Only Losers Get Sick

"I hope you'll open up to me more than as time goes by... I know...I was grown when you found out...But I do think of you as my father utterly." Mia admitted with a blush, looking away. "You are...my irreplaceable Papa... I hope you can... one day trust me lots even... instinctively."

Her eyes found Kaimu's again as he trailed off, of course he thought of her a lot? He... Why was he blinking like this? Oh! Papa...loved Lakshmi? Has he told her?! She smiled so brightly, wondering about that when... it hit her what he was asking... What he was implying...

L-Love?! Did she... did she love... Masaru...? Is...

Mia's face grew more red as she let out another sound, unable to handle that thought in the least. The guest bathroom was right there and Mia dashed into it and shut the door behind her as she poofed away. D-Did she!?

No...that can't be right... she couldn't... she just cared for him a lot... L-Love was much... Placing her back against the door, she slid to the floor and then fell to her side as she curled up. No...no....nope...

His eyes widened some at her words, as she explained how important he was to her; it...made him really happy to hear that, and it was difficult for him to suppress that, but before any inkling of it could come to surface Mia froze at his question before she...

"A-Ah!? Mia!?" She'd bolted into the guest bathroom! This again!? He'd already dealt with this kind of thing with Lakshmi and now Mia too!? "Miaaa!"

"Do I love Masa?!" Mia's anguished and confused voice came from behind the door as she heard Kaimu call her name. She had no idea! Someone tell her, she just laid on the floor in a bubble of flustered and feelings and embarrassment. Also a dashing of anguish at her predicament.

She wished to poof far away, but had trapped herself in a bathroom again.. "Wh-Why do I always end up in bathrooms when I poof lately..."

"I-I don't know! That...That's something-!" How could he even begin to answer that!? Having this conversation...

It had been easy to admit his feelings to Lakshmi, but giving advice on this to his own daughter!?

There...There were ways to know, it was just something...something you needed to sort out through your feelings...

Mia sat up as an idea struck her, she scooted away from the door and opened it a peek. One violet eye stared out and up at Kaimu from the floor as she stared. She was confused and worried and her Papa would help! "...How did you know? I mean... maybe I can figure it out... I don't...what love is really... I've never...never had someone before him..."

Papa was experienced, he would know for sure she felt because of that... So for her who had known nothing at all...how could she ever be sure?!

Kaimu blinked, moving to the wall and sliding down to sit on the floor as Mia peeked out from a crack in the door.

How did he know about his feelings?

"Ah...well...For me, I suppose I attach easy so after a time my feelings were already rather strong. Lakshmi, I'm pretty sure, is the same way. It's...you care deeply, you think about them constantly...y-you tend to put their feelings above your own most of the time, and you just want to...to be with them. It's...feeling those things...very strongly..."

It seemed like...a horrible explanation, but...that was...mostly what it was...

Mia listened to Kaimu's explanation with wide eyes. That...was...how she felt... He just described it. He described the feeling utterly...

Letting the door open, her hands went to her face as she fell over to the floor. On her side, she curled up and shook her head. "But...that's...what... I mean... how..."

It was too damned soon that was for sure! Kaimu and Lakshmi falling in love quickly was one thing...she assumed...before they got together they had cared and...she HAD had a crush on him before they went out...

Mia realized too late she had muttered that last part outloud and in turn became more horrified...

"That...it just...it's not something you can...can really see coming, it just happens most of the time." Kaimu tried to explain, his eyes immediately going to Mia as she fell to the floor in a ball.

They could probably be considered an amusing sight, both of them just...very un-composed and rattled on the floor...

She'd...

"I-It's not a...a bad thing, just...it's a big thing...sometimes it happens...fast..."

"B-But that's not fair! Its...not it should..be easy to see..." Mia muttered a bit sullenly, she didn't want this... She cared for Masa...no she loved him didn't she? She rolled on her back, holding her legs as she internally freaked at that thought.

"I didn't want it to though... I just want to...be by his side... If I love him, IF!, then...that makes things...complicated... Unless... unless I never tell him. Then he'll never feel bad!" Mia popped up, slapping her fist into her hand and looked determined. Someone like Masaru, who cared for her, could not love her... It would be bad for him... He'd get all entangled...she could just stay by his side for now and make sure he was happy.

