Interlude: Annya and Trixy

Anna's POV

Even though I knew Maxima would try something today, I had never expected such an elaborate scheme. The game had started, and anyone could see that Maxima had hired a seasoned pro to go up against Claire. Claire was a superb cook, but could she really go up against that? I could hear other guests saying that Maxima clearly had it in for Claire and that she clearly didn't stand a chance.

I should have stopped this game the second Maxima walked in in the kitchen, but Claire had already accepted the challenge before I could say anything. She seemed really determined when I asked her if she really wanted to go through with it. But seeing this situation unfold on stage made me think I should have just said no to it.

That Pierre guy was cutting that ice like a pro while Claire just stood there and gave a little tap on it. She had clearly never done something like that before. This was just too unfair and ridiculous.

I wanted to make my way to the stage and stop this charade, but an arm was stopping me.

“Mom?” To my surprise, my mother was standing next to me, holding me back.

“I know what you are thinking daughter dear, but take a better look.”

I looked back at the stage and saw Claire take a single chop at the block and then look at her knife.

“Does Claire look like she has been defeated? See that look in her eyes?”

Then I noticed an extremely intense look in Claire's eyes. She was clearly enjoying this situation.

“This game was supposed to be between this man and that chef girl we hired through Thea, challenging Claire's decision to hire her. It was an indirect attack on Claire, but then Maxima saw the opportunity to get Claire herself on the stage instead.”

“She was targeting Mari? Have you got any idea how tough that man has made her life?”

“That's what made the prospect of them battling it out on stage so interesting, wouldn't you say?”

I gulped. I sincerely hoped that Mari would never find out about this. These stupid games of Maxima might seem trivial to rich folk, but for ordinary people like Mari and Pierre, they had real consequences that could determine their future, and mom was right that this was part of what made these games so interesting for her audience to watch them. I never thought much about them. But now that it had been done to people I knew, I realized how horrifying they were. I swore to myself to never hold similar games myself.

While I was talking with mom, murmurs started sounding around us. I looked at the stage and there Claire stood in the middle of a whirlwind of ice petals. Moving, like she was dancing in a tornado of pink cherry blossoms.

“She's not a cook. She's an assassin. Look at those blade skills.” I heard someone say in the cloud.

“That's why they call her Jeanne D'arc. She's like a battle maiden!” Someone else said. These rumors seemed to spread really quickly.

The fierce and intense look in Claire's eyes with which she was cutting the ice with such precision surely showed me another side of Claire, but to me, she wasn't something as vile as an assassin. I thought she was more like a fiery goddess shaping the ice to her will.

Mom, noticing the gaze in my eyes started laughing and said “I see things are going well between you two love birds.”

“M-MOM!” I felt myself starting to blush. Mom laughed again and walked away and disappeared inside of the crowd.

The game seemed to be over, and Claire walked toward her block of ice with a smug smirk on her face. She looked Pierre in the eyes with a defying gaze and kicked her block.

A huge statue of herself, portrayed as Jeanne D'Arc emerged from the ice. Obtaining her thunderous applause. Really Claire? I thought you hated being in the center of attention, and you go and make a statue of yourself. Could Claire in reality just be really tsundere about that?

Claire stood in front of the crowd, her dress and face looked like it was splattered in blood. A lot of the guests were looking at her, full of fear.

Obviously, Maxima declared Claire the winner, and I could see the despair in Pierre's eyes. That man had just gambled away his livelihood to entertain some rich folk. I noticed some of Maxima's security staff forcing him to sign some documents immediately while Maxima was taking Claire away.

Where was she taking her? What was going on?

The other girls looked elated that Claire had won the contest. I saw several of them embracing and kissing each other and that only made me want to see Claire more. Where was she? I wanted to check the surveillance cameras but I knew better than to go and spy on the lady of the house. The security staff would never allow it.

The stage was cleared again, but Claire's statue remained on display. The piano was rolled back on the stage and Tory made her way to the piano again for the second part of the dance. I had hoped for another dance with Claire. This would have been my first ball where I could actually dance with someone I wanted to dance with, but with everything that happened and the ways things seemed to be going, it seemed like we would only share a single dance.

