《Maou Decides to Write a Shoujo》 r1 | --Re: Opening Act-- It was a big venue. You can see a gathering of people as the glamorous lights light up the hall on a good Sunday night. The stage was only a small are compared to the whole function room. At the sides were catered dinner, beverages, liquor. The event staffs handing out glasses of champagne could be seen almost everywhere. As the scenery goes anyone could only think that this was an event only for those with higher standing at the society. Middle-aged people wearing suits, young-looking women on glamorous dresses, jewelry, gold-plated watches, almost everything. He was a man at twenties. Leaning his back on a pillar near one of the beverages table, it was pretty obvious he was trying to look cool and trying to fit in. A clich¨¦d combination of ''can you spot the plot-related character in the crowd?'': rugged jeans, simple leather jacket with a white in-shirt, his anxiousness clearly showed on his face. Will he be able to fit in with this crowd? -is what he had in mind. ¡°Sigh... Look at you... That''s why I¡¯ve been telling you to dress up. It¡¯s not like you have to lose a great deal considering what you earned from this event.¡± The girl had a young body but could be considered well-endowed despite her age. Her fair complexion contrasted from the white dress she was wearing with a slit up to the lower part of her left thighs. She also had a black wavy hair that ranged just below her shoulder, silver eyes, and burning red lips. She was not falling behind the man considering the height difference but also not that tall enough to be considered a model candidate. She¡¯s standing beside the man holding a glass but not wine. ¡°I don¡¯t wana hear that from a girl who can¡¯t even handle her liquor well.¡± ¡°Handling liquor and buying good clothes for an organized event are two different things, you can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Come on, you know this is the only set I¡¯m comfortable with. I don¡¯t want to risk being compared to those men in suits.¡± He sipped on his champagne. He looked at the droplet from where he sipped as it slid down from the glass he was holding. ¡°Say¡± ¡°Mhm¡± ¡°Where do you wanna go after the event?¡± The man wanted to go home and take a good night rest. He was not that tired-looking yet he tried to insist on going somewhere other than the event. But as much as he wanted to, the woman tried her best to stop him by shutting down his argument.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°You really might want to finish this event first instead of having ridiculous plans like ditching.¡± ¡°Hey I said after didn¡¯t I? Eeeh do I really have to?¡± ¡°You¡¯re already contradicting yourself--¡± Without the woman doing that much talking, the ridiculous plans of the man to ditch the event were stopped by an inanimate force called reality: It was the fact that the event was purposedly set up for him. The night was for him and him alone. It was a sudden interruption. A huge bang on the speakers were followed by a grand orchestra music interrupted the busy venue. The volume lowered after a few more seconds followed by dimming of the lights. A single light was left opened and focused on the left side of the stage where a supposedly commentator can be seen. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! We hope you are already enjoying our venue tonight, first of all we would like to thank our sponsors¡­.¡± It was an endless flow of words and thanks coming from the commentator. It was an awarding ceremony for manga artists, not really a big event but it was an event essential for new aspiring artists who submitted entry oneshot mangas. Winners will be awarded and will be granted a chance to advance on the path they have taken. ¡°And without further adieu, let us announce the winner ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ Oneshot contest. Mr. Maou Spence. Everybody give him an applause.¡± Lights suddenly turned off. A narrow one suddenly turned on to his direction spotting only him within the entire area. He was supposed to proudly show his face but that was not the case. Covering his eyes with his left arm while holding the glass on the right, he shouted in pain of being suddenly blinded by lights that split-secondly focused on him from the darkness: ¡°Ouch Ouch!! Hey I told you not to do that, my eyes are sensitive to light.¡± There was a small laughter on the crowd as he adjusted his eyes to the sudden brightness. The light was only enough to spot his body. The woman could only almost be seen standing by his side. ¡°Phew... just don¡¯t go blurting out strange things there, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back and grab you out of here, we¡¯ll go to a place you¡¯ve never been before, ¡®kay?¡± -He tried to sweet talk her despite the way they talked a while ago. It was something scripted he planned to say to liven up the crowd. He said that and hand over the glass to a staff and proceed to the stage. There was a large applause that accompanied his walk towards the stage. With both his hands inside his pocket, slouched a bit, one could see a hardworking figure that spent half of his life writing. This was his break though. It was then when he didn¡¯t noticed one of the chords slightly elevated for some reason. He tripped of course. Losing his balance, he tried as much to gain back posture but his inertia won¡¯t let him. It was when he bumped into someone and they both fell down. The soft sensation can be surely felt as one looked on the scene. Of course the light was still focused onto them. It was a well-endowed lady wearing quite a revealing dress too. His head was pressed onto her chest and his left hand holding and feeling one of the huge rounded bosom. Everyone on the venue except for the girl in white was shocked, meaning she already knew a sort of thing like this would happen. She covered her face and ended with a sigh. After feeling it a few more times he came to a realization and rose his read up. ¡°Somebody tell me this isn¡¯t being broadcast at nat tv right now.¡± ¨Cnot the realization we expected though. There was a large shout at the venue followed by a sound of the most painful slap that night. r1 | --Prologue: Twilight Mytherion-- --Twilight: Mytherion-- Maou, Post Human-Demon War Demon Capital, Kingdom Mytherion It hurts, it surely hurts. I was a demon if not a man, clad in heavy armor, shallow breathing, and blood dripping. I never knew being stabbed by a holy sword would hurt this bad I wanna cry my lungs out... It came down to this. I know I shouldn¡¯t let them see this pathetic side of me, but being stabbed like this kind of forces me to. I showed a faint smile. I slowly moved my aching body towards her, trying to reach out my arms to gently embrace her feeble body. My vision was so blurry that I can only see faint signs of confusion. Ah, please don¡¯t make that kind of face. This is not the time to be hesitant, now that you have plunged this sword towards my body. It¡¯s not like I can still do a thing at my current state. I slowly looked sideways, left then right. I could only see ruins everywhere. So this is what clashing of two powers lead to. I can only imagine the amusement of the Gods of this twisted world. Hey don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s Second General in command Minos lying right there. ¡­. Ah, Third General Orcas too. ¡­. Morgianna¡­ good to see you¡¯re still alive. I gathered strength in my guts to talk. It seemed like my subconscious was only the thing that was pushing me to still see her, Yuusha... The Hero ¡°S-So this is it for me, huh?¡± ¡­. ¡°I was too close to it too, world domination, I guess.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I tried to hide my real intentions with those words. But... I could only see what I could only think to as tears falling from her eyes. It should be a face of someone who could finally see through the real me. Though my vision continued to fade away, I knew I would be able to remember that beautiful, close to perfection face. Golden hair that glowed radiantly even with the smallest ray of light, deep blue eyes as deep as the color of a calm ocean, lips glossed with crimson red, smooth snow white skin. Ah, such a waste to see you cry. I have lived a life long enough for a demon king. I¡¯ve seen countless of wars where neither sides achieved complete victory at the end. It had always been like this. Age per age, generation per generation, never did the fighting cease. Being aware of this at a young age (demon race basis) had led me to want to put an end to this endless cycle. World domination was just a front for my true intentions. But my naivety always got ahead of me, which led me to the situation I am in now. What really was my goal? When did everything went astray? Slow, heavy breathing. I could feel massive amount of blood leaving my body. All I wanted to achieve was for the war to stop, and for this girl standing in front of me to acknowledge my intentions. I couldn''t even feel my muscles anymore. A chill slowly crept through my body. I know I was going to die. This was a holy sword we¡¯re talking about. Strength had finally left me and I started to crash down but that¡¯s not the case. Melancholy... Tears started to fall through my cheeks. Happiness... I knew it was her supporting me. The warmth of someone. The heat of a human body that I could feel even with the thick armor I am wearing. It was her, Yuusha, the Hero. ¡°Since when?¡± Words could not even describe the happiness I¡¯m feeling¡­ You¡¯re finally speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t need sweet talk. I need answers¡± Oh, right. Insight* was the skill. It lets someone read through the opponent¡¯s thoughts. It surely was unfair to have someone acquire an ability of such. Felt like cheating. I replied using my thoughts: It will be better for us to talk this way. She doesn¡¯t answer, I guess she¡¯s ready to listen. Since the beginning of this war. Or, rather, even way long before that. Very little words were exchanged, but I knew we both knew what we were talking about. I continued speaking my thoughts. Morgianna is a loyal follower. Now that both second and third in command have been deceased, she will be the direct highest representative of the demon race. Not even the dark factions will be able to oppose her. Please treat her well. All of my last will and plans laid out will be carried on by her. This should put a lid to an aging war. It was almost time. I heard her speak again. ¡°Grant me one last answer¡± I fell silent. I knew this question was coming. She opened her mouth and continued talking for seconds. I knew Morgianna was using Hearing Enhance* to hear what we were talking from afar, but this time it was being blocked by Yuusha''s ability. I assumed it is safe enough to finally speak. I answered her question truthfully. It was a long ten seconds for me but I were able to speak everything out before her ability''s duration ran out. I said it again to confirm everything: ¡°Yes, from the very start, I¡ª¡± Twilight.
r1 | Ch1-1 He never really thought about it. --Chapter 1¡ª Modern Earth 20xx I. He never really thought about it. It had been almost 2 years since he started living on this town. It was a town near the foot of the mountains. Though it was a remote area, technology and area development wasn¡¯t really delayed from main city. There was a railway that ranged from the main city to the remote towns and one of the stations was located there. There were a few hiking and tourist spots. Most waterways were developed too. At the town¡¯s borders ranged a huge crop field that spanned hectares of land towards the next town. It really was a great scenery if one would be able to climb a cliff, sniff the fresh province air at the clifftop park, and take a photo. The brightest of the sun that day could be felt by anyone outside. One should really need to hydrate and find themselves a shade of a tree or a waiting shed, unless carrying an umbrella. The park was not really that big, but at that moment there were some tourists sight-seeing at the scenery provided by nature. Besides the people touring the place, he could be found sitting at one of the cottages near the cliff-side. Cicadas were noisy, Dragonflies tried to battle the wind blowing against the direction they were flying, A cat was purring beside him. ¡°Come to think of it, this was really a sudden decision.¡± Sweat droplets skid down Fred¡¯s face. ¡°I never really thought about it... Didn''t I?¡± Frederie Spence. It was a name that he came up with when he first arrived in this town. A name to cover up for his real identity just in case people of this land foreign to him knew about his real identity. It took him half a year to process citizenship within the country, and another six months to finally settle on this town: earning money and paying tax included. He started with zero so climbing his way up was really a hell of an experience.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. This was an exact opposite of the life he experienced on the place he lived on before this town where he had everything he needed. He lived a life of luxury, royalty, and evil. But thinking about that change didn¡¯t bother him anymore. Whistling He held a mid-sized canvas board and a pencil. He was not the best, but also was not on the average. He¡¯s just as good as any other artist you can find beside the train station, providing free drawing service out of hobby. Whistling The figure he¡¯s drawing was neither a realistic human sketch, nor a scenery of the town below. It was a cute girl on a sailor uniform, with big rounded eyes, cute lashes, pouty lips, glittering background and hands positioned below her chin doing a cute pose. It seemed like something you picked out of a cartoon series and put on a canvas board Several tens of meters below the cliff he could see clearly a rooftop of a high school building. Not much student would like to spend their lunch at the rooftop at this time of the day. It would feel like witch being burnt at stake. But it being uncrowded also meant that someone will use it either for cutting classes or for confession purposes. The idea was simple: you sleep at an available shade or you bring a girl at the rooftop, then you confess. And what was instructed to him was right: People should be there. Afar from the cliffhe could already see a couple of young ones flirting behind the block of the roof deck entrance. It was a blind spot from a different point of view but of course it was not if you¡¯re a spectator from a far higher place. The angle was perfect He could see the girl blushing as she¡¯s being pushed to the wall by the guy. I really get the feeling I¡¯m doing something illegal. Or wait¡ªisn¡¯t it them doing something bad? This really feels like watching either a confession or an extortion, or rather blackmailing? Or maybe... An assault!! ¡°¡ªOr not. She seems like she¡¯s having fun. This really is real-time flirting.¡± Applying finishing touches to his sketch, he took gulped his cold drink empty and threw it to the trash can. He almost made the shot count though. He stood up and went the direction of the trashcan, picked the trash up and put it where it should belong. Carrying a sling bag, he covered his vision with the shade of his arm, and looked at the scene again. ¡°Kabedon, huh? Sure looks fun. This world really has it easy.¡± His phone rang. A picture of a girl winking while sticking out her tongue could be seen. Her hair is bob-cut with the shade of mahogany. But what¡¯s alluring was her well-developed proportions. ¡°Ara, huh?¡± Letting out a sigh, he answered the phone. ¡°There won¡¯t be any single moment where you will not monitor me isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°WHEEEERE AAAAAARE YOOOOOU??!!¡± ¡°Yes, yes I¡¯m going home now~¡± ¡°It has been 4 hours since you left the unit and you still haven¡¯t even notified me?!!¡± ¡°Yes, yes I¡¯m going home now~¡± ¡°Wait wha¡ªcome on! You can¡¯t tell me the exact sentence twice using the same tone! Come home I miss you!!¡± ¡°sigh¡± ¡°Eh?! Don¡¯t give me that!! You have piles of work to do here!!¡± ¡°Yes, yes I¡¯m going home now~¡± He could be seen walking out of the park while talking to the phone, repeating the same exact sentence every time answering.
r1 | Ch1-2 A unit full of happy people, and a former demon. II. A unit full of happy people, and a former demon. The route towards the clifftop park was a short upward trail. Climbing consumed energy but going down the main roadwaseasy. Fred just finished talking to Ara over the phone and hang up. He had a freshened look after that sightseeing and a quick sketch. He could feel the cool breeze as he walked down the slightly paved road covered by the shade of tall trees that stretch out their branches. The light that passed through the leaves gave a mysterious glow within the area. It truly was a majestic sight. This town really is a beauty. I can only compare this scenery right now to the vast elven forest at East Continent. Having a nostalgic expression while still walking, he didn¡¯t realized the range of the trees ended and he was now exiting to the main road. The next span of houses could be seen nearby. The sidewalk was not that wide that only a couple could walk side by side while holding hands. It seemed like a long walk towards the center of the town but Fred is quite used to it. Looking at him will make one guess he had been walking same distances daily. He finally arrived at a convenience store. The center of the town looked more civilized than one can imagine. The population was not that big but there were establishments everywhere. From food shops, to supermarkets, to appliance centers. A convenience store was a sure pick for Fred due to accessibility and easy-prepared food. They also sold energy drinks, so he picked up a bunch. After paying at the cashier and exit the convenience store, he was now carrying a huge bag full of food and beverages. Carrying it to the unit he¡¯s living must be tiring to an extent, but he didn¡¯t look like it though. It still took a 15-minute walk before he arrived at an apartment unit. It was not an apartment that could be considered high class, nor a shabby one. It was a generic model, two-storey, and consist of 4 doors. Total of 8 tenants including the landlady. His unit was located at the second floor and the second door. A black card written ¡°Spence¡± was posted beside the door which indicates it should be Fred¡¯s apartment. The door was not locked. He entered the unit and the very first thing he did was to sniff the aroma coming from the kitchen area. Ah, as expected, she¡¯s here again. ¡°AAH!! FRED¡¯S HERE!!¡± He could hear a shout from the living room coming from a lively-voiced person. That was supposed to be Ara. Fred removed his sandals and entered the living room. A not-so-spacious area that had a typical set of furniture: a sofa, center table, TV, and a girl with twin drills lying on the floor. Yes a living girl with twin drill hair lying on the floor¡­ ¡°Seems to be missing one¡­¡± A sudden embrace from behind. SOFT SOFT SOFT!! Fred felt a soft sensation at his back. And it¡¯s still pushing. We are not really on good terms, but I thank you God for this meal. Wait do I, a former Maou, really thank God? ¡°Where have you been?! I¡¯ve been missing you since you left. How could you leave me alone here!¡± ¡°Never did you once considered Kyrie there as a living human, eh?¡± It was still pressing, her breasts it is. Ah so soft I feel like being sandwiched by a pair of gigantic cotton pillows. I¡¯m very sorry Ara, I really have no intention of falling in love with you but please let me use your sister mode (aneki) for my fantasies. Fred¡¯s thoughts contradicted with what his face shown. Inside he¡¯s like a teenager experiencing most of his youth being embraced behind by a well-endowed teacher or council president. Masking himself with a nonchalant character, he continued speaking to Ara as if not feeling her pressed body behind him. ¡°Words are rich coming from someone who misses me yet called me only once this past 4 hours.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Hmp!¡± she pouted. Having a loss for words she decided to creep on Fred¡¯s side like a snake circling on its prey. Fred felt the heat of her breath when she passed on his nape and kept steady breather on his left ear. A steady whisper ¡°Ya like Jazz?¡± GOOSEBUMPS! ¡°HEEY!!!¡± He forced himself out of this entanglement and finally lost composure. ¡°I¡ªI¡ªI told you to stop doing those kinds of things! You are to defenseless for a girl on her late-teens!¡± The erotic feeling finally vanished within the room. The happy-go-lucky girl is Ara. She was an eighteen sweetie living right below Fred¡¯s unit. Aside from her alluring traits, she could, at times be an airhead. She always dressed loose shirts at home and always acted defenseless, especially when interacting with Fred. The bob-cut hair with mahogany color really fitted her character. She moves too much: a character that won¡¯t stay in place even for a few minutes even if told too, really childish. She casually turns 180 when with Fred, acting like a mature sister figure doing erotic things like what just happened, you won¡¯t know if it¡¯s to tease him or it¡¯s really just the normal her. She could be both a child and a lady given the situation. I can never get used to this. That same time the silence within the room went. A sudden sound stopped it. It was the sound of the television. It was the late afternoon news. So much as Ara wanted to flirt Fred but this situation really killed the mood. The girl lying on the floor a while ago now sat near the center table. Funny though, there is a sofa beside her. She didn¡¯t used it. The name of the girl was Kyrie. There was always this mysterious air around her. She¡¯s a very silent girl and still didn¡¯t talk even if you feel it was the right time to speak out. It was also very creepy that she just suddenly smiles out of nowhere. She sometimes had casual gestures, then moves so suddenly. She did things without a single heads up. Despite the character, she was someone who quickly adapted to everything. A genius, a coming of a prodigy that appears few times every ten years. She wore afrilly white and black dress that she often referred to as ¡°Gothic Lolita¡± or some sort. Her twin drills were hanging and lenghts just below her shoulder. She had a slender body, and an small figure despite her age. ¡°¡±Kyyyyrieee. You always kill the mood! You don¡¯t even like Fred. Why do you always get in my way of flirting him?¡± ¡°I like him¡± A small, monotone voice was heard from her. It was like an event that comes once every hundred years. The people on that unit was overwhelmed with an unexplainable aura. The woman on the kitchen smirked. ¡°You don¡¯t ''like'' like him¡±, continued Ara ¡°I ''like'' like him so it¡¯s okay for me to act this way¡±, she further continued ¡°I ''like'' like him so much that i just want to tease him that I like like him!¡± and she further continued. ¡°Hey what¡¯s with the last sentence? You jest, you do this all the time. And hey, don¡¯t give me that I¡¯m pitying you smile Kyrie, creeps me out.¡± -Fred said as he tried to stop them from arguing any further. An ¡°I¡¯m pitying you¡± smile really could be seen on Kyrie as Fred tried to talk himself out of the situation. This was a common scene between Ara and Kyrie. They¡¯re not enemies nor love rivals. They¡¯re also not arguing over. In fact, they are close friends already, which includes Fred too. It is the type of friendship that both are close enough that teasing each other to that extent is normal. ¡°Geez, both of you.¡± Fred walked towards the center table and put down his sling bag. He sat at the sofa and started watching. The lazy Kyrie crawled towards the bag and bring out its contents. ¡°Humu, as expected of Maou Spence-sensei.¡± Looking at the canvas board Kyrie looked with a face on content. Ara also approached and took a glance. Letting out an ¡°Oooh, this sure is talent.¡± A cute blushing highschool girl was being pushed towards the wall by a boy. It was a typical confession scene for teens on that country. The mechanics are simple: Both parties read the mood > boy pushes girl towards the wall > confess when the time is right. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve been out for hours. That high school near that park really helps you out with ideas. You can see all kinds of references for your work at a bird¡¯s eye view.¡± ¡°You, really¡­¡± They looked at Kyrie as she speak ¡°You really can draw anything we teach you, huh?¡± Living a life of royalty provides one a lot of teachings and professions to master, one of which was Art. One of the required classes Fred had to attend when he was at a young age was painting. There, sketching was one of the skills required. Learning something required massive repetitions of the process itself. Fred grew quite fond of painting that it naturally became his hobby. There were times that he would sneak out of the castle to draw a scenery at the outskirts of the Demon Capital. This was what he really liked to tell the two of them, but he decided not to. As he tried to find the right words to answer them regarding his sketching skill, a familiar aroma came from the kitchen that reset his train of thought¡­ ¡°Beef stew,¡± Fred spoke. The woman at the kitchen turned the stove off and put off her apron. She finally finished cooking. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± Fred asks ¡°I cooked dinner¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you what do you think you are doing? ''Miss Landlady''?¡± It was just past 3pm. ¡°I¡¯m telling you we won¡¯t have any time to cook later on once you have started drawing again.¡± The three of them finally remembered something important. That thing was so important that the urgency could bring up fear on each of their faces. ¡°Crap I just remembered old man¡¯s face¡± Ara murmured. A flashback finally arrived at Fred. It was a memory around 10am when he first left the unit at that time. ¡°I¡¯m going to the convenience store to buy us some energy drinks. We just had an all-nighter and we still have few pages to finish.¡± ¡°Hm¡± ¡°¡¯Kaaay~¡± He went out of the room. The room in which the setup was not the normal one which you have a pajama party and spend all-nighters talking stories of love and fantasies. It was a studio type with 3 large desks, drawing materials, reeks of ink, and a place of eternal cramming. A manga artist studio. The door of the room was a meter behind the middle sofa at the living room. Fred suddenly jumped off the sofa and started running towards the room. Ara followed him skipping her way, while Kyrie walks as usual. ¡°My, my,¡± Ms. Landlady sighed. This scenario was how the apartment unit of Frederie Spence being used. It was always being filled with happy people, and a former demon. Frederie Spence, a former maou, now a manga artist.
r1 | Ch1-3 Maou decides to write a shoujo. III. Maou decides to write a shoujo. A few days before that, there was an ongoing meeting at the studio inside Fred¡¯s unit. ¡°You must realize what kind of pinch we are in right now.¡± ¡°I know, I know. Recently I¡¯ve been in this kind of slump haven¡¯t I told you guys?¡± ¡°Really bad, really bad. Fred, we¡¯re in a pinch, it¡¯s really bad.¡± The three of them were encircled on a free space besides the small table surrounded by small fuutonnear the bed. The room was spacious. At least for 4 people. There were furniture and bookshelves at the far side of the unit, clear windowed cabinets contains tools and stocks of drawing materials. Above those cabinets was a huge corkboard, spanning a range of two feet. Posted there were schedule sheets, random written ideas, some draft sketches mostly nonsense sketches done by Kyrie and photos: Those were photos of which taken months ago when Fred had just started his career as a manga artist. There were photos taken of them as a group, a solo photo of each, a photo of Fred with Ara, also one with Kyrie, and lastly, a photo with landlady wearing a white dress. The photo could be described as one taken on an awarding ceremony event as there were lettered placards behind them spelled ¡°Fresh Aspirants¡±. Fred was holding a trophy and a certificate while standing beside her. It was a memory fresh from 6 months ago. --- Going back to their ongoing discussion, Ara started a barrage of questions to Fred: ¡°We should not have any problems at this point. The things is... how can someone as talented as you serializes a manga, and end it after five months?¡± ¡°It was not an original work. I was tasked by the old man to serialize an ongoing novel.¡± ¡°But the original story was so good. Wait, what was the story again?¡± ¡°I just remembered it was a story about a girl travelling on a mysterious foreign land with her cat companion¡±, answered Kyrie in her usual monotone voice. ¡°The story was so good I felt bad for its manga adaptation being drawn by me.¡± ¡°That reason is not convincing enough.¡± ¡°If I were to draw a long running series, I¡¯d rather it is an original work. Adaptations can be tough.¡± Fred knew exactly what he was talking. Same applied at the world he previously lived in. Drawing an adaptation of an original work could be compared to painting scenes from a published novel, or stage play adaptations. Only true enthusiasts or critiques could determine whether the adaptation work had been executed good enough to be compared to the original. Eyes of normal fans wouldn''t be able to avoid comparison. They just let their own opinions speak out in public. The series introduced by the ¡°old man¡± to Fred was a good one, at least not at the bottom, nor at the top. Fred tried to do a few chapters to test how the people of this planet would react to adaptations. ¡°Well I tried, but it was really uncomfortable for me¡± Fred tried to mask his real reason. The series went on for 5 months. Fred set that time to avoid the reader¡¯s mindsets that ¡°It was a series that died really fast.¡±. Being accompanied by old man, they both went to the original novel author and gave their apologies for ending the manga adaptation too early. It was an apology accepted.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. By the time now you probably wondering who this ¡°old man¡± was, yes it was his editor. ¡°Besides, we have already sent our apologies to the novel author and he said it was okay. I really feel bad about it, but it was already done. Nothing more can change the outcome.¡± Landlady was sound asleep on Fred''s bed while they were having a meeting. The endless argument about Fred¡¯s failure of a serialization continued for a few more minutes. Cough! ¡°So, wrapping things up, all of us agreed we don¡¯t want to see old man that furious again.¡± They talked about a traumatizing experience. ¡°Humu~¡± ¡°It is about time you tell us the story about your award-winning one-shot and why don¡¯t you want to serialize the series.¡± Ara had always been active regarding team meetings and discussions. That was another completely different mode other than her klutz little sister and daring big sister mode. ¡°¡­¡± Fred stared blankly. He didn''t want to talk about it. It¡¯s clear as glass. ¡°I told you guys it was not a work that was appropriate to have a serialization.¡± Fred was being considerate towards the two of them. ¡°You are employed under me,that oneshot was not something that will run for a long period of time. Considering your situations, I will need something that will keep both of you employed for a long period of time.¡± Fred continued to give the two a sermon as Landlady lay down at his bed, now awake. ¡°This is something that you should have noticed both by now:¡± Fred made a brief pause: ¡°I¡¯m not good at writing stories.¡± Ara¡¯s jaw dropped on the floor while Kyrie¡¯s giving an I¡¯m pitying you smile again. ¡°Okay Ara¡¯s was expected but please don¡¯t always give me that look Kyrie.¡± Ara was so shocked it seems like life faded on her eyes. ¡°The award just happened--¡± And a hit by a flying canvas board. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit! You boy, have you hit your head somewhere? Want me to hit it again?¡± --was not something Fred would really want to hear from an 18y/o fresh grad but he kind of understands her fury. He went on and listen to her ¡°How did you even managed to win that award?¡± -Ara asked while pointing at Fred and Ingrid''s picture at the huge corkboard. ¡°Told you the award just happened to come.¡± --- 2 big lumps were now visible on Fred¡¯s forehead ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± ¨C asked Kyrie as she sipped on a soda How did she even have that? -Thoughts of the other two. The fridge was outside the room btw. ¡°Hey, hey, want me to help you write a story Fred?¡± Landlady¡¯s follow up comment. Silent but deadly. ¡°Landlady?¡± ¡°Miss Landlady!¡± ¡°Ingrid?!¡± Overwhelmed by the moment, the Ara, Kyrie and Fred questioned her surprisingly. --- There was a new challenger, Now, four of them were encircled on their meeting area. The Landlady, Ingrid, now sitting with them, have brought materials and reference books from her unit. Her unit was located on the innermost unit at the first floor. Fred was quite familiar with the materials she have brought. It was the same materials she have used six months ago when she have helped Fred on his one-shot. One of the articles he noticed that he hasn¡¯t checked on tackles about the demographics. Beside picking a genre of the story, you could also target a specific sub-category based on the gender and age of the readers, mainly listed below: Shonen ¨C boys of 8-18 Shoujo ¨C girls of 8-18 Kodomo ¨C children under 8 Seinen ¨C men 18-40 Josei ¨C women 18-40 Fred as he was when he had won the beginner one-shot awards, wasn¡¯t aware that he have written a shoujo category. Thatwas something he just gained knowledge now, and finally realized it. Back at his own world when he was still the great Maou, he spent some time reading literary works too so he was quite aware of the demographics. Back when he was first transferred in this world he had nothing. Landlady was the very first human he had met. He had no one to rely on. The very first year Landlady had to shelter him being an informal citizen ofthe country. He was a sad fellow. He lived his very first year weeping with the events on his past world that led him being transported here. It was back when Landlady helped him processing his citizenship and other important matters he needed to consider himself living stable at this new world we got in, she also let him borrow some of the manga volumes she bought. He was bewildered. Being someone who reads literary works, this was quite a different approach of writing. Mytherion literary books only had Mytherion alpabeths all through out: waswhat he thought of. Seeing a complete different approach had him a great shock. At the very first time on his life here, he saw something that piqued his interest. He decided and told Landlady that he was going for a one shot. Her name was Ingrid. Feeling nostalgic he fell silent. He looked onto his two assistants. Deducing was quite simple. Both of them are at their late teens and are both girls. ¡°Shoujo it is.¡± The three of them had satisfied looks on their faces.
r1 | Ch1-4 Deadlock Realizaton 1 IV. Deadlock Realization Frederie Spence, Modern Earth, 20xx It was a right after the fated encounter on the forsest south of the town center. Going down the mountains was not that much of activity compared to long-time expeditions and Demonic Campaigns at Mytherion. We went to the town proper. The design of the houses here surely differed to those at Mytherion, but the same concept still applied: there were pillars, walls, ventilation, means of entering and leaving, and a roof. The road was paved flat with some type of black sealant, it''s really rough. Unlike there, they used marble and flattened bricks. By the way it seemed that God has granted me communication skills with their native language. It allowed me to understand what she¡¯s been saying ever since we have met. Simple sentences, greetings and questions. It seemed I have proper grasp of it. The only thing I noticed was that I could not read characters, their alphabet. ¡°Here we are, this is the town proper.¡± The girl whom i¡¯ve met at the forest suddenly turned towards me, her mid lenght wavy hair swayed. Her silver eyes was illuminated by the moonlight. Her tanned skin complimented with the light color of the clothes she was wearing. It also emphasized her body proportions. If she was at Mytherion she could liven up a bar with some dance or performance. The very sight of her being itself will have normal individuals go crazy over her... But it¡¯s not something that could sway my heart. I looked at her with a blank expression as I tried to hide my indifference. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. It is about time you¡¯re telling me where did you come from.¡± I tried to do something, like, trying to show my lack of knowledge in this world. So I curled down and touched the black stuff that covered the road. ¡°Feels cool right? It could be really hot during the day due to its color, but asphalt sure is cold during the night.¡± So this this is called asphalt. The civilization here uses strange stuff. I could see multiple posts tied with strings. There could be around 50-100 pans* As I look up, she spoke again. ¡°Ah, those? Those are electrical posts. It supplies electrical power towards to whole town.¡± It was as if she¡¯s looking directly into my mind. The very first thing that entered my mind was: Insight* Realization came late to me. She might be an enemy. I built positioned my self further back on defense. She was rather confused than hostile. I¡¯ve never seen someone hide their hostility this perfect before. Is it rather because, there¡¯s no hostility at all? I have too minimal background knowledge regarding this world. If this innocence is real i should bring out as much information as possible from her. I let my guard down again. I was certain this was a complete different world than Mytherion, since it¡¯s ''that God'' we¡¯re talking about. But Istill wentjust in case I''d encounter someone here who had knowledge of Mytherion and my identity. ¡°Come, Frederie, you must be scared out there. You look like someone not from here. Walking around the forest late at night takes quite courage.¡± Calling me nicknames already, huh? Oh, wait, that¡¯s the alias I have told her from when we met up. ¡°Are you lost? You¡¯ve been crying.¡± Ah, there she said it. She had been quiet for a while. I did not know if she was just testing or observing me, but my swollen eyes were not something I couldhide without a mask. She could only think I was crying. Of course I¡¯ve been crying. I lost everything: My past, My Status, My companions, My loved ones. Besides, despite the amount of effort i¡¯ve put in everything: every plans, actions, ties, battles, I still died and was sent to this world where I have everything = zero. Furthermore, I was slain by Yuusha, The Hero. Ididn''twant to give away much details about my past, but if God has decided that I should learn something in life from this place that I haven¡¯t yet from Mytherion, then: ¡°I came from a different world. I don¡¯t know if magic is something available on this world, but it is something abundant from where I came from. It was a world where war exists, and the knowledge of parallel and other worlds have been proved and real.¡± --I¡¯ll take up your challenge. I¡¯ll show you a legacy: a story that will take you sitting Gods surprised rather than amused. ¡°Whoah...¡± Of course her jaw will dropped out of surprise. The question here on was: How much did she believe and how much information was she willling toshare. The night should be long. I started walking slowly, cutting the surprise she¡¯s experiencing. She understood my intentions and also started walking.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. --- The night was still ongoing. The road to her home, if that¡¯s where she intend to bring me, was long. I wondered how fast time goes on in this world. It really felt like a long time already. Back at Mytherion you could check time using Time Reading* ability,one which was given at anyone who turned age of ten. I wondered how they do it here. Lost by my train of thoughts, she started talking. ¡°If...¡± ... ¡°If what you are saying is all true, then I shall answer honestly.¡± She is way too innocent. I wonder what her age is. ¡°There are no traces of magic here. Those are just fantasy.¡± Shattered. She said it in a way easiest to understand. It was obvious that she¡¯s being considerate of my feelings keeping in mind the ''what if what he¡¯s telling is true'' way of thinking. She¡¯s a good girl. She continued talking. From what she summarized, this world was called ¡°Earth¡±, a star with a single moon orbiting it, and revolves around a much huge star called ¡°Sun¡±, along with 8 other planets. There had beenseveral ongoing wars but not much that it affects the daily lives of a great percentage of the population. Yes it was peaceful enough for people to live without thinking their town would be pillaged by the enemy¡¯s army. As far as her talking went, I came up with a fact that the magic is equivalent in electricity here. Most of the technology were being run through electricity. Like at Mytherion, items needed magic fuel to run.To the simplest lamps towards the biggest machineries, same went here: they just used electricity and some sort of liquid fuel instead of magic. As we walked under the light of the moon i noticed that we have already entered the part of the town abundant with houses. The designs were good, I admit. The light powered by electricity sure was a lot brighter than what we used there. I saw a silhouette of a family eating at a dining table behind the curtain of one of the windows. My family, huh? I left my family at Mytherion. I wondered how they are doing that moment. I wondered what happened after I died. The hero... I really hope she put a lid to the long-running war and even considered my final wish. I knew she would. I wanted to trust her with it. We passed the house with the silhouette. I missed my family and companions already. I maybe an adult but I¡¯m still a kid at heart. I hadn''t been long enough at this world that moment but I really missed them already. I miss my family... Shedding a tear, I continued to follow the girl. --- Her name was Ingrid, that¡¯s what she told me. Surprisingly enough, she¡¯s already nineteen. I was way older if it was to be compared to my age at Mytherion, but I wondered how much it equivalents here. We arrived at a simple building, a two-storey one. It was long and has a number of doors. Some windows have lights and some have none. I¡¯m kinda guessing what the building was. ¡°It¡¯s my apartment complex, I¡¯m the landlady apparently.¡± --was what the building was called as she turned towards me and smiled. She must have felt the unintentional sadness I¡¯ve been obviously showing while we¡¯re walking. She¡¯s very considerate and honest. I¡¯ve seen similar beings like that at Mytherion. Morgianna was one. Orcas too? I think Minos is pretty strict. And most importantly¡ª ¡°Heeey~ Frederieeeee~ talk to me¡± I came back to my senses. It seemed that my mind has been floating of thoughts from Mytherion. Well I guessed it was only natural to compare,everything were new at this world that I had been transferred to. ¡°It¡¯s getting too cold, want to stay inside?¡± Wait¡ªdid she just considered the option of letting me stay outside? --- ¡°There¡¯s a free unit above. Until you have settled here you can stay at my place. This unit only have a single room so you can stay at the entrance, the sala, the kitchen, or the bathroom: You decide.¡± She really considered the option of having me stay outside. And who even wanted to have a night''s stay at the bathroom? ¡°Just so you know, I studied self defense so entering my room will kill you.¡± Heh, as if a human can kill a former maou. She still really considered me being a beast of a man even though she have sympathized with me earlier. I guess it was to be expected of having some male stranger you just met at the forest stupidly saying ¡°yaaay i came from another world filled with war and magic!¡± stay a night. A loud cocking of a gun was heard. OI OI OI! I KNOW WHAT THAT THING IS! A double barrel. Most of the dwarves back at Mytherion were skilled in crafting weaponries and one of their greatest invention were guns and cannons. This was a type of gun that had a limited production and only the highest of their generals were allowed to carry. It may not post that great firepower at a huge distance but it excelled at short to mid-range distance shots. A shot wasn''t enough to kill me when I was at my peak but getting shot in front, especially the wai I was, will surely either sting or kill me. I guess I could still find relics here that are also available at our world. Wait, that''s not the issue! I¡¯m a perfectly normal human here!! I¡¯ll die!!! I turned pale of course. ¡°So as long as you understand right?¡± she said holding the shotgun with her right. I nodded. ¡°Besides, your clothing.¡± And there it went. My heavy armor was completely gone but I still felt the leather robe I¡¯m wearing. My suspicion was right. The usual clothing here was different too. She¡¯d been putting up with it but she let it out now: The way I look was weird. ¡°Post-medieval cosplay, or perhaps that really is the clothing fashion in your world.¡± ¡°No this was the battle gear I was wearing before I was slain.¡± She paused a bit. ¡°You look like someone who time traveled from way back centuries ago.¡± It bugged me. It was a similar word. Centurion was a unit of measurement at our world that meant a hundred. If that¡¯s the case. Is this civilization hundreds of years ahead of ours? ¡°I have a normal shirt, and a pair of shorts. I belonged to my late dad, use it. I bet it¡¯s hard to move on those.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while too.¡± ¡°Hey you¡¯re the one wearing it, you should be certain!¡± It seemed that my physique also dropped. I really became a normal human. Unless one have years of massive physique training, a normal human wouldn¡¯t be able to handle battle clothing well. I grabbed the clothes. They were really light and looked comfortable. I wanted to try it out so I started to strip. ¡°HEY HEY! WANT ME TO TEST THIS THING ON YOU?!¡± Ah she¡¯s embarassed. I just realized. I supposed changing clothes should only be done at the clothing room. I nearly met God again. She pointed the double barrel at my face. Near-miss. This was all because stupid God din¡¯t even changed my clothing to an appropriate one in this world. --- It took her only a few moments to fall asleep after that. I didn''t even know how to open the door so after changing clothes that mysteriously fit my body, I checked the thing hanging on the wall. She called it clock as I remember. I laughed at myself, I didn''t even know how to read it. I looked at the mirror. I¡¯ve really changed. My hair didn''t have the dark red glow anymore. Also I seemed to look a lot younger than when I was at Mytherion. I wondered if that only was me being stressed due to paperworks and war planning with the council. She asked me to hit this switch by the wall. It suddenly turned dark. So that was its purpose. I approached the couch. It was quite simple and minimalist, compared to the once royalties are using, but thiswas much better compared to the wooden ones average citizens of Mytherion use. I lay my body. Iwas really tired for the day. I grabbed the blanket at the mini table in front of the couch and covered myself with it. It was warm. A nostalgic warmth. I was happy: Happy that I could feel this warmth again, that I could still continue to live. I am sad: Sad that I have lost everything. It was hours ago I¡¯ve seen most of my companions died during the great siege, that counted me too. I continued minimal sobbing, hoping Ingrid would not awoke and hear this most pathetic side of me. I was so melancholic that I might cry my tears dry the whole night. I was determined: Determined despite this situation I was in, I was given a second chance. I had to do things right this time The night continued as I dry myself out.
r1 | Ch1-4 Deadlock Realizaton 2 Deadlock Realization 2 A few days after, being determined to live a normal life here at Earth, I went and asked Ingrid to hand me learning books, reading and writing, histories, culture, latest news, and also asked her how to use the laptop. I explained the very detail to her that I could communicate with the native language but could not read and write. She seemed to have understood, a woman of vast understanding. ¡°You can¡¯t use the laptop yet without learning to read and write. You shoud start with the basics first.¡± -She told me. Of course I was determined. This felt like going back to primary education, or it really was. Their alphabet was pretty much as complex as the ones weused back at Mytherion. Reading and writing should be manageable after a few cycles I guess. Focusing just on reading and writing, it took me 2months of their calendar date to get fully used to it. 2 months, huh? My thoughts looking at the calendar. Now that I have the knowledge of reading and writing their native language, I guess i can proceed to all others. Days came and went. Ingrid had a job she had to go to during daytime and was only at home during night. I didn¡¯t even knew why she trusted me that much to look over the whole apartment complex. We haven''t even been together yet that long enough to consider the trust we''ve built up with each other. If she could only tell me that would lift the confusion in my head. It also took me months to completely adjust my body clock. Days and nights here were constant, unlike at Mytherion, where a whole revolution span of the world have estimated only half amount of day and night here. Amount of resting time here should be longer. Took me four more months to finish all the knowledge books, customs, culture, past and present of this world. I was that moment ready to step outside. ¡°Geez took you long enough.¡± The night was young. We just finished dinner. Took me long enough, she should only mean the time it took me to get used to this world myself, and be to step outside her apartment. During the past six months I¡¯ve been curled up in there, trying to catch up everything in this world, she¡¯s the one doing all the housework: cooking, cleaning & laundry. Yes... I was a freeloader. But those day were now over. Now that I have grasped the mechanics of this world I suppose I could now survive I caught a sudden flying piece of material with my hand. As I remember this should be a key. ¡°It¡¯s about time you leave my unit.¡± I was perplexed. ¡°You might not know because the very first time you stepped out was just a while ago, but there are other tenants here too.¡± I just remembered. The place I was in was an apartment complex with multiple tenants. ¡°I don¡¯t have much tenants. You will be the third.¡± ¡°I..., still don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°You will find a job. You will try to settle here right? You will need a profession, a stable job that pays considerable price.¡± That still did not explain the keys I was holding. ¡°The unit is located at the second floor and the second door. Unit six.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Words couldn''t express the gratitude I feel. Why was this woman so kind to me? She helped me get out of the forest, gave me temporary shelter, house me in for six months, and will still help me from this point on? I was planning on leaving. I did not want to associate as much as possible in this world. That was because a part of me told me not to make same decisions which have led me to failure at the past. I really planned this to be the last night here. ¡°Tell me, after you leave here, what?¡± She had a point. It striked me hard. Sometimes I really wondered if she¡¯s using Insight* I didn¡¯t think this through. I was about to make sudden decisions again. These were the same mistakes over and over again like back at Mytherion. ¡°You are an open book.¡± She sat outside the balcony. She picked out something from her pocket. A box of cigarette. She then swung her hand to my direction. I understood her intentions and walked towards her. Using a cigarette is quite similar to a pipe. I think they also had a pipe here but cigars are more used nowadays. I got a stick and lit it. We puffed at the same time. The nostalgic smell of the smoke diffused within the garden. Cough! ¡°Now now, that¡¯s not nice landlady-san. Hit me a mail whenever you¡¯re finished, so I can continue my tea time¡± ¨Ca monotone-voiced girl said, whoever that is. It came from the second floor veranda. Must be one of the tenants ¡°Pff~~¡± She let out a cute laugh. That was the first time I saw it. We both laughed hard. ¡°Again, I hit a deadlock.¡± Six months, same situation. Nothing really changed. ¡°You won¡¯t. I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll help you as much as I can.¡± She smiled. Ah, I know now. This is one of the changes. I know I can rely on her much more. The smile of someone I could remember. It was the same smile that fight. It was the same smile that same night. A flashback of my very first night here. A fated night. It was decided: I will live at Unit 6 of Ingrid¡¯s Apartment Complex. --- I guess after that night the rest should be a narrative. Another 6 months have passed. During that span of time I started roaming around to town to find a job. I was educated with a good background¡ªthat was at Mytherion. One of the things I hadn''t processed here was my educational background. Of course it¡¯s illegal on both worlds. A non-educated man at early twenties, of course I had a hard time finding one. I was accepted at a convenience store just down the second alley from the apartment complex. I was paid fairly, but just enough to supply my daily needs and pay rent. I was unsure, In fact, I felt contented at the moment. I counted the days that passed by. The next day, it was the same routine I did: I worked, I did household chores, and I hang out at Ingrid¡¯s. Sometimes Ingrid would go to my unit, cook my favorite Beef Stew, and bring me these books called ¡°manga¡±. I am bewildered. These books really had a different approach than the ones we have on Mytherion. The illustrations were straight to the point, stories easy to understand and have a mysterious air that will have you keep reading it until you finish. With that, I got engrossed to reading manga. It only took me a few more days to realize I wanted to draw one. I was good at sketching, but was not that good at making stories. Nevertheless, I resigned at my current work to pursue being a manga author. Another rash decision. Being at my side, Ingrid supported me as much as she can, while still keeping her current job. One of those days she won a trip to a hot spring for two. ¡°Having a trip once in a while can help you clear out your head. You might come up with a good story too.¡± ¨Cshe said. Events on the hot spring trip nearly led us getting caught up on a gang war between two opposing factions on that area. It was surely a fun exciting experience. We were like two kindergarten throwing pebbles at the window of a house then running with our lives once the angry hag comes out chasing after us. Ingrid suggested to write a story about the gangs. I tried of course, it was the only help I can get by that time. I ended up writing a romance story. She helped me. The story was originally her suggestion, I write the story and she proofread it for me. I was also the one drawing. Training how to draw manga was quite tricky. With my sketching skills on my past world I managed to pull one out. A one-shot at that. This one-shot was the one that led me to the ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ Award. A few weeks after the awarding ceremony, I was introduced to Old Man. He¡¯s a very strict editor, but seemed like the type to always get the job done. He asked me to continue the serialization of my award-winning one-shot. For me that one-shot was really Ingrid¡¯s. Considering the amount of time and help she invested on me. I¡¯d really feel bad if only I will be the one to get all the glory. Ingrid should know this. She read me like an open book. I respectfully declined the offer. Old man was furious at first, but he truly accepted my decision. He really was a professional. He then offered me an adaptation of an original light novel. Seems like he has multiple cards on his sleeve. I accepted it. The adaptation had been steady sailing for months. It had received high ratings and good reviews too. But I realized something: I was only deceiving myself. Pride One of the qualities of being a Maou,showedup even at that point. It really was a good story, I wished I could finished serializing it. But that was also why I felt inferior. I didn¡¯t want to try to compare my work to another that was not on the same field, still I can¡¯t help myself not to. I considered changing career and write a novel too, but I¡¯ve built up so much on drawing manga it was too hard to leave already. I¡¯ve met Old Man. Events that led me being friends with the two other tenants of Ingrid''s which made me to ask them to be my assistants. Moreover, I¡¯ve forged even a deeper bond and friendship with Ingrid. I¡¯ve decided to come up with my very own story. I will draw, rather, write my own manga!
r1 | Ch1-5 Re: I never really thought about it. V. Re: I never really thought about it. Frederie Spence Modern Earth, 20xx I was walking down the highway towards the town proper. I received a call from my annoying assistant, Ara. It really had been bugging me lately, and I always put up with it and act normally. She had been teasing me and I was nearing my limit. The only thing that kept me acting normally with her was I want to treat everyone at the studio fair. I was always getting tempted by the way she act like a big sister in which she always teased me erotically. Her other identity was a klutz little sister is tempting at my standards too. Another quality of a being a former Maougotahead of me again.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Lust. I really felt the need contain it or the balance I¡¯ve put up between them will break. It had been a hard task for me but I still manged somehow. After I bought the energy drinks and snacks at the convenience store I remembered that I need to buy Kyrie tea. She really liked drinking tea so even though she did not ask me to I thought it was better to restock somehow. Kyrie was my second assistant. I really only got a few words to describe her. She''s mysterious and ridiculously weird. I felt bad I forgot about the time and have them wait for four hours. It was around late afternoon when I arrived at the unit. I was immediately welcomed by Ara¡¯s teasing. Being a manga author, I never really thought about it. But I¡¯m happy. The exact sceneI''d see as I arrive back at my unitfelt the same as like when I was at the Demon Castle back at Mytherion, the peaceful scenery of before the ¡®Great Human-Demon War¡¯.
r1 | Ch2-1 The Girl with Multiple Issues – Side Imouto Chapter 2 --Dawn: Earth-- Ara Modern Earth, 20xx I. The Girl with Multiple Issues ¨C Side Imouto An apartment complex of eight rooms. The designwasquite modern, itwas highly maintained but not really quite luxury-looking to make it to the front page of the town''s establishment journal magazine. For a girl who didn¡¯t even finished high school, living on my own should be impossible without the assistance of my parents. Also, the Landladywas not some sort ofGodthat would allow me to live here for free. Of course I payed my own rent. The sadcatch on this was about parents assisting my daily expenses: My papa disowned me. And as to why, you see: I have dissociative identity disorder. --- I was sweet, jolly, and always loved my parents. I also made many friends during myearly days at school. I was not particularly smart, nor athletic. Anyone could tell I¡¯mone''s most average sweet young girl.Anothercatch was, I could be an absolute airhead at times. My mama, as you see, really loved me when I was a young girl. She had always been there supporting me every time. Papa loved me too but not to the point that hedid it like mama too. Youcould say that I wasreally pampered and spoiled kid. Everything changed when mamadied in an accident. Me, being in a state of a great shock, had been supported by my papa until I fully recovered. Papa loved me too, but the way he raise a child had a different approach from mama. I¡¯m not being spoiled anymore. Attending school after mama diedwas not the same anymore. At times I will suddenly someback to my senses after a long journey to Ididn''t know where. My old friendshavebeen avoiding me too. At times they will look at me with fear and sadness. I experienced being alone for the very first time. And with that, I graduated grade school. It was at junior high I realized that someone elsehad been dwelling within me. My situation worsened. I couldn''tmake friends anymore. Itried to associate myself as much as I could like back at my grade school but they will eventually leave. Being alone surewas hard. I was so lonely. ¡°Papa is worried.¡± I tried talking to her while facing the mirror. ¡°Please don¡¯t make him worry, he¡¯s all I have left.¡± And with that, she stopped appearing for a while. But Icouldn''t cope up with socializing and making friends at middle school anymore. It was around high school that this someone inside mestartedcontrolling the wheels of my life again. There are times that I would be suddenly approached by a boy, asking me where to hangout after class. Of course I refused. Then a day after a rumourwould startto circulate that I dumped ''Guy X'' again.I was really getting tired. --- It was a sudden event. I came back to my senses and was at the faculty office. Hey hey, this is way too irresponsible!!! You see, you see, this is waaaay too irresponsible!! What have you done this time?! >.< I looked around and try to assess the situation. The teacher suddenly spoke. The sentencespierced me like thrusting lances. ¡­¡­hey hey, you¡¯ve gone too far... I was anxious, afraid, and unable to speak. I was being punished for having a relationship and making out with the P.E. teacher. I looked outside, my classmates are looking from outside the clear glass part of the door. Therewerealso bystanders from other classes too.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It seemed like she have trashed the P.E. teacher at the male¡¯s comfort room. That''s what the teacher summarized. After going out there have been bystanders everywhere and some brought teachers already to escorted me to the faculty office. I was asked also to confirm the going rumour of my relationship with him. Of course wedid not have one. She was also me at the same time. Iknewfor sure that she won¡¯t do something as low as having a relationship and making out with a teacher. There must have been a reason. I was a teen at the peak of my growth. I would try to avoid boasting, but you see, I really do have quite a good looks and well developed body. I must have been set up by those groupies on the class that didn¡¯t liked me. That must be it. As much as I wanted to deny, I lack proof. One could only defend herself properly at situations like these when she have evidences that would support her statements. Those I did not had, so I only ended up answering ¡°That¡¯s not true¡± while cowering myself in fear, not knowing what was going to happen. I was escorted by my papa home. I was forced not to continue class after that. They processed my school documents. I was immediately kicked out of high school. You see, you see, it was never really a bother to me if I¡¯m kicked out. As long as I live with my papa. Papa loved me, I loved him. That¡¯s all that mattered. Or so I thought. Back at house that same night papawas crying. Papa, don¡¯t cry¡­ I wanted to tell him, but I can¡¯t. That¡¯s not the face of someone just sad. It was a combination of sadness, anger, regret, and tiredness. ¡°Get out.¡± Eh? ¡°Pack your things and get out. I¡¯m tired already. Live your own.¡± That was not something I could comprehend. Hey hey, I need you now, I called for her. I broke down. And that night, I ceased to exist. --- --- Or so I thought. ¡°Great! I will be seeing you at the office upstairs tomorrow, okay?!¡± ¡°Eeh??.... EEH?!!!¡± What? Wait? What¡¯s happening? What are you saying all of a sudden Frederie?¡ª I know his name. Why? ¡°Wooow, she really is a split¡± ¡°Landlady, what¡¯s going on?¡± WhydoI know their names? Where am I? How long has it been? Questions plagued my mind. I was getting dizzy. I blacked out. --- Iwoke up from an unfamiliar place. My last memory was a sad parting with my papa. It seems like she managed for me and have me lived all this time. Idid not have memories from after that night, but it seemed the names I¡¯ve learnt stayed. Igot up, tidied my bed, and went to the bathroom. This was a spacious apartment, especially for one. I looked at the mirror. Iwas dazzling. Hey Hey, have I ever been this pretty? Have I ever been this sexy? I was blushing. My heart was pounding. What¡¯s happening with me? I... for some reason I really wanted to touch myself. Thiswas a feeling I know but haven¡¯t experienced yet. No! no no no! You sly fox! What have you dooooone!! I looked at the calendar. What it had been almost two years already?! After breakfast I immediately went out my apartment unit and almost stumbled with Landlady Ingrid. She¡¯s carrying a pot with beef stew. ¡°Beef stew??¡± ¡°Yes, this is his favourite. Perfect timing, you¡¯re about to start your first day today. Let¡¯s go to his unit together.¡± We climbed the apartment complex and entered unit6. We then entered a door connecting to where I supposewas unit7.He was suck arich guy. Ah, so he¡¯s a manga author. And I supposed I¡¯ll be starting as his assistant today. Good going, my sister. You lived these past years in my body while managing being a manga author assistant. He¡¯s sitting at the middle desk and there two more desk in front of it faced in front of each other. Therewerematerials already placed on the left desk, the other is empty. I supposed the spot was still free for occupancy. I hope they find one soon to have workload sharing easier. He stood up ¡°Oh hey Ara! Good to see you today. Again, thanks for accepting my offer. Let¡¯s make arrangements and have you introduced to the Old Man, he¡¯s my editor btw.¡± He walked towards me and offered a handshake which I accepted. He¡¯s a man of early twenties. He looks good, average height, quite shaggy black hair, and jet black eyes. But thosepupils were filled with deep and almost endless jet-black color and it seemed like he already experienced years of sadness which won''t match with his current age. What¡¯s with those eyes? Scary. Quit the appearance check, I was there to confirm something. I needed to confirm if I will have this doki-doki feeling like one of those high school girls on shoujo mangas. I really think he would sway someone''s heart, mostly teenage girls with just a smile and a handshake.I checkedthe time gap from when I lost consciousness and between me returning to this body last night and I surmised I should be eighteen years of age right now. Good, I should stll be affected by those charms. I felt normal, that¡¯s to be expected¡ªby someone who has lived for years of experience with men! Wait?! Seems like I was mistaken. What have you been doing for two years? >.< ¡°You see, you see, please treat me well. Uwu¡­¡± ¡°Uwu?¡± The two of them seemed surprised, that¡¯s to be expected too¡­ they only just met the ¡°me¡± last night and today, they didn¡¯t know that much yet. I needed to make appearances and not let them notice... That I, Ara, 18 years of age, am in love with myself.
r1 | Ch2-2 The Girl with Multiple Issues – Side Aneki II. The Girl with Multiple Issues ¨C Side Aneki Mother died way back when I was young. I forgot when. Or more likely, because I still didn¡¯t exist back then. Ara had been crying lots. I was crying a lot. Being a spoiled sweet little girl by my motherand her suddenly being involved by an accident and leaving me must have led to this identity being born. Fatherwas a loving parent too, in fact he raised a child better than mother. It was a standard not to spoil someone too much. Ara had been in a great shock. She didn¡¯t talked for weeks, and it took more for her to start talking again. I can¡¯t let this continue. For the very first time I was able to get out, to manifest in her, I immediately learnt of the situation above Ara was currently having. I looked at the mirror: Uwah!¡ªI almost leaped in surprise. A girl this sweet A girl this pretty A girl this happy Why did she have to experience events to this extent? I went to the kitchen. It was late night and the dining room lights are still open. Ah, Father must have been weeping for nights. For starters, let me try to console him. I went and entered the dining room. He was sitting with his head looking down on the table. He¡¯s sobbing. I approached him, hoping I could make him feel better by consoling him. I was wrong. ¡°Father, please don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± He stopped sobbing and asked a question. I took a quick glance around, no one. Eh? ¡°Don¡¯t try and make me look like a fool. Please don¡¯t make things harder for me.¡± ¡°Father, it¡¯s me Ara¡± I smiled, looking at him. ¡°Ara have always addressed me as Papa. She¡¯s not the type to console someone she knows hurt, or even if she does, I know she will just look at me with a smile. She is a very sweet and honest girl, you know? Quit faking it, you¡¯re not even trying.¡± I was in a complete shock. I never expected it to be this way. Ah, I knew it, I was too na?ve. I really thought I could handle this my own, but a father¡¯s knowledge and experience always wins. He loves Ara. Ah, I tried to be mature as much as possible but my child qualities shown. I¡¯m hurt too. I''m hurt by the death of my mother, I¡¯m hurt by my pride being shattered, and most of all, I¡¯m just a sad child and I was hurt. I went crying. No, worse, I was just just screaming out. Father held me towards him.That moment I rememberedthat was a similar feeling. That must be like when motherwas still spoiling me over my ice cream falling at the ground and I went on and crying. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong sweet little girl, YOU ARE STILL ARA. Ara, my sweet little child. I still love you. We¡¯ll get through.¡± As he held me he started crying too. That was the memory of the night I started to exist outside the real world. The day after that we went to the psychiatrist to have me checked, where I undergo a series of tests. The specialist asked father if we are willing to undergo long-term treatment and he looked at me. He wanted to have me decide. What was good? What was better? What was wrong? Questions filled my head. Was it alright for a parent to have the young ones make these kinds of heavy decisions? In the end, will it be only me? Am I the only one left that could protect Ara? I was so confused. What about father?Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. I looked at the doctor, then looked at father again. I looked down afterwards. Teary-eyed, I tried to contain my sadness and confusion as much as possible. ¡°We won¡¯t do it, not until Ara have decided.¡± That¡¯s when father spoke. He should be talking to the Ara thatwas me. In the end, he still cared about both of our feelings. Butwas it the right decision? Won¡¯t having me undergo therapy and have me perishposea better outcome? And that closed negotiations and we went home. I swapped with Ara and didn¡¯t appeared for a time being after that. There have been incidents at her grade school that triggered switching with me. Being a happy-go-lucky, all-yes girl, Arawas justbeing abused by her friends, her classmates. She¡¯s being too kind for their own good. It could only be my instinct but it told me I should do something about it. I acted the total opposite of how she does. Results are instant: abusive friends now hangs out less and less each and every time. But I went overboard. Ara graduated without friends. Middle school. She must have noticed already. She have started leaving out notes on her desk for me to read at times. ¡°Papa is worried, please don¡¯t make him worry. He¡¯s all I have left.¡± I was practically aware of that. That night I went at father¡¯s room. He was laying at the futon and sleeping. His eye bags were deep, he looked really stressed. Father, please don¡¯t be so sad: is all I can think of. I patted his head andprepared to leave. ¡°It is you, huh?¡± he tried to stop me. So he was awake. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything to resolve this, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ah, he¡¯s breaking down. ¡°Lately I haven¡¯t been able to take care of Ara like the way I used to. I¡¯m a failure of a father. Right at the time she needs me the most. I¡¯m nearing my breakdown.¡± He just talked and talked. Feeling my helplessness, I just sat on the direction away from him. ¡°May I request something of you?¡± I sat silently, hoping heunderstoodmy silence. ¡°There will be a point where Ara will only live with the two of you. I beg of you, please be the one to be able to support her. Don¡¯t ever leave her side. Love her like her papa and mama do. Please promise me.¡± I sat sobbing, Icould not control my tears. Again, I am tasked with something nearly impossible. Again, it will be only me. Me and her. He must¡¯ve been crying too. He¡¯s nearing his limit. I must take this task. I must accomplish it. For Ara, for father and for me too. I was determined. But I''m lost... How? That¡¯s where everything went astray. --- High school, the times I swapped increased. It seemed like having no friends at schooltook a toll on her mental health. I needed to find someone. A boy, a relationship: that must be it. I was wrong. The first relationship. I tried not to commit as much. All I needwas to have someone who she can lean her shoulder, someone whowould lend an ear. I swapped. The next time I appearedtheybroke up. I tried the second time, the third time, still the same outcome. She must have sealed herself, not wanting any outside help, not even from me. Ididn''t want it. Ididn''t want her to cast aside her last option. I stopped. It was when it happened. I was swapped in all of a sudden. It stank. This must be the boy¡¯s comfort room. Who was the man in front of me? A teacher? A punk? I was being pressed towards the wall. I wasabout to be assaulted. Ara was not that weak of a girl, retaliating was easy. I trashed the man myself. I went out of the cr. There were lots of bystanders. There are teachers were ready to escort me to the faculty room. I can¡¯t let Ara see this. I messed up. I wanna cry, but never did I once thought it was not the right thing to do. I needed to protect her chastity, her purity as a sweet little girl. Ifelt the sudden feeling swapping out. Iheld out. Not until we went home. Thiswas not a situation I wanted to puther in,I wasked her not to swap out yet. But I could not. There was a sudden darkness. I was swapped out. --- I was swapped in again. ¡°I did it, I played the role of the bad father.¡± ¡°Father¡­¡± What happened? Is this after school? I looked at the documents at the table, Ara has been kicked out. Father should knew it is already me right now. ¡°I have disowned you. Losing mama when she¡¯s young, losing papa when she needed him the most. I wonder if my sweet Ara hates me now.¡± He¡¯s crying already. ¡°I know she won¡¯t. Please just give us time. Please give me time.¡± ¡°I will give you all the time you need. Please just promise me you will return before I leave this world.¡± ¡°I promise. I¡¯ll do everything within my strength.¡± I hugged him. We both cried that night. --- I packed up my things that morning. A set of clothes, the pocket money he gave me, good for a few months probably, and a manga volume toentertain myself whenever i would feel bored. I¡¯m on my own now. We¡¯re on our own. I¡¯m gonna protect Ara as much as I can, so please don¡¯t swap me out until I tell you so.The train to the next town is arriving in a few hours, guess I can take a nap. That moment Icouldn''t take a nap. The weight of the responsibility is now being pressed onto me. Suddenly my thoughtswere being clouded. I did not know what was happening around me. It was my subconscious that kept me awake. With that, I missed the first train and have to wait for another 3 hours. --- r1 | Ch2-3 Filling the gaps: not astray III. Filling the gaps: not astray Modern Earth, 20xx A girl was checking out of the motel. She checked her wallet, almost a little fraction of what she originally had was left. She¡¯s a girl on her mid-late of her teenage years. After signing the checkout logbook, she carried her bag, went out of the building and breathed out a sigh. The coldness of the surroundingswere penetrating her jacket. It was still quite of time before spring. She walked down the slope, a road towards the center of the town. ¡°That was the last of it. I survived almost a month. That¡¯s the cheapest motel I could see. Yet the money I have still could not hold out how long I expected it to be.¡± She looked so stressed out. She looked so tired. Reaching a certain cross section she started to swing. She reached out the nearest wall, and collapsed to the ground. She¡¯s breathing heavy. From thereone could guess she was not properly eating. She looked around, her visionstarted to get blurry. Shecouldonly hear a faint voice of a lady that approached her. ¡°Now tell me little girl, do you need a place to stay?¡± She focused her eyes to verify if she¡¯s not hallucinating. Wavy black hair, silver eyes, fair skin. Looking at her in confusion, she asked for her name. ¡°Ingrid, now tell me yours.¡± ¡°Ara.¡± ¡°Very rare case a girl collapses by my front yard, I won¡¯t stand by and do nothing.¡± Sheknew her limits She knew what she needed at most. Being alone for the past month she needed all the help and allassistance she could gather as much. She looked at Ingrid. ¡°What will it take for me to be able to stay?¡± ¡°Silly, we all know how this world works. You get a job, pay the rent. For the meantime I¡¯ll let you stay and feed you until you can finally support yourself.¡± That was an absurd thing to say to someone who didn¡¯t finished high school. But at the same time, that made the most sense among all the ideasthe Arahad. I can¡¯t fully trust her yet. I need to stay low as much as possible. The only one I need is me. Ara came with her and entered the apartment complex. That moment she started to live at unit3. --- As usual, being one without a proper educational background,anyone wouldhave a hard time finding a job. Ara was searching the city premises. The central city was about three stations away from the town she¡¯s currently living. As she look back at the past months, Ingrid really was a good Landlady. Within the timeshe stayed at the unit, Ingrid occasionallybrought her food and some manga volumes. She alsospenttime casually chatting. Ara was careful not to bring out much information about her past. Therewere times she have to avert the topic. Ingridunderstood the situation and justgot along. Having difficulty finding a job, Ara was so tired just as the setting sun. As she walked on an alley in attempt to do a shortcut to the station, but she found herself within the district with red lights. She understood where that place meant to be. She was swarmed over by scouts of different clubs. She knew what working on this place will amount to. What it will cost her. Being experienced way back at high school regarding how people look at someone, she could see how someone with ulterior motives look like. Glancing at the scouts, she sharpened glare and showed her hostility and lack of interest. Good thing the bluff worked. The scouts went back to their designated places. As she walked down the road she noticed one is still tailing her. ¡°I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°My my, young lady, what a waste of beauty.¡± Sweet talking. It¡¯s a common thing to do when scouting nightclub employees. But besides the sweet talking, Ara noticed something that made her stop: the look at the man¡¯s eyes. Sincere, caring, it¡¯s not like the eyes of someone who worked onthe darker sideof this industry. ¡°You¡­ You are not just an employee. You are someone of high position, a manager perhaps.¡± ¡°Quite the sharp eye young lady. Now, are you willing to apply?¡± It¡¯s just as if minimal words express all the discussions needed. Ara accepted the offer. She was just sixteen by that time. Working as a hostess at a nightclub for such an age,was unbearable especially to the parents. But at that moment Ara felt she didn¡¯t had any other choice left. She was left with a thin thread to hang on and that was the trust she were about to put to that manager scouting her. That same night she got back home, it was pretty late already. She had to sign papers and have an induction of the job. Walking towards the living room she lay her bag and sat down the sofa. It was dark because she didn¡¯t turned on the lights. It was very silent, except¡ª Sobbing. ¡°Landlady?¡± She wondered. The voice was not of a woman, but a man. Besides, she knew Ingridwas not the type to cry her night out. ¡°She sheltered somebody again¡­¡± she said as she leaned herself on the wall, with ears pressed on it. Hearing the sobbing, she said to herself: ¡°Ah, she really is a good person. She will be someone I can trust.¡± She had a relieved expression on her face. The work at the nightclubwas not as she expected. Youcould not''room'' a girl. Only minimal physical contact were allowed. Veterans gets extras but as long as without consent,a hostesscould protect her chastity. Middle-aged men whostayed there just needed liquor and a slight comfort for the night, it surelywas a place best for someone to relieve stress.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. At her first night, Ara was forced to immediately taste liquor. After drinking she excused herself and went to the comfort room. It was a misconduct on her end. It sure will be a deduction on her pay. She¡¯s disappointed. As she looked down on the sink and puked, manager approached her. ¡°It¡¯s too early to give up. Do you still wish to stay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m disappointed. Again, I proved that I am na?ve. But as you said, it¡¯s too early to give up.¡± Manager smiled, he understood the determination within those words, but ¡°You need not to push yourself hard. As long as there are lessons, there are learnings. I¡¯ll back you up as long as you need, until you finally feel home, until you are ready to leave this nest.¡± Home That word marked Ara¡¯s heart. She must have realized something. Manager treatedthe place not as a business establishment, but as a home. It was quite simple: She realized why she stopped and listened to manager when he was scouting her. It was not to make her a livestock, but tosecurely help her at her time of need. Itwas similar to the love and care parents provide. One that shehad almost forgotten through. The others must have been the same. Manager must have guided these poor lost souls to the straight pathwhich they could follow again. This, should be a means to be a second parent. Ara, rather than crying, is now more determined. She grinned and said, ¡°Thanks, Pops.¡± ¡°Oh my~~, little chick¡¯s getting ahead of herself. Fufufu..¡± And with that, Ara went back to the club area. All it took was a little practice, Ara mastered the way of the older sister. She got used to teasing customers to their content, while not giving much skinship. She became a high-rated host of the club, also being a senior to the newcomers. Though feeling secured already, Ara came up with something even more secured. The solution was simple. To avoid showing interest any to her customers, Ara trained herself to look only and love only herself. She became a narcissist. And with that, a year have past. --- There was an incidentthat led Ara being surrounded by three thugs by the alley on her way to work. Not like it startled though, she showed no signs of interest. In fact, her experience with self-defence could quickly resolve the problem if it took a turn for worse. It¡¯s not a scenario new to her. There was a sudden grab, and she was forced to run along with this man: Frederie Spence ¡°Are you okay?! You¡¯re being hit on! How defenceless can you be?! Are you a moron? What if ¨C¡± Frederie suddenly found himself on the ground. He groaned, feeling the pain in his back. He was kicked at the back by Ara. ¡°Now tell me how defenceless can I be.¡± ¡°I thought you were¡ªwhat if? What happened? What are you even?!¡± Ara looked as confused as Fred. She could notsum up how a moron of a human exist. ¡°I know you¡¯re a moron, but let me ask you this: Are you a moron?¡± ¡°Of course I a¡ªAM NOT!!¡± ¡°Then you should know by now the situation is not as serious as you think it is.¡± ¡°Yes, poor guys, to be extorted for money... I never knew the darkness of this city have creeped out even to the most shallow alleys. If there¡¯s something I could¡ª¡± and a ROUNDHOUSE KICK TO THE FACE!! Poor Fred twisted several times before slamming the ground. --- Fred regained consciousness at a bench, his head was laying at Ara¡¯s lap. He jumped out of surprise. ¡°How did we?¡ªWhen did you?¡ªDid you just?¡ªlap pillow?¡± ¡°Geez, one at a time boy, we got all the time this night.¡± Fred looked at his shirt. What¡¯s plain white a while ago is now muddish-brown Say wut? ¡°Did you just dragged¡ª¡± ¡°Yes I dragged you here. You were quite heavy for a skinny human¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t even took you a split second to answer!!¡± ¡°AAAAH!! MY LAUNDRY RATES!!¡± he continued to rant. ¡°AAAAH!! I LOST MY BAG!!¡± he ranted further more. ¡°AAAAH!! HERE IS YOUR BAG!! And don¡¯t worry. Though I checked on the contents, my bad. I don¡¯t want some stranger to suddenly hit me with a taser and rape me somewhere else. You see, I¡¯m protecting this girl¡¯s chastity.¡± ¡°Who are you to say those kinds of things. Are you some kind of split-personality girl or something?¡± ¡°You surelike saying some strange things. Fufufu, but what If I am?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from an Amazoness who roundhouse-kicked me twice.¡± ¡°First one was a flying. Also, saying strange things and kicking a boy are two different things, you can¡¯t do that here.¡± "Somehow Iknow someone who always say that kind of phrase." Both of them started laughing. ¡°So, drawing manga, huh? Sorry I checked the contents of your bag anyways.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, not like I¡¯m hiding it anyways.¡± ¡°Thanks for the thought earlier about saving me, but really, it¡¯s a known issue for me. I work around that place, I know how to handle a thug or three.¡± ¡°Do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a hostess of some club.¡± Fred blushed. He nowjusthad absorbed the situation. It¡¯s a mix of both embarrassment and noticing someone¡¯s feminine qualities. ¡°But I most not waver, I¡¯ve decided to live my life for her!¡± fist closed, Fred told Ara ¡°Hmmm let¡¯s see¡­¡± the atmosphere around Ara changed. It¡¯s her Older Sister tease mode. She crawled towards Fred and whispered: ¡°Ya like Jazz?¡± GOOSEBUMPS!! ¡°NO NO NO NO!! STOOOOP!!¡± Fred was so startled. ¡°FUHAHAHAH!! I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯m not gonna gobble you up or anything.¡± ¡°Seriously¡ª¡± ¡°But I¡¯m really a hostess at the red-lights.¡± ¡°Seriously¡ª¡± ¡°So, you see, I¡¯m reading a few too. Recently someone let me borrowed a one-shot. The story is about a love that transcend status and enemies. I really liked the gang war stuff in it. I kinda forgot the author¡¯s name? Maou? Spence? Yep, it¡¯s Maou Spence-sensei.¡± Fred was smiling jolly. Ara looked at him, she became disgusted with the way he looked. He looked like a jolly kindergarten having his assignment picked by the teacher to be presented to class. He was pointing to himself too. Realization hit Ara. ¡°NO SHIT!¡± ¡°YES SHIT!¡± Ara slapped Fred. ¡°OUCH!! YOU DIPSHIT!!¡± They started to laugh hard as they could. It was a scenery of a bench, two laughing strangers, and a wide river covered with the reflection of the city lights. ¡°Seriously he¡¯s me¡­¡± ¡°Yea I just realized, I just wanted to slap you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Frederie, not ¡®you¡¯¡± ¡°No, u¡± --- They we¡¯re both inside a train headed back to their town. It was really a shock that Ara discovered the he is Maou Spence, and more than that, the tenant that Ingrid had been sheltering for almost a year and a half: The tenant at unit6, the tenant that was also crying way back a year ago when she was just the same, a lost someone. It felt like the wheels of fate turned and led to this huge coincidence just to have the two of them meet up. Thesewere the events that she needed to show Ara, the events that she have failed to let her experience. Her approach was wrong. It took her years to realize. All Ara neededwas a friend. She had a nostalgic feeling. She just realized that Fred was still talking ¡°You see, this old man, he just went grooowl and groooowl. Is he a gorilla? I didn¡¯t even understand everything he¡¯s saying besides that I should get myself assistants now that I¡¯m working on a realization! Why you don¡¯t just be my assistant! It¡¯s about time you step down being a hostess.¡± Looking at Fred as he continued his rant, Ara realized that a few months ago, an Old man helped her at her time of need. That made a huge impact on rebuilding heerself again and being able to stand up on her own. She also remembered that the club''s aim was to help people who had been long lost and found themselves at the right path again. Now that something opened up for her, she remembered that she won''t forever be sheltered at the club. She felt that the timing was right, the path was set and all she needed to do was to follow it. ¡°Yes, sounds fun. Maybe I should try." -Ara accepted without thinking about it. Fred realized he asked out of a whim, and he alsorealized she also accepted out of a whim. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take a chance and be your assistant.¡± --- Right in front of Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex, the two were explaining what happened and Ingrid just went on with a smile while laughing at the coincidence that occured. It was about time Ara felt that nostalgic feeling again. She¡¯s swapping out. ¡°Ah, I guess it¡¯s about time I take a rest. It has been almost two long years.¡± Fred was confused. He has been confused hearing Ara talked like that a while ago too. ¡°Landlady, I told you way back that I have a split personality right? She¡¯s swapping in now, after a long long while, I feel happy. I finally have people who I could entrust Ara with other than myself.¡± Landlady just nodded. Fred was still awed. ¡°Thank you, Landlady, Frederie. See you soon~~¡± And with that, the girl named Ara vanished. A merry little child have replaced her. Her sharp eyes a while ago we¡¯re replaced with big rounded ones. Fred really didn¡¯t get what happened. But he let it go just because he was tired too. ¡°Ah! Crap! I still have to process your papers! Great! I will be seeing you at the office upstairs tomorrow, okay?!¡± ¡°Eeh??.... EEH?!!!¡± And with that, the re-appearance of klutz little sister Ara has set.
