I Favor the Villainess. SKEB At the Aquarium

　※An untranslated raw of the story can be found here.
　※This was written by Inori-sensei as a commission. As a result, it is not necessarily canon.
　※From the perspective of Claire François’ (Of The First Loop)

When I awoke, I realized that it was almost 6. The morning light filtered through our window, passing reduction filters before spreading to fill the room. I looked around, still not fully awake, and saw my usual room.

Within the tidy room, the only items in disarray were the clothes and underwear we stripped off last night. Seeing that jolted my memories of our activities last night.

“… We did it again, didn’t we?”

The contract that I had exchanged with Rei to enter a sexual relationship was going well, perhaps even too well. As one could expect, Rei was deeply knowledgeable of sexual acts between women. In contrast, I was still naive in such matters, leaving me at the mercy of her fingertips.

——At least until yesterday.

“Hm, Rei was especially gentle last night, wasn’t she…”

When our sexual exchanges first began, Rei’s acts were all rather risque. As we continued they gradually became less extreme, and last night, Rei was practically serving me. She was so gentle as she held me, it seemed as though she was holding herself back for my sake. If she were to treat me like that, I may begin to misunderstand her intentions.

“… No, this is just wishful thinking… Just my wild fantasy.”

That’s only how I wished things were. It was an inference I made thinking, if only things really were that way. In reality, Rei still maintained her cold disposition, and I found that very vexing.

This was all because I found my relationship with Rei to be more comfortable than I had expected. Rei did not have even a sliver of friendliness in her, but contrary to most Japanese, she didn’t hide herself behind a facade either. The fact that my daily interactions with her were devoid of the usual stresses of conversation likely played a huge part in how comfortable I felt. When I talked to her, I knew that we would both speak openly. Of course I was capable of communicating in more roundabout manners, but I only did so when I needed. Preferring to avoid such tedium on the day to day was only natural. In that regard, Rei perhaps was my ideal partner.

Rei’s looks also suited my preferences. She was shorter than I was, and I also found her baby-like face, stereotypical to most Asians, to be adorable. Putting the fact that we were both women aside, I was happy to have a partner with good looks. Though… the fact that her features made her appear so young admittedly caused me guilt at times…

“… Wait, just what am I thinking?”

Shaking my head from side to side, I chased away my wicked thoughts.

“Good morning, Claire… Is something the matter?”

As I fought away those wicked thoughts, Rei entered the room. Come to think of it, I only just realized that though we had slept in the same bed I had woken up alone.

“Good morning Rei. There seems to be an appetizing fragrance in the air?”
“Why yes, I’ve prepared breakfast. If you’re okay with it Claire, shall we eat?”

As Rei said that, she appeared to be unusually flustered.

“Breakfast…? You… Don’t you always just get by with nutritional rations?”
“Don’t you think an occasional treat would be fine? Or what, do you not need any?”
“That’s not what I said. I’ll gratefully partake.”

I tried to stand up from our bed.

“Claire.”
“What now?”
“Do you really intend to have breakfast looking like that? I personally don’t mind, but I believe it would be in stark contrast to your usual sensibilities.
“!”

Still not fully awake, I hadn’t realized, but I was still in my birthday suit.

“I’ll change, so you go on ahead!”
“Sure sure.”

When I threw my pillow at her, Rei gave a wry smile as she disappeared to the other side of the door.

　◆◇◆◇◆

“My, how delicious.”
“Glad to hear it.”

The breakfast that Rei made for us was splendid. The grand lineup of pizza toast, crunchy bacon in a tossed salad, cream of potato soup, and a yoghurt smoothie blended from vegetables and fruits was more than enough to make me lick my lips.

“It’s been a long time since I last had pizza toast. I see that you used a mayonnaise based sauce.”
“Would you have preferred a tomato based sauce?”
“No, between the two I think I prefer this. However, what is this mysterious fragrance?”
“I sprinkled some finely chopped fresh basil on top. This is a must for pizza. If possible, I would have liked some oregano as well, but unfortunately I couldn’t get any.”
“Is that so?”

