endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 100

Hearing Ais's words, Vahn's mind exploded. He felt like all the energy that had remained in his body spontaneously drained out and he hung his head like a marionette that had its strings cut. Ais, who had been watching him, frowned slightly and said in a sad sounding tone, "You don't...like me?" Her words made Vahn's brain buzz, and he felt like everything that happened in the last few hours was too much for his mind to handle.

In a small voice, Vahn tried to muster a bit of strength as the responded, "But we're not lovers or anything...and you are too young..." Ais seemed to agree with what he said, but she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "Yes, but, I will be 14 soon. Then we can try." Each word she spoke made Vahn feel like a heavy weight was pressing down on him. He didn't know if he should laugh or cry because he could tell she was being serious.

Vahn looked toward her and asked, "Why me?" Even though he knew her affection had risen to 88 after their earlier kiss, Vahn didn't think he was close enough to Ais for her to go so far. Ais tilted her head sideways in confusion at his words. "Mmm, you are different. Pleasant feelings..." As she spoke, she placed her hands on her chest and closed her eyes. After a while, she looked at Vahn again and said, "I think I can become stronger too..."

Seeing the conviction in her eyes, Vahn couldn't help but release a sigh and smile at her. "I believe in you as well; I know you will be much stronger in the future." As Vahn had known the future version of Ais from the manga, he knew she would mature a lot in the next two years as her strength increases. Right now she was barely taller than he was and looked a lot like a young girl, instead of the cool beauty she was in the future.

Ais, hearing the 'certainty' in Vahn's words, nodded her head and displayed a happy smile. Though it was minute compared to a normal person, Vahn could see she was pleased with what he had said. Returning a smile of his own, Vahn tried rising to his feet since he had recovered a bit of strength. Ais, seeing him try to rise, stepped forward and stopped him from doing so. Being pushed back to the ground, Vahn began having flashbacks of his earlier experience with Tiona.

Fortunately, Ais didn't throw herself on top of him as he expected. Instead, she sat down next to him and locked eyes before saying, "You are tired. Rest here..." As she spoke, Ais patted her thighs which were covered in a metallic plate skirt. Her gauntlets made a 'thunk-thunk' sound as the two pieces of armor collided. Vahn knew she was trying to be kind, but he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive seeing the hard metal surface covering her thighs.

Ais noticed his look and realized her mistake. Standing, she removed the clasps that were holding her armor together and revealed a pleated black skirt underneath. Setting her armor to the side, she sat back down next to Vahn and once again patted her thighs. Unlike the metallic thumping from last time, it was now a soft a muted noise that sounded much more comfortable. Seeing her actions, Vahn laughed a little before resting his head on her thighs.

Unlike his expectations, Ais's thighs were a bit more muscular than he thought. They were still very soft, but he could feel the tension of the muscles on the back of his head. He lay there, enjoying the strange sensations as he looked toward Ais. As he had been laying with his head facing upward, Ais was looking down on him with a blank expression. Seeing that he wasn't properly 'relaxing', Ais remoted the gauntlet on her hand and placed it on his forehead.

"Sleep. I will wake you when it's time." She continued stroking her hand along his head, and Vahn felt a mild blush touch his cheeks as he felt she was treating him like Lefiya. Instead of the normal 'patting', the way Ais touched people almost seemed like she was 'petting' them. Vahn almost wanted to laugh, but he managed to hold it back as he tried relaxing. Closing his eyes, he just enjoyed the moment and tried to focus on recovering his energy.