r1 | Ch2-4 My haven, no goodbyes. IV. My haven, no goodbyes. It''s closing time of the nightclub Ara was working with. There was a paper laying on manager¡¯s desk with a ¡°resignation¡± indicated and a stamp of approval. The after-party within the employees went with a blast, it was like a children¡¯s party, but with liquor. Everybody was happy. It had been a tradition for resigning employees to have a party set for their farewell. After the party, Ara entered the manager¡¯s room. Manager was looking at the scenery outside of the window. The building was at the corner of the block so you will have a good view of the city lights, only just from the manager¡¯s room. He¡¯s holding a mug of beer, quite different from what everyone had beendrinking.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Finally leaving your nest, huh? Cocky little girl.¡± ¡°I have no regrets, Ara¡¯s now living happily.¡± ¡°Hmp~ you finally found peace. I see. Then I guess I have no more to teach you.¡± Ara approached him slowly. ¡°Should I forget?¡± ¡°That¡¯s for you to decide.¡± Ara stopped in front of him. Tears are flowing from her eyes: Acceptance. Manager hugged her tightly, and comforted a sad little cute girl in front of her. ¡°There, there sweety pie¡± Ara was sobbing. Sobbing turned into crying. Crying turned into screaming. ¡°UWAAAAAAAA!! I DON¡¯T WANT TO LEAVE. I LOVE YOU POPS, I LOVE EVERYONE HERE. THEY TREATED ME LIKE SIBLINGS. I TREATED THEM LIKE MINE. THERE¡¯S NO WAY I COULD FORGET. THERE''S NO WAY I COULD FORGET A SECOND FAMILY!! UWAAAAAAAH!!¡± Manager, as her second father, just stood there patting her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, take all your time crying, you¡¯re a full-pledged butterfly now aint ya?¡± ¡°HUWAAAA!!!¡±
Dawn r1 | Ch3-1 The Girl at Unit 8 Chapter 3 --Dusk: Earth-- Kyrie Modern Earth, 20xx I. The Girl at Unit 8 What a pain. ¨C followed by an unpleasant sip. It was a good time to have tea. What could be better than having a pleasant dinner, sitting on a soft couch, a cup of freshly brewed tea, a view of town vicinity¡­. And smoke of cigar? Cough! Ah what a pain, Landlady-san really is. If you like I can pitch you a smoke grenade. Hit me a mail when you¡¯re finished, so I can continue my tea time. ¡°Now now, that¡¯s not nice landlady-san. Hit me a mail whenever you¡¯re finished, so I can continue my tea time¡± I really just wanted to enjoy my tea time before I go to sleep. Why were cigar even invented at first place? Other than the unpleasant smell it produce, it¡¯s bad for your health. Why do you even smoke at the balcony anyways? Can¡¯t you do it inside your unit? Upon attempting to put away the tea set inside the unit I¡¯ve heard an unfamiliar voice below. A voice of a male. A boyfriend maybe? I never knew Miss Landlady had one. Aaah good for her: Please rest in peace. Actually, hearing Miss Landlady chatting with a boy below didn''t really change what I have to do: I needed to get my tea set inside the unit before it gets infected with the smell of the cigar smoke. Aaaagh the couch! Welp, I could just put it at the laundry tomorrow. Or maybe I could just ask the guys at home to get me another. With that, the ideal tea time that I had set up that evening was interrupted by two lovebirds having a smoke. I still finished it indoors though. --- Being the youngest daughter of a high-profile family, I was provided with everything I needed. Our house had the biggest lot area within the town. Cars just go in and out of the gate like it was a yakuza base or something. There were guards, lots of maids, we almost had everything. I was required to attend prestigious schools, attend lots of courses and tutorials, learn traditional practises, there was a lot to do.There were nevera listless day. Each day I went to school, Each day I wentthrough same activities. I grew bored¡­ I needed a hobby. ¡°Father, Father, I want to play.¡± Even though father was a high-esteemed figure within our whole clan. He let us live freely as long as we didn''t stray from the norm and the path he''s laid out for us. Mother was supportive of father¡¯s way to raise us. She just kept in check of whatever we were doing and scold us whether we do something inappropriate. Those should be the basics of raising children. What does ''I want to play'' mean for me? I was given dolls to play with. The time when the girls around age of five to ten asks to have a toy, they were immediately given one. It sure was supposed to be a cute doll. It looks shit. ¡°Yaaay it¡¯s so cute!¡± ¨C I told my parents. Being with my classmates during grade school, where we tried to share and compare how each other¡¯s dolls looked, mine was being the most favorite one. I mean, it¡¯s expensive so it must look great. It still looked shit for me. Weeks have past and the hype among the girls playing dolls have died out. Old toys being out of trend are being put to an old box, only to be unboxed if the time comes to play it again. That¡¯s not the case for me. There was an incinerator at the backyard. I supposed that is where the maids bring the trash from the kitchen to burn. The place really didn''t have a nice smell, it was really hot and uncomfortable. But I endured it, for the sake of my own entertainment. I threw the doll at the incinerator.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The doll was screaming for help. It was screaming for help. As I look down and look on the doll, the gruesome melting face, burning hair, the changing of the color, I could only feel pity on its current situation. It¡¯s a doll. Non-living toys were to be disposed of when not being used. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°HU HE HE HE¡­ This is how you play a doll.¡± For a very long time I felt excitement again. --- It took a few more years before my latent talent showed. Father and mother always praised me as I bring them perfect scores from almost all my exams. I mean, there are times I purposely miss 5 or 3 of the items, why not? ¡°Good job Kyrie, you¡¯ve never shown any signs of dropping your top rank amongst the students on your school. Please keep up your good work.¡± Mother said. Like, duh? It¡¯s your genius of a daughter here. If life bored me out I can adjust my overall ranking wherever I¡¯d like. Took you a while to realize, you donk or something?. Fufufu¡­ ¡°Of course mother. I¡¯m very glad you feel that way. I¡¯ll do better on the next exam. Fufufu¡­¡± I could do almost everything, each course that they wanted me to take, each profession they wanted me to master,all of them I couldeasily grasp. If I took a liking I show excellence, but if it¡¯s something out of interest, I just do well. There was one time I was walking home with my friends and they were talking about manga, which I really could not relate. I bought a volume and read it. It came to a liking and I asked my maids to buy me manga drawing materials, of course out of the knowledge of my parents. Everything went on without a hitch: story writing, drawing, everything. ¡°Humu, I really should not show this to my friends. I really feel like this is going to win a major award if passed.¡± ¨C I just said as I was confident. Trust me, it really was an award-winning entry. I put it in the shredder. Years went on and the scope of my knowledge still expanded. Yes, I¡¯m supposed to be happy. In fact, I was still happy. It¡¯s just that the supposed to ¡®everything¡¯ is still ¡®almost¡¯. Being aware of my limitations as a kid, I question myself if I really have to do anything. It was a quiet evening at the fireplace. Mother wasknitting, fatherwas still reading a newspaper. The silence were stinging me in the ears. I was unsure how to approach them this time. Usually I just approach them, show the results of my effort or request them of something. That moment it was quite different. I usually mask what I''d like to say with proper sentence. People around me always wanted to see the image of our clan in me. I never was to fail even once. I¡¯ve kept everything I wanted to express within myself. You could say I never had any freedom of speech. I¡¯ve decided to talk the way I wanted to. I¡¯ve broke the silence. ¡°Ma, Pa, I¡¯m bored. I wanna play outside.¡± It was monotone, but it must¡¯ve expressed all the feelings I¡¯ve been wanting to express. Mother immediately stopped her knitting. Ididn''tknow if fatherwas still reading but he must¡¯ve stopped too. Mother immediately embraced me out of nowhere. Ah, she must be thinking that I now finally spoke up my real feelings. ¡°Good gracious Kyrie, you finally spoke up your real feelings!¡± And I was right all along. She must have been thinking that I realized something missing in my life even though Icould almost have anything I wanted and do anything could. ¡°You must have realized there¡¯s something missing in your life even though you can almost have and do anything, right?¡± Nailed it~ Also, can¡¯t breathe. ¡°Hug¡ªtoo¡ªtight!!¡± -I tapped her shoulder in attempt to escape mother''s tight embrace. ¡°Oops, sorry sweetie.¡± -She loosen her hold. ¡°Now tell me, if it within the reach of the family. What will you need?¡± ¡°Wooooow, it really happened. For the first time in my life, I¡¯m uncertain.¡± Mother and father we¡¯re both surprised. Surprised, that for the first time in my ever, I finally showed signs of wanting to live a normal life out of the reach of my family''s binds. --- It was a sunny day as I walk down the road at the side of the town. It¡¯s notparticularlyhot so Idid not really need a parasol. In any case I was still carrying one to protect me from the harmful rays of the sun. What¡¯s funny was, a carwas moving slowly behind me. Back at home I already told them not to come, but they¡¯re being persistently overprotective. Whatdid I even worth? Am I a descended archangel or something? Hopping and skipping, I finally ended up in front of an apartment complex: a two-storey one with eight units. Itlooked highly maintained I felt like I wanted a secret base or something. I approached the front yard and saw a lady sweeping. I hid behind the walls and peeked. Ididn''t intend to hide, I just wanted her to notice me. A part of me reallyjust wanter to play this lovely day until it end. Ah, she finally noticed. ¡°Hey there, good day, huh? Haven¡¯t seen you within the neighbourhood, are you new here?¡± The car stopped nearby and my parents went out. I immediately thought of something. Approaching and wanting to greet the one who must have been landlady, I stopped them with my right hand, while keeping my stare at the lady. She¡¯s holding a broom, I¡¯m holding a parasol: this onlycalled for a swordfight. With my normal monotone voice, I went on and said it: ¡°I challenge you to a duel.¡± While pointing my closed parasol to her. ¡°My, my¡­¡± The look on her seems like she understood my intention to play. She readied her stance. Eh? BUSHIDO?! And with that, we started to play. I needed to show father and mother the most childish part of mine. I really wanted to show them all the years of pent up boredom that I had within that home. That at this moment, I was, for the very first time, was genuinely happy being alive. I guess this is too much to have their jaws drop. I just thought as Itook quick glances on them while playing with the lady. Quite a while passed until we were both tired. Swinging sticks and running around is something that consumed lot of our energy than the amount I thought it would. I sat down on the ground, panting. The lady sat down too. We we¡¯re both laughing. Oh God that sure was fun. ¡°Ma, Pa, I¡¯ve decided, I want to live here for a while.¡± All jokes done, I¡¯ve finally said it.
r1 | Ch3-2 The Arsenal II. The Arsenal It was an empty unit at first. I lay down on the living room as the daylight illuminated through it. There was a curtain but the thin fabric allows light to pass through it. Youcould say it just let appropriate amount of light to pass through: not so bright, not so dim. The cool polished wooden floor sure felt nice to lay my tired body rest. The Initial handover of an apartment unitwas like this: An almost bare, empty place. There isthe kitchen, it should be included, but appliances, furniture, other living required items, none. Still feeling the coldness of the wooden floor that felt heat of a human bodyfor the first time, I nearly went half-aslept. I left out words of someone that will soon-to-be tenant of the unit. ¡°Humu, this place will soon be mine.¡± I lay still, I almost fell asleep, or did I already? I was startled by the door opening. It was sudden, but enough towoke me up from my half-aslept self. ¡°I just finished coordinating with your parents outside. They have signed your contract documents too. I never knew you we¡¯re the youngest daughter of the highest profile clan living in this town. You know you''re a truly free spirit. I wondered if your parents would be fine back at your house. Won''t they be worried that their youngest is out there living at a place completely new to her?¡± Such insolence, to wake me up from my deep slumber ¡°Landlady, you could¡¯ve knocked before you entered. I was sleeping. Such an embarrassing sight to see. Also, answering your question: I was just freed recently. I could always call my personal maids and butlers whenever things happen, so I guess it should be fine.¡± ¡°Hmmm... If that''s what you say, then you can see me at my most embarrassing moments too. We¡¯ll be living on a same complex from now on, you don¡¯t need to be shy. But please be mindful of the rules. I got your parent''s contact info. I will be immediately giving them a call and retrieve you back if ever needed, I suppose that would be a part of our agreement too.¡± I¡¯m not surprised, she really is someone who does not treat a person by status. She should be someone I can trust, for the time being. ¡°Fine fine, let me sleep for a while longer. And please tell my parents to have someone pick me up at 6pm.¡± Theapartment unit became asmall cradle of mine, but at least I was free to live my life to the fullest here. That was what theeightunit at Ingrid apartment complex became. --- A week after I have finally furnished the small unit that I¡¯m living. I kept it as minimal as possible: A single couch A tea table and tea set A fridge A futon to lay at the living room in case of winter A heater A laptop An AC I didn¡¯t even used the room. At normal nights I just lay myself down on the floor, look at the ceiling, and fall asleep. At cold nights I lay the futon, turn on the heater, lay down, look at the ceiling, and fall asleep. During daytime Ispent all the time I have surfing the internet. I considered this expanding my knowledge even more. Therewere lots of things internet provided that was not being taught by my previous learning courses. I didn¡¯t even know how many dayshad it been. Miss Landlady oftenbrought me food, but at times, I just go out to the nearest grocer, buy ingredients, and cook whatever I want for the day. Idid notworry about the taste, it should be same as those being served at five-star restaurants anyway. I was a lazy one, but not enough to pile up trash on my little cradle. I alwayskept it clean, and minimalist. PERF-STYLE! During sunset I alwaysbrought the single couch outdoors and enjoyed myself an evening tea. At times I look at the mirror, these white single dress reallydid not match my style. This long silky hair, this feeble looking little body. I really looked like a ghost on an abandoned unit. Idid notrumours to spread that miss landladyhad been keeping a ghost on her apartment complex. I browsed the internet, looked for fashion styles and one piqued my interest: Gothic style dress. I grabbed my phone, reached out my parents and talked to them: ¡°Ma, Pa, I¡¯m bored. Buy methis dress.¡± That day after that, I received a credit card. I didn¡¯t expected this, but I¡¯m not that shocked too. I just imagined how carefree my parents were with regards to me. Does me living in the most normal way really had a great bearing for them? I swiped a set of Gothic dresses, a set enough for the whole week. I swiped a laundry machine too. It¡¯s about time I learn how to do laundry and stop bothering miss landlady every weekends already. Washing several thin pieces of white straight dress and a set of underwear too was not that much workload added but still, it''s additional work on her end. I could bother her on other things so I thought I should stop some too.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. After that, another set of days, weeks, months have passed that I have lost track of. I repeated the same routine I was doing. I¡¯ve tried several other hobbies, played several games online, and eventually quit. But not really because it¡¯s not fun, but because I get tired of it already. Having several thoughts in mind on how to improve my daily lifestyle, I came up with an idea. ¡°Humu, it¡¯s about time I remodel that empty room.¡± I was not afraid of ghosts. It didn¡¯t particularly matter if therewere stories about an apartment complex in which an unused room in it is manifested by one. But of course I¡¯d be troubled if it''s true. Ihad been sleeping at the living room alone. I¡¯ll jump the shit out of myself if I suddenlywoke up at 3am and there¡¯s a floating head above me, or a creeping unidentified mass of meat out of the kitchen. I felt I needed protection against those. I prevented my mindastray from my current topic of being bored and as to why did suddenly bothered explaining about ghosts: My mind¡¯s pretty distorted. That''s probably why. ¡°Okay~ I¡¯ve decided to build an arsenal.¡± Anythingwould do, from old blades, to bows, to handguns smgs and rpgs. I needed armors too, Kevlar was it? Oh flashbangs, teargas, Molotovs? Endless flow of ideas came into my mind. ¡°Sledgehammer¡­ Oooooh yeeeaaah~¡± I listed everything I wanted to put. I justdidn''t know if the space on the room will be able to hold them all. Anyways, I grabbed my phone again and made a call, but this time not to my parents, but to the miss maid that was entrusted to serve only me. I wondered what she¡¯s doing at homefrom the moment I started living alone. ¡°Hey Miss Maid, It¡¯s Kyrie, I need you to arrange a few things for me. Keep this a secret from Ma and Pa, this is pretty much illegal.¡± I told Miss Maid everything, everything that my ¡®Arsenal¡¯ covered. ¡°Eh¡­ EEEEH?!¡± ¨Cis what I last heard of her. I still insisted for her assistance to me with regarding the matter. --- That weekend, a huge truck parked by the side of the road in front of Landlady Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex. Several of huge crates were unloaded, along with my personal maid too. Huge muscular employeesstarted carrying the boxes towards my unit. Whileat front of the truck, I saw miss landlady sitting at her veranda, holding a stick of cigar, and really shocked. TheWhat is this girl even doing? was written all over her face. I waved at her and smiled. I turned around after and signed the necessary documents. I really feel bad for miss maid and miss landlady for this. Oh well, this is better than being bored. After the loading of the boxes to my unit, it¡¯s finally the time for the unboxing. Therewere crate covers everywhere, all of the box contentswere real, somewere glistening iron, somewere matt coated black and green, somewere on camo paint. Ah~~ the tingling sensation I feltcouldn''t be stopped. Besides: theywere all authentic ¡°Humu, this is for the better¡± -Of course I knew it did not, but It was really a failsafe plan without me, my maid, and miss landlady being caught. I''ve thought it through and through. Also handed over to mewas a whole binder containing the registration documents and certifications. Of course they¡¯re forged! I haven¡¯t underwent Special Forces training but I¡¯m pretty confident I¡¯d pass with special rank anyways.Iexpected that much from myself already. I began arranging them onto my room. It took me lots of time positioning them onto my desired positioning. From the most ancient blades, to the most modern swords, shurikens, spears, ¡®The Sledgehammer¡¯, and up to the smallest to biggest guns. Icould not carry the RPG so I just lay it at the corner, including its shells. Some of themhad stands, some of them are hang on the wall. Everything according to how I wish. I placed an office table and computer chair at the center of the room and placed my laptop there. With that, the construction of my ''arsenal'' had been completed. --- ¡°Ah, I really feel bad for miss landlady for housing such a naughty girl as myself. This one¡¯s special on the house, but I guess I can lend it to her. I don¡¯t want such a fine lady like herself live without a way to protect herself.¡± I went down to miss landlady¡¯s unit. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve tried this spy rappelling rope. It had an automated rope adjusting system that let one descend slowly without even breaking a sweat. It¡¯s like one of those generic spy movies. All I have to do is press the button. I descended like a Gothic Lolita spy while holding my present. At that exact moment she was sitting on her veranda as usual having a cup of coffee and a smoke, as expected from miss landlady. Fu fu fu, she¡¯s perplexed, as expected of me.-While descending I tried to act way cooler than usual, saying the purpose of my visit. ¡°Humu, miss landlady Ingrid, I grant you this Special Mister Double Barrel to protect yourself from all the greatest disasters and¡ª¡± Whack! I was hit by the traditional nerfing fan. With a lump on my forehead, I handed over ¡®Mister Double Barrel¡¯ to miss landlady. ¡°Gosh, I can¡¯t believe you. This is what you have been doing this whole day? Rich kids really have it easy, huh? I really doubt this had been delivered legally with legal documents. Quit trying to cause me any huge mess. I''m going to call your parents now and have these items pulled out¡± Come again? After all the effort I¡¯ve put in onthis ''arsenal'' I built,this is all you¡¯re saying? ¡°This is not just for hobby miss landlady please don¡¯t misunderstand. This is for the safety of the whole apartment complex.¡± ¡°I really feel that you are up to something ridiculous here. Just always remember not to put me out of business. I¡¯m warning you this time. If those will be only for display then I will allow them. Do not ever use them. count this as a warning.¡± She looked into ¡®Mister Double Barrel¡¯ and showed interest to it. ¡°I¡¯ll hold on to this for a while. I will be processing legal registration for this one. You might as well do same to the others. Don¡¯t make me confiscate all of your other toys in there.¡± ¡°Humu. Now miss landlady, if you could also hold on to these documents too, they are registration papers of Mister Double Barrel there. Don¡¯t worry they¡¯re purely forged without a hitch so we won¡¯t be caught by the law.¡± Whack! I was hit by the traditional nerfing fan again/ ¡°Don¡¯t bother, I¡¯ll process legal papers tomorrow. Geez I just said not to put me out of business.¡± And with that, miss landlady obtained ¡®Mister Double Barrel¡¯.
r1 | Ch3-3 My new toy: Mister Manga Artist III. My new toy: Mister Manga Artist Modern Earth, 20xx Kyrie had never been listless after that. Months continued to pass as she lived her lifeas a free spirit living at Ingrid''s Apartment Complex unit8.While away from their mansion, her daily taskswent simple: Gain knowledge through internet, Polish and maintain her arsenal on top condition, Daily tea time, Sleep at the floor of the living room, Therewere times that she does muscle training but not daily, she justkept her physiques in check. She neededa body that could wield all her weapons at her arsenal after all. The location of her tea time depended on her mood. Sometimes she just have her tea at the living room. Sometimes she does it at her balcony. Sometimes she does the bother of moving the couch and the tea set at the front yard, inviting Ingrid for a cup as they watch the sunset. At times she brings her whole tea set at Ingrid''s Never was a non-calming evening as long as she does her daily tea time. There were times that she won¡¯t be able to have one. She really gets pissed off, but it doesn¡¯t really show on her face. It was that time when she discovered Ingrid housing a male tenant on her, there was one instance that her tea time was interrupted due to the cigarette smoke coming from below her unit, which was Ingrid¡¯s. Days after that, she was walking back home from the grocer when she saw the lights open from unit6. ¡°So we had a new tenant.¡± She told herself. She began to wonder if it was the boy from that day. Climbing the stairs, she had to pass unit 6 before arriving at hers. She looked at the tenant board, it still didn¡¯t have a sign. ¡°We¡¯ll he will eventually make contact with his neighbours.¡± She then proceed towards her unit. Few days later boredomhad been killing her again. As she lay down the living room floor with her usual dress. She¡¯s so bored. It¡¯s the kind of boredom that¡¯s unusually different from the ones she felt before. Having random thoughts, she took a flashbang from her arsenal and lay again on the floor. She put on her glasses, pulled the pin, and gave a thumbs up. ¡°Humu, this should take their attention.¡± A blinding light shined for a few seconds inside the room. It was so bright that light went out from the windows and any form of holes where light can exit from the unit. That moment source of blinding light was seen near the area of the town where Inrid''s apartment complex stood. She¡¯s grinning. ¡°I can¡¯t see.¡± As if a pair of sunglassescould fully protectsomeone from a frontal assault of light coming from a flashbang. She still hadn¡¯t recovered yet from the effects of flashbang when she heard the door opened and she was hit by a harisen at the head. It all happened within the span of a few seconds Fucking nerf fan ¡°Please stop hitting me with your traditional nerfing fan. What I went crazy or got amnesia¡± Another clean hit. ¡°Ouch.¡± ¡°I told you not to put me out of business.¡± She heard Ingrid walked towards her ¡®Arsenal¡¯ and she immediately tried to catch up. In attempt she successfully caught one of Ingrid¡¯s foot and begged. ¡°Miss Landlady spare me. No!, spare my arsenal. I promise I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t do it again!!¡± Ingrid showed signs of irritation and crouched towards her. The anger on her face scared shit tons out of Kyrie. ¡°Behave or I¡¯ll put your arsenal to another dimension.¡± Ingrid exaggerated her sentence for disposal to let Kyrie know she¡¯s dead serious. Kyrie turned pale. She had to obey. She had to obey this one last time if she wanted to still be together with her arsenal. Later that night Kyrie was lying on the floor as usual. She was so dead bored that staring at the ceiling with lights off is now quenching her boredom. She has been stripped of her usage to her arsenal. For her this was like telling her to go back to her good old house where the choices she make should always matter. She nearly fell asleep when she suddenly heard the doorbell. She thought it must have been Ingrid, but shewas not really one to usethe doorbell. Kyrie thought it was perhaps, because Ingrid was trying to abuse her Landlady access to all other rooms via spare key. After waiting for a few more seconds and there was no one that entered, Kyrie''s assumption that the one at the door was Ingrid fell off. Still there were continued doorbell sounds that was waiting for her to answer and open the door. ¡°Who the fuck~ Oops I almost slipped. YEES!! Who¡¯s there?! You can enter!! The door¡¯s unlocked!!¡± ¨C is what she shouted on her most minimal volume voice. She shouted on her most minimal loud voice, but it was as if someone could hear something like that from outside a closed room. There was silence for a while. She went back to sleeping. She just slept over the sound of the doorbell that keeps ringing. Every point of the scenario as you can tell is wrong. A defenceless girl living alone on a unit sleeping on the floor A stranger that keeps ringing the doorbell even if nobody answers Girl leaving the door unlocked. Girl sleeping on the floor¡­ What would she do if it was a burglar or a forceful molester? Should she wake up now and defend herself? But what if it was a concerned tenant? Suddenly her train of thoughts were halted by mild slaps of someone saying ¡°wake up! Are you okay?! Wake up!!¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Kyrie slapped her assaulter. ¡°You shit. You dare woke someone like me in my deep slumber. Now prepare to die¡± Kyrie walked half-asleep towards her arsenal and get the sharpest katana she could ever get. Kyrie have done muscle training so swinging a katana to kill must be of no issue. She took a stance. The poor soul that might die was Fred. He was just concerned about what¡¯s going on with unit8 and tried to check the situation of his neighbour. Now he¡¯s about to be beheaded. ¡°BUSHIDO?! What are you, Ingrid¡¯s disciple?!¡± Kyrie was still half asleep. She must have been dreaming that she¡¯s on a fantasy action movie. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die yet! Haven¡¯t fulfilled my promise with Ingrid yet!¡± Hearing the name must have shocked Kyrie and brought her back to her senses. She is now awake and looked at the scene in front of her. Her analyzation was quick and accurate, it¡¯s just as what happened. ¡°Humu, this is an assault defense drill for defenceless girls 101. Thank you for your participation mister unit6.¡± ¡°Hey your slap still hurts! That¡¯s unfair for someone your size! Also the name¡¯s Frederie, your caring neighbour from unit6 that checked you out of concern and found you lying on the floor so I rushed in to check if you¡¯re okay. You¡¯re welcome and please don¡¯t accuse me of assault. My love won¡¯t falter.¡± ¨CFred told the exact situation, trying to escape being accused. Not that Kyrie misunderstood at the first place. FU FU FU¡­ IDIOT 100 ¡°Fufufu, don¡¯t misunderstood me misunderstanding you. I¡¯m just trying to light up the mood. You¡¯re not even on my level.¡± ¡°Then why a katana?!¡± Kyrie began swinging her katana just like those of the award-winning historical action movies. She stopped at another stance. ¡°Feel the eeedge~~ This is Gothic Ronin Aesthetica. Black Edge: Samurai Gothica¡± Fred finally lost interest. Ah, she¡¯s a lost cause. ¡°Humu, imma slash ya.¡± ¡°He, he he he¡­ Well, I guess you¡¯re okay. Good thing.¡± Fred lost interest anymore. He really thought that he was the one in grasp of the situation, but it was really the other way around. No one living in that apartment complexcould ever hope to challenge Kyrie¡¯s ingenuity. Kyrie¡¯s real aim was to bring out multiple emotions from Fred, the different expressions on his face, which you can say she have achieved. A huge amount of boredom was immediately slashed off of her. Everything went as planned from when she woke up. Fred started to leave the unit while Kyrie was still doing her practice swinging and multiple slashes. --- Everything went smoothly after that. It was like discovering an old civilization. A trading and a lot more advanced country would want to keep in touch of the older one, for who knows what reason: maybe expanding territory and resource or colonization. The same aspect above applied to Kyrie. Now that Fred has made contact with her, she will casually pay Fred¡¯s unit a visit every once in a while to play. You could say that Kyrie visits every time she gets bored and forces Fred to abide with her boredom. The first few visits had Fred really surprised by Kyrie¡¯s tricks and pranks. Eventually he got used to it. Fred found a job, but that didn¡¯t stopped Kyrie from visiting. The number of visits just dropped. Fred realized that Kyrie must have been considerate of him despite all the things she wanted to try. --- Months have passed and events that led to Fred wanting to write a manga happened. It was one day at Fred¡¯s unit. ¡°You see, never was an event with you that¡¯s not an uneventful one.¡± Fred told Kyrie while he¡¯s sitting at the couch and reading a manga volume Ingrid has lent him. Kyrie was standing at the open space near the couch and at her usual stance holding a spear. ¡°Humu, that¡¯s to be expected of me.¡± Letting out her usual monotone voice, Kyrie started swinging the spear back and forth as much as possible while avoiding hitting Fred¡¯s head. A hit from a polished and maintained blade is lethal, so she had been very careful on handling it. It was an unusually quiet day for the both of them. Kyrie usually bugged Fred with playing around leaving him with no choice but to tag along. That day they was unusually quiet. No cicadas could be heard from outside. It¡¯s not particularly hot so the air conditioner nor the electric fan were turned on. Fred could only hear the thin slicing of Kyrie¡¯s spear blade on the open space. Kyrie, on the other hand, could only hear the pages of the manga volume Fred is reading as he turn them to the next page. Fred decided to break the silence. ¡°You see, I¡¯ve quit my job.¡± And there goes the sound of her last swing. ¡°And what do you think will you do after? Do you really think world is easy enough that you can live on unemployed?¡± It was one of Kyrie¡¯s serious questions. Fred was surprised,for someone who was actually living alone while depending on her parents, those words were rich coming from Kyrie. Yes she was a genius but she still lacked life experience. Compared to everything Fred experienced, Mytherion events added, he tried to argue and make sense with her. ¡°It¡¯s not like I quit my job and lost purpose. I just¡­ I just found something I wanted to do.¡± ¡°Like drawing a manga?¡± She really is a genius to the extent that it¡¯s making me envious-Fred thought for himself. ¡°I will be busy to the point that I could not play with you anymore. You won¡¯t want to associate with someone who could not cure your boredom.¡± Fred really went straight to the point. They fell silent for a moment. Kyrie decided to stop playing and left his unit. --- It was decided. Fred asked Ingrid to extend his unit to unit7 in exchange of paying both of the rents. All the renovation to make this studio was covered by Ingrid, a loan to be paid once Fred becomes a full-pledged manga author and have a stable source of income. The renovation took place in a span of 1 week. Ingrid won tickets for two to the hot springs and decided to bring Fred, hoping he would be able to find ideas for the story of the one-shot he¡¯s creating. She have entrusted taking care of the complex to Ara on unit3, whom which by that time, was already working as a hostess at a nightclub. Entrusting the complex to Kyrie would be a grave mistake. Kyrie never went outside that time. She knew Ingrid and Fred went on a vacation together. She¡¯s been bothered by the sound of construction going on next door but was not bothered much. She looked at the window. She¡¯s¡­. not lonely, she¡¯s just bored to death. Construction was finished right before Ingrid and Fred got back. With that, Fred¡¯s manga studio has been constructed. He spent nights drawing manga and finally completed his one-shot, which later on, won the award for ¡®Fresh-Aspirants¡¯ entry competition. It was a night that Kyrie, on her most minimal form (long white dress and straight long hair) was staring at her blinds. She was looking at Ingrid and Fred going out, Ingrid dressed up, and Fred on his casual outdoors. She put on a sly smile. --- Weeks after that Ara became one of Fred¡¯s assistants. They were about to start an adaptation project proposed to Fred by the old man. The setup of the room was spacious. There was a connecting door towards unit6, Fred¡¯s unit. From after the three desks positioned near the sliding door towards the veranda, a spacious area whereone could still put on furniture is available. A bed was placed on the left side near the door to unit6, and cabinets for supplies were placed at the right. The two were working hard. Both of them were silent. Ara was still getting used to the job, but Fred seemed to be experienced already even though it was his first project. A serious and silent work environment could also be nice sometimes but things turned out different. ¡­ ¡°DOKAAAAN!!!!¡± BANG!! SMASHING!! The expression within the two could not be painted. It was distorted, the same as how distorted the mindset of the lady lurking in unit8 was. The wall was broken. Debris were scattered everywhere. Dust was everywhere, the smell of concrete filled the room. There from the hole entered the person that would soon fill the spot on the 3rd desk: Kyrie. It was the Kyrie on her final form: Twin drills, Gothic Lolita outfit, aviators, and ¡°Humu, The Sledgehammah~~¡± Kyrie took a deep breath, and shouted: ¡°OHAYOU GOZAIMAAAA¡ª¡± Flying Harisen Assault Lvl 10 She was hit by Ingrid¡¯s flying traditional nerf fan. Fred rubbed his forehead in pain and said, ¡°Took you long enough.¡± Ingrid entered the studio due to the ruckus, furious, grabbed Kyrie, and dragged her back to unit8 with her. Two things happened that day afterwards: Fred employed Kyrie as his second assistant The Arsenal has been disposed off by Ingrid.
r1 | Ch3-4 True Color IV. True Color Kyrie Modern Earth, 20xx I left Fred¡¯s room with my naginata. He argued about his dream to be a manga artist. I left not particularly due tohis argument but due to smething else. I will be busy to the point that I could not play with you anymore. You won¡¯t want to associate with someone who could not cure your boredom. Is what he have said. I couldn¡¯t be bothered much, honestly. In fact, it was more of a realization why I left. People do change for good. I¡¯ve lived this ¡®I¡¯m bored so please play with me¡¯ thing long enough. I¡¯ve always considered Fred a toy ever since I¡¯ve been friends with him. He¡¯s a changing human, what should I expect. Eventually I¡¯ll hit the point where I have to change too. But I didn''t want to change my personality as much. My mind had always been distorted. I only have been thinking of ways to cure my boredom, but if needed I could think of things like these too: Fred will be needing time to achieve his goals. As much as I wanted to use him as a toy to cure my boredom, I would not want to be a hindrance. It¡¯s a simple way of thinking. He¡¯s done so much for me these past months. You could also say I feel like I¡¯m indebted to him. Besides, ¡°Fu, fu, fu, don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get away of being a toy to cure my boredom just by being a busybody.¡± Ah, there it goes... As expected of me, I¡¯m pretty twisted. --- It was a pleasant morning at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex. I was standing at a wall of the living room adjacent to unit7 which now, must be Fred¡¯s studio. The positionwas standingshould be linear to a free space without anything to be hit by the debris. I wondered if they¡¯re already working.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Ara beating me to be his first assistant, made me furious. She resigned to that establishment just to be an assistant of a good-for-nothing toy manga artist, she must have ulterior motives. Maybe I¡¯ll toy with her too. Poor katana, my blades, Kevlar and traditional armors. Poor Mister SMG, Miss AK, my beloved rifles. Poor RPG I never even had tested you. It was a long time and you have serviced me well. You have cured this boredom of mine. This will be your honourable dismissal. And you, Sledgehammer, please bear with me one last time. I¡¯ve finally found my new toy. I hope you will be treasured well the next owner that you guys will have. Goodbye, My Arsenal. I gathered my strength and smashed the wall with all my might. I entered the room, and the usual routine to kill my boredom. ¡°OHAYOU GOZAIMAAAA¡ª¡± That day, My Arsenal vanished. --- It was one of the sunsets when it¡¯s best to have tea. I positioned my table and my couch, poured tea at my favorite cup. I sat at the veranda. Watching for the darkness to completely eat the horizon. We just finished an all-day meeting with regards to Fred¡¯s new project and he have decided to write a story for a shoujo manga. The next months would get very busy. ¡°Humu, this is for the better.¡± I¡¯ve decided to follow him as an assistant. It was a form of self-service, a way to cure mynever-ending boredom a bit. I have surrendered my arsenal for this. Take this as me placing bet on how much Fred will amuse me these coming days, months, or even years. I have surrendered my arsenal but not everything. "Humu. You always took advantage of your title as a landlady. I guess it''s about time I pull a fast one on you. Fufufu..." Miss landlady must have forgotten due to the things she needed to do to have all the armaments surrendered to the authority that day. A thing that flew straight to me while holding the last of The Sledgehammer. A thing that is now hanged on the wall of my nearly empty room. Harisen.
Dusk Interlude 0 (Mytherion) - ?How to beat an Irresponsible God: No, you cant How to beat an Irresponsible God - No, you can''t Maou to Frederie Spence Endless Void, Nowhere ¡°HI! HI!! That should be it I guess!! Aint ya dead already?¡± I guess I died. My life ran out on me huh. ¡°Heeeey~~ I said Hi!!¡± It was quite a sad ending that I encountered but this was too anticlimactic.I questioned myself where I was. Everything¡¯s white, there was absolutely nothing else to see and I can¡¯t even determine where the horizon is. The only thing bugging me was this talking kid that exactly looked like me when I was a lad. Please stop this cringe-y acting. I didn¡¯t even act like that when I was your age. Oh what, how old are you even anyways. ¡°HEY, THAT¡¯S RUDE. I¡¯m still young for my position as a God.¡± I really hated individuals granted with the Insight* ability. What was so fun about peeking into someone''s mind anyways? And so he introduced hmself. This kid or whatsoever God he called himself was one of those who have been amusing themselves out of boredom by checking worlds currently in peace, and inciting them to war themselves to oblivion. I will be needing maximum composure if I were to talk to this one. But what might he want? I just wanted him to let me rest in peace. My duty is over already. I''m tired...If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Ah you¡¯re a tough one. Come on speak to me, don¡¯t make this hard.¡± ¡°May I know what business you have with me?¡± ¡°Oh no we ain¡¯t talkin¡¯ ¡®bout business here, we talkin¡¯ ¡®bout yer future.¡± ¡°Please stop talking like that. And I don¡¯t want to hear that topic from a twelve year old me. I don¡¯t want to¡­¡± ¡°Let me cut to the chase. Do you want a second life? Do you want to continue or, like, want a redo¡ªhey please don¡¯t make me explain this all over again, you¡¯re a Maou, you should know how transferring to another world or special summonings work already.¡± Ah... Shit... You can''t be talking about... From that point I knew this will be a heavy bargain. Parallel worlds, deaths and reincarnations, summoning rituals, stuff that makes you manipulate dimensions and travel multiverses. It has only been a theory at Mytherion, yet to be fully discovered for legalized usage. I can¡¯t even bear to think these petty gods have been using these kinds of methods at ease for their convenience and to cure their indefinite boredom. Anyways I still have to listen to what he has to offer¡ª ¡°Ah you know what? I¡¯m getting tired of this, yer on your own pal.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh what?¡± This is too sudden, or more like, he didn¡¯t even planned about this!! ¡°Entity Transfer! Let¡¯s Start Now!!~¡± He tapped my left shoulder and the supposedly chair I¡¯m sitting vanished. Light starts to envelop my body as the feeling of being thrown out of a high-rise tower without a rope tied, then having a free fall to death. This should be a very long fall. He thrown me ¡°THIS IS WAY TOO IRRESPONSIBLE!!!¡± ¡°HAHAHA!! Snot-nosed brats who can¡¯t even stop a war nor confess properly should be left on their own to learn! Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s for your own good!! I don''t want to have a long lecture about this anymore so you''ll be able to find out once you get to see your new world. Oh! Also, I won''t be bothering to monitor you as I have lots of other individuals I needed to attend to! like, A thousand years worth of them!!¡± Eh? Did he just?... ¡°FUCK YOOOUU!!!¡± Then I fell to the void.
r1 | Ch4-1 Sanctuary: Part 0 I. Sanctuary: Part 0 Modern Earth, 19xx A good married couple with a stable farming business had been living by a remote town not far away from the city. Railways have been developed by that time already so access to the town from the city was not that hard. The development of the technology and infrastructure on it was slower compared to the large cities, so you could consider living a rural life in there. But even though the community was still small, residents of the town have been living well. There have been infrastructures, products, livestock and crops that kept the economy circulating. The town actually covered a huge area of the lands but the houses and establishment are gathering on the town central, the rest are covered by fields, forest and mountains. The vast fields were where general portion of the income comes from. From wheat, to rice, to vegetables, crops that areusually needed for daily life were being produced either to be circulated to the town or for export. There were also educational institutes but up to high school only, the next university would be located at the central city few stations ahead. Without planning to enrol to a university, there could be options where one could produce a living: apply for a job within the town premises, or inherit a business of sort or land to grow crops. The married couple was still young of age, around thirties for both of them. The husband inherited a good portion of land from his parents, so growing crops could provide income for a family of four. They had a daughter first. A cute normal living girl. After their firstborn, a sickness hit the mother which led to her being unable to give birth again. Unable to give birth anymore, they gave all the love and care they could to raise the cute little girl, which in twenty years of time will be later known as Landlady Ingrid. Ingrid grew as a sweet loving child that always helps her father when farming, and still helps her mother do household chores if ever. She was a much loved girl. She had friends at her age that often comes to their house to play. They wereclassmates from her grade school. Though most of them started having their own circle of friends as time goes on, Ingrid paid no mind, it''s not that she¡¯s mad or something. It¡¯s just that she was raised at young age with one of the teachings of her parents: ¡®nothing in this world is permanent than change.¡¯ They spent their days like a normal happy family of three. One day while walking home from school, Ingrid and her mother encountered a stray puppy inside a box on one of the main roads. Ingrid looked to her mother, and her mother immediately approved that they keep the dog. They started raising it and later on became part of their family. The dog was named Tenji. A happy family of three became four --- Years of happiness went by, and when Ingrid thought that everything lasts forever, events started to made her realize more: ¡®nothing in this world is permanent than change.¡¯ It was in her first year on junior high school. Her mother fell ill. Being worried, Ingrid could not concentrate at school, she couldn''t make friends, nor live the days of her youth. She had always come home early to took care of her bedridden mother. The sickness was unknown, her check-ups were fine. It¡¯s just that there was something unknown that had been eating her life away. Current technology on the town couldn¡¯t support treatments of such. Having her transferred to the city for medication will take them a few years income for just five days worth of cost. The four of them gathered at her parents¡¯ bedroom one night. The discussion went long, several, heart piercing hours. Both Ingrid and her father were crying. It was unknown sickness that has no cure yet on their town. Being admitted on the city won¡¯t give them assurance that she will be cured. It must be some cancer of new sort. Instead of living in poverty trying to prolong mother¡¯s life for a few more years, they resorted for God¡¯s mercy and have her live life to the fullest for her remaining time. Tenji tried to comfort his owners, feeling the melancholy within the room. It had been decided: the mother will spend her last days bedridden, while living happily with her family. Both Ingrid and her father had no regrets. Ingrid tried to start living her youth again within the school, started making friends again and hang out. Her father continued the farm and still provided their daily needs. Late her first year on junior high, Ingrid¡¯s mother finally passed away. At the funeral, both Ingrid and her father showed no sadness to anyone. Perhaps, it was relief and determination: Relief, now that the long suffering of mother has finally ended, and she can continue to live peacefully at the afterlife Determined, that they will happily continue living, the two of them with Tenji, just as the mother told them to. But even though all¡¯s been said above, the night after the burial, they were both crying at the living room of their small happy home.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. A happy family of four became three. --- The memory and will of their mother had been carried on. Ingrid¡¯s father continued working on the farm. Business was booming later on that year. The savings versus the expenditures that were supposed to be just tallying out, were now in favour of savings. There were enough budget to have Ingrid live her junior high happily. Ingrid started making friends, hanging out after school, started club activities, and even does hobby. At times she goes with her friends to book stores, checking out latest releases for light novels and mangas. Ingrid grew attached to reading manga more. She couldn¡¯t accept the fact that reading long sentences on novels bores her. She needed visuals. Besides reading manga, she also joined her friends at karaoke, batting centers, hot springs, and lots more fun stuffs. It was the peak of her youth. Perhaps, she was happy¡­ And lax. Another event made her realize once more, the teachings of her late mother: ¡®nothing in this world is permanent than change.¡¯ It was late her third year junior high school Ingrid noticed that her father has been coughing a lot as of late. She tried asking her father if he¡¯s alright, if he¡¯s been sick. Her father tried to deny it, but test results never lie. Her father had tuberculosis, at the terminal stage. Ingrid came to a realization: Her father had been working himself to death just to supply her daily dose of happiness. When did it start? When did she lost track of it? Her father had always told her: ¡®Live your life to the fullest, be happy for me, be happy for mother.¡¯ She just did what she¡¯s been told. When could¡¯ve everything went wrong? She was crying. She sought comfort with her friends, took advice what to do from now on. During days she continued attending school, during night she tends at her father, bedridden. It was the same bed that had supported her mother until she passed away, it will be the same for her father. She asked God if she¡¯s cursed. Days of sadness and torment went on, until finally, her father passed away too. At the funeral, unlike her mother¡¯s, Ingrid was so devastated. It seems like the final pillar of support of her daily life of happiness had finally crumbled down. Again, she was thinking, ¡®nothing in this world is permanent than change.¡¯ After the burial, it was decided by her relatives that her aunt will take the responsibility of raising her until she¡¯s capable on her own. Even though how strong you show yourself in front of everyone, when times comes that you are alone, you could show the weakest of yourself. Again, that night, Ingrid was crying at the living room of their small happy house. Now, she only had Tenji to comfort her at the times of her grief. A happy family of three became two. --- During the day of the funeral of her father, her relatives decided that one of her aunts will take responsibility of raising Ingrid until she¡¯s a fully capable woman being able to support herself. At that time her aunt asked her if she wanted to live with them on their apartment complex. At that time, Ingrid had been devastated by her losses that she couldn''t even respond to questions being asked to her. It was a complete shock. But she knew that her aunt had been asking out of concern. Still, she chose not to answer. She needed time first. Her aunt understood her silence and advised her to take her time alone. She chose to live for a while being alone at her happy little home. She continued attending middle school and graduated with the financial assistance of her aunt. But being at her current state, could one truly say that she lived at her happy little home? Her aunt had a family of five. The couple had two older brothers and a younger sister. They had an apartment complex which was being run by her and her husband. The aunt was currently working as a sales clerk on a supermarket at the town¡¯s center. Their apartment is shabby and unmaintained: they had a few tenants but they could leave any time due to finding a better place to live that is comparable to the current rent is possible. Supporting a family of five plus Ingrid was bearable. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s the type of demon foster parents from a drama series Ingrid had watched on the past. In fact, her aunt was a total caring one. She always bring food whenever available to her house despite the distance. At times Ingrid came to the apartment complex to play and hang out with the brothers and sister. Even though Ingrid lived separately, you could say she¡¯s well-accepted by her new family. She found a new reason for living. She just considered living at their old home a memento of her late parents. She never intended to put grudges to anyone, nor blame herself anymore. The field was left untouched. Ingrid casually maintained the cultivation of the soilwhenneeded. At times she helped maintaining the old apartment complex of her aunt. She got in well terms with the other tenants too. Having her purpose-driven life, her high school days have passed. Despite being busy with her new family, Ingrid also never failed to live out her youth. She still continued being sociable in school like her junior high. With Tenji living at her small happy home, she finally decided: She will give up her home and farm to her aunt and her family in exchange to the apartment complex. Running an 8-unit one should be easier alone than earning money enough to cover the expenses of a family of five. She bet she could maintain the apartment complex by herself. By the time she graduates high school, she will be the one to run the apartment complex and her aunt and her husband will operate the farm again. It would be a win-win situation. One of the two brothers were toenter college the upcoming year and the younger sister will start her middle school too. Covering up for the expenses for college would not cope up with their current income. But with the farm, it should be bearable. Meanwhile Ingrid was only a family of one plus Tenji. Income from the apartment complex should be more than enough to cover her daily needs and expenses. She talked with it over and over with her aunt¡¯s family. At first they refused such a big offer. Ingrid tried explaining it again, pointing out the future of the siblings. She have loved them like her own siblings. She had grew mature enough due to her circumstances but where could that ¡®maturity¡¯ bring her to? She took a leap and made the offer. Besides one of her other reasons to this decision: her growth as a human, without the influence of her late parents. She¡¯s been trying to rebuild the crumbled pillars. Ingrid had been strong, she had to grew strong. The deal had been sealed. Ingrid graduated high school. She inherited the apartment complex in exchange plus an initial sum for major renovation in exchange to her old and small happy home and her late parent¡¯s farm. A happy family of two, still two. --- Renovation took months, she and Tenji lived with her aunt for a short time while renovations are still ongoing. Her old farming knowledge is still there, she took all time she had to teach the brothers farming to have them help their father in their free time. A few months after, the renovation was a success and the apartment complex was now a liveable good looking and good conditioned apartment complex. ¡°Tenji, my boy, this will be our home. Our sanctuary.¡± Ingrid said. But the last of their tenants finally left and found a new one. They we¡¯re back to zero¡ªor not. Months later she encountered Ara laying in front of the apartment complex Months later a black luxury car ended up in front of it and there went Kyrie renting one unit. Months later Ingrid encountered the former-maou Fred at that fated night at the forest.
r1 | Ch4-2 Tenji II. Tenji Tenji, Modern Earth via Dog years. (Shiba Inu = 1:5) It was a clear night sky as I walk with Ingrid on an unfamiliar land. The trees could be seen everywhere. I couldn¡¯t exactly tell the way home. My senses must have dulled through the years. I¡¯ve been growing old. This sweet lovely girl had been my master for all these years. It really was a good time to walk a dog around. but phew, man this sure is tiring. She¡¯s been telling stories of her life, those she shared with me and her parents: her family. It sure was nostalgic. After a long walk we stopped at a nice spot. It was an open area within the forest where grass was abundant. The soil was quite hard compared to the soil my family had been cultivating downhill at their farm. The almost-solid ground had been covered by moist grass that you won''t feel its hardness anymore when you sit or lay your body at it. ¡°Okay there, Tenji, let¡¯s take our time to rest here. Good boy.¡± God please remember my gender correctly. The name is Tenji. Please burn that to you memory, you wretched hag. I lay my body on the ground. I felt the coolness of the grass and the warmth of the ground. It really had been a long run. --- The very first memory I could remember was when I¡¯m already living with Ingrid¡¯s family. I was already a happy dog by that time. Before that I was a stray dog and my previous owners just put me in a box beside the road. I¡¯ve wondered where could¡¯ve been my real parents were. Maybe, they died when I was still young, or maybe I was a stray or abandoned pup. They always call me Tenji, that¡¯s what I was named. I didn¡¯t even know what it meant, and it didn¡¯t sound cool. They could¡¯ve picked a better one. All I could remember was Ingrid¡¯s cute little figure. She always have cherished me. Of course her parents too, but her love for me was incomparable. You could say I was treated very well. Every day I come near the entrance to welcome her and her mother as they arrive from school. We always play at the fields afterwards. Back then I was still small too. At times I help out at the farm too. Or did I? I was a good benefactor to the farm¡¯s booming business. During meal time we always eat together at the dining room. But I never really had the chance to eat at the table. Oh well, I¡¯m a dog. Either ways, breakfast, lunch and dinner, never was a skipped meal for me. I¡¯m grateful, for one of a dog¡¯s happiness is being served food. Days like these must remain forever As a dog, I could wish for nothing more. It was at my late twenties that Ingrid¡¯s mother fell ill, and passed away. I was tied outside the building. Everyone¡¯s wearing black, I wondered what¡¯s happening. Anyways, I guess animals like me were not allowed to such place. I could only look inside through this clear something I coudln''t even scratch where Ingrid and her father were attending to the guests. Wait, is mother lying in there? Can I still play with her? I was brought home after the burial. All three of us were at home, but not mother. Both of them are doing strange noises. Ah, I remember this one. This was one from when Ingrid was a kid and tripped at the field. Red stuff is coming out of her knees and she was doing this sound too. There are watery fluid flowing on her eyes. Father told Ingrid "stop crying already." I suppose that''s what it''s called. I felt the morbid air in the room. I approached my master, she must¡¯ve been sad. ¡°Tenji, you see, mother is gone, and she¡¯s not here to play with you anymore, to play with me too... Both father and I we¡¯re sad and crying.¡± What? Can someone translate that on dog language? All I know that time was my master is sad. A loyal dog¡¯s job is to comfort her master at times like this. I tried to lick her face. She looked at me with a smiling face. Oh come on, if you¡¯re really happy please put those watery eyes away. It kills my mood. I lay my body beside her as they cried their night. It was a very long time that an incident like this occurred again. It was my early fifties that Ingrid¡¯s father passed away too.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It was the same exact scenario that happened back then when mother passed away. But now, Ingrid was all alone. For the past years that both of them have been living without mother, they still never failed to take care of me. Ingrid, even though she came home more lately than before, still never forgot to play with me before dinner. Father too. All the years I¡¯ve seen them support each other. I also did my best as a loyal pet. That night Ingrid was crying again, now alone, inside our house. That time I perfectly knew already when my master was being sad. --- I stared at Ingrid¡¯s face. I really am getting old. I remembered. I remembered those night Mother and Father left Ingrid. My master why are you making that face? Is this event happening again? It was the same face back then. Now I remembered why we¡¯re here at the first place... Why was I here? --- After Ingrid¡¯s father¡¯s death, a few events led her to having a new family. I wondered that time if humans really does this whenever being left alone by their families. It was like a failsafe. I wish I had one to when I was young. My previous owner could have brought me to their relatives if they were willing to adopt an excess pup. I was envious. This family must have been Ingrid¡¯s relatives, because they decided to include Ingrid on their family too. It should have been the same as when they kept me too. Why does my master have to experience same thing as me? I wished the curse could have stayed within me alone. --- The supposed to be a small house for four, now became a huge house for the two of us. One night Ingrid approached me, caressed my fur, and sat by my side. ¡°Do you want to leave this house?¡± She¡¯s talking to me... I can¡¯t fully understand what you¡¯re saying but at least let me keep up with it. ¡°You see, my current family is poor. I don¡¯t want them to experience hardships in life like I did. That¡¯s the very least I can do for them. This farm is big. The house might be small, but it can fit a happy family of five.¡± What¡¯s this? I can¡¯t keep up ¡°This was our small happy home. But could you still consider this a happy home? It¡¯s only the two of us¡­¡± Did I failed you? Did I failed as a loyal servant? ¡°It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t kept me company these years after dad died. I was still happy. You¡¯ve done great Tenji.¡± She''s smiling... Good... I¡¯m relieved if that¡¯s so¡­ I laid my body on her lap. ¡°We¡¯ll be trading houses with auntie. We will have our new home, the two of us.¡± A few weeks after that, we have transferred to a new house. I couldn¡¯t understand its layout. It¡¯s too big but we only use the farthest room from the entrance. I never really went out after that. I have always stayed at her room, sometimes at the living room. I realized there came a time that she housed a girl, and another girl after that. We have never really met. I tried to hide my presence as much from them. But they should knew that I exist. Both of them just don¡¯t hang out that much with my master. I noticed that she¡¯s not the way she used to like before. She still never failed to pet me, and treat me as part of her family, but she¡¯s more focused on something now. That thing I never had a chance to know. Much more years have passed that I¡¯ve lost track of my age already. I lost track of how long had it been since Ingrid and I had a new home. Guess I was growing old. At times I don¡¯t feel well, Ingrid will take all her time overnight to watch over me. My breathing became heavy. Lifting up my body hadn¡¯t been the same as it was before. I could feel my muscles aching just from a single trip to the litter tray. The times I was sleeping became more frequent. Do dogs like me even have a dream? One time there was a vision inside me of the four of us on our old home. Ingrid, her parents, and me. I missed those times so much that I hope when I wake up I get to see and live those memories again. I woke up. Ingrid was not home. This must¡¯ve been a bad dream. I closed my eyes again. There was darkness --- ¡­ --- I woke up and it¡¯s shaking. Oh god master please don¡¯t shake me up like this it¡¯s hard to get balance. Besides, my muscles have been failing me already. Please don''t make this hard on me too much. Where are we? It seemed like I''m inside a moving object. I look outside the glass and saw that we are moving, on a surface elevated from the ground. ¡°Tenji you¡¯re awake. We¡¯re going to have a walk.¡± She spoke language I still couldn¡¯t comprehend. But I sense that she¡¯s happy. I was sitting beside her. It¡¯s been a while since I lay my body on a couch like this. As a dog, I felt more alive than ever. The moving object finally stopped. ¡°We can park the car here I guess. No one usually comes here around this hour so it must be safe.¡± She opened the door, got my leash at the back and opened the door on my side. Heh! I¡¯m too old to use that tie. Do you want to tie me forever? I let out a sound of refusing. ¡°Okay then, will you follow me, Tenji?¡± She seems to have understood. As expected of my master. This will be my final destination. How long did I lived? Did I served my master well? She¡¯s happy so I suppose I¡¯ve done my part well. I¡¯ve supported her in her darkest hours, in her time of need, the times she needed to cheer up and be the usually happy energetic pretty master I¡¯ve ever had. Gathering up the last of my remaining strength, I stood up. I could feel the muscles tearing up within my body. The slender I am, I stood up in front of her ¡°Do you want me to carry you?¡± I moved in front, wagging my tail like the young dog I used to. We walked towards the forest. --- She was sitting, I was laying me body with my head on her lap. It was the same positions we always do when she pets me. But now: She¡¯s crying. Please master don¡¯t make that kind of face. I¡¯ve done my part. Also, there¡¯s the other two tenants now living on our house. You won¡¯t feel lonely even when I¡¯m gone¡­ My master why are you making that face? Is this event happening again? It was the same face back then. Now I remember why we¡¯re here at the first place. Why am I here? The answer was simple: To say farewell to my master. I let out sounds of being worried. ¡°Uuuuu¡­ Tenji¡­ uuuuu¡­¡± I can¡¯t stop her crying. I¡¯m saddest myself too: I can¡¯t stay for few more years, not until she won¡¯t be like this once I¡¯ll be gone. I¡¯m full of regrets. I hope that my master will meet someone who can fill in the holes that I have left¡­ My body systems have failed me. I could feel everything inside me starting to stop functioning. I gathered the last of my strength, lifted myself up, and licked her face. I lay myself on her again. The last thing I felt was the warmth of my master¡¯s embrace. I, Tenji, a loyal pet dog, died at age 76.
r1 | Ch4-3 Fated Encounter 1 --Re:Twilight: Earth-- III. Fated Encounter Ingrid Modern Earth, 20xx
My happy family of two: now I¡¯m alone. ¡°Uuuuu¡­ Tenji¡­ uuuuu¡­¡± -crying myself as I lost Tenji, I looked up the clear sky. I wondered if another bright star had been added from what was visible to my current vision. The cool breeze blew. Aaah, there goes the last of my family. Tenji was a 15y/o Shiba-inu that we have adopted when I was young. At times of my grief when my mother and father died, he was always the one to comfort me. He was a cheerful little creature that always waits at our front yard during late afternoons until I arrive from school. He was always getting angry for my sake, he seeked for me when he wants to play, he always approached me when he felt I needed someone to talk to: not like he understood all that I was saying. Now, he¡¯s gone. I¡¯ve cherished him like my real family. I guessed even the healthiest pets doesn¡¯t get safe from old age. I understood that he¡¯s done enough and he now needed to take a rest. I just wanted time to weep. I came with him to the mountains with him and here we spent his last moments. I could still feel his last lick on my cheeks, the warmth of his lifeless body that slowly faded. Everything I felt was heart-piercing. I wept for a while. I carried his slender, light body following a trail towards a small stone formation. I went back to the mini-truck to gather the tools needed and followed the same trail back to where I will bury him. Half an hour passed and I¡¯ve completed the burial, and there I left his collar beside the stone I placed on the top of the mound formed. If a police catches me here I¡¯d be suspected of burying a dead body. -I laughed at this thought. The path back to Tenji¡¯s death spot was easy, I just have to follow the trail back and it will lead me eventually to the mini-truck. --- I was startled on the figure of a man standing on the same spot where Tenji and I had a rest. Who is he? What is he doing here? He looked weird. Is that a full-plate armor he¡¯s wearing? Did he attend a cosplay convention of some sort? How did he even get here? What¡¯s his goal? Questions started to swarm my mind. I knew talking with him will clear out many of those questions, but I¡¯m quite anxious and afraid talking to strangers, especially now that Tenji is gone. What if he have ulterior motives? What if he''s an exhibisionist, or rather a random freak molester? I don¡¯t want to have any business with him. I just want to recover from a loss, God please don¡¯t add any more problems. Trying to sneak my way out, as quiet as possible, I heard him talk. ¡°Ah, let¡¯s see how I will manage. It seems like I was summoned here as a perfectly normal human.¡± ¡­.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I wonder if they have a writing profession here.¡± Eeh? Summoned? What? Writing profession? You nuts? And why am I letting myself be drawn to this utter nonsense? Quick, I need to get away from here quietly. If I were to surmise what I just heard, his situation must be arranged: >He¡¯s from a country far away and was suddenly moved here, maybe of accident or mistake? >He has zero knowledge about this place >Writing is one of the available professions on his previous place. NO, NO, NO, NO¡ªdon¡¯t think of anything, just leave quietly. Then suddenly: A loud clanking of fallen metals. ¡°HII!!¡ª¡± I screamed my lungs out. ¡°Eh? Who¡¯s there?!¡± Ah, there goes my peaceful quiet ninja-like leave. I turned around and looked at him. Illuminated by the moonlight, his face became clearer from a mere silhouette from a moment ago. He¡¯s quite a young-looking man around his mid-twenties. But¡­ Seriously? Karate? He took his stance. I knew he should be wary of me, or rather, I should be the one wary of him! Besides, what¡¯s with the battle stance he was doing? ¡°M-My name is... Frederie!, Frederie Spence. I don¡¯t mean any harm, please lay down your weapon. I just got transported to this land. Please, tell me, I need to get back to my world.¡± The conversation was getting nowhere. Transported? His world? Plate armors? My weapon? Karate? Again, questions started to swarm my mind. ¡°Young lad you see, my shovel and your fist fighting stance are two different things. It¡¯s like me burying my dead dog versus your self-defence, you can¡¯t do that!¡± Of course he should not. It was utter nonsense Why compare a shovel to a weapon? Did I look like one of the protagonist of a post-apocalyptic zombie manga or some sort? Why start to compare things that are completely irrelevant? ¡°Dead dog? Shovel?¡± Asking questions without care at all? What are you? Do you like hitting me where it hurts? You a sadist? I¡¯m getting tired. I need to hand him over already to the police station or the train station for him to go back to where the even earth did he came from. It was when I noticed his face. It was fresh from crying. Those swollen eyes, red snotted nose, he looked like a kid that was snatched away of his candy when that was all he had. I wanted to ask why, but as much as I wanted to pry in, also a part of me told me not to. But what if the situation was as what i think it is? Leaving behind someone on an unfamiliar land, he''s at an away-game. I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep just by thinking what could happen to him after i left him alone. Not much people on the town could bother, he might be brought fast to the police station. I thought that¡¯s for the better. That¡¯s for the better... ¡°Hey, want to take a walk?¡± I chose the other way around. Some unseen element had me drawn interested to him. He¡¯s still cautious, I see.. That¡¯s to be expected. I really just didn¡¯t liked how he treated Tenji¡¯s funeral like a joke. Or if I¡¯m mistaken, did he really have no knowledge of this place? It seemed like a joke. This could also be a prank from those night TV shows. If I¡¯m being filmed, I must show some composure and awareness. ¡°I¡¯ll show you to the town, maybe you¡¯ll find some hints there of how to get back to your place.¡± -I told him pointing the trail back to the main road. I started walking and stopped, he¡¯s still standing. Sigh ¡°Look, it will freeze here later. Do you wish to sleep out here in the wilds or I could find you shelter at the town, a warm place you can stay in for the night or hand you over to the police also. You can think all day tomorrow how can you get back, but at least, you should stay in this town for the night.¡± The thought of having him spend the night at the apartment complex came to me. NO! NO, NO, NO!!! This human speaks trouble. I mean, look at him: he¡¯s doing those ¡®fireball shot¡¯ stance with his right hand?! Now what?, he has some eight-grader syndrome or sort? He idolize some manga protagonist? He¡¯s on leather armor, counting out that heavy clank of his plate armor he left there, that¡¯s fine tempered steel. Seriously: He speaks T-R-O-U-B-L-E He suddenly appeared next to me. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Eeeeeh?? ¡°Seriously, a human who doesn¡¯t even know what a shovel is...¡± I¡¯ve murmured as I¡¯ve put the tools back at the mini truck. I could lock up the truck here, not like it could get stolen. Almost no one goes to this place and it¡¯s not hunting season. It should still be safe until tomorrow. I thought I''ll apologize to my aunt by bringing her a pot of beef stew. I approached him and made signs of proceeding. ¡°Taking a walk this time of the night should be fine. Also it might help you cool your head first. Seems like you¡¯ve gone mental after being lost.¡± ¡°Hmp. A mere human instructing me what to do.¡± What did you just?!¡ªI should¡¯ve brought double-barrel-boy with me... Grrrr!! The high and mighty attitude irritated me. Was he a king of his country? Not all people here can tolerate such so it would be a really bad idea if he went on and blurting such sentences in front of others. I thought I should shut him up or tie his mouth. Again, that was bad idea. ¡°The name is Ingrid by the way.¡± I introduced myself and continued walking.
r1 | Ch4-3 Fated Encounter 2 --- We reached the main road. We¡¯re nearing the town proper. ¡°Here we are, this is the town proper. Don¡¯t be shy. It is about time you¡¯re telling me where you came from.¡± It¡¯s not too late to start asking this question at that point. So much happened a while ago that I forgot to ask. Everything fell silent... He started touching the ground, out of nowhere. Hey if this is a prank please cameramen show up already.. I just tried to hide my embarrassment as I closed my eyes. For starters, I tried to get along with such nonsense. He¡¯s showing massive lack of knowledge in this town... No, rather, this world. I explained to him a few things like asphalt and electrical posts. He seemed surprised. Then he took another defensive stance. God I want to resign. I questioned myself if I just unearthed a neanderthal from late paleozoic era. Trying to hide my stress, I need to look innocent as much. I didn¡¯t want to startle him and have him attack me being alerted of hostility. I Let myself look confused first... ¡°Come, Frederie, you must be scared out there. You look like someone not from here. Walking around the forest late at night takes quite courage. Are you lost? You¡¯ve been crying.¡± OOPS!! Crap, I¡¯ve said too much... Everything fell silent for a while. I knew what I said was too much. What if this was not some normal encounter, what if he suddenly turned into a predator and eat me. What if he really spews out fireballs and incinerate me. I tried to joke myself with ridiculous thoughts just to pass the silence around. ¡°I came from a different world. I don¡¯t know if magic is something available on this world, but it is something abundant from where I came from. It was a world where war exists, and the knowledge of parallel and other worlds have been proved and real.¡± I let out a dead smile. I started sweating cold and stare blankly. Blank Confused Surprised. It¡¯s a full transition of facial expression. I could feel my jaw detaching from what I just heard. He started walking again. How much should I put up with this? I followed him and eventually led the way while still thinking how I should put things up. How should I answer? I didn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening anymore. Lost by my train of thought, I noticed that we have covered considerable distance from where we stopped by a while ago. I was not a sage, not a fortune teller, and absolutely not someone who can read thoughts. How could I know if he¡¯s telling the truth? Everything he explained were a hundred percent completely out of the scope of this world. Not yet or not yet being revealed. Again, I took a glance on his face: it¡¯s a face of innocence and longing. It¡¯s like... Realization hit me. A while ago the last of my family members left me. I was left with no one. I¡¯m alone. He has the same face as me a while ago. Or worse. There were traces of regrets. If sadness was not something you would want to show someone, what more for regrets? Regret was not something I experienced. Mother and father always taught me to live life to the fullest, to the point that I won¡¯t have any regrets. I¡¯m alone now but never did I had any regrets on life.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. So what have he gone through? To what extent of experience could provide such? Was it alright to believe him? Was it a sin to ride along with his circumstances and give him false hopes that he would be able to return to the world he once lived? Would it be better if I tell the truth. What mess have I gotten myself into? ¡°If¡­¡± I decided to speak up ¡°If what you are saying is all true, then I shall answer honestly. There are no traces of magic here. Those are just fantasy.¡± I talked¡­ I talked of long histories, I talked of science and technology, I talked of every knowledge I have of Earth. Things that are not usual to wherever planet or universe he says he came from. I even talked about my age and what just happened recently on my life. I talked¡­ And talked and talked until I noticed he isn¡¯t moving anymore. I took a glance at him. He¡¯s looking inside a house. A happy family having a dinner. He¡¯s crying again. He must have a family back from where he came from too. I tried not to cry too, but I couldn¡¯t and I just faced away from him trying to hold back my tears as much. What could I even do to liven up the mood?, I also missed my family. You idiot... don¡¯t make the situation worse. --- We finally arrived at my apartment complex. It seemed like a long walk, but not really different from the usual. It¡¯s just that I have someone to accompany me back so I didn¡¯t felt really alone. I turned towards him and welcomed him. ¡°It¡¯s my apartment complex, I¡¯m the landlady apparently.¡± I knew where this was going. Inner me didn¡¯t even had this script to follow, so when did I even considered bringing him here? I looked at the lights of the units of my two tenants, they¡¯re off: GOOD. It seemed that Ara hadn¡¯t come home from her work yet and Kyrie took an early sleep¡ªNo! She must have been looking at the blinds while lights are closed. I looked at Fred again. This nutjob, his thoughts went to another dimension again. ¡°Heeey~ Frederieeeee~ talk to me. It¡¯s getting too cold, want to stay inside?¡± I should bring him in asap. I don¡¯t want any accident that my tenants would see us and spread rumours that I¡¯m bringing boys for a fun night. --- Why did I decided to bring him in here, more especially inside my unit? It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t have any other choice. Bringing him to a motel had been crossed out of the choices. He didn¡¯t seem like he have any money in him. Bringing him to my aunt? It was a big NO too, I didn¡¯t want her to have any bad impressions of me. What if he lives with Ara or Kyrie¡ªNo, not Kyrie she¡¯ll treat him as a toy. Ara was a no too, as I remember she works on a hostess club, who knows what she¡¯ll do? Why am I helping again? I decided to stop and live just for myself after Tenji died. What makes me so into helping this stranger that I have just met? For now I¡¯ll try to help as much as I could. Ah, Double-Barrel my boy, please keep me safe. I get the shotgun that was hanging from the wall, good thing I¡¯ve kept this gift from Kyrie. It¡¯s registered on me so firing it should not be a problem. Actually no, firing it will be a huge problem within the apartment complex and its tenants. Talking to him was such a hassle, I thought I''d just let him use the living room. ¡°Just so you know, I studied self defense so entering my room will kill you. So as long as you understand right?¡± I said as I pointed the shotgun on his face, without shells of course. Ahaha he¡¯s so startled, I¡¯m enjoying this¡­ Did Kyrie just influenced me? I talked to him regarding his clothing. If what he¡¯s saying is true, that must be their normal everyday clothing. Looks really medieval. ¡°Besides, your clothing. Post-medieval cosplay, or perhaps that really is the clothing fashion in your world.¡± ¡°No this was the battle gear before I was slain.¡± Slain, huh¡­ He blurted out another nonsense. Was he reincarnated? I crossed that out of the choices too. If he was reincarnated he would start as a baby here. That''s the principle. If he really came from another world the only truth would be: he was transported here before actually dying. I approached the old cabinet and have these thoughts: first he was slain, then he was sent to this world for some unknown reason he¡¯s not telling yet. He have left his family there, he must have been forced to leave things there against his will, that painful expression he wears. He must have been thinking of those. At that moment too I realized that he had gone through a different level of experience compared to mine. I surmised that he lost everything, and then he was killed. What have he even done to experience such things? As I got my late father¡¯s shirt and garments on the cabinet and approached him, we talked about how old-fashioned what he¡¯s wearing just to lighten up the mood. I should be considerate if I really wanted to help. He began stripping. Yes, a stranger I just met and helped, now having to spend the night under the same roof as me, is now stripping. AWA¡ªAWAWAWAWA!! WHA! I quickly loaded the gun. ¡°HEY HEY! WANT ME TO TEST THIS THING ON YOU?!¡± It really was a good thing Mr. Double-Barrel didn¡¯t made his first kill that night. --- I finally got to lay myself on my bed. Tenji¡¯s scent was still lingering in the room. I couldn¡¯t help but shed a tear. So much happened tonight that it consumed a lot of my mourning time. I didn¡¯t even get to mourn for you Tenji, I¡¯m sorry. I felt so tired, my body felt so heavy. I didn¡¯t even remembered if I locked the door. My consciousness was fading. I wanted to be wary of this stranger but I really needed to rest myself too. I¡¯ll left the thinking to tomorrow¡¯s me. Whatever happens while I¡¯m sleeping happens. I was so irresponsible. I wanted Tenji to tell me, why did he appeared. Did he appeared¡­ as¡­ a¡­ I fell asleep. That night I dreamed of when I was a kid, playing with Tenji at the fields.
r1 | Ch4-4 The Casual Daily Lives of a Landlady and a former Maou IV. The Casual Daily Lives of a Landlady and a former Maou I¡¯ve been wondering for a while now, Why have I been living with a man who was not even my boyfriend? Besides, he¡¯s actually, seriously, annoyingly, absolutely freeloading. ¡°Let me be clear about what I¡¯ve told you last week.¡± ¡°Yeeees~ I completely remember it.¡± I hit him with a broom. ¡°Don¡¯t you even do a sarcastic tone on me, I¡¯ll hit you with a broom.¡± ¡°But you already did.¡± He didn¡¯t even budged. Is he made of steel too? It¡¯s been a week since I¡¯ve sheltered this freeloader. He¡¯s not even going out of this room nor willing to do household chores. I was not even sure when he eats or something. I mean, he did join me at meals, but more often were times that he¡¯s suddenly finished eating. How would I know? There had been used plates on the sink even though I¡¯m still not eating. He really treated himself as a prince and had been feeling comfortable on my unit already. I¡¯m thankful that he¡¯s not someone who attacks me on my sleep but for the love of God, he¡¯s doing absolutely nothing. He did notconsume so much resource that it affect my daily budget. It¡¯s just that¡­ The budget I allot to Tenji were now exactly the same budget I allot to him. What is he, a dog? ¡°Hey, Fred¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± I hit him with a broom. ¡°Don¡¯t cut me, I¡¯ll hit you with a broom.¡± ¡°Says someone who hits someone with a broom before telling her warning.¡± ¡°Doing something before even giving a warning and you freeloading the house are two different things! YOU CAN¡¯T DO THAT!!¡± I felt the blood vessels on my head exploding due to madness. ¡°I didn¡¯t even compared those two...¡± I reallycouldn''t tellhow he felt so at home and freeload like that while I had been doing all the house work. He just borrowed some books about reading and writing and he spent almost 99% of his time studying them. And how on earth (he did not came from earth though) did he even not know how to read and write? That was quite contrary to how he could talk our native language. I hit him with a broom thrice. Not as much force as from a while ago, I really needed to sweep the place he¡¯s been sitting on. ¡°You should probably realize now that I¡¯ll be sweeping that spot. Now move.¡± ¡°If my learning gets delayed, you take full responsibility and marry me.¡± I hit him with a broom. That was a ridiculousjoke, regardless, I just wanted to hit him with a broom for that one. --- Besides the apartment complex, I had been working at the town hall as an office lady. It was a standard 8-hour office job with really not much to do. Just office documents, papers here, papers everywhere. Office hours were from morning to mid-afternoon, so I could still have time to prepare dinner for the lousy freeloader and at times, for my other tenants too. Crap, I remembered I need to do the grocer. It was almost late afternoon when I arrived home. ¡°Heyo~~ Miss Landlady, a cup of tea?¡± Kyrie greeted me as she¡¯s on a comfortable spot on her balcony having her tea. I waved at her.But a part of me wanted to avoid communications with her as much. I didn''twant to associate much with that weirdo. I entered my unit. As usual, the freeloader was sitting at the couch studying. How long would it even take him to accomplish his task? I sat beside him with my office uniform still on me. I let out a sigh for today¡¯s hard work. He¡¯s slouching. ¡°Hey you¡¯ll ruin your posture if you sit like that.¡± -I said while tapping his back hard so he would fix his posture. To be honest, I never got tired of stressing myself over his slacking and freeloading. I wondered why. I was not that busy of a woman, after work I got nothing else to do. I was not also the type to socialize that much with my tenants or rather, they¡¯re not the ones who socialize that much or rather, our situations and schedules didn''t match up so much that it prevents us from getting along. I got hobbies, but having someone to talk to at times, even though how ridiculous the topic was, had been really refreshing. Maybe that¡¯s the reason I still kept him at my unit.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I mean, look at him, what is he even doing? He completely absorbed himself in studying. I knew almost nothing about his past but he didn''t seem to be a bad guy. ¡°Heh¡­ I don¡¯t want to hear that from a woman who casually sits with a stranger on the same couch with her tight suit on. What are you, some kind of enchantress or succubus? Doesn¡¯t work on me though, got high resistance on such alluring abilities. Having a developed body doesn¡¯t mean you get to flaunt it to a stranger like me that¡¯s freeloading under the same roof as you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an office wear, not a tight suit! Also, you slouching, ruining your posture and me resting with my office wear on are two different things, you can¡¯t do that.¡± Calling me an enchantress or succubus? How did this office wear even became a tight suit for him? Just because it¡¯s tight doesn¡¯t mean it is one. And why does he even bother talking about the other world he had been mentioning over and over? Can''t he just move on already and give it a rest?Totally ridiculous. It was already ridiculous if he''s a regular earthling. All the more ridiculous if truth was he really came from another world. It¡¯s so ridiculous that I just hit him with my handbag. But still, I didn¡¯t find it irritating. It¡¯s more fun this way. I want to end the day already. I¡¯m tired. I stood up and proceed to my room to change my clothes and proceed to cooking. Sometimes I wondered if this absurdity will continue each and everyday. --- ¡°Landlady Ingrid, here¡¯s the pay for this month, sorry I wasn¡¯t able to give it last night, I have to work overtime. Business is booming.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Don¡¯t sweat it, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m rushing you to pay or something.¡± Ara have handed me this months¡¯ rent. She was the tenant of unit3. I seldom meet her because she works at night. At weekends she just took all her time to rest too. I wonder what was she doing at her free time. I checked her again. I really didn''t understand how a good girl like her was disowned by her father. A family dispute? I could not hear any rumours around the town circulating regarding her background. It seemed like she came from the neighbouring town. But I think it would be better not to pry in too much. I just remember her talking odd on the first time we met. Something about ¡®Ara¡¯ inside her¡­ It was really odd¡­ After receiving the cash I handed her a bowl of beef stew. Of course a tenant should have a good landlady too. It should be a mutual relationship. I went to the open front yard afterwards to catch a falling envelope attached to a mini-parachute. It was the payment of the even weirder girl from upstairs named Kyrie. She¡¯s just directly up my unit at unit8. I really have no words for this girl. She¡¯s one of the weirdest nutjobs that have ever existed. Count the fact that she¡¯s a genius for fun, she never ran out ideas to cure her boredom. One of the examples was this. Who would even want to chute down a sum of money for rent towards the landlady? Can''t a simple genius just hand it over to the landlady properly? What if wind blew and blown the money to a far, far away place? Whooosh~~ ¡°Ah, there goes the payment¡­ What will you do now? Sometimes I really want to try using Mr Double-Barrel on you. Or calling your parents for them to fetch you back and discipline you at your house.¡± -I joked it, but partly pissed off. ¡°Humu, that¡¯s a test-run miss landlady, here comes the real one.¡± She let down another. I lost interest now. I can just ask her parents via call. Does high society people really live like this? Whatever became of the money at that second run, I felt, was not really of my concern anymore. ¡°You better catch that one fast before it gets blown away by the wind again¡ªEeh? Don¡¯t leave who will pick up the money!¡± I already went inside the unit. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you housed 2 oddities within your vicinity.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from the existence of the third high potential oddity¡­¡± ¡°At least I¡¯m aware that I am one myself.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to associate yourself with them? You know can¡¯t keep on hiding here forever. No, actually that¡¯s freeloading.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, not yet¡­¡± That sure had a hidden meaning behind it. He continued studying. So we could also have these types of conversation sometimes. I wondered at times when he will fully open up? It had always been better to have someone to talk to with your worries and concerns. It had always been better that way... --- It had been a months since I¡¯ve had a smoke. I started smoking right after I turned twenty. I mean, I¡¯ve always wanted to try one. I just don¡¯t want to be a delinquent and get caught. That will ruin the reputation of my aunt as my legal guardian. I lit my cigar and puffed. With the smoke scattering all over the place, the nostalgic scent of cigar permeated within the balcony before completely vanishing through thin air. ¡°Seems like the girl upstairs hates the smell. What is she doing at this hour btw?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re paying attention I remember she just said she¡¯s having her tea time. You¡¯re so lost in your thoughts again.¡± He¡¯s really an open book. Fred finally thanked me for his months of stay and freeloading. He decided to venture on his own already. I remembered telling him that he could always rent a unit here once he found a job. It¡¯s not that I wanted him to stay forever, I was not trying to limit his choices. It should still be his decision, but he decided to take the offer. That was the only andbest I could offer for him at that moment. Time went by so fast. It was months ago that I was still uncertain of this young man who proclaimed he came from a differentworld and was summoned here after death. A world of war and magic. We were strangers, at first. But for some unknown reason I sheltered him here and as time went and we got along good too. He just studied everything like a young kid starting from grade school but he have always kept me accompanied. I''ve been wondering how much of a human he was like back at the world he came from. How old was he? How much knowledge did he harbored already? What were his experiences? What made him do such as to accept everything that I have been offering him instead of holding onto his own pride and insist to venture all by himself? He really had no reason to stay anymore. If he was exprienced back at the world he came from he could also apply those experience if he wanted to survive here. I was still wondering. He could just keep his introverted attitude while being in here, but he chose not to. He must have felt at times that I had been lonely too. Was it out of consideration or concern? Now it looked like I was the one owing him. At first we we¡¯re awkward, trying to estimate each other as we communicate. He lost everything when transferred to this world, I lost my family and Tenji died. By concept we were similar to each other. Now we are laughing. It is a huge wall that we decided to tear down, both of us, both opposite sides of the coin. I really didn''t have much experience being friends with males around high school. I had some, but not as close as the way I got along with the females. I was close with auntie¡¯s two older sons but this was the first time I¡¯ve had a relationship this close to a stranger male. For some reason it didn''t feel like he¡¯s got ulterior motives. ¡°Again, I hit a deadlock.¡± ¨Che said. This is not the same as before, I¡¯m sure now, I¡¯ll help you until you can truly manage on your own. You can count me on that. ¡°You won¡¯t. I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll help you as much as I can.¡± ¨CI maskedwhat¡¯s really on my mind that time. We continued chatting for a while and we have discussed his terms and conditions on living on my apartment complex. That included him paying his six months¡¯ worth of freeloading debt. I was so focused on his debt that sometimes I''m starting to forget things that matter more: Six months¡¯ worth of debt, also six months¡¯ worth of friendship, I guess¡­
r1 | Ch4-5 Sanctuary: Part 1 V. Sanctuary: Part 1 ¡°You must realize what kind of pinch we are in right now.¡± ¡°I know, I know. Recently I¡¯ve been in this kind of slump haven¡¯t I told you guys?¡± ¡°Really bad, really bad. Fred, we¡¯re in a pinch, it¡¯s really bad.¡± I was awoken by the sound of an argument. It was a very nice day to sleep and yet¡­ First of all, let me explain the situation so far: After the six months of Fred¡¯s freeloading at my house, I¡¯ve loaned him a few months more of stay at unit six. He was eventually hired as a cashier at a convenience store few blocks from my apartment complex. It was not much of an income but was enough to keep him paying his rent and have decent meals a day. He¡¯s not much of a hobby or luxury person so he didn''t spend much too. I questioned myself: did his salary really payed off the worth he stayed freeloading? I questioned myself again: Will it be alright to let him off his debt? We never really talked about it.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. A few more months and he told me he decided to become a manga author. This could be it. ¨Cis what I thought of that time. He was trying to make his break on this world. I really think I¡¯ve had a huge influence on him for this decision. During the time of his stay at unit6, I casually lent him some of my manga volumes, which I¡¯ve had since my high school days. He then submerged himself to deep reading and only came out of the unit when it¡¯s time for him to go to work. He showed me his sketches. Damn this could be work of an artist.But it was really different from how mangas should be drawn. It will be a long road for him... Or not. I gave him a few tutorial content and he quickly picked up in a span of a few days. What did he even do on his free time? Do some people with talent really just pop out every hundred years or so? I hope I¡¯ve made the right decision.I wasnot thinking about whether he could finally pay his debt¡ªno actually it had been a part of it. This also had me concerned for this guy that I met that night of our fated encounter. A lot happened. I haven¡¯t counted how much time has passed since then. Almost two years or more, huh? I internalized. I can¡¯t believe you also caught the fates of my two tenants without me even knowing. During the span of time from when he won the ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ award up to this moment he also managed to get along with Ara ang Kyrie and have them apply as his assistant. I thought Old Man had a huge bearing on this too. I should put my bet on you as well, I think. ¡°Hey, hey, want me to help you write a story Fred?¡± ¡°Landlady?¡± ¡°Miss Landlady!¡± ¡°Ingrid?!¡± My family of only myself, became four.