In that case, to make breakfast Rei must have woken up early to head to the grocer. Though my house did stock a bare minimum of ingredients and spices, I didn’t have anything as sophisticated as fresh basil.

“The salad is delicious too. Wasn’t it a lot of work to get the bacon so crispy?”
“I fried croutons in the same pan together with the bacon. The extra oil was absorbed into the croutons, turning them crispy as well.”
“Rei, could it be that you’re actually quite the chef?”
“Well, I know the basics.”
“Can something like this really be considered basic…?”

I enjoyed the cream soup next.

“This is delicious too. I can taste the depth in the natural sweetness of the potato. And what’s this?”
“After boiling them, but before blending them, I fried them in a pan. Doesn’t it make the dish more fragrant?”
“Yes, it’s magnificent.”

Finally, I washed everything down with the smoothie.

“My, this is quite delicious too.”
“I made it using the same principles that were used to make Lassi.”
“Lassi?”
“It’s a drink that originates in India. It’s made by combining milk, sugar, and lemon juice. I also added the leftover scraps from the vegetables and some strawberries.”
“So it’s also perfect from a nutritional standpoint. Thank you for breakfast, it was very delicious.”
“It really wasn’t much.”

With that, Rei also cleared my cutlery from the table and began washing the dishes.

“… Hey, Rei. Aren’t you acting a little strange today?”
“What specifically do you mean by strange?”
“You’re somehow… especially kind.”
“That’s rude of you. I’ve always been kind.”
“Cut it with your lies.”

She had always been so cold and curt, that I wouldn’t be surprised if her picture was listed under the dictionary entry for heartless.

“Well, think of it as something of a whim. But seeing as you liked it so much, I wouldn’t be against making breakfast again in the future.”
“Being able to enjoy such a delicious meal is quite tempting, but I think that I must refrain.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I wouldn’t be able to return the favor. I absolutely cannot cook.”

Because all of my efforts had gone to my research, my ability to handle regular chores was apocalyptic. The only reason my room appeared tidy was that I ensured to maintain that tidiness, knowing that I couldn’t clean it if I needed to.

“You don’t really need to worry about that, I’d just make breakfast because I felt like it.”
“But…”
“More importantly, don’t you have a meeting early this morning? Don’t you need to hurry?”
“Oh no! Rei, we’ll continue this conversation afterward. I’ll be going then!”
“Take care.”

In my rush to get out the door, I didn’t realize that she had skillfully dodged my original question until it was already afternoon.

　◆◇◆◇◆

“Lene”
“What is it, Claire-san”
“Are you aware of any tricks to get someone to spill their secrets?”
“… Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

Lene momentarily took her hands off the holographic keyboard on the desk and turned to face me with a puzzled look. When I saw her expression, I realized the gravity of what I had just asked her.

“It’s nothing. Please just forget about it.”
“It’s not nothing. Please ask me, is there something bothering you?”
“… So… It’s about Rei.”

Rei was very clearly hiding something from me. Looking at the change in her attitude over the past couple of days as well as her actions this morning, even someone as dense as I could realize that. The problem at hand was just what could have caused that change.

“About Rei-chan, I see. It’s never been easy to understand how that girl ticks.”
“On top of that she’s never been one to speak her mind either.”
“I definitely think that it would be good if she opened up a bit more~”

I thought that she would open up to us as we continued our work on the loop system, but honestly she really hadn’t changed very much from when we had first met.

“Ah! In that case, why don’t you just take her out on a date?”
“A d-date!? Just where did that come from, Lene?”
“Eh? But I mean, Claire-san, aren’t you and Rei-chan dating?”
“… That’s… I suppose…”

I did tell Lene about my relationship with Rei. Of course I hadn’t specified that it was a purely physical relationship, I had described us as regular lovers.

“If you get a good vibe going, you might be able to ask things that you otherwise couldn’t… Uhm, maybe?”
“A good vibe…? With Rei?”
“Hm? Why do you make it sound so far-fetched? Don’t you two generally have a nice vibe going when you’re alone together?”
“Eh? Ah, r-right, of course.”

There was no way I could tell her now that the only vibes to be had between us… Were at night.

“And I mean, even you might get the chance to say something you wouldn’t normally be able to. I think you should definitely go forward with a date!”
“… Is that really how this works?”

