Rin had not said a single word since Selene sat beside her inside the ant cave.
The silence wrapped around them like a thick blanket, warm and uncomfortable at the same time. Rin kept her eyes low, pretending to read the same line in her book over and over, yet every few seconds she stole a quick glance at Selene.
Selene sat calmly, her legs crossed, the book from the Ant Queen resting in her hands. She had not said much either. She only turned the pages slowly, almost too gracefully. Rin wondered if she was actually reading or just acting like she was.
When Selene finally looked up, she gave Rin a tiny smile. It was small, but it softened her entire face.
Rin panicked and snapped her head away so quickly her neck almost cracked.
Selene let out a quiet breath. "There is no crime in staring at me," she said as she turned another page. "I am all yours. You may stare as much as you want."
Rin almost choked. "What? No way. I was not staring at you. I was looking at the book you are reading. Why would I stare at you?" She scuffed and waved her hands as if clearing fog around her face.
Selene tilted her head. "Really? I never knew my face was a book."
Rin opened her mouth but nothing came out except a confused sound.
Before she could argue, the Ant Queen, who had been openly watching them the whole time, leaned closer with narrowed eyes. She looked like she had discovered something amusing.
"So Ice Queen is what they call you," the Ant Queen said. She sounded proud of the information, as if she collected rare titles.
Selene glanced at her for only a second before returning to her reading. Rin waved her hands behind Selene's back, trying to tell the Ant Queen to stop talking, but the Ant Queen pretended not to see anything.
"What? I am the Ant Queen and she is the Ice Queen. Queen of ants and queen of ice. That makes us the same. There is nothing wrong with calling her Ice Queen," she said with confidence.
Selene rested her thumb between the pages and spoke calmly. "We are not the same. You may be immortal, but you are no queen. You gave yourself that title. You are only a creation."
The Ant Queen froze. For a moment she did not even blink.
Then she turned to Rin with a smile that did not look like a smile.
"Little morsel," she said in a sweet voice that was not sweet at all. "Remove your fiancee from my residence before I do something I will not regret."
Rin coughed so hard she almost fell off her seat. "Scoff, my fiancee," she muttered while rolling her eyes.
Selene finally lifted her head. "Kisaragi. Is something bothering you? I am trying to understand what I did wrong. We made a deal about seven dates. Now you are acting different."
Rin stared at her hands. "Acting off? You are the one acting off. Ever since our second date you show up and disappear like some celebrity who only appears when it is time to perform. You only come during dates. That is it."
Selene said softly. "But that was the deal. Seven dates. After that you choose if you want to be with me."
Rin laughed quietly. "Then let me decide now because I do not see how I can be with someone who is barely around. You never explain anything. You smile through everything. It is hard to tell anything about you."
Selene rested the book on her lap and watched Rin. Her eyes were calm but Rin could hear her breathing change slightly.
"Then what do you want me to do, Rin? Tell me. For your approval. Seven dates is supposed to be enough."
Everyone in the cave turned to watch.
Akari held a crate halfway in the air.
The worker ants paused and looked up.
The Ant Queen sat in front of them with bright eyes as if she was watching a play.
Rin took a slow breath. "What I want is simple. I want you to stay. I want you here. Not only on dates. I do not just want seven dates from you. I want seven days of you by my side, rotation. I do not want you to miss a single day. Not even one."
Her own words surprised her. Her voice shook.
Selene blinked gently. "Kisaragi… are you in love with me?"
Rin almost jumped. "No. No no no. I am not in love with you. I am only telling you how you might get my lov... approval."
The Ant Queen pointed at her. "Sounds like someone is in love but refuses to admit it."
"I am not in love with Selene," Rin shouted. Her voice echoed through the cave.
Selene leaned back and sighed. "Then if you are not in love with me, do not expect too much from me. Being with you for seven days straight should be worth it."
She returned to her book, her expression unreadable. Rin bit her lip and fell silent.
Selene shook her head slowly, almost in pity. Rin felt her heart twist.
They stayed in the cave until all the work was done.
Akari and the workers finally finished preparing the jars of honey dew for the next morning, stacking them neatly. Everyone stretched. The long day had tired even the ants.
Selene still had the book under her arm as they left. The Ant Queen kept staring at it as if Selene was carrying her treasure. Rin was sure the Ant Queen wanted to snatch it back but Selene walked too confidently.
Akari walked in front. Rin and Selene walked side by side behind her as they head home.
Rin took a breath. Then another.
"Selene," she said quietly. "I have never fallen in love before, so I do not know how to tell when I do. But I do not want you to treat everything like a deal. Ever since my parents died I push people away. But you… you are someone I do not want to push away. If you can just be honest and stay."
Selene slowed her steps. "How do you want me to stay, Kisaragi?"
"You know how couples stay under the same roof," Rin said. Her fingers trembled a little. "You live alone with Ice in the castle. I can move in with you too. And maybe it will increase my approval rate."
Selene stared. "What are you trying to say?"
"Let me move in with you," Rin said clearly.
Selene stopped walking. Then she began laughing. The sound echoed against the woods. Rin waved her hands in panic.
"Selene, are you okay?"
Selene wiped her eyes and forced her laughter down. "Oh. You are serious. You really mean it."
"Yes," Rin said. Her cheeks warmed. "We can get to know each other better. You can teach me to make soba. We can redecorate your castle so it does not feel empty. You can bathe me and wash my hair, and I can wash yours too. We can be together forev…"
"Do not say forever, Kisaragi." Selene looked away. "You said that word before. I do not like it."
"Sorry. I will not say it again." Rin lowered her eyes. "But… do I need to come stay with you?"
Selene watched her carefully. "Be honest. Why do you want to move in with me?"
Rin held her arms close to her body. Her voice softened.
"Staying with you and Ice is safer. And peaceful. I do not want to deal with a lot of people. It is too much. Please let me move in with you. I promise I will be quiet."
Selene breathed in slowly. Then she nodded.
"My home is yours, Kisaragi. You can stay as long as you want. What is mine belongs to you too."
Rin lit up. "Really?"
"Yes. But first our fourth date."
"Okay. Then after the fourth date I will pack and come live with you," Rin said happily.
They walked forward together, as Rin finally found a way to escape the chaos around her.
Then sudden light flared in the distance. Fire rose in the sky like a glowing flower. Rin stared.
Then another fireball shot straight toward them.
Selene raised her hand and froze it before it reached them. It dropped to the ground as a block of ice.
"What was that?" Akari turned quickly.
"Fire turning into ice… that is so cool," Rin whispered.
But then more fireballs appeared. One after another.
They rained from above.
Selene acted fast. She created a dome of ice above them, shielding all three. Flames crashed against it and hissed.
"Why is it raining fireballs?" Rin grabbed Selene's arm, fear tight in her chest.
As she held Selene, the ice umbrella began to crack. Rin heard it clearly.
Crk. Crk.
The cracks spread like spiderwebs.
Selene's breathing grew uneven. Her hand shook.
"Selene?" Rin whispered.
The ice shattered.
Selene collapsed to the ground.