I Refuse to Live a Dull Life This Time! Wattys 2019

Chapter 13

        My mother would occasionally say this to me when she was alive. "Itsumi, your hair looks messy today as well. Let me comb it." I was always annoyed when she said it, I thought it was a hassle to spend time combing my hair. And letting my mother do it, would always hurt. So I dreaded every time she said that.
But at her funeral, I kept begging her, "PLEASE COMB MY HAIR AGAIN, MOTHER! I WONT REFUSE OR ROLL MY EYES ANYMORE! So...p-please comb my hair again, m-mother!" How ironic isn't it? I was a fool.

"Y-you did it...thank you, so much!" Mao said with sincere tears in her eyes. "It was your words, just thought I would tell them to your beloved people." I replied. With a smile, she wiped her tears and chuckled happily. "Even so, thank you."
Ah~ it feels weird when you hear someone who looks exactly like you, say that. "It's really no problem, anyway, I need to go. My research is very important." I said quickly. "Ah..I see. Well, bye then, Blanche-Sama." She said with a disappointed yet happy smile.
I quickly escaped her room and ran towards my waiting teammates. Jack looked irritated that I had held up the team but he didn't say anything. "Are you done, with Mao?" Cornia asked curiously. "Oh yeah, sorry for keeping you guys waiting. We should go now." I said apologetically.
As we walked Leo asked me, "Hey, you packed all your stuff right?" I nodded briefly and replied, "yes, I did. It was such a short stay at the palace though." "Well, we couldn't stay there for long, since our research in the capital was done." Leo said matter of factly. "I guess you're right, I feel like I'll miss them though." I said remorseful. "Eh? Don't tell me you actually liked those two annoying guys!" Leo yelled annoyed.
"Hm? What? I thought they were okay people." I replied shocked by his sudden outburst. I mean I didn't mind Kso, but I despised Tso for thinking of me pretending to be his sister. Leo looked away in a hurry and didn't look at me again for a while. I wonder what's happening with our dearest 'first prince'?
We walked through the endless hills of sand and heat, while sweating dreadful bullets. "Are we there yet.." I asked as my thirsty voice creaked and my lanky body was made stiff with the heat. "Almost, just the next town over....where the recent drought took place..." Cornia said, barely able to muster her voice up from the warm air that had surrounded her throat. "Why do we even need to go there...?" Leo asked as he walked ten paces behind us so he could be in our shadows.
"Because there are people still there...we need to *cough cough*-see how they're surviving..." Cornia said exhausted. "Stop wasting energy by talking." Jack said quickly as he strolled in front of us. Cornia immediately shut her mouth and a surge of energy seems to flow in her as she carefully walked faster to reach Jack. Hm...maybe Cornia has a crush on Jack?
It was a bit of a far cry, Cornia and Leo had a much better age gap and were relatively close, while Jack was much older than Cornia and they barely talked. So it was a bit of guessing. Maybe it's just admiration? If so, then surely Cornia must like Leo...? She likes Leo....Huh? What's this strange feeling of anger. How difficult.
Better just ask her. "Hey, Cornia Do you have feelings for Jack?" I asked bluntly, even though we were all in the heatstroke of our lives. "A-uh- What?" She asked her voice still worn. She had a very confused face. After saying nothing for a few minutes she finally looked down. "WHY ARE YOU ASKING THAT IN THIS SITUATION!!??" She yelled angrily, though she was blushing. Ah, I guess she does have a crush on Jack. I somehow feel relieved. But why?
"Geez...you have really bad timing!" She yelled blushing away, angrily. How cute, so Tsun Tsun~! When I first met her, I thought of her as more of the pushy childhood friend, that is usually used for best friends in anime, type. But it was totally unpredicted that she would be Tsun Tsun!!!
Sorry, it's just that Tsunderes were my favorite when I was younger. "We're here." Jack said in his normal monotone voice. The city was broken down. It was deep in the sandy dunes and dust waves flew past it in the air. The buildings were made of limestone, but were all half collapsed, only bits of the base were left. It was the complete opposite of the rich capital full of busy yet happy people going about their day in the cramped city spaces.
The capital was filled with lights, banter and children playing along the allies. But this place felt so desolate, with its quiet pace and broken down lands. It looked like no one had been here for years.
In the far right of all the buildings, there were patches of ground that seemed to be remnants of destroyed farming and beside that was a ditch, that seemed to be the dried up Oasis. It was a sad city. How could anyone survive here? It was impossible...
"Are you sure, that people actually live here?" I asked worried, as I unpacked a water canteen. "Yes...a city that got a drought that recent should have at least one person still living here." Jack replied. "Is that so.." I quickly gulped down my canteen. Ohhh~ the sweet taste of cold water...I missed this taste!!
"Let's get going then." Leo said as he slided down the plateau of sand we were firmly placed on. We followed after him. I was a bit scared to actually go in the town, it reminded me of the scary western ghost towns, that were in the movies.
We walked through the town, it was horrifying, and...exhilarating. I was scared of the town, but I was also really excited as this is the epitome of interesting. As we walked around, I noticed there seemed to be some sort of abandoned market place with a town square. The town square even had a wonderfully carved statue, though sand littered the fine limestone.
I could tell, that this city was somewhere like the capital before. But it made me sad to think of all the people having to leave like this. A drought seems to be severe news here. In Mardu, the most dangerous thing we have is murderers! Same with my old life, I was murdered after all!!
A shadowy figure quickly zoomed past us, from a distance. Huh?! What was that!? "Did any of you see that!?" I yelled. "Of course!! That was moving! And had a humanoid shape!" Leo yelled with a smile. "What!? I didn't see anything!" Both Cornia and Jack yelled. Realizing he had suddenly yelled, Jack quickly composed himself. "CATCH THEM!" Cornia yelled aggressively. We all turned our heads to where it was last seen and bolted towards it. I never knew Collette would have this much stamina!
Being a rich lady, I thought she would at least be out of breath from running so fast! We past by many houses in a flash and jumped over building rubble trying to chase the fast, shadowed figure wearing a black cape. We were all just behind them as we ran like our lives depended on it. Cornia yelled with all her might to me, "LETTE PUSH ME!!"
She used magic as she was running to go a few paces ahead of me, even though using magic while using stamina is very hard to do. She once again said, "LETTE PUSH ME!!!" But this time with an extra exclamation mark! I quickly put my hands on Cornia's chest and pushed her as hard as I could while running. In her hand was a double edged sword, as she jumped over the figure and aimed a sword at them. As soon as the figure stopped at the sword, both Jack and Leo surrounded her, with me in the back.
The figure stood still as they stared at the sword. They didn't say anything and it was starting to get uncomfortable, "Are you perhaps the 'tax collectors'?" The boyish voice asked mockingly out of no where. "No, we are not." Cornia replied firmly. "Then, why are you pointing a sword at me?" He asked unfazed. Cornia loudly answered, "It is because if we do not, you will most certainly run. We can't trust if you will run or not, so this is the best method."
"....what do you want me for, that I would run away for? Perhaps experimentation? Free labor? Slave trades?" He asked with a threatening voice. "No, I want you to reveal your secrets to how you survived here to us." Cornia said demandingly. "Huuuhh???"

