IFTV (FF). for her sake (1)

※ Not quite R18, but warning, things do get a bit suggestive.
※ Starts a bit in the middle of #259「Memory Lapse」
※ From Lily Lilium’s perspective.

“A-are you angry…?”

I spoke timidly, concerned that I had overstepped my bounds. Mei and Alea of course, had also been very worried about Rei-san. I had managed to convince them however, by saying that she would surely want them to return to their normal day-to-day life, and she’d scold them if they continued to dilly-dally.

But was that perhaps… a misunderstanding…? Maybe it was, I mean of course she’d want to have our daughters by her side when she woke up! I shouldn’t have made such an important decision alone!

“There’s no way that I’d be angry. Thank you for protecting our home while I was asleep.”

In face of the negative spiral that filled my thoughts, her response was a gentle tug that pulled me back to reality. There she was, my beloved Rei-san clad in a simple white gown, in a very sterile room. We were in the Spirit Church’s treatment facility, and she had finally woken for the first time in a month. Even in that condition, she offered me words of encouragement and a gentle, but troubled, smile as though saying, ‘What are you so worried about? What am I to do with you?’

She had really come back to me, and now, within this sterile space with overwhelmingly white and bright tones, dressed in white herself, she appeared to be my angel. Though of course, I knew that she wasn’t anywhere near as pure as she looked. After all, at this point, we were both quite experienceー

My thoughts ground to a halt as I watched Rei-san shuffle about on the bed and inch toward me. As her slender arms wrapped around me and pulled me toward her, I closed my eyes in expectation.

Howeverーher tender lips locked not with my own, but onto my forehead.

“Mmghー”

Opening my eyes, I looked straight into Rei-san’s and made my frustration audible.

“W-what’s wrong?”

As if she didn’t already know! She really has quite the bad habit of teasing me. I puffed my cheeks, putting my frustration on full display.

“W-why the forehead? L-like we always do, please kiss Lily on the lips.”

I gave up any pretenses and honestly begged. Our faces closed in on each other once more, but this time, there was a clear refusal.

“I’m sorry. It seems I’m still not at my best, could you let me rest for a little more?”

This was my first sign that something was wrong. No, for a while now I had constantly felt that something was off. Though I still couldn’t place it, that moment had confirmed my suspicions. I love Rei-san, truly and dearly! But had the Rei-san that I loved really accepted my feelings for her…? Somewhere, I felt that all of this was too good to be true. Perhaps I was letting my insecurities get to me again, Rei-san’s just a little tired. I’m sure that with a little time, things will return to normal.

“Ah… sorry. Yes, please, go ahead and rest. Come on Manaria-sama, we should go!”
“Okay, okay. Then, Rei, we’ll leave the rest to the staff at the treatment facility. Once the date of the ceremony has been decided, we’ll come let you know.”
“Yes, please do.”

Rushing that final exchange, I pushed Manaria-sama out of Rei-san’s room.

★☆★☆★

Manaria-sama and I split ways shortly after that. As a sister of the Spirit Church, I was set to continue helping within the treatment facilities. This let me stay close to Rei-san, so I was actually quite happy about it. After a couple of hours of service, the sun had begun to set and I was back on my way to Rei-san’s room. She had said she was tired, so she may just be asleep, but I just wanted to see her face one last time before going home.

“Lily Lilium, could I have a word?”

Turning around to face the voice that called out to me, a girl who had about average height and medium-long straight hair entered my vision. As her facial features were quite normal as well, it was remarkable how average everything about her had felt. Her bright red blouse and dark navy skirt with white frills indicated that she was affiliated with the Royal Academy. Was she an acquaintance of Rei-san’s…? If that were the case, I feel as though Rei-san would’ve mentioned something about her.

“W-who are you? And, w-what are you doing here?”
“I’m not anyone suspicious. I’m just here visiting and happened to pass by. You appear quite distraught, and who could blame you after recent events? What do you say to some tea? Perhaps some idle chatter will ease some of your anxieties.”

Recent events had certainly been stressful, but if I looked distraught it was certainly the fault of this mysterious girl who had suddenly called out to me. Because of my involvement in the revolution and the war against demons, it wasn’t necessarily strange for people to call out to me, but something about this was different. I sent her a suspicious glare.

“I understand your relationship with Rei Taylor isn’t going well. Perhaps I could be of some assistance.”
“!? H-how do you know about that?”
“I’ve recently immersed myself in the study of… psychology. So, how about it? For your happiness together.”
“U-uun… J-just for a bit then, Lily wants to check in on Rei-san before it gets too late.”

This girl somehow knew exactly what I was worried about, maybe she really could help. Rei-san’s happiness was my deepest desire, if this chat could somehow lead to a hint on how to achieve that, then I’d at least give it a try. I led the girl to a nearby empty lounge that served as a breakroom for nuns and volunteers. I asked the girl to take a seat as I brewed two cups of herbal tea. Taking a seat directly across from her, I began fidgeting.

