The Heroine Is In Love With Me

I'm Shaking

   … Yes.

   I’d feel sorry just to leave it in my room… but the scene of
   putting dominoes down with hands shaking from muscle pain while
   being watched by a doll made to resemble my friend just feels
   too surreal…

   “Come now, Marshall!” Jade said. “If you stop moving your
   hands, you won’t finish by day’s end!”

   “… Understood,” I said.

   If I seriously injure my body, I’ll stop, let’s return to these
   dominoes little by little.

   After that, I devoted myself to the task of desperately
   arranging dominoes with my trembling hands, sometimes they
   collapsed, I rearranged, they collapsed, I rearranged, they
   collapsed, I rearranged…–

   Patatatatatatatatatata.

   “Aah?!” I screamed. “I-It collapsed again!”

   –And the end doesn’t seem in sight.

   Honestly, I wonder if I could finish this by the end of the
   day.

   “Hmm… this training appears to be difficult considering your
   muscle pain…” Jade said.

   “It’s hard, it so hard…” I moaned.

   But Michaela… even though she has healing magic, she’s still
   training harder…
   "
   "

   “… For the moment, let’s take a second look and rearrange these
   from scratch,” I said.

   “Excellent suggestion, Marshall!” Jade said. “That’s the
   spirit! Right, Saint of Light?!”

   “The Saint Of Light Sends Her Utmost Love And Support When Her
   Beloved Marshall Is Working Hard, No Matter How Far Away She
   Is!” the Micheala doll said, uttering another line like the
   title of a web novel that didn’t seem right for the situation.

   Yeah, it’s all terribly surreal but let’s rearrange the
   dominoes without faltering. However, if the muscle pain was
   milder by about 30%, I might have been able to line them up
   better.

   Nevermind, Michaela is also working hard, I’ll be able to
   overcome this much–

   “Hel-lo…! Someone is here for the Marshall of Darkness!”

   Patatatatatatatatatata.

   “Aah…?!”

   –Or so I thought.

   A boy’s voice suddenly echoes in the hall, the rearranged
   dominoes fall without mercy.

   When I turned around, feeling tremors on my face that weren’t
   from the muscle pain, I saw a boy with light blue hair and
   dressed in a white robe standing, almost in tears. Ummm, this
   kid is…

   “Hawawawawa!” he blubbered. “So-So sorry! Ky didn’t mean to
   disturb you!” [69]^1
   [INS: :INS]

   … Yeah, he just gave his name, but I already knew he was Ky,
   the Healer.

   He was why the dominoes collapsed all over again but as he’s
   going “Hawawawawa!”… I’m not mad, I feel bad that he thinks
   he’s to blame.

   “Oh, well,” I said. “It wasn’t intentional, so don’t worry so
   much.”

   “She’s right, Sir Ky,” Jade said. “The Marshall has mercy
   deeper than the sea trenches, so she won’t get angry at
   something like this! Right, Saint of Light doll?!”

   “The Holy Lady Of Light Knows There Is Kindness In The Marshall
   Of Darkness No Matter What Wrongdoing She Does!”

   “… Jade, can you stop making the Michaela doll talk for a
   while?” I asked.

   “Yes!” Jade said. “Leave it to me!”

   … For the moment, I wonder if it’s possible to avoid this place
   descending into total chaos. Well, it might already be in total
   chaos now that the best healer of the Light Faction is in tears
   here at the Castle of Darkness, where dominoes are scattered
   all around the reception hall…

   “Oh, um, Ky is here for the Marshall of Darkness,” Kai
   explained, terrified.

   “I see,” I said. “So then, what does the healer from Michaela’s
   side have for me?”

   “R-Right,” Ky said. “The Saint of Light said, ‘The Marshall may
   be suffering from more muscle pain than she thought she would,
   so go to her and cast some healing magic.’”

   “I see, I’m grateful for that,” I said. “I’m sorry to make you
   come all this way.”

   However, there’s something about this that says “there’s more
   going on here…”

   “Think nothing of it!” Ky said. “Ky heard from the Saint of
   Light that you, Marshall, are an amazingly hard worker who
   trains independently even after going through rigorous
   training! Ky is honored to help such a person!”

   “Hahaha, flattery won’t get you anywhere… hmm?” I asked.

   “What’s the matter, Marshall?” Ky asked.

   “How did Michaela know my independent training yesterday to
   tell you today?”

   “Well, ah, um, that’s because the Saint of Light doll has a
   feature for watching over your actions, Marshall…?” Ky offered.

   “Huh…?” I asked. “What feature…?”

   I’ve never heard of that before…

   “It’s alright, Marshall!” Jade said. “It only has a function to
   periodically send images of you to the Saint of Light but it
   doesn’t have any concerning functions at all! Right, Saint of
   Light Doll?!” he said, touching the Michaela doll’s head again.

   “The Saint Of Light Always Wants To Gaze At Her Beloved
   Marshall So Much That She Will Make A Spy Hole!” the Michaela
   doll says, talking like a mentally ill person from a
   psychological thriller than the title of a web novel.

   … Yeah.

   Somehow, I feel like I don’t know what “Disturbing” means
   anymore.

Footnotes

    1. Ky refers to himself in the third person, a childish trait
       in Japanese characters.