novelraw Chapter 495: Manic Depression
Chapter 495: Manic Depression
Dejected and discouraged, she was currently walking back from the place where they lived. In her hands, she still carried the Easter eggs, not a single one missing, along with the Easter Bunny she had sewn with her own hands. The happiness surrounding her had nothing to do with her; only the rabbit in her arms seemed to be mocking her.
Perhaps not even she herself knew why she was suddenly so sad. Indeed, deep in her heart, she couldn't even find a proper reason for it.
She certainly had feelings for Teacher Fisher. When she arrived alone in this unfamiliar and dangerous world, it was Teacher Fisher who took care of and comforted her. When she felt stupid and useless, it was Teacher Fisher who taught her magic, making her feel at least somewhat useful. When she was ignorant and needed help, it was Teacher Fisher who taught her how to conduct herself...
Of course, she understood that Teacher Fisher doing these things didn't mean he definitely belonged to her, or that he had any ulterior motives. In fact, it was completely natural for Teacher Fisher to want to fall in love with someone else.
Although Angel Helaire usually didn't seem to take anything seriously, she was so beautiful and good at flirting. At crucial moments, she could step up. She was a hundred, a thousand times more reliable than herself, right?
Asuka Karasawa knew this. Back on the Tree Continent, during the most critical moment facing Tao Gong, it was Helaire who stepped forward to save Fisher and even herself. Therefore, Asuka actually had a very good impression of Angel Helaire; at the very least, she harbored no negative emotions toward her.
But...
But...
Just now, they...
The decadent sounds she had just heard suddenly surfaced in Asuka's mind again, and her face unconsciously turned a shade of pale.Teacher Fisher and Angel Helaire...
Just now...
They definitely did it, right?
That kind of thing.
The sounds were so loud, and one could even feel the house shaking slightly from the outside...
It wasn't surprising, though. There had already been signs between Teacher Fisher and Angel Helaire before. She was just Teacher Fisher's ordinary student, a foolish high school girl from another world. Naturally, she didn't—and wouldn't dare to—have any objections...
But...
But...
Asuka Karasawa pouted, looking somewhat wronged and helpless at the Easter Bunny in the basket she was holding.
She stared blankly at the slightly exaggerated smiling face she had made for it. After hesitating for a moment, she gave an evaluation completely opposite to her previous one,
"So ugly..."
The rabbit continued to smile, completely ignoring her, as if in silent mockery.
But Asuka Karasawa had no way to refute it. She had lost her courage. Since Teacher Fisher and Angel Helaire had already done that, no matter what she did, it would be of no avail.
She buried her head lower and lower, feeling as if iron anvils weighing thousands of catties had been hung all over her body. She desperately wanted to find a place to curl up and hide.
The loneliness and helplessness of crossing over to another world came surging back like a tidal wave. She suddenly felt that even returning home had lost all meaning.
Right now, she just wanted to find a quiet place to lie down. But Teacher Fisher and Angel Helaire were in the room. Where could she go?
Anywhere without anyone else would do...
The noisy sounds nearby became exceptionally ear-piercing at this moment, as if trying to completely drill through her eardrums and brain, leaving her in pain and discomfort.
Even walking felt devoid of any motivation. She stood in place, panting, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"Asuka?"
But right then, a gentle female voice suddenly came from nearby.
The expression on Asuka's face vanished almost instantly. She turned her head blankly and, unsurprisingly, saw Margaret walking with the Elf, Tsubaki.
"Mad— Ah, Margaret."
At this moment, Asuka's brain was still a pile of mush. She even temporarily forgot the form of address they had agreed upon earlier. This showed just how much of an impact the previous events had on her.
Seeing this, the smile on Margaret's face faded slightly. She looked at Tsubaki beside her and whispered to him,
"I'm going to chat with her alone. It looks like something just happened to her..."
"Alright."
Tsubaki knew that Margaret's attitude toward this Transferred Person girl was extraordinary, and it wasn't just because she could help gain control of the Loom of Fate more quickly.
It was perhaps because Margaret once had a daughter around Asuka's age. Therefore, loving the house and extending that love to the crow on its roof, Margaret took special care of this little girl.
So, Tsubaki turned around and walked back, leaving the space to the two of them.
Margaret smiled as she watched Tsubaki leave, then turned her head and walked toward Asuka, who was pretending to be normal. She glanced at the glaringly obvious Easter Bunny in her basket, carefully observed the expression on her face, and then asked,
"Did you not give your rabbit away, Asuka?"
"Ah... um, I didn't find Teacher Fisher. I'll just give it to him later."
Asuka pursed her lips, her reactions seeming exceptionally sluggish. She only forced a smile and said this.
Margaret stared at her for a second, then took her hand and said with a smile,
"It's alright, we'll go look for him together. Today is Easter, after all. If we wait any longer, we'll miss the best time."
"Um... um..."
Feeling Margaret's pull, Asuka didn't move an inch. She stood in place with her head lowered and said quietly,
"I've already missed it, Margaret. It doesn't have any meaning anymore..."
"Missed it?"
"Mhm..."
Margaret was slightly taken aback. Then, she suddenly recalled the way Fisher and that Cain had looked when they came here for dinner tonight. It was readily apparent what Asuka meant by missing it...
Which meant, the man Asuka liked seemed to be involved with that man named Cain...
Margaret's expression became somewhat strange. She just couldn't quite understand why Asuka would fall for such a peculiar man, especially when the other party had already "clearly" expressed his disinterest in ordinary women.
She just... couldn't quite understand it.
Could it be that the sexual orientation of young people fifty years from now in this world had become like this?
This was only 1996. What about later? What about 2026, or 2056?
