Truths That Bleed

The first golden rays of sunlight pierced the thin curtain, tinging the room with a warm light. I blinked slowly, feeling my body relax after a night without battles or rushing.

Right next to me, Fujimoto was sprawled on the futon , completely passed out. The way his eyebrows were relaxed betrayed how hard he had struggled to keep his guard up before collapsing.

I sighed silently.

I made a discreet gesture towards Filna .

She understood immediately and followed me out of the room, closing the door slowly.

We went down the stairs without making a single sound.

Living Room, Morning

"Do you want me to make breakfast?" I asked , tying my hair up in a makeshift bun.

"Maybe," Filna replied .

He chuckled softly as he gathered firewood for the stove.

"I bet we didn't let him sleep. He must have been up all night and only managed to fall asleep now," I said , smiling.

Filna crossed her arms, observing me with analytical eyes.

"By the way, sis... is your boyfriend really trustworthy?" she asked .

She smiled without hesitation.

"I give you my word. He will never betray us," I replied.

Filna sighed, still suspicious.

"I hope so," he said . Finna is worried.

It was then that loud knocks echoed on the door, cutting through the air like an arrow.

"Who could it be?" Filna frowned.

I felt my heart race, and involuntarily, a huge smile spread across my face.

"It must be him," I said , almost laughing with excitement.

I ran to the door, but Filna grabbed my arm.

"Wait a minute, you idiot!" she hissed softly.

"What now?" I grumbled .

"How can you be so sure it's him?" she asked .

"Let me open it already! " I complained .

"Let me check first," Filna ordered.

" Okay , you scaredy-cat," I sighed .

"And what does he look like?" Filna asked, ready to check.

— Dark red hair, beautiful and messy. — I replied without thinking.

Filna disappeared in a flash and reappeared on the roof seconds later.

(A boy with red hair… he must be her boyfriend.) — I heard her thoughts echo through the faint, magical bond we always felt for each other.

She returned, looking serious.

"You can open the door, Yumi ," Filna authorized.

My body moved on its own.

I opened the door and there he was:

Fubuki Shouta .

My chest tightened and without thinking I jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist.

He held me tightly, his smile wide and sincere, and then our lips met, warm, urgent, full of longing accumulated in silence.

"Get inside, you idiots!!!" Filna shouted, her face red from ear to ear.

I walked away, chuckling softly.

"Are you jealous, little sister?" I said sarcastically.

"Hurry up, before I change my mind!" she retorted.

"Let me go, love," I murmured .

Shouta gently set me down on the ground and we went inside the house.

He extended his hand to Filna .

"Nice to see you, sister-in-law," he said with a bright smile.

Filna squeezed with almost threatening force.

"I only ask one thing of you: make my sister happy," he said . Filna .

"You didn't even need to ask," he replied calmly.

"Because if you hurt her, I'll kill you," he added . Filna .

"Actually, if he hurts me, I'll kill him first," I added , with a venomous smile.

Shouta raised his hands, laughing.

" Okay , okay, you two are dangerous," Shouta said, laughing.

The sound of the doorknob turning came from the hallway.

Fujimoto opened the door, and his eyes flashed with immediate astonishment and hatred.

Wait a minute! That's that damn Fubuki ! Shouta !!! — he shouted.

Filna's eyes widened.

"Hey, Shouta ... didn't my sister tell me you two didn't get along?" she said . Surprise film .

Before Fujimoto could move forward, I entered the room, standing firm.

"Calm down, Fujimoto . I can explain everything, but you need to let me speak," I said.

"Calm down?! You want me to calm down in front of one of the idiots who helped Hiroshi beat me up at school?!" he exploded.

"Please, listen to me first," I pleaded.

"Shut up! That bastard found me in an alley, beat me until I passed out, and threw me in the trash!" Fujimoto shouted, trembling.

I crossed my arms.

"So tell me: you woke up at home, unharmed, right?" I asked.

He hesitated.

"Yes..." he replied.

"Why?" Fujimoto asked.

"My mother said it was because of an American medicine she learned about in medical school…" he said.

I shook my head slowly.

"Seriously? You believed that? No human medicine can heal wounds like that. It was Elfherinsei who healed you ," I revealed.

"Who is this Elfherinsei ?" Fujimoto murmured, white as a sheet.

"An ancient guardian of God in this world. A high-ranking elf ," I explained.

He seemed lost.

"But how did my mother come into contact with someone like that?" Fujimoto asked, curious.

"Can I explain from the beginning?" I asked .

"Speak," he replied, taking a deep breath.

I breathed.

"As for Shouta ... I got to know him better at the place where I take skating lessons. He told me he only helped Hiroshi because he was being blackmailed," I said.

Shouta lowered his head.

"Hiroshi found out I did ballet and figure skating. And, yes… I like to paint my nails. I was afraid of being his next target… so I became that bastard's obedient dog," Shouta said dejectedly.

He knelt down.

" Fujimoto ... forgive me. I was a coward," Shouta pleaded.

Fujimoto took a deep breath.

"It will still take me a while to forgive you. For now, we are mission partners," he said . Fujimoto .

"That's a start," Shouta smiled.

I took a deep breath.

"And about that day... his attack... I was the one who gave the order," I said.

Fujimoto turned pale.

"What?! Sister, don't tell me it was for revenge?!" Filna shouted.

"Revenge?!" he asked.

Yes. Fedorova Karina and Elfsei "Elfherinsei killed our father and used our mother's body in experiments," Filna said, trembling.

Fujimoto shook his head in shock.

"My mother... did this...?" Fujimoto asked, shocked.

I agreed.

"I felt anger, yes. I felt fear too. Fear that you would end up like her... an unstoppable monster," I revealed.

