Even if I transform, I will never be captured.

Satella tugged at Misaki Shokuhou's clothes and said, "Ah, Shokuhou-chan, that's so cheesy. In that case, let's do something."

"Okay, I don't have any repulsion at all~☆" Misaki Shokuhou smiled, blinking one eye. "But you're the one who always runs away, aren't you?"

"Alas."

These days, the two of them have been sleeping in the same bed, so sometimes when they get excited, it's inevitable that they'll want to do something they love.

But Misaki Shokuhou is always very assertive and wants to be on top, but how could Satella possibly agree to that?

Satella is going to be the dominant one! She's not going to be the submissive one! Even if she transforms, she'll never be the one being conquered; she'll conquer others!

So my first time has to be on top!

So the argument turned into a physical fight, and finally, they all fell asleep from exhaustion.

At this moment, Misaki Shokuhou interrupted Satella's thoughts and said softly, "Speaking of the text message you sent me... Actually, when you left last time, there was something I was determined to tell you."

Satella tilted her head: "?"

She opened her mouth, and finally Misaki Shokuhou spoke, but it was a question that left Satella completely bewildered: "Satella, can I have your butterfly hair ornament?"

“Sure, but don’t you already have one? Why do you need another?” Satella asked curiously.

"It's none of your business. Just tell me whether you're going to give it to me or not."

"Okay, here you go."

So Satella had no choice but to take off the butterfly hair ornament she was wearing and hand it to Misaki Shokuhou.

Misaki Shokuhou took it with both hands, gripped it tightly in her palms, then removed the butterfly hair ornament from her chest and walked behind Satella.

"do not move!"

Stopping Satella from turning around, Misaki Shokuhou carefully placed her butterfly hair ornament on Satella's head.

"It's just exchanging hair accessories, isn't it? You should have said so earlier." Satella found Misaki Shokuhou utterly strange. "Also, didn't you say you had something you were determined to tell me? What was it?"

"It's already been conveyed."

So what exactly are you saying?

Looking at Misaki Shokuhou's smiling face, Satella was completely baffled, thinking that it was so hard to guess what was on a girl's mind.

Finally, unable to figure it out, she simply stopped guessing and happily started eating dinner.

……

……

After a slight dizziness, when Satella opened her eyes again, she was already in her house in Re:Zero.

After the meal, Misaki Shokuhou and Satella didn't have any special conversation, unlike when they first parted ways, when they both cried their eyes out.

Before leaving, Misaki Shokuhou simply sat at the table, smiling as she said goodbye to Satella.

—Actually, when you think about it carefully, that makes sense, since it's not like it's a matter of life and death.

The reason why the first time was so tragic was because Satella didn't know whether, after completing the mission and leaving, she would return to the familiar A Certain Magical Index world or go to another 'parallel world called A Certain Magical Index'.

Now that everything is clear, it doesn't matter anymore. As long as the system is there, she can go back to see Misaki Shokuhou anytime.

So, their current situation is probably like that of a couple living apart? It's a pity they can't call or send letters.

"Let's take a shower and go to bed first."

Although it was already 0 a.m. here in Re:Zero, it wasn't the first time Satella had slept until the afternoon.

Satella was about to place the butterfly hair ornament on the table after taking it off her head, but her delicate fingertips felt a rough texture on the back of the ornament.

"—"

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Turning the butterfly hair ornament over, a line of crooked, small words engraved on the back came into Satella's view.

"..."

There is an urban legend in Tokiwa-Taichung—

If anyone can get Her Majesty to put that butterfly hair ornament on her head, then she will become Her Majesty's life partner.

Many people find this urban legend absurd, but the person who spread it insists that he is right.

One day, she happened to pass by the art room and saw Her Majesty the Queen, sweating profusely, carving words on a butterfly hair ornament with her tools.

She didn't know what the Queen had carved on it, but she knew that the Queen, who was both athletic and crafty, was exhausted and covered in sweat, yet she had a smile on her face.

Satella remembered what Misaki Shokuhou had said to her that evening.

"Speaking of the text message you sent me... Actually, there was something I was determined to tell you when you left last time."

A lone girl, in the place both closest and farthest from her in the world, wears the warmest and sweetest smile and says:

"I like you."

Author's Note:

P.S. 1. Thank you to 傻子白 for the 10,000-yuan reward and 秋叶之夏 for the 5000-yuan reward.