--Re Prologue: Twilight Earth-- --Re: Prologue-- --Twilight: Earth-- Former Maou Modern Earth, 20XX I was standing atop a landmass, too small to be called a hill, in the middle of ''I don¡¯t even know where''. This must be a complete foreign land. First I must know if that little shit of a God granted me an ability on secret. I tried to cast my old magic spells ¨C nothing. I tried to cast any new spells, checked my affinity with elements ¨C nothing Tried punching the ground for super strength ¨C my fist just hurt Tried psychic and esp ¨C almost but not really. Talking to animals ¨C almost got eaten by a huge brown mammal Tried eating grass ¨C wait I don¡¯t even have a tail! The next thing I knew I inhaled a lot of air and then screamed my lungs out: ¡°FUUUUUUUCCCCKK!!!¡± After letting out a loud one I completely lost all energy, including my will. The ''Irresponsible God'' really made me a perfectly normal human. I downed my head to the ground, and started weeping. The memory of my parting with the Hero still laid fresh on my memory. Parting by death. A memory like that left me so bitter I could only bite my lips until it bleed. It was a memory of a one-sided love that never went to fruition because of my desire to end the long running quarrel between the humans and the demon race. I was too na?ve.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. God was right. Even though he acted so irresponsible on my case, he was right all along. Tell me, when those feelings even started. That¡¯s cheating. A real Maou don¡¯t show a mild calming smile like that. Please don¡¯t tell me you gave up your resolve for this futile plans on ending the human-demon war. Tell me, Fredericus Corralton Spence de Augustus. It was a memory of when she embraced me, crying, letting me feel her warmth for the very first time, and letting me know that she finally accepted who I am. And finally called my name. Insight* really is a terrifying anility, yes. It was right after our first encounter. I believe it was even before when you were announced of your calling as a hero I loved you back when you were still training. I loved you back when you graduated and were tasked of slaying my own kin I still loved you back when I surrendered this one-sided feelings for my ambition I still loved you even when I surrendered my life and let you take mine. ... I started loving you way back when I was a kid and lost on a flower garden and you helped me escaped my human pursuers. Yes, from the very start, I¡ª I was kneeling. My vision glot blurry as I look down.I could not contain myshit tears. The slightest thought of not seeing her again stung me to the very deep of my heart. How could I refill this emptiness? How could I save myself from this helplessness? How could I¡­ forget? I finally stood up and looked at the moon shining bright. Ah, it was so beautiful. It was a white full moon with few visible craters from where I stand. Mytherion had three, supposed to have three. Two of them collided due to the selfishness and mistake of the 2 warring factions way way back. But let¡¯s not talk about that anymore, I enjoyed the scenery. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Ah, let¡¯s see how I will manage. It seems like I was summoned here as a perfectly normal human.¡± ¡­. ¡°I wonder if they have a writing profession here.¡±
Twilight Earth Draft 1 - Introduction: Unpopular Mae’s Struggles to being an Unattainable Flower. Draft 1: Unpopular Mae¡¯s Struggles to being an Unattainable Flower. Synopsis: Mae Kurosawa is a sixteen-year-old high school girl at Kamigawa high school. Kamigawa-high, being known as a prestigious school, the students have established rankings via popularity votes amongst the female students. The top ranking students are battling for the annual ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ title which is being held by the Top1 popular student. Mae, being within the lowest of the rankings, don¡¯t really mind being at the bottom and just wanted to continue a peaceful life within her club. One day, a junior first year Ryuuji Shirogane applied to join her club with only one goal in his mind: to make Mae rise her rankings and make it to the top rankings, and ultimately, battle for the ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ Title! Characters: Mae Kurosawa (16)(F) One of the most unpopular students of Kamigawa-high, She just wanted to have a peaceful life until Ryuuji applied to her club and asked her to pursue top rankings and battle for ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ title. Having no experience with romantic relationship ever since, she finds herself gradually being attracted to Ryuuji and eventually starts to fall in love. Will this be a reason for her to pursue popularity rankings? Ryuuji Shirogane (15)(M) A freshman at Kamigawa-high. Meeting Mae accidentally at the entrance, he founds something within the unpopular girl that ignited the talent he¡¯s possessing. That day he applied to the Occult club and confessed his reasons to Mae: to have her reach the top rankings and battle for ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ title. His persuasiveness eventually influences Mae and he started experiencing things he haven¡¯t experienced before. Ria Shirogane (17)(F) The current holder of the title ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ and Ryuuji¡¯s older sister. Being the daughter of a famous model and a stylist, she has been well-known since her first year and has been holding the title for almost three years. Having told by Ryuuji that he will make Mae reach the top rankings and battle the title slot, out of trust of Ryuuji¡¯s skills, she challenged Mae to see if she can really reach the top rankings and snatch the title away from her before graduating. Chieri Amatsuki (15)(F) Ryuuji¡¯s childhood friend and has been harbouring romantic feelings for Ryuuji ever since they¡¯ve been friends. Entering Kamigawa-high the same time with Ryuuji, she immediately makes it to top 10 of the rankings because of her extreme cuteness. She will be one of the opponents Mae have to beat, in rankings, and in stealing Ryuuji¡¯s heart. Ozzy (17)(M) The club president of the occult club. Best Bro, God Support, no need to explain.
>>> ¡°Uhm, Fred¡­ I really don¡¯t think this will be approved by the Old Man.¡± Ara said. The Team Maou, consisting of Fred, assistants Ara and Kyrie, and Landlady Ingrid who¡¯s tagging along to help is having a meeting at joint studio unit 6 and 7. Aside from having crumpled papers all thrown everywhere there are also junk food, cup noodles, energy drink and soda. It¡¯s the super unhealthy starter pack for neet junkies. ¡°Humu, how should I rate this, Freddy-doo? This could be something that will go on for 6-7 volumes if you¡¯re consistent. I hope you won¡¯t get axed at volume 3.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Fred I really think this isn¡¯t something that can compete with the oneshot that led you to your beginner award. First of all, the story is pretty much generic. There¡¯s this unpopular girl, then there¡¯s this multi-talented male. And what¡¯s with this hyper generic childhood friend that will be left out at the end of the story?¡± As Kyrie and Ingrid followed up, Fred started scratching his head. It has been a week since Fred have decided to write a shoujo manga and he has been racking his brain ever since for ideas for a plot. ¡°Any suggestions guys? Tell me of ways I could improve this.¡± -Fred Like storm winds, suggestions came hitting him while being out in the open. ¡°Humu, let¡¯s see¡­ How about adding fight scenes?¡± ¡°Please stop adding childhood friend third wheels.¡± ¡°You see you see, there¡¯s this shoujo manga that I have been reading, and there are two factions within the school. Then there¡¯s the white faction male and a dark faction female. Then there are heads per faction. Then they fall in love with each other. Then they hide their relationship despite their factions being mortal enemies.¡± ¡°Okay okay, stop there¡­ That really sounds too similar to my gang war one shot, where have you even bought that¡­¡± ¡°Humu, add missiles!¡± ¡°Please remove drama tag.¡± ¡°AAAAAHG!!! FUCK! Please, stop!! ¡± ¡°Humu, add this witch traveller from a novel I¡¯ve been reading. A cameo will be fine¡± ¡°Stooooop!! Who even said that last sentence??¡± ¡°Kyrie diiiid~~¡± ¡°You see, the suggestions you are saying will make this look like a shounen! Do you really want me to draw a ninja or a swordsman or an expanding rubber man?!¡± Jokes aside, Fred is tired. Besides racking up his brain for a week, he¡¯s been researching shoujo manga drawing styles and have been practicing. Having this conversation is already taking a heavy toll on his mental health. ¡°Please, give me just a few weeks. I can draw a one-shot for this but please let me also draw the whole volume one. Please bear with me on this draft.¡± The three fell silent. They knew Fred is serious and determined. ¡°Okay then I¡¯ll help you out¡­ But you see, give me a copy of volume of this~~¡± Ara switched to aneki-mode and teased Fred by slowly whispering to his ear. ¡°Yikes! Stop! Okay okay, I¡¯ll give you one¡­ Wait you being my assistant means you will know how the story will go.¡± ¡°Humu, I¡¯d love to see where the story goes. You seem determined to complete a volume.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that Fred, showing us something as completely lacking as this, then showing that determined face you once had on your award-winning one shot.¡± As the three of them agrees, Fred¡¯s painful expression became calm. Knowing the three of them will support him on this first draft is more than enough of a drive for him. ¡°A week for seven chapters¡­ Won¡¯t this be rushed?¡± Asked Ara ¡°We have Kyrie.¡± Ingrid answered ¡°Humu, this genius of a twin-drilled gothic Lolita will amount to a few more person worth of help. Count me as seven people helping you.¡± ¡°Good, then we¡¯re set.¡± ¡°I Promise I¡¯ll cook you your favourite beef stew once you¡¯ve completed it as a reward.¡± Ingrid concludes. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count much of a help.¡± ¡°Also, suggestion here, Mae Kurosawa will be needing one female friend that is also at the bottom rankings as her and her role should be stopping Mae from advancing further to the top ranking battles and live a peaceful normal life like she used too...¡± b!choose shiori | chieri BatsuBOTToday at 7:06 PM :thinking: | Kyrie4asdSOBOREDme, I pick shiori! b!choose amakuza | amatsukaze BatsuBOTToday at 7:07 PM :thinking: | Kyrie4asdSOBOREDme, I pick amatsukaze! ¡°Humu, Shiori Amatsukaze indeed.¡± Said kyrie as they looked at her laptop. ¡°What you could do those at the internet?¡± Ingrid was amazed. ¡°Humu, want to join my online community? Just install Disbored on your pcs.¡± ¡°Seriously, you rely on bot for name generation?¡± Fred just scratched his head. ¡°Okay then, I don¡¯t think the name could affect the story anyways. Let¡¯s just used that.¡± And with the conclusion, their meeting for Fred¡¯s draft finally ended. >>>
Shiori Amatsukaze (16)(F) Mae¡¯s closest friend at the occult club. She¡¯s also one at the bottom ranks that have influenced Mae to drop battling for popularity rankings and live a peaceful life instead. She will try her best to get in the way of Mae and Ryuuji as she drags Mae back to the life of peace and listlessness. Dr1(Mae-SUF) Ch1 (Chapter 1 cover page) Unpopular Mae¡¯s Struggles to being an Unattainable Flower A NEW ROMANTIC COMEDY SHOUJO STARTS!! Chapter 1 - Mae''s unpopular peaceful life is about to be disturbed!
>>> "Whoosh, unlimited axing works." - Kyrie says. "Wait-- what!? You''ve only read two pages! How can you be so sure?" Ara replies "Humu. Because it''s the genius me." Kyrie replies as she started preparing her tea set on the meeting table. She''s pretty confident. "It''s still worth a shot. Though Old Man''s reaction regarding this will be so predictable, won''t you like to continue reading the rest of the chapter?" Ingrid asks "I know already how the story will go for the first 6 chapters. It''s Freddie-doo we''re talking here." >>>
(Page3) "Senpai!! I have a favor to ask of you!" -ryuuji What is this guy talking about? Eeh? Who is he? Is he a freshman? A new member?? "SENPAI!! PLEASE BE MY MODEL AND WE''LL MAKE IT TO THE TOP RANKS OF THIS SCHOOL!!" "EEEH?!" -mae (This is a scene at the occult club room that late afternoon of the freshman opening ceremony. With Kurosawa, Mae: sitting on her usual spot at a couch beside the window. The light of the late afternoon passes throufh the thin curtains which shines toward the eyes of Ryuuji.)
(Page 4-10) (The usual entry scene where a femmc should be woken up by the alarm but she turns it off and her mom or someone will have to wake her up sooner) "Mae!! Wake up! It''s already seven thirty, shouldn''t you be early today due to the first day ceremony?" "Ah crap..." (As mae tries to wake up, the scene goes up to her rushing to her uniform up to taking her usual french toast and running towards school. Aaah... So cringely generic) ¡°Make sure to take your breakfast. Gosh, what should I do with you¡­¡± -mom ¡°It¡¯s because you haven¡¯t woke me up early!!¡± ¨Cmae ¡°It¡¯s your usual french toast, since I knew this scene would happen again.¡± Mom understands me well. How is she always certain¡­ geez. (Mae finished prepping up and went out the house.) This is how my daily life goes. At mornings if the alarm won''t be enough to wake me up, my mom will take over. It''s been a year since I''ve decided to live out my youth as a normal high school girl and I''ve also managed so far. I really don¡¯t have problem travelling to school since our house is not that far from it. Sometimes I meet up with my friends and from there we walk together. (Mae finally arrived at the school grounds. She entered the school like any other normal students. For some reason there¡¯s a silhouette of a boy watching her from a distance. She finally arrives at her classroom) "Osu! Mae-chan good to know we''re on the same class again." A classmate greeted her. "Good morning." Greetings. It is one of the things that I should do to maintain this peaceful quiet life of mine. I¡¯m really not that much of a loner. You could say I¡¯m just averagely normal. I just have them know of me but I don¡¯t really intend to be too overfriendly. It¡¯s just that¡­ I don¡¯t want to catch too much attention at once. Aah, I''m seeing familiar faces. There are new faces too. This is how your normal high school life should usually be like. (A small figure approaches her from behind and hugged her)This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Uwah--! What? Who??" "Hehe..." "Eh? Shiori-chan! I didn''t know we''re classmates!" "Geez, Mae that only means you didn''t fully checked the whole class roster!" This is Amatsukaze Shiori, one of my closest friend since I started high school. She''s also one of the club members of the occult club I''m in. We were actually just fellow club members at the start of school last year but eventually we became friends. She''s the one that introduced me the peaceful way of living my high school life.
(Page11-17) (The classes ended. It was the usual afterschool where students are free to go home or attend their club activities. There are students playing sports at the field, there are some at the gym, there are also students at the music room, you can find most of the student body being active on clubs. Mae and Shiori were walking towards their clubroom as they pass the popularity rankings bulletin board) "Tss, look at all those people going gaga over the posted top 5 last year." "My, my, just don''t mind them. It''s not like they''re ruling over the school or something. Let''s just live our own peaceful lives." As a matter of fact, I''m just being honest. The popularity ratings are just ratings. It is not something getting abused over to the point that most of the concerned student body are to take action to demolish the system. It''s alright not to care at all. Voting is not compulsory too. In my opinion it''s just a system for fun in which you gain more popularity and a title which you carry. ¡°Hey it seems like they posted the news for the monthly polls.¡± -Shiori ¡°That¡¯s really rich, coming from you. I don¡¯t want to hear that from someone who dragged me to this peaceful and quiet life.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t hate it though.¡± Yes, like me, Shiori is one at the bottom of the popularity rankings. I actually learned about that when we have started being close friends at club. Come think of it, It¡¯s been a year since I¡¯ve followed her ways, huh? ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve let you drag me for a year. Thanks.¡± ¡°So, do you have any plans this year on campaigning yourself to the top spot?¡± ¡°Yikes, please don¡¯t start a topic like that¡­¡± Living like that would only bother me. I don''t want it I don''t want to be popular at all
(Page 18-25) (Mae and Shiori entered the club room. It was at the top floor of the main building and at the farthest side too. As they enter the room a figure is standing at the center.) "Geez Ozzy-senpai, so uncool as ever. Can you please stop acting like that." - Shiori "What now Ozzy-senpai, any new activities for this year? I really hope wo don''t have much so I can live another peaceful year." - Mae "Yes!! My eternal bloodstone fury device tells me that we are... CURRENTLY IN A PINCH!!" - Ozz Chuunibyou aside, this nutjob of a senpai we have here is the current president of the club Sometimes I really wonder why the previous president has entrusted the future of this club to this nutjob. (Mae walks towards the cabinet and gets the tea set. As Ozzy continues talking. Shiori went and threw her bag at the table and find a comfortable seat at the couch too.) "As you can see, young zombie-chans, if you are really paying attention, you can count our current members." (Realization hits hard for the two) "EEH!?" - Mae + Shiori "Yes little zombie-chans!! You haven''t really been paying attention at all!! The club''s going to be disbanded via school rules if we don''t make it to 5 members!!" "This really is a pinch..." ¨C Mae This might really be a pinch! If the club goes shutdown due to lack of members then¡­ My daily peaceful life might be in danger too!! (They started brainstorming. Shiori went to the computer and started designing posters and handouts. Mae went to the cabinet again to find available printing materials. Ozzy went out to negotiate with the computer club for printing.) ¡°Say, mae, If ever the club gets, disbanded, what will you do? Will you still continue being friends with me and live this normal peaceful boring life?¡± Eeh? What¡¯s with the question Shiori-chan? I¡¯ve never grown tired of being with this club. The occult club. I¡¯ve found about the occult club accidentally last year due to being lost while finding another club room. I was kinda forced into joining the club, but as of late, I was drawn to the listless nature of the club. It made me wanted to live like one of them. ¡°Silly you! Why would I??¡± I won¡¯t ever make you think like this again Shiori-chan. I will definitely find a way to save the club! Slam!! (The door opens with Ozzy senpai and some other students.) ¡°CUT THE DRAMA YOU INTERGALACTIC ZAMBIE-CHANS!! YOU¡¯RE INTERGALACTIC HUMAN TRANSPORTER IS HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!¡± ¡°Ozz-senpai you couldn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve completed negotiations with the computer society. They will be helping us up with the printouts.¡± ¡°OZZ-SENPAI!!¡±
(Page 26-30) (The club resumed their normal daily activity after agreeing to start their recruitment the day after. The bundle of printed club handouts that they will use is placed on the table near Shiori''s bag. Also there''s a tea set and a few platters. The three of them were having their afterschool tea.) I should keep this club alive. No matter what the costs are. -mae Knock! ¡°I guess it¡¯s the computer society. Oh no there might be a problem with the last batch of the poster printouts!¡± -Shori ¡°Yes! Please enter¡± ¨COzzy (The door opens, and there came a figure of a first year male. TADA!! Finally the mc arrives!) ¡°Senpai!! Please tell me your name!!¡± ¡°Ozzy, you can call me Ozzy young lad.¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Amatsukaze, Shiori¡± ¡°Eh?! Me too?? Kurosawa, Mae, second year.¡± ¡°Kurosawa-senpai!! No!, Mae-senpai!! I have a favor to ask of you!!¡± Eeh?!! First-name basis?!! "SENPAI!! PLEASE BE MY MODEL AND WE''LL MAKE IT TO THE TOP RANKS OF THIS SCHOOL!!" (Of course the two girls were shocked, and of course, God Bro Ozzy isn¡¯t) ¡°Hey calm down, calm down. Now what has been your basis for this decision?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just my intuition senpai! But Mae-senpai will make it big at the popularity rankings! I will bet my life on it!¡± ¡°See Mae? I told you, you have potential.¡± ¡°Oh god please no¡­¡± ¨Cshiori What¡¯s this, I can¡¯t keep up with their conversation. This feeling¡­ I¡¯m not feeling good about this. It feels like something so revolting is realy going to happen. And thus, the peaceful daily life of Kurosawa Mae is about to be disturbed!
>>> ¡°You see, Fred, this work¡­ Is so damn generic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you it really is supposed to be that way!¡± The studio has been messy. It is a sign that they have been working for days. They have completed a whole 6-chapter run of Fred¡¯s story. The stress can be seen on their tired faces as they have run several days and nights with only a few hours of sleep, Fred at most. ¡°Humu, I¡¯ll read this for Ozzy. You really know how to keep me interested.¡± ¡°Seriously, Ozzy¡¯s character is not created for your amusement. Please keep that in mind Kyrie.¡± ¡°Come on guys, let¡¯s just finish this already. I wanna sleep. I don¡¯t want to sleep here next to Fred he might turn to a beast while I¡¯m sleeping.¡± Ingrid said lifelessly. Dr1(Mae-SUF) Ch2 (Chapter 2) (Page 1) (continues the scene left from chapter 1 when Ryuuji suddenly barged into the clubroom) WHO IS THIS RYUUJI?! HOW WILL HE TAKE ROLE IN MAE¡¯S DAILY LIFE?
(Pages 3-5) (Ryuuji pov) (a flashback from way back his gradeshool days¡­) I was accompanied by my parents towards the school¡¯s faculty. At that time I was not knowledgeable yet or unaware of the situation. After they have finished talking I just know that I will be starting my grade school. ¡°Hey Ryuuji, I¡¯m xxxx. I wanted to be friends, can we play after school? It will be us with yyyy and xxyy!!¡± ¡°Uhn!¡± ¨CI nodded. I didn¡¯t have trouble making friends. It feels more like, I¡¯m the one attracting them. It¡¯s fun being with them of course.
(Pages 6-10) (a flashback from his middle school days¡­ Ryuuji and his parents went to xwyz middle school weeks before the entrance exam.) I have a vague idea of what¡¯s going on now, either ways, this is still an opportunity to be in such a prestigious school. My parents have connections to the higher ups of the school and seems they are using their connections within the high society for under the table transactions. ¡°Okay Ryuuji, you the talks have been finished. You will be starting your middle school here at wxyz-high.¡± ¡°Mom what have you offered with the principal again?¡± ¡°Ryuuji you shouldn¡¯t be mindful of these things right now, all you have to do is just obey what we tell you to do and there will be nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°But mom, I can pass the exam.¡± ¡°You can still take the exam and show us your skills. This is just about assurance.¡± I hate it¡­ I hate it when they treat me like this¡­
(Page 11-13) My mother is a popular model that had climbed her way up the industry. Being a popular model, she was offered by a national tv channel to hone her skill as an actress which she instantly grabbed. She¡¯s a veteran actress now so she also has lots of connections with the high society. She¡¯s has top of the line beauty and also married a known stylist, our father. Father was a known stylist. He studied abroad and went back to the country afterwards to pursue his wanted career. Being gifted with talent and a good educational background, opportunities swarmed him like an open field. Both high tier people getting married, of course leads to the current situation of our family.
(Page 14-20) As of now, I won¡¯t let my parents down just like my sister. ¡°Yes, mother. I won¡¯t let go of this chance and will not fail you.¡± (Ryuuji smiles at his mom.)Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Good¡­ Also, your sister should be on her second year this coming school year. Have her as a model and set a good example for yourself.¡± There it goes again¡­ Being compared to my syster really pisses me for some reason. Mom being a beauty, and dad being a perfectionist, most of the good genes are gathered by my sister for some reason. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not blessed at all, she¡¯s the one that always stands out to them. I¡¯m going to try my best and show my parents what I got. At this moment I never knew the things that are going to happen during my middle school days. (This is the scene where Ryuuji overheards some bitch friends gossiping over him at the school restroom.) ¡°That Ryuuji, He really is an airhead! Hahaha¡± ¡°Yea xx-kun, just keep up the act. We will still be needing him for a while. All we need to do is to cling with him and we¡¯ll be popular too. He¡¯s the son of two bigshots.¡± ¡°Not just that, he¡¯s also the younger brother of Ria-senpai too. Who knows, he might introduce us to their groupies. We¡¯ll have special privilege.¡± ¡°Hahaha!! Poor Ryuuji, it won¡¯t be long before we overshadow him.¡± (Laughter, laughter everywhere.)
>>> ¡°Hey Fred isn¡¯t Ryuuji¡¯s background too dark?¡± As Ingrid asks Fred about the draft, Kyrie and Ara are having tea beside their meeting table. Fred was unsure as to why Ara stopped reading too and joined Kyrie on the strike area. ¡°Hmm yea, seems like the atmosphere within the scene went too dark. What should we do with the pages, should we redraw this?¡± ¡°That would be waste of resources. Let¡¯s just figure out how to lighten up the dialogues while keeping the scene. The development is good enough.¡± ¨Ccommented Kyrie after taking a sip on her tea. ¡°Make ecchi scenes Fred¡­ you know¡­ I can teach you some¡­¡± teases Ara while in erotic aneki mode. ¡°Quit it Ara. You won¡¯t get me this time. And besides, switch to sister mode while Ingrid is *not* around.¡± Whack! ¨CIngrid hit Fred with his draft to the head. >>>
So this is the reasoning of most of the people who associates with me. I wonder how many of my friends stay true. Why is it always related to my family? Having known of my current situation, I tried not to have myself attached much on a group. At times I¡¯ve kept distances too and also built up a wall. Most of my friends eventually distanced themselves too, but I have some left with me. Which still fulfilled a happy middle school life for me.
(Page 21) I was accepted at Kamigawa high school still, due to my parent''s recommendations. I took the entrance exams for formality and the higher ups did the rest. I still do my best at the exams though.
(Full-page 22-23) And thus, my high school life begins¡­ (Ryuuji¡¯s first day at school. This is the epic generic shoujo scenes where the male character sees the female character for the very first time at the whole story. First encounters.)
(Page 24) Who is she? She¡¯s pretty. She looks like someone you extracted from a shoujo manga. ¡°Uhm¡ª¡± I can¡¯t approach her. It was a mysterious aura. It¡¯s something unique. At that moment something¡­ someone already piqued my interest. I want to meet her again. (Ryuuji stared at Mae as she walks towards the building)
(Page 25-32) (Now we¡¯re back at the scene where Ryuuji barged in the occult club room) ¡°Uhm, for starters, why don¡¯t you have tea with us. Let¡¯s calmly discuss this.¡± ¨CShiori, calming down the situation. (They gathered at the club meeting table) ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¨CMae wonders ¡°It¡¯s just my feeling senpai. It is like¡ªThe gears of fate have finally started turning for me the very first time I saw you this day!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it kiddo! Noce wordings, not bad. You¡¯re a member of the Occult Club now.¡± ¡°Thank you senpai. In exchange, Please let me model you into someone who can compete on this school¡¯s popularity ratings!!¡± ¡°Awawawawa¡ª¡± ¨CShiori ¡°W-W-Wait a minute!!! What¡¯s Happening guys I can¡¯t keep up!!¡± ¨CMae ¡°Poor old soul, what should it take me to explain it to you until you understand.¡± ¡°Please senpai help her.¡± ¡°First of all, Ryuuji-kun here will help you on your makeover so you can compete on the popularity ratings so you can win the top 1 title and so Ryuuji can be a member here so the club won¡¯t be disbanded. Everybody happy!¡± ¡°For a long explanation that sure took just a second senpai. Can you please explain again, now in a slower and detailed version so we Neanderthals here would be able catch on?¡± (A single page pause was used for this.) ¡°You will teamup with Ryuuji here to take on Ria-kun at the top of the popularity polls and snatch the ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯.¡± (pov shifts to Mae) How did this happen? How did it come to this? I can repeat same question all day on my mind and still come up of one answer. ¡°NO!!¡± - (Mae and Chieri as she slams the door open)
(Full-page) (all at the same time) Mae - ¡°Excuse me who are you?¡± Shiori - ¡°The who?¡± Ozzy - ¡°Oh another cute little zambie-chan!!¡± Ryuuji - ¡°Chieri!!¡± Chieri - ¡°Please get your hands off my bethroted!!¡± A NEW COMPETITOR!! WHO IS THIS NEW GIRL THAT BARGED IN THE CLUBROOM?! Dr1(Mae-SUF) Ch3 (Chapter 3) (Page1) (The scene where the previous chapter finished.) WHO IS THIS NEW CHARACTER? MAE¡¯S DISTURBED PEACEFUL LIFE ARE BEING DISTURBED MORE!
(Page3-9) ¡°Chieri! I told you not to follow me here!¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ll follow you until the ends of earth. Even if you tell me not to!¡± (Chieri¡¯s monologue continues while flashing scenes of her chasing Ryuuji towards the occult club room) ¡°I was so worried when we got separated at the entrance.¡± ¡°All these people suddenly surrounded me, telling ¡®Hi here, hi there, we¡¯ll continue to support you on your running for the top 5 positions and stuff¡¯.¡± ¡°While we were at the classroom I also got no time at all to talk to you.¡± ¡°Then after school I suddenly found you heading towards the third floor.¡± ¡°Of course I followed you. And then¡­ And then¡­¡± ¡°Uwaaaaaah~~¡± (Chieri cried suddenly. Flashback ends) ¡°Uwahh~~ your face. Why are you crying you pervert stalker¡± -Shiori ¡°It¡¯s betrothed, not pervert stalker, you hundred-ranker¡± ¡°Ooooh, burn¡± ¨C Ozzy ¡°Hey guys I think we are skipping multiple things undiscussed.¡± ¨CMae ¡°No! you be quiet! Now Ryuuji tell me exactly who is this human here. And what do you mean by her grabbing the top spot?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you Chieri this has got nothing to do with you. Also please stop calling me betrothed I never agreed to it at the first place.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªNoooo!!¡± ¡°EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!!¡± ¨CMae
(Pages 10-18) (After calming down, all five of them are now seated around the meeting table Chieri > Ryuuji > Mae > Shori > Ozzy) ¡°I still can¡¯t understand what you have seen on this girl. Is she even within the top fifties?¡± Chieri ¡°For your information both Mae and I are within the bottom fifties!¡± ¡°Shiori I think you are using logic in a wrong manner.¡± ¡°Quit it Mae I won¡¯t let you be insulted by this middle schooler and let them ruin our daily peaceful lives.¡± ¡°Middle Schoo¡ªGRR!!!!¡± ¡°Hai Haiii~~ Quit it now both you two. Little Zambie-chans. Chieri you said that Ryuuji is your betrothed. Can you kindly give us a qick background check of such a cute Lolita what entered the clubroom?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Of course I¡¯m Amatsuki, Chieri one of the current contenders for the new top 5 spot of the school¡¯s popularity rankings¡± ¡°Continue¡± ¡°I really think we are really missing out that one, I remember her saying it multiple times already.¡±-Mae murmured. ¡°I am Ryuuji¡¯s true! Only! Real! Remaining! Childhood friend! We are also engaged~~¡± ¡°No we¡¯re not¡± ¡°Poor Ryuuji, after all he¡¯s gone through from kindergarten to middle school. I was the one that always protected him¡­¡± ¡°And yet¡­ *sobs* yet¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This witch put on some love potion on my poor Ryuuji¡¯s drink this afternoon to allure him!¡± ¡°NO I DID NOT!¡± ¡°YES YOU DID!!¡± ¡°*What part of stop did you guys not understand??*¡± (Ozzy¡¯s serious voice echoed the room and give the others chills. Chieri continued.) ¡°A-anyways¡­ After all I¡¯ve done for Ryuuji. He have always rejected me and never used his true talent on me¡­ And yet¡­¡±
(Page 19) (pov shift to Chieri) (A flashback of when Ryuuji barged into the room, while Chieri was watching and hiding herself on a pillar.) "SENPAI!! PLEASE BE MY MODEL AND WE''LL MAKE IT TO THE TOP RANKS OF THIS SCHOOL!!" Ryuuji¡­ Why¡­
(Page 20-28) (Chieri started crying.) ¡°I have always¡­ Always tried to show my best for Ryuuji¡­ sobs* He never did once acknowledged me¡­ And yet he just saw you once and he immediately decided to support you.¡± ¡°Hoah~ What are we now, a shoujo manga?¡± -Shiori ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ Why does it have to be you!!¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve been telling you, I also ask the same question myself: Why does it have to be me?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve been telling you, It¡¯s just an intuition. It¡¯s like a spark. Something will work out if we work together! Just trust me on this.¡± ¡°Ryuuji¡­. Noooo!! Just stick with meeeee~~¡± ¡°We are lost again on this topic, without discussing this little one being on the running for top 5.¡± ¡°Yes, you witch!! Now that you have said it! I challenge you to take me on and compete for top 5!¡± ¡°How about a no and a flat-out rejection.¡± ¡°Booo! Scaredy cat!¡± ¡°Oh please, just let this day end.¡± ¡°OOOOOKAAAY!! LITTLE ZAMBIE-CHANS!! I¡¯VE LAID IT ALL OUT! WITH THE X AND Y AXIS THIS ROUTE WILL NEVER FAIL!!¡± ¡°What is it ozzy-senpai. Please call this a day already and please don¡¯t let this two oddballs in our club. I don¡¯t really feel good having them around.¡± (Shift pov to Mae) Honestly, with the current happenings this past few minutes being so cramped up, I just wanted to go home and have a good night rest. We can discuss whatever this is tomorrow and agree to one thing. ¡°--So, how about it?¡± ¡°Eh? What? Ozzy-senpai?¡± ¡°Sheesh, I¡¯ve said why not have a trial-run this coming club campaigning period? Let¡¯s have Ryuuji style you up and you will be our club muse.¡± ¡°Ryuuji and Chieri will be trial members of our club to avoid being disbanded. It helps both of us.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± (Dead-fish eyes Mae) (Chieri stood up and grabbed Ryuuji to head out.) ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Seems like this meeting is adjourned. No problems on both of us here. Senpai, let me tell you this:¡± (Full-page) ¡°I, Amatsuki, Chieri, will take the top 5 spot and will wait for you there. You are years too early to compete with the almost perfectly cute me. Start out with minor campaigns.¡± ¡°You can have Ryuuji style you as much since I don¡¯t want to chain him with me. But remember, I will make him acknowledge me, the same time as I obliterate you and your dreams of competing for ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯.¡± ¡°Bye, Mae-senpai, see you tomorrow. hehe¡± (They left the club room.) I didn¡¯t even wished to compete¡­
(Page 29-32) (Walking outside at the school corridor, Chieri let go of Ryuuji¡¯s hand and walked towards the front.) (Ryuuji pov) ¡°Chieri, I wish you¡¯d understand, but I really have no intentions of agreeing with our parent¡¯s arrangements and plans for us.¡± I really should put a stop to Chieri¡¯s delusions. It¡¯s getting worse. I know that Chieri¡¯s intentions and feelings are real¡­ But¡­ (Full page) (Chieri turns towards him, crying.) ¡°I will make you acknowledge me. Sobs*¡­ Even though you have set your eyes to someone already.¡± I¡¯m afraid that if I shot her down immediately I might lose the only remaining friend that I have. I don¡¯t want that. ¡°I know, Chieri, but now I want to bet what I have with Mae-senpai.¡± (Chieri continues to cry as Ryuuji approach her and pats her head.) ¡°I know I sound selfish.. But as much as you can, please prove yourself too. It''s fine by me.¡± "Hm!" (Chieri nodds.)
(Page 33) (Scene back to the clubroom with the three.) (Mae pov) Why has it come to this?... (Generic school building scenery at end of every a generic chapter.) NEXT CHAPTER WILL START THE CLUB CAMPAIGN ARC!! Dr1(Mae-SUF) Ch4 (Chapter4) (Scene with the original 5 characters at the Occult club room) ¡°Shiori-senpai please hand me over the bag on the table. I got a few materials there.¡± -Ryuuji ¡°Okay okay¡­ Also please address to me as senpai, you newbie!¡± ¡°I did!!¡± CHIERI CHALLENGES MAE!! THE CLUB CAMPAIGN ARC STARTS NOW!!
(They occult club are preparing for club campaigning. It is the usual manga events where the members promotes their club and their activities at the school grounds to scout members.) ¡°Ozzy senpai, let me be clear¡­ I¡¯ll be doing this just once. It is only to recruit club members to avoid the club disbandment.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­ Give me a feedback after this okay?¡± ¡°Hmp! Don¡¯t get too excited. This service isn¡¯t free. Ryuuji¡¯s talents are high-tier. If this works out well you know what will happen right?¡± ¡°I know¡­ I just don¡¯t know what to decide yet. But for now, I really just want to protect the club and my daily peaceful life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mae doesn¡¯t need to ride on with this farce. All she needs is me, and her daily peaceful life¡± (pov shift to Shiori) Yes, I should only be the only one for Mae, and Mae should be only the one for me.
>>> ¡°HEY HEY HEY!! Stop!¡± ¨CAra interrupts. The team looked at Ara. ¡°This series doesn¡¯t need yuri*, I think.¡± The team looked at Fred but now it¡¯s filled with suspicion. ¡°Hey I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s not what it looks like. Shiori-chan has a character background that explains why she clings like that to Mae-chan!¡± >>>
Yes, I should only be the only one for Mae, and Mae should be only the one for me. Mae should only live peaceful life with me and the occult club. (Shori look towards Ryuuji and Mae with worried expression. Before silence fully envelops the club room, Chieri decided to break the silence.) ¡°So¡­ Ozzy-senpai, could you explain to us why are we dressing up this witch with a Yuki-onna getup?¡± ¡°It seems this cute little kitten here haven¡¯t done a folklore check yet. Do you girls really needed to be explained with the very last of details until you get satisfied?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking what is a Yuki-onna nor asking for our country¡¯s folklores. I just wanted to know why you have chosen that one. It¡¯s not even winter. Do you even know how hot it is just wearing thick makeup?¡± ¡°Tsk¡±-Ryuuji ¡°Besides, why are we trying to put up a mascot?¡± ¡°I really think you don¡¯t understand the situation little Chieri-chan. If you really understand Ryuuji you should only trust in him and him only. You are underestimating your partner a little.¡± ¡°Chieri-chan¡­¡± ¨CRyuujiThe narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. (Chieri pov) What¡¯s with the atmosphere? All of a sudden Ryuuji seems like a different person. No I¡¯ve seen this before. Yes it was at that time.
(A quick flashback of when they were still young, both Chieri and Ryuuji. They were at Chieri¡¯s room and Ryuuji is styling Chieri¡¯s hair as she sits on a low chair.) ¡°Tadaa!! It¡¯s finished!! You can look at the mirror now Chieri-chan!¡± It was the same back then. This serious look on his eyes. It looks serious, but at the same time you can see Ryuuji¡¯s enjoying himself. (Chieri looked at the mirror. The normally cute little girl looked like a princess. Soft cherry lips, mild foundation, porcelain skin, silk-like hair. It¡¯s like someone you pulled out of a fairytale. Astonished as much, Chieri looked at Ryuuji and begins to wonder.) ¡°Ryuuji¡­ This is me, right?¡± ¡°Yes Chieri-chan, this is you.¡± ¡°Uwuuuu¡­¡± ¡°W-wait! If you didn¡¯t liked it you could¡¯ve said so.¡± (Chieri hugged Ryuuji.) ¡°Idiot, dummy, airhead. How could I dislike this.¡± ¡°Thought so..¡± ¡°I really like you Ryuuji. I will marry you once we grow up.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early saying those words Chieri-chan?¡± ¡°No I¡¯m sure I will love you forever.¡± It was back then the only one instance that Ryuuji have used his styling talent on me¡­ never again. (Ends flashback)
(Chieri approaches Ozyy) ¡°Though I¡¯m still trying to deny the fact, It really hurts to admit: Ryuuji¡¯s skill really is genuine. Ozzy-senpai, how did you know?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know, I just gave Ryuuji a chance to prove himself. Also, seeing you look like that, your situation¡¯s pretty easy to read.¡± ¡°For a top-ranker like you, your mysterious personality really doesn¡¯t match. You are quite a scheming guy.¡± ¡°Oh no, please don¡¯t put it like that¡­¡± (They continued talking as the scene shifts to Ryuuji, Mae and Shiori, quarrelling.) ¡°I was tasked by the previous club president.¡± ¡°This is really unfair¡­ After all the things I¡¯ve said yesterday¡­¡± ¡°You see now. I¡¯ve been housing both of them for over a year. I kind of knew their potentials already.¡± ¡°It¡­ It really feels like a cheat. How did she managed to stay low an entire year?¡± ¡°It was not forced. It was her decision. I¡¯ve tried to tell her and she answered me that she didn¡¯t want to. I respect her decision.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a good person¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Though I will never approve of her with my Ryuuji.¡±
(The two approached Mae.) ¡°Hmp! don¡¯t get too cocky just because Ryuuji styled you up.¡± ¡°Little Mae-chan, you can look at the mirror now.¡± (Mae pov, generic back view first before makeover self being released at full-pager.) ¡°Ozzy-senpai, quit teasing already and put away that picture in front of me.¡± ¡°What are you saying Mae-chan, that¡¯s a mirror in front of you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, little zambie-chan, what you are looking into right now, is you, yourself.¡± (Mae pov) Eh? This.. Is me? ¡°Yes Mae-senpai, this will only be the beginning.¡± This... This isn¡¯t supposed to be happening. This isn¡¯t me... This is so not me...
(Full page) (Mesmerizing herself, Mae disregarded the background noise coming from other members of the occult club. At that moment, the world revolved around herself. This was a scene wherein the femMC can only ask a typical line: "Will it be okay to look and stay as it is a little longer?" - or so they would say without any care. Long, silky-black hair. A snow white face. Pink foundations forming a blush. Exquisite. A beauty. With deep blue contact lenses, a piercing gaze, able to freeze over any heat, it was Mae. Her subtle pink lips compliments her skin color and overall makeup, accentuated by her pure white kimono that don light blue petal prints secured by a silver obi.) This is the real me? ¡°Mae-senpai it¡¯s showing on your face.¡± -Ryuuji cuts her fantasy. ¡°Somehow I feel light. I expected wearing this makeup and costume will make me feel uncomfortable, but I really feel fine.¡± ¡°The materials for the kimono was handpicked by me. I¡¯ve also used light makeup while keeping up the tone of your skin within the picture of a yuki-ona. As I¡¯ve told you before, I won¡¯t go boasting my talent around if it¡¯s not real deal! Hehe!¡± ¡°Now, that¡¯s too arrogant. You have dragged Mae into this... You better take responsibility.¡± -Shiori ¡°Hmp! After all the proof in front of you you still can¡¯t approve of my Ryuuji¡¯s talents! How insolent!¡± ¨CChieri. I feel different. NO!! I can¡¯t waver now. I¡¯m only doing this to protect the club. Just this one time. But this...
(A quick flashback of her childhood memories. There¡¯s a person¡¯s back, a lady¡¯s back. The kid Mae is staring at that person.) ¡°Mama...¡± I don¡¯t want the same fate to happen as me...
¡°Okay little zambies, don¡¯t forget to carry every material we need.¡± ¨COzzy ¡°Okaaay senpai~~¡± Shiori and Chieri. (Ryuuji extender his hand to Mae, reaching out to her as she¡¯s about to stand.) ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll escort you Mae-senpai. I¡¯ll make people won¡¯t swarm you once we¡¯re out there. Things are going to get busy and hectic...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...but I¡¯ll try to protect your peace as much too while campaigning you to the top rankings.¡± How can Ryuuji keep Mae¡¯s peace for a while? A determined Ryuuji will accompany Mae towards ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯!! Dr1(Mae-SUF) Ch5 (Chapter 5) (The booths are lined up at the school entrance. People are scattered and giving printouts. It¡¯s the usual day where clubs are out at the school grounds for recruitment. One of the booths are the Occult club¡¯s.) The day of the challenge!
¡°Come to our clubroom! We have freebies!!¡± ¡°The computer society will provide you as much as we can with your thirst for technology!¡± ¡°Will you join the scientist club?¡± ¡°Hey you got a good build, want to join the body building club?¡± ¡°Hey do you want to be popular?¡± (Scenes where all sorts of club members are shouting.)
¡°Come to our clubroom!! Please come to our clubroom!!¡± -Ozzy ¡°We¡¯re the occult club, please pay our clubroom a visit sometimes. Thank you.¡± -Ryuuji ¡°Uuu... We-we¡¯re the-the o-o-occult... If you¡¯re interested....¡± ¨CShiori. ¡°Phew Ozz-senpai. At this rate we won¡¯t be able to get new members!¡±-Ryuuji. ¡°Where has that brat(Chieri) been? She¡¯s supposed to help us here too.¡±-Shiori ¡°¡¯I take pride as a warrior and will oversee this challenge¡¯ is what she said and is sitting over there. She did not sign the probational member form yet so our current count is actually 4.¡± ¨COzzy ¡°What?!!¡± ¡°We need to use that* senpai, if we really need to recruit members.¡± ¡°Hmp! The time is too early to be using out our trump card.¡± ¡°That... huh¡±
(A flashback scene at the clubroom. The day of their planning.) ¡°Just give me a theme senpai, you can count me on styling Mae-senpai up and making the recruitment a success.¡± ¡°I really think we should consider using our country¡¯s folklore for this event.¡± ¡°Uhm... Ozzy-senpai, before considering that, may I ask why are we using a mascot at the first place?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not mascot my little Mae-chan. You will represent us as the symbol of the club. Also, Occult Club won¡¯t be an occult club without something so occult-ish¡± ¡°Oh god... My life is ruined.¡± ¡°Mae-chaaaaan... I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t protect you from them... Uwaaah¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine Shiori-chan. Besides, This is for our peace here at the club.¡± ¡°Mae-chaaaan!!¡± ¡°So senpai! I say we should bring out Mae-senpai as soon as the campaigning starts.¡± ¡°You fool!¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say you can style, yes! But this is a whole day of campaigning we are talking about.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t mean!!¡± ¡°Yes you are too naive Ryuuji-kun! Imagine the stress little Mae-chan would be getting if she is to spend all day wearing it!¡± ¡°Oh my god! I failed you Mae-senpai!! I¡¯m so sorry!!¡± ¡°Somehow I really feel like both of you are enjoying the topic.¡± Slam!! (Chieri arrives. She threw her bag at the couch and lay her body in a lazy position while checking her phone.) ¡°Sweet little top 5 contender is here!¡± ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± -Shiori ¡°Eeh, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not a club member yet.¡± ¡°Grrr!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, It¡¯s fine little Shiori-chan, after this it will be her decision if she will follow Ryuuji here.¡± (They continued their discussion.) ¡°So Ozzy-senpai, let¡¯s say that we will start the campaign without the mascot, won¡¯t it take a lot of time preparing once we decided to bring her out.¡± ¡°Hey newbie, I really feel insulted that you addressed me as a mascot.¡± ¡°Oops! I¡¯m sorry Mae-senpai!! I didn¡¯t mean to! I¡¯m sorry! Please take my life awai I have failed you!!¡± ¡°Wha¡ªRyuuji!!¡± ¨CChieri ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Just kidding... But really, don¡¯t do it again.¡± (Sinister mode Mae) ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ve came up with a solution.¡± ¨COzzy breaks the silence.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Ozzy-senpai. Because of your chuuni-mode it¡¯s really hard to accept that you are pretty much reliable.¡± ¡°How rude.¡± ¡°So, let¡¯s hear your backup plan.¡±
(Mae pov) (Back to present, a huge tent was standing at the back of the occult club¡¯s booth.) ¡°I really can¡¯t believe Ozzy-senpai have rented this huge tent.¡±-Mae, now at her yuki-onna mode. ¡°The president of this club is a good leader. The appearance and the way he acts just doesn¡¯t fit with how reliable he is.¡± ¨CChieri ¡°So, Amatsuki-san¡ª¡± ¡°Chieri, you can call me by my first name.¡± ¡°Ch-Chieri-chan then...¡± ¡°No need to act so formal. You¡¯re someone my dear Ryuuji approved. I don¡¯t want him to see me bitching you.¡± ¡°Somehow that sentence is not really reassuring.¡± ¡°I really wonder what Ryuuji saw in you...¡± ¡°I really wonder too~~¡± ¡°...really makes me feel jealously sick.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I promised him...¡± Ah, her feelings for Ryuuji are genuine. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s trying to hide it, but looking at her make faces like these... ¡°Ryuuji, despite his persistently annoying attitude¡ª¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°¡ªI really think he¡¯s a good person.¡± (Chieri¡¯s expression became painful, looking at Mae.) ¡°You...¡± ¨CChieri murmurs. ¡°Anyways... You really won¡¯t try to help outside?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m not a member of occult club. I just let you guys borrow Ryuuji for a while.¡± ¡°It might not really be a good introduction of us to you guys, but...¡± (Flashes scenes outside where Ozzy, Shiori and Ryuuji are handing out flyers of the club. Then shifts back to Mae.) (Full page transition to Mae¡¯s beatutiful yuki-onna face.) ¡°...They are good people. It¡¯s one of the main reasons why I wanted to preserve the club, and accepted this request once.¡± (Chieri¡¯s expression lightened up when she saw Mae. Chieri grinned) ¡°Let¡¯s see you climb your way up the rankings and battle me. It won¡¯t be an easy ride... Will never be as easy as you think.¡± ¡°Ah, no no... I really have no intention of joining the Takane no Hana battles.¡± ¡°This is not about what you will decide. You have entered Ryuuji¡¯s life. More like he forcibly entered you in it.¡± ¡°What do you...¡± ¡°You will know soon enough.¡± (flashes silhouette of 4 persons on a page, then 5 at the next one.) (Chieri stood up, approached Mae, and handed a piece of paper.) ¡°For starters, let me give this to you, it might be late, but let me help the club on this event.¡± (The club entry form signed by Chieri) ¡°Oh don¡¯t get me wrong. This is the top 5 ranker giving you a warning.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I will invade your daily peaceful life. I will invade it to the point that you will have no choice but to draw yourself in the popularity rankings, just to get your daily peaceful life back.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°Just kidding~~¡± (Chieri went out the tent. Mae can hear Shiori and the others greeting Chieri outside as she looked at the paper she handed to her.) ¡°Chieri-chan...¡±
¡°I guess it is time. Little Ryuuji-kun, fetch the Yuuki-onna¡± (Ozzy¡¯s deep voice echoed through the area. All the activities have halted and the attention focused on the occult club.) ¡°I introduce to you, this is one of the official activities of the occult club, so feel free to visit us anytime!¡± (Everyone, at that time, looked at what came out of the tent.) (Full page) (Whispering everywhere: ¡®who is she?¡¯ ¡®So pretty.¡¯ ¡®Who is she amongst the top 10?¡¯ ¡®Is there someone from the occult club that belonged to the top 10?¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s a rumored one, but as far as I know they don¡¯t have one¡¯ ¡®Eeh? Who, as pretty as that, wanted to associate with the unpopular occult club?¡¯ whispering, whispers everywhere.) This is so annoyingly embarrassing¡­ (a small flashback from before the campaign started, at the tent.) ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mae-senpai, we won¡¯t reveal your identity to the masses, not yet.¡± ¡°Little Ryuuji here is right. This is a trial-run so you can still go back to your daily peaceful life if things go south.¡± Even if they say that¡­ With this mass, what if someone recognizes me¡­ (Shiori approached her and whispered.) ¡°Just act normal, Mae-chan, trust in our bottom hundreds rank.¡± ¡°Right.¡± (Mae walked near Ozzy as he continues his speech on the crowd.) This¡­ this nostalgic feeling. I was supposed to live the whole three years of my life in peace. Being in this situation, seeing myself looking like this, looking at the reaction of those seeing me¡­ I don¡¯t know anymore. I want to take a rest and leave this problem to tomorrow¡¯s me. For now, I just need to act like indicated on the script. (Mae looked at the people surrounding them. The boys are mesmerized, the girls can¡¯t stop gossiping.) This feeling¡­ Not good¡­ I might get used to this¡­ At this point I didn¡¯t know yet what is about to come. The things that are about to change me. And me, falling in love.
(A figure of a girl is watching from the window at the third floor. Inside the room, three other shadows can be seen.) ¡°So she¡¯s the one Ryuuji¡¯s talking all over.¡± ¡°What are you gonna do now, miss ¡®Takane no Hana?¡¯¡± ¡°I say we should observe her for a while.¡± (A student info sheet is laid at the table, with Mae¡¯s info in it.) ¡°The occult club is full of surprises. Who knew they have been housing a hidden potential among the bottom rankers¡± ¡°That Chieri is already making a move. Cocky little brat. Just because she claimed the top 5 spot she got ahead of herself and is making moves already.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. She¡¯s just really head over heels on my cute little brother.¡± ¡°Cute little brother, huh?¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯re having fun too much. Remember that I will be the only one to steal the ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ title from you, Shirogane, Ria.¡± A new development! Shirogane, Ria enters the story!
>>> ¡°Somehow it really feels like a Shounen at this development.¡± Said Ingrid as they continue to read the draft. ¡°Yea I noticed it while shadowing the characters at the room. Only Ria¡¯s character appeared. And what¡¯s with the sudden other three members of the top 5? They aren¡¯t introduced at the character background yet?¡± added Ara as she scratches her head ¡°That I haven¡¯t looked onto yet. I should be able to introduce them at volume two or later on, but as of now, I just introduced only the mains and main supports, so I think it would be fine to leave them in the shadows.¡± Answered the unsure Fred. ¡°But it really looks so shounen!¡± ¡°A¡ªAnyways! It¡¯s the last chapter. Let¡¯s wrap things up for the day.¡± ¡°Puhaaaah!! This beer really tastes great! You have a great stock at you¡¯re fridge. Who owns this?¡± ¡°Ah that¡¯s mine,¡± Answered Ingid. The three except Kyrie finally noticed the existence of the well-built man sitting with them while reading the draft. ¡°OLD MAN!!!¡± shouted the three. ¡°Come on, that¡¯s not nice, it¡¯s like seeing a ghost or something.¡± ¡°When did you??¡± Asked Fred. ¡°Since chapter three? Kyrie let me in, I kept knocking. The way you guys are so focused reading when I entered really gave me the mood to drink beer.¡± ¡°Us focused on reading and you drinking beer are two different things! You can¡¯t do that old man!¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll give you my honest feedback on the draft once you have finished it.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really sound convincing, coming from an old drunk editor.¡± Whack! A harisen hit Fred. ¡°Where did you even get that? Kyrieee!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m your editor, so if I tell you I¡¯ll give you feedback I¡¯ll be giving you one.¡± The mood got serious in an instant. ¡°Hmp~ okay okay. You may continue now.¡± >>> Dr1(Mae-SUF) Ch6 (Chapter6) (The aftermath of the campaign period.) (Mae pov) It still feels fresh¡­ looking like that. (Mae sits on the couch, laying her head and resting her back as she looks at the ceiling.) The campaign period ended! But it seems like the occult club is still stuck with their current members
(Mae pov) In the end we didn¡¯t get any applications. Ozzy-senpai¡¯s not really mad about it. In fact, we got two new members: Shirogane, Ryuuji and Amatsuki, Chieri. With the current number of members, we are now safe from being disbanded, and with that, the club will resume to run normally. By normally, being like this: (Flashes scenes of listless members doing nothing.) A daily peaceful life. Let¡¯s say I¡¯ve succeeded protecting the daily peaceful life I have with everything I went through these past days. I feel relieved¡­ Or so I thought. What¡¯s with this feeling¡­ (Flashback from the campaign when she¡¯s standing at the front of the crowd, with everyone talking about her, while she¡¯s in the form of mesmerizing yuuki-onna that Ryuuji have styled her.) NO NO! I need to get these thoughts out of my head. ¡°So in the end nobody really applied, huh?¡± ¨CSaid Chieri as she breaks the silence. ¡°I think it¡¯s better this way.¡± ¨CShiori answered as she reads a book. ¡°Say¡­ Mae-senpai, what¡¯s our next activity?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± ¨CMae shuts down Ryuuji¡¯s offer. (Now it¡¯s back to the deafening silence.)
I really can¡¯t shake off that feeling¡­ What¡¯s with me? This is really not good. Am I being drawn in by Ryuuji? What did Chieri meant at that time? (Being lost in thoughts, Mae fell asleep.)
(Mae¡¯s flashback, a foreshadowing of her past that led her to just want to have a peaceful life.) ¡°Hey hey! Look who¡¯s here!!¡± (A kid mae is walking on the school grounds) ¡°Eeh? That beauty... A fruit of forbidden love.¡± ¡°Wow! Seriously?¡± (rumours, rumours everywhere.) I have been popular ever since my gradeschool days. But it¡¯s not a ¡®good¡¯ type of popular, it¡¯s the opposite. I have been subject of gossiping because of the scandal that my mom experienced on her work. I have been wondering why people are prone to believing rumors. My mom did nothing wrong. Mom was fired because of that incident and my pops was forced to work harder to keep up with our daily needs. Mom had a difficulty being hired because of her background.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Mom and pops agreed to just have her continue being a regular housewife since his pay can cover up for a regular living and for me to continue my studies. It was a normal peaceful life, but at our home only... I never told them since I can keep up on my own. I don¡¯t want them to worry. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m being bullied too. (Mae remembers a scene where she¡¯s being woken up by her mom.) "Mae, mae, wake up.."
¡°Wake up... Wake up Mae-chan... Sheesh¡± (A faint vision of a woman waking her up.) ¡°M-mom?¡± ¡°Hey that¡¯s rude it¡¯s me Shiori¡± ¡°Shiori-chan? Where am I?¡± ¡°Geez, what are you a lost traveller brought back by a fairy after being lost for so long?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve been reading too much manga Shiori-chan. Sorry I dozed off.¡± ¡°Yes it¡¯s about time you wake up too. Someone¡¯s here looking for you.¡± ¡°??¡± (Shiori lessen the distance between them and started whispering.) ¡°Again, what have you been doing? It must really be nice being the center of attention for a day but this is too much. Look who¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± (The confused Mae looked aroudn the room and found the other three members gathered at the table, now with another one sitting beside Chieri.) Eh? I know her... Why is she here? Chieri? No... Shiori said she¡¯s looking for me.
(A dignified beauty. A look that could only bring astonishment to anyone who can see. An unfair existence that could let anyone tell ¡®How can such beauty be allowed to exist.¡¯ The current holder of ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ of the Kamigawa-high. Shirogane, Ria) ¡°Chieri-chan...¡± ¨Cthe dumbfounded Mae called out to her, having her explain the current situation. ¡°I-I-It¡¯s not me!! I promise you!! It¡¯s not me this time.¡± ¨CChieri anxiously answered. What should I do....... (Swirly-eye mode Mae) ¡°Hmp! Calm down my little zambies. It doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s looking for trouble.¡±
(Scenes with: as expected of god-bro, best support feel.) ¡°May I ask what business would you have with one of my members, Miss ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t address me formally, you can call me Ria. I¡¯m just your classmate.¡± (Clashing of two absolute existences.) ¡°Oh, okay, then you can call me Ozz too.¡± ¡°The environment here is really peaceful. Good job maintaining this, makes me want to pass a club application.¡± ¡°Oh please, I really think handling another club besides being the head of discipline committee plus your title would be too much for you to handle.¡± ¡°Why, this looks too peaceful that your members are becoming too much lazy.¡± ¡°Now now, are you here to represent your committee and have us conduct club activities?¡± ¡°Oh no, I didn¡¯t mean to. I only went here out of personal affairs. Your club doesn¡¯t violate any school rules.¡± There it comes. (The other four who can¡¯t keep up with their conversation we¡¯re brought back to their senses after Ria¡¯s last sentence.) ¡°O-Onee-chan! What are you doing here!¡± ¨CRyuuji was the first to speak up. ¡°EEEH?!!¡± ¨CMae and Shiori were surprised.
¡°Yes, as Ryuuji here implies, I¡¯m his older sister.¡± I can¡¯t keep up. ¡°Onee-chan. What do you need with us.¡± ¡°I personally came here to see Kurosawa, Mae.¡± ¡°Uhm.. Shirogane-senpai. I believe we haven¡¯t done anything out of order during this club campaigning, have we?¡± ¡°Oh, no, you haven¡¯t. I really just came here to meet you. Please let your guards down.¡± ¡°My little zambies, it¡¯s as she says.¡± -Ozz (The mood lighten up as they listened to Ozzy.)
¡°I suppose you have some things to say to me, Ryuuji-kun¡± ¨CRia ¡°Onee-chan. This is Kurosawa, Mae senpai. She¡¯s the one I¡¯m choosing.¡± ¡°Do you have any basis? Or explanation regarding this decision?¡± ¡°No, nothing! It¡¯s just my intuition.¡± ¡°Hey Ryuuji... Seriously?¡± -Mae ¡°Hmp, another baseless decision. Well, after seeing your display this past club campaign, I see potential in her.¡± Wait... did she, the Takane no Hana, just complimented me? ¡°Uhm, Shirogane-senpai. If I may speak...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I did agree with Ryuuji that one time but that¡¯s to be able to gather new club members to protect the club. I just want to live my high school life peacefully and will not compete with the popularity rankings.¡± ¡°Hm.. Now Ryuuji, you have heard. What will you say.¡± ¡°I... Uhm... Mae-senpai...¡± ¡°I believe I¡¯ve given my decision already.¡± ¡°Ryuuji, I can see your determination, but why compete with me at the very first place?¡± (Ryuuji cannot answer. Ria stood up and prepared to leave.) ¡°Oh my, leaving already? We can serve you tea while chatting a little more.¡± ¡°As you have said earlier, Ozz, I have lots of matters to attend to.¡± (Ria proceed towards the door.) ¡°¡ªIf... Even if Mae-senpai refuses, I won¡¯t fall down!! I will make her! I will make her believe in me! I will find a way to take you on!¡± (Ria was shocked at first, but kep retained her composure.) (Mae pov) What¡¯s with your expression, Ryuuji? It was a sad expression. It was an expression of someone chasing after something while knowing he¡¯ll never reach it. What¡¯s up with the two of them. What happened? ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see you try.¡± ¡°And you, Kurosawa, Mae. If ever you decided to tag along my little brother¡¯s selfish battles, I¡¯d be glad to take you guys on.¡± ¡°I will show you something absolute. I will show you the real ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯.¡± ¡±Chieri-chan..¡± ¡°Hii!! W-w-what is it, onee-sama?¡± ¡°I apologize for my brother¡¯s selfishness, could you keep up with her for a while? You¡¯re the only one I can count on.¡± ¡°Y-y-yes!! O-o-onee-sama. I will do my best.¡± ¡°Thanks... And lastly, Ozzy, I really think it would be better to reveal yourself to these kids here if this club is about to house members that will compete to the popularity rankings. You understand, right? Ozyy Flavius, exchange student?¡± (And with that Ria finally left the room)
¡°Heh, little miss top 1 have no control for words eh?¡± ¨CAgitated Ozzy. ¡°Ozzy-senpai. What does Shirogane-senpai imply?¡± ¨CShiori ¡°Heh, you bottom rankers really have it easy huh?¡± ¨CChieri ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Within this club, there are two top rankers that resides. Me at top 5, and Ozzy at top 6¡± ¡°EH?!! EEEEH?!!!¡± Ozzy¡¯s identity has been revealed! Also, will this be Mae¡¯s final decision? Volume 1 ends here! Please stay tuned for the next volume!! Interlude 1 (Earth) - What lies for a former Maou in this unknown world 1 Interlude 1: What lies for a former Maou in this unknown world. Frederie Spence, Modern Earth 20xx Envy: It¡¯s been a week since I was transported to this world. A lot has happened during my first night which have led me meeting Ingrid, this girl in front of me right now. She lets me stay at her apartment complex right now, very generous of her. I don¡¯t really mind but this girl might still be hiding secrets of this world. I can¡¯t let my guard down. ¡°Say¡­ Why are you so quiet?¡± she asks. Do I really have the reason to answer her? Is she trying to have me spill out more information? What if I told her I¡¯m a maou from my previous world. Wait¡­ Does she even believe me at first place? If this world really doesn¡¯t have any traces of magic, then that could only mean that she doesn¡¯t believe what I¡¯m telling to her from the start? ¡°Ingrid, why do you believe in me?¡± ¡°Did you really think I¡¯ll go on and believe everything you are saying right off the bat? Please stop giving me things to think about already. I¡¯m just as stressed as you.¡± That¡¯s right, she have a point. ¡°Heheh, I guess that includes me now saying that I¡¯m a Maou from where I came from.¡± ¡°Oh god¡­ If you can already makes those kinds of jokes, please do me a favour and do household chores every once in a while?¡± Household chores. Are you seriously telling that me, a former Maou, should lower himself like a commoner and do household chores? ¡ªis what I would like to say but things are different now. I need to survive in this world. And for that I need to learn everything from scratch. I¡¯m sorry Ingrid but I¡¯m not in the position right now to slack myself. You might think that I¡¯m freeloading but this is for the better good of the two of us. I returned to my silence. ¡°Wha¡ªHey don¡¯t ignore me!! I¡¯m talking to you.¡± Whack!! ¡°Ouch! Wha¡ªWhat is that?!!!¡± ¡°This? This is a fan, and getting hit by this reeeeeaaally hurts! Now don¡¯t ignore me when I¡¯m asking you a favour and help me with household chores!¡± ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯m really envious of this world.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªCome again?¡± ¡°What I noticed from the people living in this world¡­ What I notice from observing you¡­ This really is a peaceful world. Back from the world where I came from people always live in anxiety, with fear. War always exists, nations don¡¯t get along well, as well as races.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Seeing your world like this¡­ really makes me feel envious.¡± ¡°You know¡­ I really want to know when you have time to go out this past week when all you do is read those materials I¡¯ve given you.¡± Ah she really has the habit of breaking the mood. I then returned to my usual quiet self.
Gluttony: This is the very first day that I started living at unit6 of Ingrid¡¯s apartment. Quit it¡­ I¡¯m fucking hungry¡­ This really is a tormenting day. I never knew living alone like this would be this tormenting¡­ I¡¯ve lived at the palace for so long. There are always maids and butlers attending to my needs. And there¡¯s also Morgianna. Though she¡¯s one of my loyal generals, she also acts like a head maid at times. No, make it like my second mother. I wonder what she¡¯s doing as of now. I wonder if Yuusha ended the war. I would really hate her if she continued to exterminate every last one of my race though. But I knew her. She won¡¯t, that¡¯s why I love her. Thinking so much about the past aggravated my hunger. What time is it already? I don¡¯t even have a clock here. That¡¯s to be expected. I don¡¯t have anything in me yet. I don¡¯t even have a job. Maybe I can start searching tomorrow. I don¡¯t want to owe Ingrid much. I bet she¡¯ll hit me again with that annoying fan.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Perhaps I could ask me fellow tenants to give me their leftovers? Ugh¡­ Based on what happened last night, I really think the tenant from unit8 will spare me any. She sounded like a child. Is that even allowed in this world? A kid living alone without a guardian. This world really has it easy. What about the tenant from unit3? I really haven¡¯t met her even once. Me suddenly appearing on her doorstep will sound trouble. She might call the police and have me arrested. Wait, is she even there? Is she awake? I¡¯ve never really considered the possibility that she might be working at night shift. Grumbling¡­ ¡°AAAAAH!! For fuck¡¯s sake Ingrid please come home already!!¡± What can I do, this is the fate of a shut-in that suddenly decided to live alone. I haven¡¯t even asked Ingrid for leftovers from yesterday, now her door¡¯s locked and she¡¯s at work. How can I mess up so bad. I¡¯ve spent my whole afternoon savouring this famine I¡¯ve brought upon myself. And while waiting for Ingrid to get home, I fell asleep. The scent of beef stew woke me up. The lights are on which I haven¡¯t even turned before I slept. Is it night already? Fuck I overslept. I¡¯m too hungry to move. ¡°Look here Fred. How could you be so careless? You suddenly barged here in this unit without food? Now tell me how will you last a week?¡± ¡°Ingrid, you¡¯re here, huh? You¡¯re my saviour. Once we get back to Mytherion I¡¯ll reward you with everything within my power.¡± ¡°Oh please, if you bring me back there please take responsibility.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like we¡¯re going to get married. There¡¯s someone waiting for me there.¡± ¡°Hoooh~~ That¡¯s rich coming from you. I thought you¡¯re just another heartbroken spirit.¡± ¡°Now serve that food and don¡¯t break my heart any longer. This starvation is at its peak.¡± I gathered up the remaining strength in my body and dragged myself towards the table where Ingrid¡¯s beef stew is served. I chowed everything up besides Ingrid¡¯s servings to the very last drop. I admit it, this is one of the best meals I¡¯ve had my entire life. ¡°Now now, just don¡¯t choke. I won¡¯t help you if you did¡­ Hahaha!! What are you, a glutton or something? By the way I¡¯ve brought you some manga volumes for pastime.¡±
Greed: So, this former maou from Mytherion, is now attending a job interview. This town is small. Ingrid advised me to give the town proper a quick tour. A job with a normal pay could cover up for the house expenses, so she said. The problem is¡­ ¡°HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THE NORMAL RATES!!¡± Again, this is my fault. Out of all the things I decided not to cover while studying how this world works: job. Well, how am I supposed to include it? It has been my mindset already that my family¡¯s wealth could cover everything I need. How could I be so careless again? We¡¯ll for starters, let me try bargaining myself. Scenario 1 (Publishing company) ¡°Well, before everything else, can you give me a quick overview of your educational background?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had a personal tutor, one for each profession. A course spans from ten up to twenty years of full mastery, but within our lineage, I¡¯ve completed each of the course for three years, those I¡¯ve found interesting I took ten years of mastery. All in all, I¡¯ve spent almost ninety years studying different professions.¡± Application Rejected. Well, that¡¯s to be expected. Somebody should be out there controlling my mind. Those are not the answers that I needed of course. Let¡¯s try lessening out answers which include my past experiences from Mytherion. Scenario 2 (Department store clerk.) ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m foreign to this country and have just started living alone. If possible there are any positions you could offer that does not require any educational background.¡± ¡°Well, there is, but the pay is not that high.¡± ¡°Can we talk bargain about the pay?¡± ¡°Hmmm, the pay is pretty much fixed, so if you are still going to be greedy I¡¯m sorry I could not offer the position to you.¡± Application Rejected. Aahg. That¡¯s my fault again. I¡¯m in no position bargain myself. I don¡¯t have to be greedy. Besides having close to zero experience here in this world, no educational and work background, training for a new work environment will also take time until I get used to it. How can I adapt fast? Wait¡­ ¡°What if I just work under Ingrid at her apartment complex, some assistant maybe, or a caretaker. I can promote the complex too.¡± That¡¯s far too realistic. Let¡¯s formulate the pros and cons for that: Ingrid doesn¡¯t have enough to pay my wage. Ingrid will continue to hit me with that annoying fan. Wow that¡¯s a lot of cons. Walking down the road I can see the convenience store near the apartment complex. From afar I can see someone smoking outside the entrance. Is he a delinquent or something? I stopped by at the entrance. My eyes glittered as I see the posted ad. This is the answer to all of my problems: ¡°Wanted: Store Helper! No experience required Decent Pay Start right now!¡± ¡°Wait a second¡­ Doesn¡¯t this sound too shady?¡± ¡°What are you talking about brat, this is the most instant job you can get from this town. So, you finding one?¡± ¡°Eeh¡­ I don¡¯t want to hear that from a smoking delinquent at the front of a convenience store.¡± ¡°Say that again and I won¡¯t give you a chance to get hired.¡± Wait, he does sound like a high-position employee¡­ Wait¡­ is he the¡­ ¡°Ma-manager?¡± He just puffed his cigar. Ah yes, that could only explain it. But why!! Why in the good heavens will a manager sit in front of his store and have a cigar?? Why does people of this town always stay out of human logic? Is this a tradition? A hobby? ¡°Uhm¡­ Manager¡­ I¡¯m quite interested on the available position.¡± He threw the tip of his cigar to the trashcan and stood up. ¡°Come inside. Let¡¯s proceed to the interview.¡± Everything went on with a breeze. The interview feels like a sham, the screening was quick too. If this is not a convenience store I¡¯ll brand it as a shady business. I was immediately accepted, with a monthly wage of sixty grand, it¡¯s pretty enough to cover for the monthly rent and daily expenses. Though I¡¯m not sure whether I can save money immediately to pay my debt with Ingrid. Phew what a day. At now I have a job. I¡¯m one step closer to my goal. It was a long tiring day. I can now go home.