"So you guys are researcher?" The boy asked. "Yes, I am Cornia, from Mardu. Ever since the peace treaty between the nations, we have the chance to learn more about the world. So I thought it would be good to learn like this." Cornia replied dignified. Cornia still had the sword pointed at the young looking boy, but slightly lower than before. "Ah...well...I'm Eru...I've lived here for about seven years and I'm nine now." He said nervously. His eyes wandered around all of us, surveying various things like clothing, hair, hands...he sure knew how to analyze people. Though he was young so, he probably doesn't know how to hide it.
His eyes were suddenly fixated on me. I was surprised, I was okay with the casual glances he had given to me with my clothes, but now he stared directly at my face. "I'm Collette Josephine Blanche, you May call me what you wish, it is a pleasure to meet you, Eru." I said with respect. "Are you the Princess?" He loudly asked with respect in his eyes. "Hm? No..I am not, what made you think so?" I asked him curious, since I'm sure he's never seen the princess, because if he did, then he would say, "Why do you look so much like the princess?". From far away your probably won't notice this, but the princess actually has a much more kinder, more softer eyes than me. I was designed as a villainess after all. "My father described her to me, he said, 'he had silky yet messy curly platinum blonde hair and stunning crystal like blue eyes. And she had the nicest of manners!'" He said loudly. "Your father met the princess?" I asked him.
"Yes, He was a cook, who was really famous before the drought. But afterwards, our family was in utter ruin. Father died last year due to starvation. Ironic, right. Even though he was a cook..." he said sadly. Ahh...
"Do you have any other family members?" I asked him worried about this boy's sanity. "Just my little sister." He replied. Oh a siscon perhaps? But I can't assume right off the bat!! "Are you two surviving well?" Leo asked.
The boy looked down in despair, "I'm doing fine...but my sister..is really sick...she probably won't make it.." "WHAT THATS SERIOUS!!" Cornia yelled as she grabbed the boy's arm, "Take is to her right now!!" "You can help her!?" He yelled back.
"We can sure try!" Cornia loudly responded. "Thank you!" He yelled gratefully as she quickly led us through the town. He led us through vacant street corners and quiet allies, soon, we reached a house that seemed to be still somewhat intact. As I opened the door, the hinges creaked open. The room was very bare, but what shocked us was a girl. Even though there was a bed, she was laying, huffing and puffing on the hard wood floor. She truly looked sick, with her strangled black hair that flew over her face and pale composure. "Mer! She fell off the bed!" The boy yelled frantically. All of us quickly surrounded the girl as we picked her up.
"Stay strong, little sister-San!!" I yelled. I picked her up from the ground a bit and as her hair flew off her face, something horrifying appeared. The girl...was a dummy. She had no face. She was a dummy. We all quickly turned our heads to the boy, but he had already locked all the exits. The boy, was no longer a boy, but rather an...evil spirit. "You can't get out using magic, since I've sealed everything away." The evil spirit said with a terrifying smirk. "Why did you trick us with such a method!?" Cornia yelled angrily. The spirit snickered at us.
"I can't believe you guys actually fell for something like that!"