Chapter 25 – Sleeping Prince ⑩
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At 8 p.m. Suzune left the car that brought her right next to Lilith’s research facility. Nanase was with her.
The one waiting for them at the institute’s entrance was Manami. As soon as she spotted Suzune, even Manami couldn’t hide her agitation, despite always acting so calm. Suzune was the woman who had hurt her beloved boyfriend, whom she had offered her body and heart. If not for the current situation, she would never have allowed Suzune to come anywhere near Yuuta.
“Nanase-sama.”
“Is something the matter?”
“Layla-san has entered the room where Yuuta-sama is sleeping.”
“Layla-san? Why?”
Lyra’s presence couldn’t be helped. However, Layla was supposed to be forbidden from entering the facility.
“Lyra-sama has said to let Layla-san inside for tonight.”
“You mean, she’s having her stand witness?”
“Yes…it turned into an argument, but given that Lilith-san gave her permission, we had no choice but to allow her inside.”
“In that case, I suppose it’s inevitable.”
Layla was someone they didn’t want to see near Yuuta, but right now wasn’t the time to care about her.
“Suzune-san.”
“Y-Yes!”
“There will be people other than me present in the room where Yuuta-sama is sleeping. But, you do not have to worry about them. Please concentrate on just following Lilith-san’s instructions.”
“Okay…”
They arrived in front of the deepest room. Manami opened the door with the keycard she had been given.
“We have been awaiting you,” Lilith greeted Suzune while wearing her hood. “I’m the person in charge of this facility.”
“I-I’m Suzune.”
“Please come this way.”
They headed towards the center of the room with Lilith in the lead. Two women were standing there――Aoi and Yukishiro. Because Suzune didn’t know either of their faces, she couldn’t tell which of them was Aoi, but seeing one of them resembling Nanase in some ways, she considered her to be Aoi. She likely didn’t know that the other woman was Yukishiro, the next family head of the Eternal Minato.
In addition to those two, two more women stood alongside the wall. Layla and Moe. Moe was watching over Layla, who had been allowed to enter the room.
And then there was a woman wearing a hood just like Lilith. Lyra watched Suzune, appearing very interested.
“Aoi-sama, it’s fine, right?”
“…Yes.”
Just as Suzune suspected, the woman resembling Nanase was Aoi. Aoi’s eyes, as she stared at Suzune, were filled with an intense turmoil. The same also applied to Yukishiro.
Yuuta was sleeping on the bed behind Aoi and Yukishiro. Both moved to Yuuta’s left side. Lilith led Suzune to Yuuta’s right side.
“You have heard about the situation, correct?”
“…Yes.”
“Then we will start at once. Please try calling out to Yuuta-sama. Let’s see…for starters, could I have you call his name?”
“…Alright.”
Aoi and Yukishiro looked at her from the other side with Yuuta in-between them. While feeling their gaze on herself, Suzune stared at Yuuta.
Ahh…Yuuta-sama…you have grown so big…
It was their first meeting since that incident. Back then, Yuuta had just become a first-year student at junior high school. Suzune remembered Yuuta as still having some childishness, but the boy lying in front of her now was a grown, young man.
“Yu-…Yuuta-sama,” Suzune timidly called out, her voice shaking.
“Please raise your voice a bit.”
“…Yuuta-sama.”
This time, she spoke louder, with a voice clearer than the first time. A faint reaction was visible on the devices that Lyra and Lilith were watching.
“It seems he’s responding to it.”
However, that response was similar to the one he had shown when Aoi had called out to him.
“Could you talk to Yuuta-sama…besides calling his name? Right…how about speaking about that incident?”
Aoi tightly bit down on her own lip as soon as she heard Lilith say this. She also strengthened the grip of the hand holding Yukishiro’s. While desperately suppressing her urge to stop Suzune, she closely watched whether something unusual was happening to Yuuta.
“Yuuta-sama…it’s me…Suzune. The same Suzune whose Service Activity request you kindly accepted… four years ago. It was your very first Service Activity. I was blessed and fortunate enough to be allowed to play a game with you…it made me happy.”
She was forced to confess her own crime while being watched by Yuuta’s fiancées and lovers. Neither Suzune nor Aoi nor the other girls would have wished for this sort of repentance.
“I…I was foolish and hurt you, Yuuta-sama. It’s nothing that will be forgiven by apologizing, but please…please forgive me.”
“…Please continue.”
The reaction from Yuuta kept going.
“I learned about your engagement with Aoi-sama…through the letters by my mother and friend…in prison. …I was overjoyed to hear about it. Knowing that you were leading a healthy and happy life…”
Yuuta’s response changed from what it was when Aoi was calling out to him. Each time they heard the device’s sounds, indicating a reaction from Yuuta, their tension and expectations rose.
“Today…I was very surprised to hear about your situation, Yuuta-sama. They informed me that you collapsed… My…My foolish deed…your headaches…guhh…”
Suzune’s voice trembled, and tears started to flow from her eyes.
“All…All of it was my fault. At that time…back then…why did I…,” Suzune continued with a teary voice, but she didn’t manage to squeeze out any words beyond that.
