Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 130: Arc 3, - 40: To My Detective Part I

Hotaru opened the door whilst Jotou sat on the bed. She kept watching till her crimson locks left the door, alongside her tail. However, her head poked back with a smile and a small wave.

Jotou reciprocated with a smirk and a wave before the door creaked shut. Jotou then turned to the floor and took a deep breath in and out.

’There’s no denying it anymore. I know I had a crush on her, but I ignored it for a while, just unsure of the right time. Is there ever a right time? Or do I just let control go for said time and not overthink it?

She likes me back, right? Why do I have to be so dense? Sigh... Whatever it is, it’s definitely more than a crush now. And I have no idea how to deal with it. Not to mention, Meko...

I need to focus now, figure out what I’m going to say to her. The thing is, I’m not even sure of my own feelings for her. It could be romantic? Or it could be completely platonic...

Regardless, I NEED to give her a proper answer right here, right now. Putting aside my own feelings, I know for a fact Fumeko likes me and Hotaru, well, I can only assume.

There’s no way of looking at this factually. The questions boils down to, who do I like more and would prefer to pursue... Then there’s the wild card... Why am I even adding Asobi into the equation? Do I have a crush on-? Hell, I’m not sure.’

Jotou sat with her face in her palms, "I swear fighting the battle was easier than this..." ’Would one get mad? At me or the other? Ugh! Things I can’t control; things I can’t control...’

Jotou repeated till she sat up straight, "What’ll happen to our adventure if any one of us were dating the other...?

Not to mention, this world’s politics; though, I don’t think I’ve seen any discrimination in that regard so that’s not really a factor I need to worry about.

I think, I think I like Hotaru more..." Jotou sighed. ’Which means I need to tell Fumeko properly. In a way no conflict will rise; choose my words carefully. Nothing has happened between any of us in that sense.

So, I’ll let that still be true. I’ll give Fumeko a proper answer, tell everything that happened between us through the reset loops and then one final person to tell everything to.’

The door opened at the right time, the brunette stepped into the room, "That took longer than expected," Fumeko leered around the room, checking if everything was in order.

"Well, I’m prepared to be equally as patient with you. There’s no rush so."

Fumeko walked over and sat on her bed with a bounce of the mattress, "What is it you wanna tell me?" she dangled her feet.

"Why don’t we start with the elephant in the room?"

"If you’re splitting us up so you can tell us private information about each other; let me guess, about this morning..." Fumeko shrivelled up.

"Yeah; we’ll go back to the first morning that happened. Right after you told me, well, all of that." ’She told me all of that... And I’m about to... Dammit, I’m unsure again. No, stick with the first plan.’

"You asked me to forget about everything and I said, you know I won’t. I wasn’t sure of my own feelings. And that I’m unsure of my feelings about-"

"Hotaru and Asobi," Fumeko tightened her lips.

Jotou nodded, "You guessed that the last time too detective. I told you all of you are really important to me. That I’m not really sold on relationships because I don’t want to ruin friendships.

Let’s just keep adventuring and see what happens," Jotou faced her, "That’s not a lie, but I think I’m bending the truth. I’m not in any relationship right now."

"But?"

"Let me explain everything and I’ll give you my final answer."

"Fine, we have all day anyway," Fumeko crossed her arms.

"Fumeko, I like you being smug and bratty or whatever, but I need you to listen; please?"

"I’m not-!" Fumeko glared to her, "Jotou, you tried to kill yourself! It’s been an hour or so, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen."

"Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen..." Jotou sighed, "I’m sorry for frightening you. It was my own misjudgement and my head wasn’t in the right place.

But you pulled me back before anything could happen, right? Sure, I couldn’t injure myself, but please detective, I need to list this all out.

I care for you and I’m sorry I did something so stupid. I’m a little more stable right now, so let me talk?" Jotou stared in a slight frown.

Fumeko stared back... Her arms still crossed, but her eyes softened; she couldn’t say no to her for some reason... "Fine. Just so you know, I was listening anyway."

"Hmh, of course you were detective," Jotou smiled, causing Fumeko to at least remove the scowl on herself. "Okay, where do I start.

First, you went to get your hair cut and styled, into twin-tails. You were really happy and flaunted them before we had to split up; I could tell you were jealous."

"Jealous!?"

"Of me going with Hotaru instead of you to the minister’s office. You went off with Asobi, but when you came back to us," Jotou pulled her lips in...

"What’s with that face?"

"You got yourself a new outfit..." a chortle escaped, "A really horrible one that me and Hotaru couldn’t stop laughing at."

Fumeko groaned, "Then twenty armite, we get a commission, what’s next, move on!"

"Right, we found you a sundress. Then next morning, you interrupted my push-ups, wondered if they’d give you a musket and mocked Asobi for using magic to illusion her usual magician’s outfit."

"Sounds like me," Fumeko shrugged.

"Ah, then your hero moment. A kid stole Hotaru’s purse and you caught him with your blink spell."

Fumeko’s eyes shined, "You’re serious? I stopped a criminal!?"

"He... was just a kid and you and Hotaru butted heads and decided to let him go."

Fumeko seethed.

"Then I patted you on the back for your efforts and we moved on."

Fumeko seethed less.

"Before the battle I caught you alone and asked were you sure about blinking in and killing people. You said you could handle yourself and that I was being hypocritical. You weren’t wrong...

But I also said that if we made it through you can drink all you want. Which I guess is still an ongoing deal..."

"Hm," Fumeko placed a finger under her chin, "Enticing offer. Thanks for telling me, I’ll remember this."

"Oh please, your leg’s as good a giveaway as Hotaru’s tail right now," Jotou’s eyes wandered.

"What!?" Fumeko looked down to her legs swinging faster in excitement.

"I wouldn’t tell you that for no reason. The reason I didn’t let you drink the first time was so that we didn’t get arrested again; luckily we had an out. I also said, that I worry about you," Jotou looked to her.

The brunette’s eyes went to the side, "Then? Did I play it cool and walked away?"

"No, it was a sincere moment. It was important," Jotou smirked.

"Ugh, fine, what did I actually do?"

"You thanked me for caring about you and that you wanted to protect me too. I trusted you and I still do detective; it’s just that you had never killed before and I said it doesn’t feel great.

You told me it was an understatement and you’ve shared that trauma with me too. You understood the world isn’t fair and it’s not easy..."

’It’s not easy and it’s not fair. It doesn’t mean happy and sincere moments can’t happen; but I need to stop thinking everything needs to be easy. I get to keep trying to save my friends from dying, don’t I? Maybe it’s just how I choose to see life.’

"Then I asked you to keep safe and you asked how could you not with booze on the line. And all that confidence fell as I hugged you in the middle of all those tents of soldiers," a curling smirk on the blonde.

The brunette’s eye twitched, "You did what...?"

"You don’t scare me detective. It was embarrassing, but comforting. Especially now that I’m considering what happened, I don’t regret doing that at all," Jotou glanced at the floor.

Fumeko furrowed her brows, "Right... I get, shot in the head in the first time," she breathed the words out.

"Yeah... You don’t take the news well any time I told you. You tried to act unfazed but." Jotou bobbed her head. Fumeko narrowed her eyes, looking elsewhere in the room.

"Fumeko... whether or not you told me your feelings, we still care a great deal about each other and you can’t deny that. So, I hope you know, if you need to be vulnerable around me; all you have to do is say it."

Fumeko steered her eyes to the blonde, "I told you, I like the way we mock each other. It makes it easier to swallow the big pills; trust me when I say, I know when I need to be vulnerable around you. But do you around me?"