Akugyaku no Black Maria c10
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Dec 06, 2016
âAh, my deepest apologies. I had gotten ahead of myself and said something troubling youâ
Shizuru felt as if his surroundings had gotten dark and he was suddenly put under a spotlight with the woman in front of him.
Complete with an accompaniment of soft violin music from god knows where.
âBut that was simply how you make me go mad for you. This passion that makes my chest feel like itâs going to burst, please acceptâ
An affected, theatrical way of talking.
But from her point of view, it was neither an affectation nor a joke, it was a completely serious tone.
Having lost most of his memories of anything prior to coming to this world, Shizuru often found himself at a loss for words everytime he was about to utter a word that doesnât exist here.
Even though it shouldâve come to his mind many times already.
âAt least for now, please accept this, doctor. I had picked them from the palace gardens this morning for youâ
âA ⌠ahaha, thanks âŚâ
For now, Shizuru took the bouquet of lively red roses with a cramped smile.
Thei woman who was on one knee presenting it to him elegantly picked herself up.
She was surprisingly tall.
She was well over 180 centimeters tall.
Complementing her height, she had short hair that might have had gotten her confused for a man if seen from behind.
But she wore make up and had good fashion sense, and her hair was also done in a feminine way despite being short.
She had an androgynous face and smelled faintly of perfume. Sheâs the kind of person who would turn heads from both genders when walking around town.
The red clothes she had on, the same color as her hair and eyes, and the silver armor she wore over it gave her a noble feel, engendering an air of aristocracy, in the good sense.
Or rather, she actually was a woman of nobility.
Drawn on the left breast of her armor was a coat of arms well known throughout the capital and the whole kingdom.
It symbolized one of the four knightly orders defending the capital, the East Blood Knights.
They were an elite guard of knights that only sons of nobles or a select few
She was a member of â no, calling her a member might be a little inaccurate.
The word that was caught in Shizuruâs throat suddenly came out.
âTakarazuka âŚâ 1
âAh, no no, it was nothingâ
Her name was Rosa Cranberrie.
The Knight Commander of the second order of royal knights of the Kingdom of Si Lvain, the East Blood Knights.
âAh, such sweet flavor ⌠this must be the taste of ambrosia poured down from the heavens âŚ!â
Sipping on the tea Shizuru prepared, not really a high grade one at that, Rosa reacted in such an over-the-top way he was at a loss on how to react. She even had tears streaming down her face.
Shizuru was normally from the coffee faction, but considering the knight, he made tea.
âAs expected from my Shizuru ⌠you are even magnificently skilled in making black teaâ
â⌠!â
Shizuru answered with a wry smile.
But then Rosa for some reason opened her eyes wide.
â⌠you didnât object to âmy Shizuruâ ⌠may I take this to mean that I have a chance ⌠ah!â
He merely found it hard to retort so he didnât mention it.
Her gestures were definitely womanly.
â Such a lofty person as to be the commander of a royal order of knights was showing so much favor to Shizuru.
As for the outcome, or rather the beginning of their romance, he decided to put it on the corner of a table for the moment.
âA, anyway Rosa? What will you be needing me for today?â
âHair black like spun from the night, voice like the sound of a flute by the lake shore ⌠ah, such beauty you haveâ
Please listen to people before you start running pick up lines.
And Iâm not sure you can say itâs a praise to call a guy beautiful, thought Shizuru doubtfully.
âItâs rare for you to come visit my clinic isnât it, Rosa âŚ?â
Why was it in the form of a question.
He was probably caught in the atmosphere.
â⌠haa. Ah, I beg your pardon doctor Shizuru. I thought I might be getting in the way of your work, so up until now I have avoided being such a nuisance by coming here even though I wasnât injured. ⌠however! Ah, however!â
As she went on with her speech she looked up to the ceiling as if lamenting. She then came up to Shizuru and took his hand.
Then from point blank range, she gazed into his face.
ââ may I have the honor of a kiss?â
âNoâ
Shizuru rejected Rosaâs appeal by reflex.
While he certainly did not dislike the woman, but he was rather not good at these sorts of things.
âAh, is that so ⌠I, was worriedâ
Rosa continued just as abruptly.
âI heard from the garrison guards that they found several corpses early this morningâ
ââŚâ
The speech delivered in a sad tone made Shizuruâs eyes open wide.
Unrest filled his chest. He went back to normal within a moment, but whether or not Rosa noticed it, she continued.
âThe bodies were killed in cold blood. Not enough of them were left to even identifyâ
â⌠thatâs, a tragic storyâ
I donât want to hear that from you!
Shizuruâs heart said to him.
âAttacks like these have been conspicuous as of late. I was worried and worried, what if this happens to my Shizuru âŚâ
âYou who practically gives away medical treatments for free arenât well liked among your peers. Can you still say the same?â
He couldnât. Not few people held goodwil toward him as a physician, but there were also a considerable number of people who donât.
In all things, doing one thing will set you back on others.
âI had come to hear the name of the assassins Black Maria lately. Does doctor Shizuru know of them?â
âY ⌠yes, well ⌠the rumors that isâ
He affected a nonchalant nod, but Shizuru was not at all calm inside.
When the name came out so specifically, he began to imagine the worst case scenario where the fact that he was a member became noticed.
âShould you encounter the lawless bunch, please call out my name as loud as you can. If itâs you doctor Shizuru, I will be certain to hear no matter when and where you are. On my honor as a knight I promise to come for you!â
âA, ahaha ⌠then Iâll be counting on you when the time comes âŚâ
But Rosa didnât seem at all like she was suspecting Shizuru. Instead, she was actually worried for his well being.
Then, since she seemed to have made time when she was busy, she went and left after half an hour.
âHaah âŚâ
After Rosa left, Shizuru exhaled the contents of his lung as if expelling all the nervousness he had been holding.
⌠rather, when one thinks about it, no royal knight commander under heaven would come out for the sake for a member of a criminal organization.
Now that itâs passed, Shizuru scratched his cheek, wasnât I worried too much?
âStill, that was bad for the heart ⌠in any case, sheâs stronger than Cassie and Lady put together, isnât she âŚâ
As an assassin, he could generally figure out the strength of the person in front of him.
In Shizuruâs opinion, among the almost 50 members of Black Maria, only Richelieu could fight Rosa on even terms.
âWhich means, Iâm right out of the question. Being able to hold her own against that monster, Richelieuâs a real demonâ
A Commander of a royal order of knights wasnât someone one can get to know just because one wanted it.
If it comes to it, do consider ensnaring her, Shizuru remembered Richelieu say again and again.
âAAaaah ⌠Iâm really in a black business âŚâ
He hates himeself for not being able to say no.
Shizuru stared at the ceiling and thought, I want to go pet Ladyâs fur and release all this stress
His groans echoed again and again throughout the clinic until the doorbell signaling a new patient sounded.