¡°Geez little Ingrid grew up so fast right after taking over the apartment complex. What¡¯s with all the setup? You can just referred him to me and conduct the screening. Why cover up a good deed?¡± The store manager said inside the manager room as he looks into Fred¡¯s resume. Interlude 1 (Earth) - What lies for a former Maou in this unknown world 2 Sloth: ¡°Say, Kyrie¡­¡± ¡°Yes Fred?¡± ¡°Why are we burning massive amounts of time laying down doing nothing?¡± ¡°Humu, I¡¯m glad you asked. This is not nothing to me, in a way this is to kill boredom.¡± As to why we are currently in this situation, let us go back a few hours prior to this scene. Bang! Bang!! There has been indiscriminate knocking at my door for a while now. I have ignored it at first, but the knocking continues. It gets louder each time up to the point that the hinges at my door started creaking. It must be Kyrie. Ara is not the type to do these kinds of things. ¡°Freeed? Freeed. I know you¡¯re in theeeere!!¡± Ah¡­ there it is. The harbinger of a hellish day-off. ¡°GO AWAY!! PLEASE LET ME SPEND THIS DAY OFF IN PEACE!!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t escape me Fred, I got The Sledgehammah with meee~~¡± This little¡ªGRRR!!! I approached the door slowly. I mean, how could I protect myself from a flying door if she suddenly decides to smash the door? This girl is so bad news to the point that only Ingrid could hold her leash. I slowly opened the door and take a peek. Great she¡¯s standing right there, but without the sledgehammer. I really don¡¯t know how she could slam the door loudly like that with that small figure of hers. What kind of training regimen does she do with Ingrid by the way? ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°You seem troubled.¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°Humu, come with me, we¡¯ll do something fun.¡± There it goes. She won¡¯t stop bugging me until I agree with her. ¡°What will we do?¡± ¡°Something fun.¡± Sigh¡­ ¡°Where?¡± ¡°At my unit.¡± ¡°INGRIII¡ª!!¡± She immediately covered my mouth. ¡°Humu. I won¡¯t call the police.¡± I¡¯m doomed. Me, a former maou¡­ It never came to me that I would be extorted like this. ¡­ I was forced to accompany her at the unit. It was a bright sunny day and a perfect time to laze around so no one is coming to save me. I really want to know where Ingrid is. It would be great if she¡¯s to be aware of the predicament I¡¯m in right now. Kyrie must be thinking of a way to have something to blackmail me. Is this a video prank or a blackmail vid? Someone came out of the room. She has the same build as Kyrie, has a lemon hair that ranges below her waist. She wears a straight white long dress. From right below her collarbone a mole can be seen, it really is a distinguished feature. I don¡¯t recognize her. Is she a relative? ¡°Uhm¡­ Are you a relative? Do you know where Kyrie is? The truth is¡ª¡± ¡°Humu¡­ As expected of Fred. Your reactions always amuse me.¡± Oh God¡­ I don¡¯t want to admit it. But the truth is right before my eyes. This is Kyrie. But how? Why? She then proceed to the widely open floor and lay her body. What is she implying? I¡¯m not into kids. Besides, I haven¡¯t fully moved on yet. Part of me still longs for Yuusha.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Fred, you¡¯re always reading in too much. Come here, lay your body rest.¡± What? Come again? It took me a while to absorb things. I look at her. She¡¯s already sleeping. How can a small girl like her be so defenseless? Look at her, laying there with just a pure white dress on. Wait, is she really defenseless? I can see over ten ways she can disable me with her martial arts. Ah you know what? Fuck it. I proceed and lay my body on the floor beside her. ¡°See? It is a great day to laze around.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°You can tell me what¡¯s burdening you. You have been down for about a week. Sometimes all you need is someone to talk to. Haven¡¯t you gone with this with Ingrid?¡± ¡°I can tell her about it some other time. It¡¯s something related to my work.¡± ¡°Aah, I see, well if you feel like it you can talk with me too.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this great, lazing around without any care for the world?¡± Sometimes I¡¯m really amazed with Kyrie. How can she come up with ridiculous ideas? In which, at the end of the day, always turns out fun. She¡¯s really a one in a million prodigy. Aaah, this is a bliss. I can get used to this¡­ ¡°That getup really suit you. Dress like that more often.¡± ¡°If you lewd me I will do whatever I can with my connections to get you in jail.¡± ¡°No, no, never gonna happen.¡± ¡±Humu. Just so you know.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Say, Kyrie¡­¡± ¡°Yes Fred?¡± ¡°Why are we burning massive amounts of time laying down doing nothing?¡±
Lust: Nosebleed. What I¡¯m about to tell you is a story that is better not revealed with Kyrie, Old Man, Ara, and most importantly, with Ingrid. My very first encounter with Ara was not really a good memory, I mean, who would want to be roundhouse-kicked twice, one at the back and one at the face. The pain really haven¡¯t gotten away yet but it¡¯s a small price I pay for having my very first assistant. Going back to the story, it¡¯s a usual weekday in which Ingrid is at work and Kyrie is lazing at inside her unit. It was out of a whim that I decided to employ Ara with me so I promised her of basic manga tutorials. She sponsored the venue at her unit. ¡°Ara¡­ I think you¡¯re clinging in too much¡­¡± ¡°Oho~~ This little Fred here is getting shy. No need to be. Think of this as a little fan service from your aneki here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem, something¡¯s pressing at my back!!¡± ¡°Hoooh~~ You¡¯re too sweetly shy!!¡± FOR FUCK¡¯S SAKE LET THIS END TORTURE ALREADY!! ¡°Why are you even acting like this with me?¡± ¡°Uwu. What are you talking about Fred?¡± ¡°Eeh??! Imouto-mode?!¡± ¡°Awa¡ªAwawawa!!!¡± She immediately distanced herself from me. She must have switched at the last minute and having realized the teasing of her aneki mode with me must have embarrassed her to this extent. ¡°You know You should really talk to your sister about teasing me that much. She¡¯s almost completely offering her body to me. And I¡¯m not used to these kinds of plays.¡± ¡°Sh-She wouldn¡¯t!!¡± ¡°How could you be so sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard the whole story from Miss Landlady, it seems like she worked at the red-light district to cover up expenses for us for about a year and a half? I was really sho¡ª¡± ¡°Hey I¡¯ve told you I haven¡¯t done it with anybody!! What did Ingrid told you? I told her to keep quiet as much¡ª¡± ¡°Le-let me finish my sentence first!! Sheesh¡­¡± What¡­ the fuck just happened? ¡°Ah sorry Fred, she occasionally pops up now, and not even that, we could remember each other¡¯s memories now while in single mode. That¡¯s really unlike before where our memories only retain with each personality. If only we acquired this from the start¡­¡± ¡°Let me take over, lil¡¯ sis you¡¯re ruining the mood.¡± ¡°Ara¡­ You are pretty messed up.¡± ¡°HAHAHA!! Yes I am, I mean, yes we are!¡± She suddenly crawled into me. And whispered. ¡°But its fine with you right?¡± I haven¡¯t answered immediately. I¡¯m really sorry Yuusha, my lust-persona* is taking over me. I¡¯m supposedly a normal human here but I wonder why my passives are triggering. Ah I know now¡­ Even in this world, men are still weak towards women. Being tempted simply like this wavers my loyalty to you already. God have made me perfectly normal here that simple temptations like this one lands a critical hit to my sanity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be setting limitations. I will be teasing you only for fun. You can waver. I know you have someone you love already. It¡¯s showing in your eyes.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you in with a dirty little secret of mine. Working with a nightclub have me develop countermeasures, ways of protecting my¡­ our very own chastity.¡± She get a little closer to me and silently whispered: ¡°You see, I¡¯m a narcissist.¡± ¡°Hiiii!!!¡± I suddenly feel a stinging sensation at my ear!!! She bit my ear!!! She bit my ear!!! Yuusha, wherever you are, please kill yourself, get transported here and protect me from this witch!!! ¡°Hahahaha!!!!¡± What¡¯s with the laugh? Quit torturing me already ¡°I probably won¡¯t fall in love again.¡± ¡°So you had previous relatonships¡­¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t end well. Oh welp, it¡¯s on the past already. Going back to our topic¡­ I¡¯ll continue to tease you as much as you like. You can think of me on your fantasies for all I care. I¡¯m used to it. It¡¯s your sin to carry anyways, but you won¡¯t let everyone know about us being a narcissist, okay?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t think that would be a good deal. You almost had nothing to gain.¡± ¡°Then, what could I offer you.¡± She postured on crawling stance again. I need to be pre-emptive. ¡°Okay, okay!! I¡¯ll accept!! Just!! Don¡¯t lunge those¡ªthose!! Don¡¯t¡ªaaah!! Lunge¡ªthose!! Melons!!¡± She said it! I don¡¯t care what happens anymore. Those loose shirt she¡¯s wearing!! Shit I can¡¯t stop myself to peek¡ª ¡°Bleeep!! It¡¯s now closed.¡± She said as she covers up her bosom embarrassingly with one of her hands. Her face is bright red, so she could also do these kind of expression¡­ Or¡­ ¡°Imouto-mode!!¡± ¡°Ding!! Correct!! Geez I¡¯m so embarrassed. What is she even doing! Tagging out at the most inappropriate moment! Plus doing all that!! Please forget about that!! You have heard nothing today!!¡± ¨CShe then concluded it with a slap. It hurts¡­ It hurts so much that I forgot what I initially went here for. ¡°Say, what are we supposed to do today?¡± Interlude 1 (Earth) - What lies for a former Maou in this unknown world 3 Anger: I¡¯ve been working on a manga adaptation of a web-based novel for almost five months already and I¡¯ve decided to drop it. It¡¯s not out of a whim or because I grew tired of it. In fact, it is a good story. It¡¯s so good to the point that I feel inferior even though I tried my best on its adaptation. The manga adaptation is popular too. It also was not something to be stopped midway due to story getting dull, or art declining. It¡¯s really thanks to Ara¡¯s hard work and Kyrie¡¯s pure talent. Ingrid¡­ You could forget about her. Though she¡¯s always there, she¡¯s just good only for cooking and snoring. There are two main events that I need to brace myself with this decision: 1. To apologize deeply to the author of the novel, 2. To face this Old Man¡¯s wrath. By old man I mean my editor. He doesn¡¯t like being called by his name, so we decided to call him by that. Back at Mytherion, with my status, capabilities, and absolute power, fear is something only I bring forth to my adversaries. My parents were a different case, but besides them, I haven¡¯t encountered anyone who have brought me fear. Oh you could count Yuusha dying on me first, I really fear that. Having transported here at Earth, there are a few things which never left my side: one of them is fear. But it¡¯s not the type of fear being brought by battles. It¡¯s fear of uncertain factors. I¡¯ve studied a lot about this world but for some reason, the place I¡¯m living in right now and my work environment too is full of uncertain factors: 1. Ara¡¯s split personality 2. Kyrie¡¯s boredom and sledgehammer 3. Ingrid¡¯s double-barrel shotgun. 4. Old Man¡¯s wrath. So going back to Old Man¡¯s wrath. Here I am in this situation, trying to find my way out as I¡¯m about to face it. Delayed manuscripts, having a slump, no progress for weeks, all of these situations we¡¯ve encountered already. It¡¯s not only me. Ara and Kyrie faces Old Man¡¯s wrath at times too. Even Ingrid could not escape his anger once he unleashes it. It really is a traumatic experience for us. (though I¡¯m really impressed that he could control Kyrie¡¯s weirdness too.) This is a very different situation from those above. So what should I expect? A beating? Old Man doesn¡¯t do that. But his stress really shows by his tone. Once he started scolding us, every instance just becomes a traumatic experience. ¡°Tell me that again Fred. It seems that I¡¯ve misheard what you just said.¡± He smiles! But his nerves are visible on his forehead! If I die tonight I might find myself being resurrected back at Mytherion, Yay! ¡°I¡¯m stopping the adaptation of novelX, please accompany me to the author and let¡¯s apologize together.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Hooh~~ and your reasons?¡± ¡°This is the most honourable reason I could ever think of: I¡¯m not worthy enough to adapt such God-tier story.¡± Sigh He sighed. Good thing I haven¡¯t brought Ara, Kyrie and Ingrid with me here. They might lose their sanity. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU!! AND IDIOOOOT!!¡± That night most of the employees helped each other out to calm Old Man.
Pride: This story goes way back before I have settled alone at unit6. During this span of time I¡¯m trying to study this world¡¯s basic knowledge, including language, how to read and write and history. There¡¯s a pile of books in front of me. I¡¯ve accompanied Ingrid on the nearest library to have these borrowed. I don¡¯t have a library card at this world yet and have to use Ingrid¡¯s, so from a perspective, I¡¯ve borrowed these books from Ingrid as well. ¡°Jeez, you made me look like a parent there. What¡¯s with the kindergarten alphabet books?¡± ¡°Quit it, just help me with the materials I need to cope up.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m instantly promoted as a servant. I thought I was the one doing the favour of letting you stay for a while.¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it that way¡­¡± Perhaps the way I speak is a bit harsh. My frustration and melancholy are really affecting my judgment. I should keep myself from talking for a while. I¡¯m sorry Ingrid, you might misunderstand this but please bear with me for a little while longer. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve given up every last ounce of hope of being able to return to Mytherion. To gather as much information as I wanted, I need to learn how to communicate first. Let¡¯s start with the basics. It won¡¯t be instant, it will be a long process, but if that¡¯s the only way, I¡¯ll take any chance I can get. ¡­ ¡°Freeed¡­ Freeeed¡­¡± Ingrid is occupying most of the space of her couch laying down as I¡¯m being pushed to the side. Why does she even force herself to sit here when I¡¯m already here? I couldn¡¯t tell the difference. ¡°Hey Ingrid, you can seat over there. Why are you bothering me anyways?¡± ¡°Because you look too bothered. It¡¯s better to be bothered by me instead of being bothered about your past.¡± ¡°What twisted logic is that?¡± ¡°Come on, I¡¯m just trying to cheer you up.¡± ¡°Quit it, the roots of my sadness runs deeper than you can imagine.¡± ¡­ It went quiet all of a sudden. Is she offended? Poke! Poke! Her feet is poking my face. Don¡¯t bother. You¡¯ll lose if you bother... Multiple pokings, infinite poking, unlimited poking!! ¡°Gah!! What?!¡± ¡°Geez, don¡¯t infect the unit with your grumpy mood. It¡¯s not only you that had a loss.¡± She smiled at me. A fresh memory, It was the same smile that she showed me the first night that we met. An innocent smile with faint traces of sadness. ¡°You said that you lost your dog that night.¡± ¡°Tenji is not a dog, he¡¯s my only family left since my late father and mother. Mom died when I was a kid and father when I was at my teens. It¡¯s only me and Tenji ever since. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°So long as you understand, so please cheer up. You¡¯re not the only one trying your best to look okay. If you have time to complain you might as well have time to move on.¡± ¡°...As if... As if that¡¯s so easy.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m not forcing you. I¡¯m just trying to help you out.¡± She has a point¡­ But¡ª ¡°The best thing you could do to help me right now is to lay your body on another over there.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m the owner of the house. I don¡¯t see any reason to lower myself down your level. You might be a high and mighty being from where you came from, but here you¡¯re just my lowly tenant.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªFor some reason that statement irritates me too much.¡± ¡°Haha! Wow, did I hit the jackpot?¡± As incompenent as I can be, I try not to barge as she tries to kick me out of the couch as I try to think about what she said. Everything she¡¯s doing is not only for her, but for my sake too. She¡¯s been trying to hit two birds with one stone while being in a similar situation with me. It hurts my pride to admit, she¡¯s stronger at me during times like this. I should try to learn from her too. ¡°¡ªBut for some reason, I really wanted to kick you too.¡± ¡°Bring it on!!¡± Ch5-1 Enter Old Man I. Enter Old Man The draft consists of six chapters. It¡¯s the initial draft that Fred and the team has created. Kyrie did most of the inking and Ara did the shadings and other effects. Ingrid did none, as usual. The main plot was written by Fred. Reading six chapters of a manga should be quick. But with the current members of the team reading it, it took them several hours. At first their ideas are still clashing with each other but eventually Kyrie and Ara piped down and started doing random things while still keeping themselves in track of the chapter scenes. Their usual numbers on this connecting room (unit7) has been added by one. The added member is Fred¡¯s editor which they refer to as Old Man. As to why: he asked them to drop formality and just refer to him by it, as long as they are doing their job and Fred could pass manuscripts on time. Yes, in the end Fred will be the one responsible for all the team¡¯s misses. ¡°Phew that was a long run. Fred let me borrow this room I¡¯ll be sleeping here. I don¡¯t have energy left to go to my unit. But remember if you try to do anything funny you will meet your previous world.¡± Says Ingrid as she lifelessly approach the available bed at the studio. Ara started tidying up the studio and Kyrie opened the door connecting to her unit. Having less active people inside the studio, the atmosphere lightened up for Fred. He¡¯s now waiting for the last activity for the day: The deliberation of his first draft with Old Man. The active members left are Fred, Ara and Old Man. ¡°Uhm, are you sure you won¡¯t be reading it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here since you were reading chapter three or four, so I gave the first chapters a quick scan.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°Rejected.¡± Fred is flat-out rejected. Flat-out Rejections, these scenes are commonly seen on shoujo manga where either of the female characters, or even males, rejects the other party. The other party could have two options: to keep pushing forward (which leads to more character and plot development for both involved) or to stop (which leads to closure or resolution of his arc and / or start anew.) But this is not a scene from a shoujo manga that just happened, also not boys love novels. Fred¡¯s Draft 1: ¡°Unpopular Mae¡¯s Struggles to being an Unattainable Flower¡± is rejected. ¡°Sigh¡­ Well, I¡¯ve seen that one coming.¡± ¡°We could try this out, but it¡¯s not something a serialization that could last long.¡± Before them was a different person - or rather, a different entity; a composed Old Man. None of them were surprised, for this was perhaps and very much likely the real, genuine and authentic self of Old Man. Often in drunken rage, blind fury - or both, his reliable self was a drastic turn - yet expected, radical enough that one may claim Old Man was the most reliable one on the team when it came to these things, and it wouldn''t be without backing ¡°I will accept your decision, Old Man. But can we please take a quick discussion over the parts that should need improvement if ever?¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start with your chapter 1.¡± Perhaps Fred have already accepted the fate of the draft. He just opened up so that he could learn too. His drawing skills are given. With sheer effort he had adopted to the drawing style and techniques needed for drawing manga. Old Man has acknowledged that. The thing that he didn¡¯t excelled with was his writing. During his past life at Mytherion he never excelled at writing literary works. If he never excelled there at first place, what more here on earth? He could always try but writing award-winning level stories won¡¯t take only a span of a few years. One more thing that he needed to consider was the time ratio between Earth and Mytherion. Fred thought the only way to learn fast is to seek advice and help from an expert: an experienced professional that worked with other authors for years. In short, he should seek help from Old Man. Old Man is not really the type of ¡®These are the kinds of things you should learn from yourself.¡¯-man. If an author needed help, it should be a common thing to support him. Perhaps that should apply to other manga editors too. ¡°First, the way you arranged the scenes are good, you could have removed Mae¡¯s thoughts at your very first page and have placed it here on the page where the chapter returned to the scene at their clubroom.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yes I¡¯ll take note of that.¡± ¡°Also, how could this be too generic of a scene? I think you should read newer shoujo volumes. For reference. This is quite outdated.¡± Old man pointed out the scene where Mae was late because of ignoring her alarm clock and get her French toast and rushed out of the house. ¡°Her narration should be good too. But please adjust them if the scenes are about to be changed.¡± He added. Ara was taking notes. Fred looked at her and was unsure if she¡¯s taking notes for him or she¡¯s planning to be an author in the near future. He turned pale just thinking about it. Old man continued ¡°Starting the timeline with the femMC¡¯s second year is a good move too. You could insert a lot of background arcs in the long run. Answer me, where do you plan to expose the past of either Mae or Shori?¡± ¡°Around thirty plus or so?¡± ¡°For a series that could range about forty to sixty chapters at max, you could start character background arcs at volume 3.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Fred somehow looked disappointed about that answer. ¡°The other scenes here are good, looks like you haven¡¯t declared everything on this ¡®Popularity Ranking System¡¯ yet. But you could have added a few explanations about this ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ title. Does it have any perks, like, free meal or free beer?¡± ¡°The latter doesn¡¯t sound so reassuring, but for that, I haven¡¯t thought about it yet.¡± ¡°Okay let¡¯s proceed to chapter2.¡± So far so good¡­ ¡°This is the part that I want you to consider what you have written.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Fred was really shocked. Right after being encouraged by his minimal mistakes, Old Man¡¯s words shattered the mood. ¡°You could have given a faint scene of Ryuuji¡¯s background. These whole gradeschool ¨C middleschool flashback scenes¡­ Hmmm¡­ You could place this somewhere on chapters where Mae and Ryuuji could find some time to talk alone about their past. You could retain the scene from him being admitted on highschool via his parent¡¯s connections, but you could have replaced the first parts with scenes from his first day of school. You can still keep the scene where he accidentally met Mae at the entrance and mesmerized by her.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± said the shocked Ara. She¡¯s been in this situations with Old Man but his advising still shocks her. ¡°If you are to remove those scenes, you should also elaborate the reason why Ryuuji have chosen Mae at the first place. This is not a shounen manga where you can just let him say ¡®It¡¯s just my gut feeling¡¯. Now let¡¯s proceed to chapter3.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Chieri¡¯s introduction is a given, but her development is too sudden. You could have revealed that she¡¯s a candidate for top 5 vacant slot. What about those under her? By the way, have you considered adding more characters in the near future of the story?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had, on my mind. The top10, the principal, some faculty and their club adviser, and other bottom-rankers that has high-rank-potential. Shiori is one of them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve kinda¡¯ guessed Shiori, with regards to that, I¡¯ve asked you so you could have developed Chieri¡¯s progression towards top5 slot by having her compete with new characters. I¡¯ve remembered you just declared her on the top five slot in an instant around chapter4. You could¡¯ve extended three or four more chapters. Third wheels could have as much development as the femMCs before you sink their ships down.¡± ¡°Whoah, that¡¯s harsh. And here I am started liking Chieri¡¯s character too.¡± Ingrid is already snoring due to deep sleep. They just ignored it and continued their discussion. Fred is scratching his head. He¡¯s thinking that Old Man is missing out few shoujo points of the story. ¡°You must have been thinking right now why I haven¡¯t tackled about the romantic aspect of the manga yet? It¡¯s just the first volume you idiot. Now tell me, around what chapter are you do you estimate to start Mae¡¯s romantic development towards Ryuuji?¡± ¡°Around chapter 17? A few chapters after volume 2?¡± ¡°You have a hang on those aspects. That¡¯s why I¡¯m helping you with just the minor key points that might affect the long run of your draft. You must have pent-up romantic experiences from your past.¡± A critical strike! Fred looked irritated. ¡°I would really appreciate if you could just focus on giving advice.¡± ¡°No, no, don¡¯t misunderstood that. Experiences really teach us things, even in writing fictions too.¡± Fred really didn¡¯t had a good romantic experience back at Mytherion. He only loved The Hero, Yuusha, which was the one who have killed him in the end. But what irritates Fred, was not Old Man¡¯s comment about past romantic experiences, but because whenever someone talks with him about his past, he can still see a faint vision of Yuusha that very night. A vision of Yuusha at the post-events of the long-running Mytherion war. It stings him that he could still not move on. ¡°So I¡¯ve got a few more things to discuss, or rather, ask you.¡± Fred was brought back to his senses. ¡°What¡¯s with Ozzy¡¯s character? Why an eight-grader syndrome?¡± ¡°I need a support character which could support all other characters, a failsafe. I added his eight-grader syndrome to balance out his god-tier supporting.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m telling you now, a person with an eight grader syndrome will never be popular.¡± With that statement, Ozzy¡¯s existence on Mae-SUF was declared as the greatest irregularity that is needed to be changed. ¡°Last question. What¡¯s with the Yuki-onna getup at the club campaigning arc?¡± ¡°Tee-hee~~¡± then Fred stick out his tongue. WHACK!! Old Man hit him with the draft pages. He stood up after, and have them know that¡¯s about all he could discuss. ¡°The rest of the scenes for chapters five and six are good enough, you might want to lessen Mae saying ¡®for peaceful life¡¯ though. But I¡¯ll take your decision to create a new draft. You could contact me once it¡¯s finished. I¡¯m sober, don¡¯t bother walking me home.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Old Man!!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Thanks for this night.¡± ¡°Just produce something that could be serialized. It¡¯s for the good of both of us. That¡¯s the only way you can sweet-talk me.¡± Old Man left the complex. The only people remaining inside the studio are now Ara, Fred, and Ingrid on her deep sleep. Ara proceeded to tidying up the used tea set at the table and her notes. Fred was still sitting beside the mini table, looking at his draft. He have spent a lot of time, energy and brain cells just to have this draft rejected. But he did not look dejected. He looked rather a determined. He¡¯s ready to write another draft. But before that¡­ ¡°It¡¯s still early and I know you¡¯ve got energy to spare. Would you like to take a quick walk outside?¡± Lost with his train of thoughts he heard the voice of the only active being at the room besides him: Ara. Ch5-2 Comic Panic: Side Ara II. Comic Panic: Side Ara ¡°I feel bad leaving Ingrid alone in there. She might wake up in the middle of her sleep.¡± ¡°Come now, she¡¯s the landlady. You have no idea how many nights she¡¯s spent suddenly waking up and is all alone.¡± That might be true, but things are quite different now. Ingrid had grown fond of her tenants especially Fred. If it was before, she could just act normally if she wakes up without someone besides her in a room. Lately there are times where she¡¯ll sleep at Fred¡¯s studio rather than her unit while the others are draining themselves from work. Ingrid got used to the scene where she will see her tenants on the same room as she wakes up. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll just explain it to her if worst comes to worst.¡± ¡°Hooh~~. Tell me, are you two going out already?¡± ¡°W-what?! N-n-no!! Besides, I promised¡ªwith¡ªYuusha!! No!!¡± Fred lost his sense of speech. A lot has happened between him and Ingrid these past two years and anyone who will be able to know their story will only think that they really fit each other. Ara¡¯s intent really was to tease Fred and she¡¯s not knowledgeable on most of these stories yet. Also, Fred slipped out Yuusha¡¯s name which he tries to avoid talking with Kyrie and Ara as much. What are you talking about Ara?? In any case what do you know? What have you seen? Did she heard me about Yuusha? Fred was too shaken. He¡¯s used to Ara teasing him but Ara teasing his romantic relationship with others was a different scenario. ¡°Now, now, that¡¯s was only a joke, don¡¯t act like there really is something to hide. Wait¡ªIs there really something? Tell me! Come on.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Tsss, spoilsport. Cheapskate.¡± They continued to walk alongside the road in the middle of the night. They could feel the crisp cool air as the wind blows. Along with the breeze is the smell of the fields which basked under the afternoon sun. The only things they could hear are their footsteps along with their voices, sound of nocturnal insects, and vehicles, if ever one would pass them. Being a small town, the total number of vehicles doesn¡¯t even exceed a hundred, of course tractors not included as no one would ever try to use them during this time of the day. Having no topic at all after that, they both became silent for a while. The came across a short bridge that connects the roads between an irrigation. Ara stopped and rested herself on the bridge¡¯s parapet. ¡°Say, what¡¯s your basis regarding this draft? What made you write such a plot?¡± Ara showed her third persona to Fred which she rarely shows to anyone. Ingrid and Kyrie might not know much but Ara¡¯s split personalities already fused within a single one. To give an overview of how Ara¡¯s personas worked before this, during that time on her grade school when her mother died in an accident, her protective persona have triggered due to her shock. This persona was soon branded by Fred as ¡®aneki¡¯ while the sweet little sister which is supposed to be the original Ara was the ¡®imouto¡¯. Every now and then she¡¯ll be switching personalities based on which is more appropriate based on the situation. Each of the other persona¡¯s memories are not shared so swapping, the memories being gained by the Ara at the surface could not be remembered by the Ara that was swapped out. A few months ago she told only to Fred that the way she¡¯s swapping out has changed. This was due to her first meeting with Fred. Ara met Fred at first while she was on her long aneki mode while protecting the original imouto Ara. Something has triggered within her which led to whenever she swaps out personalities, memories are being retained for the other. Who knows what might have caused this. To Ara, she considered the first thing as a defensive mechanism of hers that could protect the imouto Ara at all times. Something within her must have acknowledged that Fred is a tenant of Ingrid¡¯s too and she could trust him and triggered the change. Fred could be a reliable and trusted friend, was her thoughts that time. ¡°What¡¯s with the question? Haven¡¯t you taken notes of our discussion earlier with Old Man?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­¡± Ara looked up towards the night sky. It was filled with bright, shining stars. It was unlike the sky at cities which dense smog covers most of the stars that should be visible with naked eye. In a way one could consider it as a perk of living at a rural community. She gave a calm smile. ¡°What you told Old Man a while ago are just part of your real reason.¡± ¡°And what would be?¡± ¡°How would I know? Don¡¯t answer my question with another one. That¡¯s a bad habit of yours. You only handpick those who you wanted to share stories with. That¡¯s kind of unfair.¡± At that time Fred realized that he¡¯s been treating Ara and Kyrie differently than Ingrid. He wondered if it¡¯s because Ingrid was the only one who he have told about his past. He became silent for a few more seconds thinking. Fred summed it up: Well I¡¯ll try to talk my way out of this while giving away too limited info. I¡¯m sorry Ara but it¡¯s not the time yet to know much about me. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll be treating you and Kyrie as much as I treat Ingrid too¡­The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You see, writing is not that easy. If it came from your past experiences you should not try to write everything in detail. You do not give away your slam book to anyone. You should try to mask sensitive information with fictional scenes as much as possible. That¡¯s what I think.¡± ¡°Hmp, evading again. Well I¡¯ll be persistent and change the question: What ending do you have in your mind?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ll try to make a happy ending as much as possible.¡± A happy ending has been a norm for shoujo mangas. There have been good stories too that ended the other way around but there are only few notable titles. Most of writers try to write happy endings for both the male and female lead characters. Also Fred¡¯s basis on this decision is as what he had just told Ara. You try to mask sensitive information with fiction. There are also people that uses writing as a form of escapism. ¡°What about Shirogane, Ria? What are your plans for her?¡± This is a new question to Fred. This topic has not been tackled a while ago by Old Man. He asked himself if Old Man already knew what would happen or if he just let it off the hook because Fred himself declined the offer of a serialization. In any case he needed to answer. Though Fred already had laid Ria¡¯s character progression up till the end of the story, he was hesitant of answering Ara. He first weighed Ara¡¯s understanding and ability to read between the lines. ¡°Ria graduates without Mae snatching away the Takane no Hana title from her. Chieri led the top rankers and claimed the Takane no Hana after battling the very first time with Mae who have made it to the top twenties. Of course they battled again and Mae claimed the top popularity at the end of the story.¡± At this moment Fred started to question himself why both Ara and Old Man hadn¡¯t discussed with him by the romance perspective of the story. Is it perhaps because romance is a given tag, that Ryuuji and Mae¡¯s romantic progression is already that predictable? Or is it because Fred¡¯s almost giving away the plot that it also gave hints about his past experiences? ¡°Of course I would like to know too the resolution regarding their love story too. I mean, who¡¯s a female that doesn¡¯t?¡± Ah, I¡¯ve been thinking way too much agan¡­ ¡°You see¡­¡± Ara continued ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to jump into conclusion but¡­ I really feel that Mae¡¯s character was based on me.¡± Fred tried to hide his shock. What caught him by surprise, was knowing that Ara had been comparing herself on his main character. She had a point. Anyone who reads a manga, any genre, at some point wanted to compare themselves to one of its characters, which they find themselves interested. ¡°What are your basis?¡± ¡°After thinking for a while, I arrived at this theory: After Ryuuji¡¯s appearance on Mae¡¯s peaceful life, she started to waver what path she would take. Of course her romantic progress with Ryuuji still remains the same.¡± Fred had the thought but she still questioned Ara for clarification. ¡°What do you imply?¡± ¡°I could say that Mae, living a peaceful life is similar to my peace before mother passed away. Mother¡¯s accident is similar to Ryuuji¡¯s appearance which have led her to trying to balance out the two paths that appeared for her, if she tries to balance both. By me, it looked like my second persona which appeared.¡± Point taken. After thinking for a few seconds Fred nodded. ¡°Okay, continue.¡± ¡°Mae¡¯s stuck to choosing between whether she would like to retain her peaceful life, or whether she wanted to trust everything with Ryuuji and follow the path that he have provided her.¡± Ara continued: ¡°You see, I really think that my elder sister mode existed to protect the peaceful life that I once had. After my mother¡¯s death, nothing was left for me but to welcome the major change in my life. Aneki did nothing wrong, she just wanted me to live the way I used to be.¡± ¡°So, what have you picked? I might base the ending based on the answer you¡¯ll give me right now.¡± ¡°Geez don¡¯t tease me. But in any case, of course I¡¯ll choose option three, which will be better for the both of us.¡± ¡°Option three?¡± ¡°Geez It¡¯s an ending which you¡¯ve had in mind already.¡± Ah, yes, how could I not know my ending¡­ But why¡­ Coincidence? Fred has been hiding the real meaning behind his plot. Its origins go way back from his past experiences. Fred initially had one ending before having the draft consulted with Old Man: Mae will have the ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ title at the end of the story and she will disregard all the perks it has and will campaign to abolish the Popularity Ranking system within the school. Mae will accept Ryuuji¡¯s proposal and they will live happily ever after. This is every romcom shoujo¡¯s ideal ending. A good resolution of conflict and happy romantic ending for both the lead characters. Fred, at that point, could only compare it to Ara¡¯s change recently. Ara seems to have finally found her peace back, while living at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex and being friends with us, the tenants. So this is what Ara¡¯s been talking about. How could I not notice? ¡°Heh, that¡¯s for you to think. I won¡¯t spill a thing.¡± Fred smirked, turned back and started walking. He wanted to go home, leaving Ara hanging behind. ¡°GRRR!! That¡¯s unfair!! After all the talking I¡¯ve done.¡± With that the long walk they had have ended with Ara being left with hanging questions. Fred wanted her to hold on her theory a little while longer. It¡¯s not really the actual reason behind Fred¡¯s plot but he¡¯s still astonished with the coincidence that happened. He gazed at the sky as he continued walking the straight road with Ara ranting behind him. ¡­ ¡°So that¡¯s what happened when we left you that night.¡± ¡°That sly girl. I never thought your draft plot could be interpreted that way.¡± Ingrid and Fred we¡¯re sitting at a nearby park within the town proper. They went to the grocer to buy supplies for the team as they are about to spend another all-nighter for Fred¡¯s second draft. They took a detour at the park to have some rest. Ingrid took out a box of cigar from her pocket and asked Fred to have some. ¡°Come on now, there are children here.¡± Fred refused as he pointed out at the children playing at the sandbar. ¡°Now, now, they won¡¯t bother. Their parents are on standby in case they go towards this direction. Also, I don¡¯t want to set a bad example for Ara and Kyrie at the complex anymore. This is the only time I could have a smoke.¡± Explained Ingrid then puffed. ¡°That you say, but you won¡¯t bother about the kids here.¡± ¡°Come now¡­ sigh¡­ okay okay this will be the last one.¡± Then she threw the tip to the nearest trashbin. Both of them sat at the swing as they let the afterglow pass by. The park was surrounded with houses but looking at the still orange sky at that time of late afternoon is also good to pass time. As Ingrid swings back and forth, a clanking noise of the chains and the rusty turning of the metal hinge could be heard at the park vicinity. Ingrid played like a little girl without any care. As Ingrid played, Fred looked up with nostalgic feeling as he tried to remember scenes from past Mytherion which has been his true reason for writing Mae-SUF. The sound of the swing stopped which made Fred looked towards Ingrid. He was surprised to find Ingrid¡¯s face right before his. It feels like the world stopped for a moment. Fred looked only and only at Ingrid. Her sharp, silver eyes, her semi-tanned skin, her wavy hair, the scent of her sweat and her pink lips. ¡°Geez Fred, you finally looked this way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know I could play as your Mae, Ryuuji-kun.¡± ¡°Are you jealous of Ara? I¡¯ve told you, she¡¯s a Narcissist.¡± ¡°Geez don¡¯t tease me like that.¡± ¡°Please stop¡­ Ingrid, I told you I have made a promise with Yuusha.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you I¡¯ll be your failsafe.¡± Ingrid grinned as she gets back to swinging. ¡°Now confess to me, you¡¯ve been thinking about past-Mytherion again isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, It really is a story I couldn¡¯t tell Ara. This story should be my basis of Mae-SUF¡¯s plot.¡± ¡°Tell me¡­¡± Ingrid¡¯s tone was like a child waiting for her grandmother to tell her tales: stories from distant past. What Fred is about to tell Ingrid is not fiction, it is not something he made up and most importantly, not something that happened on modern Earth. This is a long story about his childhood days, as Fredericus Corralton Spence de Augustus. --- Ch5-3 Kid Fredericus, The Calling and The Old War Records. III. Kid Fredericus, The Calling and The Old War Records. The evening is young as Ingrid and Fred is still at the playground of the park near the town supermart. ¡°Are you sure you want to hear the story? It might take us a while. Kyrie and Ara is waiting back at the studio.¡± Fred asks Ingrid as they continued swinging side by side. The children playing at that time were already called by their parents. It¡¯s already time for homework and indoor stuff that kids their age should be doing. Of course Fred and Kyrie aren¡¯t included in that age bracket. It should be fine for them to be out until late night. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it seems like you wanted to talk too. Why are acting too hesitant when you¡¯re the one that opened up.¡± Ingrid confirmed with Fred. ¡°¡­ I guess we could stay for a while. I won¡¯t tackle too much details and only cover the most important events, okay? A whole night won¡¯t be enough for this.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, just start already.¡± Ingrid cuts in with sparkling eyes like a child waiting for a good bedtime story.
Fredericus Corralton Spence de Augustus, 17 Mytherion y/o Pre-Mytherion, 87 years before Great Human-Demon War My whole name back at Mytherion is Fredericus Corralton Spence de Augustus. I was born with the status and blood of a royal family. Not just a normal royal family, but the family with the line of the Maou. My date of birth I can¡¯t really remember anymore. I can¡¯t really figure how time goes here at Earth so it¡¯s really hard to compare, I just adapted myself here. To give a brief description of how titles are being earned at Mytherion, you can refer to it as Calling*. It is a sign that eventually arrives when a certain individual with a certain race reaches the age when it usually comes. For example, a human receives a calling once he/she reaches the age of thirteen Mytherion cycles. The age really depends on the race. Also, a calling is a title that only a few individuals per race can carry, so it is always treated as a privilege. My father, Igor Corralander de Augustus, being son of the previous Maou, was tasked to continue the Maou lineage. The Maou calling didn¡¯t appeared in his rightful age. At that time they never found the demon with the calling. It was a coincidence that the Yuusha calling at the human side didn¡¯t appeared on that generation too. The elders considered the demon race lucky by that time because it bought them more time to prepare before resuming the war, considering there won¡¯t be individuals who would be able rally a huge force towards a full scale war. It should buy them time to expand their forces and gain territories among small races. To ensure the birth of a demon with a high probability to receive the Maou calling, my father was betrothed to the first princess of the second family among the royal demon families, Carmilla Distancia. It was a fix marriage but both of them accepted their duties and eventually fell in love with each other that resulted to the birth of who you now know as Frederie Spence, me. After giving birth to my younger sister, mother became infertile so they had to take chance on the two of us bearing the Maou calling. Fortunately after I reached the age of seven, which is considered a very young age for a calling to manifest within an individual, Maou calling manifested within me. ¡°As expected of the first son of the Great Maou from the line of Augustus family. Giving birth to the next Maou has been an easy task.¡± -These are common words that comes out from the mouth of the nobles once someone from a royal line accomplishes great feats. Father have been telling me stories about his achievements even though he¡¯s not destined with the Maou title, one of which is this story of how he and Mother accomplished giving birth to me. These stories are long, tell-tale ones which if you examine on a different perspective, reveals the dark sides of not only Demon race but other others as well, so let¡¯s leave these stories untouched for the meantime. After I received my calling, my family is really proud of me. My father became more strict with regards to the courses I undertake with my private tutors and ensured that I gain the proper knowledge I needed to have until the moment I¡¯m ready to lead the Demon forces towards victory. I really feel sorry for my sister for the unfair treatment but she have told me it¡¯s okay with her: that she rather wanted to live free than be bound of such duties. She have a point but I¡¯m still not sure if she¡¯s telling the truth or just hiding her true feelings just to don¡¯t make me worry. My mother at some point visits me during my tutorial days to monitor me of my progress. She also plays with me during my break hours. Unlike other professions, Father took care of tutoring me with history. Studying history is also like a long wearing battle. How long in the past did Mytherion¡¯s first recorded historical books went? I¡¯m not really paying attention to his tutoring. My Father was intelligent, I can assure you that. History was one of his greatest assets. He often scolds me if he notices I¡¯m being drowsy and hits me with books.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Amongst all the subjects that you will try to laze off, History is one of which you must not. Try to be attentive. A great leader must know his roots.¡± ¨Cis what he often says to me. It took me years before I could keep my focus on studying history. The library is a big place with lots of books. There I scanned most books from literary works, up to the deepest secret manuscripts which only select members of the royal families can be granted access with: of course Maou is a great exception that should have access to everything. I came upon a section where the ¡®Great Human-Demon¡¯ war records are being stored, which I¡¯ve found interesting. I¡¯ve studied war records from time to time and compare the events from each generation of Maou and Yuusha. Including me, this is the eight cycle of the Maou. The interesting thing I¡¯ve found, each generation that a Maou is being destined, there¡¯s always a destined Yuusha at the human faction too. As the oldest war records have indicated, the very first generation Yuusha have campaigned most of the races and rallied towards the Demon Castle*. But despite the huge forces rallied by Yuusha, Maou¡¯s power far exceeded their expectations and annihilated a huge fraction of the rallying forces. Even before they arrived at the top of the Demon Castle*, only a small fraction of the elite forces remained. Still, Yuusha persevered and defeated the first generation Maou. But even after defeating the Maou, the humans can¡¯t push any further as the Yuusha have exhausted almost all of her powers just to defeat Maou. There are still hundred-strong generals that could keep fighting for the demon race¡¯s survival. Humans didn¡¯t want any more casualties from their forces and retreated afterwards. What happened afterwards with the Yuusha hasn¡¯t been recorded as historians of the demon race only focused on recording events that happened in the Demon Realm*. The war didn¡¯t finished after the first clash between the demons and humans. The second generation Maou hastened preparations with their forces and expanded their territories in comparison to the preparations being done by the humans. Demons have dealt preemptive strike even before the humans have started rallying again. Besides the preemptive activities, demon race also used underhanded tactics such as leaking out false information and sending out spies from small factions that pledged allegiance to them. The humans, being unaware of the true intentions of the demons, were taken by surprise and suffered even more devastating damage. I¡¯m quite surprised demon historians are not trying to hide these kinds of information from history books. That must be the reason why they limited those who can access this section of the library. The demons annihilated almost all of human forces which only Yuusha¡¯s party remained. In exchange for their lives, they activated a global-scale spell which sealed the second generation Maou. The spell was so powerful that it terraformed the Barren Canyons* which was once called Human Capitol*. The survivors from the demons retreated at the Demon Realm* after having their leader sealed and the remaining human survivors rebuilt their capital at the City of Almeria where the half-elves have offered them an agreement of being a joint nation. The third generation Maou¡¯s existence was hidden by the elders via unanimous decision due to the fear brought of the previous battle with the humans. Only a select number of families have known the third generation Maou¡¯s existence by that time. Being wary of the large scale spell that the humans have used the elders have decided on a countermeasure: ¡°A sealing spell of that global scale should be prevented to be used again.¡± ¨Can emissary from the demon race that was sent to Almeria have negotiated with the joint human and half elves. It was true that using a spell of that scale have turned a whole city to a wasteland. If large scale battles like the ones recorded at previous generations would continue, not only humans and demons will take tremendous damage but the other races too. Prohibiting the large scale sealing spell in exchange to the demons not using underhanded methods that they used on the previous war has been agreed upon to preserve Mytherion¡¯s planetary life. Even though limiting large scale wars have been agreed on both ends, this doesn¡¯t completely stopped little skirmishes between humans and demons. The war still continued as the proceeding generations of Maou and Yuusha clashed with each other. These are on small events that have been recorded on the history books. As I kept on reading the war records, I¡¯ve kept finding myself deeper down to the endless cycles of war, bloodshed and demise. I¡¯ve spent a lot of time reading history books and didn¡¯t noticed how much time have passed since I entered the room. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve finished digging down Mytherion¡¯s History.¡± Asked my father ¡°Not everything. I¡¯ve focused on previous war records. I¡¯ve got a picture of the situation within ongoing war between humans and demons.¡± ¡°You know it is quite mysterious that Maou¡¯s have always been drawn in with the war records. Your grandfather too.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Father.¡± ¡°Go on, speak, my child.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving for a while. I¡¯ll be gone for weeks, or even months? I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve dug in too deep. Not really a good move for a child like you. Now tell me, where do you plan to go?¡± ¡°Gargantua Forest* A quick route to the Barren Canyons*.¡± ¡°You child¡­ You don¡¯t even know what lies ahead that forest. What will you bargain for my approval?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t cut classes. I¡¯ll try not to as much¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send one of my personal elite guards to accompany you. I¡¯m just worried, I¡¯m still your father and you are just at your seventeen. Don¡¯t take this personally.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have Morgianna with me.¡± ¡°Fair enough¡­ Morgianna.¡± A silhouette appeared behind me. It was Morgianna. She has been my loyal servant ever since we brought her from the slave market. I have assigned her as my personal maid and have her attend some of the courses and lessons I¡¯m taking. Several decades later after my very first encounter with Yuusha, she will be able to free herself from slavery. That story will have to wait. ¡°You will accompany your master in this journey. Ensure that he will return safely.¡± ¡°Yes, Esteemed Ruler.¡±
After meeting up with Morgianna at the outskirts of Demon Capital, we double-checked our luggage and materials that we will need. After confirming, we went out of the capital. This starts mine and Morgianna¡¯s adventure towards the Gargantua forest. Later on we will be having our first encounter with Elrufus Dax, who will be later on known as General Orcas.
¡°Say Ingrid, what time is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s seven-thirty, not much time has passed. It seems like you¡¯re skipping too much important chapters from your story.¡± ¨Canswered Ingrid as she slowly eats the pocky in her mouth. ¡°Nah, It¡¯s fine. I think those two are already asleep anyways. Look at the fatigue on their faces as we leave¡­ Okay then, with all those intros and background checks, I can finally start with the story where I based Mae-SUF*¡± Fred started as Ingrid continues to eat the snacks at their grocer. Ch6-1 Forest Encounters: The Demi-human Convoy Chapter 6 I. Forest Encounters: The Demi-human Convoy ¡°Phew! How long does this trail even go? I haven¡¯t tracked how much time has passed since we entered this forest. What do you think, Morgianna?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Morgianna is as silent as ever. Sometimes I wonder what¡¯s going on with her mind. --- I estimated about four days have passed already since we have entered the Gargantua Forest*, not counting the days we have travelled through the vast plains outside the outskirts of the Demon Capital. On the way, we have passed around three to four towns? I¡¯ve forgotten already since my mind had been clouded with so much thought of what lies within the Barren Canyons. As we pass the towns, we spent the night and get enough rest as we tried to recharge our lost energy due to a long day of walk. Walking across the vast plains in the middle of the day was tiring too. Using rags we have brought with us, we tried to conceal our faces as much. Fabric from the royal palace won¡¯t be much of help since it gathers much attention, especially when you pass rural towns like these. We stayed at the cheapest inn each town could offer, a night¡¯s stay in a room for two. Of course we faked our identities as a wandering couple. I¡¯ve ordered Morgianna to sleep beside me. It will be trouble if she we¡¯re to be accidentally caught sleeping at the couch and not beside me. It might arise confusion within the crowd and our identities might be revealed. But I think no one will tried to enter a private room at night unless there¡¯s an order to assassinate me and we¡¯ve been being watched all time long. She had no issues with the order. More like¡­ At least please have one! I¡¯m a male at my younger age and you¡¯re an opposite sex with the same age as me. How could you try to be as calm as you are in this situation? ¡°Tell me if you¡¯re really okay with this. This is really just an assurance, I¡¯m not trying to take advantage of you as your master, okay?¡± ¡°¡­It is master¡¯s orders. I can¡¯t disobey.¡± ¡°You¡­ You won¡¯t try to strangle me while asleep or allure me with your powers like when we first met, right?¡± ¡°If I kill you, I will be killed too. Also don¡¯t talk like you have no resistance against alluring curses and such.¡± ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s sleep. Try to recover as much energy that you will need tomorrow. It will be a much longer distance unlike what we have covered today.¡± After that, I dimmed the light and tried to fall asleep. I was nearly half-asleep when I felt a grip within my left shoulder. I tried to face towards Morgianna. As the faint light of the moon passes through the window near the top right side of the bed, I could see her bright red face with traces of anxiety. She must have been embarrassed all time. How could I not notice? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything, nor leave, nor suddenly vanish.¡± ¨CI gently patted her head and smiled. We were both travelling at a young age, of course Morgianna will feel the uneasiness even though she had been assigned as my personal guard. Even though we are already almost two decades old, age bracket is still considered young age for the demons and to be travelling at a very young age is not really often unless you have a legal guardian. It¡¯s not like I will agree to sleep on the same bed with anyone who is assigned as my personal guard, nor sleep with any girl too. Also, I¡¯m not talking about that sleeping with someone. Morgianna had been my personal slave since we we¡¯re both young. Though we have a master-slave contract which sets certain rules within she could absolutely disobey, I¡¯m not treating her much as a slave, but rather, one of my siblings. She tries to put up her walls, but I also tried to climb those. I really think sooner or later she will start opening up to me. ¡°There, there, you can now sleep, big brother is here.¡± ¨CI continued to pat her head until she sleeps. --- The morning after that we continued our journey. Several days passed as we continued to cross towns and fields, we finally reached the entrance to the Gargantua Forest. ¡°We could find a good place to rest in here. It might be a camp, or a huge tree, or a cave, or an abandoned house. Isn¡¯t it exciting? Going on an adventure like this.¡± ¨CI tried to joke on her. Morgianna hadn¡¯t talked for days since that night. I wondered if I have said something I shouldn¡¯t, something that might have upset her. She usually talks if I¡¯ve done something like that but this is the first time that she had kept quiet for too long. I wonder if she¡¯s angry so I tried to lighten the mood. ¡°¡­¡± She just stared at me blankly. Playing poker faces now, huh? Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll bother you so much that you will have no choice but to speak. --- So going back to our current situation, it had been about four days since we have entered this forest. We have tried to minimize our resource consumption by finding streams of water, hunting wild boars, and picking up berries along the way. In some cases dire wolves pays us a visit, it will be free dinner too. Low tier creatures won¡¯t bother even Morgianna, and moreover, won¡¯t bother me. I¡¯ve been trying to speak casually with Morgianna but she¡¯s as hard as stone. She eventually gives me casual answers but they¡¯re just answers to quick questions. It really doesn¡¯t feel like a conversation. ¡°We¡¯ve kept waking and walking and kind of lost track of the days. No wonder they called this forest Gargantua.¡± We¡¯ve walked¡­ And walked, And walked, And walked. We¡¯ve walked until we finally reached a quite different part of the forest where most of the trees are more close to being nearly withered than being alive. I wondered if it¡¯s the soil. I checked through the area and doesn¡¯t find something wrong with the surroundings. ¡°Well these trees are new to me.¡± ¨CI concluded as even though I¡¯ve studied botany, I still don¡¯t know all the species of trees within Mytherion. ¡°As much as I wanted to bring back a sample, in respect to this forest, I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll just leave it to the professionals.¡± ¨CI added. I¡¯ve tried to examine the location more. The place was covered with the smell of dried leaves. I thought it might be fall season, but it¡¯s not. Something must have triggered the withering of these trees. Also, I don¡¯t know how much portion of the forest had been affected by this phenomena. I tried to lessen my distance with Morgianna because this might be caused by a mid-tier creature. Battling alone might cost us more resources than we could allot for the day. ¡°Morgianna! Be on guard!¡± I sensed a sinister aura ahead, around estimated half to whole kilometer (10 Mytherion pans) ¡°Yes master. I sense it too.¡± ¨CMorgianna answered me as she immediately closed her distance towards me. She have put on a serious expression, indicating that she might not be able to handle this alone. ¡°How¡¯s your mastery of your Hearing* ability?¡± ¡°Not fully mastered, but if I try, I think could reach several pans.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Please try.¡± Being in a master-slave relationship provided a wide range of functions. One is the so-called skill-assignment*: a function that provided allows a slave to learn three abilities which they could master. Based on Morgianna¡¯s current expertise at the moment, I could only give her one. Upon the list of possible abilities I could bestow Morgianna, I¡¯ve chosen the Hearing ability for a very silly purpose: So I could use Morgianna to scout the position of the guards as I tried to make an escape route during my private lessons. I only recently discovered this ability could also be used for intel and spying puposes. I¡¯d rather be careful on having Morgianna use this ability as much. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a group of Mandragoras, about four if I¡¯m not wrong. It seems to have attacked travellers, only a few survivors left.¡± The situation seemed worse than I have imagined. I never really expected the existence of a middle-tier creature here in this forest. We¡¯ve been travelling for days inside and we have only encountered low-tier ones. I could only imagine we haven¡¯t even got in the middle of the forest yet. ¡°What do you think is the best course of action, master?¡± ¡°Can you distinguish their race?¡± ¡°It is hard. I could only perceive their voices.¡± ¡°Tsk, the demi-humans.¡± Prior to our journey, I¡¯ve been scheduled with an appointment, an upcoming visit of some high-shots amongst the demi-humans. It seemed that there will be talks about creating ties with the demon race. It was a short notice a week before I decided on this. I just didn¡¯t know when. Demi-humans are being born from a relationship of a human and another race. A normal demi-human could be born from both normal parents but having parents with affinity to magic is different. Although a demi-human with completely normal parents could still be born with magic affinity, but the higher the magic affinity of the parents, the higher the chance is. Of course this system hadn¡¯t been saved from exploitation. Even though magic could be used to almost every practical usages, the most practical usage would be to ensign one on an army. Like the humans, demons have been gathering magic users too in preparation to the upcoming resume of the long-running human-demon war. This convoy should be the group of demi-humans paying a visit at the demon capital. This is bad. If we don¡¯t act soon the convoy might get eliminated. But what could we do? I¡¯m not confident with my combat skills yet. The first to speak was Morgianna. ¡°My Master, we should get close for the meantime.¡± ¡°You are really helpful in situations like this. I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve chosen you as my personal guard.¡± Morgianna¡¯s face turned bright red again. Tha¡ªthis is no time to get embarrassed you idiot! ¡°Ehem!, I think we shall proceed.¡± We approached the area that Morgianna had pinpointed. It is an open area without any trees and is surrounded by mid-sized bush. The bushes are not that thick that it could not conceal us entirely but with the current situation before our eyes one would not notice us being there watching from the sides. On the open area stood three mandragoras, three warriors and two children behind them. The warriors seemed to be personal guards escorting their convoy. But even with a professional guard, I really think beating mid-tier creatures is really hard. I praise them for surviving this long. After giving another scan of the situation, I¡¯ve been startled when I saw another girl being bound by the vines of one of the mandragoras. ¡°Dax! Sister! Help me¡­¡± ¨CSaid the girl in a lowering volume manner. She must be tired. The vines binding her went tighter as she tried to scream for help. I have assessed the situation wrong. It was completely the other way around. What¡¯s even graver in the situation they¡¯re in right now is: They were not the ones being backed by the corner. It was an even battle from the beginning and they managed to push the creatures back to the corner. Casualties can¡¯t be avoided on both ends. If a party is being pushed to the end of their ropes their survival instincts are being triggered. Of course they will be resorting to underhanded methods such as taking hostages. And this is what the current situation is. The guards could only try to defend themselves because any single move might trigger their opponents and accidentally kill the hostage. ¡°My master, if you will order me, I could swiftly cut the vines binding the hostage. This could give the opposing party an opening and we could work on with the demi-humans to defeating the mandragoras.¡± ¡°Please wait a bit.¡± ¨CI ordered Morgianna. That was when I noticed something different on the air. Something within the boy behind the guards is about to change. It is something far sinister than the aura being emitted by the mandragoras before we approached the area. I tried to notice physical changes going on with him from the distance. I really couldn¡¯t tell but it seemed like his right eye is emitting a dark glow: a sinister black glow. ¡°Master, that¡¯s¡± ¡°Yes¡­ That must¡¯ve been it¡­ Oi Oi Oi Esteemed Father, what have you been keeping from me? This is far from the rumours I¡¯ve been hearing around the castle.¡± Morgianna seemed to be cowering before the sight she¡¯s seeing, but I¡¯m not. It¡¯s quite a different feeling from fear. Even me as a Maou, I¡¯ve experienced fear before so I¡¯m not indifferent to the feeling. But this feeling right now is the feeling of excitement. I¡¯m too excited that I¡¯m finally seeing something new and interesting after several days of journey. ¡°Don¡¯t avert your eyes even for a second, Morgianna, you will now see the awakening of ¡®The Patron¡¯.¡± That very moment the boy screamed. ¡°Let go of Mae!!!¡± After that scream he vanished and appeared at the back of the mandragora binding the hostage girl while holding a dagger. Suddenly the vines binding the girl were cut to multiple pieces, freeing the girl. The girl ran towards the boy as he started to lose consciousness. She caught him, laid him down and looked up. The problem is still not solved. The mandragoras are still alive. ¡°Tsk, and here I thought it¡¯s going to be a full awakening. Morgianna, it¡¯s our time. Remember the battle basics that I have taught you.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± As the two of us moved jumped out of the bushes, both the opposing parties are startled. This will be the very first real battle we¡¯ll be encountering since we have started travelling. We didn¡¯t considered battling with low-tier creatures one, so this will be the true first encounter. ¡°Don¡¯t lose focus! That hostage girl has just been saved, don¡¯t let this opening slip by! We will help you eliminate the remaining threats!¡± As I declared it, the startled guards re-readied their stances and dashed towards the mandragoras. ¡°I¡¯m going to give the signal! One of you guards, find a way to escort the boy and the girl away from the mandragoras. I¡¯m going to use a large-scale spell so find the right timing to scatter! Morgianna help them intercept attacks within the boy and the girl.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± The guards moved as I commanded. It might be adrenaline rush, but these are trained soldiers. They are not to obey sudden orders from strangers especially when they suddenly jump out of the blue offering a helping hand. They must have acted out of intuition and desperation to save the two in the middle. Morgianna readied her short blade and dashed towards them. I was not fond of memorizing incantations but it was one of the basics reciting a spell. At times my mother is the one teaching me long incantations but most of the basics I¡¯ve took private tutorials from the greatest magic casters from the Demon Magic Academy*. Incantations could range from the simplest sentences to full-quartets* based on the scale of the spell. Basic magic which should be for daily practical usages only could still be chanted, but you could completely ignore the incantations if you repeatedly chant them daily. It could also be called as mastery. Incantation contents depends on the element, origins, names of ancient magus, and up to the ancient places people nowadays consider as worship spots. There a lot of ways one could interpret an incantation but for me they¡¯re just a pain in the ass. I¡¯m not really bragging but I¡¯ve been practising on my own to cast spells without incantation. As much as I wanted to, I want to finish this battle fast but I could not. It might expose our identities and casting a spell with a larger scale and intensity than the spell I¡¯ll be using might consume all of my mana and lessen the resources remaining. I don¡¯t even know how much more time we will be spending in this forest. Heed my call; Oh sprite of endless flames; Range of tallest mountains, fiercest of the volcanoes; Flowing through vast fields, pillaging through villages; Borius Vulcan; Swallow everything on your path; Mid-scale, circular, middle-tier target, focus on disintegration. I looked at my surroundings and gave everyone a signal. The boy and the girl had been secured and moved out of the range. As I signalled the guards, they rushed outside as fast as they could. The ground emitted a circular light with Mytherion symbol and characters. I¡¯ve waited for everyone to get out of the spell¡¯s range. The mandragoras were confused of what¡¯s happening. Good thing none of them chased after the guards. They must¡¯ve been afraid of sudden counterattacks too. Everything looks good, I¡¯m sorry for this but please burn to the depths of hell. ¡°Lava pond.*¡± The ground where the mandragoras started emitting heat and glowed. It was lava. Lava Pond* was a mid-tier spell which converts ground to blazing river of lava. High-tier creatures with fire resistances couldn¡¯t even be bothered by this but with mandragoras, this is overkill. Mandragoras are plant-based creatures infused with demonic energy and casually attacks travelling carriages at forests. Naturally, fire is their weakness. The mandragoras screamed in pain as their roots and vines started burning. The lava are gradually gobbling them up. The guards showed fear in their expressions as they looked upon the suffering mandragoras. The spell continued until the lava completely swallowed down the mandragoras. It left with a blazing train on the ground where one shouldn¡¯t even try to walk onto. I approached Morgianna who, by that time, is beside the hostaged girl and the boy. I don¡¯t know much about demi-human appearances but it seemed like they¡¯re on the same age bracket as me. ¡°Good thing we¡¯ve driven away the creatures.¡± ¨CI said as I looked at the boy who recently regained consciousness. ¡°You don¡¯t say that when you actually let them get swallowed by your massive spell.¡± ¨CAnswered him. ¡°Well, who knows if they survived? At least they won¡¯t try to bother us now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re dead. Now tell us, what does someone like you doing in the middle of this forest? I thought you¡¯re the type to sit back at your castle and just give a warm welcome to visitors.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Seems like I can¡¯t hide my identity any longer. Such keen eyes you have. Disguises doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¨CI answered as I removed the rag cover on my face. ¡°You bet¡­ Now tell me, why is someone like you here, Fredericus Corralton Spence de Augustus, no, Current Maou?¡± The guards were surprised, the two girls accompanying him too. Ch6-2 Forest Encounters: The Thelesmata Sisters II. Forest Encounters: The Thelesmata Sisters ¡°I don¡¯t remember having an advanced appointment with the Maou himself. I was told by your father that I would be meeting you at the castle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really surprised that the supposed appointment will be happening a few days from now. The appointment didn¡¯t had a schedule so I presumed it will be a few months from now. What¡¯s more surprising is that father agreed on my journey towards the Barren Canyons, knowing the schedule of the visit.¡± I was perplexed. It is just as how it goes on the statement above. First of all, I¡¯ve had appointments and meetups with other races, but these visitors took months of travelling just to reach the demon capital, so notices should be sent a year before the actual visit. Even though it was on a very short notice, I didn¡¯t really expect I would be meeting them soon here. Second¡­ Shit, I¡¯ve been had¡­ Father knew of the appointment, of course he knew the date the visitors should be arriving. He also knew the route they will be taking, how much time they will spend travelling, and most importantly, the route we will be taking. This whole thing had been setup by him. He could have told me to meet them up but he didn¡¯t. He could¡¯ve disagreed on my journey due to this appointment but he agreed anyways. He knew incidents like this would happen. ¡°That old sly fox.¡± ¡°I get the gist of the situation, but first things first, I¡¯m Irish Dux Thelesmata, this is my twin sister, Mae Militum Thelesmata, and that boy you are talking to right now is the current Patron of the demi-humans, Elrufus Dax¡± ¨Cthe girl who was talking named herself as Irish. ¡°I know, I¡¯ve seen him transform a while ago, though it was just a faint. I¡¯m certain it¡¯s a Transcendence*.¡± ¨CI¡¯ve responded. ¡°Ah, please to meet you Irish, Mae, also Elrufus.¡± ¡°Dax, call me Dax. It should be fine.¡± ¡°Okay Dax, for starters, I think we should tend to the wounded. How many casualties?¡± ¡°Five, including an elite warrior.¡± ¡°Okay, Morgianna, I¡¯ll filter medicine make sure the wounded gets treated immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, master¡­¡± ¡°I apologize It¡¯s only the two of us. We don¡¯t have any magic casters that could heal immediately.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be, this is still a huge help for us, we won¡¯t be picky.¡± As I tried to talk to Morgianna again, I can¡¯t help but to look at them. ¡°Uuuu¡ªDax¡­ I was so afraid¡­ I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t much of help, rather I¡¯ve been a heavy baggage right from the start¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± The girl named Mae was crying as she held Dax with her arms. Being held hostage was sure a frightening experience, moreover, experienced by a young woman like her. It seemed like she¡¯s not used to upfront battles too. I give her my praise for standing up to protect Dax when he lost consciousness. As Dax patted her head, Mae¡¯s worried expression gradually decreased and it is now calmer than worried. Sweet moves. After being on a situation like that, of course everyone will be tired, stressed and anxious. Seeing the both the Patron and the hostage safe after a life-and-death situation calmed the whole group. One could only ask himself if they like each other. The only one who had a different expression amongst the group was Irish. She had a bitter painful expression. Ah, I get it¡­ It was a love triangle. That was the very first time I¡¯ve witnessed something that I have only read on literary works. These are usually fictitious stories where one of the opposing parties usually meet a bitter end, sometimes tragedy. I¡¯ve seen love triangles on stage plays featuring popular leading actors and actresses in which their acting was too real that the resemblance to the scene currently happening in front of me is nearly identical. I could only try to assume, but that¡¯s what the scene really looked like. I was too focused on Irish¡¯s expression and assessing the situation that I failed noticed she¡¯s glaring at me already. Ah¡­ I¡¯m caught. ¡°Dear Sister, Dax, I¡¯ll be the one to entertain the Maou. You two should take a rest, you look pretty exhausted already, especially you, Dax. You have entered Transcendence* a while ago. Forcing an ability unconsciously and without any mastery consumes the entirety of your mana. It might take a toll on your wellbeing later on so make sure to rest well.¡± Having realized what Irish told him, Dax just nodded his head. Mae and Morgianna escorted him towards the available carriage. Irish then approached me. ¡°The rest of the convoy rests about three pans behind the trail. With our group here, the group of mixed guards and elite fighters lured the mandragoras away from those who could not fight to avoid more casualties. Let¡¯s go back there and introduce you to the others.¡± --- SLAM! ¡°YOU DID SEE!!¡± ¨CIrish ranted as she tried to push my back on a tree. After the exhausting battle with the mandragoras, to clear the confusion among the remaining members of the convoy, Irish took the role and explained the situation among the guards and the elites. She also took the role of accommodating me, now that my identity finally revealed. It seemed that the name Irish Dux Thelesmata have a huge say on the decision making of this convoy. That rule should apply with Mae Militum Thelesmata too since they¡¯re twins. It is safe to assume they¡¯re from a high-standing family. I¡¯ve kept that mind-set, so I agreed on Irish¡¯s offer. Besides, I¡¯ve seen her, I¡¯ve seen her deep and madly in love face. At that time I thought peeking should be fine as long as you don¡¯t get caught. Getting caught spells for serious trouble. Besides, It was an expression she subconsciously shown out of the public. Anyone who notices could¡¯ve seen. Perhaps spectators already knew, they just don¡¯t tell her due to her position. It didn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m the one in the wrong. Still, she caught me. After being introduced to everyone and having the confusion cleared, I was brought to an isolated are away from most of the people on the convoy. I¡¯ve told Morgianna she could stay back and continue tending the wounded. So why am I being pushed to this tree? I feel more like being a captive than being a guest. ¡°Uhm¡­ Lady Irish¡­ I really think you¡¯re just misunderstanding things.¡± ¡°What part of you seeing me in that expression is a misunderstanding? This should be fine. I¡¯m going to end you now and Dax will be the one to rule Mytherion.¡± Say what? This girl, she¡¯s a kid inside! She skipped all necessary steps and immediately head towards ruling over Mytherion?! She¡¯s a high-shot yet she have a childish mind set?! Also how could you even reveal your faction¡¯s real plan to the leader of your enemy? Does being caught in an embarrassing situation really took a toll on your thought process?If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I-In any case. I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡± ¨CI averted my eyes as I tried to lead the discussion astray. Her derailed thought process is contagious. Or it was only me being embarrassed being pushed back on a wall by a girl. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to hide it, yet¡­ Of all the people who would see, it has to be you!¡± ¡°Look, It¡¯s not like I wanted to look. It¡¯s as visible as a single object standing in the middle of the desert on broad daylight!¡± So that¡¯s what this is all about. Of course anyone would be embarrassed about it, having your greatest secret exposed. It is not like I¡¯m one to go burst out something I¡¯ve seen to everyone. Sometimes you should apply breaks too. But this doesn¡¯t change the fact that she caught me looking at her at that state. Her mind set left her with two options: to convince me to keep what I saw for myself and, of course, to eliminate the threat: me. The latter seemed to be the better option to her. As if I could allow that. ¡°I really think you are not in the position right now to say something about eliminating me. I¡¯m not trying to boast or something but¡ª¡± ¡°Oh yes I can, try me.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t just ¡®sighed¡¯ on me, didn¡¯t you?¡± The situation got me irritated. I quickly grabbed her shoulders and reversed our positions in an instant. Now she¡¯s the one being backed on the tree. Talking seemed to not work on a thought-derailed Irish so I needed to show her my capabilities. This also helped her get herself back to think straight. She went silent so I supposed my method worked. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t get swayed. I will and only will look at Dax¡­ Only him¡­¡± Oh god¡­ It backfired. She¡¯s even more embarrassed than before. How defunct did her thought process became? Her face went too bright red, like one with a fever, compared to before. Ah, my fatigue caught up with my wellbeing in an instant. I felt like asking someone from the convoy to come save me from the current situation. And my prayers we¡¯re answered. ¡°AWAWA!!¡ª S-S-Step away from my sister!¡± But what supposed to be rescue, seemed to be fuel on fire. ¡°You beast! Womanizer! The rumours about you is true! Don¡¯t seduce my sister!¡± Came from the back is Mae Militum Thelesmata and Morgianna. Their tending to the wounded guards were complete so they have to search for the acting leader: which was, at that point, being pinned by the tree, by no other than: me! ¡°My master¡­ I never knew you were ¡®that¡¯ type.¡± Oh please Morgianna¡­ Spare yourself from this misunderstanding train and help me get out of this situation now. I¡¯ve made eye contact with Morgianna, trying to pass my thoughts to her. But it didn¡¯t have any effect. She looked at me innocently¡ªno, she looked at me in a teasing manner with the ¡°Save yourself, hmp!¡± look on her. Is she angry? She could act childish but at a wrong timing. ¡°Look, this is a misunderstanding¡­¡± ¨CI tried to escape from the predicament I¡¯m currently in using the most generic excuse ever existed. ¡°Good grief, my sister, this is not what you think it is. I just startled Maou a little by having some information slip.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not good!!¡± Wow that was a quick reversal. The first that stepped up to clear the situation was the one who, at the very first, initiated it. Seemed like having her sister enter the scene must have cleared her mind a bit. But that day I came to a conclusion: Thelesmata Sisters are, but a big ball of misunderstanding and confusion. ¡°I¡¯ll get back at you later. Don¡¯t you ever try telling anyone about what you have just witnessed.¡± Irish stopped beside me and whispered. ¡°That¡¯s what I have been trying to tell you right from the beginning.¡± ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m tired too. Mae, Order your men to prepare the camp. We will be staying in this area for the night. ¡± As she went and towards her sister I followed her and stood beside Morgianna. She¡¯s pouting. Sigh --- There were a total of four campfires, scattered on the open area where the fight with the mandragoras went. The whole circular burnt land which I had used my spell with hadn¡¯t been used, but it doesn¡¯t really occupy much of the space on that lot so there should be enough space for the group to lay mats around. The feeling of anxiety still lingers within the convoy so it was not exactly a happy camping trip. The convoy lost 5 of its guards including an elite soldier on the last creature attack. Who knew when they will strike back? Travelling on the woods is really dangerous. Aggressive creatures have been swarming places of outside the realms of different races. An uninhabited forest was no exception. Creatures always roam especially at night, where most predators hunt their preys, may it be a small hare, or a wandering human. The remaining guards were scattered, divided evenly among the three other campfire in groups of elitists, guards and elite fighters. Irish balanced out the labor distribution so there will be watchers in each group during the night. As I¡¯ve thought: Irish is a capable leader, even more capable that this so-called Patron Dax. Even with a mixed group of elite fighters, magicians, and warriors, functioning well as a party won¡¯t happen without a commanding officer. An in this convoy, Irish was the only one I saw who had the courage to take the role and actually managed. And now, due to a hard day¡¯s work, she¡¯s now sound asleep beside Mae. The fourth campfire was occupied by our group: Me, Morgianna, Dax, Mae and Irish. I have appointed Morgianna as my personal guard. She could stay awake for days without affecting her health due to the unique trait of her race. ¡°You really can take a rest and have me do my part on being a lookout for this group Morgianna, don¡¯t push yourself too much.¡± ¡°It is my duty to keep master healthy during this journey too.¡± I¡¯m glad that she¡¯s answering unlike before. It seemed like she have matured again from our last battle. Did she learnt something? ¡°Uhm¡­ Lord Maou¡­¡± ¨CMae suddenly spoke. ¡°No need for formalities, we are of the same age.¡± ¡°¡­¡± What¡¯s with the demureness? ¡°Fine, you can take your time until you can address me casually.¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­ Lord Maou¡­ Uhm¡­ I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding earlier. My sister fully explained the situation to me a while ago.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be, I¡¯m partly to blame for the misunderstanding anyways.¡± I was suddenly hit by something on the left side of my waist. Well it was Morgianna, she punched my gut. By that time I started to wonder what¡¯s happening with her, but I had a pending conversation so I didn¡¯t mind it at first. I tried to hide my painful expression. Of course it hurt. But the highly respected Maou could not show that in front of his guests so I masked myself with a painful smile instead. ¡°Your name was Mae Militum, right? Your appearance compared to Irish is nearly identical. One could only distinguish you by the way you speak.¡± Dax was staring at the fire. I wonder what he¡¯s thinking. Does he even pay attention to our conversation? He had been silent for a while. He must have been thinking about the ability that he just activated during the last battle. I wondered if he¡¯s on the same age as me when I received my calling. Lost within my thoughts, Mae began talking again, this time it¡¯s all about her sister. ¡°Irish is a complete opposite of me. She have always excelled on most of the field that I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then that does mean that there are fields she could not beat you on.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the case. She just choose not to. If she¡¯s to excel in everything, I would be treated as a nobody within our family. Besides, It¡¯s not like she could do everything by herself. She¡¯s a strong person, but strength isn¡¯t always being weighed by one¡¯s strength alone.¡± ¡°Of course. Even I didn¡¯t went on this journey alone. I have Morgianna here with me.¡± ¡°Tche¡ªyou¡¯re against it at first.¡± ¨CRebutted Morgianna as she clicked her tongue ¡°With my nature and intelligence, I was assigned with the calling of The Diplomat*, someone who is always being assigned on talks and negotiations with other countries and races. While my sister, assigned with The Supremacy*, was one who excelled in battle, tactics, and leading groups of people towards victory.¡± Diplomats are often being sent towards a foreign country for negotiation purposes. Trading, establishing embassies, politics and peace talks. Diplomats are experts of negotiation that should have wide range of wisdom and open-mindedness. I could not imagine Mae being a diplomat the way she is right now. I think there are still things which I haven¡¯t seen. But if she received the calling of The Diplomat* it should be natural with her. For me which have received the calling of the Maou, I didn¡¯t had difficulties with my studies and profession mastery. I¡¯d rather not call myself a genius or a prodigy. I think the talent came from the calling itself. Same goes for Mae. She, either might not be confident of those yet, or is unaware of these passive talents that she had. If push comes to shove, it will just pop out of her. ¡°I can see now why the both of you we¡¯re sent for this mission.¡± ¡°Yes. But as you see, even before we reached our destination, we¡¯re attacked already.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the attack any meaning with you being here.¡± ¡°Might be, might be not.¡± Mae had a gentle expression, probably the most relaxed face I saw that night within their group. She gently slid her hard through Irish¡¯s hair as she tried to snore her deep sleep. Laying herself down beside Mae, she had stressed expression that really just wanted to take a rest. She must have taken care of the entire group during their entire trip. Leading and guiding people was never an easy task, more so if tasked within a long period of time. Also, it seemed like she could only lay rest without any care on the world beside Mae. She trusts her twin sibling too much. Same went for Mae. It¡¯s like two opposing sides of the coin, but you can¡¯t count them as separate. Same principle applied with the Thelesmata sisters. ¡°You should take a rest too, Mae. You too Fredericus. Meeting you here is a real shocker, but let¡¯s leave the discussions for tomorrow. I¡¯ll take turns with Morgianna on scouting.¡± ¡°Right. Don¡¯t push yourself too much too, Dax.¡± I needed to take a rest too. I¡¯ve used half of my current mana pool with the spell I casted that battle and I haven¡¯t recovered enough yet. Besides, I don¡¯t want to take the risk of a sudden encounter with creatures again without enough mana. That would be suicide. As I lay myself down, I looked towards the three. I could only think of myself that time: Their situation really is complicated. Ch6-3 Forest Encounters: Elrufus Dax III. Forest Encounters: Elrufus Dax Before me stood a wide river. The length from both sides is wide enough to hold ferry ports for passenger transport. You could see the other side of the riverbank but you could also tell by the distance that it¡¯s really far from where you are standing. But how will you be able to cross to the other side? You could row your boat, yes that¡¯s a given. You might take hours. A mechanized or magic-propelled boat will save your energy so they would be better options. Builders could construct a bridge too, a bridge too long it would take decades of construction. Why did I want to reach the other side at the first place? I stopped looking at the direction of the other side and looked alongside the riverbank. Maybe I could find something at the end of this river. What did I even needed? I started walking. I walked and walked. Walked for days, walked for months, walked for years, Kept walking until I¡¯ve lost track of how much time I have spent walking. How long does this river even go? ¨Cis the only thing I could think for myself. It felt like I¡¯ve walked about half of the whole landmass of Mytherion. ¡°Master, master¡­¡± A faint voice of a girl was calling for me. I looked back, no one¡¯s there. I stopped, assuming the voice would give me some sort of hint for what my goal really is. I stopped again to think: did I ever need to find the end of the river at first place? I¡¯ve been trying to look at the picture wrongly. I looked at the surface of the water. The mild waves indicated the depth of the river. The calming scenery helped me get back to my senses. It really hadn¡¯t been long since I¡¯ve started walking. In fact, it hadn¡¯t been even minutes. I¡¯ve just been clouded by thinking of an end goal, but what the river indicated is just: ¡®It was just a scenery¡¯. All I needed to do is to enjoy the view, sit by the riverbank, and throw stones towards it. It was the longest river. Deep, long, wide, silent. As I sit by the riverbank I noticed that there was a boy sitting beside me too. The face is quite familiar, it was the face of someone I recently knew. He had a deep blue-colored hair with a bright blue glow once hit with light. His brown eyes indicating he¡¯s a native from a rural village glowed and reflected my very own image if I looked straight to him. His thin body and rag-like clothing showed that from where he lives, poverty is something normal to most of the residents. ¡°Master, master¡­¡± The voice called out again, that time it had been repeating multiple times already. ¡°Master, master¡­ master¡­¡­.¡± Slap! --- ¡°Morgianna, who gave you permission to slap me?¡± ¨CI asked her as I woke up from my deep slumber. What was that dream all about? ¡°I apologize I needed to disturb you from resting, but our VIP is nowhere to be found.