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Suletta may have only met Miorine yesterday, but she feels like they can understand each other somewhat. And the Miorine in front of her, cradled in her arms, is more determined than ever.
"Suletta, will you fight for me?"
"Y-yes!" Her answer is so fast, Miorine seems surprised.
“That was easy,” Miorine's smile is tainted with malice, but her expression soon turns sour.
"Hey, Suletta, are you… Are you alright- It's a dumb question, I know. I'm... Sorry, you got dragged into our family quarrel."
Miorine's voice is trembling and Suletta's mind flashes to yesterday when the girl saw her mother's plants get crushed under Guel’s heels. She can't imagine how it feels because her mother is still here and her sister is with her at all times- that’s when her mind reminds her of Miorine’s words (if she doesn’t fight, Aerial will get dismantled, if she doesn’t go against Miorine’s father her sister will disappear). The only thing she can do is share her warmth with Miorine whose shoulders are trembling. Miorine who is trying to help her in her own way.
"I'll do it. You've seen me with Aerial, right? I can handle it." As she finishes her sentence, she looks up at Miorine and her breath stops for an instant. The look of relief on the girl's face makes her stomach drop a little bit. She doesn't feel deserving of such gratefulness. The only thing she has done so far is slap someone, beat that same someone in a duel, and get arrested.
Miorine laughs softly, and the sound makes Suletta's heart beat a little faster. "You're making a fine groom... Better than the others, at least."
"D-d-don't worry!" Suletta tries her best to reassure Miorine. The words come out of her mouth incredibly fast. "I know how to treat my f-fiancee!"
She's still a bit hesitant at mouthing that word. In the first place, wasn't their engagement dissolved? And, wait, how can she duel her ex-fiancee's father when he's probably a big scary guy- and per Miorine's words a pretty lousy father? But if she doesn't, her sister is going to get scraped, and Suletta can't imagine a world without Aerial by her side. Her thoughts are racing, but she takes Miorine's hand in hers and squeezes it.
Taking a deep breath, Suletta says, "I think we should start by h-holding hands... Oh." There, she realizes- they are already holding hands. Scratch that, they're hugging. She feels her cheeks heat up.
“Suletta? Are you really alright?”
"Maybe our r-r-relationship is moving too fast..." Suletta can't look Miorine in the eyes. Her gaze wanders around the cell, anywhere but the body of the other girl. "But i-it's okay! Aerial taught me a lot of things, so I can treat you right!"
"Heh, really? Then..." Miorine's face is closer than before, her lips a few centimeters away from Suletta's. "What will you do to comfort your poor fiancee?"
That's the moment Suletta's brain stops. She doesn't recognize her own voice when she croaks, "w-w-we should... go step by step... After we hold hands, and we hug... A few weeks later, we can stand under an umbrella together when it rains..." That should be how it goes. She racks her brain to remember what she saw in the anime Aerial showed her. " Maybe, we could ride a bike together! But I don't know if riding a bike is okay when we're two because there may be limitations in the law... And after that, we should have a breakup and mop for a while before we get back together!" Suletta ignores her heated face and the fact that Miorine looks like she’s questioning her sanity. "And after that, we can k-k-k-k-kiss..." Her voice dies at the last word.
Miorine's eyes are filled with tears, but they're from holding back her laugh. She finally detaches from Suletta and while the Mercurian feels a bit lighter, she finds herself missing the other girl's touch. Meanwhile, Miorine is holding her stomach and laughing like a mad woman.
"Where did you learn that?" She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. "That's so dumb!"
Suletta wishes for Aerial to come to get here and get back home. She needs to see her mother right now. But then, she'd have to explain what happened at the Academy, and why the first lover (?) she ever got would be the last. The only comforting thought she has is the fact that Miorine looks more at ease now than when she arrived floating into the cell. That alone makes it worth embarrassing herself. Suletta waits for Miorine to stop laughing, and she wonders for a moment if her face is as red as the tomatoes Miorine likes so much.
"Suletta," Miorine's voice is gentle when she holds her hand out to Suletta. "Let's find your- No, let's find Aerial, shall we?"
When they get out of the cell, hand in hand, Suletta realizes her sister may have misled her about romance. When they meet, she'll have to ask what the tingling of her skin when Miorine touches her means, and most importantly, was anime really a good source of romance advice?