Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 3 (Return of the Oumeno)

The Mage, The Jester, and The Meanie Queen (3)

    "Nyeh...I've never met a jester before," Himiko Red admitted. 

   "And I've never met a...good mage...before, so this must be both our lucky day!" Kokichi replied. 

   "I don't like the way you said 'good mage' like you don't believe me," Himiko huffed. "I am a good mage! I promise!"

   "I see," Kokichi murmured. "And does this good mage have a name?" Himiko curtsied politely, just as Kokichi had bowed politely to her before. 

   "I am Himiko Red," she answered. "See? I can be polite, too." Kokichi reached out and took her hand.

   "Enchanté, Himiko Red," he murmured flirtatiously as he kissed her hand. Himiko Red's face flushed bright red, and her heart beat furiously against her chest. She cleared her throat as she slowly pulled her hand back. 

   "Um...thank you," she squeaked. Kokichi gave her a charming wink in response. Himiko didn't know why, but she found herself enamored by the jester, despite having just met him. Something about him seemed so mysterious and mesmerizing that Himiko Red couldn't tear herself away from him.

   "So, you left your cottage to go get help, right?" Kokichi asked. 

   "Y-Yeah, that's right," Himiko Red answered. "Um...will you help me?" Kokichi tapped his chin in thought.

   "Mmmm...okay!" he replied. "Lead the way!" Himiko Red led Kokichi back to the queen, who was still laying on the ground in an unconscious heap. 

    "There she is," Himiko Red replied. "Nyeh...you still hafta to tell me why she came after me."

    "Hm? You're not even going to check if she's dead or alive?" Kokichi asked. "I'm certain that's what a...good mage...would do." Himiko Red frowned at him in annoyance, but knelt down next to the queen and checked her pulse.

   "She has a heart beat," Himiko Red confirmed. "She's still alive. But, if you're gonna be a big baby about it, I'll carry her to my bed so I can prove to you that I am a good mage."

   "Nee-heehee...looks like you're getting the hang of it!" Kokichi said with a cheeky laugh. Together, they lifted the meanie queen and carried her to Himiko Red's bed. 

   "Nyeh...I know this isn't something a good mage would say, but she sure was heavy," Himiko Red said. "It's probably because she eats all those apples. She tried to give me one, but it's a good thing I didn't take it."

   "Mm-hmmm! Or you would've ended up just like her!" Kokichi said.

    "Heavy?! " Himiko exclaimed. 

    "Nope! I mean...unconscious," Kokichi answered in a low, dramatic voice. "In a sleep so deep that you'd never be able to wake up. That's what she was trying to do to you."

    "What did you say?!" Himiko exclaimed incredulously. "She tried to do that to me?! H-how do you know that?!" The jester merely smiled mysteriously in response and shrugged his shoulders. "Y-You said that I was a bad mage for leaving a helpless girl to sleep outside! She wasn't helpless! She was trying to make me sleep forever!"

   "Nee-heehee...I never said you were a bad mage," Kokichi replied. "I just said that a good mage would bring a helpless girl inside and let her sleep where it's safe and warm."

   "You did say I was a bad mage!" Himiko Red insisted. "You said I was bad for leaving her out in the open!"

    "But you didn't leave her out in the open," Kokichi pointed out. "You brought her inside to let her sleep on your bed. So, that would make you a good mage, riiight?"

    "Well, yeah! I only did it because you told m-... er...well, never mind," Himiko Red huffed. "The point is I am a good mage!" She fell silent for a moment, questioning herself. Was she truly a good mage? With Kokichi around pointing out her mistakes, she had to admit that she was starting not to feel like one. She always thought she was, but she wasn't so sure, anymore. She looked at Kokichi, who continued to smile at her with that mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Well, you're probably right about that, but she definitely wasn't helpless."

   "She was helpless the moment she bit into that apple and fell asleep out in the open where a wild animal could eat her," Kokichi pointed out. 

    "Well, okay, but...that's her own fault," Himiko Red said. 

    "Mmm, that's true," Kokichi said, nodding his head, while still smiling mischievously. "I guess she does deserve to be eaten by a wild animal, just for making a little mistake."

   "Nyeeeh...stop it! I know what you're trying to do!" Himiko Red huffed in annoyance. 

    "Do you?" Kokichi murmured, looking Himiko Red straight into her eyes. Himiko Red gasped as Kokichi stroked her chin with his fingers again. "Then, tell me, Himiko Red, what am I trying to do?"

   "Y-You're t-trying to make me out to be the villain," Himiko Red stammered. 

   "That's not true," Kokichi replied. "I'm trying to prevent you from becoming the villain."

    "W-What...?" Himiko Red breathed in bewilderment.

     "You should be more careful, Himiko Red," Kokichi warned. "You could get so caught up in trying to defeat the villain that you might end up as one yourself in the process. Now, let me ask you the same question I asked before: are you a good mage, or a bad mage?" This time, Himiko paused before answering. Deep in her heart, she wanted to be a good mage, but she seemed like a bad mage in Kokichi's eyes. Even though she helped the queen to her bed, she still felt conflicted. Finally, she answered Kokichi with the only response she felt was correct.

   "Nyeh...I don't know," she admitted quietly. Kokichi smiled as if he were satisfied with that answer.

    "Then, let's find out together, shall we?" he replied with a small, polite bow.