Because I will be a Roxchean person!”

“Huh?”

“But I cannot forgive a little for kissing that person. I do not want to see the person I love kiss. But I will never let this happen again! It it my goal as a new Roxchean person.”

“Wha…?”

“No, I will not let this happen! Because my eyes are wide open!”

“Oh, er…right.” Seron nodded, still lost. Then—

“Seron!” “Seron!”

The door flew open and two women rushed into the room.

“Ah!”

Surprised, Meg leapt to her feet and offered her chair to them.

One of the two visitors was a woman in her early forties wearing an impeccable red suit.

“Oh! You’re not as pale as I expected, sweetie! You’re practically blushing!”

She got down beside Seron’s bed and began to shower him with kisses all over his cheeks and forehead, and sometimes his lips.

“Huh?”

As Meg watched in confusion, the other visitor—a short black-haired girl in a light red cardigan and a blue skirt—clung to the other side of the bed.

“What happened, Seron? We were so worried about you!”

She mussed his hair with a tiny hand and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

“Wha?”

They completely ignored Meg as they continued to fuss over Seron.

“They said it wasn’t too deep, right? Can you eat, honey?”

“We brought cake!”

“Do you know if we’re allowed to sleep over tonight?”

“And juice!”

Meg stared in a daze as the visitors fretted over Seron.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry! I knew you were there, but for some reason I assumed you were a nurse! I’m so sorry.”

Seron’s mother Karen Maxwell finally greeted Meg and introduced herself.

“And this here is Seron’s sister Leena. She’s 12 years old.”

“Hello,” Leena said with a curtsy.

“It is nice to meet you. My name is Strauski Megmica. I am a student at Seron’s school and do club activities together with Seron,” Meg said with a deep bow.

“Oh my, you’re very polite. If I may ask, are you from cross-river?” Asked Karen.

“Yes!” Meg replied.

Then—

“Seron and I have just pledged our future together. I am still lacking, but please take care of me!”

Many things happened at once.

First, Seron’s eyes turned to dinner plates.

“Huh?”

He tried to pull himself up, but the wound on his stomach put a painful end to his attempt.

“Ow.”

“Oh my! How lovely!” Karen exclaimed, almost loud enough to bother the other patients. She took Meg’s hands in her own. “So you’re going to become Seron’s bride someday! It’s so nice to meet you, Megmica. Please, do take care of Seron!”

“Yes, Mother!”

Leena ran over from the other side of the bed. “Wow, Seron! I can’t believe you’re gonna marry such a pretty girl! So this is Megmica,” Leena exclaimed, “Megmica, are you by any chance older than Seron?”

“Oh, yes. I am the one year older.”

“Wow! I knew it! An older girl who’s not from Roxche! I must be psychic!”

“You are very cute, Leena. Just like a doll. I am very happy because I do not have any younger sisters!”

“Yay!” Leena cheered, hugging Meg.

“Yes!” Meg nodded, patting Leena’s head.

“This is wonderful! I was so worried on the way here, Seron, imagining my poor baby in pain on a hospital bed, but you gave me such a lovely surprise!”

“Mom, let’s have a party today! Let’s go get crisps together!” Leena begged.

“Of course! Do you like Capital District crisps, Megmica?”

“Yes! I love them very much!”

“Then it’s decided!”

“Yay! Megmica, can I call you Big Sis?”

“Of course you may!”

Seron watched the women chatter excitedly in the middle of the room.

Left to his own devices in his bed, Seron managed to squeeze out a voice in spite of his aching wound.

“Er…what’s this about…marriage…?”

“Where do you live, Megmica?”

“I live with my family on Rue Trente Street in the Western District.”

“It’s a lovely neighborhood, from what I remember.”

“Wait…” Seron gasped, “listen to me—”

“Big Sis! You have a brother, right? His name’s Kurt, right?”

“Oh my, how do you know this?”

“Hee hee! Actually, I talked with him on the phone a lot!”

“I see! I did not know that. It is wonderful!”

“Er…everyone?” Seron asked feebly.

“Can I please meet him sometime?”

“Of course you can meet him. I will introduce you while you are at the Capital District.”

“Er…I don’t even know anymore,” Seron sighed, looking up at the ceiling in surrender. “That’s right. I’m dreaming right now. When I open my eyes, I’ll see Larry. And he’ll say, ‘Seron, you were grinning in your sleep’.”

He closed his eyes. The painkillers were luring him back into sleep. But—

“Seron!”

He opened his eyes to find his mother’s face only 20 centimeters from his own.

“Whoa! Yes, Mother?”

“What should I do for the engagement gift? What do you want to get your future wife to remember today by?”

“…I don’t care if this is a dream anymore…”

“Speak up, honey. There must be something you’ve wanted to get for her.”

“Yeah…”

“Yes?”

Seron slowly closed his eyes as he replied,

“A Whitfield wristwatch…”

* * *

<Er…SC Jenny?>

<Yeah, newbie?>

<Let me just confirm something. This wasn’t all just some dream SC Seron was having? Not a hallucination from his painkillers?>

<No.>

<…Could you just confirm that with me one more time?>

<It wasn’t a dream.>

<It wasn’t a dream.>

<Then they really—>

<Like I just told you. Megmica became Seron’s fiancée out of the blue. They’re engaged.>

<…>

<So that about covers the update. Megmica and Seron might have a few hiccups here and there, but they like each other a lot and they’re really lucky, so I was pretty sure it would work out. And it did. Thanks for listening, newbie. You must be tired.>

<…>

<See? Was that big or what?>

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Finale: Endings and Beginnings

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The 13th day of the fourth month, the year 3306 of the World Calendar.

In the middle of the school gymnasium, which had been converted into a ballroom—

A boy and a girl were dancing.

A boy with black hair,

And a girl with long, decorated brown hair.

They boy, in a black tuxedo,

And the girl, in a yellow dress.

With the gazes of many other boys and girls on them, they danced.

Elegantly, and maybe a little violently.

“You’re even good at dancing, huh. I hate you just a little bit more now, Treize.”

“Cut me some slack, Lillia. I’m trying my best here.”

“Tch. You know, I won’t go easy on you even if you’re a prince or whatever.”

“I know.”

The words they exchanged as they danced—

—Were drowned out completely by the music around them.

“I am wondering what the two people are talking about… But in any case, they are both very, very cool.”

A girl with long black hair done up—

A girl wearing a white dress—

Said to the boy standing at her right side.

“It sort of looks like they’re fighting.”

A boy with grey eyes—

A boy wearing a black tuxedo—

Replied with a flustered look.

The emcee on the dance floor called out, “Everyone, are you just going to stand around all night?”.

Boys and girls stepped onto the floor with their chosen partners beside them.

The black-haired girl turned her gaze from Lillia and Treize, looking to her right.

And she held out her white-gloved hand to the boy standing there.

The grey-eyed boy turned elegantly,

And gently took her hand in his.

“Shall we dance, Seron Maxwell?”

The girl asked in Bezelese.

“It would be my pleasure, Meg.”

The boy replied in Roxchean.

“Atta boy, Seron…you’ve come so far…I’m so proud of you!”

“You’re sounding like a regular mother figure. If memory serves, weren’t you s’pposed to be a guy?”

“That aside, are you two simply going to watch from the sidelines? We should enjoy the evening as well.”

“You’ve got that right. It’s no fun just watching—I’m going to show off my moves.”

And life would go on—

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