I had the hunch that Lene might just be leading me into a scenario convenient to her.

“Come to think of it, I’ve heard that the classic place to go for lesbian dates is known to be the aquarium!”
“… Just where did that supposed knowledge come from? And that aside, there are no longer aquariums on this earth.”

In this world where our natural resources had all but dried up, leisure facilities such as an aquarium were impossible to maintain. Humanity was having a difficult enough time just sustaining its own existence.

“That’s not quite true, Claire.”

The one who barged into my conversation with Lene was none other than TAIM.

“What do you mean?”
“You are aware of the Noah Operation, correct?”
“Yes, that silly pipe dream that the wealthy are clinging to?”

The Noah Operation was a plan to take the bare minimum of each of the different species to sustain animal life, and escape the earth to restart on another planet. It was an idea primarily supported by the wealthy. What irked me was that part of our government also supported the plan, so even though humanity no longer had the time nor the resources to chase after such fantasies, part of our research budget was being siphoned by them.

“As part of the Noah Operation, they have opened up the Ark to the public.”
“Oh? I thought that it was just a delusion of the rich. But there may be some unexpected positives.”
“It’s nowhere near as nice as it sounds. The wealthy are trying to abandon the masses and flee the earth, you know? If the public were to find out about that, it would no doubt be a huge scandal. This is but another way for them to mask their true intentions.”
“It is just as Claire says, however I do think it would be a waste not to make use of it.”
“…”

The thought of the Noah Operation itself disgusted me, but if we made use of their public facilities, we would be able to share a date at the aquarium. Perhaps they were right, it would be a waste not to take advantage of the opportunity.

“TAIM, arrange a tour visit for two to those facilities.”
“Lene!? Hold on a second, why are you the one to make the decision!?”
“Come on, Claire-san, it’s so vexing watching you drag your feet!”
“That doesn’t mean…”
“Listen up, Claire-san. Individuals like Rei-chan actually turn out to be quite the romanticists.”
“… Okay, so?”
“Take advantage of the mood to sweep her off of her feet and kiss her!”
“Just what do you think you’re saying!?”

Lene was being unexpectedly pushy.

“I Just want Claire-san and Rei-chan to become happy together. I mean, you two are my precious friends after all.”
“Lene…”

You… I didn’t realize you cared about us that much…

“Just kidding~ It just seemed interesting so I wanted to see how such a date would turn out.”
“Lene!”
“Hahaha!”

And so, even as our lively chit chat continued, reservations for a trip to those facilities—the Aquarium “NOAH”—were pushed onto me. Though Lene had gotten the better of me in this scenario, I did feel that this was a golden opportunity. It would be good if I were able to somehow get Rei to share what she had been hiding from me…

　◆◇◆◇◆

“It’s quite…”
“Crowded, isn’t it…?

A couple of days later, I brought Rei along with me to the aquarium. The facilities were developed by remodeling a spaceship, and it had drawn quite the crowd. There were parents who had brought their children, lovers out for a date, and all sorts of other groups, but the one thing they all shared in common was that they were all smiling.

“Before coming I thought that the facilities would just be an extravagant waste, but seeing this, it might not be as bad as I thought.”
“I agree. Everyone here looks so happy.”

In our current predicament, there really weren’t many large scale leisure facilities like this aquarium left. Perhaps just as the tide permeates through the sand on the shore, this facility enriched the lives of the people. Putting the pros and cons of the Noah Operation aside for now, I truly felt that the decision to make these facilities public was one to be commended.

“Since we’re here, let’s set aside the more complicated matters and just enjoy ourselves.”
“Yes, let’s. After all, it’s not every day that Claire invites me out.”
“Fufu, well then, I’d better escort you properly then.”

I extended my right hand toward Rei. For just a moment Rei looked surprised, but she soon returned to her usual stoic expression and held my hand. And yet, despite her stoic expression, she somehow seemed happier than usual.

“Shall we?”
“Yes, let’s.”

Once we passed the entrance, we were greeted by a straight path forward. In lieu of standard lighting, the path was lit by lights within the water tanks on each side.