P.S. 2. This chapter has 4,000 words, so I'll count it as two chapters to make up for the regular update and bonus chapter from the 5th. However, the current monthly vote count is 1134, which means I still owe 17 chapters... Including today's donations, I owe 18 chapters...

⑥ A Knight's Life Starting from Zero

Chapter 90 Emilia's Shocking Speech

Perhaps it's a case of what you think about during the day manifesting in your dreams at night; Emilia's dreams all night were about Satella and Kanna.

She dreamt that she and her older sister were riding on Kanna's back, flying high into the sky. The wind blew her silver hair, and as she looked down, a layer of white clouds floated above the vast land. It was so beautiful.

But at that moment, Kanna suddenly disappeared below, and amidst the howling wind, Emilia plummeted from the sky.

"—!"

Emilia opened her eyes abruptly and instinctively reached out to touch Kanna, whom she was holding in her arms, only to find nothing.

Emilia, whose dream had given her an ominous feeling, wanted to ask Satella a question, but when she looked up, she found her older sister sobbing and looking at her with teary eyes.

Emilia's heart skipped a beat.

"Big sister, Kanna, she..."

Satella sobbed, wiping away her tears: "Kanna is gone, she's gone back to where she was."

"..."

The dream came true; a friend she had finally made left. Emilia was heartbroken, but seeing her even more heartbroken older sister, Emilia cheered herself up and patted Satella's head.

"Don't cry, don't cry, big sister. Kanna is only leaving temporarily. We'll meet again in the future. There's a saying... This parting is preparation for the next meeting! Yes! That's it!"

"Yes, Lia, you're right. We'll see each other again in the future anyway."

Satella stopped crying, but her expression was still somewhat melancholy. "But I still feel so sad. I always feel that the people I like can't always be with me. Lia, you too, maybe in the future you will fall in love with someone else and not want me anymore, or even marry someone else."

"What are you saying, big sister?"

Emilia pouted as if slightly annoyed, pressed her finger against Satella's forehead, her fair cheeks flushed with a faint blush of embarrassment, yet she spoke matter-of-factly:

"Lia will definitely marry my older sister someday!"

Satella: "(⊙o⊙)"

……

……

"Hey!"

Satella drew back the heavy curtains, letting in light streaming down from the pale, dawning sky.

Although she wanted to take a nap, the overwhelming amount of information completely overloaded her brain, making it a jumbled mess and impossible for her to fall asleep.

My feelings are so complicated!

I felt a mix of secret delight and panic.

I was determined not to be seduced, but it seems that in just one day, that determination has been shaken twice.

After freshening up, Satella went downstairs and onto the neatly trimmed lawn in the garden, heading towards a green corner—under the trees where petals were falling.

A young girl sat there, her silver hair shimmering in the morning light. Specks of light danced around her like fireflies, bathing her in a soft glow—a scene of dreamlike beauty.

Satella was very familiar with this scene from watching the anime, knowing that Emilia was communicating with the micro-elves. Without disturbing Emilia, Satella sat down on the lawn some distance away.

Why would Lia say something like that?

Satella fell into thought.

Thinking about it carefully, Emilia grew up in the forest until she was seven years old. During this time, although she was accompanied by elven villagers and educated by her foster mother, even if those people were beasts, they wouldn't teach a seven-year-old girl about marriage, would they?

After being frozen for nearly a hundred years, he awoke and lived a life of mutual dependence with Puck in the permafrost elf forest.

She had no contact with society during that time, and Parker probably wouldn't have taught her these adult things. Although she was brought out of the forest by Roswaal, she only lived outside for half a year and didn't come into contact with much.

In short, despite Emilia's theoretical mental age of 14, her understanding of common sense is roughly equivalent to that of a ten-year-old.

For Emilia, who is so naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world, if she were to get married, she would definitely marry the person she likes the most, right?

What a pure and lovely girl!

Then I will protect Emilia's purity!

Whack! Whack!

The furry thing rubbed against her face, drawing Satella's attention.

"Hey, Parker, good morning."

Turning my head, I saw a palm-sized gray cat-shaped elf rubbing its tail against my face in a spoiled manner.

Satella reached out, and a cat-shaped sprite named Puck landed in her palm, waving its paw at her: "Good morning, Satella."

Good morning, Parker.

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