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“Hnnng… Lady Witch…” Teto muttered, rolling over in her sleep, stopping just short of the edge of the bed. “Hehe… Lady Wiiiitch… Teto wants… Teto…” Her words devolved into an incoherent series of mutters and mumbles that slowed and soon ceased as her eyes groggily opened. Mooou… Why did the dream have to end? She sat up and rubbed her eyes, slowly looking around the bedroom. Teto was having so much fun with Lady-
As that thought crossed her mind, Teto found Chise, sitting at her desk, reading a book with a peaceful yet tense look on her face. It must have been a good read. She only looked like that when it was. But that didn’t matter, well, it did, but… The second Teto saw Chise, her chest started feeling really… Weird. Like a bunch of vines twisting around her core, yet it didn’t feel bad, the opposite in fact, it felt amazing! Better than anything she had felt before, like she wanted to run over to Chise and pull her into the biggest, tightest hug ever and never ever let go.
So that’s exactly what she did.
“W-Wooooah!?”
Chise yelped as Teto wrapped her arms around from behind, effortlessly lifting her into the air. She buried her head into Chise’s back, a happy giggle escaping as she settled into the hug. Chise flailed about for a second but quickly stopped and surrendered to the sudden embrace.
“G-Good morning, Teto.” Chise tried to glance over her shoulder, but Teto’s grip was so tight she could barely move her head. “I-Is everything okay? You seem a little… clingier than usual.”
“Hehe, yep! I’m fine! Why would Lady Witch think that?”
“B-Because-” Chise wiggled around, managing to free herself enough to breathe. “Of all of this.”
“Hehe, don’t worry, Teto feels amazing!” She tightened her hold and nuzzled into Chise’s back. “Teto is just really, really happy to see Lady Witch!”
“I-I’m glad?” Chise said, her voice carrying a hint of confusion. She tried to wiggle free of Teto’s grasp, but all that seemed to do was make it tighter. “But isn’t this a little… Excessive? You saw me before bed.”
“Hehe, that doesn’t matter!” She spun Chise around in her arms, finally putting them face-to-face. Teto’s eyes lit up, and her chest started to tingle. “When I woke up and saw Lady Witch, I started feeling all weeeeeird.”
Chise’s face scrunched up.
“Weird?”
“Mhmm!” Teto nodded, “Not bad, weird, my chest started feeling all tangled up and tight, but… Also really waaaarm.” Teto rested her head on Chise’s shoulder. “It felt super nice, like Lady Witch is the warmest sunshine and… Teto needed to be closer."
Chise didn’t say anything, not right away. She just stood there, motionless in Teto’s arms. Until she slowly raised her arms around Teto’s back, and she could feel her entire body flood with that comforting warmth.
“S-So you… You like this feeling?” Chise questioned, her words came out slowly, awkwardly and quietly. Like she was afraid to ask. Not that Teto cared.
“Mhmm!” She nodded. “Love it. Seeing Lady Witch makes Teto happy, but this is different… Teto doesn’t want to let Lady Witch go, ever.” She pulled back and stared right into Chise’s eyes. She could feel her tensing up. “Does Lady Witch know what this feeling is? Or why Teto is suddenly feeling it?”
“I-I… Um…” Chise gulped. She averted her gaze. “I… I do… I mean…”
“Lady Witch?” Teto cocked her head to the side.
“S-Sorry, Teto I… D-Don’t know. I don’t think I can help.”
Teto’s smile grew a little wider. She forced Chise to look at her before pulling her back into a tight embrace. “Awww, it’s alright, Lady Witch. Teto doesn’t need to know, she’s happy like this-”
“W-Wait! I-I still think you should try and work it out. M-Maybe, you could… Try asking some of the people around the forest? They might be able to help you since I… I can’t.”
“Ooooh! That’s a great idea, Lady Witch!” Teto released Chise from her hold… Only to place her hand in a firm grip. She wasn’t ready to let Chise go. “Can we go now?”
“M-Me too!?”
“We can learn what it is together!”
“I-I mean… W-We could, but maybe this would be something that would be better to figure out on your own-” Chise tried to wiggle out of it, but… even suggesting they go separately caused Teto’s shining smile to drop. Needless to say, that suggestion didn’t last much longer. “Why… Don’t we ask Beretta while we have breakfast?”