“Ah, these are jellyfish.”
“You’re right. I didn’t know that they could be so pretty.”

The various lights within the tanks lit up the gelatinous creatures at varying angles, resulting in a fantastical view that almost seemed to slow the flow of time.

“Due to the increase in the ocean’s general temperature, I heard that their numbers were becoming problematic but…”
“To think that we could make use of them like this…”

That we were already off to such a good start was a promising sign for things to come. We progressed further and further down the path. After a short amount of time, we came to a section where aquarium tanks composed the entire wall on each side.

“Look Claire, to the right.”
“? My!”

Urged by Rei, I looked to the right and saw a sea turtle swimming alongside us as we walked.

“Do you think that from their perspective, they’re the ones watching us?”
“You never know, perhaps they think that they’re visiting a terrarium.”

When I said that, Rei returned a giggle. I didn’t let it show, but I felt moved, as well as a sense of accomplishment from that. Things really seemed to be going well.

The next area was an area where even the ceiling above us was composed of water tanks, making an underwater tunnel that we could pass through. When we faced upward, a school of countless small fish just happened to be passing by. As they glittered under the light, I thought that they almost looked like underwater stars.

“Wow… Beautiful…”
“Yes, very.”

Contrary to her usual self, Rei had an innocent, almost childlike expression as she watched them swim by. It was the first time that I had seen such an expression from Rei.

The path we were on extended into a large room that held a giant tank. Within that giant tank, numerous fish of various sizes swam freely.

“Ah, there’s even some tuna!”
“They’re quite large, aren’t they.”

If I recall correctly, if they didn’t keep swimming then they would die. In that sense, they were just like us humans in our present era. As I found myself lost in such thoughts,

“Tuna… They really are so delicious raw.”
“Eat!? That thing!? And raw!?”
“Have you ever heard of sashimi? In the past the ocean was much healthier than it was now and we were able to eat fish raw.”
“… I do recall hearing something like that. That was part of your country’s culture, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. Just once before, I got the chance to try sashimi cultivated through aquaculture, it really was delicious.”
“… I think I’ll hold off.”

As we enjoyed our conversation, we also decided to take a little bit of a break as we had been walking for a while.

“I heard that they sell sherbets here.”
“Oh? That sounds quite delicious.”

Looking at the storefront, it appeared that they offered sherbets in various flavors. Rei and I each bought the flavor we wanted, and found seats close by.

“My, it really is delicious.”

The sherbet had that icey crunch to it when bitten into, but on the tongue it would quickly melt leaving a sweet taste and fragrance before disappearing. Mine was strawberry flavored.

“Unlike ice cream, sherbet is quite unusual isn’t it.”
“But it really is quite delicious.”
“Apparently they were made using jellyfish though.”
“Eh?”

　◆◇◆◇◆

“The next exhibit is the last, huh.”
“Oh, it appears the next exhibit also features jellyfish like at the start.”

After going through most of the facilities, the two of us were captivated by the allure of sea life. All of the different tanks were appealing in their own right. So much so that I managed to share a lively conversation with Rei, who normally wasn’t very talkative.

“Hm, in that case there’s nothing novel left, is there? Shall we go home?”
“It’s not very often that we get an opportunity like this. Let’s take a look. Since we’ve come all this way, unless I see it all I won’t be satisfied.”
“Fufu, yes, of course.”

Pulling Rei’s hand, we found ourselves in front of the final tank.

“…”
“…”

Both Rei and I were at a loss for words. The smaller tanks at the beginning that were used in lieu of standard lighting were also beautiful… But in these large tanks, the hundreds, if not thousands of colorful jellyfish floating freely were a surreal sight to behold.

“…”
“…”

Both Rei’s gaze and my own were fixated on the marvel before us. The countless jellyfish daintily fluttering almost seemed to be telling us to take our time in life.

“Absolutely amazing.”
“Yes.”

People, when faced with the truly awe-inspiring, are left unable to offer a clever response. That’s just how it was, and the tank before us was simply that beautiful.

“…”

When I looked to my side, Rei wore such an innocent, almost childlike smile… Her expression looked so uncharacteristically vulnerable that I found myself captivated by it.