He fell to his knees.

"I can't believe my mother was capable of that..." he said.

"My condolences... for her death," I said very quietly, approaching him.

Filna turned around suddenly.

"Wait... how did you find out about Karina's death?!" he asked. Filna .

I blinked, surprised.

"What? They announced that she died?" I said.

"Sister... how did she die?" Filna asked, tensely.

I took a deep breath.

"Karina was raped to death by Principal Katamuta . The same one from the school I went to," I explained.

Absolute silence.

Filna was trembling, her hands were cold, her face pale.

"What... is happening here?" she whispered, terrified.

She ran to a drawer and pulled out a small crystal.

"I need to show you something that Galadriel asked me to show you ," she said.

Filna was about to activate the device when Fujimoto raised his hand.

"Wait. Who is Galadriel ?" Fujimoto asked.

"The current queen of the elves and former guardian of the God of the One World," Filna replied without hesitation.

Shouta and Fujimoto's eyes widened.

"WHAT?!" they both shouted at the same time.

"Can I press play now?" Filna insisted.

I raised my hand before it touched the crystal.

"This device... was it our father who built it?" I asked.

Filna looked away for a second.

"Yes," Filna replied.

I swallowed hard. Then I nodded.

That's what I needed to know. You can continue. — I said.

Filna activated the crystal. A blue hologram rose before us, Galadriel . Beautiful and cold as marble.

— Filna , Yumi , I'm leaving this message. I managed to keep an eye on Elfherinsei and Karina for a while, but I was discovered. Still, I found something important: Elfherinsei killed Karina .

The silence tore through the ground.

Fujimoto turned white. Shouta clenched his jaw. Even I lost my breath, even though I already knew what was coming.

"I remember the news of my mother's death... the live broadcast... " Fujimoto murmured.

"They found Director Katamuta covered in blood... and Karina lying on the ground. Then the place caught fire. Her body wasn't removed," I added.

"So they never found the body," Filna whispered.

— No — we confirm.

The hologram continued:

Karina had two children: Fedorova Alisiya and Satoru Fujimoto . Alisiya hates her mother… and her brother.

Filna paused. Fujimoto 's shoulders trembled.

" Fujimoto , have you met your sister?" Filna asked.

— Never. And yet, she hates me — he replied, his voice faltering.

My chest tightened when the memory came back.

"One day, on my way to skating class, I bumped into a girl named Alisiya . Polite, calm. She helped me gather my things…" I said.

Filna resumed the hologram:

Perhaps we'll have to eliminate Fujimoto to secure Alisiya 's support .

— YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?! And you even brought him all the way here? Do you want to put my life, yours, and Shouta 's life at risk?! — I exploded .

"I did what I thought was right," Filna retorted.

—Satoru​ Fujimoto — she called.

" W-what was that?" he replied.

"Promise you'll make Alisiya see the right side," he pleaded . Filna .

He took a deep breath.

"I promise," he said . Fujimoto .

We finished recording, the colossal statue, the parasites, the potions, the impending war.

Filna placed the bottle in his hands.

"Take this. It could save a life," he said . Filna .

" Fujimoto , it's time to go back. Clean up your mess," she said later.

He smiled wearily.

"Thank you. I won't let you down," he said . Fujimoto .

The three of us left the house and went into the woods. The high sun pierced through the leaves, and the ground glistened with dewdrops .

It was morning. Clear. Cruel.

And then… the thought finally formed within me:

If Fujimoto dies, the world can be saved.

The knife was in my hand before I even realized it.

I raised my arm.

— Yumi , no! — Shouta grabbed my wrist.

— He's useless! We need to kill him and bring Alisiya. " Come to our side!" I shouted .

Shouta held me tightly.

— ENOUGH! — he shouted Shouta .

He told lies, and his Observatory reacted like boiling iron. He yelled. And I advanced.

And then it happened.

A purple flash. A bolt of lightning shooting from his abdomen. An electric shock hitting us both.

Light. Silence.

And it's hot.

Without thinking, Shouta and I kissed him.

And then the rest was humiliation: ropes, clothes thrown into the river, screams, anger.

And there, in the anger and shame, the truth I had been trying to suppress emerged too strongly.

I was monitoring Demonic. Shana — I revealed it.

— Shana ? Why? — Fujimoto asked.

I looked into his eyes.

"Because Derek, the vice-leader of the Demon Realm, asked Galadriel to have someone protect Shana . And that someone was me. Finally, the spell wore off. I was released. I put on the cloak. I didn't look at anyone," I explained everything to him.

Fujimoto understood everything immediately.

"So that's it. I'm going to let you go," he murmured .

Fujimoto untied us and set us free. Shouta , as soon as he stood up, tried to hug me, but I dodged him, embarrassed.

"You don't need to apologize. I still love you," he said .

I blushed and looked away.

"That's why I love you, Shouta ," I said.

you something confidential ," Fujimoto said seriously.

— What? — I asked .

" Koharu is the heir of the Angelic clan," Fujimoto revealed.

Their eyes widened.

— What?! Angelic 's daughter Hamarina ?! — I almost shouted.

— Exactly. Use these to cover yourselves. — he replied , throwing two cloaks for us to cover ourselves.

"Thank you," Shouta said.

" I'm still furious, but I'll take you to Lilibel ," I murmured.

We returned in silence. The city gate gleamed with the golden light of the morning.

"Now we're going to buy clothes," I said without looking back.

He returned the coins.

— Thank you… even with all of this. — he said Fujimoto .

I nodded. I didn't have the courage to look him in the eye.

And so I, Yumi , a failed heroine, simply walked on.

With the sunlight hitting my face, I realized:

I no longer know if I am the protagonist of this story.

But now it's too late to turn back.