We arrived at the Druknes estate in the capital. Patrick was there to greet us.
“Welcome back… so, how did it go?”
He looks uncomfortable somehow. Oh, I forgot! I had been tricked into taking my wedding dress measurements. No wonder he was looking at me with a guilty look.
Given my behavior, it was understandable that I had been tricked, and the dress wasn’t that bad. It was not a bad thing, or rather a good thing, no, but, ehehe, I don’t want anyone mistaking that I liked the dress for a fact.
Considering all these things, I will never forgive Patrick for preparing the surprise for me.
“By the looks of it, the measurements went off without any problems.”
“I won’t ever forgive you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“When I die, I will die with a grudge about this, and when I nurse Patrick to health, I will keep muttering about this in his ear,”
His expression freezes. He didn’t expect me to be this angry. I’m not that angry.
But don’t underestimate Yumiela Dolknes. She has a lot of grudge for forcing her to wear a wedding dress. I will remember it until the day I die. Whenever we fight, I’ll bring it up again and end up yelling, “You’re always like that!” …The tension was strong.
I, who has surpassed the maximum level limit, and Patrick, who is level 99. When it seemed that the two of us, the strongest in the world, were about to clash, the weakest young lady opened her mouth.
“Listen to me, Patrick! Yumiela looked so happy when she saw the dress. She looked so happy as she looked at herself in the mirror.”
“…Something ‘s wrong, isn’t it?”
Patrick said before I could deny it.
He knows better. There is no way I would be happy in a dress. Nor would I spend long hours staring in the mirror, dreaming of the scene when he lifts my veil, or imagine how glad I am to be able to wear the dress. It is impossible.
Eleanora is just interpreting what is convenient for her. Let me correct her as well.
“I resisted it, didn’t I?”
“But after putting it on, she stood in front of the mirror…”
“Miss Eleanora, there is no way that this could be true for Yumiela. Sorry to put you in a difficult role.”
“I’m glad I was there too, because I got to see Yumiela’s big day one step ahead of you.”
Patrick apologized to Eleanora and said she didn’t mind. …Huh? Aren’t you apologizing to the wrong person?
I unconsciously grit my teeth. An explosive sound roared out.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d like it that much.”
“I understand why it was necessary to try it on. But you didn’t have to trick me, did you?”
“Then, if I had told her in advance, would Yumiela have come to the capital with an open mind?”
I was pouting that I didn’t want to go, and I stubbornly stayed back in the Dolknes territory. Such honesty was exactly what Patrick wanted.
I remain expressionless and silent for a moment and think of ways to counterattack.
“…Don’t change the subject! Patrick didn’t trust me, did he? That’s the only answer.”
It was a brilliant comeback on my part.
Saying I trusted him would contradict my deception, and saying I didn’t trust him would be dishonest to my lover. Fighting with arguments in my favor and forcing my opponent to make an inconvenient choice between the two. I’m the strongest in argument battles.
Either way, how will he respond?
“I trust Yumiela.”
“Then why–”
“I trusted her with all my heart that she would hate it and say she would never leave Dolknes territory, no matter what.”
“…Right.”
Does this mean… I lost?!
The conversation wasn’t a battle to argue with the other person, but I set myself up to win and failed miserably. The only one who perceives it as a battle is me, and I don’t think Patrick intends to do so.
The truth is not that Patrick lied to me, but that I put him in a situation where he had no choice but to lie. However, if all human beings could be convinced by being confronted with their own mistakes, the world would not be full of conflicts. I’m just one tiny human being, meaning I will sulk for now.
After returning from the veterinarian’s office, the dogs were sulking under the curtains for a while. It’s the same thing.
After taking me out to a place I didn’t want to be, he said in a tone that appeased me, using the new equipment as bait.
“Tomorrow we will go and make the equipment. I’m researching places that make custom-made equipment properly, and if the technology allows, we can do whatever Yumiela wants.”
