This Ice Queen has a fatal flaw.

A strategy I clawed my way to on the brink of death. The key to countering Ophelia.

I call it the Praise-Her-to-Death Gambit.

“If it wasn’t for your magic, my lady, I’d have died at the hotel. You saved me again during the fight with Homura. That’s twice now. You’re my savior. Is it strange I’d want to burn a face like that into my memory?”

“I… suppose. But you’ve seen my face plenty of times…”

“Besides, if a face like yours got scarred because of me, how could I ever make it right? Please, my lady. Let me see.”

Ophelia hesitates, then leans toward me just a fraction, her gaze fixed on the floor.

Her ears are bright red. I see no trace of a burn.

“…”

“…Is that enough?”

“Forgive me. Your beauty stunned me into silence. A burn? Don’t be ridiculous. You’re flawless, Lady Ophelia.”

“Wha—?! What are you… You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Her brow knits and she puffs out her cheeks.

Was it too much?

No. I can push this. The gambit holds.

“On purpose? I don’t know what you mean. I’m simply admiring the noble character of my savior, and trembling before her unmatched beauty.”

“This man…!”

Her eyes widen as it dawns on her.

Just like that, the Ice Queen is back, a wicked little scheme lighting up her features.

“Hehe. By the way, Mister Akamuro.”

“Yes?”

“You don’t seem to have noticed, but your own face is rather red.”

Ophelia’s eyes darken, a cynical smile playing on her lips. She pulls a hand mirror from her pocket and holds it out.

The man in the reflection is… yeah, maybe a little flushed.

Shit. In my rush to exploit her weakness, I forgot one critical fact: I suck at this.

Complimenting women has never been my strong suit.

The curse of a man raised on quiet discipline strikes again.

“Ah… this is, yes. The burn. It hasn’t quite healed. I’m going to sleep now. Yes.”

“Hehehe. You’re not used to this, are you, Mister Akamuro? Turning so red… oh, my. How pure. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You don’t have to pretend to be so calm. You were just nervous in the presence of a beautiful woman.”

“Ghk… I saved your life, didn’t I? Why be so cruel?”

“I saved yours twice,” she snaps back. “Twice.”

She’s right. I’ve got nothing.

The tables have turned. Talk about a blunder of a lifetime.

Ophelia looks triumphant, fanning her face like a victorious duchess. She’s enjoying this.

Just then, Lady Ayano leaps into the air, landing dramatically between us. She lets out a sharp, accusatory yowl.

Her meaning is clear: What are you two doing getting so chummy? Stop flirting!

“Mikaela, what’s gotten into you?”

“Mraaaaaow…” The sound is a low, threatening hiss.

“Milady seems to be in a very bad mood.”

“It seems she’s protecting you. What a fine creature, standing up for her incompetent master. For her sake, I’ll sheathe my sword for now.”

“Mraaaaow~!” (Hey! Don’t twist my words! And I’m the master here! My tail is puffed up with righteous fury! Ikaku, you’re awake, so you should be paying attention to me, not her!)

With an indignant glare, she climbs onto my chest and starts smacking my face with a tail that’s fluffed up to the size of a feather duster.

“Whoa, hey, stop that. Please, Milady, what’s wrong…? Ack, stop. Seriously, this is getting difficult.”

I can’t understand the meows, but I can guess the sentiment. You made me worry, you idiot retainer.

I give her soft coat a good, long stroke.

As I do, I look up at Ophelia. She has a hand on her chest, letting out a small sigh.

I guess I made her worry, too.

“You should thank Mikaela. She never left your side. Performed a continuous ‘Cat-Op’ on you for thirty straight hours. You owe her plenty of pets.”

“Mee-ow!” (Hmph. Of course. Ikaku is my knight. Therefore, he should be petting me much, much more.)

“By the way, I thought the building collapse had you dead to rights, my lady. The Ichor still worked after that?”

“I drew healing from Mikaela, too. After you left me to be crushed. This kind little soul stayed to heal me.”