A little depressed I made my way to the side of the room to make space for the people that wanted to dance.

Watching the other girls dance did improve my mood due to the huge amount of adorable yuri on display. “We did it again Claire, we brought a beautiful 2D scene to 3D. Too bad we can't be part of it.” I said out loud but to no one in particular.

“What's that all about my sweet Annya?”

I looked up and saw Trixy standing next to me. “Big sis T-Trixy? I thought you had left?”

“How rude. You thought I would leave before dancing with my sweet Annya?”

Annya was such an embarrassing nickname. I thought it was cute when I was in kindergarten and elementary school, but now it just made me cringe. “You are going to keep calling me that?”

“How could I call you anything else. I remember you purring on my lap like it was yesterday.”

I felt my cheeks become red. “I was five!”

People looked up toward me because I just shouted at the queen, but because she was laughing everyone immediately just continued their business like usual. I always tended to forget Trixy was the queen now.

“But you still haven't answered my question Annya. What was all that stuff about 2D and 3D about.”

I knew better than to talk about yuri otaku stuff to people that weren't into it, so I tried avoiding having to answer when Trixy suddenly stamped her foot on the ground and said “Are you going to start not telling me things too. I thought you were different. All I ever get are half-truths.” I could tell she wasn't just having a tantrum. She seemed to be really hurt.

“Okay okay. I will explain, but don't complain afterward.”

Trixy looked at me and shook her head showing me she was eager for me to go on. I told her about how I read my beautiful yuri manga and novels. How they were about something lighter and purer than just lesbianism. The beauty of 2D versus the ugliness of 3D. Then I explained how Claire and I worked to make the real world look more like those novels. That was what the recently established government agency CYA was all about: Bringing the 2D yuri world to the 3D world.

“H-How exciting. I had seen some of Claire's videos, but you are telling me there is a whole novel genre like that? Promise me you will send some to me.”

Was the queen really asking me to send her yuri? Well, if the queen asks I guess I can only oblige. “I will send you some of my favorites.”

“Really? Give me your nya promise, like you used to!” She looked at me with expectant eyes, clearly not believing me before I did that embarrassing nya promise I used to make when I was 5.

Ugh. I can't believe I was really doing this. I moved my hand and made a cute little claw movement like a cat and said “I purrrromise nya.”

Trixy looked at me with stars in her eyes. “Y-your still so cute! Your big sis is counting on you now!”

While the music stopped between 2 waltzes, Trixy playfully took my hand and said “Seems like your girlfriend still isn't here. Shall we, before the ball is over?” I let her guide me to the center of the dance floor. Trixy gave a sign to the people that she did not want anyone to stop dancing like before with Claire, and when the waltz started, she led me across the ballroom. During the swirling movements, I could see all the other girls were dancing too, the dance floor was filled with pure and beautiful yuri. I enjoyed being led around by my beautiful childhood friend.

“I knew you would be the kind of girl that enjoys being led. I was really surprised to see that that redhead of yours let you lead.”

Thinking of Claire, I started blushing. I hoped she would be back in time for us to have another dance. “Claire changed my life, Trixy. I will lead when she can't, and I know that she will be there when I need her.” I felt fire coursing through my veins.

“It seems like you really love her,” Trixy said.

“I do!” If I was certain of anything, it was the fact that I love Claire!

“Then I am happy for you.” I thought I noticed a hint of disappointment in the tone of her voice when she said those words, but her smile was genuine.

“But for now, let's enjoy our dance” Trixy pulled me a little closer and continued our waltz. I noticed her movement were a little softer than before and I could not help but feel Trixy's warmth mixing with my own. For a waltz, this dance was starting to become pretty darn sensual.

At the end of the dance, I looked at Trixy, and she looked back at me intensely, she picked my foot up, lifted it over my head, bending me over her arm, hanging over me with her face really close to mine.

I think that move made me skip a heartbeat as I gulped.

“Excuse me.” Still, in this embarrassing position, I looked to the side and saw Claire in a beautiful red and yellow dress. She looked like a fire goddess, and the look on her face told me she was ready to burn the place down. Trixy looked at her and said.

“Ara ara, Annya's battle maiden finally decides to show up.”