Teto’s face lit up right away, and burned away whatever guilt Chise felt.
“Hehe, perfect! Beretta knows a lot, I'm sure she’ll know!”
Before Chise could even get a word in, Teto was already pulling her out of their bedroom and downstairs to the dining room. Chise tried to pull herself free or at least tried to slow Teto down a little, but it was abundantly clear she just wasn’t paying any attention to her struggles. There was little left to do but to give in to Teto’s whims.
Less than a minute later, the two had made it downstairs and were coming into the large dining area where Beretta was setting the table. Normally, she’d be working with some of the other maids, but it seemed today she wanted to handle their breakfast herself.
Perfect!
Teto’s eyes lit up. They’d be able to talk without interruption. As she dragged Chise inside, Beretta noticed their presence.
“Ah, good morning, Master, Lady Teto. Please take a seat, breakfast is-”
“Beretta! Do you know why my chest feels funny?”
Beretta’s usual composure cracked with worry. She walked up to Teto, placing her hand on her chest, “Hmm… There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with your mana. So it’s unlikely to be an issue with your core-”
“No, no!” Teto shook her head. “Nothing like that! My chest just started feeling funny when I saw Lady Witch!” She glanced over to Chise, who was standing behind her, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. “She doesn’t know what it is. Teto was hoping you would?”
“I… Um… Master?”
Chise simply sighed and shook her head, “Right, don’t worry, I’ll explain.”
Chise walked ahead, pulling Teto towards the dining table. They took their seats next to each other, while Beretta stood off to the side, and Chise explained everything from the beginning. Teto tried to help explain, but all she did was make things more confusing, so after Chise told her to stop, she contented herself by moving their chairs closer and resting her head on Chise’s shoulder. Something which caused her to let out the cutest little squeak that only made the strange feeling grow stronger.
All while this was happening and through Chise’s recounting, Beretta watched them with a… Knowing, almost playful look.
“Hmm… I see.” Beretta giggled. “That is certainly strange. And Master, are you positive you don’t know what is going on?”
“Y-Yes!” Chise squeaked, shrinking down in her chair. “I-I… I don’t… Can’t… moou…”
“Hehe, very well then.” Beretta covered her mouth and chuckled. “If you truly don’t think you can, I won’t push.”
Chise let out another quiet whimper.
Teto’s eyes darted between the two of them. It felt like she was missing something about this conversation. Chise said she didn’t know, so why would Beretta question that?
She didn’t have a chance to dwell on it as Beretta turned to her, “And what about you, Lady Teto? Are you positive you don’t know what it is?”
“I have no clue! What I do know-” She shuffled a little closer to Chise, practically moving onto the same chair as her. “I love it!”
Beretta’s smile grew a little wider. “That is good. And I must ask, is it only toward Master that you feel this way?”
“Yep! Only Lady Witch- Oh! Does that mean Lady Witch is special?”
Once again, Chise let out the cutest little squeal. Worried Chise was getting worried about what was going on, Teto wrapped her arm around Chise’s, but that only seemed to make things worse.
“Hehe, I would say so. And I would say, very lucky as well.”
“B-Beretta…” Chise muttered.
“Soooo, do you know what’s going on?”
“Hmm, I have an idea.” Teto’s face lit up but before she could say anything, Beretta raised her hand, cutting her off before she could even begin. “But I don’t believe it's my place to tell you.”
“Oooow… Why not?” Beretta… didn’t answer. Instead, she went to the kitchen, presumably to get their food. All she could do was slump forward and pout, “Meanie…”
“I-it’s okay, Teto. I’m sure… She has her reasons.” Chise whispered, patting Teto’s back. “We’ll just go around and ask the others, okay?”
That helped perk her up, “Y-Yeah! I’m sure sooomeone can help! Lady Witch, let’s go-”
“After breakfast.” Beretta interrupts, placing down two plates, “I’m not letting either of you leave without cleaning your plate. Understood?”
Teto and Chise share a glance. “Yes.” They said simultaneously.