¡± Elrufus Dax. The situation heightened in an instant. I looked around to check the current situation in the camp. Everything was in chaos. From the civilians, to the guards, to the elite fighters, to the leaders, everyone had been in an alarmed state. Even Irish, who earlier took leadership and organized everything, can¡¯t do anything to lessen the panic being caused by the convoy. The name Elrufus Dax, no, the title of the Patron had this much impact to the demi-humans. ¡°Morgianna, how long has it been since he¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°I was also unsure. I was half asleep by the moment he went missing. I apologize for being useless.¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not. For starters, let¡¯s try talking with the Thelesmatas.¡± I looked at the direction of the campfire where both the Thelesmata sisters are currently checking with the guards. Mae is sobbing. I can¡¯t imagine how worried she was. What does it feel to like someone? That time I thought of how one could weep when they lose someone they love. Irish was no exception. You could see wither that she wanted to be as composed as she could, but she can¡¯t. These twin siblings were in a complicated situation where they both love the same person. I just didn¡¯t know whether Dax knows, or whether Mae knows, or whether Irish knows, or whether he or she, or she or she and so on... It¡¯s really a complicated situation. ¡°Irish you should calm Mae down first. Isn¡¯t this just his normal night-time walk?¡± ¡°Easy for you to say, but this is Gargantua Forest we¡¯re talking about. Haven¡¯t you forgotten the encounter we had a while ago? What if he encounters mid to high tier creatures. I doubt even Dax could handle those alone.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± I see your inexperience still wins you over at the end, huh? Talent could be there, passives could be triggered as long as they¡¯re bestowed upon you even without your knowledge. You could learn once you experience. But having vast experiences is different. What Irish was showing that moment was her lack of actual experiences regarding those types of situations. She¡¯s a great leader once she¡¯s composed, but anxiety was already getting ahead of her which clouded her judgment. I don¡¯t consider any help from Mae anymore due to her nature. She could learn some other time later. Considering the lack of leader plus the crisis the demi-human convoy currently was facing in, I had no other choice, since I was a VIP for them too, I decided to step up. ¡°EVERYONE LISTEN UP!!¡± ¨CI stood at a log to level my height with theirs. The supposedly panicking crowd silenced in confusion. There were whispering, ¡°Who was the guy again?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s the current Maou¡­¡± ¡°Seriously? You¡¯ve got to be joking, there¡¯s no way the Maou is a brat like that.¡± ¡°Ssssshhush!! Lady Irish might hear you.¡± ¡°Eh? For real?¡± Morgianna gritted her teeth due to the disrespect the civillians have shown. The guards and the elites could have understand as they¡¯re the ones who witnessed me during the last battle, but the majority of the group are civillians. In a group with a state of panic is hard to control. Nevertheless, I needed them to listen to me, so I needed to show off a bit of my capabilities. ¡°Demonic Aura*¡± My voice echoed through the forest. What I activated is a unique demon ability that could be used by baptized demons within the royal families, especially those families that were known for long on the battle records. The ability heightens up your senses, reflexes, and enables you bypass incantations when casting a spell. A sinister aura suddenly enveloped me. Only individuals with high affinity with magic could see the aura, but civilians could still feel the malice spreading out of me. Irish slumped down beside Mae, cowering in fear and were unable to talk. Mae, was looking towards me with a blank expression. I believe she passed out already. Amongst the group, only the elite fighters were able to resist me. Being appointed as an elite isn¡¯t for nothing. After seeing the scene before me, I thought what I did was super effective. I apologized afterwards. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to cause an even greater state of panic, I just wanted you to listen to me¡­ Your Patron is not someone who will take a walk around the forest in the middle of the night unprepared. And even though he¡¯s still weak, I think he should not be someone who charges towards threat he knew he could not win against. Some of you should probably realize that by now. Please trust Dax.¡± There were whispering again, but the crowd now looked like they¡¯re in agreement and was now more organized than panicking. Irish tried to stand up, with still shaking up legs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really didn¡¯t mean to startle anyone.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°I-its fine¡­ I apologize for showing an unsightly side of me too.¡± ¡°Now listen up, If Dax is appointed already as the Patron of the demi-humans, I think he¡¯s already capable enough.¡± ¡°Dax is still on a state of confusion, a part of him still tries to deny the calling that was assigned to him. You¡¯ve seen his uncontrollable state a while ago. He hasn¡¯t fully mastered Transcendence* yet.¡± ¨CA quick follow up by Mae, which just came back to her senses. ¡°Then, how about this: we¡¯ll form a small search party.¡± ¡°Make it three.¡± ¨CIrish cuts in. ¡°No, too much search parties will lessen the people with combat capabilities that will be left here at the camp. There won¡¯t be any defenders in case of attacks like what happened last time. What I propose is a party of four, including the most capable individuals available in our group right now.¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°I will need the strongest one from your elite fighters, me, Morgianna, and Mae.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªWhy me?¡± ¨CMae asked in confusion. ¡°Yes. Why Mae? I would be fit for the search party due to my abilities.¡± ¡°Why you say, imagine if you are to leave this crowd in its state right now, who will try to keep them from the state of panic? Also, I think you might not fully trust us demon yet, but what would you think will happen if someone with a high-name of Thelesmata were to die in a convoy headed towards the demon territory? It would hugely impact our kingdom negatively. We won¡¯t do any methods that would mean us any more trouble than our ongoing war with the humans.¡± ¡°I hate to admit it but you do have a point.¡± Irish looked at Mae, who was still confused with the current event and things that are still going to happen. Irish began to talk to her. ¡°Be careful Mae, and make sure to bring Dax back, okay?¡± ¡°Sister Irish.¡± ¡°Ssssh, it¡¯s going to be okay here, I¡¯ll send one of the elite fighters with you so make sure you find him, okay? Besides, you seem to know him better than me¡­¡± ¨Canother painful expression filled Irish¡¯s face. ¡°¡­¡± ¨CMae just looked up to her and then nodded. With that, the search party had been formed. At first Irish had a hard time convincing the civilians as to why Mae is included to the search party. She explained that Mae will be more suitable for the position due to her vast wisdom and familiarity with Dax¡¯s behaviour. It wasn¡¯t too long before the the civilians were finally convinced. An elite fighter named Ricardo was then assigned to fill in the last member of the search party. Ricardo was the most skilled elite fighter Irish could offer me. He was a man of around thirties, brimming with healthy body, and looks of a man with lots of experience in fighting. He had a tanned brown complexion which was a proof of his experiences and training under the brightest of the sun. Carrying our torches, with Morgianna and the others following me, we stepped out on the forest wilderness in the middle of the night to find Dax. --- As we carried our torches, us: ¡®the search party for Elrufus Dax¡¯ walked on the forest trails in search for the lost kid. The eerie darkness tried to creep towards us and the only thing that kept the team intact were our light sources. Light is the only element that could counter dark but with the darkness of this forest during night, even the light on our torches was slowly being eaten. We¡¯re like a group of four fireflies literally visible in an endless span of darkness. We could have used light source using magic, but both Morgianna and I have low affinity with light element due to our race. Ricardo could generate light but I needed him to conserve as much mana as possible to fully utilize his combat ability of worse comes to worst. Regards to Mae, I haven¡¯t asked. It¡¯s not like I lost hope for her but I had her rack up her brain as to places Dax might wander to. For Morgianna, I had her only to focus on her Hearing* ability. We¡¯ve tried to lessen resource consumption as much because it will still take a few more days before the demi-human convoy reaches the demon realm. Also, travelling with brighter light is much more dangerous because it attracts attention of nocturnal creatures. I didn¡¯t want to add more problem than the one we were currently facing. We kept our volume minimal as we talked. ¡°Have you picked up any human activity?¡± ¨CI asked Morgianna as she¡¯s being focused on using her ability. ¡°I haven¡¯t got anything yet, My master.¡± ¡°How about you Mae, any ideas coming up?¡± ¡°Flowers! I knew it! Dax loves flowers! Let us find a flowerbed!¡± I¡¯ve been wondering for a while now why I have brought this stupid airhead with me. I¡¯ve been making excuses about Mae being an excess baggage, but having experienced is first-hand, I even now couldn¡¯t tell why she was even in this convoy. The fact that I had put my trust in her was an act of letting her try to redeem herself, but so far, not so good. She had been suggesting ridiculous ideas for the fifth time now and it hadn¡¯t been any much help for the party. It was a good job for me and Ricardo to have kept up with her nonsense but Morgianna was about to break. ¡°Uhm, Mae, I really don¡¯t think you could find a flower bed in the middle of this forest. Besides the geography, I think the soil isn¡¯t something that could grow flowers.¡± ¨CI tried to shut her up for a few more moments and delayed Morgianna¡¯s breaking point. Mae pouted and was teary-eyed. Was she irritated because I have been shutting her ideas down from the get-go? Was she excited because she got to go on an exciting adventure? Did she thought this was a game where you could restart once you hit a game over? ¡°I sense something few pans ahead my master, a nocturnal.¡± ¨CMorgianna suddenly alerted the party. ¡°Quick, let¡¯s hide behind that uprooted tree.¡± ¨CIt was a quick decision by Ricardo, the elite fighter that was assigned on the search party. It was his sense and battle experience. Unlike me and Morgianna who was taught to swiftly confront creatures whose tier was lower than us directly, Ricardo¡¯s experience gained from countless of battles sharpened his quick decision making and assessment of the current situation: either to have a direct confrontation or to have it pass by. In a sense, his quick decisions are more suited on our current situation. So did as told and hid under the roots of the huge uprooted tree. ¡°Quickly put out the fire.¡± ¨CRicardo added. We did as told. ¡°Could you determine the type and tier of the creature with just your Hearing*?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try. Also Mae, please try not to panic as much it distracts me from my concentration.¡± ¡°Uwaaa¡ªI¡¯m being berated again.¡± ¨CCried Mae. ¡°Ssshh!!¡± Morgianna concentrated. After a few seconds she gave a preliminary report. ¡°There are whooshing sounds around it, it must be a flying creature. It¡¯s either a spirit or a bat, but there are no flapping sounds, it must be something that levitates and leaving ripples of magic traces which causes air to gather around it.¡± I racked up my brain to distinguish the creature. I¡¯m certain I¡¯ve read it at one of the reference books back at the library. ¡°Something¡­ Cluster¡­ Energy¡­ Spirit¡­ Air¡­¡± Shit¡­ Shit shit shit shit!! It was a high-tier spirit cluster. Element of Air. What was a creature that tier doing in that forest at that time? Did it drifted towards it? Something must have been pulling these types of creatures at the very heart of this forest. But at that moment I disregarded the thought for a moment due to an even pressing situation: The camp needed to be alerted. Also, I didn¡¯t want the current team to be in a state of panic. Of course confronting a high-tier creature with our current team would only mean suicide. ¡°Ricardo, Morgianna, I need you to listen to me carefully. Both of you are the only ones I could task with this.¡± ¡°Please tell us, my lord.¡± ¡°At dire situations like this, you always need to keep yourself composed. Ricardo I¡¯ll trust you with your quick decisions, Morgianna you will keep track of the creature¡¯s movements and destination. Keep yourselves distanced as much as possible and refrain from engaging unnecessary battles. Once you¡¯ve reached the camp immediately tell Irish to put down all the campfires. Do it as quickly as possible.¡± I haven¡¯t told them about what tier of monster it was, I thought it was better of them not knowing. Spirit clusters are being created by diffused mana granules which were often excess or spoils of any spells being cast. Think of it as if you pour water on a glass and there were droplets that are sometimes being spilled. Think of it also as a huge falls where the impact of water falling towards downstream causes splashes towards every direction. Due to the unnatural form of mana in which same element attributes attract each other, and forms a non-intelligent artificial life form that knows only to drift and attack hostile movements. This is how Spirit Clusters are being born. These creatures are classified as high-tier due to its irregularity. Usually it attracts same element magic granules scattered at the atmosphere until the capacity can¡¯t hold on anymore and it will cause an explosion, an explosion big enough to cover several tens of meters (a tenth of Mytherion pan). Lastly, the Spirit Cluster might have been attracted to the malice that was emitted by my Demonic Aura* a while ago. It was all my fault why a high-tier creature is nearing to be a grave threat to the convoy. These are the information I hadn¡¯t told them. I just hoped they were willing to follow and trust my instructions. ¡°¡­¡± ¨CMar stared on me, was she waiting for a command? I gave her the freedom of choice. ¡°And you, Mae, you decide, what will you do? Will you still accompany me on searching for Dax? Or will you come back to the camp and find some place safe and comfortable?¡± ¡°I understand the danger of the task you ordered Ricardo and Morgianna. I don¡¯t want to be an excess baggage to them if worse comes to worst. Also I trust on Irish for keeping the convoy safe.¡± ¡°Good then, looks like I will still be needing your knowledge of Dax, continue to wring your brain for juice until it¡¯s drained.¡± But that was not really the case. If my hunch was right, the individuals who were facing the gravest situation right now will be: Me, Mae and Dax. Of course the Spirit Cluster will and will only follow the source of malice which was me. Dax¡¯s transcendence, if I remember correctly, should have an ability that controls mana granules within the atmosphere. It should serve lethal to the Spirit Cluster. The key point of defeating this dire situation was whether we could find Dax first or the Spirit cluster finds us first. It was a do or die. I looked at the ground, and took a good glance of the people who¡¯s with me right now. It might be the last chance I got to. ¡°Demons don¡¯t pray to gods, but still, I hope for the success of this mission.¡± Morgianna suddenly gave me a tight hug. She must have figured out, but she didn¡¯t spoke. She must have know that I¡¯ll be facing another life and death situation on my own. Well in fact, even though she was my slave I¡¯ve always prioritized her safety, maybe because I¡¯ve treated her more as one of my sisters than a normal slave and personal guard. Even though I didn¡¯t see, I can tell how her expression look. It¡¯s most likely those of a child who doesn¡¯t want to be separated from their parents. Mae was shocked but Ricardo just gave a smile. I really envied his real life experiences. I gave both of them a signal and the four of us separated in groups of two. Ch6-4 Forest Encounters: Elrufus Dax 2 IV. Forest Encounters: Elrufus Dax II It had been a few minutes already since I and Mae separated from Morgianna and Ricardo. I assessed the situation was still good, the Spirit Cluster must have not noticed yet and was still wandering at the woods. I¡¯ve had Mae used light magic from time to time just to check the surroundings but immediately command her to cancel it. The lack of Morgianna¡¯s Hearing* ability took a toll on our mobility during that time of the night. I didn¡¯t want to exhaust Mae that much too. She might become an even graver threat if ever the Spirit Cluster were to catch up with us than the creature itself. I still have a lot of goals in life. I can¡¯t afford to die now. ¡°Mae tell me whenever you feel exhausted and I¡¯m going to transfer some of my mana onto you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t bother you more than this already. I¡¯ll try to manage somehow, so please keep your reserves for the most crucial times.¡± With the current situation, Mae is being more determined and reliable. I hope she could give a me a little bit of information that could prove useful. She might not know but at that time, my mind was nearing its limits too. I had been pretty much exhausted and haven¡¯t fully recovered yet the moment Morgianna woke me up and alerted me of the situation. I, too, have tried to hide that with Mae. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you already since we are in this life and death situation.¡± ¨CI decided to speak up to her. ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t scare me with those sentences.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in any position to make jokes right now. We¡¯re being targeted by a High-tier creature. And the only one with the ability to defeat is Dax. So if you could do me a favour and let¡¯s try to escape this situation together by finding your Patron already.¡± Mae¡¯s expression drastically changed from scared and worried to angry. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve been wanking my brains too just to provide you useful information, and you¡¯ve shut all those ideas off.¡± ¡°Because those ideas are all out of the blue! I don¡¯t think you are even trying!¡± ¡°Of all the people, you are the one that asked me to join this silly little idea of yours to find Dax. I¡¯ve told you Irish could¡¯ve done a better job! No that¡¯s wrong! In fact, I¡¯m the one better suited for this job because I know him better than Irish does! And I¡¯ve been trying to help you from the start and you¡¯ve all been shutting me down!¡± And we were fighting already. I didn¡¯t noticed that our voices were escalating in volume too. The stress of handling the situation is already getting to our nerves and is clouding our decision making. ¡°If only you¡¯ve tried to listen to me from the beginning I think we¡¯ve caught up with him already.¡± ¡°What was it that you even tried to suggest first? A cabin at the heart of the Gargantua Forest? Do someone even wanted to live in the middle of the woods creeping with mid-tier to high-tier monsters anyways?!¡± The situation is already worsening. I just realized that the creature almost caught up with us when I felt a sinister aura a few pans behind me. With our voices the creature might get agitated and attack both of us. That ensures our death, both of us. ¡°SSSSH!! Enough of this nonsense quarrelling the creature almost caught up with us. We should relocate.¡± With the quick assessment, we¡¯ve relocated with a greater distance. Of course the faster we get and the greater distance we travel, the more exhausted we became. I¡¯ve bet on this last spot. We rested there and I tried to utilize Mae¡¯s brain again. But the moment we¡¯ve stopped Mae had barraged me with the questions with answers I didn¡¯t want her to know. Well it was too late already. ¡°What¡¯s that creature anyways? And why has it been chasing us to the ends of the earth?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Spirit Cluster: element of air. It¡¯s been chasing me, the source of malice. I¡¯ve unleashed a great spell a while ago to calm the panicking crowd remember? It was partly my fault.¡± ¡°YOU SON OF AN IDIOT! PARTLY YOUR FAULT?!¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t involve my father with this. I admit it was one of my wrong decisions. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve taken responsibility of finding Dax.¡± ¡°And it was okay that you snared me on this suicidal mission?¡± ¡°You love Dax.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± End conversation. I¡¯ve used the most forbidden words. My mind was pretty exhausted already. I needed to take a rest. At that moment I¡¯ve already been remembering the good times when I was just sitting at home, doing nothing. Playing with Morgianna. Practicing magic spells with my father. How I wished I could go back home and just waited for the convoy to arrive. What did I even tried to accomplish anyways? What awaited me at the Barren Canyons, an old abandoned and forgotten civilization due to the terraform of the previous battles of second generation of Maou and Yuusha? Did I just wanted to soul-search myself? And there I was, lost on my train of thoughts again. Mae was in so much panic as when we¡¯re being chased by the cluster. ¡°How did you know?! Did Irish told you?!¡± ¨CMae was in denial. ¡°Did you really think the both of you, Thelesmata Sisters, had hid your feelings well? I don¡¯t know if Irish knows that you know, or you know that Irish knows, or if Dax is even aware, but everybody on that convoy, pretty much knew it.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªWha-wha-wha!!¡± ¡°It seems like I just took role of ¡®someone to feed you guys with reality¡¯. It was pretty much obvious. I think most of them have just been pampering your high positions due to your calling.¡± Mae was so flustered. Of course she would. Everybody who thought everything was going fine from the start then suddenly, someone will have to smash those fantasy of theirs, will obviously get shocked. ¡°So much for that... pant... How¡¯s it? Have you rested already?¡± ¡°Quite a bit, thanks to your stupid topic. Why even bring that up in this situation?¡± ¡°Why, perhaps?¡± ¨CI couldn¡¯t even think of an answer. ¡°You see, Dax had a complicated situation even before we were tasked of bringing out his potential true potential as the Patron.¡± It was true, as I tried to remember what I have studied from the demi-humans. The calling of The Patron* is similar to that of the Maou. From the perks, to the abilities, even the VIP treatment towards the individual that recieved it. But demi-humans manage their resources too directly. They gathered their three most important individuals. If it was us, the demons, we would have assigned three separate teams to manage their growths. ¡°Dax was a nobody. He¡¯s just a humble son of a beastkin farmer and a human weaver. His descendants we¡¯re quite unknown. We did tried to trace her mother but couldn¡¯t get any records from past her grandmother. Some villagers on the village they live said tha her mother was a descendant of a great, great Archangel from the very first calamity the Twin-moon Divergence*.¡± Well that¡¯s new. I hadn¡¯t gotten to study the full story of the Twin-moon Divergence* since only a very few records have been recorded regarding it. Some records said it was due to a huge scale battle between opposing factions in the heavens. Others said it was a huge attempt to summon beings from the parallel worlds. Those records were not clear so I did not try to dig in further. But I left thinking about the event and continued to listen to Mae. ¡°Irish and Mae were born from an ellicit relationship of the current head of moonfolk towards a son of a human merchant. Our mother took responsibility of raising us even though everybody from the clan were against it from the start. To the public we were treated the same as the other moonfolks but at the palace we¡¯re treated as outcasts.It was very suffocating.¡± ¡°During the times that we¡¯re trying to explore the country, we ended up meeting with Dax when I slipped from a bridge and nearly drown the river.¡± ¡°You know you¡¯re really useless.¡± ¡°Shut up!! The moment Dax saved me, the fates of us three intertwined. Dax was rewarded by my mother and the royal moonfolk family for formality. After that he was sent back to his home at the country borders. But we¡¯ve both asked our mother if it was possible for both of us to be friends with him. We¡¯re both granted once a month to visit him at his house to play. Dax was not far from our age. He¡¯s also a kid by that time. Their house was near a riverbank. Those years we have been playing deepened our bond, the three of us. It was around three years ago when Irish and I was bestowed with our respective callings, and Dax, not too soon after that. It feels like it really was fate that brought the three of us together.¡± ¡°Wait¡± ¡°huh?! Don¡¯t startle me like that!¡± ¡°Say that a gain, the previous statement.¡± ¡°What do you mean? About fate bringing us together?¡± ¡°No, even before that...¡± At that time Mae have spouted the final piece of the puzzle. How could I miss out such important detail? ¡°Where did Dax lived?¡± ¡°Near a riverbank. What about it?¡± At that time a realization came to me. Why did I have that dream? It was all for this, besides it was an omen: a sign that indicated a far more span of events that were about to unfold. Events that will tell how Elrufus Dax, Patron of the Demi-humans, will be the fabled renowned General Orcas. With the final piece of the puzzle falling in place, I grabbed Mae¡¯s shoulder and shook her out of excitement. Of course this will be our only way out and I have to rely on her one last time. At last she finally became of some use. ¡°Mae! Wring out your brain one last time please! I need you to find me the nearest river in our location!¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Suddenly: KABOOM!! A loud explosion we¡¯re heard above us. There was a falling big branch of the three and I grabbed Mae in attempt to evade it, but there wasn¡¯t enough time. The branch that fell created an impact which bursted behind us. I held Mae¡¯s vulnerable body around mine to protect her. We were thrown towards another tree trunk where my left shoulder hit. I heard the cracking of my bones. We both fell down on the ground and I groaned afterwards due to the intense pain I felt. My shoulder is probably broken, but It was not the time to think about that. I looked towards the place of the explosion and saw the Spirit Cluster. It have already caught up to us. ¡°Well shit...¡± I said as I grinned towards it. ¡°Are you okay, Lord Maou?!¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to be asking questions! We¡¯ll talk while running. I need to run fast.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not sure If i¡¯ll be able to keep up with you. It would be better if you leave me here alone as a bait.¡± ¡°No, you will come with me.¡± ¡°How¡ªKYAH!!¡± I princess-carried Mae. ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this!! Dax haven¡¯t even carried me like this before!! You sly fox!¡± ¡°Tell that to me again once we get out of this situation alive!!¡± And I started running towards the forest in attempt to get away. --- I princess carried Mae. It¡¯s a carry that would put only a little stress with my left shoulder than my right. I don¡¯t know how far the river was, or where it was located, but first, I need to get back on the trail. ¡°After we get back to the trail I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll try to remember any landmarks, that¡¯s the only way I can think of to meet up with Dax.¡± ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see? I¡¯m trying to get away from that thing that¡¯s chasing up on us!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you keep your voice a little down?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point in doing that now!¡± Luckily, I¡¯ve found a way back to the trail. I observed the road quickly and saw carriage fresh trails. This road must have been where the convoy passed before. ¡°Now everything¡¯s according to plan. Could you recognize this place?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± I was panting. My muscles have been aching. The only thing that¡¯s keeping me up that time was my adrenaline. I may had a broken rib or a few dislocated joints due to damage I¡¯ve taken from prior explosion. It was a miracle that I was still able to carry Mae and run through the forest. Mae have kept up with her light magic so I was able to see my path. Either ways, there¡¯s no point in trying to lower our volumes or using magic that could attract nocturnal creatures anymore. We¡¯re already being chased by the Spirit Cluster. ¡°Mae Militum Thelesmata, I¡¯m nearing my limit.¡± ¨CI screamed as I ran towards a wherever direction we¡¯re headed. We¡¯re only back to the main road and we didn¡¯t know which way it was back to the campsite nor to the direction did the convoy initially come. ¡°Let us take a leap of faith then.¡± ¡°Wha-What are you talking about???¡± ¡°If I remember correctly, the big oak tree a few pans ahead is a landmark. I remembered that Irish and I collected water yesterday. It will be a gradual downhill but you should be able to speed up and run without tumbling. It was a clear trail. It was a stream, but if we follow the up flow we should come up with a bigger part of a river.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be betting on that! Hold on to me, we¡¯ll speed up!¡± As we reached the oak tree I saw a narrow trail just like Mae instructed. It was really a downhill. I¡¯m quite amazed that Mae¡¯s memories were still clear. The simplest form of details like that, usually I tend to forget fast. But Mae was different. I thought of it that time as one of her passives granted to her by her calling. I was starting to regret all of those words I¡¯ve said towards her, all those bad impressions I¡¯ve had towards her. I wanted to take them all back, but I just didn¡¯t, not yet. Not long after dashing hard downhill I could already hear the stream. We¡¯ve finally reached a body of water. Pant.. Pant... Pant.. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¨CI said as I tried to catch my breath. ¡°I don¡¯t see him! I don¡¯t see Dax!¡± ¨CMae started panicking again. ¡°No, it was supposed to be a large enough part of the river.¡± ¨CI just stated what I saw from my dreams which Mae didn¡¯t knew. She didn¡¯t even wondered. One more thing I noticed. The Spirit Cluster hadn¡¯t been at our back for a while now. I assumed it was due to the downhill path that we gained enough speed to leave it behind. I called the situation safe again to put Mae down. ¡°Can you walk?¡± ¡°Of course I could! But in any case, are you alright? How¡¯s your shoulder.¡± ¡°I think it could heal in a few days. I¡¯ll have Morgianna check on it once we head back camp. But we can¡¯t lay our guards down yet. We need to find Dax. Let¡¯s head upstream.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± --- We came to a place where the river was wide enough to be compared to that on my dream. It seemed so wide that you might think it was already connecting to a lake. I¡¯m not that concerned to argue whether a lake could fit inside the Gargantua Forest. At a distance we saw a boy sitting by the riverbank. It was Dax. We both felt relieved when we saw him safe and throwing rocks towards the river. The moon which reflected towards the vast waters of the river is being disturbed as he threw rocks towards the calming waters. I¡¯ve envied him because despite everything we experienced for the past hour he¡¯s just sitting here, taking it easy and doing nothing. In fact I wanted to punch him. Mae shouted and caught his attention. I tried to look at their touching reunion. Everything we¡¯ve experienced. We finally found him, the cause of all of the hardships we¡¯ve went through this past hour. But even before Mae took a distance away from me as she approached Dax, I immediately caught up with her and grabbed her hand. It was to save her again from an imminent danger. And it happened. An explosion a few distance ahead of her path. ¡°And here I thought you quit chasing after us already. Really can¡¯t let my guard down against a high-tier creature.¡± ¡°What is that?!! What have you brought here Fredericus!¡± I could hear Dax shouting from the other side. And then I fell to the ground. ¡°Lord Maou! What happened? Are you okay?! Dax!! Help us!!¡± Their voices have been lowering in volume. It seemed that I was about to lose consciousness. I tried to gather the last of my strength to keep holding my stance on the ground. Of course after being hurt, then running a great distance while carrying somebody, anyone would suddenly fell fatigue once their adrenaline leaves their body. That was what I was experiencing at the moment. ¡°Dax!! We¡¯re in grave danger!! It¡¯s a high-tier Spirit Cluster!! I need you to transcend now and use some of your mana manipulation ability!!¡± ¨CI shouted the very last of my might. It was a gamble. A gamble where I bet with the lives of us three. I looked at Dax, it seemed like he understood the gravest of the situation we¡¯re in. If in case he could use it then we¡¯re saved. If not then the situation should have to force the ability out of him. ¡°I think there was one!¡± ¨CMae suddenly spoke. Dax circled around the spirit cluster fast as its attention was still directed through us. When he finally reached us, he took out his dagger and readied his battle position. ¡°I¡¯ll try to slow him down, you guys get back to camp for reinforcements.¡± SLAP!! ¨Cand that slap echoed through the area. Mae slapped the reality towards his face. That should have hurt and made him realize of his naivety. ¡°YOU IDIOT! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!! THE ENTIRE CONVOY HAD BEEN PANICKING DUE TO YOUR RASH DECISIONS!!¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°DON¡¯T GIVE ME THAT SHIT!! BESIDES¡­ BESIDES¡­ sobs¡­ I WAS WORRIED!!!¡± Tears were falling from Mae¡¯s angry bright-red face. It was true, she had been worried sick right from the start of Dax¡¯s disappearance. For a God-knows-what reason that Dax tried to wander around the night. A slap might not be enough. He made his girl¡ªhis girls worry about him to the point that they could not distinguish right decisions anymore. If I could only still move a part of my body, I would¡¯ve punched the reality to his good-looking face for the Thelesmata sisters and Morgianna too. ¡°Please, Dax¡­ You don¡¯t have to run away from it¡­ Think of it as your own. It won¡¯t try to consume you or anything¡­ Trust me on this¡­¡± ¨Csaid Mae as she tried to plead for Dax¡¯s cooperation. ¡°Please, Dax. I¡¯ll explain it in details later if we make it out of here alive.¡± No more questions asked. Dax never chanted, he just said the word. He was like me, a natural born at using spells. ¡°Transcendence*.¡± A light emitted from his body. It was a glow blinding enough for everything to lose their vision for a few seconds. After we regained our visions, I saw Dax, emitting a silver aura. I¡¯m not sure if it was visible for Mae, his form was the same as yesterday when he fought with the mandragoras. ¡°I could only hold for a few minutes in this form. Now tell me in details, Fredericus, what spell do you need me to use?¡± ¡°That creature is a Spirit Cluster, an amalgamation of mana debris that took form in a high-tier creature. And since it is formed entirely by mana, I suppose a mana-manipulation ability would serve lethal to it.¡± ¡°I remembered that ability that you we¡¯re practicing months ago.¡± ¡°That ability, huh? Don¡¯t blame me if this doesn¡¯t work. Besides, it was initially a supportive ability that bursts the flow of mana of an individual. I don¡¯t know if this will turn out well if used against a creature.¡± We had two outcomes: one, the Spirit Cluster will burst two, the Spirit Cluster will get a buff, then we die. It was another gamble, nothing to lose. ¡°Failing to cast this ability will render me immobile, when that time comes I entrust Mae with you to escape, Fredericus.¡± ¡°I really appreciate if you consider my current state. I¡¯m quite immobile too. You have no choice but to completely execute the ability.¡± ¡°Well, here it goes.¡± Dax looked towards the creature. It was steadily hovering its spot. It seemed to be either observing the living beings in front of it, or it was afraid of the aura Dax¡¯s transcendence were emitting. ¡°Mana Burst ¨C Type inflow*¡± I realy didn¡¯t understood how the spell went but it was a huge success. The Spirit Cluster suddenly shattered, scattering strong winds all throughout the area. Winds strong enough to cause disturbance on the vast river. The gust should be strong enough to even reach the camp. Good thing it was only air element. We might have trouble defending ourselves if it was other element. Still, the gust was strong enough to blow us away, thanks to Dax¡¯s barrier we avoided being thrown away again. --- Another search party consisting of Ricardo, Morgianna, Irish and three more guards finally arrived at our current location. Due to immobility and fatigue, both I and Dax were rendered useless and Mae won¡¯t be able to move both of our bodies, so we decided to rest by the riverbank. After seeing us at the riverbank Morgianna rushed towards me crying like a child and embraced me while I was still laying down. I patted her head and promised I won¡¯t do something rash like that ever gain. Irish, seeing both Mae and Dax with me, safe and sound, started scratching her head and gave a sigh. Mae was so apologetic to her, maybe because the search went on for hours. She explained everything, from the existence of a high-tier creature, to the events that led to Dax using transcendence and defeating it. She didn¡¯t mentioned the cause why it was attracted towards us. She knew how to keep secrets when it comes down to it. After that, I passed out. I never remember much about our relocation towards the camp but when I woke up it was already morning. There were still pain on my left shoulder but it was bandaged. It seemed not serious. I forced my body to get up. The convoy was already preparing to leave. Besides me was Morgianna, still asleep, holding my left hand. She must have been the one that took care of me when I was asleep. She must have been tired too so I let her rest for a moment. I walked towards Irish. ¡°So, you will move again today, huh?¡± ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be, until we reach the demon capital. The only thing that went unexpected was meeting you here. You are the one we are supposed to meet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Why are you even travelling towards the Barren Canyons anyways?¡± ¡°I needed to search for clues. I¡¯ve been studying the previous wars. I might¡¯ve find something there at the ancient civilization.¡± ¡°I bet you will find nothing. Besides, who were to entertain us there if you will be out? It will sure be months before you¡¯re able to come back.¡± ¡°Father, I guess. At my current age, I¡¯m just a public figure. I¡¯ll be there when I¡¯m needed, but don¡¯t trust me to tend to every events that is being planned by the demon palace.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Well, I guess we¡¯ll talk to your father then¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to be as quick as I can to return. I won¡¯t let your stay be wasted.¡± ¡°Then take me as an assurance.¡± The sudden one to speak up was Elrufus Dax. Mae and Irish dropped their jaws from what they¡¯ve heard. ¡°Are you being serious?! You just made a big ruckus last night! You¡¯re creating another one right now.¡± ¡°I think it is fine.¡± ¨CI answered. ¡°No it¡¯s not! What will we tell the royal demon family once we¡¯ve arrived at the demon capital? The supposed Patron of the Demi-humans is now on an adventure with the Maou towards the barren lands?!¡± ¨CIrish exclaimed. ¡°Father have already anticipated our meetup within this forest so I won¡¯t be surprised if he tells you it is fine by him.¡± I didn¡¯t knew Dax¡¯s intentions. He might be gauging out my abilities. The demi-humans might wage out a war if ever he rated me negatively. I hope it doesn¡¯t come to that point. So agreeing with his request was my only choice. What happens afterwards, I¡¯ll be leaving to tomorrow¡¯s me. I poroposed another option which would be harder for them to decline. ¡°I¡¯ll borrow Ricardo with me, while I¡¯ll be lending Morgianna to you. You will be needing an escort of my calibre until you reach the demon capital.¡± ¡°My master, I promised your father that I will keep you safe all throughout this journey.¡± ¨CMorgianna, who was supposed to be sleeping, appeared behind me. ¡°Whoah! Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± Well, she was pouting again. I was already having a hard time comprehending her actions. She must have wanted to be the one to accompany me towards the end of this mission. She had been really attached to me recently. I was regretting what I have done on that inn that night. ¡°Morgianna, I¡¯m begging you, please do this for me, I¡¯ll be sure to return to your side again, okay?¡± ¨CI patted her head like my little sister. ¡°Okay¡­ As my master instructs me.¡± ¨Cshe confirmed with a dejected tone. ¡°Also, It will be a long time for me and Dax to speak with regards to the matters of your visit towards the capital. I think it will be a win-win situation for both of our sides.¡± Irish scratched her head again. I guess she was irritated that things went against her way again. She still agreed at the end. Ch6-5 Maou and Patron, at the Barren Canyons V. Maou and Patron, at the Barren Canyons The convoy split into two groups going separate ways. The first party was the party that will continue to head towards the Demon Capital Most of the civilians on the convoy, the Thelesmata Sisters and Morgianna. The reason as to why I chose Morgianna to accompany the convoy was simple, she was to explain to Father everything that happened at the Gargantua Forest, also to explain the current situation of the second party. The second party will continue to head towards the Barren Canyons. Of course I was a member. It was my idea at first. I borrowed two companions from the demi-human convoy: Ricardo, and Elrufus Dax. Well, Dax himself presented, so I had no choice but to agree. Besides, I was unsure of his goals. Did it aligned with the original aim of the demi-human convoy? Did he had his own way of accomplishing his goals? Or did he had another reason, a personal one, that¡¯s why he himself presented to accompany me? Did he just wanted to get along well with me? The Thelesmata sisters were shock at first, well it was a given, considering the complicated relationship between those three. But they reconsidered when I gave my opinion. ¡°Okay, I guess we¡¯re off to our set destinations now.¡± ¨CIrish wished good luck for both of the parties. ¡°Morgianna, come here for a second¡± ¨CI ordered her. She was still sulking about not being able to accompany me anymore but the situation can¡¯t help it. I tasked her the role of reporting the incident about a roaming high-tier creature at the forest. At that time I only thought of it as a natural creature behavior and forces must be deployed to exterminate the remaining threats at the forest. Who knows what those creatures might try to do next? Morgianna approached me by my orders. ¡°This won¡¯t take long. I¡¯ll be back before you know it¡± ¨CI said as I patted her head. She must have took a liking on this. After that we went separate ways. --- There weren¡¯t any mid to high-tier encounters until we¡¯ve reached the other end of the forest. It was a thing which I¡¯ve found odd. It seemed like the creatures concentrated on the side of the forest facing the demon capital. Were they supposed to be guarding the outskirts and the villages at the border of the forest? I think now, why would they attack demons from within the country? Still, the villages did a pretty good job fending them off. It took another five days and four nights to finally get out of the forest. It really was a vast one. At out fifth day we finally set foot on a clear span of land. You could tell that the soil is getting drier if you would notice the change of the trees growing at that land. What was supposedly damp turned dry in a span of a whole morning of walk. We¡¯ve put on our masks and covered our faces with cloth. We entered the Barren Canyons. The Barren lands which was visible from the high place we were standing the border of the forest was a very vast place. It was vast, but at the same time, lifeless. This huge landmass was the once known human kingdom. The once flourished lands were terraformed into something that could not even support life. One could travel via carriages but will be needing supplies for a long run until they reach the next place to restock. The very cause of this terraform was the war between the second generation Maou and Yuusha, which I had read on the demon library before I had set out for this journey. The global scale sealing spell the Yuusha used towards the Maou took a huge toll on the fertile lands. Trees withered, land terraformed, lots of creatures and animals died, bodies of water ceased to function. The vast lands became so infertile that even using high-scale restoration magic didn¡¯t had any effect. The intensity of the mana granules that was left after the sealing were still lingering that it prevented the natural restoration of the lands for hundreds of years. ¡°Well, we¡¯re here. Lord Maou, will you allow me to voice out.¡± ¨Casked Ricardo. ¡°No need to be so formal, just speak out your thoughts.¡± I answered. Ricardo might have experience with this place already, his wisdom would really be helpful to me as I try to carry out my goals here: ¡®To find hidden traces of the old civilization¡¯, the very first generation of Maou and Yuusha. I wanted to know for myself and see records from the human¡¯s perspective. Events that might have not been written of books available at the library. ¡°The ruins of the old human civilization are thousands of pans away from our current location. I¡¯ve brought a map with me, if it will ever be of use for you, I¡¯d really be honoured.¡± Well I guess he came prepared. ¡°The route towards the City of Diaz covered a bit of passable road here at the Barren Canyons, so the legends of the ruins is available. There might not be legends of roads available to pass towards it but if we try to trace back the original route to our city, then we might find crossroads or passes. Take note this might also be a dangerous mission as I have a very limited knowledge of what lies within the ruins. It might be swarmed with creatures already.¡± What Ricardo was saying had a point. At that moment he was the most making sense among us three. At the same time he was the most dangerous of us. Why did he knew I was going to see the ruins of the old civilization? Ricardo was the one who helped us a lot on our previous encounter and with the search party for Dax. I didn¡¯t want to waste the trust I¡¯ve put onto him. ¡°How would you come up with the conclusion that Fred is venturing towards the ruins? I believe the only thing he mentioned when we part ways with the original group was only about going to the barren canyons.¡± ¡°Lord Dax I believe that the only place left erect at this land is the old ruins. Every other landmarks on the map are roads heading towards other cities.¡± He had the most logical answer too. I guess that cleared him of suspicion at the moment, but I didn¡¯t let my guard down. Dust filled the air so one really needed to put cover on their faces when travelling. The roads were not paved. Pebbles are scattered everywhere. There were posts erected beside the road every hundreds of pans. This should be markers to guide travellers. Sometimes the road gets narrow, sometimes it gets as wide as a valley. At times we had to pass the narrowest passages, usually trenches between a whole landmass that had cracked due to natural tectonic activity. Everybody would or would not enjoy a rough ride at the carriage. In our case, our way of travelling is quite different. We¡¯re travelling in foot. The scorching heat of the sunlight, combined with the dryness of the area was really dehydrating. One should always keep in check of his/her body fluids. We hadn¡¯t encountered any rain nor any bodies of water where we could fetch our water source. Knowing the vast lands we will be travelling, we initially fetched amount of water enough for days¡¯ worth of travel. But who knows how long we will be searching for these ruins. There hadn¡¯t been any direct route drawn on the map that Ricardo brought. We will be needing to find a water source sooner or later. We continued to travel until we reached the first crossroad. It was around our third day. It was quite less time we spent travelling compared to when I was travelling with Morgianna at the Gargantua Forest. Well It really was convenient following a main road with signage compared to just wandering around a forest, following a trail. ¡°Well, this is a trisection. The one at the left leads back to our city. The path at the right should lead us towards an even larger part of the canyons. I think following this path will lead us towards the Elven capital. I really haven¡¯t gotten that far from this point.¡± ¨CRicardo claimed.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Really, now. And here Fredericus brought you with him in this party to utilize your vast experience.¡± ¡°I apologize I¡¯m not much of use. My experiences were only skirmishes within our nation. I haven¡¯t experienced travelling far from home.¡± ¨CExplained Ricardo as he tried to clear his disgrace shown towards me. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine Dax.¡± ¨CI¡¯ve let him off the hook. Nothing much of gain will come from pointing fingers at that moment. Dax had been really talkative these past days we¡¯ve been travelling together. He had been actively participating with the discussions, what to and what to not. It felt like he had been trying to catch up for the mistakes he had done the past events with the convoy. I wondered if he talked with Mae or Irish about it. Did the incident with the spirit cluster took a hit on his mind set? Had it been an incident even long before that. Or was he always like that, I just had a wrong impression with the incidents that have happened. With the only option we had, we took the other route towards the Elven Capital. It was the only choice available that was better off than carelessly wandering around in the middle of these rock formations searching for an ancient civilization. There must have been an original route which led to these ruins which humans had used for trading and travelling. Though the temperature during the days at the canyons could rise up to boiling point, the contrary could also be told during the night. Whenever you get out of the zone that the heat of the campfire could reach, it was freezing. We always find cover for the freezing gust that¡¯s whirling around the open areas by finding huge rock formations and camping in there for the night. The journey could¡¯ve been much easier if we could travel at night too, but as much as we wanted, we can¡¯t. We don¡¯t want the risk of our body temperature dropping. ¡°Ricardo is taking too long to scout. Are you sure he will be fine?¡± I¡¯ve asked Dax as I threw a twig towards the campfire, trying to hide my freezing state. ¡°He could manage. As I remember, training on low temperatures are part of being an elite demi-human fighter.¡± Well that¡¯s barbaric. I didn¡¯t want to say that to Dax. I didn¡¯t want to go kidding around their preferences when we¡¯re not that close yet. ¡°Tell me, why have you presented yourself to join me in exploring here at the barrens?¡± ¨CI started the serious topic. ¡°Is there a point asking that now? We¡¯re already halfway our journey.¡± He had a solemn expression when he answered. That was not the same serious expression that he had on our previous talks while travelling. ¡°I wanted to redeem myself with the trouble I have caused you, Morgianna, and the Thelesmatas. The whole convoy too.¡± I figured as much, he must have been wanting to talk about the previous incident with the forest. He was just finding the right moment. He also didn¡¯t want Ricardo to hear. He didn¡¯t want to leave a bad expression. So, why did he chose to talk with me? Curious as I am, I asked. ¡°Why decide to talk to me?¡± ¡°You are the only one I could talk to at this point. There never was with the other people with the convoy, but with what I have done with the Thelesmatas, I couldn¡¯t come up with someone I could talk to anymore.¡± ¡°Well, I am a better choice than to keep it yourself.¡± ¡°The truth is, I¡¯m still being troubled about accepting the calling of The Patron.¡± Well everybody knows though. Truth is, I¡¯m getting tired of their being airheaded and dense, these three demi-humans. I just didn¡¯t told him. ¡°That¡¯s why I went to the river that night to sort my thoughts out. Though I really never intended to cause that much trouble. I¡¯m terribly sorry. That was really irresponsible of me.¡± ¨Che almost kneeled while bowing down. ¡°Well you should be, we almost died, the three of us. But it doesn¡¯t bother me anymore. The good thing we got from it was knowledge and experience. That¡¯s what¡¯s important.¡± ¡°I¡¯m amazed at how optimistic you could be. I¡¯m quite envious.¡± ¡°You see, instead of thinking so hard about it, why don¡¯t you fully accept the responsibilities? It¡¯s not that hard when you look at it from a different perspective. It¡¯s not like I wanted being the Maou too when I was younger.¡± I tried to answer maturely, but the truth was, there were a lot of mistakes I¡¯ve done too, lot of insecurities, things that I¡¯m still unsure about myself. That was why I was searching for answers on my own. We¡¯re quite similar in a way, but what I saw in him was an older version of myself. ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say, you never had a life like I did. You were from a royal family.¡± He had a point. Mae had told me a bit of his background when I was alone with her being chased by the Spirit Cluster. I didn¡¯t wanted to argue anymore, I needed to look at his perspective. Of course everybody would feel that same way as his. But keeping yourself on your safe zone will limit one¡¯s growth. I didn¡¯t want to be someone who will force that idea towards him. I wanted him to be the one who discovers it himself. Dax continued talking. ¡°I was born from a normal family that runs a farm. Our source of income comes from the crops that we are selling and the cloth that my mother weaves. You could not say that we are poor. It was just enough to cover for our expenses. You could say it was just average. I¡¯ve spent most of my childhood days with the Thelesmatas¡¯ and I didn¡¯t even know why the twins are so fond of playing with me. I never had lots of friends to begin with, so being one with kids from a royal bloodline is considered a blessing. It was then when the three of us received our respective callings, changes started to happen. The Thelesmata sisters drifted apart from each other due to the difference in nature of their calling. Irish became fiercer, more dominant and war-oriented, while Mae became down-to-earth, level-headed and more of someone who advocates peace.¡± So Thelesmata sisters were not that kind right from the start. ¡°While the other two fully accepted the responsibilities assigned to them and started to change for their own good, here I am, drifting onto the uncertainty that: There¡¯s the best option to pick already, I just don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¨CI can¡¯t help but to ask. ¡°This is something that we¡¯re supposed to talk with once we¡¯re with the demon capital already, but I¡¯m going to open this up now.¡± There it came. What did the demi-humans wanted to negotiate with the demon race? ¡°There should be a proposal for peace talks and being allies with the demon race. It was Mae¡¯s proposal. Her very first job ever since she have received the title of the Diplomat.¡± I was confused. I let him explained it further. ¡°As you know that demi-humans does not really consist of the same race. We we¡¯re a nation originally established by demi-humans wanting to live together. Due to the never-ending isolation that we, cross-breeds, have been experiencing since the ancient times, the pioneer leaders of the demi-human nation, before the country was established, pushed our independence. It was not like we¡¯ve secluded our nation alone and cut ties with the outside world. We¡¯ve kept friendly relations with allied countries and retaliated against the oppressive ones. Our world is not that peaceful after all.¡± What Dax said was true. I¡¯ve studied some histories of other races and I remember having read about the demi-humans, the tales about how they¡¯ve established their independence and freedom. I think those stories are around the same timeline as the third or fourth generation Maou. Those were even more peaceful times than those way back from the first and second generation which was written on the history books. No wonder their quest for independence succeeded. ¡°The rumours about the resume of the great human-demon war have reached our nation. Of course there was an atmosphere of uneasiness brought to the civilians by the news. The country was in a state of panic first, before Mae decided to voice out for the leaders. She had proposed peace talks with both the opposing countries. Mae believed that talking with both countries will save us from being involved with it: a total isolation with an agreement that the war won¡¯t touch any part of the country¡¯s lands, nor civilians being forcibly recruited to fight for a certain side. It was the most ideal path. But Irish¡¯s perspective was different. She believed that being involved is inevitable. This is more realistic that the prior. Being two faces of the same coin, Irish and Mae had conflicting point of views about it.¡± ¡°Wait-wait-wait!! Where did you even learned about that rumour?¡± ¨CI was shocked. I never had any information about the progress of the great human-demon war from anywhere at the palace. Had I being kept information with? ¡°It seems that even you have limited information yet. In any case, one of our original goals was to confirm that too. At first Mae and Irish have quarrelled for days. Pride was something each of them can¡¯t let go themselves. But Irish, being the one more mature and loved her twin sister even more. She tried to listen. And gave her ideal path a chance. That have led us to our current convoy towards the demon capital.¡± ¡°The long story still didn¡¯t defeat the purpose right?¡± ¡°Yes, you are really sharp. Of course I needed to provide you enough information to understand my situation a little.¡± ¡°Trust me I understand.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Dax stared at the campfire. The reflecton of the blazing coal being burned, the snapping of the small twigs as he threw them in, the flame swayed as passing air through the gaps of the stone formations we are currently sheltering blew through it, but not enough to put out the fire. ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s as you think. If I¡¯m going to be the Patron of the demi-humans, the decision I¡¯ll be having will be the decision of all the demi-humans within our country. The weight of responsibility have been bothering me for a while. I¡¯m having a hard time choosing which between Mae and Irish¡¯s path should I decide to follow. They¡¯re both my precious friends. I don¡¯t want to destroy the current relationship I had with the other.¡± My eyes turned blank. That was not the scenario I was looking for. I¡¯ve lost hope for Dax that night. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh what?¡± ¡°No don¡¯t ¡®eh what?¡¯ me. How dense could you be?¡± I never knew someone as dense as mana required for a global-sealing spell is could exist. ¡°You mean you hadn¡¯t even noticed the feelings Mae and Irish have for you?¡± ¡°Feelings of what?¡± ??? That night I nearly died. That night I nearly killed Dax, then died. Interlude 2 (Earth) - Training sessions with Ingrid Interlude 2: Training sessions with Ingrid ¡°Uhm¡­ Ingrid¡­ Could you tell me why am I beside the two of your students right now?¡± Fred was standing next after Kyrie. Their order goes as: Ara, Kyrie, Fred. It was a total hierarchy. Fred had been wondering for a while why he have been included with this too physical activity. He had been writing stories and drawing manga for a while now. He saw no practical usage for self-defense. He had a good sleep last night and were suddenly woken up by the banging from the door. There he saw the three other girls living at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex, wearing their tracksuits: Ingrid on purple, Ara on yellow, and Kyrie on black and white (she still really carries that gothic fashion feel). ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a step outside and stop being a neet for a while.¡± ¨CAra told him. ¡°No, thank you? And why would I?¡± ¡°Humu, Miss Landlady I¡¯ve seen this reaction already. I told you we would have a hard time convincing him.¡± Fred felt he will be forced to and immediate take a pre-emptive closing of the door. But all those efforts went for naught when Ingrid stopped it with her right foot. Along with it came a creeping voice from Ingrid, forcing him to join them. ¡°Freeeeeed~~¡± ¡°No¡­ NO¡­ NOOOO!!!!¡± --- It all started about when Ara was still working at the nightclub at the neighboring city. Ingrid knew the type of business Ara was working with. She have told her stories of her past, and what she have been doing since she started living at the apartment complex. Ingrid felt she was in no position to tell her what she should be doing, nor influence her decision-making. Still, Ingrid felt the weight of responsibility since she¡¯s the one sheltering Ara at the moment. She had spent days thinking about a way to help Ara out of her situation. Being at Ara¡¯s situation, working at a nightclub required a strong mindset. One might find herself getting wrapped up with indecent situations. An experienced hostess should be a veteran on balancing her interactions with male guests: the extent of herself that she could offer. That¡¯s what Ingrid had always thought: Ara is just a starter in this industry and she might get wrapped with this train of obscenity until there¡¯s no turning back. She didn¡¯t know yet at that moment that the place Ara had been working on actually had a better environment and is being managed by a good manager too. So, the best solution Ingrid came up with, was to teach Ara of self-defense. The self-defense training really proved useful. Well, Ara roundhouse-kicked Fred twice already. Also, there were some encounters that she got hit on and she managed to escape the situation due to Ingrid¡¯s self-defense training sessions. A ¡®just graduated at high school¡¯ girl walking at the middle of a red-light district really is dangerous. So being knowledgeable of how to escape situations where one would be ganged-up, is a must. Ara may look like a harmless airhead outside but she carried a strength of a beast inside. ¡°It would be best if you may know how to defend yourself. I mean, look at you, you really look vulnerable.¡± ¨CIngrid told Ara at first. Ara had no objections, she had been under Ingrid¡¯s mercy for a while after she drifted away from her hometown. With all the negotiations sealed, Ara started her self-defense training under Ingrid. --- ¡°Eeeee, that looks fun.¡± Kyrie suddenly appeared while Ingrid was warming Ara up one Sunday of their training. As for Kyrie, she never really had any particular reason to be interested on what the two were doing. She¡¯s just bored. Wearing her usual gothic Lolita outfit and carrying her parasol, Kyrie supported her lower body and slouched towards them with an interested look on her face. Prior to seeing physical activities like warming up, Kyrie had watched several of series with situations where the main character and a supporting one is training. Having a strict environment at the mansion she used to live where people had high expectation towards every single thing she does, Kyrie really is thankful to her parents for fulfilling her wish to live alone for a time being. She could do what she wanted immediately, she could study what picked her interest, and more importantly, never was a day she became bored with repeated stuff. ¡°Tell me your main purpose for going out of your unit, Kyrie.¡± ¡°Oh miss landlady just don¡¯t mind me as I am just here to observe you both.¡± ¨CKyrie answered. ¡°I believe this is the first time we met. So you are the rumoured tenant at unit eight. Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Ara, call me Ara.¡ªOuch! Ou-ou-ouch! Landlady Ingrid my bones are creaking!!!¡± ¨CAra butted-in in pain as Ingrid stretched her back. ¡°Humu, being a ¡®rumoured¡¯ brings a nice ring to my title. Keep up the good job Miss Landlady.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, now go back to your lair. This is not an activity kids like you could butt in.¡± ¡°But what would hurt if I could just try a bit?¡± ¡°You know, fish are often caught through their mouth.¡± ¡°Humu, as expected of Miss Landlady, you are really cunning.¡± ¨CKyrie answered while blushing and looking sideways. Well, Ingrid caught her motive. ¡°Uhm¡­ Ms. Kyrie, I really think you are not in your appropriate attire if you wanted to join this training session.¡± ¨CAra mentioned. ¡°Humu¡­ Well I wanted you to see me try.¡± ¨CNerves popped out of Kyrie¡¯s head. For the very first time Ingrid saw Kyrie got irritated and it amused her. Ingrid smirked.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Well this is new, for starters I¡¯ll entertain myself to see this two quarrel for the time being. ¡°You¡¯ve said a while ago what would hurt if you could just try a bit, yeah.¡± ¨CIngrid let go of stretching Ara and grabbed her to stand up. ¡°Well let¡¯s have you spar with my student here for a while.¡± ¨CIngrid taunted Kyrie. There were three things that was not right at this situation: 1. Kyrie was dressed improperly. 2. Kyrie was a complete beginner, even if she¡¯s a prodigy of one-in-a-million individuals, she still could get hurt. 3. Kyrie is just bored. ¡°Eh¡­ EEH?! Are you being serious Landlady?¡± ¨CFinally someone with proper reaoning, Ara tried to stop Ingrid from making rash decisions. ¡°What would it hurt to try?¡± ¨CIngrid kept taunting Kyrie. The three of them have been acting childish from the start. Kyrie thought this training is just for core strengthening and really had no reason at all. She tried to barge in the regimen for the purpose of curing her boredom without even asking why. As for Ingrid, she just wanted to see her two tenants quarrel for the sole purpose of entertainment. She had always viewed both of them as different side of a single coin. Now that they are both here, it would be nice to just see them spar even once. As for Ara, even though she¡¯s on her aneki-mode: ¡°O-Okay, I guess.¡± She just agreed with the nonsense. ¡°Humu, now let me show you the really fantastic do-it-all-if-wanted me.¡± Kyrie was brimming with confidence. She closed her parasol and basked herself under the intense sunlight shining at their yard. At first she had been blinking her eyes, an indication of a sudden change on one¡¯s view which from dark, suddenly lightened. She was adjusting her eyesight. Yet, Ara was a prideful individual who did not take advantage of someone¡¯s lost focus and did not attacked. She let Kyrie adjust her vision first and regain her stance. Kyrie was holding her closed parasol, pointed towards Ara. The first one to make the move was Ara, the direct disciple. Her course of action was simple: she treated the parasol as a gun and would do a disarming. She swiftly approached Kyrie and got a hole of her wrist and turned the direction of the parasol from being pointed towards her. She then tried to twist her arm towards the direction that will take Kyrie¡¯s momentum for a spin down the ground. It was when the unexpected happened. Kyrie tried to counter the spin by lowering her body and closing in towards Ara. It was an act of changing her center of gravity towards which will alter Ara¡¯s actions and counter the arm twist she planned to do. That includes letting go of her parasol. Having an attempt to close in, she readied herl left palm to strike Ara¡¯s abdomen. But of course, the disciple¡¯s experience and instinct kicked in. Having notice that her initial move won¡¯t work, she immediately let go of Kyrie¡¯s hand, and distanced herself sideways, kicking the parasol away from Kyrie. She then dashed in front of the parasol laying at the ground and readied her stance again, trying to defend it against Kyrie. Her objective changed from attacking Kyrie, to limiting her from using any weapons. Then a sound of a clap. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. You did a great job Ara.¡± ¨CIngrid stopped them. ¡°Humu, and I was close.¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not!¡± ¨CIngrid chopped Kyrie¡¯s head as she approached her. ¡°What are you even trying to do, this is not your late night action show.¡± But still, who would¡¯ve thought she¡¯ll be able to pull out a move like that, not to mention she tried to escape Ara¡¯s disarming tried to counter. This genius really is on a different level. Well in any case, ¡°Look, one wrong move and you could¡¯ve broken your right wrist. What will I say to your parents if you suddenly come home crying with a broken bone? Are you trying to put me out of business?¡± ¡°Humu¡­ That wasn¡¯t my intention.¡± ¨CKyrie pouted. ¡°I will let you join this training, but only if you will abide by my rules.¡± ¨CIngrid decided while reassuring herself. ¡°Uhm¡­ Landlady¡­¡± ¡°Yes Ara you¡¯ve done a good job. The best way to deal with a retaliating target is to cancel all of his means to retaliate. You picked a good course of decision. It¡¯s just that your opponent is an irregularity.¡± ¡°Miss Landlady that¡¯s not a nice thing to say.¡± ¡°Oh no just make sure what you will learn from me, won¡¯t get applied against me.¡± And with that dry-run, Kyrie have joined Ingrid¡¯s training sessions. --- ¡°Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! What are you even doing to me?! Is this even within the strain a human body can handle?!! My life from my previous world is flashing from my eyes! Stop please, God no!¡± Fred was squirming in pain but Ingrid showed no mercy as she starches his back. The other two students could hear his muscles creaking. The horrors from their first try were coming back to them. Of course both of them were not used to experiencing muscle pain rom back then, but things were different now for them. Still, just seeing the look at Fred¡¯s face makes both of them feel the same pain again even without actually experiencing it. Count it as muscle memory. ¡°Whoohoo, Landlady Ingrid is really going for it. Fred might meet his maker if this continues.¡± ¨CKyrie talked to Ara. ¡°Go Fred! You could do it, I¡¯ll have you Jazz up later if you survive that.¡± ¨CAra cheered him on. ¡°No! How about a no!! Please help me here and stop cheering there like you don¡¯t see Ingrid torturing me here!¡± ¡°Jeez, stretching and torture are two different things, you can¡¯t do that.¡± ¨CIngrid answered the agonizing Fred. CRACK! At last, Fred¡¯s back gave up. ¡°YUUUUSHAAAAAA!!!!¡± ¨CAnd with the scream of pain running to Yuusha at Mytherion for help, Fred¡¯s soul gave up too. --- ¡°Come on now, you¡¯re such a baby, it¡¯s just stretching. What more when you experience sparring with either Ara or Kyrie on hand?¡± Ingrid brushes up Fred¡¯s hair as she laid his lifeless body on the ground and gave him a lap pillow. Fred¡¯s eyes were blank. It was an indication that his soul was still travelling around the plane of the non-existent. Ingrid looks at Fred¡¯s lifeless face and giggled. ¡°I might get used to this.¡± Ingrid then looked at Ara and Kyrie as they practice the moves she taught. ¡°Ara was a quick learner. Teaching her really feels like guiding someone who had an amnesia but really does know the drill at the first place. The moves naturally came out from her. She have told me that her ¡®aneki-mode¡¯ had lots of past experiences with handling boys but I really don¡¯t know the extent of those experience. Either she just never told me, or there¡¯s nothing much to tell at all. Ara is strong already even before the two of us met. For Kyrie, she really is a prodigy. Though I really don¡¯t count on that frail body of hers, she always show signs of adapting depending on the situation given. It covers up for her lack of strength. But as much, I really don¡¯t want her to experience nor encounter situation which forces her to fight. I want to protect that kid as much as possible.¡± Fred turned his body sideways and watched them too. He¡¯s already conscious when Ingrid was talking. His face looked like he¡¯s trying to remember some things from his past. ¡°You know, a part of me still tells me I still want to fight. But there¡¯s really nothing much here to fight over for.¡± Ingrid looked at Fred as he talked. ¡°Way back at Mytherion, almost a hundred of years past. I¡¯m talking about my past life of course, I was a demon. I¡¯ve encountered a lot of situations where I was forced to battle, whether there is a good bearing or none. When I first came here I thought: ¡®what if this¡¯, ¡®what if that¡¯, situations I assessed grave compared to those back at my world. But this world is so peaceful. Laying here at your lap like this¡­¡± Fred lay supine again and looked towards Ingrid. And gave a smirk. ¡°You could get used to this, you say¡­¡± Ingrid¡¯s face immediately turned bright red and she tried to hide her embarrassment. ¡°You¡ªso you¡¯ve heard! You demon!¡± ¡°But yes I was one.¡± Ingrid suddenly stood up, causing Fred to hit his body towards the ground again. Of course he slammed. He groaned afterwards. His back didn¡¯t have a full recovery yet. ¡°Okay guys I think it¡¯s about time to share a little bit of your pain and experience to Fred.¡± ¨CIngrid said and clapped, stopping Ara and Kyrie. ¡°Hooooh, Fred¡¯s up, huh? Let me go first. This will be a quick tutorial just like when I let you jazz.¡± ¡°Humu, I¡¯ve been longing to get a hands on with Maou Spence-sensei. It had just been you and MissLandlady for a while now. I hope you¡¯re more than happy and prepared already.¡± ¡°No¡­ Stop it¡­ please¡­ Ingrid, please? Help me?¡± ¡°Come on, you could get used to it.¡± Ara and Kyrie approached Fred with evil smiles on their faces. ¡°YUUUUSHAAAAAA!!!!¡± ¨C And with the scream of pain running to Yuusha at Mytherion for help, Fred learned self-defense from Ingrid too, like Ara and Kyrie. Ch7-1 The Secrets of the Troublesome Draft 1 I.The Secrets of the Troublesome Draft 1 Back to Fred and Ingrid, Modern Earth, 20xx+2 ¡°Hey what time is it already?¡± ¡°Ah it¡¯s a few minutes past eight.¡± Ingrid answered Fred after looking at her wristwatch. It was a few minutes past six since Fred started his long story about the past and how he met Elrufus Dax back at his past life at Mytherion. Fred never intended to consume that much time telling stories of his past, but he did anyways. Deep inside him, he wanted to tell Ingrid much almost everything, but since Kyrie and Ara were waiting back at the studio, he chose the most important parts to tell: Those parts that indicate his inspiration of writing ¡®Mae¡¯s Struggles to being an Unattainable Flower.¡¯ His draft went a span of six chapters, a single volume which contained the introduction. There were a few emphasis of character backgrounds, plot developments and character introductions too. When Old Man asked the span of chapter he initially planned to make the serialization he told him about thirty-five to forty-plus chapters, estimated. Fred have two options he considered after getting his award: either to continue with a long-running serialization, or a short one. Of course he had been consulting with Old Man regarding this matter. He needed someone who governs decision-making, especially one with lots of experience with similar situations he was encountering. Besides, he had Ara and Kyrie under his wing so he needed something that would run for a long time. Employing a jobless undergrad with a split personality and a rich but jobless can-do-all princess will still cost him but he needed to, no other options will employ them besides him. Mae-SUF, as Kyrie have called his long-titled draft to its shorter name, was supposed to be the first original serialization that Fred will be doing. But Old Man rejected it. He pointed out where Fred was lacking with regards to the story flow. He still gave Fred the option to continue the story, but Fred realized the story was lacking to he chose not to. Either ways, the story Mae-SUF was finalized as a rejected draft and Fred didn¡¯t need to mind it anymore. He needed to move on with his next draft to be submitted. Old Man had set a deadline too. WellI guess I¡¯ll have to wrap this up for the meantime. Fred had the whole story of Mae-SUF in his mind already. It was a story which he based on the events regarding one of his generals: General Orcas, which is also known as Elrufus Dax: Patron of the demi-humans. He either just had the difficulty writing it his own way or he just write the story without even thinking about events he needed to include or not. ¡°You haven¡¯t even gotten to tell the important parts yet, have you?¡± ¡°That whole story pretty much comprise events from the first six chapters of Mae-SUF.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¨CIngrid was confused. Fred didn¡¯t even gave a clarification of his previous statement. Of course anyone would wonder how. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°Wait, wait, if Mae Thelesmata was your basis for Kurosawa, Mae. That makes things shit messed-up.¡± Ingrid had a point. Mae Militum Thelesmata¡¯s personality won¡¯t match Kurosawa, Mae¡¯s introduced personality all throughout Mae-SUF¡¯s six chapters. Fred chopped Ingrid¡¯s forehead slightly to have her realize her mistake. ¡°Stupid. Kurosawa, Mae¡¯s base was not Mae Militum Thelesmata. I just used her name as a basis for the femmc¡¯s first name.¡± ¡°You sure are odd.¡± ¡°Well what matters most is the story. The names could be changed later. You should¡¯ve realized by now.¡± Ingrid¡¯s face of confusion cleared. ¡°So it was Elrufus Dax.¡± ¨Cwhich she finally went correct. ¡°Yes, Kurosawa, Mae and Dax¡¯s manifestation of uncertainty should be clear with both of the stories I have presented. The point is, if they both were suddenly encountered decisions that will have a huge bearing towards the live of theirs and the people around them, they will have a very hard time figuring out the proper choice. But there are cases which they have been left with a ¡®must do so will do¡¯ situations which forces them to choose.¡± Ingrid nodded. She¡¯s displaying a face of a child who¡¯s excited for grandpa¡¯s stories. Of course who would not? The story Fred have told is supposed to be only a fairy tale at earth, yet, It¡¯s happening for real from the world where he came from. Fred continued further with his explanation. ¡°Kurosawa, Mae have lived with the life of peace and quiet until Shirogane, Ryuuji came and brought her a major change. But what about the change? Let us discuss first the environment Kurosawa is living with and compare it to past Mytherion where Dax and I have initially met.¡± So what¡¯s with the old Mytherion that Fred based Kamigawa-high with? ¡°What I could say regarding past Mytherion is that races have always strived to prove they are superior. These have always resulted to multiple battles, even large scale wars. Humans, us demons, beastkin, the ancient ones, who knows if even Gods themselves partake these battles. That is what have always been. Even with my generation. You may say that the scale of battles have been lessened, but races are still making moves bring each other down. Who knows if the kindest of the peace advocators might still me plotting something ulterior that might affect the good reputation of a known country? I told you before didn¡¯t I? Earth is a place anyone at Mytherion might want to live to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you have made the popularity ranking system with the Kamigawa-high, right?¡± Ingrid caught on quickly. Well it¡¯s something obvious. Anybody that read the draft Mae-SUF could¡¯ve got the point as soon as Fred explained. Well it was only the five of them: Old Man, Kyrie, Ara, Ingrid and Fred himself. In which, only Ingrid knew Fred¡¯s past at that point. ¡°For who knows reason and whoever established the popularity ranking system, It could be whoever is within the reader¡¯s imaginative mind. Elrufus Dax could have wondered when he was young: why does Mytherion have to be the way it is? Kurosawa, Mae could¡¯ve asked the same when she have enrolled with Kamigawa-high: who could have established this nonsense system and just let students live their lives peacefully.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¨CIngrid¡¯s silence proved she agreed with Fred. Fred continued. ¡°At a young age Dax received his calling, ¡®The Patron of the demi-humans¡¯. This had a part where I haven¡¯t included at the first six chapters yet, but planned to put it along later on if ever the series gets serialized.¡± Just like other authors, Fred tried to reduce the plot twists being revealed at the first chapters he have made. That included most of Kurosawa Mae¡¯s background. ¡°If I¡¯m about to compare Dax and Kurosawa in terms of popularity, well both could be popular enough. Dax have been treated different ever since he got his calling and it was far from how he always lived normally. In comparison to Kurosawa, I¡¯ve planned on later chapters where she will also be treated like a VIP, something which she won¡¯t actually like.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Fred scratched his head. He looked like he found out a plot hole from his perspective and expectations of the story. But then he didn¡¯t let it bother him anymore. ¡°There, there. You¡¯re already having difficulty distinguishing which Mae is which: Militum or Kurosawa.¡± ¨CIngrid viewed it differently. ¡°E-Eitherways, I have planned on later chapters that Kurosawa¡¯s daily life will took a huge shift from being normally quiet and peaceful. That¡¯s when she finally decides to accept Ryuuji¡¯s offer and rise herself to the top of the popularity rankings.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying at some point Elrufus Dax have finally accepted his responsibilities as the leader of the demi-humans?¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting a hang of it already. Yes, Dax fully let go of his uncertainties and fulfilled the role. We had a long talk that night at the barren canyons. Those included topics which he couldn¡¯t even bring up to the Thelesmatas. From his family background, to the environment and the life he used to live with at the outskirts, to the life he had at their country¡¯s capital when he was brought there as the Patron. I even talked to him about the feelings the Thelesmatas are harboring towards him.¡± Ingrid chopped his head. ¡°Now that¡¯s not nice. You should¡¯ve let them handle the situation themselves.¡± ¡°Ouch! It¡¯s not that I just did it out of whim. You weren¡¯t there. You don¡¯t know how dense they could be.¡± Fred had a point. Sometimes not every situation should always be resolved by the only individuals involved in it. Let¡¯s take for example the situation between Elrufus Dax and Thelesmata sisters. It was a love triangle. Not an ordinary one at it: Mae Militum loves Dax > Dax didn¡¯t knew > Irish Dux didn¡¯t knew Irish Dux loves Dax > Dax didn¡¯t knew > Mae Militum didn¡¯t knew Dax was unaware of Mae¡¯s feelings Dax was unaware of Irish¡¯s feelings Fred and others knew everything. If no one from the external circle will give a push or trigger events that will have the dense-as-blackhole Dax and these air-headed Thelesmata sisters figure out or realize something, the situation won¡¯t progress nor end up anywhere. Prying too much doesn¡¯t always end up good. One must think carefully before slipping up information to an individual involved. Fred did that and have assessed that the situation needed to be told straightforward to Dax. ¡°Of course Dax was surprised at first. But somehome the look on his face indicated that he already had hints about it. He just does not accept the facts. Talking to me with regards to his romantic life helped relieve some of his worries.¡± ¡°So what was his decision?¡± ¡°He chose Mae.¡± ¡°Well¡ªthat¡¯s¡­¡± ¨CIngrid was surprised. ¡°Well I suppose that¡¯s a spoiler. Yes, of course I originally planned Kurosawa, Mae to choose Ryuuji¡¯s path offered to her and will have a happy ending. That includes leading herself to the path of popularity rankings too. I felt bad for Shiori, Mae didn¡¯t choose living a peaceful life with her at the end, but of course there will be a progression that should compensate with her loss, to lighten up the readers.¡± Fred need not explain it further. Ingrid got it as: ¡®Just as Elrufus Dax had to choose between Mae Militum and Irish Dux; Kurosawa, Mae needed to choose whether she will take on Ryuuji¡¯s offer and be popular or to toss it aside and continue living in peace with the Occult club. It was like a magician that revealed his magic trick. Ingrid looked amazed as soon as she got the part with regards to the comparison between Kurosawa, Mae and Elrufus Dax. It was like Fred was the magician who knew the tricks and Ingrid was just a humble viewer, who does not judge, criticize, nor try to find out what the trick really is. A viewer who will only get amazed once the whole magic had been performed. ¡°You may have guessed it already, but the two possibilities that opened up with Dax when he was about to choose between the Thelesmatas, was my very idea for Kurosawa, Mae having two possibilities too when she met Ryuuji, while living the way of life Shori introduced to her¡± At least that should keep her from wondering for a while. ¡°So what was Mae¡¯s background. You¡¯ve given few hints regarding her mother on the first chapters.¡± ¡°Ah, that one, Kurosawa, Mae¡¯s mother was a former famous actress and a colleague of Ryuuji¡¯s mother, who was at that time, still a model. Later on as the story goes, there will be flashbacks that should reveal their old rivalry, how Ryuuji¡¯s mother used underhanded methods to drag Kurosawa¡¯s mother down from being famous. Well there¡¯s no real meaning behind that, just to put some spice to the story. It was generic setup yea. But with regards to Kurosawa¡¯s family being famous, of course I¡¯ve given hints of her potential too, like the scene at the club campaigning. Like usual mangas where the femmc suddenly becomes too op. I really think Dax had potential, yet even before he had his calling of the Patron. I remembered Mae telling he was a descendant of a great-great angel race.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re suddenly talking shounen-ish. Anyways, I¡¯ve got the point.¡± It was too similar. Even though Ingrid tried to hide it, she looked really convinced at how Fred had constructed the story Mae-SUF based on his past experience. Some points were lacking, but it was pretty good try for his first story. Prior to his first draft he have worked on with Ingrid with a story that he passed and he won a beginner¡¯s award. Fred really had no experience writing stories on his own so Ingrid was surprised at how much he¡¯s improved on writing. Maou Spence-sensei is already good at drawing manga so making his own stories must be a thing to focus on improvement. ¡°Oh, right. I really forgot my demographic.¡± ¨CFred answered realizing he¡¯s trying to serialize a shoujo. ¡°Ah, one last thing, about the existence of Shirogane, Ria¡¯s character.¡± It was one thing Ingrid have realized before they wrap up and head back at the studio. It was true Shirogane, Ria¡¯s existence will make a huge impact on the main and supporting character¡¯s progressions, considering her top seat at the popularity rankings. Ingrid thought that Fred might have something where he got the image of Ria¡¯s character, now that he have already told stories of his past. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯ll try to leave that to your imagination.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re¡ª¡± Fred stood up. He didn¡¯t want spoil Ingrid that much. As much as he wanted Mae-SUF to serialize because he still have much up his sleeve to add to the story later on, the decision was final. A part of him might¡¯ve realized serializing Dax¡¯s story won¡¯t get him any more progress than he already had. There were still several of decades he spent living back at Mytherion before his great clash against Yuusha and he might pull a better story than that of Dax¡¯s It was already three hours after they sat at the swing at the open playground. It was a spot supposed to be for kids, but they used it anyways. Now it was time to head back. The heat from where Fred stood up left a cloudy mark from the cold steel seat of the swing where he sat. ¡°Hmmmm¡­ You were a former demon yet how warm can you be. I thought your race were cold-blooded?¡± ¨CIngrid teased him. ¡°You jest, I¡¯ve told you before God made me a human when he transferred me here. I¡¯m just a normal human with not a single trace of magic whatsoever like what I had back at Mytherion.¡± ¡°Come on just teasing you a little.¡± Ingrid stood up and dashed towards the leaving Fred. She entangled her left arm with Fred¡¯s right which had made him shiver. Fred felt the smooth, cold skin of Ingrid, as well as her soft body curves pressing at his arm. Fred felt numb. The supposedly cold sensation of his arms was enveloped with a warm feeling that Ingrid¡¯s slender body was emitting. She wore her shirt that she uses back at home and her casual shorts. It was not really a getup you should wear when shopping at a grocer but considering the small town they were living at, not much people would see, nor would care, so Ingrid was quite lax about her getup. Besides she was with Fred too. The opposite proved true whenever she goes to work. With all the fuss, Fred went bright red and embarrassed. ¡°Wha¡ªwhat are you doing?! Don¡¯t do sudden things like that. The two sees you?¡± ¨CFred was perplexed. ¡°Come now, it¡¯s not like anybode would care if they see us.¡± ¡°Of course they would!¡± ¡°Let me stay like this for a while. It really became cold.¡± It was already past nine, of course the temperature would drop. Considering the season and the time of the year, it would be warm during days but still will freeze at night. Fred won¡¯t have any difficulty, he could endure the cold. But Ingrid was different, she¡¯s still a woman. Wearing just a shirt and a short will freeze her. She had a point, but she just wanted to cling towards Fred. That was a truth she couldn¡¯t deny. ¡°O-Okay. But listen, you have to get off until we reach the front of your complex.¡± ¡°Okay okay, I just want to cling on you for a lot longer. This makes us look like a couple. Isn¡¯t it nice to be like this? Can we try to walk a little slowly?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really not trying to hide it. I told you already. I won¡¯t waver. My feelings for Yuusha is solid as diamond.¡± ¡°Okay okay~~¡± The two walked beside the road towards the apartment complex. Fred breathed a sigh. His breathe formed a fog due to the difference on temperature. Looks like I escaped further questioning. I nearly lost myself a while ago and let confidential information slip. I¡¯m sorry Ingrid, I really don¡¯t want to hide some information with you but I really don¡¯t see any merit in continuing this story further. There were some thing Fred still hadn¡¯t told Ingrid. It was true, where he ended up narrating wih Dax¡¯s story did not match up with some of the keypoints he further discussed with Ingrid back at the park. The reason to this was due to it was highly confidential events that triggered memories which Fred really didn¡¯t want to remember: What happened after his talk with Elrufus Dax that night at the Barren Canyons? What happened with their expedition to find the ancient Ruins? What did they found there? What happened with the rest of the convoy heading back at the demon capital? These were the important questions Ingrid did not asked Fred. She might¡¯ve forgotten, or she might¡¯ve chosen not to ask. The discussion completed but the story remained open-ended. The two of them walked down the street with tangled arms like a couple, but they were not. --- Ch7-2 The Mole within the Premises II. The Mole within the Premises Mytherion, post-Barren Canyon expedition Gargantua Forest, 86 years before the Great Human-Demon War The journey Fred, Dax and Ricardo had at the Barren Canyons didn¡¯t end up as successful as they expected. Upon a few days of map exploration at the canyons, they found their destination, which was the Ancient Ruins, an old abandoned civilization where the human capital once resided. Fred¡¯s aim initially was to search for old libraries and hoped if there were remaining books in there, especially those telling histories from the human race¡¯s point of view. The long running war composed mainly of two opposing race: the humans and the demons. From the demon¡¯s perspective: one of the approach to gather information inside the premises of the human empire: the Human Capital itself. But that¡¯s suicide, especially for Frederie, who at that time, were still a novice with regards to the Maou duties. Even though a temporary peace treaty had took effect by that time, gathering intel from the opposing countries was immediately considered as a grave threat. Of course it will ill intentions are punishable by law, depending on which country you are in. Also cases such as those might immediately ignite another huge war, especially if involved were either of the human and the demon race. Both races didn¡¯t want to take huge risks so that move was never an option. Upon arriving at the ruins the three of them went separate ways and raided the whole city. The ancient ruins was an old civilization. The huge barren lands spanned multiple hundreds of Mytherion metric pans. The job could be easier if they had more people at their party. But with their current numbers, it was set to take a week or two to raid the whole city¡¯s premises. The routine was simple, the first to find a library should fire a magic-powered signal flare which Fred have handed the other two. During night they meet up at their rendezvous point. They should. They decided it would be better to stay close during nighttime. They didn¡¯t know what kind of danger they would encounter when being alone. They were lucky that there were no remaining encounters the rest of their stay. The first to find the library was Dax. Fred and Ricardo immediately went to the place where the signal flare was fired. The library was huge, almost as big as a small-sized castle a noble with a middle-high class would own. It looked like you may find a book lying on the floor anywhere. But it was like a ghost library. It took them a whole day to give the whole library a thorough raid, but they found only a handful of books left, those that did not really matter whether salvaged or not. Fred deduced that the books he needed might¡¯ve been either burned or restored at the new human capital. This was a huge proof that records and literature was valued by the humans as much as the demons did. Nothing much they could do about an empty library, so instead of going back empty-handed, they decided to go to the government and important structures too to find old relics that might serve a purpose. Dax found himself a new (but really old) dagger. He seemed fond of Daggers. Fred told himself. Nothing really bear profit. Exhausted and out of resources, the three of them decided to go back to the demon capital. Back at the main road they luckily passed on a group of travelling merchants bound to the nearest village at the outskirts of Gargantua Forest, one of the villages Morgianna and Fred stayed with before entering the forest. Having the identities of the two hidden, Ricardo was the one who talked with the merchants. He introduced them as paid mercenaries that he hired to travel with him. It was the best excuse they could offer. Besides, the travelling merchant would feel at ease travelling across the Gargantua Forest with hitchhiked soldiers. Of course both parties were still wary. They were strangers after all. Who knows whether a group of hitchhikers were part of a larger bandit group waiting at the forest to attack them? Good thing Ricardo showed an item towards them which had them agreed that Fred¡¯s group were not bandits. It might be a proof of valor or a token of relic Ricardo must had obtained from his previous battles. It was a huge help for them. The merchants with Fred¡¯s group travelled a few more days within the Gargantua Forest. It was really spanned a huge part of land. Days before they reach the exit of the forest facing the borders of the Demon realm, They passed on scattered debris of carriages, those which looked familiar with those three. ¡°Could you please stop for a while?