"Aaah...what do I do...what do I do Papa..." Mia grabbed her head and curled back into her ball. What was all this confusion and flustered and...feelings... What was she supposed to do with it all?!

She didn't want it? Never tell him? She seemed pleased by that solution somewhat. Why...

"Y-You act like it's impossible for him to feel the same way back..." He commented, blinking again as Mia continued to look determined. "Hiding it is what would cause...trouble, Mia...that's what I think; it just...i-it builds up and..."

He was actually having this discussion with her!? He was already having this discussion with her!?

"I'm...well I'm me. I'm...not...He's so kind and caring... I wouldn't want... my love to push him towards something he doesn't want... Something he feels he might have to to make me happy... I'm fine with this." Mia nodded determinedly, she was not going to tell Masaru! "It...it is impossible for him to... At least...love. He likes me and I am fine with that! I'm happy with what I have... I can't...I can't ask for more..."

She sounded so heartbroken, laying there and stopping her movements as she stilled utterly. "I have family and friends and him... and its just... I don't want to press my luck more... I don't want it to all disappear and just been some sort of dream... or another surprise in the Library..."

"Y-...You do see how attached he is...right?" Kaimu questioned, "I don't think....love is impossible...for him..."

How was he having this conversation...

Mia sounded heartbroken to be saying that...and Kaimu brought a hand to her head, "It's not some dream, I can swear that...this...this is real life, one-hundred percent real... There's been... a lot of changes in your life, yes, but...it's all real, and I don't think...you should let those feelings build up..."

Even if he...didn't know how to act around Shirakawa, just from seeing them interact and from hearing how they acted from Lakshmi, it was...obvious he was pretty damn attached too...

"...H-He is?" Mia was utterly...just shocked at that pronouncement, looked up at Kaimu with the deepest red face. If...her papa was saying that... Love wasn't...impossible for him.... What...did that even...mean...


Even Kaimu's hand didn't help stop the shaking, her body just having lost its main coping method. Did Masaru love her too then? Was her Papa...in his roundabout way of saying that...right? She was...soothed though, her body relaxing onto the floor as he reassured her. It was all real then... She worried about it disappearing, she'd had nothing for so long she had almost forgotten it amidst all this happiness. So to worry it would all go away was awful again...

"So I should...tell him...? But I just...I just...found out...Sh-Shouldn't I make sure? Th-Thats what I feel. I m-mean it could be something else! So...I should wait..." Speaking quickly but also halting in odd places, Mia nodded and thought that yes, that was the best plan... Just wait. Wait for now...

"Y-You really don't see it..." Kaimu had thought it was obvious, but...he supposed he could understand, considering the way Mia had been speaking earlier about thinking it was impossible for Shirakawa...and how she thought it wasn't something he wanted...

Waiting...

"Waiting and making sure is alright, as long as...you don't purposely keep quiet about it to never bring it up...Maybe...P-Pay attention to how he acts to, try to read him even if it's hard...maybe you'll start noticing more..." If she started seeing how attached the noble seemed to be, maybe that...that would help.

"H-He just is a really nice person!" Mia defended her ability to not see it somehow, frowning and looking up at Kaimu. She looked away after a moment, turning more red if possible. How...could it be more than that... At all... he was nice and he really liked her...

It...didn't mean love did it? Or...strong attachment right? He just...was at ease with her...

So Kaimu saw through her plan... More reason to not look at her observant father. She just sighed... "Th-Thats...its hard. I always watch him... I always...pay attention to him... I haven't seen..."

...No...she had... Mia's face turned shocked, just a bit as she wracked her brain to think of just things she could use as fuel against Kaimu's words. Things that she could show as proof of no...

Nothing ever told her that though. He had...even said...princess...that one day... Mia sucked in a breath, covering her face.

"Niceness only goes so far..." Kaimu replied, his free hand moving to push his hair back; this conversation just...

If she always paid attention to him it shouldn't be...that difficult to see...

After she trailed off she seemed to doubt her own words, but he couldn't be sure if that was enough for her to see anything.

Kaimu was silent, waiting for her to gather her words again, hoping she would think more on this. Bottling it up wasn't good...

