“Yutaro, say ‘AA’!”
Lazily the boy obliged and opened his mouth. The Gemini Sisters giggled and spoon-fed him with honey cake. The girls were sweetly smiling as Yutaro finished the cake, and were now asking him to be fed with grapes. Around them, the knights were fuming in jealousy at Yutaro’s luck and were murmuring in Belkan German as they planned to get rid of the Street Performer. Yutaro was very alert of the situation but was helpless as he was continually pleaded by the sisters to finish the meal for them.
Galatea took the time from their visit to the café to review her missions. (Sitting next to her, Sao was preparing the tea for her Master, not noticing how long the customers were ogling her in admiration.) Apart from investigating Phantom 21 and conducting the Inspector Test, she was also asked by the Nobles to investigate a recently discovered Belkanite trafficking route near Belka/Mid-Childa border. She had realized the potency of the crystal as a youth-enhancing agent, and was concerned of its popularity in black markets. She was thinking to seek for help from the Belkan Knights regarding the matter.
“Gala-
sama!”
She turned around and saw several knights kneeling before her. “Gentlemen, how surprising to see you again this morning,” she said.
“It is our pleasure to see you in all your beauty, Gala-sama,” the knights said. “What can we do for you today?”
“Well, for one thing, I’d like to know you better,” Galatea answered and took the teacup from Sao’s hand. “Thank you, Sao.”
“You’re very much welcome, Master,” Sao replied with a smile that made everyone infatuated.
“As you wish.” The group of five knights gathered up and saluted Galatea in formal Belkan Knighthood fashion. “I am Kurosawa Shoji,” the knight began. “And these are my comrades: Millar Richardson, Victor Davenport, Jonathan Hamilton and Samuel Fischer.”
The quartet knelt again. “We are the Knights of Yellow Rose. Pleased to meet you, Gala-
sama.”
“Pleased to meet you, too, gentlemen,” Galatea greeted.
“Permission to speak, Mistress Gala,” Hamilton said.
“Yes. You may speak,” Galatea said and sipped the tea.
“Do you wear black today?”
Galatea spat the tea. “What… what in the name of the School is that question for?” Sao giggled at the reaction and poured another cup of tea.
The knights gathered up, talked to each other and returned to kneel before Galatea. “It’s nothing very important. But we have read from Terran magazine that gorgeous woman always wears black,” Hamilton said in blatant formality.
“And we understand that black symbolizes a woman’s deepest desire for love,” Richardson continued. “Is that correct, Mistress Gala?”
The Gemini Sisters giggled in devious way. “Oneesama always wears black, you know,” Freya told Aura. “In fact, she looks sexier in black.”
“True, true,” Aura agreed. “Gala-
nee loves black. She isn’t the Black Witch for nothing.”
Sao nodded as well. “It is true that Master Galatea loves collecting black attires,” she said and gave Galatea the teacup, “and her favourite has to be the special night gown she got from her instructor on her 17th birthday.”
The rest of the knights bled their nose at the thought of Galatea showing off her beauty in the black gown. “Gala-
nee in black…” they murmured and tossed many thumbs up at Galatea. “WE APPROVE!”
Yutaro blinked in confusion. “What are you girls talking of?”
The Gemini Sisters put their fingers on their lips. “That is a S
E-C-RET.”
Galatea blushed in embarrassment at Sao and her twin sisters’ leg-pulling statements. Well, I…” She pretended she did not hear the question and continued drinking the tea. “Anyway, I am looking for help to investigate the illegal Belkanite trafficking. Would anyone of you be pleased to help?” she spoke.
“Of course,” Shoji replied. “For you, Gala-
sama, we will do anything for you.”
Just then Matilda and Keiko arrived at Hansel Café. They met up with Yutaro who was still asking the Gemini Sisters on what they had been talking of about ‘black attires’. “Yutaro, Frieda wants to meet you at the headquarters this afternoon. Are you free?” Matilda said.
“Is it about the Christmas gathering?” Yutaro asked. “That’s good, because I have several things to discuss with her.”
The knights left their tables. Without any warning, they marched towards Yutaro and, ignoring the Gemini Sisters and their senior-ranked female officers, caught the boy and strangled him with ropes. Carrying the heavily shackled boy out of the café, they headed to the nearby lake and lifted him high into the air, not taking attention of everybody else who had already left the café.
“Lucky bastard must be exterminated for greater good,” they hymned in unison.
“Guys? Guys! What is going on?!” Yutaro shouted and tried untying the ropes with great difficulty. “What did I do that you’re doing this to me?”
“Happy bastard must be sacrificed for the sake of mankind,” the knights continued.
“Sacrifice? No way! Let go off me!” Yutaro frantically writhed beneath the ropes and chains, even as the knights were aiming him at the centre of the lake. “Somebody help!”
The knights tossed Yutaro into the lake. “Say hello to the lake monster down there!”
The Knights of Yellow Rose were appalled. “Idiot! What the hell are you doing?!” Shoji screamed at the knights.
“Crap! I forgot Yutaro can’t swim!” Matilda gasped.
“Yutaro!” Freya and Aura cried out.
“What is this act of hostility?” Keiko asked and glanced at the knights. “What do you think you’re doing to Yutaro-
kun? You shouldn’t treat him with prejudice just because you’re angry with him,” she said in soft (but dissatisfied) voice.
The knights shivered in fear. “Keiko-
chan is going to be angry…” they whimpered and shrank in size due to the intimidating voice of Keiko’s words.
“Now apologize,” Keiko said and stared at the knights in melancholic gaze.
The knights hugged each other and cried in fear. “Uuu… we’re very sorry…”
Freya frowned. “Can’t be forgiven…” she murmured and clenched a fist. “This cannot be forgiven…”
She left the crowd. “Freya! Where are you going?!” Galatea shouted and was later horrified when Freya jumped into the lake. “Freya! Come back here!”
“Oneechan!” Aura screamed.
-
-
Yutaro was descending to the lake floor. He had managed to undo the ropes around his arms but was facing difficulty reaching for the steel ball that was tied to his legs. It was a race against time, and he was running out of air.
He finally released the steel ball, but was suddenly drowned when water rushed into his windpipe. “I can’t die here yet!” he choked and tried swimming to the surface. He suddenly crammed and was sinking into the deep. “Damn it… somebody!”
He felt his left arm seized. He looked up, and saw Freya above him, suspended in the watery volume as she steadily kept him from sinking. “Freya… thank God…”
The girl pulled her towards him.
“I’m sorry, Yutaro…”
She pressed her lips against his. It was hard, deep and sealed as she transferred some of the air into his lungs, but for Yutaro it was yet another shocking experience that sent his world careening. He could do nothing but stay still and let Freya deepen the kiss.
The kiss disengaged. Yutaro and Freya stared into each other. He was startled, not only because the Gemini Sister had stolen his first kiss, but also because he saw pointed ears emerging from her golden hair.
And there was a look of gladness from her eyes.
“Freya?”
He did not know what happened after that, because the next thing he knew was that he was already out of the water, held tightly between Freya’s arms as they were hovering above the lake.
“Are you alright, Yutaro?”
He looked up at Freya. He was startled; spreading before him was a pair of dark blue wings, protruding out of the girl’s back, blocking the sunlight.
And the girl was smiling to him.
“Just… who are you?”
He blacked out.