Volume 5 Chapter 4
The streets of Eubarest city were less crowded than in its prime, but still bustling like the royal capital.
But there's one thing...
"Hey Mikage, why are you walking so far away?"
I called out to Mikage, who was three steps diagonally behind me. We usually walk side by side when we go out together.
"Well... I've never been familiar with the concept of 'dates', so I don't know how to act in these situations."
Mikage's face showed a mix of embarrassment and confusion. We let go of each other's hands when we left the inn, and it's been like this ever since.
"For now, I followed the customs of my hometown, where women walk three steps behind men... Did I make you feel uncomfortable?"
"No, it's not that big of a deal."
Adjusting to Mikage's pace isn't a bad idea, but it seems like she's just trying it out for now.
'Hey, partner.'
Gram tried to interject, but there was no need for him to say anything.
I stopped walking. Mikage tilted her head in surprise when I suddenly stopped, but without saying anything, I approached her and tightly held her hand.
Mikage, startled by the sudden hand-holding, exclaimed,
"Y-Yukina-sama?"
"Yes, this is how we'll do it during the date."
I said, intertwining my fingers with Mikage's hand. It's what they call the "lover's hold." In fact, Mikage and I are lovers, so it's completely appropriate.
"This, um... It's a bit... no, quite embarrassing, isn't it!?"
"Since it's a special date, let's start with the right mood."
Additionally, Mikage tried to persist, but I just smiled and answered. Seeing that, Mikage mumbled something and eventually seemed to resign by lowering her head. However, the fact that she didn't dislike it was evident as she firmly held my hand back when I connected with her again.
I must admit, I was quite embarrassed too. Although I walked around the royal capital with Kyunei and Aina linking arms, this felt like a different sensation. It was embarrassing, but also comforting.
――After that, the two of us walked around the city of Eubarest together.
Mikage, who was initially embarrassed to hold hands like lovers, gradually seemed to get used to it, and her words began to increase. It was starting to feel more like a real date.
At first, it was a bit forceful, but out of the three of the girls, Mikage was definitely the most shy. This level seemed just right for her.
"By the way, Yukina-sama. Do you have any plans for where we're going?"
"It feels like we're walking around looking for a destination, don't you think?"
"Hehe, what do you mean by that?"
I borrowed a phrase that a princess somewhere had said before. It seems to have been well received, as Mikage chuckled as well.
Maybe it's possible that as long as you're spending time happily with someone you like, that's considered a date. Even if we don't have a specific purpose, just holding hands and walking side by side, Mikage and I are on a date.
Along the way, we joked around with street vendors, tried rare sweets and delicacies that we don't see in the royal capital.
"So... what do you think?"
"Yeah, it suits you."
We found an accessory store on the roadside. They were selling hair ornaments that looked good on Mikage. I bought it right away and gave it to her as a gift. As I had thought, it looked really nice on her silver hair.
"It's really strange, isn't it?"
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
While touching her hair ornament, Mikage said softly,
"I used to feel uncomfortable being a girl, wishing I was born a boy many times."
"Is that from when you left home?"
Mikage left her hometown and came to Arcus to become a Brave's companion and gain fame as a martial artist. But part of the reason was also to escape being seen as a political marriage tool in her family.
"If I were born a boy, I probably wouldn't have left my home and would have continued practicing martial arts there. But, that place—no, that country—didn't approve of women being involved in martial arts."
Mikage's hometown is a male-dominated society. It's not like women are mistreated, but Mikage once told me that there's a strong belief that "women should support men."
"My father and grandfather were respectable martial artists. However, even they did not approve of a woman like me wielding a sword."
Arranged marriages may not sound good, but they are not necessarily bad either. It may have been a way to strengthen ties with another family, but there must have been a parental desire for their daughter to be well-matched. Mikage talked about it that way.
"Even if it was because they truly thought that about me, it was still troublesome for me."
Choosing to walk the path of a martial artist rather than seizing happiness as a woman, Mikage left her hometown. That's why she left.
But now, it's different.
Mikage tightly grips my hand.
The firmness of one who wields a sword and the softness of a woman. The sensation of those two combining in her hand is transmitted even more strongly to me.
"When I met my wonderful lord, I gave myself wholly, body and soul. And you gave me the joy of loving a gentleman as a woman."
That day when Mikage and I first became bound together.
She offered me her sword and swore to become my katana.
To her, I said.
"It's not just loyalty as a subordinate I ask for, but all of Mikage. Not just as a katana. Not just as a woman. But both, as a katana and as a woman, give yourself to me."
Not just as a martial artist. Not just as a woman.
It's because she's a martial artist and a woman that she's Mikage.
"Now I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, I'm glad I was born as a woman."
Saying so, she smiled brightly beside me, without a cloud in sight.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)