Kagari Amagase: As Long As You Care For Me
From A Hidden Oath: King of the BEAST (2024 Election) - Collection Event
(Is tonight the night of the battle?)
The wind caressing my cheek bears the omen of conflict.
This kind of premonition has never been wrong.
(Should I sleep while I have the chance?)
Holding my sword, I close my eyes on my usual perch on the tree branch. But before long, the presence of an amateur approaches.
Looking down, I see Ohii-san* appear, carrying a package containing dorayaki.
*Ohii-san can mean "spoiled princess"
Emma: Ah, there you are, Prince Kagari.
Kagari: What is it? An offering of dorayaki?
Emma: Yes. I found this new product at my favorite shop, and I thought we could share it.
As I'm about to jump down from the tree, Ohii-san stops me with her hand.
Emma: I'll come to you, Prince Kagari.
I think so, but before I can stop her, Ohii-san reaches for a tree branch.
It's the first time I've seen a woman try to climb a tree by herself.
(This is dangerous. She'll die instantly if she falls.)
Despite being weak and frail, Ohii-san continues to climb with all her might.
At the last moment, she slips, and I grab her tilting body and pull her up.
As I help her sit on the branch, Ohii-san lets out a sigh of relief, her face pale.
Emma: Thank you... I thought I was going to die.
Emma: But look, I almost climbed it all by myself.
(Was she interested in tree climbing? It's a mystery.)
It's a mystery, but seeing Ohii-san's proud face, I couldn't say anything.
Emma: Well then, here's the dorayaki—
Emma: The dorayaki... it's completely flattened.
During the climb, Ohii-san had been desperately hugging the dorayaki so as not to drop it.
Now the dorayaki is a rice cracker.
Kagari: The taste is the same.
I take the flattened dorayaki from the dazed Ohii-san and put it in my mouth.
(This is... peach filling?)
Emma: ...It was actually much fluffier.
Kagari: The crushed dorayaki has a unique texture.
I tear off a piece of the dorayaki and bring it to Ohii-san's mouth.
Her hesitation is fleeting, and her small mouth opens like a baby bird's.
Emma: ............It's delicious.
(It's even more delicious than usual.)
(Maybe the secret ingredient is Ohii-san's effort.)
Meanwhile, Ohii-san's smile is shadowed, and her voice is subdued.
She seems quite depressed.
(I'm not sure how to go about it, but...)
Kagari: Don't worry. You won't die.
Kagari: Even if the dorayaki is crushed, you won't die.
Kagari: If you won't die, there's no need to worry.
Emma: ...Your way of comforting people is unique, Prince Kagari.
(I rarely comfort people.)
Emma: But thank you. As long as I don't die, I can try again and again, right?
Emma: Next time I'll try to climb the tree without crushing the dorayaki.
Kagari: You're going to climb again?
Emma: You're usually up in the trees, Prince Kagari.
Kagari: I could come down.
Emma: No, I'll do my best to come to you, Prince Kagari.
Emma: I'd feel bad if you had to go out of your way for me every time.
(So that's why she climbed the tree. How unusual.)
Kagari: You'd go that far to see me?
Kagari: On the contrary. If it were a bother, I wouldn't have helped you when you were about to fall from the tree.
Emma: I'm glad to hear that.
I feel a sense of exhilaration, like I've finished a task.
Having finished the first dorayaki, I look at the second one Ohii-san is holding.
As I continue to gaze at it, she willingly offers me the flattened dorayaki.
As I open my mouth to receive it, Ohii-san smiles with satisfaction.
(She wants more attention.)
(Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, forever.)
But to achieve that, I first need to finish the battle that will likely come tonight.
In Kogyoku, it's not uncommon for someone who was healthy today to be a corpse tomorrow.
Ohii-san is no exception, and not dying is the most difficult thing in this country.
(Especially since Ohii-san is weak and frail. It wouldn't be surprising if she died tomorrow.)
I come back to my senses when she tilts her head in front of me.
Kagari: ...It was delicious. Full marks, Ohii-san.
Emma: I'll bring you more delicious dorayaki when I find them.
Kagari: I'll do the same.
Kagari: So, Ohii-san, don't die on your own.
Emma: U-Understood... I'll live.
(I'll protect Ohii-san's tomorrow.)
(As long as you continue to care for me like this...)
(I've decided not to kill you.)