¡± ¨CRicardo asked the head of the merchants via Fred¡¯s orders. Dax was perplexed. He did not knew what emotion he should show when he confirmed that the remains of the carriages were same as those the demi-human convoy. Same as Dax, Fred turned pale. Multiple questions filled his head. What happened? What could¡¯ve caused this remains? Were the convoy attacked by a high-tier creature again? How much time had passed since this event? Where¡¯s Morgianna? Thelesmatas, and the others?The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. But still he didn¡¯t let stress cloud his judgment. ¡°Calm down Dax. We¡¯re not certain yet about the convoy members. If there are casualties there would be traces of blood or bodies left lying here.¡± ¡°Lord Dax, what Lord Maou Fred have just told could prove true. We must calm ourselves at a time like this. Lord Maou Fred, let me talk to the merchants and have them go already. We¡¯re near the border. It would only take us half a day more towards the next village. We could rest there. But we need to investigate this place first.¡± ¨CRicardo was really helpful at a time like that. ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± ¨Canswered the exhausted Fred. After the merchants have left, the remaining three sat and gathered at some rock formation near the carriage remains. They rounded up to discuss and cool themselves off. ¡°This does not look like an indication that a creature attacked. It was more like done by bandits.¡± ¡°Preprosterous these are parts of the forest very near the borders of the village if there would be bandits they should be within the demon race that lived by the village. Besides when I and Morgianna stayed by the nearest village by the border we heard nothing about bandits attacking this part of the forest among the merchants.¡± ¡°If what Lord Maou stated was true then the bandits should came from the other side of the Forest, or they are natives within this forest already that nobody might have discovered yet. But the point is, there should be guards from the village within these parts already patrolling around, yet there were no news about bandit attacks.¡± ¡°The fundamental truth is, the convoy bound to the demon capital had elite guards, Irish and Morgianna. A simple bandit attack should be fended off quickly.¡± The three went silent upon Dax¡¯s sudden point. It was very well true a group of bandits won¡¯t stand a chance against a group of elite fighters and trained guards, not to mention Morgianna¡¯s battle capabilities and Irish, which still had an unknown strength. Fred racked up his brain again. It was when he tried to retrace the events he and Morgianna have encountered starting from when they entered the forest. >A few encounters with dire wolves and other low-tier creatures >A sudden meetup with the demi-human convoy which was supposedly planned by his father >battle with the mandragoras >Irish Dux pinning him down at a tree due to him finding out about her hidden feelings towards Dax >Dax went M.I.A. >Fred unleashing massive demonic aura to calm the convoy >A sudden appearance of a high-tier spirit cluster >Dax being able to control his Transcendence. >Morgianna agreeing to split and accompany the convoy back to the demon capital. ¡°I know father had done so many schemes with me already but I was really shocked that he had calculated everything up until the mandragora¡¯s appearance¡­¡ª¡± ¨CFred made a pause. Mandragoras were not natives at a place like this. Fred realized there was something amiss. Mandragoras are creatures dwelling on rich lands where nutrients were always abundant. Before him and Morgianna found the location where Dax¡¯s party battling with the mandragoras was, Fred noticed the quality of the land and the trees within the perimeter. It was lacking of nutrients. That left Fred with two possibilities: Either the mandragoras evolved and sucked the land dry from nutrients, which proved wrong since a group of 4 mandragoras which evolved would not suck dry a land spanning of a few tens of pans. The second one was, someone force summoned them with the cost of all the nutrients within the span of lands where Fred observed was lacking with. Fred stood up, gave the perimeter a quick scan with his eyes again. ¡°Shit¡­¡± ¡°What have you found out Fred¡± ¡°Shit.. Shit¡­ Shit¡­ Shit!!¡± Fred run towards the nearest tree where there seemed to be a branch sticking out. It was a hilt-looking canister which contained a letter. ¡°Morgianna, they¡¯re alive.¡± ¨CFred confirmed after seeing the penmanship of the letter. ¡°What does it say?¡± Fred gave it a quick read, then fell on his knees. ¡°I was na?ve.¡± Fred realized something. At the very beginning of their first meetup with the demi-human convoy, Fred did not realize things that were amiss. He was too focused on determining whether Dax will complete his transcendence. His thirst for knowledge had gotten ahead of him that he lost awareness of his surroundings. ¡°There was a mole lurking at the convoy.¡± Dax and Ricardo turned pale. ¡°Mandragoras were not native at this forest. They were summoned. This was not father¡¯s ploy. Their goal was initially to eliminate Mae Militum Thelesmata, the individual possessing the calling of The Diplomat*. Me and Morgianna¡¯s sudden appearance was out of their calculations that they have to resume their plot after I left.¡± It made sense. What father would plot a scenario that could harm his own son? Fred¡¯s meeting with the convoy was supposed to be the only planned scenario, but there¡¯s an external party that planned an assassination within the convoy. ¡°Also, the part where the high-tier creature appeared was not a coincidence. It was summoned too. I really put the blame on myself for letting out a huge amount of malice but considering the size of this forest and the nature of the creature, it should not exist, nor gets reached by the malice I let out. Someone must have been controlling it from the sidelines and have it kill me and Mae, who were that time, were away from the main party finding you. I thought all of those were coincidence.¡± The enemy concluded that Fred and Morgianna posed a greater threat and must be eliminated first. But with how things turned out, and Fred and Mae were left alone due to Fred¡¯s decisions, the enemy took the greatest chance to hit two birds with one stone. That¡¯s why the spirit cluster never left Fred and Mae who were running around the forest. ¡°Tell me, was it indicated at the letter?¡± ¡°Dax, whatever I tell you, don¡¯t you dare lose yourself here and keep your composure.¡± What Fred was about to tell will take a huge toll on Dax¡¯s mentality. Eitherways Dax was more than prepared and nodded. ¡°Irish Dux Thelesmata have betrayed the demi-human convoy and plotted an assassination of Mae Militum Thelesmata with the Humans. Along with summoners, mages and some of the elite fighters on her side which attacked the convoy and summoned the creatures we initially encountered, there was a skirmish. Morgianna, along with the remaining guards that was on Mae Militum¡¯s side, defended her, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Mae was gravely injured. Morgianna lost her left arm due to a high-class spell she used to drive the pursuers. Irish Dux retreated with the humans who attacked, along with her loyalists. The convoy were split onto two groups, those who sided Irish, and those who still believes in Mae¡¯s recovery.¡± Tears were falling down on Dax¡¯s face as Fred continued to tell them whan happened. Ricardo was pale, but was still trying to look calm himself. The situation was graver than they thought. ¡°Irish¡­ Why¡­ SHIT!!!¡± ¨CDax fell on the ground and slammed it with his fists. The three of them were silent. Ricardo supported the swaying and out of strength Dax as they continued to walk out of the forest. --- Ch7-3 End of a Journey III. End of a Journey The feeling of anxiety still lingered within the party consisting of Fred, Dax and Ricardo. They were still travelling back to the demon capital. They were already out of the Gargantua Forest but they still could not shake off the feeling they had when they left. Nobody could try to lighten up the mood, telling jokes or telling stories just to keep the conversation up. These three were silent. Like when Fred and Morgianna travelled heading towards the Gargantua forest, the three of them did the same but with a reverse route. They stop at village inns during night to rest, and travel vast fields during day. At night they drink at the bar to drown themselves with alcohol and try to forget the bad news that they arrived at them back at the forest. Unlike at Earth, Mytherion didn¡¯t know of age restrictions with items like alcohol, smoking and other similar products. One could try but it should be on their own discretion, pros and cons considered. But drinking wasn¡¯t enough. Alcohol could give one a bit of self-satisfaction for a brief amount of time. They were just diverting their attention to something different than the scenario that they will arrive at when they arrive at the demon capital. Ricardo and Fred were responsible drinkers but Dax could not hold off his own. Dax had a reason to get himself drunk all over. With the news regarding Mae Militum, of course he was the one who was most impacted among them. Fred may have a reason, but he tried to remain composed, just as Ricardo. Ricardo was the eldest amongst them and the most experienced one. He didn¡¯t want to add to Ricardo¡¯s worries by acting like Dax does. Both of them always ended up as support for carrying the drunk Dax up to the room they have rented for the night. ¡°Come on Lord Dax, a little push.¡± ¡°God Dax for somebody your age, you¡¯re really heavy.¡± Complained the two as they support Dax on both sides. The same routine went for a few more days until they finally reached the demon capital. --- The three were walking at a bridge towards the entrance gate at the west side of the main city. They are far yet there had been a convoy waiting at the entrance. It was a carriage from the royal palace. The elegant looking carriage painted in black was incomparable to the ones the demi-human convoy were using at their travels. The exquisite black finish with golden paint at the edges had a glossy shine. The golden plates are attached at its body which distinguished the placement of the door. The door which was with another jet-black coating, now more emphasized compared to the body painting finish. The clear glass window, which never had any scratch in it shows a clear view of the white woven silk curtains inside. These curtains must prevent VIPs from being seen inside while travelling. The rim was gold-plated too. The only material that was common within normal carriages was the rubber-ish material that encircles the rim of the wheels. The carriage overall looked very well properly maintained. Any commoner would ask how much income does the royal palace produce within a quarter of a year to produce such exquisite-looking means of transportation. Even the horses looked well-nourished creatures covered in fine-looing leather harness. There were a few guards, in plate armor. Supposedly with the Maou and a VIP Patron of the demi-humans arriving, the demon capital should welcome them with full security but they chose not to. The only reason was because each of the guard can handle high level threats on their very own. Think of how powerful each of them was. One can guess only by looking at their armors: they could slay mythical dragons. Besides the carriage and the guards waiting, a female wearing normal polo clothing with tight skirt and wearing a glasses could be seen too. She was Fred¡¯s tutor. Fred turned pale when he saw her. Fred only thought of two things seeing her: she would welcome him from a long journey that he could not attend her classes, or, she would welcome him just to scold him because he could not attend her classes for long. Also, behind her tutor was Morgianna. The feeble body looked pale in color. Morgianna seemed like someone who pushed herself to get up from the hospital bed just to greet her master arriving from a long journey hello. She looked weak. The strong Morgianna who could battle up to middle-tier creatures now looked so weak that she can¡¯t even face her arriving master properly. But that was due to her taking the weight of responsibility herself due to what happened back at the forest. Now she¡¯s ashamed so much that she couldn¡¯t face her own master. Also, as she stood there still, Fred can see her left side, lacking an arm. ¡°So what was written in the report was real.¡± ¨CFred assumed. But Fred did not notice his body was already moving. At first he was walking, then he was walking fast, then he was running already. He reached out to Morgianna and embraced her while crying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Morgianna. It was all due to my miscalculations. I was so na?ve.¡± ¡°I was the one who should be sorry master. I tried my best to defend them, but still¡­ still¡­ an attack passed thrugh me and pierced Mae. I¡¯m sorry master¡­ it was because I am so weak.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m glad there were no fatalities from those whom you defended. You¡¯ve done a great job. If there was someone to blame it should be me.¡± ¡°Yes Fred this should be on you. But there¡¯s nothing we can do to change what¡¯s happened.¡± ¨CSaid his tutor while patting their heads. Ricardo was shocked. He knew already that Fred must have been affected greatly due to having his servant: who he never treated as one but as a real family, injured to that extent too. Still he never expected that this was the extent of his worry. He realized that deep inside, they were still kids who could be compared to kids having seen their parents after being lost at a place full of people. They were crying, but it should be okay, they encountered several dangerous situation and survived. Who knew how exhausted they were. Fred was just as exhausted and was worried as Dax. But now that he saw Morgianna in a better condition, it should lessen his anxiety a little. The only one remaining in an indescribable situation was Dax. Ricardo looked at him. He looked as mad as an envying demon trying to grab an opportunity to make himself happy from those who currently are. He had all the reason to be angry at Morgianna, at the guards defending Mae, but it will be a very nonsense response. They have tried their best to keep Mae alive. A single opening lead to a grave injury that Mae received that battle they had. But still, the efforts weren¡¯t in vain. Mae is currently recuperating at the palace. Still they didn¡¯t know what the extent of the grave injury was. So the anxiety still lingered towards Dax. ¡°We¡¯ll get by, you will see Lady Mae very soon.¡± ¨CRicardo patted Dax¡¯s shoulder to calm him down. But first, they needed to wait the two, Fred and Morgianna, who were having a heartfelt reunion, meeting up after a seemingly long time away with each other. ¡°Okay, you may continue that inside the carriage, but please let us proceed to our next destination. It seemed that our little Patron here needed to see the current state of our patent.¡± ¨CTold the tutor as she clapped her hands. After a very long exhausting and morbid journey back towards the demon capital, the three entered the carriage which will lead them to their last destination: The Demon Palace. --- There were multiple magic-imbued life support capsules besides the bed where Mae Militum laid. Her body that was usually healthy was now looking like it was barely hanging onto a thread. --- Upon reaching the castle, Dax¡¯s fear grew more and more. All of that what if¡¯s had been clouding up his mind. The people from the carriage noticed it as Dax¡¯s feet stomping at the floor of the carriage grew stronger. ¡°Come now Dax¡­, you¡¯re making us all uneasy here.¡± ¨CFred asked Dax to stop indirectly. Fred then looked at Morgianna, who had said nothing when they started riding towards the castle. She had been feeling responsible already for the incompetence she had shown during the last battle. Yet seeing Dax on his state had made her more afraid than she already was. She clung more onto Fred, asking for help. In response to his little sister-acting slave (but not really treated as a slave), Fred gave Dax a strong glare with a ¡°What do you think you are doing to my little sister¡± message. Being aware of his own fault, Dax tried to hide his mixed emotions as much as he could. Fred¡¯s tutor who was riding in front of the carriage besides the guard driver was aware of the situation inside. Before the carriage started moving, she warned the three of them, especially Dax with regards to the current situation at the palace. The elites among the civilians within their convoy that chose to stay within the ¡®Militum Faction¡¯ have been all over the places panicking after knowing the state of their leader¡¯s wellbeing. It had been like that during the situation at the Gargantua Forest too. It seems that the people following Mae are absolute followers. They are the types of people who loses everything if they lose their leader. This would only mean that the contrary could be said with Irish Dux¡¯s followers. They could do anything they want to do even if they lose Irish. They were far too free and liberated. Being told that put everyone to an even heavier atmosphere. The mood inside the carriage never did any better. Perhaps that was the right decision. Fred¡¯s tutor / now adviser too, chose tell them straight right away. The three of them better be prepared to see than cling on to false hopes which will not do any better when they arrive at the place where Mae was being treated. ¡°Come on Dax, we¡¯ve apologized on our end already. Us two here really hoped for the best on Mae¡¯s recovery. You might want to put a little more trust on her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯ve caused a misunderstanding. In fact I¡¯ve wanted to thank Morgianna for doing her best. But I don¡¯t know how. I¡¯m just really out of the right way of thinking right now due to what happened. I¡¯m sorry for that too.¡± ¡°We can only pray for her full recovery.¡± Not much time after that and the carriage arrived at the Demon Palace. --- The guards opened the huge doors of the castle to make way for the VIPs, including Fred the Maou himself. Dax had been welcomed by the remaining followers of the ¡®Militum Faction¡¯. But instead of a warm welcome. Questions have barraged him due to the incident that happened hile he was gone. ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°What have you found out with the Maou at the ancient ruins?¡± ¡°What have you been doing all this time while Princess Militum had been in danger?¡± ¡°How irresponsible of a Patron could you be?¡± These questions were half-meant and half-due-to-the-situation. It was like a press-con or ambush interview where the primary point of interest could not answer any of the questions being asked in front of him. A part of him wanted to answer but a question answered will branch out to another set of questions. Everything will be endless if he paid them attention. ¡°Now now everyone, Lord Dax have been exhausted from a long journey. All of your concerns should be addressed after he takes a rest. But first thing¡¯s first, we will need to visit Lady Mae¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Preposterous. How could you even try to see Lady Mae after all the time you were not with us?¡± ¨CAn elite said behing the background, who knows who? Everybody went silent. The main hall was filled with an awkwardness. The elite had a point. Most of them could not put their full trust with Dax, the Patron yet. He had yet to establish the trust which Mae Militum had. But it should not be something to be said at that situation and must have been kept on his own. Fred was the one to break the silence. It was his castle after all. ¡°If any of you could¡¯ve said that, I guess you lot could¡¯ve taken a better course of action to prevent what happened. Yet, you still chose to cower in fear while those who chose to remain silent battled the opposing force.¡± Fred had been offended too. Looking at Morgianna¡¯s state, anyone with an affinity with magic could¡¯ve helped at the skirmish. It could¡¯ve changed the outcome of the battle too. But everyone who are not assigned as a guard chose not to. They let only those ordered to guard them drive the opponents away. As a result, Morgianna had to sacrifice her left arm. It was a great loss, and no technology yet, nor magic could restore a part of a living individual¡¯s body, nor replace it with an artificial one. It was yet to be discovered a few more decades in the near future. Morgianna had been cowering behind Fred. She must¡¯ve been ashamed to show herself from the ones she have failed to protect. But could anyone really say Morgianna had failed to protect them? Without any more argument went after Fred¡¯s statement, the four of them, led by Fred¡¯s Tutor / Adviser went to the room Mae Militum is being confined. --- Ch7-4 The Sleeping Beauty needs to be woken up IV. The Sleeping Beauty needs to be woken up The four stood beside the frame of the bed where Mae laid. They felt sorry for the situation she was currently in. The frail body that laid across the queen-sized bed looked more lifeless than hanging on. The extent of injury could be guessed by the way you look at her. ¡°She was hit by a piercing spell one of the opponent¡¯s magicians fired. The spell pierced through her stomach. The wound was so big that the treatment compared to the loss of blood she had did not prevent her being in danger. She had been unconscious since we have rushed to travel her back here at the demon palace.¡± Morgianna explained what happened between the battle with the opposing members and how Mae ended up on her current situation. She was apologetic. She had been ever since Fred and Dax arrived. Fred approached Mae. He reached out to her hand. It was still warm. It was better than arriving back at the palace only to touch a cold body. Dax knew all of this. Now that he¡¯s I front of Mae all he could do is to cry. Not only he had not accomplished nor discovered anything with Fred back at the ancient ruins, but he also did left the Thelesmata sisters alone. That was the only trigger the opposition was waiting for them to execute their plan. The absence of the Patron made the ¡®Diplomatic¡¯ faction so vulnerable. They failed to assassinate Mae Militum Thelesmata but it put the target to a comatose. Partly they have accomplished their goal, but their target was still alive. They could strike back anytime so the best course of action was to rush Mae Militum to the Demon Capital, the safest place they could hide her for the time being. ¡°At times like this¡­¡± Dax tried to hide his anger, regret, and worry. ¡°What are you trying to pull Irish¡­?¡± It was true, Irish and her loyalist have sided with the humans. It was one of the biggest factor of this incident. The aim is justifiable by the human¡¯s perspective. They have raged war and competition with the demon race ever since the beginning of the history books. With a huge composition of several half-half races, the demi-humans, march across the demon capital for whatever reason, either to have peace talks or to strengthen forces with an alliance, will be a huge threat towards their success. An assassination attempt towards their high leaders should led the nation at a state of emergency and stall their movement for a long span of time. Irish might have not known of the human¡¯s ploy to assassinate Mae, or she might be informed. But what made her to side with the humans at this point of time? The timing was too perfect. That was one the things Dax tried to figure out ever since they have left the Gargantua Forest. ¡°I admit I¡¯m not yet on par with Irish¡¯s battling capability as it was in the nature of her calling, but once you wake up, I¡¯ll promise you I¡¯ll get a clean hit punch at her face for all the trouble she¡¯s causing¡­¡± Dax crouched near Mae¡¯s face, acting like trying to whisper something to her ear while holding out her hand. ¡°¡­so please wake up now.¡± The door suddenly opened. It was one of the nurse/scientist that have been taking care of Mae and researching about the condition of her body. ¡°Oh. Milord Maou. Pardon my intrusion.¡± ¡°No, no, It¡¯s okay. Ah¡­ Actually, that depends on whether you give us good news or not. Just Kidding.¡± The scientist had an unexplainable expression. ¡°I¡¯ve come with the results of the examination of Lady Mae¡¯s body.¡± A light of hope. Everyone had been waiting for this, especially Dax. ¡°Please, any hint. We could figure out something immediately.¡± ¨CFred answered. ¡°Yes, upon checking there had been mana residue that have scattered through her blood vessels, which have been circulating within her body since she went on unconscious state. This is bad. If we could not remove the remaining residue from her body for a few more days the residue will start to enter her brain too and she will be paralyzed. There are trained mana manipulators here at the palace but it will take a few more days to finish the treatment, which was the thing we are avoiding as much as possible.¡± Dax looked at Fred. Fred nodded. A single ray of hope, now within Dax¡¯s grasp. The treatment is simple: Mana manipulation. Back at their encounter with the high-tier spirit at the forest. They only way they defeated the high-tier spirit cluster was due to Dax¡¯s mana manipulation skill that he executed when in Transcendence*. This will be a surefire method, but there were also huge risks to take. First was Dax¡¯s mastery of the skill is too low. Second was the complexity of an individual¡¯s body, especially the blood vessels scattered throughout the whole body. Third were the cons if they were to mess up. They could assume only death of the patient. ¡°Dax, you really need to surpass yourself and do this.¡± Dax look at the unconscious Mae. He then looked at the nurse/scientist standing in front of them. ¡°I have to do it. I will do it.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss Scientist, please prepare the materials I¡¯ll be listing. I will also explain the treatment process that we will be doing. It will need absolutely high precision and mana transfer process.¡± ¡°Yes Lord Maou.¡± The joint operation group (Everyone at the treatment room) started preparing. --- Just like a princess from that awoke from her deep slumber, Mae Militum opened her eyes. ¡°Where am I?¡± Mae looked around the room after she asked. There were a few people but she only knew two of them. It was Fred and Morgianna, who were having tea at the table near the window. It was a huge room, huge enough to make you wonder how he did got in. Behind her were huge windows, covered with long silk curtains. The windows were left open so the fresh breeze could enter the room. It was refreshing. Along with the breeze outside she could hear the chirping of birds outside along with the sound of the leaves of the trees as the wind blows. The sound was so gentle and recovering.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She still feels weak due to her recovering body. It was not like she had an amnesia or a part of her could not remember what happened back at the forest. In fact she could remember all of it. Of course she could not remember any of what happened after she went unconscious. It really felt like a long time. She had been in coma for weeks. Fred and Morgianna who were having tea besides one of the windows finally perceived where the voice came from and looked towards Mae. Fred just smirked, in contrary to Morgianna who was so shocked and happy. Mae could only wonder how severe the injury she had was. The two stood up and head towards her. ¡°Uhm¡­ Lord Maou. I¡¯m really sorry. I was such a heavy burden.¡± ¡°No need to apologize so much. Perhaps you should be thanking Morgianna here who did her best to drive away the attackers.¡± Fred chopped Morgianna¡¯s head beside him in a joking manner. Morgianna pouted and looked at him with a playful expression. What Fred did was simply to lift up the heavy feeling was lingering within Morgianna. She had been anxious all this time, blaming herself of what happened. Now that Mae¡¯s wellbeing has been confirmed she should feel relieved. Fred just gave it a little push. Mae laughed on a low volume. She could not laugh out loud yet. She just woke up. Her throat must be dry. But her happiness came to a halt as she looked at Morgianna. ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­¡± ¨CWhat she pointed out was Morgianna¡¯s lost arm. Fred noticed what Mae was trying to point out. ¡°Ah this¡­ It¡¯s quite unfortunate on our part but we¡¯ll manage somehow. I¡¯ll find a way to recover my lil sister here¡¯s left arm.¡± Being called a little sister made Morgianna blush. She hit Fred¡¯s side. ¡°Ouch what was that for!¡± Calling Morgianna a little sister, and also seeing how they treat each other back at the forest, Mae could only think of how much Fred cares for Mogianna. He had been treating her as a family, not a slave. Must be nice to have a big brother care for me ¨Cshe could only think from herself. But still, seeing Morgianna lost her arm due to a spell which she used to drive Irish¡¯s forces away, Mae could feel her weakness and being able to do nothing but be a burden. She was the target. If she could anyhow defend herself nothing of these would¡¯ve happened. ¡°Oh by the way¡± ¨CFred cut her thoughts. ¡°Make sure you thank the one who did his best to save you. The situation was dire and uncertain, still he managed to save you.¡± Mae realized something. If Fred was already there, then he also came back with two people with him. Ricardo the elite fighter, and most importantly, Dax. She had loved Dax ever since they were kids. She still loves him now and she will love him forever. Dax went with Fred to his expedition towards the ancient ruins and now that he¡¯s back Dax should be with him too. She felt a very long time of longing to see him ever since they went separate ways from the forest. How much had she missed him. She will never forget the warmth of Dax¡¯s hand every time she holds them. That was still a familiar feeling, even then. Even that moment that she¡¯s feeling it. And as she felt the warmth from her right hand she finally noticed. Fred gave a smirk. ¡°Come, Morgianna, let¡¯s leave them for a while. They will have a lot to talk about.¡± Fred moved towards the door. Morgianna gave a bow towards Mae and followed Fred. After the two left it was just Dax and Mae. Dax never let go of her hand ever since the operation succeeded. He had been there for a few more days that Mae took to finally recover. ¡°Ehem!!¡± ¨CMae tried to wake Dax up. He went up in response and was too shaken. He was still asleep when Mae woke up. ¡°Huh?! What?! Who?!¡± ¡°Hahaha!! What are getting you too shaken up for? That battle already ended¡­ And here I am, still alive. I told you before I won¡¯t die young right?¡± ¨CMae tried to joke about what happened. Dax looked at her in a face of relief. ¡°I thought I¡­ I was afraid¡­ I was¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I was away when this happened. I¡¯m not able to protect you¡­¡± ¨CDax was crying. He couldn¡¯t hide the gladness he was feeling at that moment. He have waited for days for Mae to finally wake up. ¡°Now don¡¯t be. You did everything to save me right?¡± ¡°There was this¡ª Then that¡ª Then I was suddenly needed to do this, and that¡ª And I did my best and¡ª It went fine.¡± ¡°Gosh what will I do with you. Hahaha! You need to relearn your speech, seems like you need a teacher. Want me to teach you?¡± The operation went for a whole span of ten hours. Along with a skilled mage from the demon palace to pinpoint the location of the mana, Fred who used his Transcendence* and mana manipulation ability tried everything to extract the mana debris flowing all throughout Mae¡¯s blood veins. Even if they have secured ninety percent of the debris extraction as a safety threshold for Mae¡¯s body, Dax still pursued to recover everything. Of course Fred had been transferring mana to Dax for him to keep up his Transcended form and keep up with the operation. It was the longest ten hours of Dax¡¯s life. Seeing the fruit of the successful operation which they risked everything with, Dax could not hide his happiness now that Mae woke up. ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m sorry this happened. It was due to lack of experience, foresight and will.¡± ¨CMae apologized. Mae could only ask herself about the decisions she made and where it went wrong. Everything was fine until all of those events happened. Why did Irish decided to side with those planning to assassinate Her? Did they threaten her with something? Is she planning to side with the humans from the very start? They went to the Demon Capital to advocate peace talks between the demons and the demi-humans, initially due to Mae¡¯s request. Considering the option of joining the joining the war and choosing sides was option #2 for them. Plotting an assassination attempt with one of the leaders, being led by another one of the leaders was not a very smart move. Bearing that in mind, the painful expression can¡¯t be painted on Mae¡¯s face as she cried. ¡°I¡¯m really a useless sister, a one who can¡¯t even decide who to trust even though her sister already betrayed her. A part of me still believes in her, that she would come back to us.¡± Dax went near Mae and placed his forehead towards hers. ¡°Quit thinking too much. We haven¡¯t been sure of her real intentions. For now let¡¯s just focus on your recover. Don¡¯t worry, when we get her back I¡¯ll make sure to get a punch on her good looking face for what she did to you.¡± Dax smiled. This was the Dax that she loves. Quite simple, dense, and always thoughtful. She needed to convey her feelings in the most direct way if she wanted to progress with him. The timing was perfect, all Mae needed to do was to act, and she chose to. In the heat of the moment Mae blushed. And pushed herself towards Dax. She pressed her lips with him. Dax welcomed it without opposing. It was a quick one, perhaps Mae was too embarrassed. She pulled out of being close to Dax. She was bright read. ¡°Th-Th-That was¡­ Uhm¡­ how will I explain it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¨CDax looked at her. ¡°I know there¡¯s Irish, and all of the other stuff. Perhaps we both share the same feelings too. I¡¯m not trying to pull out one ahead of her, but I feel like this is the right time to convey my feelings. Dax¡­ I¡ªI¡ªI¡¯ve been in love of you for a long time already.¡± Mae looked at Dax. He was smiling, like teasing her of her feelings. ¡°No¡ªNooo!! You already know!! Since when?!! AAAAAAAA¡± ¨CMae lost her sense of speech. ¡°To be honest I didn¡¯t know up till recently, not until that stupid Maou told it to me directly. I was really hoping to hear a direct confession from someone but he spoiled it on me. Well what can I do, it¡¯s already here.¡± ¡°UWAAAAAAAH!! I¡¯m so embarrassed.¡± ¡°For the record he told me Irish loves me just as much as you too.¡± The conversation Fred and Dax had at the road towards the ancient ruins, were true. Mae had confessed to him. Probably Irish would if she was there too. ¡°Please forget everything that happened!!¡± ¨CMae was still trying to retract her decision. ¡°Sigh¡­ what if I won¡¯t?¡± ¡°Eh? What?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like I decided yet, but after all the things that Irish have done. I will be needing an explanation from her first. Things will be different now. I promise you I will protect you as long as I¡¯m alive.¡± Mae¡¯s eyes widened. It was not a direct answer but Dax have already decided to choose her by the looks of it. ¡°I-I-It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t like the kiss though¡­¡± ¨CDax tried to hide his embarrassment too. Mae wiped the tears in her face. ¡°It seems like it will be the two of us from now on.¡± ¨CShe joked on Dax. ¡°Yea,¡± Dax looked at scenery that could be glanced past the thin curtains that hang from the wall. The wind that tried to enter the window that moment was so refreshing that it relieves them of all the pent up stress and worries they had for a long time. Irish was not with them to feel the same way as they are at that moment. It had always been the three of them when they experienced things like this. Now it was only the two of them. For whatever reason they could think with as to why Irish have made that decision, they try to shove it away for that very moment and just think of themselves: one who will continue to show her love and affection towards Dax, and one who will try to accept Mae Militum Thelesmata as a woman and support her for the rest of his life. What a scenery¡­ ¡°Ssssh!! What will we do if they hear us!¡± ¡°Hey I can¡¯t hear let me closer¡± ¡°Master¡­ I realy think we should not be doing this.¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t push!!¡± Dax could already hear faint voices from behind the door outside. ¡°Wha¡ªWho touched my butt?!¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t push!! Don¡¯t push!!¡± SLAM!! And the eavesdroppers finally popped out of the door and fell towards the ground. It was the tutor, Ricardo, Dax and Morgianna. Fred looked up towards the two and said, ¡°Smooth as fuck moves, Dax.¡± While giving a thumbs up. ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!¡± ¨Cscreamed the embarrassed Mae as Dax just sighed. --- Ch7-5 War Prelude 1: Fredericus, Morgianna and the Conference Room V. War Prelude 1: Fredericus, Morgianna and the Conference Room (Demon Capital, 96 years before the Great Human-Demon War) During the earliest days of Frederie at the castle, he have been introduced of the duties and responsibilities of being a Maou. He should be playing outside with the other demon kids but his family chose for him to stay at the castle and learn the things he should be learning. Though it would seem like he was robbed of his freedom as a kid, it was not really the case. It was because of a passive trait he obtained due to his calling as a Maou. It was a trait that lets to dedicate himself to what he gets his interest with. Also, he could not let his father¡¯s high hopes for him down. One might think it was really due to his calling that forced him to devote himself to the duties and responsibilities of the Maou. But even though that were the case, his young age still manifested within him. Frederie was still a normal young boy. He chose not to attend classes that not pique his interest and always try to sneak out with Morgianna. Her mother could only sigh herself out after they apologize to his tutor. One of the classes that he fully attended to was a history lesson with the previous Maou generation. Given a brief description by his tutor, he learnt that he is currently the eight generation Maou. Demon race live for about a range of hundred to hundred and fifty Mytherion years. Legends like the Maou lives for about two hundred to up until they decide to die of the Yuusha crusades himself towards the castle to kill him. One of the oldest Maou that had been recorded was the fifth generation which lived for about five hundred years. He was a very clever individual that avoided as much large scale battles as possible. It had not been recorded how he died, but it was said that he died by old age. Seems like even the most legendary of the Mytherion beings except the gods could not avoid death by old age. Not much was discussed about the other generations, it was really just an introduction of the names. An in depth studying should be done to research about each individual¡¯s deeds and contributions to the current demon race. ¡°Listen, Frederie, this will be a very important part of the lesson today. This is about the second generation Maou which have established his own elite team of forces to battle with the Yuusha during his time. The human forces have been at their peak at those times, The Second Maou himself won¡¯t be enough to battle with their elite forces. So, along with his right hand, he searched the vast Mytheron lands to gather a team of elite forces to rival the humans. Along with them he delegated three main generals his right hand man included: General Orcas of the longest River, General Minos of the Talest Mountain, and General Iteria of the Blinding Mist.¡± It had been a very long discussion. The tutor pointed out that after the second generation Maou, the proceeding generations carried the tradition and delegated the three generals with them too, to help them of the Maou duties. It was a very important lesson that Frederie should learn as the current eight generation. Sooner or later he needed to start gathering the three greatest generals too. --- Fred opened his eyes. ¡°My master, have you already rested?¡± ¨CMorgianna welcomed Fred¡¯s waking up with a smile. So much have happened within these past few days that Fred begged for his tutor to five him a day off. His tutor warned him about his father but he still pushed his luck and exploited his position as the Maou just to force his tutor approve of his day off. That leaded to Morgianna, again, being assigned on the lookout for him. There really wasn¡¯t much to look out for. Fred just wanted to sleep at the garden. The place was cool, the shade of the tree didn¡¯t fully block the snlight but it was enough to hve someone feel comfy and listless, resulting to a deep slumber. Being attached to his master/brother too much, Morgianna moved Fred¡¯s deep-sleeping body towards her and placed his head on her lap. She stroked his hair for a few times and also rested her back at the trunk of the tree. Not much time after that and she fell for a nap too. It wasn¡¯t that much time after that and Morgianna suddenly forced herself to wake up. She didn¡¯t want her master/brother to wake up ahead of her. She realized she dose off and wiped her drool. She continued observing the surrounding until Fred woke up. ¡°Tell me Morgianna if you are really fond of doing the elder sister type and do things like this to me.¡± ¨CFred asked Morgianna wondering how did his head ended up with Morgianna¡¯s lap. ¡°My master what are you talking about? Of course you will be more comfortable resting your head at my lap¡± ¨CTeased Morgianna. Fred blushed. Even though he tried to max out his composure, being a boy, he still would get embarrassed at situations like this. On the other hand, Morgianna seemed to have matured quite a bit. Her traits as a succubus started manifesting towards her. Fred could only try to guess whether this was due to their master-servant relationship, or whether Morgianna just grew fond of his spoiling, or whether this was due to her being a succubus that she started to see Fred as a prey more than a master. Which weighed more? ¡°O-o-of course¡­ It is soft¡­ your lap, I mean.¡± Steam puffed out of Morgianna¡¯s head. She dug her own grave. ¡°I-I-In any case, My Master, If you have already rested, It¡¯s about time you meet up with your father.¡± It was one of the things that Fred should have done immediately after he and his party arrived at the castle, but he kind of forgot due to the things that happened. While Fred and Dax were busy doing the operation to save Mae, his father had been attending to the elitists of the demi-human convoy who were left and originally followers of Mae, The Diplomat. He had been running around here and there for paper works, accommodations, meetings and even food the guests eat. He had been a busybody and never got the chance to meet up with Fred too. Who knows if he didn¡¯t even knew his son already arrived from a long journey. ¡°Gah. I really forgot about him.¡± ¨CFred scratched his head as he just remembered he have a father. ¡°Fufufu¡­ looks like your day off will come to a closure.¡± ¡°Aaaahg¡­ and here I am wanting to take a few more time to rest.¡± Fred¡¯s day off was over. --- It was a long hallway. It was the only path towards the audience room at the innermost room of the demon castle. It had been constructed that way for as long as Fred could remember and he had been in there for a few times since. He was seldom brought by his father during his meetings with the highest executives. He thought it was just not the right time yet. The times he was brought inside were if he¡¯s needed to be introduced towards the guests and appointments that needed his audience. There were thick pillars with artistic carvings supporting the heavy marble ceiling. A huge one every ten mytherion meters of interval. These pillars are lined up on a straight path which led towards a huge door with several guards awaiting outside. There must have been VIPs already inside ¨CFred thought. ¡°My master, we should pick up the pace.¡± ¨CMorgianna broke his train of thought as he walks absentmindedly. A part of Fred was still enjoying his day off. If he wished, he could cancel this meeting asap. But he assumed it was something urgent so he pushed himself to attend somehow. He never wanted to be branded as the ¡®Irresponsible Maou¡¯ amongst the eight generations. ¡°Morgianna why are you tormenting me.¡± ¡°My master, I believe I¡¯ve done no such things.¡± The two argued as they walk towards the audience room. By the time they arrived at the front of the door, the guards bowed down at the sight of the ¡®horribly irresponsible but needed to do so will do¡¯ Maou in front of them to show their loyalty. The door was opened. In front of the two, not as much as far as they could perceive, a huge rectangular table spanned across the room. There were a lot of seats but not even half was seated with. It seemed that his father gathered as few of the most trusted demi-human VIPs to join the conference. They were gathered at the rightmost side of the wide table. The visitors stood. Mixed emotions are being shown right before Fred. Some were confused, some were amazed. But those who were certain already that Fred really was the Maou were not concerned anymore. With all due respect, they bowed in the sight of the most important person at that moment amongst the whole demon race.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Fred raised his hand in response, it was to ask them to stop being so formal. It was just a gesture but it conveyed most of what he tried to convey them. After the audience rised, Fred approached the vacant and lone seat at the left side which proved to be the center of where the audience gathered. He believed it was a seat especially for him. He could never be wrong about that. Morgianna, who was now his personal assistant/guard/maid/little sister, stood beside him without taking a seat. She was still a servant so she needed to act like one. Fred patted his lap while looking at Morgianna. His father sighed. ¡°My Master?¡± ¨CMorgianna asked in confusion. ¡°This is your master ordering you to sit at his lap.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡ªwhat?¡± ¡°HA HA HA HA!!¡± ¨CFred laughed at Morgianna¡¯s perplexed face. Dax and Mae were making a ¡°Are you serious?¡± faces with them while looking at Fred. SLAM! He was hit by his father¡¯s fist at his forehead. Being a normal demon his skull should have been bashed and broken but he was a literally thick-headed brat due to his physical resistances. It should be one of the traits he acquired. ¡°First of all you entered here, walked towards your seat without even greeting anybody, especially me, your father a hello after the long time you¡¯ve been away from home. Then suddenly you started flirting your slave in front of VIPs and guests. How unsightly of you. I believe I¡¯ve taught you proper manners before.¡± ¡°Ouch Ouch ouch. Learm some restraint. What if you suddenly kill me. Tch! And here I am just lightening up the mood. Let¡¯s drop our formalities and be friends here. Besides, why so serious right off the bat? Can¡¯t we have our pleasantries first?¡± ¡°Pft!¡ªHAHAHAHA!!¡± ¨CDax bursted out laughing. He supported Fred with a ¡°Guys he¡¯s right.¡± Fred had a point. After all that has happened these past few weeks. Even the VIPs who were just hiding at a safe place and was just protected by the guards and the fighters at the convoy could feel stress building up within them too. Fred knew that this will be a long and serious talk so he tried to lighten up the mood first. Even though they have already rested at the castle and one could say that they have already rested and cleared themselves from exhaustion, being in front of the highest executives, discussing the urgent and pressing concerns, started bringing up their stress back. Stress clouds judgment, one¡¯s decision making and being rational. Fred wanted to clear that up first before they start so he did what he thought was the best course of action. He just felt bad for using Morgianna again as his Guinea pig. ¡°Well, my bad for setting up a bad example for you guys. Also, esteemed father. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Hmp. As long as you¡¯ve learnt something.¡± ¨Canswered his father, finding out how sly his son had become. ¡°Okay. So going back, as you¡¯ve already know, I¡¯m the eight generation Maou, Fredericus Corralton Spence de Augustus. Please to meet you all. I believe most of us have already met back at the Gargantua Forest.¡± The air surrounding Fred have changed. --- It have been a scene full of murmuring since their meeting started. What were their agendas? One of the demi-human VIPs pressed the concern about the attack that the humans have staged up against the diplomatic faction. It was not an issue both sides could agree to pass. There weren¡¯t any casualties. The attacker¡¯s aim was to assassinate only Mae Militum Thelesmata. If it was not planned carefully they could have the whole area exploded, considering the number of attackers. A part of the opposing demi-human faction must have still hoped for the remaining diplomatic believers would flip their sides and join them. They were still fellow demi-humans after all. ¡°This is a carefully plotted scheme. I suppose their original plan was to stage the assassination and make it look like us, Demon race, was the one to set it up.¡± ¨CFred deduced ¡°How could you confirm that my Lord?¡± ¨Cquestioned one of the VIPs. They had a point. Fred was away during those times. ¡°Allow me to speak, My Lord.¡± The one to step up was Morgianna. She was one of the core defenders during that attack. ¡°I confirm that the magicians that suddenly appeared were humans.¡± The VIPs were puzzled. Of course it was her that had most of the close encounters with the attacking individuals besides the elite guards that sided with Irish. She might have the advantage to confirm it with her own eyes but how could she be so sure? She might have been ordered to keep silent about the issue and press the attack towards the human¡¯s side. It could be that the demons staged all of these up. Irish could have been assisting them all the time for her and her followers to be granted special treatment once the demons fully gained control of the demi-human nation. ¡°How could you be so sure? How could you prove that you are not conspiring to conquer our nation?¡± ¨Cone of them spoke up. ¡°Such insolence!!¡ª¡± Fred stopped Morgianna. He was still calm at situations like that. ¡°Calm down. Explain further.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry my master¡­ As I would further explain. Indeed the attack force were full of magicians as the elite fighters following Irish acted as vanguards. There would be lots of skilled magicians here at the demon capital but the magic affinity would be different. These attackers specialized light-element magic and the piercing spell they have used was an unknown one for us too. It was a hybrid of light and poison-inflicting trait that scattered mana debris that flowed inside Lady Mae. It was contrary to the magic affinity and specialization of the demon-race who used pure power and destructive force. If a skilled demon magician would be in their party, not to brag but, all of us would be annihilated in an instant.¡± The VIPs shrieked due to Morgianna¡¯s explanation. For a slave, she¡¯s quite knowledgeable of magic terminologies and theories too. She would be on par with Fred¡¯s, because she also attends the tutorials he had been attending too. ¡°You missed one thing Morgianna, but I shall praise you for that good observation. If us Demons have staged the attack then Morgianna wouldn¡¯t be bothered to defend you lot. She could switch anytime and be the one to execute the assassination.¡± Morgianna was a Succubus. It was a miss on her explanation that Demons are all using destructive and forceful magic as their specialization. She might not be aware of abilities yet, but she specialize on mind manipulation. ¡°A huge number of attackers wouldn¡¯t be needed if they were to stage an assassination. Morgianna here could just manipulate the guards and kill Mae herself. That I could assure. Still, she tried her best to defend everyone and successfully driven away the attackers, for the bargain of her left arm. Besides, even if the attack have failed, there would be multiple ways we could still assassinate Mae.¡± Fred looked down. It still bothered him. Morgianna won¡¯t tell him how and what ability she used. For a bargain that huge, it must be an ability even he could not find any counter, not at his level yet. ¡°Again, she¡¯s just a slave. You could always force her to give up any part of her body if needed be. You could also force her to shield you if you just ordered her.¡± ¡°Just a slave, you say?¡± While still looking at the table Fred let out a cold-blooded voice. His father chuckled his way out, not even he could stop Fred at that point. ¡°When did you ever saw me treated Morgianna as a slave?¡± The long table began to tremble. The VIPs panicked in fear. It was the same as that night when Fred let out a sinister aura at the forest. The only difference now is he didn¡¯t shown any signs or activating an ability, nor chanting. He was on a whole different level. Dax could only thought of himself that time. The VIP crossed the line. If Fred was an oppressive master he could let that pass or just laugh at it, but he was not. Never did he treat Morgianna that was, and never won¡¯t be. ¡°My son you must calm down. This is very unsightly. You won¡¯t want to add up to the problems we already have.¡± ¨CIgor asked the enraged Fred. Fred closed his eyes and tried to regain composure, but he could not. Aside from losing an arm to protect these elites, he didn¡¯t even knew if they even tried to thank her for betting her life to protect them. ¡°Should I kill him?¡± ¨COffered Dax. ¡°Iiiiieeee!! Lord Dax! No, please! I deeply apologize for my wordings. Please forgieve me.¡± ¨CShrieked the VIP. ¡°Boy, you¡¯re not helping, not at all.¡± ¨CIgor stopped Dax from saying any more words. Morgianna just closed her eyes and was hoping for Fred to be brought back too. She just let the most gentle Fred slept at her lap a while ago at the garden. This Fred was far too cruel from that one. For who knows what Fred might release that time, Mae stood up from her seat, breaking the current situation with pure will and courage alone. She walked up a few distance from the table where she was visible to everyone and groveled. ¡°Lord Maou, no, Lord Frederie, I deeply apologize for my follower¡¯s insolence. I really hope you could forgive him.¡± Mae was shaking. Dax was too surprised that he could not stand up. The VIPs who were focused on Fred was now focused on her too. She was resolved. She was ready to accept any punishment on her follower¡¯s stead. Fred took a deep breath and finally realized the trouble he caused again. He stood up and approached Mae. He bowed down too. ¡°I apologize on losing my control too. But I really won¡¯t tolerate anyone of the slave treatment anymore. Could you please keep that in mind and have your subordinates under your control?¡± ¨CHe was apologizing, but not for his sake, but for Morgianna¡¯s. ¡°Indeed.¡± Mae¡¯s speech shifted to the VIPs. ¡°My people, if any of you will still act inappropriately you may leave now.¡± Everybody went silent, then apologized to Fred too afterwards. Seeing their leader begged for mercy in front of the Maou had shocked the VIPs to realization. Nothing more can change their mind than see Mae accepting the alibi presented by the demon race with regards to the assassination attempt. Coming to a realization, the group of VIPs, ashamed of themselves, asked for forgiveness from the Demon race too. Not only because they have suspected them of the assassination plot, but also for their treatment towards Morgianna. They also started to show gratitude towards the brave little girl who have defended them from the human magicians. It was quite a bit late, but still pulled out the thorn of regret within her. The one who initially offended Fred was so ashamed of himself upon realization and volunteered to exit the room. He still asked for their mercy which they accepted. Nothing good will come from prolonging the situation anymore. ¡°Okay, so I guess we¡¯re clear at that part.¡± ¨CDax told them as he looked onto Fred, assisting Mae to stand up. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry I nearly burst out too.¡± After Fred sat at his original seat, his father gave him another chop that nearly shattered his skull inside. ¡°You fool, what are you even doing? Losing yourself in front of our precious guests. You really have a little sister complex.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªHmp!¡± ¨CLittle boy Fred blushed on from his shyness. Morgianna giggled beside him. They were about to resume their conference when suddenly: A light appeared at the middle of the desk. It was quite enough to light up a few portion of the huge room but not enough to fully blind everybody inside. Almost everybody except Igor and Mae were surprised by the sudden appearance of the light. They were feared that there might be another attempt for attack. From the human¡¯s side. Even Fred started to look anxious. Will this be recorded as another incident from their history books?, was all he could think of. ¡°Calm down, everybody.¡± ¨CIgor¡¯s deep loud voice echoed through the halls. ¡°This is, but a mere communication spell.¡± This was knowledge, new to Fred, for he have not encountered this kind of ability before. After a few seconds the light from the place eventually vanished, leaving a holographic crystal-like mirror which hovered above the marble table. The edges of the crystal gave a luminous glow which produces bits of light which one could perceive glittery or sparkling. The flat surface of the crystal, which spanned several inches length and width forming a portrait mode, picture-frame like material, suddenly went static. A faint voice could be heard. It was like a voice from a radio channel which one tried to adjust until they got a clear reception. Same goes for the image being projected by the portrait. ¡°Well, let us hear you talk. I suppose from the appearances you are the other Thelesmata twin.¡± ¨CIgor spoke. ¡°Hello, everyone. Good to see you guys still alive. I presume you have been treated well there at the Demon Capital, especially you, my dear beloved sister.¡± A twisted and afraid expression could be seen at Mae¡¯s face. Along with the fear on her face came with an even deeper anger that Dax have expressed. The one at the other end of the communication was none other than Irish Dux Thelesmata. --- Ch7-6 War Prelude 2: The Supremacy and The Diplomat VI. War Prelude 2: The Supremacy and The Diplomat ¡°IIIIRIIISH!!¡± ¨CDax gritted his teeth and slammed the table in anger upon seeing Irish at the other end of the communication spell. ¡°Whoah now, no need to be so angry, my Patron Dax. I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re already back from your loooooong journey at the ancient ruins.¡± Everybody looked at Irish. Could they even brand her as a traitor? ¡°What have you found? I guess nothing! Haha! He humans have extracted every single beneficial documents they could ever salvage there. It was literally a zero-zone with no gains even if you searched for decades or even milleniums.¡± ¨Cshe continued to tease Fred and Dax. ¡°And what do we have here?¡± ¨CThe communication device shifted and leaned towards Mae, who at that moment was still being puzzled: among the things she should be believing. ¡°My sweet little sister. Good to see you¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°Cut to the chase, Irish. What are your plans?¡± ¨CFred broke the silence and saved Mae from the humiliation. First of all, Irish never had intentions of betrayal. It was not really within the demi-human¡¯s plan to completely side with the demons. They originally went to the demon capital initially to have peace talks with the demons. For them to forge a treaty that will have both nations undergo a non-aggression part, nor exploit military forces from the demi-humans as soon as the long-running human-demon war resumed. Along with these agreement, comes along with a healthy trading of goods and services. Demi-humans could travel across the demon territory with assurance that they won¡¯t be suddenly attacked nor inspected out of suspicion. It was really an ideal scenario for both nations. But that was not really the case. ¡°May I ask you, Mae. No, the one supposed to be standing there right now should be ¡®The Diplomat¡¯. How are you progressing there? Anything worth peacefully you accomplished already?¡± Irish we¡¯re barraging questions to Mae at the most perfect timing. Due to the attack, the remaining of the demi-human convoy that reached the demon capital spent most of their time recuperating and resting. They have spent weeks before actually having to setup a meeting with the highest ranking demon executives. ¡°Don¡¯t want to hear that from the one who delayed us too much.¡± ¨CFred pried on Irish¡¯s teasing. ¡°Hmp. Such a spoilsport.¡± ¡°Besides you might want to regret teasing her so much. Dax there might be able to connect his fist at the communication device you are using and punch your pretty-looking face.¡± ¡°Oooh¡ªhow scary.¡± Upon trying to control Dax, Mae hold his hands as he tried to suppress such anger. They could not let themselves get agitated over Irish. From Irish¡¯s view it might not be visible but her face could tell one thing: These two have already gotten together. She then showed a bitter expression full of anger and regret. This might be because she already knew this would happen, or because of some other things that she kept for herself. ¡°Dear sister, just tell us what they have been threatening you with. Both of us could get through this. It has always been the two of us right? If you could tell me your problem, us here might be able to find a solution, a way out of your situation right now. Just tell us, please.¡± Mae was still in denial. A part of her could not accept the fact that her sister have sided with the humans and plotted everything that happened for the past weeks. It is only natural still share a bit of sympathy towards her. They were sisters after all. And even if Irish already abandoned the familial bonds between them, it will be always be on Mae¡¯s trait to be forgiving and persuade Irish to come back: come back to those blissful days the three of them shared together. But¡­ For the very first time a change on air could be seen on Irish. She gritted her teeth. Then returned to her usual smug look. ¡°My dear sister you never really change, do you? All these time I thought something might awaken within you. But still you are as soft as ever, will and will ever be. Oh of course, it¡¯s a trait you have obtained upon being ¡®The Diplomat¡¯ and such.¡± The smug turned into an evil smile. She placed her hands on her cheeks, started giggling, and the burst out laughing. ¡°Fuhaha¡ªahaha!! Fuhahahahaha!!¡± ¨CTrying to hide the unsightly look on her face as she laughs, Irish looked sideways while still holding her heinous face. Fred realized the next chain of sentences Irish was about to say and tried to stop her ¡°Don¡¯t say it Irish! I¡¯m warning you, you may still go back as long as Mae wishes you to. Just don¡¯t let her hear it.¡± ¡°You stay quiet for a second, Lord Maou, I¡¯m still trying to show her the ¡®Sisterly love¡¯ she¡¯s been yearning for.¡± Irish was too annoyed that she lost her sense of reasoning. ¡°Dax! Shatter the magic crystal, now!!¡± But Dax was too focused on his anger that he was not able to comprehend what Fred was saying anymore. ¡°That¡¯s right! I was the one who plotted your assassination, my dear sister! From the very beginning, never did I agreed upon everything you have been proposing! Peace? Hah! We¡¯re living at the age of war. There¡¯s no place for petty things you call as allied nations and friendship. Only those who come to the top could rule over everything.¡± She¡¯s done it. There¡¯s no turning back now. ¨CFred thought himself.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. That was the only natural thing to say, for Irish it is. She had been bestowed with the calling of The Supremacy*. She did let the trait of her calling overwhelm her. She had been left with no other choice. She have betrayed her sister, not to mention she¡¯s the one that conspired with the humans and plotted the assassination of The Diplomat*, Mae Militum Thelesmata. But for what reason? ¡°I¡¯ve grown quite sick and tired of this fa?ade already. I agree it would be very ideal this world to completely achieve a peace and harmonious way of living. But history says no. at the end, only those with power will reign at the top. Of course, I, no, we will be amongst those who will be in that place when it happens.¡± That was quite selfish a way to put it. But Fred and the others could not argue. They have been living within millenniums worth of dark, cold and ruthless wars. Even after the battle between the second generation of yuusha and maou which have led to terraforming almost a fourth of the portions of Mytherion¡¯s land, the hatred still lingered between the races of this sad world. Living beside the strong and reigning at the top with absolute power was not any inferior of a course of action compared to the one with peace. ¡°Don¡¯t hate me for this sister, Dax. The humans have shown me something far from what the demon race currently possess. At this rate, my good Lord Maou¡­¡± The crystal communication device hovered towards Fred. ¡°You¡¯re on your path of losing this war.¡± Fred smirked. ¡°We don¡¯t need to win. There¡¯s nothing to prove.¡± ¡°Hah! Lies!¡± The communication device hovered again towards the center. Now, Irish viewing everybody who were seated around the huge conference table, began to declare her true intentions. ¡°THE LONG AGE OF THE PATRON LEADING THE DEMI-HUMANS ARE NOW OVER!¡± The device projecting from the other side of the glass-like communication device that projects the footage of Irish hovered away from her. Now what Fred and the others could see is Irish, standing in front of a mass of demi-humans behind her. It was like an inauguration where a new leader was just appointed. The mass of demi-humans were standing behind her, all forms of noise could be heard, but above everything you could hear were cheering. It was like a mass shouting for their just gotten freedom. ¡°I, IRISH DUX THELESMATA, THE SUPREMACY! NOW LIBERATES THE DEMI-HUMAN RACE! MY KIN, YOU ARE FREE TO CHOOSE WHICH PATH YOU WILL CHOOSE. YOU MAY FOLLOW ME, YOU MAY FOLLOW MY SISTER. WE WILL WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS IF YOU CHOOSE TO JOIN US¡­ BUT WE WILL SHOW NO MERCY ONCE WE SEE EACH OTHER AT THE BATTLEFIELD AS ENEMIES!¡± Irish was raising her hands, as if they have already achieved victory. After that the long transmission of the communication device stopped and the crystal like material snapped and shattered like glass at the middle of the long conference table. The VIPs were trembling in fear. After seeing that many followers Irish have already gathered. It was not yet a tenth of the total population of the demi-humans but logically thinking, after seeing that footage, anyone won¡¯t hesitate to completely follow her ideals. Being branded as The Supremacy* was a no joke for her. She had been brimming with potential right off the bat. What have sharpened and polished her traits more was the experiences she have kept in secret herself. She had just been waiting for the right time to execute everything she¡¯s built up. ¡°My Son, Maou, what are your stand at this? You could take the decision, it will give a huge bearing to them as well.¡± ¨CIgor asked Fred. ¡°Let¡¯s have Mae take her time to think for a while. Dax¡¯s decision will depend on hers. Also, I don¡¯t think it will be very soon before the humans makes a huge move against us. Let¡¯s take our time to carefully plan our next course of action.¡± ¡°I see you¡¯ve quite matured as well Fred. What did you experienced during your journey towards the ancient ruins?¡± ¡°A premonition. It won¡¯t be a long time before I find my three generals. I might have found one already.¡± Fred looked at Dax, who at that moment, were supporting Mae as she tried to recover herself from trembling. ¡°Mae¡­¡± ¨CDax looked at Mae, who just shut her eyes. It was the harshest way for Mae to have known the truth. Most importantly, it came directly from her sister. They were really different side of the coin. Part of her already accepted that, but all the years they have spent together were far heavier than the weight of the callings bestowed upon them. She still hoped that it still means a lot for Irish even though she chose to follow the path that her calling gave her. That even after a very long tiring day, she will still be the good old sister Mae once had. It was about time. It was about time Mae Militum Thelesmata followed what¡¯s laid ahead of her too. Mae took a deep breath in, calmed her nerves and breathed out. ¡°Mae?¡± ¨CDax felt the sudden change of air within her. ¡°First, before stressing ourselves of events that will be happening in the far future, let us first solve the problem we are currently having right now. Isn¡¯t that right, Lady Mae? No, Lady Diplomat?¡± ¨CFred asked her. With her face facing down at the huge marble conference table, she finally looked up. She was different from before. All those traces clumsiness, indecisiveness, and uncertainty have vanished from her face already. It was like a creature that evolved from low-tier to an immediate high-tier or even higher. She was a different Mae Militum Thelesmata that Dax, Irish, and mostly all of the demi-humans knew. That was the face of the real Diplomat. The dormant calling that have always been residing within her. It had manifested due to everything she have experienced for the past weeks. ¡°I¡­¡± Everyone at the room became silent. From the guards that were standing around the halls, towards the VIPs who were seated, towards Igor and the other executive demons, towards Morgianna who originally protected a frail young lady far from what she¡¯s seeing right now, towards Fred and most importantly, towards Dax, who were by her side, and will and will always be by her side from that point onwards. ¡°I, Mae Militum Thelesmata, The Diplomat, will assure you people, who are witnessing this right now. We will continue to advocate peace. This will be our start. For those who will choose to follow my sister, you will be free to leave now, no hard feelings. Choose wisely. There will be a time that we will completely find our peace.¡± ¡°Hmp! What a humble and small wish.¡± ¨CFred interrupted ¡°If you really wish to advocate peace, you may not choose to just end your mission with your own race, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Tell me your plans. As long as it won¡¯t be against what we will be fighting for.¡± ¡°Overall peace. Not just within the demi-humans, but for every current living race here at Mytherion.¡± SLAM! ¡°Preposterous, my son! What have you been thinking?!¡± ¨CIgor slammed the marble table in surprise. Cracks formed from the solid marble table which he slammed, meaning he really was taken in by surprise. ¡°That would only mean for my faction to join your upcoming battles, right?¡± ¨CMae assumed. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to fight. It would violate your purpose of coming here.¡± ¡°True, at that, but don¡¯t get me wrong. You will be fighting for peace, not for glory.¡± Fred grinned. He was brimming with excitement within him. Mae walked towards him and bowed down. ¡°First, let me formally apologize for all the trouble I have caused you back at the Gargantua Forest, up to when I was being treated here too. After this meeting I will be heading back towards our nation. I will be rounding up my remaining followers. It will be like a warzone there since Irish have declared independence too. If possible will it be alright for the people I will be gathering to stay at the Demon capital for a while.¡± ¡°Fine by me, I¡¯ll make arrangements. Tell me what you will be needing at your journey back. I won¡¯t be able to come with you since I will be attending so much meeting here right after this, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Wha- My son! Don¡¯t make rash decisions!!¡± ¨CIgor tried to stop him. ¡°Esteemed Father, you must be mistaken. We will still fight this war, but not to win it¡­¡± Fred stood ¡°This war and long cycle of hatred, we¡¯re going to end it.¡± --- Ch8-1 Maou felt the need to move forward with a new draft, so… Chapter 8 I. Maou felt the need to move forward with a new draft, so¡­ Fred, Modern Earth, 20xx+2 I sighed myself, thinking back how na?ve I was back then. I¡¯m not sure if I really was just being na?ve or just trying to prove myself out. Eitherways, I believe I¡¯ve thoroughly planned out everything, not until events happened and led my plan astray. To top it off, I have to rely on my last resort, not to mention died too. I really hoped I conveyed myself to Yuusha properly and completed my mission. That would make me a legendary being. I really hoped they erected a statue of me at the central park at the Demon Capital. Stopping the long running war¡­ End the long running cycle of hatred¡­ OOF! Chill went down my spine just by remembering it. It was a cringe fest. First of all, I¡¯m already trying to live a peaceful life here. A part of me still wants to find a way back, but not really that as much as I was first sent out here. I breathed out. ¡°It¡¯s too early to be sighing again.¡± ¡°Come now, the food is getting cold already. Besides it¡¯s already late. I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ll be lectured again by Ara¡¯s ¡®Aneki-mode¡¯ when we arrive back.¡± I looked at the grocery bag and answered the girl clinging at my arms. She¡¯s really grown attached to me. I wonder if it¡¯s always just to tease me or she really is serious. ¡°Cheh!- You¡¯re such a killjoy.¡± Ingrid sulked on me. She was really acting like the way Mae Militum did back when they returned from the demi-human nation with the remaining followers of the Diplomatic Faction. She had been really clingy towards Dax, which he found annoying already at times. I wondered what happened during those times they spent together. I didn¡¯t want to concern myself anymore. ¡°Come on now, don¡¯t be such a crybaby. You could always find ways to separate me from them again anyways.¡± ¡°Hmp!¡± ¨Cshe continued to sulk How did it turned out like this with Ingrid? It was not my intention to make her develop these feelings towards me. I really felt like I¡¯m an airhead male lead character on a shoujo manga that had set flags towards a girl without being aware myself. So tracing back from the events from a year ago, I remembered we went to the hot spring together. It was a trip to help me rack my brain with ideas towards my very first oneshot, which miraculously fetch me an awards at the competition I entered. That arc of my life here (which I could be considered an infant with 2y/o here at Earth), was really an eventful, and not really a set of pleasant memories. Ingrid and I went there to relieve our stress, but the contrary happened. We were caught up within a war of the two known gangs on that area and got separated. Ingrid ended up with the side of the gang which was being led by an alpha male while I ended up with the opposing gang which was led by a female who¡¯s resilient but kind-hearted leader. Here was the catch: Both of them are secretly in love with each other without themselves knowing, due to their standings between their respective gangs. I didn¡¯t know if Ingrid, at that time, also made a little push for the boy too like what I did with the girl from my end. That was what I thought was right at that time. Both of them, at a very young age, had to go through those events. It really was a shoujo-ish story, or like something you could pull out from a weekly romance manga. Well, both of them were in love with each other. Also it might be a way to end the rivalry between them. Guess what. They still clashed at the end. Meeting up with Ingrid during their final clash, I ended up stumbling off towards a cliff with Ingrid. I protected her. Of course I thought I was going to die. Good thing the slope of the cliff helped my body that was protecting Ingrid from suffering a heavy hit from the ground by decreasing my momentum, sliding down towards an open area below the cliff. Here at earth I¡¯m a human so I could not protect myself with magic which I was capable back at Mytherion. There I lost consciousness. I wondered how Ingrid managed to drag me back towards the main road and brought me to the nearest clinic. She might¡¯ve gone for help from the gang members back at the top of the cliff. That must be it. Well good thing we¡¯re both alive. I¡¯m just wondering what happened between the two gangs. It was a closed case already so I stopped thinking about it. That event must have been one of the flags which have led Ingrid to develop her feelings towards me. Wait was I just being too overconfident? I can¡¯t let my guard down yet and assure of this. As we walked back I looked back even farther from the past. Way back when we first met, the times when it was only me and her at her unit the time when I decided to finally leave her apartment complex but she instead offered me a room the time when she helped me find a stable job the time when she helped me when I was having hard time on my very first oneshot. It was only me and her. No¡­ freaking¡­ way¡­ Perhaps I really was the blockhead male lead character on my own shoujo romance story which have set nothing but flags towards the female lead character. She looked really happy. This was totally different from when we first met up till the first months I¡¯ve stayed at her unit. There were times I could hear her crying at her room at night, might be because of Tenji. At first we weren¡¯t really like this as it was really a rough start for both of us. I can¡¯t even remember anymore when she started to open up herself towards me. At the heat of the moment I tried to confirm with her one more time what I was thinking the whole time. I let the words slip out my mouth. It was do or die. I¡¯ve got nothing to lose if she admitted that it was all just to tease me. ¡°Hey Ingrid, this is a serious question, so please give me a serious answer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¨Cit was silence. I got the feel that somehow she knew what I was going to ask ¡°You really love me, don¡¯t you?¡± No response. I tried to take a sneak peek towards her face. She¡¯s embarrassed. That bright red cheeks of her while pouting sideways told me so. The ray of light slowly changing the shadows at her face as we walk slowly towards the posts which was the only light source during that night time at the streets was very alluring. Well, fuck¡­ -I messed up. As I¡¯ve been telling her right from when she started treating me like this, my feelings for Yuusha will never waver. She still insisted. She also proposed told me absurdly that she¡¯s willing to go back to Mytherion with me if I get the chance on my end, and that she was willing to be my mistress. It was a very straightforward question. If all these was really meant to just tease me, she¡¯ll be answering. But it was the contrary. ¡°If you put it like that¡­ how am I supposed to answer? You¡¯re such a meanie¡­¡± CUTE!! I swear to god that night my love for Yuusha wavered. She removed her entangled arms with mine and decided to walk beside me without saying a thing.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The two of us walked towards her apartment complex with an awkwardness in the air surrounding us. --- ¡°Aah! There they are!!¡± ¨CAra (imouto) shouted as they see us arriving after a short (that¡¯s what we told them) walk and restocking at the grocer. ¡°Humu¡­ That was a very quick short walk.¡± ¨Ctold Kyrie. She had a very calm voice but you could feel the emphasis at her statement. She was angry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We had to stop by the park and play with the kids.¡± ¡°You know Fred that was really a lame excuse.¡± Ingrid was supposed to say something to cover up with our crimes but she did not. It was like she had admitted that we just spent our long time outside as we left them back at the apartment complex without anything to eat. Though it was not like nobody amongst them could cook. ¡°Hmp! Landlady you kept Fred by yourself again. That¡¯s very selfish of you. ¨C¡± ¨CAra (aneki) ¡°¡ªI told you not to just suddenly come out and go saying things that might lead to people misunderstanding. Besides, we both agreed of their current relationship already. You cannot treat Fred as your plaything anymore¡± ¨CAra (imouto) I really think I¡¯ve heard some important words at that statement, but it was too fast that I missed the timing to remember what those were. Kyrie went towards me and pinched my cheeks. ¡°Humu¡­ As expected of the cold nights outside. Nothing beats the warmth of the inside of our units. Come now, we need to reheat the food you¡¯ve brought.¡± ¡°Bleeeh!!¡± The two of them headed back towards unit07 (my studio) without saying anything more. This was quite different from the reaction I¡¯ve expected them to show. Ingrid suddenly skipped ahead and suddenly turned back to face me. She leaned forward and showed a grin. She was like a young girl that looked towards her childhood sweetheart and smiled a playful grin. Towards him. ¡°Hehehe~~ seems like we were caught, Fred.¡± At that moment I did not know yet what she meant by those words. --- STAAAAAARE¡­ The two had been staring at me for quite a while since we entered the studio, with Ingrid eating beside me, I tried to assess the meaning of this malicious stares being directed towards me. What have I done to receive such punishment? MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH Ingrid? Can¡¯t you stop eating for a while and stop these two from whatever they are trying to think? What would you do if you get fat? Losing hope for assistance from Ingrid, I¡¯ve broke the silence by asking them directly why ¡°Uhm¡­ Both of you? Is there something on my face? Have I done something that¡¯s not within your liking?¡± ¡°So, how does it feel like to finally have a girlfriend?¡± ¡°Yes, come again?¡± ¡°How does it feel like to be in a relationship?¡± They pressed the question to me again. I really hoped I just misheard the first one due to Ingrid¡¯s loud chewing. But the second one confirmed it all. Nothing good will come by diverting the topic towards something else. The two had been like mass media reporters trying to get answers from a specific person of interest. It was a question I failed to understand at the first two instances it was asked to me, so I needed a help with a third one. It might help me understand why they had asked me such question. ¡°How does it feel to have a girlfriend Fred? Just answer their question.¡± Of course it¡¯s Ingrid. The question was directed to us all along¡­ EH¡ªEEEEH??!!! ¡°Wa-wa-wait!! Let me fully try to understand this one¡­ Why?¡± ¡°Humu¡­ Fred is embarrassed. Come now, no need to be shy. It¡¯s always just the four of us here.¡± First of all, I really felt sorry for the food. Even though one could say that it was partly me and Ingrid¡¯s fault that the food had gotten cold due to the long talk that we had at the park. But that was a long done story already. The food was already reheated by Ingrid as we entered the studio. All that¡¯s left to do was to eat it. Which I wondered why they had not done yet: all just to ask me of this. I really felt sorry for the food, now cold again. What made them thought that I entered a relationship with Ingrid? Are we really that close enough for one to deduce that we are a happy couple within out early twenties? I tried not to depend much on her so I really thought at that time it was Ingrid¡¯s fault that made the two think that way. I felt Ingrid¡¯s soft hair as she rested her head at my shoulder. Had she finished eating already? What are you doing?!! ¡°Yeah, so that¡¯s it guys. Fred¡¯s mine now. I suppose the two of you have no objections? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re both harbouring feelings for Fred too.¡± What do you think you¡¯re doing? Why are you always worsening the situation than how it is already? This conversation is already far from being a misunderstanding!!! I¡¯ve lost my sense of speech. Either I didn¡¯t want to argue already; I just wanted to sleep my worries away and explain the things to Ara and Kyrie the day after; eat the remaining wasted food that they have forgotten just by putting me at the hot seat; slap Ingrid; or just slap myself so hard I could just die and get reborn again. I really wanted to ask the Irresponsible God* that threw me to this world why did I had to go through these things. But this is the first time I¡¯ve felt Ingrid¡¯s hair that soft. Is she using conditioner lately? Like a body that lost his own soul, I ran away from the situation with the most generic method. ¡°Guys, I just wanna sleep.¡± ¡°Gah! He¡¯s running away! Landlady secure him!¡± ¨Cyelled Ara --- ¡°Guys just eat the goddamned food already!¡± My hands were already tied behind my back. I wondered what Ingrid thinks of my situation. They might just be teaming up to just to bully a powerless and speechless me. Not to mention, Ingrid was supposed to be one of the accused. ¡°Say, why are you teaming up with the two??¡± ¡°Fufu¡­ Because it¡¯s fun to watch you in that state.¡± ¡°See? Then why would I believe you when you are doing those sudden confessions to tease me when it¡¯s just the two of us?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Don¡¯t get me wrong. My feelings for you and me bullying you are two different things, you can¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t worry¡­ they are real¡­¡± ¡°Whoah¡ª Landlady¡¯s blushing¡­ Kyrie come get your phone we need to record this sight.¡± ¡°Humu, an embarrassed Miss Landlady is also fun to watch.¡± ¡°See? Those two are already onto you too. Now why don¡¯t you cut the funny acting and prove them wrong already? They already have trust issues with me¡­ I think. So please¡­¡± ¡°Hmp!¡± ¨CIngrid sulked and pouted. Excuse me, WTF?? The situation really had me no way of escaping other than just to force myself to embrace that false truth that they had created. ¡°Soon¡­¡± Ingrid talked. But she was still sulking. What did she mean by that? ¡°Sigh¡­ Come now guys, don¡¯t tease Fred too much. A part of what he¡¯s saying is true. We¡¯re not in a relationship yet¡­ Not yet¡­¡± ¡°Now now, don¡¯t repeat the last statement. I¡¯ve been telling you that the woman I love stayed back from the place where I came from. I cannot go falling in love with somebody else while away from her.¡± ¡°Th-then I¡¯ll make you mine! What could the two of you even do at your current state? All I have to do is be the woman that you will surely fall in love too. Besides, you are not an official couple with Yuusha¡ª¡± ¡°Shuuush!!¡± ¨CI stopped Ingrid from telling another word. She might slip out some words. It was too late when I noticed that we were already arguing, just the two of us. We haven¡¯t noticed that there are other people besides us that we¡¯re watching form the sides: Ara and Kyrie. It was just as I thought. Scenarios like this where we just take the whole world within just the two of us, not minding whether there are other seeing us, and just acting just the way we treat each other for the past two years must have been the trigger that made Ara and Kyrie assumed that we are already having a relationship. What was left to do was for the both of us to return to our original world. Both of us looked at them who, at that point, were watching us ¡®flirting¡¯. ¡°Come now, don¡¯t be shy, it¡¯s just the two of us, you may resume that. We¡¯re having fun watching too.¡± ¨CKyrie told us. Now the air inside the studio went from normal to awkward. Ingrid couldn¡¯t defend herself too as she realized the same thing as I had. ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t be concerned too much Landlady Ingrid, It¡¯s not like we lost something great that will affect our emotional and mental stability¡± ¡°Hey hey, I won¡¯t let that statement go.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be supporting you on your relationship, right Kyrie?¡± ¡°Hmp¡­ Humu, but Miss Landlady, if you could, please let me borrow Fred every once in a while okay? I will miss toying with him.¡± ¡°Hey hey, I won¡¯t let that statement go, too!¡± ¡°Eeh??... Okay, you may count on me with that, Kyrie.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal.¡± All of a sudden I was being bargained for different kinds of deals already. I was not able to follow the conversation directly because I was still trying to cope up with everything. I could not ask them why have they just been accepting things just like they were normal. Was the way Ingrid and I treat each other really that misleading? The very thought itself made me wanted to consult this kind of thing with Old Man. He may be an always-angry editor but at that moment I thought I could count on him with what to do with the current situation. He might be sneezing already due to my excessive thinking of asking help from him. ¡°So, Fred, what¡¯s your stand on this?¡± It was Ara (Ara) that broke my train of thought. For the very first time that night I was asked with a question that I could answer for the very first time. I wanted to thank God that for the very first time I could defend myself from all the misunderstanding. ¡°Suit yourself. Just don¡¯t start these kinds of things whenever we¡¯re working on a draft. It might reduce the output quality of our work.¡± ¡°Whoah. He¡¯s angry. Fufufu!! Fred¡¯s angry!¡± ¨CAra (Aneki) laughed at me. Her instant switching had been annoying me pretty much lately. ¡°Humu. That¡¯s more Fred-ish.¡± ¨CKyrie added fuel to the fire. I got no response from Ingrid. Just a hug and snuggling which I was quite used to already. She seemed happy with my decision. I¡¯ve got a choice to further prolong the situation and argue with them until I convinced them by defending myself. But I did not. Here at earth there¡¯s no winning an argument with these girls. I also did not understand myself at that moment. Did a part of me wanted to give up with Yuusha and bet on Ingrid here at earth or it was just a form of self-entertainment while waiting for a chance to get back to my real world. But what about the bonds I¡¯ve built already here on earth? If I were to weigh both of the reasons the first one would make most sense. Besides, I think I¡¯ve grown fond of my current profession already here. ¡°Sigh¡­ Never was a day without any events with you guys.¡± ¡°Come now Fred. Also Ara and Kyrie, we still have the second draft to think about.¡± ¡°Ah! I forgot entirely.¡± ¡°Humu. As expected of Klutz-Ara.¡± It was about time we go back to work. Still, the food was not eaten. It was only mine that had been eaten. I really felt sorry for them to be reheated and reheated again. The night is still long. Along with the night, I felt the need to move forward. It was about time the four of us stop thinking too much about ¡®Unpopular Mae¡¯s Struggles towards being an Unattainable Flower (Mae SUF)¡¯ and proceed with our new draft already. That left me a new problem: writing another story that should be tons better than the way Mae SUF was executed. Challenge Accepted.
Ch8-2 Comic Panic – side Elrufus Dax II. Comic Panic ¨C side Elrufus Dax Elrufus Dax, Pre-Mytherion, 84 years before Great Human-Demon War I didn¡¯t count how much time has passed since I, Mae and the remaining elite guards of the Diplomatic Faction* travelled back to the demi-human nation to gather up the remaining of Mae¡¯s followers and accompany them towards an expedition to the Demon Capital. Fred¡¯s father, Lord Igor if I remembered correctly, was so precautious that he sent with us a team of their most elite and skilled magicians, even far stronger than Morgianna and Fred at their current age and experience. He said that this was to prevent another attack from happening, which I really thought won¡¯t happen for a time being. It was just my gut instinct but we gladly accepted the offer. Fred and Morgianna were left back at the Royal Palace due to the tons of scolding they were about to receive from their parents. That¡¯s what I guessed. He told me that they were about to work on tons of paperworks but to hell with that. I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s still currently being tutored and haven¡¯t really entasked with the Maou task already. It¡¯s just a front to look good in front of us. Well what would bring good to think about that now. Is what I could only think of myself while sitting at the carriage while travelling at the Barren Canyons. It really felt nostalgic, looking outside and seeing the dead lands which the three of us walked about weeks or months ago. We arrived at the demi-human nation not too long after passing the Barren Canyons. The nation is still alive and active but it had a different air from when we left it. We did not had any difficulties entering at the main gate. It was very different from what I had expected in which we will be inspected and be forced to hand Mae over. We were ready for the worst case and engage a battle is necessary, but it really didn¡¯t happened. On the other hand, after we entered the city we were welcomed by the people who¡¯s belief still aligned with Mae Militum Thelesmata¡¯s ideals. It seemed that Irish had not fully grasped the entirety of the population within the nation to join her faction. What might be the cause? I haven¡¯t really gone often to the Palace of Affairs so I really don¡¯t know much about our highest council that governs the nation. The only reason that came to my mind was because they were still deliberating and took their time to consider Irish¡¯s liberation of the demi-humans. Being the ones that governed the whole nation, most of the people still respects their decision and were hesitant to act by their own. As we walked towards the said building, I noticed the stare of the people towards us, these were mixed emotions of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. Which side were they on? Did they chose the Diplomatic Faction? Or did they chose the war faction that Irish proposed? Without someone to decide for them they were like pigeons locked on a big cage, birds that were not of the same feather. I felt so tired just by walking a little distance. We were walking while carrying the weight of the roles we shoved onto ourselves, I¡¯m really not on the position to complain so I didn¡¯t. ¡°We¡¯re here Dax, are you going in or will you wait outside until I¡¯ve finished with my meeting with the high elders?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go. I felt that I have to take responsibility too. At this point I really felt that I needed to step up and finally act like The Patron.¡± ¡°Fufufu. I really don¡¯t regret choosing you.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªplease don¡¯t bring ¡®us¡¯ up now. There are a lot of more important things we need to accomplish at the moment.¡± The talks with the high elders went with a breeze. Right after we entered the huge building we were escorted to the meeting hall where we met the high elders. The elders welcomed us with top priority and immediately facilitated a meeting. It seemed like they were expecting our arrival and things to report. They started with the current state of the nation. Despite the announcement Irish had made towards her fellow demi-humans. Militarization hadn¡¯t really struck the country yet. Many of the current followers of both factions living inside the nation hadn¡¯t made any moves yet. It may be due to being fellow demi-humans. Even the highest elders who we members of different factions were had to stay at the gray area as they have to. It was to maintain the balance within the nation. Still, even if the front of the nation was still a peaceful and prosperous place where the demi-humans could live, the air of the upcoming war still lingered within it. That was the exact thing we have felt while walking at the streets of the main city. ¡°The Patron¡¯s decision would make a huge impact towards the fellow demi-humans who doesn¡¯t have a clear stand on the current situation of the nation yet. We could make arrangements for a public announcement, the only thing we will be needing will be your approval.¡± So they decided to push the decision onto me. At that moment I really felt myself within Fred¡¯s shoes as our positions currently have a great similarity towards each other. ¡°But suddenly pushing it to Dax, and he finally just completely accepted the responsibilities of The Patron.¡± Mae tried to defend me. She had a point but the nation needed a progress more than a delay to provide a better solution. I felt that I needed to look at things from Mae¡¯s perspective since I will be accompanying her towards on. ¡°Highest Elders, If I may be able to speak.¡± ¨CI¡¯ve cut their current conversation. ¡°I believe I should be explaining what happened back at the Demon Territory first.¡± Explaining everything that happened had been a very long discussion. After being confirmed that Irish had plotted Mae¡¯s assassination the elders who were at Mae¡¯s stand were furious, but were immediately calmed by Mae herself. The Irish supporters had a loss for words after hearing the confirmation on the spot. It seemed like Irish kept the plot to her closest loyalists to the point that it did not even reached the highest elders. I felt bad for them but they might be hiding their knowledge all along. In any case, they could only give their apologies on behalf of Irish towards Mae. The tension rose quite a bit but it immediately subsided. It was true that there were only two opposing factions at the meeting room at that moment but it was also the reason why everybody have kept their calm and composure. The Demi-human nation at that moment was divided into three types of people, those who were on the Supremacy¡¯s side, those who were on the Diplomatic side, and those at the gray area. Still, even though divided, we were still fellow demi-humans who have built this nation. A nation fortified with a hundred years¡¯ worth of fellowship won¡¯t be easily get abolished by a sudden establishment of opposing factions. With that in mind, I further explained the goals I¡¯ve had on my mind towards the current demi-humans who were currently at the room. It was a very long, several hours of discussion. I was surprised myself, it was I who was currently leading the highest elders and Mae of the important parts and steps to take to control the current situation of the demi-human nation. Fred initially explained to me back at the canyons that being bestowed upon with a certain calling* comes with several passive traits that will lay dormant within the capabilities of the individual himself. It was only up to him whether he will be aware of the trait itself and be able to handle it. As for me, that might have been one of the traits I obtained with me being the current Patron. I initially heard that The Patron¡¯s duties was to maintain the prosperity and order of the Demi-human nation. But at that moment I felt like I was another person, like I could achieve even greater heights, start making a name for myself. ---A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The discussion ended with several agreements within both opposing factions. These will be implemented to maintain order and peace within the Demi-human Nation grounds:
  1. The Demi-human Nation will be a non-aggression zone between the demi-humans standing for both opposing factons: Supremacy and Diplomatic Factions. 2. The fellow individuals who were in the neutral faction and within nation¡¯s premises will be tasked to monitor the actions and activities of any individual belonging to a certain faction. 3. The Highest elders will be delegating one member each to accompany the opposing factions where they try to establish their base of operations, respectively. They will oversee the activities and decisions being made by Mae and Irish. 4. The remaining elders will continue to oversee the Demi-human Nation so it won¡¯t get overtaken by the ambience of war. 5. The Patron is to choose only one faction to support. 6. The Demi-human nation, as per the initial goal of the convoys that set out towards the Demon Territory and the Human Capital to initiate diplomatic talks, should always stay out of the war zone once the great human-demon war resumed. The nation won¡¯t provide any assistance from the people who chose to remain within nor will accept refugees from other nations. 7. The mentioned items above are to be agreed by both opposing sides before the two factions are to aid assistance on both races.
¡°The mentioned above is highly confidential and should only be notified towards the involved individuals with high authoritative level.¡± ¨CI explained towards Lord Igor inside his personal room back at the Demon Capital. There are a very few number of people currently on that room: Lord Igor, Maou Fred, Morgianna, Mae, the elder that accompanied us (forgot his name) and me. Ricardo accompanied us towards the highest floor where the room was located but he was forced to stay out of the soundproof room and guard it due the elder¡¯s request. Crunch! Fred was eating an apple while laying his lazy body at one of the couch besides the table where Lord Igor was located. How was he able to look unsightly and carefree while we were in the room? Had he gotten too used with us around? How about his father? How about this elder which accompanied us? I was anxious due to thinking what impression old highest elder here would give Fred. ¡°That¡¯s some juicy apple you got there Fred, now do you spent even a little time to absorb any single condition on the list we proposed?¡± ¨CI broke his carefreeness by directly doubting his ability to cope up with the situation. ¡°Aaah were going doing this again Dax, I told you never to doubt me every single time already didn¡¯t I?¡± I knew Fred¡¯s capabilities. You may think of his just as a clown on the sidelines by the unsightly habits he¡¯s always showing. But it¡¯s always only on a select number of individuals. One seeing him at that form would mean that he¡¯s being lax around you and he trusts you that much. Sometimes you will only know how close you are to someone when you see things he does that he could not show just anyone. ¡°Fine, fine, I get you already.¡± ¨CI gave up on arguing with Fred. ¡°I want to ask you again, Mae. Will it be alright for the diplomatic faction to reside by the Demon Capital? It really doesn¡¯t look like you guys are promoting diplomacy.¡± What Fred said was true. What he wanted to point out was the scope of Mae¡¯s duties with her calling. What will siding with a warring race bring upon to us? What if everything else failed? The blame could be put all onto Mae. Fred was just concerned. ¡°No need for your concern Lord Maou, this is a choice I¡¯ve made. I won¡¯t have any regrets whatever the outcome is.¡± Mae answer straightforwardly. Looking at her you could really tell how much she have changed during these past six months. How could a little time of experience lead to a growth of such escalating manner? The more she grew the more I found myself being attracted to those qualities of hers. ¡°Well there you have it Fred. About the agreement between the Demi-human Nation, the only part which we needed assurance from you will be the non-aggression part.¡± ¡°But you see, wouldn¡¯t this be pointless? Enemies on the battlefield can¡¯t stay as fellow countrymen anymore once they entered a non-aggression zone. It will only incite anxiety amongst the citizens.¡± ¡°Yeah, this is war we are talking about Lord Maou¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°But still, most of the volunteers and the followers have families who chose to stay within the demi-human nation, which will be within the grey area once the war resumed. As a soldier, wouldn¡¯t it be nice to know that even though you are battling between life and death, you know somehow that your family is being kept safe and sound inside their homes?¡± And there was silence. At first I¡¯ve wondered what the rule was for, like Fred. I never looked at things the way Mae does. Maybe this was because even though we¡¯ve spent a lot of time together as kids, the weight of our callings still influenced our perspectives. Same goes for Irish, that¡¯s why she had done what she did. ¡°¡­¡± he went silent for a while. ¡°My son, the lady has a point. Besides, I do not see any problem within any of these stated on the agreement. Their nation will stay on the Grey area. Any dispute that will happen within their premises should be out of our scope already.¡± ¨C Lord Igor explained further. ¡°Then what would happen if ever a rule is to be broken by either of the four groups, humans demons Mae and Irish factions?¡± ¡°Both Mae and Irish factions are to pull out our aid and settle their disputes within ourselves.¡± I answered. Fred scratched his head and let out a scream. ¡°Aaaaaargh!! Fine! Suit yourselves. I just don¡¯t want to think about politics any more for a while. Let me sign those papers already.¡± ¡°Fredericus! That¡¯s so unsightly.¡± ¨CLord Igor tried to stop his foolish son¡¯s inappropriate rantings but he could not. Were the Maou¡¯s decisions so absolute that even his high-esteemed father could only try to reprimand him of his actions? Lord Igor gave a sigh and passed the supposedly sealed paper towards Fred. ¡°¡­Aaaaaaaand there! Now all we could do is to wait for Irish¡¯s side to confirm their agreement on their end. Whew now we have some free time to kill!¡± I got a bad feeling about the words that came out of his mouth. It was the same feeling as when he let out ridiculous suggestions and decisions while we were travelling together at the barren canyons. ¡°Shoo kids, now meeting adjourned. Let me take a rest for a while.¡± ¨Ceven Lord Igor were too stressed by the very little time he spent with Fred. I wondered how much did he had to go through all these years of raising such an unbecoming form of mass which he called ¡®son¡¯. Fred¡¯s childishness seemed to have infected him already too. ¡°Hey Dax, let¡¯s continue our sparring from way back at the Ancient Ruins.¡± ¡°Eeeh you¡¯re still hung up on that. It¡¯s not like you lose or anything each time we fight.¡± ¡°Wow that happened between you two?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t bring up that topic anymore Fred. And also please stop challenging me to sparring already. We all know the difference between our abilities is overwhelming.¡± ¡°No no no, don¡¯t get me wrong. You still remembered the thing I¡¯ve told you back from when we had our first conference here at the palace?¡± A scene from when we departed from the demon territory where Fred and Morgianna had to see us off flashed within me. ¡°You might want to come back faster Dax, I will still need to test your fitting as one of my trusted generals.¡± Oh that¡­ shit¡­ Fred hadn¡¯t talked to me about this one. I thought it was about time he told me about this already. What¡¯s with the general thing? ¡°You should be telling me first what this is all about.¡± ¡°You see¡­ Every generation of Maou had delegated three trusted generals. Selected individuals overwhelming with ability, talent, wisdom and guts.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ you¡¯re not trying to impose me to become one right?¡± ¡°Yes I¡¯m imposing on you.¡± ¡°No you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Eeeh Dax that sounded cool don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Quit it Mae I¡¯m overloaded with the responsibilities of the Patron already.¡± ¡°It was a premonition.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°From the time when you step out of the camp which turned into a big ruckus. Remember how I and Mae went out of our way just to find you? Before that I was dreaming. A dream of a huge, long, silent and deep river. You were beside me. It was you when you were still young, not manifested by the calling of the Patron yet.¡± ¡°That¡­ does not make any sense.¡± ¡°I humbly ask of you. Please Dax. This is neither a calling nor another set of responsibilities to be pushed onto you. This will be a title, only for you. The only thing you need to do is to trust me. I won¡¯t be asking you to follow me or order you around. I will still be respecting your calling as the Patron and if you decide to quit. Just this once, I humbly ask of you to trust me.¡± What was that? Suddenly Fred who was just a bit ago were having fun joking around went too serious as to lay down his title and humbly ask of me to be one of his generals. A premonition was a premonition. It was a sign foretelling someone of things that will happen in the near future, also important things that were meant for someone. Whatever that was, it seemed that even the Gods of this world took notice of me and planned out a few more things for me to handle. If that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be then so be it. I will take upon this challenge. ¡°Fine, fine, but if you lose I won¡¯t accept the offer.¡± --- Nothing much happened after that. Of course I lost. That was a pure overpowered Maou we were talking about. Even with the capabilities of the Patron I still could not match up against someone not only had the same type of calling as me, but also absorbed almost all of the talents when god let them rain from the heavens above. It was a complete defeat but I didn¡¯t complained. It was something I chose for myself. And with that, I was also named as ¡®General Orcas of the Silent Rivers¡¯ I never had the time to ask Fred why it was named as that at the very first place. It must have been connected to his premonition of the river he told me about. What was it like for the previous generation Maou? Did they also dreamed like Fred as they saw the premonition? Or did they just met their generals and a sign suddenly appeared telling them that the individual was the one? I stopped thinking over that after a long time. A few days after the sparring we received another holographic call from Irish at the human capital. It was not really a long talk. She just informed us that both her faction and the humans agree to the terms and conditions we have set too. The agreement was sealed and implemented. Mae went out a sigh of relief. All of her efforts were not for naught. She have accomplished what she initially campaigned for the demi-humans. I¡¯m happy for her too. After that we prepared for the upcoming resume of the long running human-demon war. And it was then during the last siege of the humans towards the demon palace¡­ I died during the final confrontation of The Maou and The Yuusha.
Dr1(Mae-SUF) ChXX Unpopular Mae¡¯s Struggles to being an Unattainable Flower. Chapter XX Mae and Ria, the two ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯ (Ria pov) The girl sitting next to me right now is the girl that my younger brother loves. Just a few months ago she was an indecisive individual who were trying to hide all her potential. Yet she now have entered the same grounds as where I¡¯m standing right now. So much have happened. There was the event back at the cultural festival, there was the sports festival too. How much did she have to endure and try just to reach this far. But what really pushed her to follow this path? I never really questioned her about her feelings towards Ryuuji, but it must¡¯ve been love that¡¯s giving her the strength. Perhaps that should only be love. I assumed this day might come already from when I noticed the potential within Mae, but I never expected it to come so fast. ¡°The power of love surely is frightening, right Mae?¡± (Ria asked Mae who¡¯s sitting beside her.) ¡°Ria-senpai. I¡¯ve come this far. I¡­ No, Ryuuji and I will show you everything we¡¯ve got.¡± (Chieri who was sitting inside the room too closed her eyes as she looked sideways, trying to avoid the scene in front of her where Ryuuji fully supported Mae.) Well I was supposed to be the one in there right now but I won¡¯t be able to beat Ria-senpai with talent and popularity alone. But with the two of you¡­ ¡­It might be possible. ¡°Hooooh~~ Now our little princess wanna-be here is talking rich! Haha!! Makes me want to laugh!¡± ¡°Kathryn quit it with your delusions. That girl there was the one that dethroned you on your safe spot.¡± (The two other girls in the room started to speak for their convenience.) ¡°Now, now, I¡¯m just teasing miss little princess wanna-be here. Don¡¯t spoil the fun so much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine Nana-senpai. I¡¯m quite used with Kathryn senpai already.¡± (Mae pov) That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve come this far. Together with Ryuuji. (Mae was not that as fierce-looking as the others the others think she was. Ryuuji noticed her feeble hands trembling as she tried to cover it that much with her words. Noticing Mae, Ryuuji hold her hands directly and looked at her.) That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve come this far. Along with the help from everyone at the occult club: Ozzy-senpai, his tricks, wisdom and his connection with everybody; Chieri-chan, who stood as my rival not only with popularity but also with love. Shiori-chan, who despite being the one who wanted to protect our daily peaceful lives the most, still stood up by my decisions. And most especially Ryuuji, for opening up a new world for me. These people, not only them, but everyone who have been supporting me so far. I did this not only for fame, but for love. My feelings¡­ ¡­which at first was a one-sided love towards him. And him¡­ ¡­who¡¯s feelings eventually became mutual as mine. ¡°Say¡­ Mae, what are your plans after the results came out? What would you do if you grabbed the top popularity spot from me? What would you do if not?¡± ¡°Ria-senpai¡­ Whatever the outcome is¡­¡± Yes, there is only one thing to do, that I am certain now¡­ ¡°¡­I will continue to support Ryuuji with his passion. I don¡¯t want to lose someone dear to me again.¡± (A flashback with her mother, from when she went out of fame and when their family started to enter hardships in life.) ¡°These feelings of mine¡­ Are mutual with Ryuuji¡¯s. That I assure. If he stands beside me to protect this little world of our own then I will give it my best to support him, whatever hardships we encounter.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Hmp! Very well said. If you gave it you¡¯re all, then rest assured¡­¡± (Full panel of determined Ria¡¯s face.) ¡°¡­This is not a battle which I took half-assed. I will show you the overwhelmingly true meaning of being popular.¡± (Nana approached Ria and stood behind her.) ¡°Students in here, whatever your standing, whichever place you are at the current top 10. Feel free to support whoever your feelings tell you. This is me not forcing you to choose right now. You may take your time. Just follow your heart. Who will it be? These two lovely couple that stirred the winds within this room? Or¡­ will it be me?¡± (Some of the students walked behind Ria. The only ones that stayed by their positions were Ozzy, Kathryn and Chieri who at that moment had her eyes still closed.) ¡°Heheh! Don¡¯t blame me for this Ria. I¡¯m standing for little miss-princess here.¡± (Chieri opened her eyes and looked straightforward at Ria.) ¡°I¡¯ll bet on these two, elder sister¡­ Though it would be most certain that you will win this. I¡¯m not betting at their present, but rather, I¡¯m betting at their futures.¡± ¡°Well said Chieri, I see you¡¯ve finally grown up.¡± ¡°Thank you, onee-sama.¡± (Ria finally looked at Ozzy, who by that time were supporting his back at the walls of the room at the farthest side.) ¡°My sweet little vixens don¡¯t look at me that much. Including you, Ria¡­ ¡­You already know I¡¯m an observer from the very start. I¡¯ll stay at this comfortable grey area I¡¯m currently at and just observe you guys.¡± (Mae answered) ¡°I see¡­ As mysterious as ever, Ozz-senpai. It¡¯s fine you have helped me that much already¡­¡± (Full-page view of Ria and Mae sitting in front of each other with their supporters at their backs.) (Then the door slid and came a banging sound that break the silence at the room. A messenger student that was sent by the poll-counting committee entered.) ¡°The results are finally out!!!¡± --- (It was a quiet spring morning at the occult club room. The usual members have gathered at the cramped spot of the club room that they have. It was a small space but to them it was a huge world that opened up a lot of possibilities for them. Ozzy was at is usual spot at the left side of the table reading a manga and swinging a baton with the other hand. Chieri was sleeping soundly at the very single couch they had on their club room. Ryuuji was near the cabinets organizing his kits and stuff. Shiori was at the little kitchen they had, preparing their usual morning tea. Mae was sitting at a chair beside the window where the cool breeze of the morning winds passes and sways the curtains of the clubroom.) (Finished preparing the tea, Shiori prepared the tea set at the table near Ozzy and started pouring at Mae¡¯s teacup.) ¡°Too bad we still hadn¡¯t beaten Ria-senpai and grabbed the top spot at the popularity rankings¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s my sister we¡¯re talking about here. Chances are slim, right from the start. Hehe!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Hehe¡¯ me! This was your brightest idea at first place!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine Shiori, It¡¯s fine. It was a great experience eitherways.¡± ¡°If you say so Mae¡­¡± (Shiori looked at Ryuuji and gave him a ¡®bleh¡¯ while Mae was not looking.) ¡°Hmp! Not even near half of the total votes. I could do much better.¡± (Chieri, now awake, told them while pouring herself a cup of tea.) ¡°At the end we only managed to pull a third of the total student body, huh?¡± (Ryuuji answered while looking at the members of the occult club.) ¡°As I say before, Ryuuji, it was a great experience. I¡¯m not expecting you to back out now that we¡¯ve achieved something.¡± --- (A flashback from after the results were announced. Nana and Kathryn were quarrelling behind Ria.) ¡°That¡¯s what you get for siding with the wrong team. Fufufu¡­¡± ¡°Eeeh? Whaddya¡¯ say?? Wanna get a piece of me huh, little punk?¡± (the agitated Kathryn answered Nana.) (The two continued to quarrel as Ria approached Mae and Ryuuji.) ¡°Ryuuji¡­ I¡¯m proud of you.¡± ¡°But sis¡ª¡± ¡°Sssh! No need to say anymore. And Mae.¡± ¡°Ye-Yes, Ria-senpai?¡± ¡°It is true that this is still an overwhelming victory for me¡­ But to admit, this is also the smallest gap of margin between the results ever since I¡¯ve entered Kamigawa-high. Consider this not as a loss, but as a great feat. I look forward to seeing you achieve more feats in the near future.¡± Well, my feeling was right all along. You really have the potential. (Mae, who was still seated looked up with reddish cheeks, which seemed like her tears are about to burst out but she¡¯s just preventing it.) ¡°Thank you¡­ Ria-senpai. Everything was a fun experience for me.¡± ¡°Same for me too. Now don¡¯t get disheartened and continue what you and Ryuuji have started. To be honest, I never really disapprove of you two going out on a relationship¡­¡± (Mae and Ryuuji blushed.) ¡°¡­Just make sure not to commit mistakes which you will regret in the future.¡± (Ria embraced Ryuuji and started whispering to him.) ¡°This is my final legacy at Kamigawa-high¡­ Everything is in yours and Mae¡¯s hands now.¡± (Ryuuji was snorting) ¡°Yes¡­ Ria-nee!!¡± ¡°My my¡­ Don¡¯t cry, that too unsightly for a Shirogane.¡± (Ria told him as she¡¯s about to cry too.) (Ria headed towards the center of the room where her table and original seat were located. She supported her body at the side of the table looking happy and exhausted. She began her final speech) ¡°And with this results, the popularity ratings for this school year have finally ended¡­¡± --- ¡°So Ria-senpai and the other graduated, huh?¡± (Shiori said, looking down at the tea set at the table.) ¡°Speaking of which, Ozzy-senpai why are you here? It¡¯s the start of the new school year already. Don¡¯t tell me you repeated a grade?¡± (Chieri asked Ozzy) ¡°My little zambie-chans¡­ You hit where it¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± (Everyone was shocked) ¡°Just kidding, just kidding! I was just running some paperworks at the faculty when I suddenly felt like ditching class and resting here.¡± ¡°That really does not sound so reassuring.¡± (Ozzy stood up and packed his things) ¡°Well I guess it¡¯s time, to go back¡­ to my own hell called college again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look so dejected Ozzy-senpai.¡± ¡°Right, I¡¯ll leave the things here in your care, new club president, Shiori-senpai!¡± ¡°Wha!!¡ªcome back here!!¡± (Everyone laughed at Shiori.) ¡°Well, what are we going to do with the current headcount, we need to recruit a new member. I really felt like things that happened last year will repeat themselves again this year. It¡¯s giving me chills.¡± ¡°What now, Mae-chan?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯m always a yes-woman.¡± (Mae then looked at Ryuuji) ¡°Don¡¯t try to tell me you¡¯re backing out now.¡± ¡°No, silly, we¡¯re just getting started.¡±
Ch8-3 A Lost Chapter and Organizing a Clutter III. A Lost Chapter and Organizing a Clutter Fred Modern Earth, 20xx+3 ¡°Freeeeeeeed~~¡± Ingrid had been noisy again. ¡°Hey Freeeeeeeed~~¡± The noise was getting on my nerves already. How could someone produce such sound that could reap the eardrums of those who heard it? It was not like she¡¯s a kid pulling out tantrum due to her parents not buying what she pointed at a certain store. ¡°Come on notice me Freeeeeeed~~¡± It was a busy Sunday and my two assistants were out shopping for drawing supplies. The nearest manga supply store was on the city three stations away from our town. It was not a store you could just walk so I gave them transport fee (+ meal treat) which I could probably reimburse later. They will be out for a few hours. Having myself some free time, I observed that the studio was severely cluttered. I took initiative and started cleaning. That was when this witch suddenly entered and grabbed a few things to read while I¡¯m cleaning. She immediately found a comfortable spot on the bed. ¡°Fred I¡¯m hungry, let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m preoccupied with how I¡¯m going to clean this mess?¡± ¡°It was not like that a while ago. You were the one of pulled out everything from their storages. You just dug your own grave.¡± ¡°Sigh¡± I never thought there were so much items that were stored at the cabinet already. I only planned to reorganize the items that were outside with the items inside of it. That led to the huge mess at the studio that made my problem worse. It seemed like my assistants and Ingrid had been hoarding items and storing them at my studio without my knowledge. ¡°You see¡­ If you could help me clean up this mess before the two oddballs arrive, we can still have time to sneak out and eat.¡± ¡°Jeez you had been exploiting me for manpower for years already.¡± Ingrid rolled back and forth at the bed and lazed around like there¡¯s no tomorrow. I returned to cleaning and gave up every last ounce of hope that she would help me with the clutter. ¡°Oya~~ what¡¯s this? Hmmmm.¡± Even when not looking I knew she picked up something again that piqued her interest. ¡°Hmm, a draft sketch. And a whole bunch of pages. A chapter, maybe?¡± Wait what is that? Somehow I tried to remember what she were pertaining to. Out of all the items scattered throughout the studio I only found a small percentage of what was supposedly mine and manga related. ¡°Mae and Ria, the two ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯¡± Oops. The chapter was not really something I¡¯m hiding from those three. I didn¡¯t even remembered that I¡¯ve stocked the draft chapter at the storage. It was something I drew a few days after Mae-SUF got turned down by old man. I somehow wanted to draw the chapter so I gave it a rough sketch. After my talk with Ingrid at the park lots of memories I never imagined I would remember flashed back on me. That included my last duel with Dax when asked of him of the position of General Orcas. Dax led a lot of demi-humans during his reign as The Patron. Mae Militum Thelesmata remained as the lead of the diplomatic faction but we needed to keep her safety especially that she wasn¡¯t really suited for battles. In a way Mae still was the leader of the ¡®Diplomatic Faction¡¯ that sided with the demons to continue the war but Dax was the one commanding the combatants together with the demon forces. Quite ironic, huh Dax had chosen Mae¡¯s side. And Mae chose to side with the demons and aligned our goals together. It was the same logic I used when creating the progress for Mae¡¯s character. The premonition I had led me to betting on whether Dax will be accepting the role of ¡®General Orcas¡¯. And to test that out I asked him to battle me out a few times while at the Ancient Ruins, and the final confrontation back at the demon palace. I needed not to gauge out his strength but to check his determination to take on the role and serve under me. He was reluctant at first but eventually he decided to take on it and he proved his determination. Cutting the long story short, our final battle where he proved his determination was when we had our duel back at the royal palace some several decades ago, I really forgot when. He knew he was still going to lose, but even then, he gave it his all and did not throw out the match. It was truly a splendid battle that even moved Mae to tears. ¡°You really are something. I didn¡¯t even know how eye-catching those pile of papers are for you that out of all the clutter here at the studio you¡¯re eyes got glued only to it.¡± ¡°Well it had your scent.¡± ¡°Wha-what are you! A sniffing dog or something?¡± ¡°A vixen, perhaps. fufufu¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Well, nothing much I can do to force you to not read the chapter. It was unfinished anyways. The draft was rejected too.¡± ¡°Cut the crap and just let me read it.¡± She rolled and lay upright while holding the papers upwards with her two hands. But that was a deadly move. Her breasts! Goddamn it! Her breasts!! I could only try to look away but this enchantress told me not to. Her fit sleeveless shirt emphasized her body curves. The loose straps that supports the only clothing she had slid down her shoulders, showing her visible collarbone and atop those, two masses of what in this world they called ¡®boobs¡¯. Her wavy mid-long silky black hair sways down as she only supported her neck on the side of the bed. Her head was hanging quite a bit so there really was no mattress to support her hair. The wind that blew from the AC added a swaying effect to her hair.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I was mystified and enchanted. What might happen if I was still the Maou? Had this enchanting an effect on me? I could not bet on my capabilities on that one. It was far even stronger than the enchanting that Morgianna did. I felt that I really need to apologize to Yuusha once I got back at Mytherion. I tried everything to avoid myself from being bewitched by this girl but she suddenly brings up deadly moves like it was only natural for her. I was just hanging on a thin thread connecting myself from Yuusha. My stare was suddenly interrupted when she lowered the papers she¡¯s holding. I looked at her face embarrassed as I was caught in the act. ¡°Hmp! Fred you pervert.¡± ¡°Yeap, I¡¯m a pervert and I was looking. But it was your fault for flaunting your masses of ¡®boobs¡¯ in front of me.¡± ¡°Bu-but I thought you weren¡¯t looking!!¡± ¡°I was not looking, until you declared the title of what you¡¯re reading.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I could give you permission to look if you¡¯ll just ask¡­ and besides¡­¡± She turned bright-red-embarrassed ¡°This thing are only to be done by married couples.¡± Somehow a stare quickly escalated. I¡¯m not sure how to answer this. ¡°Loving Yuusha¡­ and staring at my ¡®boobs¡¯¡­ are two different things¡­ You can¡¯t do that¡­¡± I broke. My mind Broke. The deadly move was super effective. The shy-embarrassed Ingrid won. That night angels celebrated as finally, the former Maou of Mytherion that was sent towards Earth was finally close to biting the dust. ¡°A. B. C. D. E. F. G.¡± I lost my sense of speech. I compared this scene to one of the games Kyrie was playing back at her unit, those ¡®gal-games¡¯ that simulates your romantic progression towards a good selection of girls and routes per game. Really a nonsense game if you were to ask me, but I¡¯m not one to criticize too straightforward so I just kept it for myself. ¡°Fufufu!! I¡¯m just joking Fred, I knew you don¡¯t have any ulterior motives and was just concerned about how I dress but I only trust you so much that you are the only one I can show this side of me.¡± ¡°I¡­ Uh¡­ I guess.¡± Shit I had ulterior motives!!! ¡°Say¡­ come here and let me slap you so hard.¡± ¡°No! Spare me, you love me right?¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s correct but I really felt like slapping you today.¡± I just gave a ¡®Tee-hee¡¯ then a bleh gesture and she answered with a sigh. I guessed that was a case closed. ¡°If you got nothing better to do than to fantasize my body you might as well finish what you¡¯re cleaning already.¡± She continued reading. She¡¯s mad, that I knew. I could make up with her after I finished cleaning. But I gave up all the hope that I would be able to finish that before Kyrie and Ara arrived back. So might as well enjoy myself resting, I came near Ingrid and sat beside the bed. I gave her hanging head a support from my right shoulder while I rested my head on her right shoulder too. I could only feel the heat of her body at the back of my neck as it contrasts with the coldness of the air around the room. We look like lovers but we¡¯re really not. Back to back I looked at the draft she was reading. It was still at the very first page if I remembered correctly. I didn¡¯t shuffled the pages and left it in order after I finished sketching it. It was like she¡¯s been waiting for me to come for us to read the whole chapter together. I really appreciate things like these that Ingrid does. She¡¯s really trying hard to win me over. The world was full of uncertainties, who knows if she really wins me over at the end of my life¡¯s story. ¡°I thought you¡¯re going to clean up?¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯re already halfway?¡± Both of us giggled like kids. Then we read the chapter
Chapter XX Mae and Ria, the two ¡®Takane no Hana¡¯
¡°And a new arc finally begins! Now that Ria and the others have graduated what awaits Mae, Ryuuji and the new Occult Club?¡± Whack!! Ingrid rolled the draft chapter and hit my head. ¡°Ouch! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Hahahaha you¡¯re funny! I never expected that. Quit letting out sudden jokes like that again, I almost did not caught my breath.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± It was quite a long chapter, nearly around fifty pages. I did a rough sketch of the sudden set of ideas that popped out my mind and did the dialogues too. I spent a whole night doing it without my assistants nor Ingrid¡¯s knowledge. Though it was already a rejected draft. I really felt wasting a night just to create a chapter will help me clear out my mind and move on from Mae-SUF and Elrufus Dax¡¯s story. It was an essential part to proceed with the next draft. Well it was a successful move. ¡°I knew it. Shirogane, Ria¡¯s character was based on you when you¡¯re still a Maou back at Mytherion. My hunch was right.¡± ¡°You may say that, I won¡¯t agree nor deny though.¡± ¡±Wheeee~~ you¡¯re trying to hide your embarrassment. No need to Fred, It¡¯s just the two of us. By the way, it was not indicated what chapter this was. Where did you plan on putting this in any case Mae-SUF got serialized?¡± ¡°Maybe around forty-plus or so? T should end the first half where Ria and her senpais finally graduated.¡± ¡°You know most manga lose their popularity if you do those kinds of progressions, but we don¡¯t know yet if the readers will like it. Hahaha, more like, we won¡¯t know. It¡¯s rejected by the way!¡± ¡°Uh quit burning me already. I already lost that one, and I was quite proud of the draft too. It really was a shame.¡± ¡°Fine, fine don¡¯t sulk anymore and let me babysit you.¡± Ingrid pinched my nose after her words. Now going back, the chapter Ingrid and I read was inspired by that duel Elrufus Dax and I had back at Mytherion, the last one which determined whether Dax will be the rightful owner of the role of General Orcas. Kurosawa, Mae and Shirogane, Ria. They were at that moment of the story, was not really on par with each other but at the end, Ria¡¯s impression of Mae¡¯s potential was right. Mae never went down without a fight, and set a new record which proved everything the Ria bet on her. That¡¯s why at the end, she approved of the two¡¯s relationship. Talent, power, and popularity are almost absolute. But two individuals, keeping in check of each other, supporting themselves at times of hardships, could always overcome these barriers. The same goes for us four, living here at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex. Helping each other out, we will be able to produce a draft that Old man will surely approve. ¡°Fred this spot is really comfortable I don¡¯t want to get up anymore.¡± ¡°You jest, we should start cleaning by now. At this moment Ara and Kyrie are probably on their way back.¡± ¡°Do you mean us? We¡¯re already here. We just got back though¡­¡± ¡°Humu¡­ Just to see the two of you flirting. Ara, I anticipated these two lovebirds doing their thing again while we¡¯re gone, but this clutter is out of my prediction.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± The bot of us were that surprised that we hit each other¡¯s forehead as we tried to untangle ourselves from the position we¡¯re currently at. ¡°Ouch ouch! No! No no no no no¡ª you¡¯re misunderstanding something Kyrie!! It was not like that!¡± ¨CI tried to talk my way out of those judging eyes. ¡°No, no no! It¡¯s okay, we both knew already.¡± ¡°This clutter. I was just trying to clean up our storages, then lots of stuff popped out, even those not related to drawing manga!¡± Their eyes went dead blank. It seemed that I missed their point which was really critical at that situation. I looked at Ingrid whose covering her face with her palm due to embarrassment and lost hope. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh what? Don¡¯t ¡®Eh what?¡¯ me. You missed something really important and it already killed the mood. Now I¡¯m going to help you clean this mess and give you a nice beating later¡± ¡°Aneki! Please spare me!! Believe me I¡¯ve been cleaning all day!!! I just took a rest and sat here with Ingrid! Not much time has passed since I took a break!! Spare me!!!¡± Ara (Aneki) approached me and grabbed the back of my clothing and dragged me towards the clutter to help her clean. She turned towards Ingrid with an evil intent ¡°Laaaaandlaaaaadyyyyyyy~~ It¡¯s time to do your share too, am I right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yes, give me a few moment.¡± ¡°Humu¡­ Just call me here at my unit after you finished cleaning ¡®kay?¡± ¨CKyrie was fast, slammed the door close and locked it. She escaped Ara (Aneki)¡¯s cruel death sentence. Ara just let her off with a sigh. It was still a long day ahead.
Ch8-4 A Former Maou, An Old Man, and a Delusional Rival IV. A Former Maou, An Old Man, and a Delusional Rival Ingrid¡¯s Apartment Complex, Modern Earth, 20xx+2 ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here Fred, I¡¯m giving you a final piece of advice. Which part of that did you not understand?¡± The one speaking at that moment was Old Man. His nerves could be seen in his forehead due to anger. He¡¯s Fred¡¯s current editor at that time. He had been always supportive of him ever since he accepted his job as Fred¡¯s editor. Fred¡¯s initial serialization went fine, it almost never had a bad review but it only lasted for a few months. That was due to Fred¡¯s sudden decisions and inconsistent mind. That was the very first trigger that worsened (but it was really the contrary) the two¡¯s relationship. Almost each and every time they will meet, there was never a time of a peaceful encounter. Either the two would end up fighting while exchanging nonsensical shouting, or it will be only Old Man shouting at Fred. Mostly were the latter. ¡°I understand you! But I really wanted to pass initial volume drafts!¡± ¡°We have to stick to the process Fred, you will need to submit to me a oneshot. That¡¯s what I need, not an initial volume. It was also why I rejected your first draft in the first place!!¡± ¡°What if I tell you I don¡¯t want to draw another oneshot?¡± ¡°Go die¡± ¡°No u¡± ¡°HRRRRNGGGG!!!¡± Both of them then slammed their hands together like those on late night wrestling show Kyrie had been watching. They were both testing their strength, in which, Old man literally had the upper hand. Nothing good will come out of a frail body of a manga author that never really did some exercise. He had been attending Ingrid¡¯s self-defense lessons occasionally yet he never really took it seriously. The three were seated at the cramped-for-three-persons bed and just watching the two struggled for power. Being wary of their well-being in mind body and soul, none of them tried to leave any side-comments, nor took Fred¡¯s side and helped him defend his stand. The duel ended up with Fred¡¯s overwhelming defeat. It looked like hid back broke and he was bent sideways. ¡°In any case, I will be seeing a oneshot next week. Do it. Also I will let you meet your new editor starting next week.¡± I really felt like those words have deep meaning ¡°Huh? Where are you going?¡± ¨CFred asked Old Man wondering and confirming his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m a busybody starting today Fred. I will be preparing for the awarding ceremony of a new author that was assigned to me.¡± ¡°Eh? Never heard!¡± ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t yet! You¡¯re just stuck in this little cradle of yours with your harem all day. How would you even know about the names of your co-authors working with you at the same company?¡± ¡°This is not one of your good-time jokes again right?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a natural, hundred percent oddball like you guys here. I really think you will get along with each other. I might as well make a meetup between you guys.¡± ¡°What¡¯s her pen name?¡± ¡°You will know soon.¡± Then Old Man left the studio and closed the door. ¡°What to do now, Fred?¡± ¨CAra (imouto) asked Fred. Fred let out a sigh. ¡°I guess we do a oneshot.¡± ¡°I really think you missed out a very important sentence Old Man let out a while ago Fred!¡± A few minutes back flashed within Fred¡¯s memories: ¡®I will let you meet your new editor starting next week.¡¯ ¡°Eh?¡± Fred looked towards the three girls in front of him with an unpaintable expression on his face. A sign of death, a deadly realization. --- Old Man was walking down the road which headed towards the train station. It was not particularly a hot afternoon nor a cold one. Yet, he still wore his coat for sunlight protection. Walking long distances without any shade to walk on to. He sighed and looked back towards Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex. ¡°Little boy¡­ A storm might be coming to your life. Are you prepared for what¡¯s about to happen?¡± Old man never really knew much about Fred¡¯s character background. He just accepted the job knowing a little knowledge about his past: ¡®Fred came from a place very far away.¡¯ Yea it sounded too shady. Yeah, too shady¡­ But what more choice did he have? He just got back from a long leave from work and were immediately assigned to Fred. He knew of Fred¡¯s talent, and Ingrid have shown him his proof of citizenship. At that time he looked like a kid going to the principal¡¯s office accompanied by his mother. His impression of Fred was shattered. He almost lost faith of himself and thought he was left with a problem child to handle. He even came to a time when he wondered if Ingrid was the one doing all the drawing for Fred. But deep inside he knew experience had Fred grown so much that he could now stand up on his own. Ingrid, who at the beginning stood like her guardian, was now only at the sides whenever they were having meetings at Fred¡¯s apartment. ¡°He really was like a kid back then. How much had he grown in just a few years? He was just a total newbie with a talent when he started. Now he¡¯s like¡­. Uh¡­¡± Old man remembered what just happened back at the apartment complex. ¡°¡­Yeap, he¡¯s still needs experience.¡± He arrived at the train station. Going back to the city was not really hard on weekends. The volume of people who goes in and out the city was not that much compared to when business days resumed. Along with the sound of the moving train, he looked outside and caught the great scenery of the vast wheat fields and the small cottages built at the middle. ¡°It really was a great scenery. But I wonder why hadn¡¯t he moved in the city? Contacting him will be a lot easier if he moved in.¡± It¡¯s not like the town was at a very remote area where travelling will took hours to get to the town itself. It was just a few miles away from the border of the city and it was just three stations away. At fastest times it will only take Old man about fifteen to thirty minutes one-way towards Ingrid¡¯s apartment. It was not really a hassle for him. He was not also going back and forth at Fred¡¯s studio during most of the week. They were also keeping in touch via phone. ¡°I really think I should start a car loan. It might prove helpful in the near future.¡± Old man was growing with his career too. He¡¯s started being an editor for his new artist who his editor-in-chief assigned to him. He trust his boss¡¯ decisions and accepted the offer even though it meant letting go of being Fred¡¯s editor. It will be a conflict of responsibilities. Even at his golden age he won¡¯t be able to handle two artists at the same time. It was only natural to choose one. His boss introduced one of his trusted colleagues that will be Fred¡¯s new editor. At that time he wanted to talk with his boss if he could remain as Fred¡¯s editor and just let his colleague handle the new author. But he did not, instead he asked his boss that he would meet up with Fred one last time before he make his decision. That led to this day. ¡°Well¡­ Not that I will be needing it much anymore, it can wait.¡± He grabbed something from the pocket of his coat. It was his phone. Ringing out a number, he lift up his phone and started talking. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve made my decision¡­¡± I guess I¡¯ll start growing too. It was never too late, huh? Maou Spence-sensei? ¡°¡­Let me meet Anemone-sensei.¡± --- The three were sitting in order aligned from left to right: Ara, Fred, Kyrie. Their expressions looked like three different dead fish lined up at the wet market for grabs. It was not even an hour since Old man had left their apartment complex with a devastating news.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Ingrid was rolling back and forth at the bed like a kid, entangling herself with the blanket. She really have not much to do. She¡¯s just a helper. She was not really a part of Fred¡¯s team. The news really did not shocked her too much. Got nothing much to do, she just waited for the three to come back to life while continuing what she was doing. ¡°You know, stuff like these happens a lot at manga industry. It was not really like old man had forsaken you guys due to your incompetency. It¡¯s just that there are always new authors that should need guidance from experienced editors. Think of this also as a good experience for your growth guys.¡± Ingrid finally got tired and started talking with them. ¡°But¡­ But¡­¡± ¨CAra(Imouto) were nearly crying. ¡°I won¡¯t blame you guys. I¡¯ve not informed you to anticipate these kinds of things. Editors are not with you forever.¡± ¡°But even still, to deliver the news that way¡­¡± Fred really looked disheartened. Even though they were always quarrelling it was not like they were really on bad terms, to the point that Fred will have to talk to the editor-in-chief to assign him a new editor. In fact it was the contrary. ¡°Humu¡­ He told us that he will let us meet your new editor next week, right?¡± ¡°Fred, quit sulking. You have a draft to work onto.¡± ¡°But¡­ leaving us like this, at this point, it really felt like he abandoned us.¡± Ingrid stood up and smacked the sulking kid¡¯s head. That was everything it took to force the reality onto Fred¡¯s thick head. ¡°I know, I know¡­ Just give me this day to think things over!¡± And just as Fred declared his time off: His phone rang at max volume. ¡°Sigh¡­ Give me a break¡­¡± He looked at the contact. It was a new number. He was puzzled. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°ORA!! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO ANSWER?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry you have reached a wrong number. The person you are trying to contact is already dead. I don¡¯t do consultations anymore nor still tied with my duties as a Maou. Again, thank you for choosing TownGrocer, please come again sir!¡± Then he dropped the call. The phone rang again with the same number. ¡°Well that¡¯s to be expected.¡± ¨CAra looked at the non-functional Fred. Fred tried to regain his humane functions and answered the phone the second time. ¡°Uhm¡­ Hello?¡± ¡°YOU GOT SOME NERVE TO DROP THE CALL OF YOUR NEW EDITOR, HUH?!¡± Fred covered the mic of his phone and talked to his unit-mates. ¡°We¡¯ve got a new storm brewing¡­¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to scare you or such. Come please talk. Helloooo? Are you still alive?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Old Man told us that the meeting with you will be next week, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, might as well drop a call to my new fledgeling. Say country boy, Are you a virgin?¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°HA HA HA HA!! I!! I really wanted to let out that joke for ages!! Also, Old Man!! HA HA HA HA!! I haven¡¯t heard that alias in ages!! Hahaha!!!¡± Fred covered the mic and talked with the three girls again ¡°I¡¯m scared! I feel threatened!! Save me Ingrid!!¡± ¡°Okay okay, so much for the jokes, let¡¯s get to the main topic.¡± ¡°Ye-Yes!¡± ¡°As ¡®Old Man¡¯ informed you¡ªpffft! Puhahaha!! I will be your new editor starting next week. Pleased to meet you. But wait I haven¡¯t meet you yet. Because we¡¯re talking over the phone!!¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!.... Phew what a laugh!¡± The other three girls were just looking silently at Fred, being worried of his mental state, talking to the nutjob over the phone. ¡°By the way, My name is Seria. I will take care of you.¡± ¡°Oh, pleased to meet you too Ms. Seria, I will be on your care.¡± ¡°Nice, now we¡¯re talking. Now I mailed you four tickets to the awarding of the new authors competition, you know, the one you won a few years ago. Old Man might have told you already, he will be assigned to a new author. I hope you¡¯ll be able to come, your girlfriend and assistants too. I hope you will be able to come.¡± ¡°Uh, thank you for your patronage.¡± ¡°No worries, no worries! You might also want to meet who your previous editor was assigned to, the pen name is Anemone-sensei.¡± --- Highways at the city are filled with vehicles going here and there all throughout the several parts of the city. There were several delivery trucks, private vehicles, cabs and busses. Entering a highway would be the best way if you wanted to get to your destination fast. There are multiple exits that leads to the main roads where the usual residential parts of the city are located. Driving among the vehicles was a black sedan. It was not a luxury car nor a distinguished latest model, but rather a simple black sedan that follows traffic rules regularly. After driving towards an exit the sedan continued heading towards its destination: an apartment complex. The apartment complex was more presentable and polished-looking compared to the ones that Ingrid has. It was three stories with four rooms each floor. The lot area was not as big as Ingrid¡¯s and it could only span a few square meters of open yard besides the floor area. The room was not that spacious, yet it is spacious enough for a single person. The city rates on these apartment complex cost a lot more due to the accessibility to most of the business centers. Due to those high rates, the owners will be able to maintain and renovate their complex as much as they could, considering the units were all occupied. It was located near the main road but not literally beside it. It was still accessible via vehicles like other houses. The sedan parked beside the perimeter of the yard and there came out Old man. He got something from his pocket at the left chest part of his coat: an aviator glasses that should block the harmful rays of the sun from his eyes. ¡°Oddballs per oddballs. Why does the editor-in-chief always bother to assign me Earth¡¯s living oddities? Can¡¯t he just make a happy by giving me a peaceful job?¡± He checked if the doors of the car were locked and took a quick check of the sides. He loved his new car. ¡°The car really proved to be too useful at events like these¡­¡± He looked at the apartment complex again and sighed. ¡°¡­well considering the kind of work manga authors does, never was a low chance to encounter individuals who have been affected mentally of what they are writing.¡± He entered the vicinity and climbed towards the third floor. He then walked towards the corner unit where the name indicated foreign characters which he supposedly read as ¡®Anemone¡¯ ¡°Sigh¡­ Well¡­ Here we go¡­¡± Fred bless me with anger and fury as I¡¯ll be confronting another demon besides you. DING-DONG!! There was no answer. DING-DONG!! X3 No one sill answers. DING-DONG!! X10 ¡°DIIIIINGDOOOOOOONG!!!¡± The door of the neighbour unit opened and a frightened tenant peeked towards Old man. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not someone suspicious, trust me.¡± White polo, black slacks, trench coat, aviator glasses and a leather cap. Yes Old man was not suspicious. ¡°Please!! I¡¯m the editor of the mangaka that resides this unit! Look at my business card!!¡± ¨Che tried to persuade the tenant by giving him his calling card. Then the tenant shut his doors and locked them. He didn¡¯t wanted to be involved much more. ¡°Sigh¡­ Well, there goes the reputation of an old man.¡± After calming himself down, he remembered something. He lifted the potted plant beside at the corner a bit and grabbed the key under. It was something only him, Anemone, and/or the landlord knew. He opened the door and immediately closed it. He was thankful there were no cameras installed at that apartment complex. It might pose a risk in the near future but he was glad there weren¡¯t any installed by that time. The lights were off but the bright light from the sun outside should be enough to light up the entire room. The curtains were swaying and the glass-panel window towards the veranda were opened slightly. The room was a unit / a studio for one. Beside the wall is a small bed, fit for the small body of someone who¡¯s sound asleep at that moment. ¡°She really acts like someone from Fred¡¯s team, but the difference is she¡¯s quite alone.¡± It was then Old man noticed that she was not wearing anything under the blanket wrapped around her. ¡°GOOD GRACIOUS! OH GOD NO!!¡± ¨COld man immediately looked away from her. She had a body of someone who¡¯s definitely growing, but not exaggerated like Ara nor lacking like Kyrie. It is safe to assume that it should be like Ingrid¡¯s when she¡¯s way younger. He immediately shook his head as he remembered Fred¡¯s killing intent. ¡°No nonononononono!! I¡¯m sorry Fred.¡± ¨Che then looked up and asked forgiveness from his God. That was when he immediately noticed the thing attached at the corner top right of the room. It was every house breaker¡¯s arch nemesis: an electronic device that records footages of what¡¯s happening in a certain span of area it could reach. In fact Old man was too thankful a while ago when it was not installed outside the unit. But that thing was installed at the part of the unit where most coincidences, misunderstanding and death aligned altogether. A cctv camera. What could pose even more dangerous that the situation Old man had?: A naked young gal who¡¯s still at the stage where she¡¯s growing her feminine parts of her body, semi-wrapped around a ¡®not-so-sure-if-thin¡¯ blanket which some daring portions of her skin were visible by naked eye; A ¡®not-really-so-suspicious¡¯ Old man, wearing white polo, black slacks, trench coat, aviator glasses and a leather cap, looking at the cctv camera at that moment. ¡°Trust me, whoever you are¡­ I¡¯m most probably not a burglar and I¡¯m most probably nooooOOOT a molester. I¡¯m not a pedophile. Please. I¡¯m just a humble editor.¡± He started talking to inanimate objects out of fear. He¡¯s sweating cold droplets as he was about to be branded as a burglar / molester / pedophile. Most of all, he was about to lose his years of built up great career as a mangaka editor. All if the video footage were to be passed on to the police by whoever was controlling the device was. Then he heard movements of the blanket at the bed behind him. The sleeping cause of all of his misfortune that day was about to wake up. He took a glance at his back and saw the girl seated and slouching at her small bed. The white blanket were covering half of her face, her growing breasts and the lower portion of her body. ¡°Quick¡­ Put on some dress, gal. You don¡¯t want to add fuel on the fire that¡¯s incinerating me right now.¡± She looked at Old man and twinkled her eyes a few times. ¡°yaaaaaAAAWWN! Oh, Old Man you¡¯re already here. I told you to always knock before you enter.¡± ¡°Knock, you say?¡± ¨CThe nerves started to appear through Old Man¡¯s forehead as he hear the words ¡®knock before you enter¡¯ ¡°Oh, wait I¡¯m not on fully awakened speech yet. Let me adjust quite a bit.¡± She tried to imitate a long manteau using the blanket that covered her naked body and started talking in a way that humans could not comprehend. ¡°My loyal servant! What brings you so suddenly at my Royal Palace? Come tell me, and the queen of darkness shall reward you appropriately.¡± Old Man snapped. ¡°Listen here¡­ you piece of little shit. You need to first do something about this camera before I smack you with reality.¡± The girl tried to look composed, but the terror lingering in front of her were way far too stronger than her delusions and insanity. ¡°Anemone-sensei¡­ please¡­ do¡­ something¡­ before I snap you.¡± ¡°HIIIII!!!!¡± Old man remembered these kinds of scenes. They were the same as during his first meetups with Fred. It felt quite nostalgic, yet the danger level of what just happened was way above the charts of being just a misunderstanding. He felt relieved that Anemone did not acted childish anymore and immediately obeyed him. The cctv was hers too and not controlled by that landlord. It took a few more minutes before Anemone turned to her usual clothing: a fitted daring suit which you could only see at spy or fantasy movies. ¡°So, what does a loyal servant came here at my Royal palace for?¡± Old man ignored her delusional statements as it still conveys her sense of speech. ¡°What do you mean by that? Did I not notice you of the event tonight?¡± ¡°Oh you mean the soul harvest? Actually. It really is a good time for you to notify me. You see¡­ I¡¯m quite a busybody and I¡¯ve got tons of royal events to attend to on my end. I thank you for your immediate notification my loyal servant.¡± ¡°I realy did not understand that¡­ But tonight is the Fresh Aspirants awarding ceremony! It¡¯s your big night!!¡± ¡°Eh? Come again?¡± ¨CAnemone began talking straight as she was confused too. Oh fuck¡­ Anemone then looked at the calendar and realized that today was the same day as the one circled in red. Shocked as much as she wanted to, she immediately regained her composed delusional statements. ¡°Yeah. The Royal Queen really did forgot about the grand event tonight.¡± ¨Cshe answered honestly and eyes closed. The nerves popped out of Old man¡¯s head just like those days with Fred. That day almost all of the tenants at that apartment complex were alarmed by a loud shouting inside the corner unit at the third floor.