“Okay?! You weren’t lying?! Wires, pile bunkers, purge functions, the whole shebang!”
“If technically feasible.”
I did it! My time has finally come!
Making things that are compatible with each other would be a good idea. There are many advantages to having a unified standard. The most significant benefit is that we can forcibly connect non-standard items. Best.
It would be nice to pack it down and turn the whole design concept into an all-in-one.
“Which one do you think is better, conversion or all-inclusive, Patrick?”
“I think… Yumiela can do whatever she wants.”
“I guess so. It’s my equipment, isn’t it? We’ve been standing around talking a lot. Let’s hurry up and go inside.”
As soon as I walked in the door, I was in a good mood.
Recalling that my dog, who had been grumpy after being vaccinated, had smiled and wagged his tail when I showed him the jerky, I pondered the new equipment without giving it too much thought, as it was an afterthought.
◆ ◆ ◆
While explaining the purge function to Elenora and hearing her unromantic comment, “It’s better not to have it in the first place than to take it off and throw it away,” the evening arrived.
After having dinner and taking a bath, I lay down on my bed to sleep.
Since graduating from the academy and moving out of the dormitory, I have only been to the capital a few times. This bedroom is mine, but I still haven’t gotten over the feeling that I’m staying elsewhere.
Tomorrow, I will make a piece of equipment filled with all my dreams. Let’s go to bed early to prepare for it.
“I can’t sleep at all.”
My eyes are so wide awake thinking about what mechanism to install that I don’t think I can sleep.
The beam should be standard. Where would be the best place for it? Putting one in the middle of the chest would give a sense of high power, while attaching it to the arm and focusing on maneuverability would be a good idea. Another option is to attach it to a different location, allowing for more intricate maneuvering.
Assuming I put it on my arm, I’m having difficulty deciding which part to use and in which direction to apply it, and I don’t think I’ll be able to determine it alone. I’ll discuss it with Patrick tomorrow.
“I can’t wait.”
This agonizing feeling has to be dealt with, or I will not be able to sleep peacefully and soundly tonight.
Hopping out of bed, I head to Patrick’s room. I hope he is still awake. And if he is asleep, I’ll have to force him awake.
Walking down the dark corridor, I came to the room he was using. The first thing I do is knock cautiously.
“Who is it?”
Okay, he was awake.
Opening the door without asking permission, I found Patrick had raised himself from his bed and was sleepily rubbing his eyes. Oh, did I wake him up by knocking on the door? Well, if he’s awake now, it’s a good thing.
“Yumiera? What’s wrong? I want to go to sleep now.”
Is he going to ignore my thoughts and sleep peacefully on his own?
No way was I going to let him get away with it. I made a beeline for Patrick’s bed and straddled his lap with the sheet on top of him. Grabbing him by the shoulders, I pushed him down and shifted into a position from which he could never escape.
“Hey?! Yumiela, what’s wrong?!”
The outside of the futon is too chilly and a bit cold.
I must be in perfect condition tomorrow. Though I’ve never caught a cold, I’ll be sure to stay warm just in case.
I crawled under the covers and restrained Patrick from inside.
“W-wha…”
Patrick seemed surprised and froze. Oh, it must be confusing for him that I come here without an explanation.
To ensure I could get him to talk to me properly, I explained the seriousness of the situation.
“You know, Patrick… I couldn’t control my excitement.”
“Oh… oh, I see.”
“I tried to deal with it alone, but it never settled.”
Patrick rested his head on the pillow and stared hard into my eyes.
His body heat and heartbeat are conveyed to me in the dark room and even darker futon. Would Patrick take the beam mount position seriously? Would he give me a curt response like, “Great, it doesn’t matter either way.”
This is serious. When he is silenced, I whisper in his ear.
“Please, Patrick .”
Then Patrick roughly holds me in and flips me over. Our positions swapped, and I was now looking up at him. His shoulders pressed down on the bed with great force, his face so close together that our noses were almost touching.