Even though Suzune had stopped talking, the sounds indicating Yuuta’s response continued, and the measurement values displayed on the devices moved rapidly. Yet…
“It’s no good…there was a response, but…he doesn’t seem to wake up.”
“No way…”
Despair spread among Aoi and the others who had been hopeful due to the responses on the devices.
He didn’t wake up. Even though he showed a reaction after meeting Suzune, Yuuta didn’t regain consciousness. Everyone except one person was filled with despair.
The only one not despairing over this was Layla. She rejoiced as Yuuta would be taken to Mir if he didn’t wake up here.
In reality, it didn’t mean that Layla would go to Mir with Yuuta, but it’d still increase her chances of stealing him, compared to now.
“Thank you kindly, Suzune-san.”
“U-Umm.”
“I think you heard this before, but it’s not your fault if Yuuta-sama doesn’t wake up after meeting with you. This method was just one of the possibilities available to us.”
“Yuuta-sama has…”
“I did everything I could do. Yet, he hasn’t woken up, so…it’s very likely that he won’t wake up anymore.”
“That cannot be!”
“I guess all that is left is to take Yuuta-sama to Mir and have Lyra-sama over there examine him, but…”
Lilith looked at Aoi and Yukishiro. It was their decision whether to take Yuuta to Mir.
“I don’t mind taking him there, but there is no guarantee he will wake up, even if I examine him.”
Layla got irritated by Lyra’s statement.
Don’t run your mouth unnecessarily.
“Even so, I might find out the cause behind this.”
Layla rejoiced over Lyra’s follow-up statement.
It’s fine like that.
Moe noticed the change in Layla’s expression and glared at her, who grew excited at the possibility of Yuuta being taken to Mir.
“Uuhh…Yuuta-sama…uuh…”
Tears spilled out of Aoi’s eyes as she stood in front of Yuuta while holding hands with Yukishiro. She had cried countless times ever since Yuuta collapsed. Her emotional stability, which had been provided by Yuuta, was terribly shaken. She didn’t want to take him to Mir at all, but she had to make a decision for his sake. If she made the decision once, she’d lose the option to pull out until she brought the matter up with the queen of Mir. Backpedaling midway would become impossible.
It’s painful. It hurts my heart. I cannot rely on anyone either. I don’t want it to be decided by anyone else either. But, I don’t want to take the option I can take.
“Aahh…aah…aaaaahhhh!!!”
Aoi clung to Yuuta while crying and screaming. Yukishiro hugged Aoi. Firmly, so that Aoi’s heart wouldn’t shatter.
“Yuuta-sama…”
Suzune, who saw Aoi wailing, stared at Yuuta. His responses could continuously be heard from the medical devices. As Aoi clung to him, those responses gained in intensity. Yet, he didn’t wake up.
“Yuuta-sama…”
Suzune took a step towards Yuuta. While recalling…what happened back then.
“I’m…I’m…”
And then Suzune addressed Yuuta once more.
“I don’t resent you…I don’t resent you, Yuuta-sama!”
Everyone was confused by Suzune’s words…by her saying she didn’t resent Yuuta. The one resenting someone should be Yuuta, so why would Suzune resent Yuuta?
“I was foolish! It wasn’t your fault! I simply misunderstood your kindness! It’s true that I committed a crime! It’s not your fault, Yuuta-sama!”
None of those present understood what she was saying. Even Aoi lifted her face, being surprised as she listened to Suzune’s incomprehensible words.
“I’m someone who ought to be judged! But, you are not to blame for it, Yuuta-sama! Yuuta-sama…you…ugh…because I was so foolish…Yuuta-sama…Yuuta-sama…I just sought your kindness! It was a misunderstanding! Aaaahhhh!”
If you took only Suzune’s words into account, Yuuta might have done something that could have earned him Suzune’s grudge. But, what did Yuuta, the victim in this incident, do?
While unable to stop weeping, Suzune fervently implored Yuuta, “Please…Please wake up! Yuuta-sama, I…I was happy because I knew that you were leading a happy life. Please…Please…”
The values on the devices changed abnormally fast.
“This is dangerous, I’d say,” Lyra muttered.
But Lilith didn’t stop Suzune. The values had moved into a dangerous zone, but Yuuta’s responses obviously didn’t seem to be as dangerous.
“Yuuta-sama…Yuuta-sama……”
Taking over from Suzune, Aoi whispered Yuuta’s name into his ear.
“Yuuta-sama, Yuuta-sama!” Yukishiro yelled.
Next, Manami also shouted Yuuta’s name. Tomoe, Ayaka, and Moe loudly yelled his name as well.
And then…
“Ah.”
Aoi was the first one to feel it because she was touching Yuuta. Yuuta’s body was moving.
“It moved…just now…ah!”
His shoulders twitched. Yukishiro tightly gripped Yuuta’s left hand.
“Oh! His hand…the strength in his hand…Yuuta-sama!”
Yuuta’s head moved, his face turning to the left. And once he slowly opened his eyes…they met with Aoi’s tear-stained eyes.
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Translation Notes: