Inspired by Yuuji/Sachi past moments from Grisaia no Kajitsu-Sachi's Route

NO TIME-TRAVELLING, DO NOT BE FOOLED

An insert accompanying Ask and Dare 9, a dare by Clyde.

Assumption: Albeit with their faces just like in the game, both Lylia and Harith will be around 16 or older.

---Harith's PoV---

"S...Slow down, please..."

I tried to hide my actual reactions and a little stinging pain that started to emanate.

In front of me was the dark magician girl (not from YuGiOh though) Lylia, a mischievous, strong and rebellious little girl, but is studious and cute as well. Though, the first parts were so dominant that I could eventually expect this to occur.

She held on me tight, and we moved together in synchronization, each moving pace made ourselves move faster and faster.

Well, I'm used to dashing so it's not a big deal...

But, the real problem comes on what she's holding right now;

Dang...it hurts...

.

.

.

She held...no...to be honest and blatant, she PULLED my hand...and she moved so quickly that I felt a very vast force coming over my arms...

Well, I expected that she might be a prodigy when it comes to magic, but for her to have THIS kind of strength...are you kidding me?

If it was not for my sudden dash, her first pull could made me fall down and blatantly I will be pulled like someone pulling slaves above the ground...

I will not try to think about that.

---

So, according to the dare, I have to spend my day with Lylia today, and she suggested that she wanted to go to the park, and pulled me with her towards the destination.

Not that I don't like it, but she really is childish in a good way. She said she didn't want to grow up like an adult, and yet both of us are just one step away to be adults, we're on our teen ages. 

And here we are, in a park full of little "games" that is suitable for kids. Seesaws, slides, swings, climb lattices, and many more.

Despite the fact that it is weird, I am hesitant to give out critics or showing displeasures, there must be some reasons why she really wanted to enjoy her times like this.

Ah, back to reality, at first I was dragged into the see-saws, probably one I least expected her to drag me with.

With my light weighted body and my magic, I can easily control my weightforce down the seesaw, and that makes the seesaw really balance out outright, constantly going up and down to one side and the other. It was probably a bit boring, at least that was for me, but for Lylia, it was something different...

A flash of bright, hearty laugh and smile could be seen from her mischievous yet cute face. She really enjoyed this, despite it seemed like it's suitable no more for her.

Despite me being not so romantic as my father and mother...no...cross it, they are not that romantic, but they loved each other...well, not so romantic as Lancelot and Odette (much better...), I could deduce that the smile and laughs are not forced at all. It was so genuine. so real that sometimes seeing it just make my heart flutter.

I tried to hide the blush though since I was dared not to blush too much...

After the seesaw moments, she dragged me towards the climbing lattice...

"Hey, do you want to compete?"

"Eh?" I replied.

"Let's compete on who can reach the top first. Loser must buy the winner ice cream."

Well, it's not like I didn't enjoy that, but well, if she said that she wanted to challenge me, it would be polite to just go with it, right?

"Hm...okay then, you're on!"

---

Surprisingly...or is it actually not surprising at all?...I lost the challenge, even my dashes can't do the job...

Well...it's climbing, not dashing...my chrono dash means almost nothing here...

So yeah, a deal is a deal, and so I just treat her to an ice cream.

So far, we just looked like two best friends spending time together in the playing ground. Maybe that's because we looked so young despite our age. Had it been a bit older, we might look like...a..c...co...couple.

Just thinking about that heated up my cheeks.

"Harith? Are you okay?"

I woke up from my trance and noticed Lylia looking at me, seemed like she had just finished her ice cream...

Wait...that was fast! Or did I put myself in trance for too long?

"It's getting quite late now, what do you think if we take on the swings now?"

She really wanted to enjoy things to the max, eh?

However...

"Wait a minute..."

I gently took a  handkerchief from my pocket, gently hold her shoulder and wiped the small specks encircling her lips, not trying to smear her lip gloss (or is it lipstick? She surely had her way with makeups from an early age...).

"Thank you, but it wasn't too necessary anyway." She said nonchalantly. "C'mon, the sun is setting!"

Sighing in defeat, I just followed suit. Looks like my act of little care didn't mean anything to her, or maybe?

---

We finally took on the swings, just two regular, one-seated swing. The two of us began to rock the swings up.

Starting slow, narrow, and low...then rocking it higher, wider, faster, until the point that we're practically swinging insanely high. It's a bit frightening, but as long as I could see her laughing and smiling all the way, that fright was nothing.

Uh...so cheesy...

Anyway, I didn't realize that actually our swings didn't rock high anymore, we didn't need a sign, but apparently both of us rocked our swings slower and slower, unlike before. The laughs died down, and suddenly it was replaced by an awkward silence.

At least, not for long.

https://youtu.be/ubdEqOHlvbM

"Harith?"

"Yes." I turned, facing her, she's still looking up while rocking her swing slowly, smile still visible on her face.

"I know it might be just a dare, but, thanks for accompanying me all the time today." Lylia said. "That meant a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Lylia." I replied softly. "At least you seemed to enjoy it, from the beginning until now." 

Just then, I realized she rocked the swing very slowly, and jumped off just then, her back facing me.

"Lylia?"

"When I was younger, I never had the chance to enjoy all of this." Lylia stated, still having her back facing me. "I was always on my home, practicing my magic that has been descended upon my family, who took it for a granted seriousness. I would have been studying, and studying, all the time, training as much as I can, so that when I grew up later, I would eventually master my magic."

I couldn't say anything to all that. I started to tremble imagining if I was in her position in the past.

"But, I wonder what will I do when I mastered it, and when will I?" Lylia stated. "I once tried using it with other magic, including your father's."

I remembered my father mentioning about that.

"I fused my magic with your father's, but then he was suddenly injured because of it. Many other people scorned me for my decision. I was socially exiled, the other kids didn't want to play with me, and so I can't join them when they wanted to play." She said, her voice now started to tremble.

"L...Lylia..."

"Thus, when I said I didn't want to grow up, because being adult is so boring, I didn't mean that, really." She paused. "I'm just afraid, I didn't want to know how my future will be, when everyone already knew me as the mage with a dangerous magic, to be scorned and exiled like no other. I'm really afraid."

Hearing that, and finally I also jumped off my swing, and it was then she turned back, facing me, her eyes are now flooded with tears.

"Don't you hate me, Harith?"

"Eh?" I was dumbfounded.

"Don't you hate me? You knew that I was the cause for your dad to suddenly be injured severely?"

I just moved slowly towards her, slowly approaching her, maybe causing her to be frightened a little, but in the end I just stopped, and enveloped her in a hug.

"If I hated you, I wouldn't do all that happened this day, right?" I said nonchalantly. "Father said that it was not your fault. He just said that it was his recklessness that caused it. That's nothing for you to worry about. and besides..."

I released the hug, now putting my hands on her shoulders.

"I learned a lot about you today. All that childlike games we enjoyed together, the little competitions, all that wacky little adventures. You enjoyed it all with all your heart's content, didn't you?"

She nodded slowly.

"All of that, and the past that you had told me. That's already enough for me to finally realized it. It was a great idea for you to enjoy what you have missed during the childhood days." Harith said.

"Harith...you..."

"But..." I stated a bit more sternly this time. "I'm saying this as a time-traveler as well, Lylia. We can't avoid the future. There are only two choices, you face it, or you avoid it by stopping your life at all, which I believe will only cause regret."

"Why?"

"Think about it, you'll never have any chances like this if you choose the latter, right?" I said, still a bit sternly, but with much softness because I don't want to break her.

"But, my future...I can't face it..." Tears flowed down her face again, I think I broke her, but I have no choice, after all. I can't redirect her to the wrong path of unreality. 

But, there will always be a way out to every problem. I know it. And I know how for this one too, but, am I brave enough to say it?

Looking back, I had silently accompanying her in many her current days, she wouldn't be lonely anymore. I was there, but is it enough?

But, if I don't, will I ever regret it?

Ah, to hell with it!

"Then, Lylia..." I said as I took one of her hands, but not pulling it like what she did before. "Let's face it together."

"E..Eh...what do you mean?" She asked me in confusion.

"If you can't face your future alone, then let me accompany you to face it." I said. "That way, you won't feel like you'll be exiled anymore."

"B...But you...your future..."

"What about it?" I said. "It's not like I know how my future would be. I'm not going to time-travel to the future as well. What I know is that I can change the future from the present time. If my future is entangled with yours, then so be it." I said wryly with a little snicker on my part.

Lylia's face are still wet with tears, but her lips slowly curved up into a smile, just like when she was enjoying her time at the park.

"You make it sound like you're declaring yourself to be together with me, indirect confession, I guess?"

Now the tone changed, her soothing tone now changed to be one mischievous tone. I realized what I had spoken and blushed fiercely.

"I...I..."

All of a sudden, she pulled me closer to her, her arms circling around my neck, and her lips suddenly collided with mine.

I was too shocked, but later I did enjoy it. Her lips are sweet, is it because of the ice cream earlier? My mind was a bit on an overheat to ever process such an assumption. Blushes still can't leave my face. That dare was too hard for me, especially in this occasion!

It wasn't very long, rather, we didn't want it to be so long for our first, at least from my perspective, I don't know from hers.

"Harith, the reason why I can speak all of this is because it is you." Lylia said. "I would never speak all of them if it wasn't you that is with me."

She paused for a moment.

"You'll the first person that broke me from my shell, no matter how annoying I can be. You didn't scorn me when I kept pushing you away. And I never felt lonely anymore. That alone just made me realize that I could actually share everything I know, everything I feel, everything I had endured from the beginning of my life." She said. "If you're willing, I would like to share our future together, too."

She gripped my hand, tight now. An assurance look also complimented it. And of course, I also meant all my word. I would not back down now with everything that had ensued.

"Then, Towards the future, together!" I exclaimed with a sneer, making her laugh for a bit at the sudden silly exclamation.

The sun finally set, and we walked together to Kage's mansion, hand-in-hand, without realizing that we had caused a scene.

---FIN---

---Kage's Mansion---

"There you have it." Natalia said.

"Now, I'm not confused why you are tearing up back then, Nat." Lunox said, her own eyes are also tearing up right now. "It was so beautiful, their interaction."

"W...What...how did you get that?" I asked while blushing really hard.

"Well, the stalker queen would always strike in your unexpected times, right?" Fanny said. "Oh well, hopefully you mean what you said."

"Uh, sure I do..."

I expected a scream of "SHIPPPPP" following that remark, but I think everyone's already that touched that I think Kage had to restock his tissue stock...

---FIN---

Took me a whole day to write this. I suck at romances and always ended up writing cheesy lines.

Oh, and did I just realize that somebody requested another lemon for me to make? OMG... such reputation I have XDD.

Anyway, I already received a bounty of AnDs, and I'll get on it ASAP when I got the time, I'm now counting down days before the start of the winter semester, which means less time to update, but let's just see.

Thank you and see you soon!

Kage