Where would the weirdness end up? She didn't even dare to imagine.
But that Transferred Person named Mikhail, who came from far into the future, seemed completely normal. Could he be hiding his true nature too?
But on the surface, she maintained her composure. She gently let go of Asuka's hand and began walking forward, while saying,
"Although I would like to give you some reasonable advice as a senior, my love and marriage were very simple, without many ups and downs. However, you can share your story about you and this 'Teacher' with me. Maybe you'll feel better saying it out loud?"
Asuka glanced at the smiling Margaret beside her. The warmth on the other woman's face didn't reach her heart at all. To her, the smile suddenly seemed glaringly painful. But as soon as this thought popped up, she was startled and felt deeply guilty.
On the surface, however, she slowly followed Margaret's footsteps and softly spoke,
"Actually... actually, there is nothing much to say. Because ever since I came to this world, I have always stayed by Teacher Fisher's side. He has helped me a lot and taught me a great deal, so I have some... um, feelings for him."
As she spoke, Asuka's earlobes turned slightly red. She glanced around, repeatedly confirming that only she and Margaret were there, before speaking as if she were saying something incredibly bold,
"Moreover, Teacher Fisher is very good-looking, so... Ah, is this reason too vulgar? Is it not modest enough?"
"What's vulgar about that? Isn't picking a partner based on their looks a completely normal thing? When I was young, I married my husband precisely because I fell for his chest and abdominal muscles. Of course, his personality was also very good, and he was very brave. He was quite useful at night too, making me long for that passionate romance to this day... I mean, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, Asuka."
Asuka's face turned redder and redder. It seemed this woman from France forty years ago was far more unrestrained than her, a Japanese country bumpkin about to enter the new century.
She was just a country bumpkin. This kind of thing was still too stimulating for her.
But it seemed Teacher Fisher was truly formidable in that regard.
Even though she hadn't focused her thoughts on that aspect earlier, the commotion had still left a deep impression on her.
However, because she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she didn't know that Angel Helaire was actually the true heavyweight.
"I... I know! But... but Teacher Fisher doesn't seem to have those kinds of feelings for me at all. I know, too. I'm too young, and not mature enough, so I never dared to say anything before. But... but I still wanted to..."
"Even if he is already with that man?"
"That man?"
Asuka blinked, belatedly realizing something. Still, she didn't point out the issue, merely saying,
"Ah. Even so, I still wanted to express my feelings, although I know nothing will probably come of it. Because, Margaret, you see, sooner or later, I will have to return to my original world. Even if Teacher Fisher were a Transferred Person like me, he wouldn't go to the same place. So, one day we will part ways. But at least before that happens, I still wanted to do this, even if just to express my gratitude."
"Just to express your gratitude?"
Asuka forced a smile and nodded, saying,
"That's all I can do."
"If that's the case, it seems I simply must help you, within my capabilities."
"Eh? Help me?"
Margaret smiled and gestured for her to come closer. Asuka, holding the basket, slowly walked toward her. Margaret did not stand on ceremony, reaching out directly to sweep Asuka's bangs out of the way, revealing her fair and delicate face.
Asuka subconsciously tried to lower her head, but Margaret forcefully tilted it back up.
"Don't move, Asuka."
"Oh."
"A girl has many precious qualities, and among them, the most precious is her hair. Your hair makes you look like a hairy mushroom, which will never attract the opposite sex. Has no one ever taught you how to arrange your hair?"
"...No. I only had my father around, and he didn't know much about these things."
"What about your mother?"
"She... she passed away a long time ago. Additionally, I fell ill in the past and stayed at home all the time without going out, so I never really learned to arrange my hair. I only gradually started messing with it after I went back to school."
Margaret's hands, which were playing with Asuka's hair, paused slightly. After waiting for quite a while, she resumed brushing her hair.
"I see..."
While brushing her hair, Margaret gazed at the back of Asuka's head, her eyes flashing briefly.
Then, in silence, Margaret gradually coiled up the back of her soft, usually simply-draped black hair, styling it into an elegant European-style long braid. At the same time, she said,
"This hairstyle is capable yet elegant. The young ladies attending balls in my hometown used to love this style. When I was back home, I watched an opera that told a Japanese story, 'Madame Butterfly'. I learned some elements of Japanese women's hairstyles from it, but I felt the symbolism was poor, so I didn't use it here... There, have a look. Is it pretty?"
Madame Butterfly?
What was that?
Asuka idiotically glanced at Margaret behind her, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
She nodded "wisely", then touched the complex hair arrangement on her head. Even though there were no mirrors around, she still felt it must look beautiful.
"Thank you! Margaret! This is amazing!"
"As long as you think it's pretty..."
Margaret hadn't expected her to be so happy. She smiled and took a step back, watching as Asuka spun around in extreme excitement, swaying the braid behind her head like a dancing princess at the climax of a ball.
"Should I go now? Or should I go later? What about my clothes? Should I show Mr. Mikhail and Mr. Gou Wen? Margaret, what do you think?"
"...It's better to wait. Go tomorrow."
Margaret smiled and nodded as she said this.
It really had to be said, the emotions of the young came and went so fast. She had been so sad and helpless just moments ago, but now she was all fired up.
"You're right. I completely forgot."
Asuka wiped her eyes and looked around, jumping for joy. She looked up at the moon in the sky, seemingly anticipating it to drop from the sky immediately and turn into daytime.
But what if Teacher Fisher is still spending time with Angel Helaire tomorrow during the day?
Couldn't they be separated temporarily?
Could she not even have one chance?
Right at this moment, Margaret's voice suddenly came from beside her again.
"By the way, Asuka, since you came to this world, have you ever heard any voices?"