Mia fought with her brain, fighting those stupid parts of her that always paid attention to Masaru. To his many smiles and sweet urgings... His help whenever he could. His utter acceptance of her, all her nerdiness and all her weird habits and tendencies...

He only smiled like that for her... He was always paying as much attention to her as she was to him. Even...if it wasn't love... on his part... Was it? She...couldn't...imagine it... Masaru loving her was too odd...

But he did care so much for her. He... cared so much...

"He...does...doesn't he... Too... maybe..." Mia came to a conclusion, sounding defeated but relieved at the same time...

"I think it's highly...highly possible..." Kaimu replied, unable to really give her a straight yes or no on that. He wasn't Shirakawa, so he had no way of knowing for sure, but the attachment was obvious.

Mia just had to see that for herself... With her words now though, maybe now that she'd admitted that she could...notice more things...

"...I..." Mia moved, sitting up and flushing as she stood quickly. Way too quickly, blood rushed from her head as she stumbled a bit and shook it lightly.

"How do... I face him now... I...just I love him Papa and I am so confused. How...did you deal with your feelings? Does... Does she know?" Now she stared down at Kaimu, raising an eyebrow. Had he told her yet? If he hadn't and was giving her advice... then she wouldn't have to take it!

"I-If you...admit it, it may be a relief to do so...to get it off your chest and out in the open, it...can be hard to, but...facing him, just act the way you normally do, or try to around..."

Did Lakshmi know? Of course she knew they were...

Well, that definitely wasn't something he could tell Mia just yet; even he and Lakshmi weren't entirely used to the idea that she was...

"Lakshmi knows, she kind of...accidentally gave her own confession, and I responded. I just needed to be sure that was how she felt before I did so..."

"But...what if...what if he doesn't? Just... it's...possible... I want to stay with him and if I do that it could...ruin everything..." Her voice soft and scared, she wrapped her arms around herself but didn't move back to the floor. She just had to act normal around him for now... Could she!?

A switch in subjects was a nice thing and Mia latched onto it.

"Oh... That's good that she told you." Mia smiled warmly, glad her Papa and his girlfriend had done that at least... Though she had a thought as her eyes widened and she pointed. "W-Wait that's not fair! You are telling me... I should...when you didn't even yourself?! Y-You said it yourself...you had to be sure how she felt! S-So... How...can you expect me to?"

"I-I said watch him and pay attention to his actions...his words!" Kaimu replied; that's how you made sure! He'd told her to do that! She could keep it to herself until she felt more reassured!

"I don't think...you'll have much of a problem, with...him feeling that way...considering how he acts...his feelings can sometimes be quite obvious..." As he'd said, the noble was obviously attached, and it was a strong attachment...that wasn't just the simple feeling of "liking" someone, that was more...

"But you never got sure enough! She had to confess after keeping it hidden for a while! Lakshmi told us that night that we um... She told us!" Mia pointed out, stuttering and wringing her hands. "S-So...you were...keeping it for a while then if you did... Since she didn't want us to tell you!"

"H-How come they are so obvious to everyone else... I notice...but its hard for me to see and think that... Wh-Why me...of all people... Masaru's...always been around others... But... He was the first...person I ever fully opened up to..." Mia cried softly, sniffling as she tried to figure this out. She knew...why she loved him... now that she knew it was love...

But why would he love her? Why? What had she done... He was assured to have had people who crushed on him before! What made her different?!

"I knew...somewhat, it wouldn't have taken me that much longer if she hadn't confessed! I was already mostly sure!" He'd just needed a little bit more to be fully! Then...Then she'd confessed before then!

Kaimu was quiet as Mia continued speaking, his hand still in her hair as he tried to provide...some comfort.

"You might not notice because...you're the one the feelings are being directed towards, but..." Kaimu replied; yes...Shirakawa was probably surrounded by others a lot, but...

"How did you get almost fully sure then?! What exactly did you seee?!" Mia needed to know the answer to this mystery! If Kaimu knew details of how to tell then someone loved you then she needed this mysterious power and insider knowledge!

He...Papa just seemed so utterly sure... Should she just trust him? Let him...lead her?

"...So you...really think...he loves me?" Mia fell backwards, her hair falling around her in a dark cloak of her own making... If...Kaimu answered this...this would determine her own actions...