Teto tore through her meal while Chise ate at a more relaxed, normal pace… Or at least she did until Teto finished hers and started to not-so-subtly put pressure on Chise to hurry up so they could leave. Once Chise finished, Teto grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the entrance of the mansion. She was barely able to say goodbye to Berette whose supportive words followed them outside.
They spent the rest of the day going around the entire Forest of Creation, stopping by the villages, hospital, workshops, wherever Teto thought to go. And each place they went, she asked the same questions, trying to find some answer to what was going on with her but… No one had any answers. Which would be fine but the more they went around, the more Teto started to feel like they were… Hiding the answer from them, which made her beyond frustrated.
Even the Great Elder wasn’t any help. All he did was chuckle and congratulate them. Which made no sense! All it did was make Chise even more flustered.
The one good thing about the day was that Teto got to spend all of it with Chise, every moment they were together, and it just made her happier and happier. More than she ever thought possible. Still, it wasn’t enough. By the time the sun had started to set, they had been around the whole forest and returned to the manor, taking a seat in the garden, with Teto hanging her head with a disappointed, dejected expression.
Chise rubbed her back, trying her best to cheer her up.
“Come on, Teto. It’s not that bad is it? Does it really matter if you don’t understand-”
“Yes!” Teto wailed, throwing her arms in the air. Her lip trembled, “It’s super important… We walked around all day, and everyone else seems to know something, but we don’t and… I don’t like it…”
Chise bit her lower lip. “M-Maybe… You just need some time to think about it? It’s not like you need to know right now, do you-”
“I… I want to, though…” Teto pouted. “It… has something to do with Lady Witch. I… I want to know…”
“Teto…” Chise whispered. Silence fell between them, silence that lasted… Long enough that the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Silence that only ended as Chise let out a long, heavy sigh. “Teto… I um… Lied earlier.”
“H-Huh?” Teto raised her head. She looked at Chise, her face was a bright, burning red. “Lady Witch? What do you mean-”
“T-This morning.” Chise’s voice cracked. “When I said that I didn't know…” She took another slow, deep breath. “I lied.”
Teto’s eyes grew wide, “L-Lady Witch, d-does that mean?”
“Yes… I-I was really hoping you’d work it out first because…” Chise rubbed the back of her head, “It's really embarrassing.”
Teto didn’t care. She needed to know. She grabbed Chise’s hands and leaned in close… A little too close with Chise’s flustered flailing was anything to go by but once again, she didn’t care.
“Laaady Wiiitch, pleeeeease?”
“Urg, d-don’t look at me like that… I-I was going to…” Chise swallowed a nervous breath, trying to recompose herself but Teto’s pleading eyes drilling into her made it impossible. “Y-You… Love me.”
Teto pulled back, she stared at Chise with big, wide eyes… only to break down into a fit of laughter, “Tch, hehe, hahaha. I-I know that, Lady Witch, I’ve loved you since foreeeever-”
“N-No.” Chise interrupted, grabbing Teto’s shoulders. “Not like that, I mean… Romantically. You know, like Selene and her husband.”
Tattoo tilts her head to the side, “You mean the kind of love involving kissing, and being super suuuuper close?” Chise lost her voice. All she could do was meekly nod. But that was enough. Love… but I always love Lady Witch but if this is different then… She lit up like the sun. I love Lady Witch even more!
Without a moment of hesitation, Teto wrapped her arms around Chise, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.
“T-Teto-”
“LADY WITCH! I LOVE YOU!” Teto shouted at the top of her lungs.
It was so loud that it wouldn’t be a surprise if the entire forest heard it. She couldn’t care less. She leaned in and… tried to kiss Chise’s forehead, only to completely miss and instead found her head resting in the crook of Chise’s neck. It was just as good.
“T-Teto! Y-You can’t just-”
“LADY WITCH!” Teto loves you so so so so so muuuuch!” She settled into her new position, having no intention of moving anytime soon. “I… Hope you do too.”
Chise did respond right away. She just stayed right where she was in Teto’s arms. A couple of minutes later, she slowly raised her hands and placed them on Teto’s back. “Of… Course I do. I have done for… Decades. It… Took you long enough to realise.”
“Hehe, sorry~” Teto closed her eyes and melted into Chise’s arms. “I love you.”
“I… Love you too.”