“Is something the matter Claire?”

Perhaps sensing my gaze, she turned my way and asked. It appeared that I had been staring at her. But contrary to her usual stoic facade, she now wore a peaceful, almost gentle expression.

(If I’m going to ask, perhaps it should be now.)

I finally remembered my original intent in coming to the aquarium. I wanted to ask just what she had been hiding from me—that’s what I had planned on doing, but before I had realized it, I had forgotten and lost myself in our aquarium date.

(I might be able to ask now… But—)

I didn’t want to ruin this wonderful moment. This moment of joy, of peace, one that just the two of us shared, I wanted to protect it. I couldn’t help but feel that way. I had missed my timing to ask Rei about what she had been hiding from me.

But,

“Claire, isn’t there something that you wanted to say?”
“Eh?”

Rei was the one who initiated the conversation. Her intuitions were right on the mark, leaving me shaken. That’s why, in my attempt to dodge her question, I asked her this,

“Isn’t it you who has something to say to me?”

But in truth, I was the one who wanted to speak. What she could have been hiding was no longer relevant to me. This is what I truly wanted to say to her—I love you.

But before I could say those words, Rei returned her gaze to the tanks. And then—

“Claire.”
“What is it?”
“No matter what happens, I will protect you.”

She said those words as though she were talking to herself.

“… What do you mean by that?”
“Just a bit of a vow I suppose. Or perhaps a thank you, for the wonderful experience that you’ve given me today.”
“…”

It didn’t appear that Rei intended to explain. She had returned to her usual manner of speech. Shrouding her words in a fog, as though she were speaking in riddles. When I looked, I saw that she had returned to her usual stoic expression as well.

“Well then, I suppose it’s about time we go home.”
“… I suppose so.”
“I had a lot of fun today. Please look forward to dinner.”

Rei’s smile as she spoke those words was entirely different from the one just before. I found that fact immensely frustrating.

“That so? I’m glad.”

Unable to ask what I wanted, and unable to say what I wanted, I found myself sulking as I walked on ahead of Rei. In the end, I hadn’t been able to do anything.

“Claire, did you not have a good time?”
“Eh?”
“You’re making quite the difficult face.”

I quickly moved my hands to feel out my expression. I could certainly feel my brows furrowing.

“That’s not it at all. I did have fun. Really. So much so that I regret that it has to come to an end.”

I spoke those words in a nonchalant manner, but I meant them. In response,

“Let’s come again.”

Rei said that. That’s right. It wasn’t as though this was my only opportunity. I’m sure that I’d have more opportunities from now on too. When that thought crossed my mind, my heart felt very light.

“Yes, let’s.”
“Of course.”

Then, taking a hold of Rei’s hand, we left the aquarium this time walking side by side.

But, there was no way that I could’ve known. That the day we would part ways was quickly approaching.

And that——

The words of love that I had missed the opportunity to say, would never reach her in the end.

AFTERWORD
━┛━┛━┛━┛━┛━┛
Sephallia.

I am always in your care. This is Inori.

Thank you so much for your commission. I had a lot of fun writing your commission as the aquarium date is a standard in yuri. Since aquariums no longer exist in that world, I really pondered how to justify the existence of an aquarium. One possibility I considered was having them visit a Virtual Aquarium, but I didn’t think that the experience would be authentic unless they went to the real thing. An experience that was fun, but precisely because it was fun becomes bitter when reflected upon—I hope that I managed to capture that feeling properly. I truly hope that you enjoyed it.

---

Translator Note: It took me a while, but I’m glad that I was able to schedule time to work on this during my streams and finally share the story that I commissioned with all of you. The original pair went through a lot, but I wanted there to be a story that showed them sharing a happy moment as well.

Thank you for reading to the end, I really hope you enjoyed reading this just as much as I did! I’ve put out a progress update post along with this, so if you haven’t already and you’re curious about the status of the next chapter of She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner! or the other things that I’ve been up to, please check that out as well.

And just the standard self plug, but if you enjoy my translations or other content I put out, please consider following me on my Twitter or supporting me on my Ko-fi if you’re feeling generous and have the means.

sephallia.

I Favor the Villainess