“Mew… meow.” (Discovering I have the Angel’s Memento was a total coincidence, you know… So healing Miss Ophelia was also a coincidence. It’s not like I stayed by her side on purpose or anything…)

Ophelia sits on the edge of the bed and strokes Lady Ayano, who’s settled awkwardly on my stomach.

Her touch is gentle, her expression soft. She’s a cat person.

“Something’s been bothering me. I heard from Sumire Akashi that you can’t be healed by Ichor?”

“Let’s just call it a personal quirk.”

“What a handicapped Exorcist you are. It’s almost tragic how little magical aptitude you have. Which makes it harder to understand. How did you attack all those hideouts, knowing you couldn’t heal? Are you sane?”

“Were you worried about me?”

“Don’t put a positive spin on it. It’s a purer question than that. Why are you still alive?”

“That’s a blunt way to put it.”

“I mean it in a good way, of course.”

“Convenient phrase. The answer is simple: because I train.”

“You have some convenient phrases yourself. That reminds me, another question.”

“What is it?”

“When I found you in the cavern, Mikaela was performing her ‘Cat-Op’ on your torn-up body, correct?”

Cat-Op. She says it like it’s a real medical procedure.

“You got up with incredible speed. And then, when Homura had me… when I was about to be crushed…”

Ophelia crosses her arms, her expression as serious as a detective laying out a theory.

She closes her eyes, then speaks again, hesitating.

“Was it… because you were desperate to save me? You unlocked some hidden power…? Like you can rise again and again for someone precious to you… Is it okay for me to interpret it that way?”

She’s trying to build a logical framework. In the end, it makes it sound like I have a thing for her.

“It’s nothing that dramatic. It’s a matter of lung capacity. I do weight training for my lungs. My suction power is on another level.”

“Your lungs? You mean your diaphragm?”

“Ah. So you’re still at that level.”

“What is that infuriating look on your face…?!”

“The diaphragm gets its own workout. The lungs are trained separately.”

“But the lungs don’t have muscles.”

“It’s common knowledge in the circles I run in. You train your lungs, they grow muscle.”

“Is… that so…? That’s very informative. Thank you, Mister Akamuro.”

“Want a demonstration? I can show you the Pranayama breathing that gets me moving after two minutes of cat-huffing.”

“Oh, you’ll show me? I’d be delighted.”

“M-meow~?!” (Don’t drag me into your weird contest! Not that suction! It’s for emergencies! It’ll suck my soul out!)

Lady Ayano scrambles to escape. Too late.

I haul in a breath, a powerful vacuum that captures the ball of fluff.

I bury my nose and mouth in her soft belly fur, holding her tight.

“Mraa-oow~?!” (N-nooooo! It’s draining me! Miss Ophelia, help!)

“Hey! Let go of Mikaela, you suction-powered monster!”

“Ow! What was that for?”

“That’s my line. That is textbook animal cruelty. I can’t believe you.”

“But you said you wanted to see… Wait. Are you actually disgusted by this? Huh?”

Ophelia shoots me a look of pure contempt as she scoops up Lady Ayano, hugging her and petting her soothingly.

She gets to her feet and heads for the door.

“Honestly. You… you seem to be in better shape than I thought. I wasted my time worrying.”

“Hm? Did you just say you were worried?”

“Ahem. Your hearing is still a problem, I see. Good grief. We have a mountain of things to discuss. For now, rest. And we need to tell the Akachi family you’re awake.”

She puts her hand on the doorknob.

“I can do that my—” I try to sit up, but freeze as a bolt of pain shoots through my entire body.

“That’s why I told you to rest. Be quiet and stay put.”

Ophelia gently places Mikaela on the floor and leaves the room.

No choice. Focus on recovery.

“May I have a huff, Milady?”

“Meow.” She turns her head with a flick of her ears and refuses to move from the door.

“Ah… I’ll reflect on my actions.”

“Meow.”

Right. First order of business: get back in Her Floofiness’s good graces.

Time to rebuild. One step at a time.

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