Aino Airi, the Lover of Love

Her name is Aino Airi, a eighteen year old highschool girl blessed by love wherever she goes. It wasn't that people in her grade were attracted to her, but the fact she witnessed love being created before her was a blessing.

She enjoyed the way her friends and classmates gush about their crushes which caused their cheeks to turn red and to warm with heat. Their eyes are glossed over with hearts and stars threatening to spill out of them. Their smile grows bigger with the corner of their lips lifting. How could she deny their dedicated speech of love?

So, she listened attentively. Eyes, ears, all senses open and minus taste of course. She would utter a few phrases in passing.

“You should speak to him. He sounds like he really likes you…”

Who knew her nonchalant love advice would be taken seriously which resulted in one of the first official relationships at Shiawase Academy. Now all sorts of girls storm Airi for a chance of guidance, scoring the hearts of their would-be matches. It had been that way for a year. Airi had honed her craft in match-making, resulting in ten successful couples with only two that had broken up due to differences in personality. However, her success rate is commendable.

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Airi’s best friend, Hana, says she's crushing on Seiji ever since he makes the effort to pick up her stationary every time she drops it. For the clumsy girl, she's totally smitten! By the way Seiji rubs the back of his head, one can totally see he's shy around her. Both of them were shy and quiet, so it made sense no one ever made the first move to one another but only through convenience of good will.

Hmm…hmm… Airi’s thoughts are turning.

It was almost like a lightbulb shaped like a heart appeared above Airi’s head, sprouting out like a seed! She encouraged her best friend to confess as soon as possible! She must seize this chance before their feelings no longer align! The shyness from within Hana emerged, causing her to refuse profusely that she shook her head back and forth with short hair swishing from side to side.

“He’s… he’s just kind and helpful, that’s all…” Hana looked away with her index fingers pointing together. Classic shy emotion!

She cannot back down. It’s not like Airi wanted to humiliate her friend, she wanted to encourage her wholeheartedly. This was when Airi launched an attack!

“Hana, listen to me very clearly! That boy blushes whenever you’re around, I see it!” At this point, Airi may have used a magical girl transformation to put on a detective outfit; hat, coat, magnifying glass prop and mustache. Yes, all of that. “Last Tuesday during Japanese class, you fumbled your way into class, dropping all of your books on the ground. Who was the first to dash in and pick up everything for you?”

“Seiji…”

“That’s right! And who was it who stopped the dodgeball thrown by Yuto from hitting your face and during physical education?”

“Ah, Seiji again. But wasn’t he nearby?”

Airi snickered, pausing her deduction as if she was holding in a secret. But knowing the type of girl she was, she absolutely cannot hold this secret.

“You should’ve seen how worried he was, trying to check you for injuries. Parents do that to their children, but you’re a girl and he’s a boy.” The love detective shrugged as if she pointed out the most obvious fact in the whole world. Hana looked down into her lap, sitting at her desk as Airi paced back and forth. She peeked, only to see more degrees of the color red paint over her shy friend.

“Talk to him. When have I ever been wrong?” When Hana gazed back at Airi, she was beaming with confidence. No way her best friend would lead her to her downfall. She had the aura of a God, bright light shining from behind her while bestowing wisdom onto her followers. Hana was just about to joke as if she had seen a savior descend down onto earth to save her. So the shy girl took a deep breath, finally smacking her cheeks to drive some confidence into her.

“Alright… I’ll, maybe, I’ll get him before school ends.”

“That’s the spirit! Heh heh!” Airi felt accomplished as the taped-on poorly-drawn moustache fell from her lips. Oops.

That is the conclusion of Airi and Hana’s secret lunch conversation. When classes resumed afterwards and concluded for the day, Airi was packing her things away and looked up to see her shy best friend finally working up the courage to chase Seiji down. Though words cannot be heard between classroom and hallway, just a few mouthful of words had Seiji dismissing his friends and he turned to bring his undivided attention to Hana.

More words were being uttered between them both but Airi could deduce things were going down the right path when the both of them turned as pink as an eraser. Seiji went back to doing his habit of rubbing the back of his head and Hana looked down and fiddled with the hem of her uniform.

Words and more words until Hana nodded and the both of them left together side by side. Oh? Does that mean they will be walking home together? Without Airi? And Hana was supposed to clean the classroom with her? Huh? She was the one who paired them together. No way! Betrayal of the highest order!

“Well, whatever. I’m happy for them!” Airi sighed in a fond manner and smiled to herself with no ounce of jealousy or wishful thinking on her side. Still, it seems nice to have someone worry about you. This was more so light-hearted envy.

So it was Airi to be the one to stay behind to wipe the chalkboards clean, dusting the ground off from pencil shavings, dust and dirt. With a bit of sweat wiped off from her forehead with the back of her hand, she heard a soft voice echo through the halls that sounded like a young boy.

“Huh? Someone there?” Airi called out curiously. She wasn’t scared at all, just a little startled. She looked around until she heard the voice call out again. The words being uttered were not in Japanese, they sounded foreign.

“Um, um, I’m fine! Hi! Thank you?!” The school girl was now scared to her wit’s end, thinking she’s being haunted by a ghost who was testing her English. Gee, if only she studied harder in class.

Before she knew it, something shot out at her at the speed of light and struck her in the heart. Airi was launched backwards and suspended in air as if time slowed down all around her.

“The threads of my world need you.”  The voice of a young boy could be heard again in a foreign language until they kept echoing and echoing into something Airi could understand. Her vision began to blur the more she blinked, albeit in slow motion. She could’ve sworn the young boy looked no older than ten years old, white robe worn over his body and blond short hair sat upon his head. His blue eyes were mesmerizing and the white winds behind him.

What? An angel?

Airi had almost forgotten to breathe that the moment she tried to do so, her head spun—and at the same time—became heavy. The first breath she took, she gasped out as if she had come back from the dead. One blink had her staring up at the ceiling. It was white and gold with ornate designs detailing above her. She looked to the sides and noted a bedroom that was not her Japanese home. The furniture in her room was fancy and detailed, just like something she’d see in European TV shows or fantasy transmigration comics that were aimed at the young girl demographic.

No way! Had she entered an isekai story of her very own?

Knock. Knock. Knock. Three knocks before someone entered the room.

“Princess Désirée, it is time to wake up.” The maid looked like a woman similar to her mother’s age with two younger maids following in, their heads immediately bowing.

Huh? Princess?!!