“U-uhm…”
“Let’s start by calming down, that way we can have a proper conversation. Please start by taking a deep breath in… hold it for just a little… and then out… yes, just like that.”

I was unsure what to do, so I was glad that she was going to lead things. Doing as instructed, I took a deep breath in, paused, then slowly breathed out. Even with just this, I already felt myself calming down.

“Please take a whiff of the tea that you so kindly prepared. Doesn’t the smell remind you of something? Yes, perhaps a tea that you once prepared for Rei Taylor…”

Carefully lifting the cup, a sweet aroma along with a warm mist filled my nostrils. It’s true that I had prepared the tea for Rei-san before, but it was a rather common herb.

“Take a small sip, I’m sure it’s still hot so be careful. Then, gently set the cup back on the table and just focus on my voice.”

Taking a small sip, I gently set the cup back on the table as the warm tea traveled down my throat.

“Good, can you feel the warmth of the tea gently spreading through your body?”
“Yes.”
“Good girl, another deep breath in… and out… you even prepared tea for me… You’re such a gentle girl, you purely wish for Rei Taylor’s happiness don’t you?”
“Yes, of course…”
“As do I, I want the both of you to become happy together. I am your ally, so just leave everything to me.”

This girl is… my ally? She just wants Rei-san and I… to be happy? The deep breaths and tea really had seemed to help me relax, perhaps a little too much. I tried to focus my attention, but the soothing warmth spreading within was tugging away at my consciousness.

“Are your eyes beginning to feel heavy? Don’t worry, that’s completely normal. If it’s too hard to keep your eyes open, you can close them at any time.”

Now that she mentioned it, my eyes did feel heavy. Lulled in by her calm, rhythmic words, I felt as though I was drifting into a gentle sleep. 

“Now, I want you to take another deep breath. As you breathe in, I’d like you to stretch your arms high into the air. Good, just like that, you’re doing great. Now, when you breathe out, relax your body and gently let your arms fall to your sides.”

It felt as though any strength left within my body was escaping along with the air that I breathed out. Both my body and heart both felt very relaxed, I felt glad that I found an ally that understood me and that I could trust. I was sure that things would turn out alright between Rei-san and I. My eyes now felt really heavy, so I just let them close.

“I’m going to count down from five, down to 0. As I start counting, inhale. When I reach zero, exhale, and any remaining tension within your body and mind will escape along with the air. You will fall into a deep sleep, and by the time you wake up, you will know exactly what must be done.”
“5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Rei.”

I heard a snap, and I felt as though my consciousness had been enveloped by Rei’s sweet scent and warmth and fell into a deep sleep.

“Lily Lilium, listen carefully. Rei Taylor is just a bit confused. This is a chance for you to show her your sincerity, you’re usually the one on the receiving end, but now in her moment of weakness, is it not time to show her your strong side?”

I heard a voice, but at the same time I couldn’t seem to consciously make out the words. All that I knew was that the words sounded comforting, they made me happy.

“Go on the attack, show her your passion, make her feel so good that she forgets her worries. Isn’t that what you want too? In the case this fails, as insurance, when I give you this sign with my eyes, you will immediately restrain Rei Taylor. Then, I will relieve her worries, just like I’ve relieved you of yours. Well then, I should get going and give you two some alone time. Shortly after I’m gone, you will wake up. You won’t remember our meeting, but you will feel refreshed, and know exactly what you should do. I wish you the best, Lily Lilium.”

I opened my eyes to a familiar room, but it wasn’t where I was used to waking up. I seemed to be in a lounge at the treatment facility. On the table before me were two cups of tea, had I somehow fallen asleep in the middle of my break…? I had been so worried for Rei-san recently that I really hadn’t managed to get much sleep. But now, perhaps because I had slept, what I needed to do seemed so clear.

“Wa, wawawa! I-it’s already this late? Lily needs to hurry!”

Under the orange hues of the setting sun, I rushed to Rei-san’s room. That’s right, I would do anything…

for our happiness

Author Comment: Thanks for sticking around and checking out my fanfic. I did a bit of a poll on twitter to see if people would rather staggered releases or just having it drop all at once, and the results were practically tied! But there was definitely a slight lead to have it all drop at once. This worked for me this time since I had been working on it well before I opened the poll, but for future stuff, I might favor staggered releases so I can get stuff out while continuing to work.

Also, I started a ko-fi. I don’t currently have any plans to lock anything behind a paywall, but if you enjoy what I do and want to encourage me, I’d really appreciate it! I hope for it to be a bit more of a casual and comfy space where I can also give updates about what I’m working on…!

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