He was silent for a while, then swallowed his spit and said.
Are you sure you want to do this?”
Wasn’t I the one who had to ask permission, if anything?
Well, okay. I quickly explained since he seemed serious and willing to discuss the beam with me.
“I’m struggling to decide where to mount the beams. I want to put one on my arm, but I can’t decide where and in which direction.”
“What?”
“Do I put it on here, or do I put it on here? Oh, it’s difficult to explain this as it is.”
I pushed Patrick off with a shove, got out of bed, and stood up.
Then, pointing to my body, I said.
“I’m debating whether to put it here between the wrist and the elbow, or between the elbow and the shoulder. Ah, the beam should be parallel to the arm, right? And the direction, does it come out this way or vice versa?”
“… It’s great either way.”
Patrick replies with a lifeless face, still wrapped in the covers.
That’s terrible. Earlier, he was serious. His eyes looked scarier than ever.
He showed zero interest but sighed and then pointed to my arm. It was halfway between my wrist and elbow.
“Isn’t this way easier to handle?”
“Which direction?”
“Isn’t this the normal direction?”
Patrick gestured with his finger toward the tip of his hand, making an arrow.
This is the shooting position, with the arm extended straight out. It is the same posture as Rocket Punch.
“I’m wondering if it could be the other way around.”
“The other way around? How would you shoot it?”
My idea was to attach a device between the wrist and the elbow to emit a beam in the elbow’s direction.
Holding my hand up to my shoulder, I demonstrate by thrusting my elbow upward.
“Like this.”
“No, it’s not easy, is it?”
“You don’t understand the romance, do you, Patrick?”
“There is no benefit.”
What are the practical benefits? Maybe I’m getting too far ahead of the romanticism. It’s great that I consulted him because I can find these perspectives that I don’t have.
The benefits… Oh, yeah!
“I’m going to put a wire ejector on this side! The wire has to come out in the direction of the tip of the hand, otherwise it would be difficult to use, right? That’s why we must mount the beam in the elbow direction.”
“You just thought of it.”
With the two of us bouncing ideas off each other, we devised a great plan. My body is shaking with excitement. It’s wonderful!
Whew, I’m getting too excited, let’s calm down.
He got up and sat beside me when I sat on the bed.
“The beam that Yumiela is talking about is like a dragon’s breath, right?”
“That’s right.”
“You can worry about the mounting position, but that kind of thing is… Ah, we’ll find out tomorrow.”
I forgot. My ideas aren’t exactly going to be implemented as they are.
When it comes to armor and magical tools, I am just an amateur. There must be a good reason for the design decided by professionals in that field, and I think it’s safer to stop talking about it halfway. Let’s give them a rough idea of what I want at the beginning, and remember that some things might be cooler if they were changed.
This eliminates the possibility that the golden ratio of romanticism, which comes from functional beauty, could be disrupted by my opinion.
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
“…Be prepared for disappointment, okay?”
“My expectations are something that exists only in my imagination, so that I might be disappointed. Even so, if you use it for a long time, you will grow attached to it. And maybe, just maybe, it will turn out to be even better than I imagined.”
“I hope it gets done.”
Ah, I get it. Is the production period what Patrick is concerned about? I don’t expect custom-made equipment to be completed overnight. Precise measurements will be necessary to make something that fits the body comfortably, and tuning after trial fitting is also important.
Since I never bother with the dress measurements and fitting, this should be made with as much care and attention to detail as possible.
…Speaking of measurements and fitting, the afternoon dress was the worst I’ve ever seen. The wedding dress itself didn’t seem that bad.
I hated being instructed not to move and go along with something that I didn’t understand the significance of. This would have been a great time if I had been supplied with calipers and a welder, but the tools used were a tape measure and a marking pin.
I haven’t forgiven him yet. Besides, what was Patrick doing alone, leaving me behind?
Poor Patrick xD