Interlude 3 (Earth) - Operation Code-Red: Maou is Sick Interlude 3 YOLO Series - Operation Code-Red: Maou is Sick ¡°Kyrie, could you find the spare ink at the storage? My Ink¡¯s about to run out¡­¡± Unit6 was too busy as they were rushing a draft. Each of them was too busy at their designated works that only Ingrid was the one you could ask for help. But useless as she was, Fred didn¡¯t relied she could remember where they put the ink at the storage so she pushed the order to Kyrie. ¡°Humu. Fred, you must realize I¡¯m also tied up. Tied up to the extent that any delay you push onto me will delay you too.¡± ¡°Hey why not ask me for help Fred?¡± ¨CIngrid broke her silence, wanting Fred to rely on her more. ¡°Shush! Just cook!¡± ¡°Hmp!¡± Dejected, Ingrid left the studio through the connecting doors and headed towards Fred¡¯s unit. All she was tasked with was to cook a delicious dinner for them. Whenever Fred felt Ingrid could finish the job without causing any problems he would let her. Besides, Ingrid was only reliable during meetings and brainstorming. While she had been good at those parts, the opposite proved true with technical stuff. ¡°That¡¯s not nice Fred. You can¡¯t do that with your future wife.¡± ¡°Ingrid won¡¯t be. Quit it with the jokes. Besides, my ink is still nearing its dead end. Please fetch me one.¡± After that nobody answered him. All of them were busy doing their respective tasks. Fred let the situation go and stood up. Nothing much will affect the chapter they were working on. It would just be a few seconds of walk, take out the ink, and go back to work. Ara looked at Fred¡¯s face as he stood up. He was bright-red like he was blushing towards his high school crush. It looked like he was just trying to maintain his balance as he walked. Being worried, Ara lifted up the silence and asked him. ¡°Fred are you okay? You¡¯re wobbling.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. It was just my sudden stand suddenly blackened my vision. I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°Well you don¡¯t look like it.¡± Fred reached out towards the innermost part of the cabinet where the ink was stored and got a bottle of refill. ¡°See? I told you I¡¯m at my best condition, never better¡­ I could still¡ª¡± THUD!* Fred fell down the open area of the studio. The ink he got slipped from his hand and were thrown in front of him and spattered across the floor. His breathing was too heavy and his eyes were too focused looking at some non-existent object in front of him. ¡°Fred!!¡± ¨CBoth of her assistants shouted and panicked and immediately halted whatever they were doing. Rushing towards Fred, both of them immediately checked his body. Ara held his forehead with her right hand and checked his body temperature. ¡°He¡¯s hot!¡± ¡°Humu. He¡¯s hot. Do we get also our insurances if he dies?¡± Ara lifted her arms in attempt to hit Kyrie. ¡°Just kidding, just kidding. But his temperature is too high. Should we bring him to the nearest hospital?¡± It was true that Fred needed immediate medical attention as much as possible but Ara was too afraid to take that decision. One of Fred¡¯s benefits at his line of work was a medical one. Ara by that time did not knew how any of those work yet so she did not took the responsibility. ¡°I think it would be better to consult Landlady with this.¡± ¡°Humu. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea¡­ Oh speak of the devil.¡± Kyrie looked towards the door connecting to Fred¡¯s unit. Ingrid was standing there. ¡°Miss Landlady, please calm down. It¡¯s just high fever.¡± The two looked towards Ingrid. Kyrie, as calm as she was, tried to infect Ingrid with her calmness. She knew at first place that she will go hysterical once she saw Fred¡¯s current state. Kyrie wished she never heard them at first place and just finished her cooking until they finished taking care of Fred. ¡°Uhm¡­ Landlady?¡± At that moment Ingrid¡¯s eyes were filled with something out of this world. Ara and Kyrie knew whatever they say would not make any sense to her. Her ¡®Fred-protector¡¯ switch have activated. With a deep, cool, and calming sound, voice came out of her. ¡°Give me Fred.¡± --- Fred was woken up with the smell of medicine. The room was dark and unrecognized by him. He was feeling too heavy and moving just an inch seemed to require every ounce of his strength that remained. He was covered with a blanket that felt like tons heavier than Yuusha¡¯s swing of sword. ¡°Aaaaaaah! Someone.¡± He spoke, but his throat was too dry it made minimal volume that even someone very near couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Need¡­ Water¡­ Somebody.¡± He continued his futile struggle to call out to either of the three members of Maou Spence-sensei squad. He called, and called, and called until he gave up. He felt bad for the sorry state he currently was in. He could question himself ¡®how could I not notice my own health. When did I became too invulnerable?¡¯ ¡°Aaah.¡± Not having anyone by his side, he remembered the very first time he was sent at Earth. He was afraid, alone and unconcerned. But he wondered where the three went. Were they deliberating outside whether to bring him to the hospital, or were they out shopping for medicine and supplies? At the very first time at his Earth life Fred wished for them to immediately come back and take care of him. His sickness had him too vulnerable that even his mental state was already being affected. With clouded thoughts and longing for someone, he tried to sleep again and regain his health. --- Fred woke up again. The light were now open. He took a look at the room again and saw Kyrie sitting at the chair beside his bed. ¡°Is this the hospital?¡± ¡°No this is your room. And don¡¯t speak too much. We need to have you recover fast, Miss Landlady at most.¡± Kyrie was too busy with what she was doing. Fred wondered if she was really watching over him. Will she immediately stop whatever it is if his condition worsened than how it is at the moment? ¡°Say Kyrie¡­¡± ¡°Humu. I¡¯ll grant you an answer.¡± ¡°My insurance does not include you guys if I die by the way.¡± ¨CFred smirked and teased her which she just let go just because Fred was sick. It seemed that he heard Kyrie¡¯s joke a while ago when he collapsed. Out of all the good things to remember, he picked the worst. After peeling an apple Kyrie stuffed a piece at Fred¡¯s mouth to just erase his annoying smirk. ¡°You¡¯re good at this Kyrie. You would make a great classmate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good at everything Fred, you should¡¯ve assured that by now.¡± Fred noticed something. Kyrie was not wearing her usual ¡®Gothic Lolita¡¯ outfit. Her straight long silver hair went down up to her waist. It had a quite unnatural color compared to natives on their country. Fred assumed she was either: a vampire, a foreigner, a summoned one from another world, or just dyed. He chose the latter. Instead of wearing the frilly super-closed and tight black and white colored dress, she just wore her thin white long dress which looked like something someone would wear before she sleep while checked in at a five-star hotel. Fred tried to remember any recollection he had the Kyrie wore this clothes. It was faint but he remembered something: was it their first meeting or was it somewhere that she was walking while holding a parasol at a bright sunny day at the wheat fields. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re sweating. That¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¨CKyrie got the towel at the table and tried to extend her hand towards his forehead. Kyrie was not really a tall person and her length of reach were too short that she needed to support half of her body and went in the bed too just to reach out to Fred. Her long white dress was too loose that Fred could already see the ¡®not-so-developed¡¯ and sorry body of Kyrie inside it. He did not had any energy to produce any lewd thoughts even though he was directly looking at what¡¯s inside that dress but one thing left a mark in his memory: Kyrie¡¯s mole above her left chest. ¡°Hey¡­ Your mole¡­ It¡¯s showing¡­¡± Noticing her vulnerability, Kyrie immediately finished wiping off Fred¡¯s sweat and went back to her seat. ¡°Tell me¡­ Who are you? You¡¯re not Kyrie.¡± ¡°Shut up. At times like this I could still act appropriately.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Well count me surprised. I suppose this will be the last time I get to see this side of Kyrie, huh?¡± It was not even a once in a blue moon chance to see a ¡®normal¡¯ Kyrie so Fred asked for an extension. ¡°Am I the very first you¡¯ve shown this side of yours besides your family?¡± ¡°Miss Landlady was the first.¡± ¡°Ah, Ingrid beat me to it, huh? Say, Kyrie, thanks for this.¡± ¡°Humu. Just make sure you feel better and recover fast. We don¡¯t want you being sick for a long time¡­ Besides¡­¡± Embarrassed by her own statement, Ingrid looked at Fred again and caught him sleeping. ¡°Sigh¡­ Besides¡­ Kyrie combed Fred¡¯s shaggy bangs that were covering his forehead and placed a cooling patch. ¡°¡­how could I toy with you if you¡¯re in this condition?¡± Kyrie then continued to watch over Fred that time until she swapped out with Ara. --- Fred woke up again. This time he was already feeling better, but was still weak due to the long time that he spent lying down at his bed. He could at least feel his muscles a bit. But most of them had been feeling numb ever since he woke up. What¡¯s this¡­ How long have I been asleep? ¨CHe asked himself. ¡°Fred!! Fred!! Goodness you¡¯re awake!!¡± The voice he was hearing was supposed to be loud but his hearing had been cloudy too since he woke up. Again, he wondered if he was feeling better or he was injected with some anaesthetic solution to ease the pain he was feeling, as to whatever sickness he currently has. After a few more seconds the sound became clear. He was thankful that his body had not been experimented for a newtype virus that might have developed on Earth¡¯s surface. Knowing who the one shouting was, he stopped her. Shouting besides someone sick and just woke up was does not really make the patient¡¯s condition better. ¡°I can hear you now Ara. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m fine now. Why were you acting too frantic at the first place?¡± ¡°What do you mean?! You¡¯ve been in comma for six months!!¡± ¡°Okay stop.¡± Fred had another problem. This was one of the plot of those post-apocalyptic series that he had been watching. He was not ready for an announcement news that would tell him ¡°Yaay you just wake up on a zombie apocalypse after being in comma for six months! Now let¡¯s go hunt them dead but walking people.¡± ¡°Okay stop.¡± ¨Che repeated himself to make sure Ara could understand him. ¡°You see, you see, you got this sickness, and then everything on your body failed and then, we thought you were going to die, and then¡­¡± ¨CAra was containing her tears as she tried to explain things to Fred which did not count as explaining properly. ¡°Okay stop Ara. I admit you¡¯re getting better at acting. So please top already and tell me how much time had passed since I slept.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ara stared at her, then¡­ ¡°¡­Fuhahahahaha!! I knew it! I could not fool you with this one. How sharp have you become?¡± Fred¡¯s question was still not answered. But at least his anxiousness regarding his current situation have alleviated. He knew of Ara¡¯s nature and she¡¯s always teased him whenever he was feeling better already. She was the type that carefully picks the proper time and place to do those kinds of things. But what if¡­ That¡¯s where Fred¡¯s ¡®what if¡¯ filled his head. What if what Ara was saying at that moment was true? What if he really fell into a long-term comma? What happened to the girls he¡¯s been treasuring since he went at Earth? It was not like he was building a harem of his own but he cherished each one of them as family. ¡°You know¡­ that would be the last time you make a joke like that.¡± ¡°¡­Okay¡­.¡± ¨CAra answered dejectedly. ¡°In any case¡­ How could I believe you anyways¡­¡± Fred noticed and smelled something: The scent of spring onion. ¡°¡­if there¡¯s a spring onion wrapped around my neck?¡± ¡°Medicinal purposes.¡± ¡°No nonononono¡­ you¡¯re doing it wrong. It should be stuck at my butt¡­ No nonononono¡­ Why would you guys even bother anyway? I did not ask you anyways to give me a ¡®mc is sick so visit him¡¯ shoujo scenario anyways. I just needed normal medicine and good rest. Don¡¯t let Kyrie¡¯s ridiculousness infect you Ara. You got a bright future ahead of you.¡± ¡®a bright future ahead of you¡¯ Fred told her accidentally looking at her breasts. It was not really his intention. ¡°Hoooh.~~¡± ¨CAra immediately switched to her aneki-mode. ¡°No nononono¡­ I really did not mean that. I mean¡­ Why are you even flaunting those at the bed anyways!¡± ¨CFred¡¯s thoughts were immediately put into a disarray as he tried to avoid being teased by Ara(aneki) again. ¡°Fufufu¡­ Okay okay Fred. I¡¯ll let you off the hook this time. Besides. You could not move your lower body right? It is because it¡¯s not only your neck that received the spring onion treatment¡­ Fufufu¡­ I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination.¡± ¡°No¡­ NO¡­ NOOOO!!!¡± ¨CFred had been protecting his chastity. That moment he was not sure whether his first time was none or was already taken by a spring onion. Being in so much grief, Ara just laughed at him. She told him that she will let him off the hook from being teased that one moment but she could not resist. Fred¡¯s plain innocent looking face really was a bait for Ara¡¯s aneki-mode. ¡°Now, now, I¡¯ll patch you up again and just take your time resting. We really need you alive and kicking again so we could not further delay our work. Promise your elder sister that one okay?¡± Ara approached Fred¡¯s forehead and gave it a sweet kiss. Her aneki-mode¡¯s caring side was too much for him to handle that his head exploded in embarrassment. He was older than Ara but he could always not match her aneki-mode. Being pampered to much while he was sick made him wanted to sleep even more. ¡°Say¡­ How long have I been sick already?¡± ¡°A whole day.¡± ¨CAra answered him as she approached the door and shut the lights off. It was time for Fred to sleep again and regain his life points as much as he needed. --- Not much time after that Fred noticed the lights were on again. It must¡¯ve mean that somebody was there to take care of him again. May it be Kyrie, or Ara, or even Ingrid. Anyone would be fine. He grew so much fond of the girls taking care of him while he was sick that he just wanted to stay sick forever. He opened his eyes and looked at the girl with puppy-eyes¡­ Or so he thought it was a ¡®she¡¯ The big-bodied, wielded with several years of experience, solid-cheekbones, forehead lines and appearing nerves, eye bags, and a look of someone who survived a long war man was sitting. ¡°I must be sick again and hallucinating¡­ I should better sleep.¡± Fred turned his back to Old man and covered himself with a blanket while finding himself a comfortable spot at his bed. SMACK!! ¡°Hah! Better go sleep and die so I won¡¯t have problems anymore! If you¡¯re feeling better already you should draw again and meet your deadline!¡± ¨COld man smacked his head with a manuscript he was holding and stood up. ¡°Old man what are you doing!! Fred is sick! Quit it!!¡± Having his head rang due to the shock that it received after being hit by a rolled manuscript, Fred went dizzy, and just heard faint sounds of the conversation that went after that. He knew it was very mean of him to do that to Old man but it was even meaner that he was physically hit by an object to the head while being sick. He wanted to shout back at old man but at his current condition he couldn¡¯t. ¡°But honestly¡­ If you got so much time to laze around the bed and joke around, you might as well watch yourself first or have these ladies protecting you look after your wellbeing. You Only Live Once. I know I¡¯ve been rushing you with deadlines but don¡¯t forsake your wellbeing just to meet everything in time. You could always consult me with these kinds of things too. Besides, I don¡¯t want to be balled ¡®an editor whose author died due to overwork¡¯. Now please do me a favour and make a complete recovery so you could continue working on with the chapter. I¡¯ll be the one to talk with the editor-in-chief with regards to this matter.¡± Then Old man went out of Fred¡¯s room. Fred was too dizzy, but he absorbed most of what he said. He knew it was his fault at first place by not consulting him and pushing his limits just to meet the deadline. Lack of proper rest lowers someone¡¯s resistances to sickness. He was not a doctor but he knew that much. It was a good thing that it was not Ara or Kyrie that experienced what he went through. He did not want to blame himself if their wellbeing was to be put to danger, so he tried to hog up most of the work for himself. ¡°Fred!! Fred!! Are you okay¡­¡± ¨Cwas the last of the noise he heard. Thinking that much while having just recuperated made him fall immediately asleep. --- After another set of hours asleep, Fred finally woke up normally like it was just another same old morning. He smelled the joint scent medicine and all other stuff the three girls have used to him. As he removed his blanket, he felt the cool air of the AC, the filled the room. At the same time he could feel another source of her from the bed other than his. It was Ingrid¡¯s. It was quite different from those generic ¡®mc is sick so visit him¡¯ scenes he knew from shoujo mangas whereas the lead femmc just stays beside the mc¡¯s bed while seated, holding his hand until he made his full recovery. Those scenes were usually placed at the end of the chapter when the femmc already took care of the sick lead and flags for their romantic development had been set already. Even in real life one does not simply sleep beside a sick person unless he/she aims to catch the other one¡¯s colds. Those kinds of are only being done by extremely different level masochists. ¨Cis what Fred derived upon. Aside from thinking about why Ingrid slept beside him while he¡¯s sick, he still had the chapter deadline he needed to meet. Fred gave up. He did not want to strain himself too much just after he recovered. ¡°Hey. Hey. Wake up.¡± ¨CFred tried to wake up Ingrid while tapping her chubby cheeks being pressed by the weight of her head and the futon. ¡°MMMMMm stop it. I¡¯m not feeling well¡­¡± ¨CIngrid wanted to escape reality and continue whatever she was dreaming. Fred was fine already so he thought it what Ingrid did won¡¯t catch herself a cold like Fred did. ¨COr so he thought. Ingrid¡¯s last words struck on Fred¡¯s ears like a static on a radio channel. He checked on Ingrid, put his hand on her forehead and checked her temperature. Ingrid caught his colds. Fred made a facepalm. ¡°Whatever you did was out of my responsibility already. You got it? Everything you did and get, you earned for yourself so don¡¯t blame me as to why you caught my cold.¡± ¨CFred told the still half-asleep and half-awake drowsy Ingrid as he fixed her sleeping position, covered her with blanket and acted as a fatherly-like figure. ¡°There there. Make sure to drink medicine and take a rest okay?¡± ¡°Mmmmm. At least you¡¯re fine now Fred¡­ Make sure to meet your deadline.¡± ¨CIngrid mumbled an answer. ¡°Sigh¡± Fred already got why Ingrid acted that way. Seeing how strict Old man was even thought Fred was dead sick, Ingrid thought of a way to cure Fred fast, and that was to catch Fred¡¯s cold for herself. It was not a surefire method at first place. She could catch Fred¡¯s colds but it was not certain if Fred will recover right away after that. Fred was still puzzled as to why Ingrid were suddenly too caring of him. But he did not want to overexert his mind just after being sick so he let it go. He needed Ingrid to recover soon so she could cook them delicious meals while working. ¡°Jeez¡­¡± --- After applying cold patches at her forehead Fred went to the connecting room: his studio. The scene that he ended up was quite different from what he expected: The other two assistant which he entrusted finishing the chapters were working diligently and will greet him back with a ¡°Oh Fred you¡¯re already recovered! Good to see you back here. We already finished the chapter so no worries.¡± reality: a dusty room without any spec of light entering it. There were traces of somebody working there but it looked like it was left unfinished a few days ago. Fred¡¯s chapter did not made any progress. That left Fred with a grimm premonition that what befell Ingrid happened to his two ¡®very helpful¡¯ assistants too. There was another door at his front, a door connecting to unit8 which was Kyrie¡¯s. Coming from inside the studio Kyrie did not bother locking the door so Fred and the others could easily enter her unit too. Fred opened the door. What welcomed him was a sight of ¡®another Ingrid¡¯ that was lying on the floor while heavily panting. It was still her long white dress that she wore when it was her turn to take care of Fred. Giving a sigh, Fred approached her, lifted her light body and lay her down at the couch. He got another set of blanket from his unit and spare medicine that was supposed to be Ingrid¡¯s and handed it over to the sick Kyrie with a glass of warm water. Unlike Ingrid who was a dead weight, Kyrie was able to stand up and supported herself. It seemed like she was already recovering. Fred wondered how long was she even lying at the floor already. ¡°Humu. I think I¡¯ll be fine in a few hours. Thanks for coming. You know you were like a knight in shining armor.¡± ¡°No It was my fault for spreading this virus over to everyone. How¡¯s Ara? I supposed she caught it too, now that you¡¯re also infected.¡± ¡°No worries. Ara caught mine. She had been taking care of both of us for the first day that I was sick. Unlike the sickly you who underwent treatment for almost four days, mines just started yesterday. But taking care of two patients even defeated the ever healthy Ara amongst us. But no worries, she knew how to take care of herself too. She¡¯s at her unit sleeping at the moment.¡± Fred trusted Kyrie¡¯s explanation. He knew Ara was someone he could depend on and at times like this he knew he could trust her on taking care of herself. After having Kyrie sleep Fred stood and entered his studio. He grabbed the sheets from Kyrie¡¯s and Ara¡¯s desk and arranged them at his. With a long sickly week the four of them had, the only task left for him was to contact Old man. He took his phone and looked at the screen. He navigated to the contacts and find old man¡¯s. He was shaking and trembling. How was he about to explain another set of misfortune that his team, Maou Spence-sensei¡¯s team, encountered? The phone rang and was immediately answered. ¡°Uhm¡­ Old man?... You see¡­ I got another set of bad news. Y.O.L.O., right?¡±
(A notice from the author - Vol1 Revision) Hi Everyone, First of all, this won''t be a chapter included at the story. I know it''s been kind of late already but I''ll have quick notice to my readers. I''ve read my very first volume and noticed it was a complete mess. I''ve been trying to improve my writing ever since I''ve started writing volume 2 but I failed to look back at the previous one. After giving the very prologue a backread, I''ve made a decision to improve them. I really did not touch the story flow itself, but I''ve tried to fix every wrong grammatical error I''ve seen, the incorrect tenses (this is not my forte so if you noticed some things are still wrong you can leave a comment.) and those nonsense wallbreaks that I just added out for fun. I know some of the readers find it amusing to see those kinds of things but for the sake of the consistency of the story, I''ve tried to limit them. I''ve been working on this past week to improve my volume one and I hope my work pays off. I''ve listed a few of the important things I''ve done with the whole volume one this past week: 4/7/19 Author notes for Chapters (indicated ''r1 | ''): --Re: Opening Act-- --Prologue: Twilight Mytherion-- The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.Ch1-1 He never really thought about it Ch1-2 A unit full of happy people, and a former demon. -fixed all of the tenses to match the tense I''m currently using at my updated chapters. -revised few events from Re:Opening act and Pro:TW mytherion to match current pace of story -matched character descriptions and ages to fir current timelines 4/8/19 Author notes for Chapters (indicated ''r1 | ''): Ch1-3 Maou Decides to write a shoujo Ch1-4 Deadlock Realizaton 1 Ch1-4 Deadlock Realization 2 -fixed all of the tenses to match the tense I''m currently using at my updated chapters. -revised few paragraphs and fixed pov 4/9/2019 Notes: -Revised chapter and fixed tenses revision applied to chapters below Ch2-1. Ch2-2, Ch2-3, Ch2-4 4/11/2019 Notes: -Revised chapter and fixed tenses -revision included chapters 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4. -there was nothing much I could do to save this chapter since there had been lots of wallbreaks. I''ve fixed everything that doesn''t make any sense when you read it as much as I could. 4/14/2019 Notes: -Revised chapter and fixed tenses -revision included chapters 4-1, 4-2(fuck this chapter), 4-3, 4-4, 4-5 and a few bit for Interlude 0 and re:prologue twilight earth -Again, I''ve tried to remove those wallbreaking nonsense statements I could see and rewrite them to match with the current way of writing that I''ve been using at vol2 for consistency. I guess that''s about it for tonight. I really hoped I''ve improved most of the things at vol1 that needed improvements. I''m hoping for your continued support and enjoy my upcoming releases. Cheers! Raden --Re: Opening Act – Side Anemone-- --Re: Opening Act ¨C Side Anemone-- It was a big venue You can see a gathering of people as the glamorous lights light up the hall on a good weekend night. The stage was only a small are compared to the whole function room. At the sides were catered dinner, beverages, liquor. The event staffs handing out glasses of wine could be seen almost everywhere. As the scenery goes anyone can only think that this is an event only for those standing above the society. Middle-aged people wearing suits, young-looking women on glamorous dresses, jewelry, gold-plated watches, almost everything. This was the same exact scenery a whole year ago at this same exact venue. But what was the party for? Again, this event was the ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ Oneshot contest. To give a quick overview of the competition, it was the same competition that Fred entered a year ago with his winning oneshot. That career path eventually led him to where he was right now. He might not know but the publishing company he applied held this event annually. But now that he¡¯s already a mangaka he was not the star of the night. He was invited and could be seen within the crowd with his assistants (+Ingrid). Among with the crowd too was Old man. He was acting strange like he was a worm sprinkled with salt or something. His irritated posture and his feet tapping the floor was an indication that he was about to explode in anger already. ¡°Sorry I was late.¡± A voice called out at his back. ¡°What took you so long?!! You almost missed the entire purpose of this gathering!!¡± ¡°Fu fu fu! I see you are still reluctant to act appropriately in front of your master, my supposed-to-be faithful loyal servant.¡± Those were the very few times traces of fear could be seen from Old man¡¯s face. Alternating emotions from anger to fear to uncertainty then to anger again are being emitted from a middle-aged man who was weeks ago had less problems to think over than the problems he had at that moment. ¡°The Royal Palace have already kept you for a week already. I think it is about time you truly open up to me, your highness Queen of Dark¡ªouch ouch ouch!!¡± Old man immediately rushed over Anemone and immediately squeezed his fists on both sides of her temples to stop her nonsensical statements. What Old man needed at that time was a professional speaker who¡¯s overwhelming with talent as a mangaka, not a late teenager with an eight-grader syndrome. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you even a while ago afternoon to act appropriately! This is not your usual daily life event where you could act, speak and dress according to your eight-grader fantasies!¡± Old man handed her down a hammer of judgment but she seemed not to care even a bit. She was holding her forehead due to intense pain from Old man¡¯s fists. If they were a normal pair or strangers that were in public anyone who have seen the whole thing could report Old man to the police for assault. ¡°Besides¡­¡± Old man¡¯s nerves started to be seen from his head again. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That thing you¡¯re wearing under your glasses.¡± It could be literally seen. Anemone¡¯s intent was to hide what she was wearing under her sunglasses (she really thought it was hidden well). She was wearing an eyepatch covering her left eye. ¡°WHAT!! MY COVER HAD ALREADY BEEN BUSTED!!¡± SMACK! ¡°You¡¯re not even trying for a millennium¡¯s worth of deception!¡± ¡°Huh~~ Now that it comes to this!...¡± ¨CShe removed her glasses. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right! This is the power the Queen of Darkness had been storing at her left eye! My loyal servant, take a front-row seat, and you are about to witness¡­ A LEGACY! A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF POWER STORED ABOUT TO GET UNLEASHED! With these many people around we would have enough harvested souls to awaken the Great Demon Lord¡ª¡± SMACK! ¡°Uuuuu¡­ You didn¡¯t have to do it twice!¡± The forest-fire level of a disaster Old man was trying to put out: Anemone, was about to be extinguished when a nuke-carrying plane arrived at the scene: Fred and Co. Old man had considered Fred¡¯s disaster level ways off from human-logic. Fred and his very selected minions also defied the natural laws and order of Earth. The great scientists, mathematicians and philosophers of the past centuries won¡¯t even stand a chance proving that these uncertainties exists. Exasperated, Old man wanted to escape from reality already and take a long vacation to a tropical island and sip a cold coconut juice. He held his forehead with his hand and started talking again. ¡°Give me a break already¡­¡± But not even five meters away Fred started running while crying and jumped over to hug Old Man. ¡°OOOOOOLD MAAAAAAN WHYYYYYYYYYY!!!!¡± ¡°Get this doofus off me!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Old Man but even we can¡¯t contain him.¡± ¡°Seria!! Do your job as an editor and get him off of me already!!¡± Old man talked to the fifth member of the ¡®Fred Party of Uncertainties¡¯ who just recently joined: Seria. She was assigned as Fred¡¯s new editor after Old man accepted his assignment to Anemone. ¡°Whistling¡­¡± Losing his last resort to get the parasitic unhealthy human clinging at his back, he readied his judo stance and threw Fred towards the ground. Groaning in pain, Fred continued to wail as he wanted explanation from Old Man. Old Man Snapped ¡°COULD EVERYONE STOP MAKING SCENES ALREADY AND ACT NORMALLY!!!¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The shout echoed throughout the whole venue. Almost everyone looked at them and just gave a laugh. That was a scene not really new to the ongoing event. Most of the staff who had several years of experience at these have seen worse, or better. Authors, Editors, technical staffs, even the regular individuals. They always knew that these sort of scenarios could always happen on author-related events. Being afraid to be the pinpoint of Old man¡¯s fury, Anemone straightened up her posture but did not have intentions of changing how she usually acts, while Fred stood up and started to talk some sense with Old Man. ¡°So, speak up. She¡¯s the one you had to choose over me, huh?¡± ¡°Hey Fred you could have phrased the sentence better.¡± ¨CIngrid, clad with her usual white-slitted dress talked behind Fred. ¡°It¡¯s fine it¡¯s fine Miss Girlfriend, I know what he¡¯s trying to say. We¡¯ve been together for a whole year.¡± ¡°Oooh, well I¡¯ve been with him for more than two years already, you could try and beat that!¡± Old man shown an ¡®excuse me, come again?¡¯ expression as he tried to assess whether Ingrid was actually trying to protect Fred from being stolen by him or she was just showing an absurdly out of placed jealousy. ¡°Landlady I really think you are being overprotective of Fred¡­ To the point that your protection even transcended the boundaries of gender.¡± ¨CAra tried to stop the childish Ingrid. Old man cut the topic before it even gets worse and put it back where it safely belong. ¡°Aaaah quit it already. Yes, as I¡¯ve told you a week ago, meet Anemone-sensei. She won this year¡¯s ¡®Fresh-aspirants¡¯ Oneshot competition. I hope you get along as co-authors and live a friendly rivalry while keeping our company in good status with your serializations.¡± ¡°HAHAH!! This oddball you left here doesn¡¯t even have a new serialization yet! Rich words coming from you, Old Man!! HAHAH!!¡± Old man shrugged Seria¡¯s out of place but had a point comment aside and continued talking. ¡°As to the reason why I¡¯ve let go of being your editor, it will be too much of conflict with my responsibilities. You have to understand that you have grown already. Even with the guidance of editors other than me, growth is something permanent to you too. Like you, I also wanted to grow with my career and grab opportunities with other authors. Besides¡­¡± He looked at Seria with an unconcerned expression. ¡°Her otherworldly jokes aside, Seria is a talented editor too. In fact, all editors in our company is. So I think I will have a peace of mind leaving you in her care.¡± Fred looked at Old Man with a solemn expression. ¡°If you say it like that¡­ I won¡¯t have any chance to argue anymore¡­¡± Ingrid tapped his shoulder and looked at him with relief. Out of professionalism, Fred went towards Anemone who was standing and holding her left eye covered with eyepatch with her right arm. Still thinking hard about what Old man have explained to him, he just talked to anemone with impulse and his subconscious controlling his own body for a professional greeting. ¡°Nice to meet you, Anemone-sensei. I¡¯m Maou Spence-sensei. I look forward to being co-authors with you.¡± ¡°Fufufu¡­¡± The rest of them looked at Anemone. ¡°Fufufu¡­¡± It was like all evil intent had gathered towards Anemone at that moment. It was a sudden interruption. A huge bang on the speakers followed by a grand orchestra music interrupted them. The volume lowered after a few more seconds followed by dimming of the lights. A single one was left focused on the left side of the stage where a supposedly commentator can be seen. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! Once again this year we hope you are already enjoying our venue for tonight, first of all we would like to thank our sponsors¡­.¡± ¨CAnother year, another endless flow of words and thanks coming from the commentator. ¡°And without further ado, let us announce the winner ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ Oneshot contest for this year. Ms. Anemone-sensei! Everybody give her an applause.¡± Once again lights suddenly turned off. A narrow one suddenly turned on to his direction spotting only Anemone within the entire area. She looked really proud and experienced¡­ and weird. ¡°Fufufu¡­ We¡¯ll continue this when we see each other again¡­ Maou Spence-¡­sensei.¡± Anemone proceeded and walked towards the stage. Her shiny leather trench coat covered almost her entire body from body to toe. No one really asked why she was dressing like that, no one really wondered. Most of the viewers might be waiting for what she was hiding under to be revealed once she got up the stage. The coat was closed, and her arms were not inserted on the sleeves, rather her whole body was covered with the coat, or she inserted her very self from the coat. Either ways it looked ridiculously weird at usual occasions but not tonight. An author could express his identity openly to the crowd and that¡¯s what Anemone was trying to do. She got up the stage. The only view was a form of human covered with trench coat and a head with a left eye covered with an eyepatch. ¡°Uhm¡­ Anemone-sensei. For taking this year¡¯s ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ Oneshot award. What are you feeling right now?¡± The MC tried to give her a mic to use but he had difficulty finding her hands. In response to the MC, Anemone slipped her right hand out of her coat, avoiding the coat to fully open up like it was not the right time. Now holding a mic, she spoke up. ¡°What I¡¯m feeling right now?...¡± Something was about to happen by the way she spoke. ¡°Fufufu¡­ Fuhahahahahahaha!!¡± And final she suddenly opened up her coat and showed everyone what she had been hiding under it. ¡°Whiiiw, nice! So stylish!¡± ¨CIngrid commented from the sides. ¡°No, nononononono! Ingrid that¡¯s way off from a normal clothing already!! Wake up from your senses!¡± ¡°AWAWAWA!! NOOOOO¡± ¨CAra(imouto) covered her eyes, regretting what she just saw ¡°Well I had a feeling¡­ Nothing and no one¡¯s going to stop her now.¡± ¨COld man just covered his face out of embarrassment. What was underneath was almost nothing. It was a succubus outfit that only covered almost the entirety of the 10% of her skin. The tight straps covering the supposedly hidden parts were just enough to do their job and covered the most sensitive parts of her body. It did not lift the issue that the parts of the skin that supposed to be covered with normal undergarment were still clearly revealed. Either she was a nudist or it was just adrenaline that was driving her revealing such revealing clothes (those are not really clothes). What this absurdity did was put the crown on a massive cheering. Those middle-aged people who were able to see such a spectacle for the very first time on their lives. Those staffs and co-authors that had not seen such a display of identity for a long time, almost everyone were shocked and were cheering. It was Fred¡¯s group that was one of the few groups that were able to handle such sight. They were a mass of absurdities themselves already. ¡°I never knew these people existed here at Earth too¡­¡± ¨CFred was shocked with awe. ¡°Uhm¡­ Fred?¡± ¨CAra pulled the sleeves of Fred¡¯s polo. ¡°What is it Ara?¡± ¡°I was too focused on what was happening that I forgot to make a headcount¡­ Fred we¡¯re missing one.¡± Fred, in shock, looked around and gave them a quick count. ¡°Old Man, Psycho-Hag, Ingrid, Ara, Me¡­¡± The greatest element of wall breaking absurdity was not within them. ¡°Oh shit¡­.¡± Fred looked again towards the stage and tried to assess the silhouette of the individuals at the stage. He could see at his perfect vision only two, but there was someone climbing the stage at that moment. ¡°Could I borrow that mic for a second?¡± Entering the light that was focusing the MC was Kyrie. ¡°Uhm¡­ Excuse me, who are you?¡± ¡°You might want to retract that statement. Do you not really know who runs this company?¡± Of course that was a bluff. Kyrie was just trying to extort the mic from the MC out of confusion of what¡¯s happening. And it worked splendidly well. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ Here you go.¡± ¨CThe MC proudly gave the mic to her. But instead of using the mic to speak, Kyrie took a targeting pose like one of those FPS games she¡¯s playing while holding a throwing weapon: the MC¡¯s mic (+10 critical). ¡°HUUUMUUU! BOMBS AWAY!¡± ¨CYes, she threw the mic towards Anemone¡¯s ¡®there is something wrong in this head¡¯ head. THUD! A critical hit. A loud thud. And a static. Anemone went down and landed on her knees while holding a portion of her head to check if there were any cracks in her skull. ¡°HOOORA!! WHADDYA¡¯ THINK YA DOIN!!¡ª¡± ¨Cshe stopped ranting midway as she saw the Figure of the nemesis that threw a mic at her head. ¡°Well¡­¡± The figure of Kyrie that approached her looked at her with fifty percent pity and fifty percent evil intent. What was supposed to be scaredy cat reaction were turned into a look of admiration. Anemone stuttered to completely say the name: ¡°Ky-Ky-Ky-Kyrie-schwenphai!?¡±
Ch9-1 Enter Seria – the Mysterious Editor I. Enter Seria ¨C the Mysterious Editor Ingrid Modern Earth, 20xx+2 ¡°Ky-Ky-Ky-Kyrie-schwenphai!?¡± The exhibisionist standing at the stage was extremely dumbfounded. On the sight she was currently seeing. After getting hit by a flying mic that was thrown to her like a Molotov from an FPS game she staggered and tried to support herself before finally falling down at the center of the stage. She sat and looked at the ¡®beauty¡¯ that approached her after she regained her calmness. Twin-drills, gothic-lolita outfit, a folded parasol at her left hand that she often used as a walking stick. Kyrie was wearing her multi-purposed in-home and outdoor fashion. Maou Spence-sensei¡¯s group (including me) did not have any qualms regarding her outfit nor her actions. It had been a daily sight to us, more like a routine. Ara could care but she quickly lost interest and gave an uncaring smile after seeing Kyrie throw the mic towards Anemone. What actually amused us was the wheel of fate turning again and this coincidence that this ¡®Exhibitionist Delusional Prodigy¡¯ manga artist and this ¡®Wall-breaking genius oddity¡¯ assistant actually knew each other. ¡°Humu. I see you never even changed after I graduated. Annette Monica. Or should I say, Anemone-sensei?¡± --- Backtracking a few days led us to when Fred was called by his new Editor. ¡°Oh, pleased to meet you too Ms. Seria, I will be on your care.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°¡°Uh, thank you for your patronage.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Fred dropped the call. Fred was still devastated with his loss yet another problem seemed to have arisen and will start to trouble him. This was actually one of the things I anticipated after I decided to help Fred to progress with his manga career: chances of him losing his editor or being replaced with a new one. Though things like these often happens at the industry he was in, I felt like it was my fault for not giving him a heads up of the possibilities. I felt responsible for what he¡¯s currently experiencing. ¡°Uhm¡­ who¡¯s she Fred? The new editor?¡± ¨CAra asked Fred. The call was not on loudspeaker so we didn¡¯t really hear the whole conversation. We just heard faint sounds of a middle-aged woman shouting from the other side. ¡°Yes, the name¡¯s Seria. She seemed like someone with the age of middle-thirties and have lots of experience. This¡­ might not be too bad¡­¡± Fred was still looking indecisive. We may try to influence his decision, but at the end, he¡¯s still the one to pull the trigger and decide. He was the leader of the Maou Spence-sensei team after all. Why Old man let go of his role as Fred¡¯s editor must be still a puzzle for the other three but I thought I might¡¯ve known the why already. I remembered the date and it was about ¡®that¡¯ time of the year already again. By ¡®that¡¯ I meant the ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ oneshot competition that Fred entered a year ago. At this age several mangakas brimming with potential are popping out of nowhere and submitting their entries on this competition. At this industry where one must persevere and be consistent in order to provide continuity on his career, just a single miss and he might get swallowed by the talent of these newcomers and get pushed aside from the spotlight. At that time I thought the new winner had already been selected, yet to be announced. The editor-in-chief must have assigned this Anemone-sensei towards Old man and were asked to choose only one between the two authors. ¡°¡­but yea, nevermind, this is really really bad¡­¡± ¨CFred took back his earlier statement ¡°Why though?¡± ¨CI asked him. ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t want to associate with another ¡®yankee¡¯.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¨CAll three of us were shocked by his answer. It was only natural that we would be shocked after Fred¡¯s sudden assessment of his new editor. We knew Old man. We have been working with him for about a year now. And even though he had such a very little amount of patience and levelheadedness, he still acted as a professional during important decision-making instances. We were quite used to how he had been handling us. A part of us also didn¡¯t want to go separate ways with such a good editor, even more to be assigned to an ex-yankee if we were to believe Fred¡¯s first impression of him. Well, it was too early to decide those things, so I suggested to stop assuming at first. ¡°I really think we should meet with her first before we proceed to judge her even when we only heard her through phone.¡± ¡°Humu. As expected of Miss Landlady.¡± The look on Fred¡¯s eyes changed from when Old man left the studio. If what I thought was right, Old man handed us over to someone even better. Someone who would be able to bring out the full extent of Fred¡¯s potential as a mangaka. I also thought what if Old man saw another set of possibilities that would open up if when he accept the offer to be Anemone¡¯s new editor and just handed us over to whoever was available. But what if he acted selfishly and just thought of his career growth too? That would really betray the trust we¡¯ve put onto him. I really hoped that was not the case. The mood at the studio was getting tense again so I tried to break the silence with a clap. ¡°Okay okay guys! Let¡¯s wrap this up for today. Don¡¯t let yourselves get clouded by unnecessary thoughts and think about what¡¯s best for the future. Didn¡¯t Old man said, he would be seeing your oneshot next week Fred? He will come back here and bring your new Editor to have your proper introductions. All of you guys need to take a rest. I think it would be best to resume this tomorrow.¡± ¡°I.. guess your right Landlady.¡± ¨CAra answered first, stood up and gave a yawn. ¡°Let me hang out at your place for a while Fred. I wanted to watch the news.¡± ¨CShe then walked towards the door and entered the room. ¡°Hey! Are you trying to shove your supposedly electric bill onto mine?!¡± And Ara was gone. ¡°Humu. Fred. I wanted to talk to you about something¡­¡± It was too sudden to hear those words from Kyrie. She suddenly spoke out of the blue and was being serious. It seemed like he wanted to talk to Fred alone so I felt not to pry in much regarding it. I trust Kyrie. She would not suddenly try to steal Fred away from me (not that I was already in a relationship with Fred). ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be at your unit Fred to cook us dinner. Take your time talking. But remember the rule Ara.¡± ¨CI gave her a warning just to be sure. ¡°Yes yes Miss Landlady, don¡¯t fret over too much.¡± With that confirmation, I left the room. --- A week after that we were gathering at my unit, waiting for Old man and this ¡®Seria¡¯ person to arrive. That morning Fred was called by Old man and was notified that he will be giving Seria a drop because he had to go back to the city to meet up with Anemone. HONK!! There was a sound of a car¡¯s horn beside the perimeter of the complex¡¯s yard. A black sedan was parked there. At first I thought I was Kyrie¡¯s parent¡¯s car but I noticed that it was quite a different-looking sedan. Kyrie¡¯s had a luxurious feel so you couldn¡¯t miss to compare it to ordinary sedans. ¡°Humu. I know what you¡¯re thinking Miss Landlady, I apologize in advance my parents are not yet pulling me out of here.¡± ¡°What good will it bring Fred if your parents pull you from our team right now? Quit joking like that¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ What are you two even arguing about? I¡¯m getting nervous here. I knew old man was not the type to buy himself a car, but what if that car was really Old man¡¯s? Did his salary while being with me not cope up with his necessities that he needed to drop me and get another mangaka? The thought gives me chills.¡± And Old man went out of the sedan. ¡°See? That car¡¯s really his¡­ WHAAAAT!!!!??¡± Question number one: Who was inside the car? That question was immediately answered when Old man went out. He did not even let us discuss more about the honking car that parked at the front of my apartment complex. But why was Fred too shocked? I was even more shocked that Old man just decided to get his own at a very late time. It was very normal for someone who¡¯s required to travel back and forth by his line of work to get one. ¡°Come on now Fred, an Old man that always commutes here and there does not mean that he won¡¯t ever decide to get himself a car. You can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Bu-But! He said¡ªhe said it¡¯s a pain in the ass!¡± ¨Cpuzzled as he was while pointing to Old man. Question number two: Who was this ¡®Seria¡¯ that will be Fred¡¯s new author. That question was immediately answered too as a woman wen¡¯t out of the other side of the car. The dignified-looking woman stood straight while wearing a camo-green tracksuit. The tracksuit had black lining at her sleeves and pants. She wore a white undershirt that was visible due to the half-opened tracksuit jacket. Her cobalt blue hair was quite similar to Ingrid¡¯s but just different in color. It was ponytailed at the top back part and the wavy hair swayed at her back. She was wearing glasses too.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Aside from her usual looks, she was carrying a hand bag and a hangered suit that she carried with her left hand. It should be what she will be wearing for the upcoming event that night. Besides her absolute composure, you could sense the different air around her, something quite different than what Old man had when we first met him. ¡°NO!! I DON¡¯T WANT TO ASSOCIATE WITH YOU!¡± ¨CFred shouted from afar. He must have still remembered the fear he had from their last call. ¡°I¡¯m telling you Fred this is for your own career development!¡± ¨COld man shouted back at him. ¡°NO!! YOU COME BACK!!¡± ¡°Hey quit shouting. You might disturb other tenants. You might as well gather here at the yard instead.¡± ¡°Er¡­ Landlady you might want to realize that we are ¡®all other tenants¡¯ you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Oh right¡­¡± I saw Miss* Seria murmured something towards Old man and handed him over the hangered dress and the handbag. She then went towards the trunk of the sedan, opened it, and got something I could not let pass. The thing she was holding was nostalgic. It felt like I haven¡¯t seen one in ages. A few years ago Kyrie have assembled an all-weapon room at the unit above me which she called ¡®Arsenal¡¯. It was composed of all-illegal types of smuggled weapons from the sharpest blades to the heaviest guns and artillery. I took a look at Kyrie and saw her showing quite a bit of interest too. Among the weapons she had before all of them were disposed due to her stubborn acts, one of them was a kendo-stick. ¡°Uhm¡­ Old man? Care to explain what¡¯s about to happen?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell?! It¡¯s disciplinary action!¡± ¨CBut Seria was the one who answered him. ¡°NO NO NO THAT¡¯S NOT ON THE CONTRACT I¡¯VE SIGNED WITH YOUR COMPANY!!¡± ¡°ORA!! I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR A BEATING!¡± ¨CSeria shouted while holding the kendo-stick being supported at the top of her right shoulder. ¡°NO!! NEVER!! I WON¡¯T ACCEPT YOU AS MY NEW EDITOR!! I DON¡¯T WANT AN EX-YANKEE-NOW-AN-EDITOR TO GUIDE MY ON MY CHOSEN CAREER PATH!!¡± A while ago it was a very normal scene where we were waiting for the two editors to arrive but now it was like a scene from any sitcom movies where the protagonist is being chased by his P.E. teacher while carrying a kendo stick. Scenarios like these always filled up my apartment complex ever since Ara, Kyrie and Fred arrived. ¡°Sigh¡­ What are you two even doing?¡± ¨CI said as old man finally approached our spot inside the yard. Fred, running in circles immediately ran out of stamina and caught by Seria. --- ¡°First of all, let me apologize for hitting you with a kendo-stick.¡± Seria humbly bowed down formally at the center table. We were inside my unit. It was the best-looking unit at my apartment complex I could offer to a first-timer. I offered them snacks like biscuit and chips, and Kyrie served us tea. Her ojou-sama air in her looked very natural as she poured the tea at the cups that she provided. I really wondered though why she had cups enough for several people. The living room area at my unit was really that big when it was only me and Fred using it. I was really shocked that the spot that was usually spacious for us were now became quite a bit cramped for six people. I wondered too if it was because of the arrangement of the sofa set or the orientation of the room itself was designed just for a person or two. ¡°Uhm.. It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t need to concern so much. It was a bit of our fault for immediately judging you and be intimidated.¡± ¨CI answered the middle-aged woman. ¡°NO IT¡¯S NOT! I WAS ABUSED! I¡¯M GOING TO CHARGE YOU WITH GRAVE ASSAULT!!¡± ¨CFred was furiously trying to persuade everyone that he was at the right. Like at the sitcom movies I have watched. I imagned him looking like those with multiple lumps at his head, black-eye and bruises at his face. I giggled a bit, but that¡¯s not really the case. It was just a clean single hit and Fred was immediately pinned at the ground, no further resistance. ¡°Heh, go on and try!¡± ¨Cshe answered with a smug. I really didn¡¯t get why she kept on taunting Fred though. ¡°Fred that¡¯s enough. Come on now, show respect to your new editor.¡± ¨CAra (imouto) tried to stop Fred. ¡°Yes Fred. I¡¯ve explained the situation to you already didn¡¯t I?¡± ¨COld man coaxed too. Old man explained the situation to Fred right after we gathered inside my unit the current situation. It was just as I expected: Anemone-sensei was the new winner for this year¡¯s ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ and Old man¡¯s editor in chief introduced him to her. It was not like he immediately decided. His editor in chief had him weigh take his time making the decision. That¡¯s why he went here last week and talked with Fred about it. What I wondered was what really made him take the decision? His story was quite not enough to answer the whole question we had. I thought it was due to he was just embarrassed to tell us that he wanted to progress with his career too, If I¡¯m not mistaken. Deep within my thought I was cut in by the sudden silence. Everyone was looking towards Fred. His eyes were closed, he was in deep thought like I did. He was about to make a decision. He then opened his eyes, it was everyone¡¯s awaited moment of truth. ¡°Stuff like these happens even here, huh?¡± ¨Cas I was close to him I was the one able to hear what he mumbled silently. He seemed to reminisce something. It must be another set of events that he experienced way back at Mytherion. I, being the only one at the room who knew of his real identity, should be one of the person he was hoping for that would accept his decision no matter what. I will never betray his trust. I didn¡¯t, I don¡¯t and never won¡¯t. That¡¯s how much I¡¯ve been cherishing him for the past year already. As long as it would take, I will be waiting for him to completely tell me his history from the world he once lived at. He then opened his eyes and looked at Old man seriously. It was a look of parting. I knew what he was going to answer, but it was not like he won¡¯t be able to meet up with old man anymore. He could always ask him up to drink here at my unit, or even at the nearest bar at the town. He was just a drive away, and not parallel worlds away. ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure working with you. I will be respecting your decision. Also Miss Seria, I apologize for the rudeness earlier. I will be looking forward to work with you. Please guide me and lead me towards utilizing my full potential. I won¡¯t lose to anybody, even Anemone-sensei. But I will still charge you with assault for earlier.¡± ¡°Hah! As long as you realize your mistakes.¡± Ara smiled like someone that had a torn taken out of her heart. She must felt really relieved now. I noticed that she was the one very anxious a while ago. I really hoped that her aneki mode was the one that took over her at that times, but it seemed like she was having a rest. She have been restless for the whole week of working. Kyrie just looked away and gave her ¡°Humu. Well I knew this would happen anyways¡± smile. I just wondered what was going on with her mind during those times. A part of me also wondered too what she had talked about with Fred a week ago too. ¡°Okay!!¡± ¨COld man interrupted the joyous celebration of Fred¡¯s acceptance of his new editor. ¡°I remembered we talked last week that I would be seeing your oneshot draft this week right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been aware of that. I¡­ No, we have prepared one.¡± ¡°Hmp. Now we¡¯re talking. Also. I will only be a spectator at this one. It was true that it will be my last order for you. But it is also true that it will be the very first time that you will be handled by my colleague here, Seria. This will be her very first task as your new editor. I am only here today because I was curious of the new story you have made, and to oversee this. Besides, I should be transparent now that I¡¯ve been assigned to a new author. All the other work, will be handled by Seria. Fine by you?¡± ¡°Yes, fine by me.¡± ¨CFred willingly agreed. ¡°Hmp. referring me just as your colleague. You¡¯re getting cocky, using your current position just the way you like because you just got promoted the same level as me, huh?¡± Seria seemed like she was about to reveal something about their past but she decided to cut to the chase. ¡°Remember, ¡®Old man¡¯ here is decades too early to be an editor of an author that¡¯s brimming with potential. That¡¯s what I saw in your oneshot work. I¡¯ve classified you as a raw gem, and I decided to take the role of polishing you into something better this Old man couldn¡¯t. Always remember: all the pampering and spoiling he shown you the past year, you won¡¯t experience with me.¡± We just heard a grave premonition of incoming death. We decided to brush that off and pretended we heard nothing and had her continue her introduction. ¡°The road to becoming a popular mangaka is not as easy as you think it is Fledgeling. Now hand me over that oneshot.¡± Without another moment to waste Fred handed over his second draft. It was the fruit of our past week¡¯s labor. Seria and Old man gave it a read. ¡­ ¡­ They finished reading the draft. That draft was the product of our exerted efforts. We¡¯ve been working on it for the past week and at that moment we felt like it was being subjected to a trial by fire. From Fred, doing his best as the lead of our team, up to his assistants Ara and Kyrie, up to me who provided most moral support (I was not too reliable regarding drawing manga but at least I could do other stuff to lessen the load of work to them). We were quite confident to the fruits of our labor. It was about time we see Seria¡¯s skills as an editor. She was about to give her verdict. ¡°Hmmm. Let¡¯s see. The story is quite interesting. As expected of Maou Spence-sensei.¡± Fred let had a breath of relief. But: ¡°However, I really think Old man here has something to say. You already told them you won¡¯t interfere, so let¡¯s have your comment act as something from the reader¡¯s perspective.¡± She pointed out Old man. It was true that he was the very one that requested us to do a oneshot before handing the team over to Seria. Though his assessment won¡¯t give that much bearing towards our team¡¯s work anymore, I was still quite curious about what he had to say. I thought it was the same for the other three too. It was quite not that long yet since we last worked with him. Perhaps Seria was right. We should look to what he¡¯s to say as something from the reader¡¯s perspective. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well I¡¯ll be troubled. But Old Seria here had a point. I¡¯ll give you one last free service and say my thoughts as a reader¡¯s perspective¡­¡± Everybody went silent. Everybody on our team got too accustomed to the Old man that was doing his job as an editor. That was quite new to us. We really wanted to see Old man giving comments and suggestions just as a normal ¡®reader¡¯. ¡°I¡¯d say¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Old man crossed his arms in an X position ¡°It¡¯s a no so it¡¯s rejected¡± WHACK!! Seria rolled the oneshot draft and smashed Old man¡¯s head towards it. We saw him nearly passed out and had his eyeballs rolled out. Besides from being too shocked, we¡¯re also having mixed feelings about what happened. We knew not even Fred could try to match up with though he were not even a match towards him in terms of physical strength. But being shown the sorry state of Old man after getting hit by seria which we never once seen the whole year we¡¯ve been working with him, all we could do was to wonder how strong Seria was. ¡°Quit acting childish and give out an honest comment.¡± ¨CSeria said being too irritated. ¡°Come on now, don¡¯t burden me anymore with such heavy tasks, I¡¯ve already pulled out from your team didn¡¯t I?¡± WHACK!! ¡°What?!!¡± ¨COld man was already getting his ass whopped, which was quite a super-rare sight to us. ¡°Fine fine. Just leave the Old man be. He¡¯s just too tired of you guys already.¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t make me look like the bad guy here!¡± ¡°Of course you are! You suddenly left last week leaving them hanging on a thread and ordering them to create a oneshot then suddenly you told them you were handing them over to another editor then now you¡¯re acting like this doesn¡¯t concern you? You telling me none of these were way irresponsible? Huh???¡± Seria¡¯s attitude and way of speaking suddenly changed. It was like she turned from a dignified and composed lady to an unrefined kid who tries to talk sense to someone using force. If I were to compare it to someone it would be a yankee, perhaps. ¡°Sheesh¡­ fine, fine. I¡¯m going to say this, you most certainly have improved. This most certainly is a work that could serialize, but definitely not as good as your award-winning oneshot.¡± The fact that Old man said it that way proved he was serious this time. Being a fan one could not avoid to compare the works being done by their favorite author. There are few people who were avid supporters who liked every single work that the author release, but there were times comparison won¡¯t be avoided, especially to those who considered as their greatest works. Seria did not even need to voice out her opinion. She must have been thinking the same as Old man did. Fred must¡¯ve known that it would come to this. Despite the awards and the reputation he built up for himself, being a mangaka also have its ups and downs, just the same as it did when he was still the Maou back at Mytherion. Not serializing something at the moment will eventually use up all the savings he had. Also, Fred just started at this industry so he really did not have any choice but to build up a steady reader base first. There should be only one best decision to make. Fred was left with silence. He had two great editors assisting him at the moment. ¡°Well, there you have it my cute little fledgling. You decide: you serialize this one or you could produce better?¡± All that was left for Fred was to make the decision.
Ch9-2 Enter Anemone – the Delusional Rival II. Enter Anemone ¨C the Delusional Rival ¡°Humu. I see you never even changed after I graduated. Annette Monica.¡± Those were the words that went out of Kyrie¡¯s mouth as soon as she approached near Anemone. The exhibitionist delusional girl at her late teens had been acquainted with Kyrie. What were the odds? But as the commotion went and most of the people at the venue were focused on what¡¯s happening at the stage right now, a sudden thought came onto me. It was not really connected to me but I was there when it happened. A week ago Kyrie asked Fred to have a short talk between only the two of them. Out of respect and trust with Kyrie, I¡¯ve let them have a talk. My hunch is right all along As I looked at Fred he was just looking like the normal Fred that would say ¡®sigh¡­ as expected of Kyrie, but you didn¡¯t have to go that far.¡¯ at the current situation. ¡°You knew all along¡­¡± ¨CI was kind of jealous, but it really was not something that involved me. As much as I wanted I liked to hit Fred at that time. He was not really cheating on me, but at least give me some trust and tell it to me. I¡¯m a member of Maou Spence-sensei team after all. I frowned at hm like a kid. ¡°Sigh¡­ This day would come, so you will eventually know. It was not like Kyrie wanted to join the race to win me over. You have assured that to her too, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s... It¡¯s not like that¡­ When you put it like that it looks like I¡¯m the one at the wrong¡­ Okay fine! I was just jealous¡­ a bit¡­ that¡¯s all!¡± ¨CI sulked. ¡°It¡¯s just the Kyrie told me about her and Anemone¡¯s past, as a senior and a junior during their high school days. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Ohooo~~ Lover¡¯s quarrel? Ain¡¯t you two lovebirds?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, too sweet at that.¡± Ara and Seria teased me at my pitiful state that moment. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s not like that between us. Also Ara why are you even¡­ ugh¡­¡± ¨CFred tried to clear the misunderstanding. What must he be thinking? Denying it every single time. How insensitive. Doesn¡¯t he know I¡¯m being hurt every time he denies it? It feels like he¡¯s denying my very existence. That was the only truth I¡¯ve been keeping in me that I haven¡¯t told him. These are some of the girl¡¯s insecurities. I thought that he will only argue with me once I open up. I didn¡¯t want to burden him even more too. But there really are times I¡¯ve been acting selfishly jealous for nothing and sulk to win an argument over him. I just wondered how he think of these situations at times. ¡°HMP!!¡± ¨CI kicked Fred at his right leg. ¡°Ouch! What was that even for?!¡± I didn¡¯t answered him anymore. He should realize his mistakes and apologize to me later. We then brought our attentions back to the stage. Kyrie had the emcee¡¯s mic again, she planned to stop this madness brought upon her embarrassing acquaintance. But what really was Anemone¡¯s role on Kyrie¡¯s life. I wondered if her family had a long-term debt on Kyrie¡¯s that she was forced to immediately resort to a living at a very young age. ¡°Mic test.. Mic test¡­¡± thud thud thud. ¨CKyrie tested the mic if it was still working. ¡°Humu. Okay. Hi ladies and gentlemen. First of all let me apologize for lying that I am the CEO. I was actually just a humble assistant of a not-really-popular-enough mangaka over there¡­¡± ¨Cand she pointed Fred. Fred was embarrassed. ¡°Second¡­ I would like to apologize to Old man over there for the embarrassment brought upon to him by this lowly creature.¡± ¡°Kyah! Kyrie-schwenpai called me!!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¨CKyrie kicked Anemone but instead of being in pain she looked like she was in pleasure. ¡°Where we are again¡­ uhm¡­ Let me apologize for Anemone-sensei¡¯s behavior. Actually she¡¯s been like this since our high school days and she never even changed. Soooo¡­ Please bear with her ¡®chuunibyou¡¯ character.¡± ¨CKyrie bowed down in Anemone¡¯s stead. ¡°Whoo it¡¯s fine! It¡¯s a great show! Keep it up!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine we¡¯re used to these kings of things!¡± ¡°Hahaha!! What an amusing bunch, keep it up!¡± ¡°whistling!!¡± The show gathered up too much attention and cheering from the crowd. All sorts of reactions could be heard from all sorts of direction. But those were not negative reactions, instead cheering that encourages the people at the stage to continue their perform more. It was like they were asking for an encore. The only ones who reacted differently was me, Fred, Ara and Old man. I did not blame Seria for her reaction. It was not like she could immediately get used to Kyrie for about a whole day. The four of us were so shocked that we did never, not even in a hundred years, expected Kyrie to bow down and apologize for someone. Or so we thought¡­ ¡°Wait¡­ something¡¯s not right.¡± ¨CThe first one to react was Fred. Out of the four of us at the team, Fred was the one who knew Kyrie the most. He knew so much of her thought process that a shocking something like ¡®apologizing¡¯ coming from her comes with a great catch.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Humu. Now that everything¡¯s said and done, Anemone-sensei¡­ Are you ready?¡± The lightings at the stage casted shadows at Kyrie¡¯s sinister-looking face as she looked at Anemone. Along with all the ¡®I just wanted to hurt this little girl once in a while¡¯ mode, Kyrie reached out something at her back. The four of us reacted like: ¡°But why?¡± ¡°When did it got there?¡± ¡°What¡­ When did she?¡± It was the greatest weapon that I had when Kyrie was in the stage of her freedom that she needed to be suppressed the most. It was a paper fan that was folded several times which the other end was tied with a tape so that the other end could be expanded and make it a giant paper fan which not really served its purpose. The paper quality was not at its top condition because it was quite used towards Fred and Kyrie multiple times already. The pain by being hit by the paper fan is far comparable to when you get hit by a baseball bat. But getting hit with this in front of a huge crowd is a different story already. A harisen* ¡°Ky-ky-kyrie-schwenpai¡­ May I ask what are you going to do with that?¡± ¡°Ohoho¡­ Nothing. I¡¯m just going to scold my little junior that¡¯s so unsightly shown excessive skin than what was needed. I really could not tolerates such acts. Nothing personal.¡± ¨CKyrie referred to the almost-nothing bikini straps Anemone was wearing under her coat. ¡°P-p-please be gentle¡­¡± ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ NO.¡± WHACK! ¡°KYAH!~~¡± Multiple consecutive hitting and screaming sounds led by huge amount of humiliation were heard at the event venue. --- The event ended up with a blast, for everything that happened after Kyire¡¯s intervention went according to the event organizer¡¯s plans. Us four, including Seria met up with the other editors and Fred¡¯s fellow authors. Old man scolded Anemone over and over at the dressing room because of what happened so they went to the dressing room to hide towards everyone everything that happened afterwards. I kind of felt sorry for Anemone but it was her own fault that led her to that situation. Kyrie went back at us giggling and so enjoyed. She looked like someone rejuvenated from the well of life. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go that far just to quench your thirst for enjoyment.¡± ¨CFred told her and gave her forehead a chop, which she gladly accept with a giggling face. She seemed like she was expecting the chop from Fred though. They¡¯re getting goody-goody again with each other which I¡¯ve found annoying. I butted in to stop it. ¡°So that¡¯s what you wanted to talk about with Fred a week ago.¡± ¡°Humu. Jealous much?¡± I hit her forehead with a chop just like Fred did. ¡°Ouch. Miss Landlady you bully.¡± ¡°Must be nice¡­ Being acquainted to two mangakas.¡± ¨CAra got impatient and butted in the conversation as well. I didn¡¯t know which ¡®Ara¡¯ she was at that moment but it seemed like she got out of place and tried to pry in with the topic. ¡°Ah¡­ Anemone¡­ It was a long story. A whole year I think. It won¡¯t fit with the time left we had here at the venue if I were to tell the tale. Let¡¯s leave that for another day. I think the after party is starting. Are we attending?¡± ¡°You guys should ask yourselves first if you¡¯re already allowed to drink.¡± ¨CSeria asked the whole crew. ¡°Humu. I don¡¯t¡± ¡°I do, but that was a long time ago¡± ¡°I do, but I don¡¯t want to¡± ¡°If Fred goes then I go.¡± We gave different answers. ¡°Hmm. Okay Ara and Kyrie both of you could go back already and rest. I think I will still need Fred here.¡± ¡°Eeeh? I said I didn¡¯t want to.¡± THUD! Seria hit Fred¡¯s head with the kendo stick she had always been carrying. I didn¡¯t even knew where she got it or was hiding it the whole time. I patted Fred¡¯s head as he tried to recover from being dizzy and frowned at her. ¡°What. Want me to hit you too? You¡¯re like a loyal dog. It seems like you¡¯re already packaged with Fred so any mistake he does, any of his responsibility will be shared with you too. Is that fine?¡± I could not say anything back. I was being overwhelmed with her ¡®almost a thousand¡¯ years of experience that manifested within the way she act and talk. Just how old is she?, was the only question I could repeatedly ask myself as I look at her. It didn¡¯t seem like she was a bad person and I really thought she¡¯s just concerned about correcting our actions and putting them in order. We¡¯re a bunch of uncertainties after all. ¡°Ugh¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll go. But Ingrid you have to go back with Kyrie and Ara. I¡¯m worried about these girls. Be their responsible guardian and accompany them back home. I don¡¯t want to risk the two of them going home and some things were to happen.¡± That was straightforward way of explaining. I understood but my selfish self didn¡¯t ¡®want to risk Fred getting along with other mangakas too much that it might develop romantic progression towards them¡¯. I knew I was being selfish and Fred just wanted the best course of action but my woman¡¯s intuition was really telling me not to let Fred go alone at the after party, especially that she¡¯s going to meet up with Anemone again¡­ ¡°But¡­¡± ¨CI tried to do the bullied-kid look and tried to persuade Fred to let me join him. I knew Ara and Kyrie could manage already and go home on their own so it should be fine to tag along with Fred and Seria at the after party. ¡°No buts this time Ingrid. Please¡­¡± Was it because Fred sensed Seria was bad news that he didn¡¯t want me to not be a part of the team as much as possible and stay as the ¡®Landlady¡¯ he usually knew? ¡°Okay. But you will treat me a drink this coming weekend.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Okay, I promise.¡± The night was late already. The trains have stopped working and the only other way to go back to the town proper was through bus that really seldom comes or through taxi. ¡°You better make up for me next week okay?¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t make it sound like we¡¯re husband and wife already what if they misunderstood it?¡± ¡°I know, but pretty soon I¡¯ll capture your heart.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Yoohoo!! Go for it Landlady I¡¯m supporting you.¡± ¡°Humu. You got my approval too.¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t add oil to the fire anymore. You¡¯re just making things worse. And also don¡¯t make it look like I¡¯m some girl from a gal game you¡¯re playing.¡± We laughed, then we exchanged our goodbyes with each other. Seria was a mysterious person but I entrusted Fred with him. Fred¡¯s a responsible drinker too, unlike me. I guess I¡¯ll have to trust onto the people around me and let go of my woman¡¯s intuition. I did not want to make Fred feel strangled too with my insecurities. I thought I should try being more mature than I already am. There won¡¯t be any issues that will happen. I¡¯ll just take this chance and get a good rest. Or so I thought¡­ --- I woke up the morning after that night. I really did not drink but it felt like a hungover. My head ached so much that It felt like it was about to break. I tried to remember if I also went to the after party the night before but I could not recall such. I just remembered waving back at Ara and Kyrie as they entered their respective units last night. Trying to remember just reminded me of how Fred pushed me out of his circle and started drinking with his colleagues at work (that¡¯s not what really happened) so I did not let it bother me anymore. I tidied up my bed, opened the curtains and gave one last yawn before going out of the room. As I opened the door I immediately went towards the washroom to gargle and brush my teeth. A certain man¡¯s silhouette was sitting at the couch at the living room. I just shrugged it off and convinced myself it was just my late father¡¯s ghost or just me hallucinating. But as I went back after there really was a man sitting there¡­ ¡°Eeh?! Fred??!!!¡± ¡°Ingrid I know it¡¯s too sudden, but we need to talk.¡± ¡°Eh?! But how? When did you¡ª what¡¯s the matter?¡± I barraged him with questions as I wondered when did he got back, how did he entered my unit, and what it was he wanted to talk about. ¡°Anemone¡­ She¡¯s from another world too¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡±
Ch9-3 This world full of Mysteries, Oddities, Delusionals and Bullies III. This world full of Mysteries, Oddities, Delusionals and Bullies ¡°Fu fu fu fu¡­ This Queen of Darkness have invaded my very first Rival¡¯s territory. Being in here is exciting enough that it gives me chills down my spine already. All that dark masses of energy gathered around this little fortress. I really feel like I¡¯m at a disadvantage if I were to battle you right now, Maou. Also, you have these three of your Greatest Generals surrounding you. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve fallen for such a trap!¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Girl¡­ May I ask you what are you even doing here?¡± I asked Anemone why. We were at Fred¡¯s studio, the once unit7 that had been modified to connect units 6 and 8 together to form a studio at the middle. Initially the room was spacious enough for the four of us, but for some reason the later days have been too crowded. The current number of people gathering at Fred¡¯s studio at that moment were seven. The initial four of us at Fred¡¯s team, then Old man, Seria and Anemone. ¡°Humu. This sure isn¡¯t some normal gathering. I¡¯m quite confused too as to what¡¯s happening now. Why are there two teams currently in here?¡± ¡°Awawa¡­ Don¡¯t fight. The two of you.¡± Anemone was carrying her usual chuuni smug while looking at Fred. Fred was still wearing defensive mode as he looked at Anemone. There was still the anxiety that he had been holding against her ever since he went home that morning after the after-party of the ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ awarding event for Anemone. Old man and Seria were having their usual chat at a separate table they have set up beside the usual center table that we had been using inside the studio. Kyrie have tried to serve them tea but they refused and asked to have beer instead. They immersed themselves to a deep conversation not paying in mind whatever the topic we were currently having. I just considered it as professional after-hours talk. We continued our nonsense discussion. ¡°We could accommodate you guys as much as you want, but please don¡¯t do unnecessary changes to how this studio was arranged.¡± ¨CI tried to talk to them. ¡°No Ingrid, we¡¯re being invaded.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ I¡¯ve been telling you, this situation is quite different from that ¡®thing¡¯ you have been talking.¡± ¡°No. I refuse to believe. My intuition is always correct. I won¡¯t stop until I find out what this invader is actually planning.¡± ¡°Awawawa no no no Fred, you¡¯re being uncourteous to your visitors.¡± ¨CAdded Ara(imouto) ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ I see your awareness is still as sharp as ever. You haven¡¯t changed since you¡¯ve left your previous world. Now we have all the time to tell me a tale of your valor.¡± ¡°No no no!!! Don¡¯t bother Fred anymore. We have a draft to finish!!¡± ¡°Even if we have all the time here there would be nothing to talk about. The likes of a lowly queen such as you are not eligible to know such information.¡± Well I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not being treated as a lowly individual¡­ No no no!! ¡°Don¡¯t even try to prolong the topic!!¡± I wondered why these events were even happening. --- (A week ago, morning after the Fresh Aspirants awards event.) ¡°Anemone¡­ She¡¯s from another world too¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°She have told me at the party. She even knows I¡¯m a former Mau too¡­¡± Those words bothered me too much. I wondered if it was because Fred have found hints about magic that actually existed here at Earth. What if Anemone was actually a hint that would have him find out how to get back to Mytherion? What would happen to his current profession here? What would happen to Ara and Kyrie? What would happen to me? ¡°Fred¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I couldn¡¯t think of anything after hearing that.¡± Even I did not knew how I should felt at that moment. I hoped Fred understood that. Without nothing to say, I approached him. As he sat at the table, he had that lonely expression which he hadn¡¯t showed for the past years since he opened up to me. The couch he¡¯s sitting at fitted two people together. I did not bought it having anticipated this situation. I just bought it initially for the sole purpose of using it for myself. But at times like these it became handy. I sat beside him and lay my head rest at the couch. Sigh. We both gave a sigh, but we were both pertaining to different issues. ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± ¨CI asked him. There¡¯s no point in slowly pulling the decision out on him. I let him decide by asking the question. ¡°Come now, please answer me¡­ I need it too. Whatever your answer it will be fine by me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Should you take a break for a while? I¡¯ll try to win another set of tickets to the hot spring if you want.¡± ¡°Ah I don¡¯t want to experience ¡®that¡¯ again¡­¡± ¡°Thought so¡­¡± Perhaps you¡¯re right. Multiple consecutive events happened back at the hot spring. I understood why Fred had the trauma of going to long vacations again. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to decide anymore¡­¡± I saw the tiredness at Fred¡¯s face. It was the face of someone being troubled to choose between two options that will have a great bearing towards his future. A woman¡¯s intuition was always on the spot. If I only knew these events were to happen I never approved Fred of going to that after party, or I will make sure to join him and do whatever actions needed to prevent these things from happening. I closed in the gap between us. He had been looking haggard lately. I took the chance to pamper him. ¡°When you meet up with her again¡­ I¡¯m going to help you find closure to those questions you¡¯re having right now¡­ so please¡­ have a rest for a while. It had been a long night.¡± I lay my head at his shoulders. He was deep in thought and might not be focused on what I was saying to him but at least I expressed what I wanted to know. ¡°Ingrid¡­ Thanks¡­¡± It was exchanged with an appreciation. How deep was his love for Yuusha? Did I have a chance at the very first place? Was I just running through circles without progressing much towards him? At that moment the very flame of my determination and confidence on myself wavered. ¡®What ifs¡¯ flooded my mind as if it was an unexpected tsunami that ravaged a town near the shore. Will I be fine just having the same self-satisfaction I¡¯ve been granting myself ever since I¡¯ve confessed my feelings to him? Will this love forever be one-sided? I don¡¯t want this feeling¡­ It¡¯s piercing me¡­ I don¡¯t want this¡­ I was glad that he was not seeing the pathetic crying face I was having that moment. ¡­ ¡­ RING RING!! ¡°Whoah! What the hell!¡± ¨CI was really surprised when Fred¡¯s phone at the center table rang. I could read the contact details. Speaking of the devil¡­ The one calling at that moment was Anemone. The very root cause of this stress we¡¯re currently experiencing. I immediately wiped my tears so that Fred won¡¯t notice it. I hoped he did not saw me though. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty tired already¡­¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Of course I wanted to confirm the very existence of this another ¡®someone that came from another world¡¯ for myself and if ever I could try to stop her from further bothering Fred. ¡°I¡¯ll pick it up.¡± ¡°Sure¡­ Tell her to stop calling me if not important¡­¡± Fred looked too tired already. I stood up and had him lay at the couch to sleep. I sat at the floor area between the center table and the couch, and supported my back at its sides. I then answered the phone. ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ What are you doing now, Former Maou Fredericus?¡± I just stayed silent and didn¡¯t answer. For starters I needed to see how she usually talk towards Fred. It might give me a hint of her true personality. ¡°Not talking, eh? Such a disrespect towards the Queen of Darkness, eh? Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll see each other again soon enough. I¡¯ll try to finish my chapter fast so I¡¯ll be able to drop by at your place. I look forward for a royal welcome towards a royal visitor. ¡®kay?¡± I immediately ended the call. ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ A storm¡¯s coming here. I don¡¯t know when.¡± ¡°Oh God just let me rest already.¡± The earliest of the weekend was greeted with an overwhelming stress for the both of us. --- Honk honk!! Old man¡¯s black sedan sounded its horn outside my apartment complex to indicate that they have already arrived. The past week have been very busy. Fred, Ara and Kyrie had been working on the initial chapters for Fred¡¯s second draft to be submitted to Seria. We finished a bit earlier than the indicated schedule so Fred let us have a day of rest before the weekend. That one of the very few instances we finished earlier than our target date and have free time to rest. We wouldn¡¯t look too haggard when we present ourselves to Seria who were scheduled to visit. The weekend before that we received a call from her that she will be paying a visit very soon. A part of me and Fred knew this might happen already but we still wished it won¡¯t happen. Seria was supposed to be the only to go to our place but for some reason Anemone tagged along, not to mention Old man was with her too. I was not at Fred¡¯s unit nor at the studio. I was doing chores at my unit when they arrived. I went out to do my job as a landlady and to welcome my tenant¡¯s visitors, not that I¡¯m obliged to. ¡°Using Old man¡¯s car really is convenient.¡± ¨CI said to Seria as I approached them who were still waiting outside the yard. ¡°Whoaaaah¡­ This¡­ doesn¡¯t really look any comparable to the apartment complex I¡¯m currently staying.¡± ¨CAnemone tried to praise my apartment complex but went to a lousy comparison and insult. ¡°Well THANK YOU for that statement. I¡¯m not here to contest my complex towards an apartment complex that¡¯s not even yours.¡± ¡°Fu fu fu what gets you so worked up, Maou¡¯s mistress? Did you sense the dark powers that resides my sinister eye?¡± Looking towards Anemone, you could see a gathering of a huge amount of delusional shenanigans circling towards her. It was as if when God let out a heavy rainfall of maturity towards mankind, she was hiding at a cave or underground passage, enjoying her sweet childhood activities. I mean, look at her, what is she even wearing under this high afternoon sun? She was wearing quite revealing tight leather corset that was suspended towards her leather short. Both were covered in a mix of black and dark purple leather that was well polished. There was a visible gap between the end of her top piece and her shorts which emphasized the thin strap suspending both and her proud abdominal features that looked well maintained. She was also wearing long socks that ranged from bottom to the upper knee. The remaining visible skin at her thighs between her shorts and her socks looked even more seducing that any man won¡¯t be able to resist to look. To top off the not-so-normal fashion sense, there¡¯s a huge black and purple leather coat with white linings on top of her shoulders which only functioned to top her revealing clothes inside like an admiral. Uwaaaah¡­ For some reason I feel disappointed for myself for getting all worked up over this matter. Right. She was just a full-pledged chuunibyou* for a lost cause. ¡°Ah, Ingrid pay her no mind. I gave up about a week ago.¡± ¨CI could see the regret from Old man¡¯s face. Serves you right¡­ He must have regretted letting go of Fred in exchange for being Anemone¡¯s editor. It seemed like she¡¯s a lot more accumulated stress producer than Fred in a specific way. I wondered how she would do on her serializations. As much as I would, I wanted to read her work too. I went back to the main topic and talked to Seria. ¡°Why are you even gathering here at my perimeter? You really looked like¡­¡± ¨CI looked back at Anemone ¡°¡­a circus troupe or a mafia scouting for their hit target.¡± I looked at them: a bulky middle-aged man wearing a white formal suit and black slacks with matching aviator shades, a woman on unknown age wearing a green and black tracksuit while holding a kendo stick, and lastly the admiral girl wearing seducing leather corset under her black leather coat on top. Nothing more could be found scarier than encountering a bunch of weird people in the middle of the road looking at an old shabby apartment complex. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t loiter around and attract too much attention from other people. You could head toward Fred¡¯s unit upstairs, no need to even honk your new car just to fetch me out. I could report you to the police just so you know.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it was just a test to see if there are anyone available. hehehe¡± ¨CIt seemed like Old man was really fond of his new car though. ¡°Me¡­ I just want to stand here while holding this kendo stick. I should look like a poster of a foreign movie.¡± ¡°Nonono please don¡¯t. Just head upstairs.¡± ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ As for me. My sinister eye should be enough to destroy this whole fortress that currently being¡ª¡± WHACK!! It was a solid hit. For some reason Kyrie appeared out of nowhere and hit the talking Anemone with her folded parasol. ¡°OUCH! Who lowly vermin dared to hit the Queen of¡ªKy ky kyrie-schwenpai!?!¡± ¡°Humu. Just so you know the hierarchy. Let¡¯s head upstairs, the Maou* is waiting.¡± Kyrie phrased it in Anemone¡¯s language. Did they had the same vibe? Were they both like this from way back their high school days? These were questions I didn¡¯t necessarily need, nor needed answers. Or was she just too much of a genius she could try to make sense with Anemone. And what¡¯s with the hierarchy thing? We did not want any more commotion happening in front of my apartment complex so we headed upstairs and knocked Fred¡¯s unit. Fred opened the door. ¡°Fu fu fu! At last, we meet again, former Maou from another world.¡± Fred looked at Anemone who was currently in front of our bunch, then looked back to me. ¡°I hate you guys.¡± ¨CFred then closed the door. --- Those were what happened before we got to the current situation. We have been arguing just about every single sentence that¡¯s being spewed out of Anemone¡¯s mouth. This scenario went on for several more repetitions due to us getting nowhere. Fred was so thickheaded and Anemone was so out of sense. ¡°Again¡­ Hey¡­ Girl¡­ May I ask you what are you even doing here?¡± After a few more tries I could finally see the irritation from Anemone¡¯s face. I was close to ousting her from the apartment complex. ¡°Look here Fred¡­ Now really is not the time to go along with Anemone¡¯s nonsense. She¡¯s really just a nutjob and a chuunibyou.¡± Fred looked at me and was silently asking through eye contact if that¡¯s what I observed from her. It seemed like he still wanted to put trust on what I was saying. I felt glad that somehow within him he still took into account everything that we¡¯ve been through. I was happy. ¡°Say¡­ Landlady¡­ was Fred always like this? Supposedly he¡¯s not the type to care on these types of nonsense. But he¡¯s really being weird today.¡± Not good not good!! I quickly stood up and approached Fred. As furious as I am I pinched his left ear and tried to drag him back towards his unit. ¡°Humu. This pair really is acting strange today, don¡¯t you think so, Imouto-Ara?¡± ¡°I just want us to get along. Uwu¡­¡± As I dragged Fred back to his unit I could just hear the other two talking about us. It had been a miss on my end. I should have noticed sooner that Anemone was just a full-pledged teenager with an eight-grader syndrome. I could have convinced Fred sooner that this whole thing had nothing to do with magic and the situation might not have escalated up to this point. I guess I¡¯ll just do my best to convince him. We locked each other at his room. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!! Haven¡¯t you got a grasp of the situation yet?!¡± ¡°What?! I¡¯m just being cautious!¡± ¡°Overcautious!¡± ¡°¡­¡± He must¡¯ve realized by now¡­ good. ¡°I told you didn¡¯t I? There are no¡­ not a single trace of magic here at earth. Those people who behaves and act like those are just people with a syndrome. Besides not being real, they¡¯re all just delusions.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I felt like I have to hit Fred hard with the reality. He¡¯s been too focused on this very slim chance that came to him and had been trying to grab the non-existent lead he was yearning for to go back to Mytherion. It was not like I¡¯m trying to keep him from myself and from going back to his original world. But as much as I wanted to help him too. I¡¯m still quite not convinced that the reverse could happen. If God had send him to Earth, they must have something planned for him and it would be very rude to intervene. That¡¯s what I had been thinking. ¡°Wake up already Fred.¡± ¨CI held hid face with both of my hands. He had a face of realization. Yet another deadlock if he would say it in his terms. ¡°Mm¡­ Okay¡­ I¡¯ll trust you with this.¡± ¨C He was surprisingly obeying. I could only wonder what made him to calm down. He looked too different from a just a moment ago. It might be because he must have been thinking and realized something too. And after talking some more, a few minutes later we went back to the studio. What sight awaited our return was simply horrible: ¡°Ky¡­rie,¡­-senpai! Tap!! Tap!! Can¡¯t breath¡­.¡± Anemone¡¯s mouth was foaming already. Kyrie was on top of Anemone while locking her arms to Anemone¡¯s face. What could hurt more? It was a submission move commonly seen on foreign wrestling shows: the only thing different now was it was being done not by professionals but by some ¡®kids playing tag¡¯ ¨C at their late-teenage years. I wondered if Kyrie had not absorbed the warning ¡°Please don¡¯t try this at home, it¡¯s dangerous¡± at the beginning of each episode or she knew it from the very beginning yet still tried moves on poor Anemone while being cautious. A genius really had no limitations for what they could do. I really thought Kyrie wouldn¡¯t try hurting Anemone to the point that she¡¯ll lose her career. She should know when to stop. But that was practically bullying already. I know I should be stopping them at that moment already. I had to act like an elder sister and stop my younger siblings from getting out of control while playing, but at some point I realized something was wrong within me too. ¡­ I found myself giggling, while retaining my composure and preventing myself to burst out laughing. What made it so amusing that it made me lost my sense of decision-making? I hate myself for that but the scene was just too fun to watch. I wondered why. Should it be because Anemone had put a hard time for Fred? ¡°Pfft. Just finish what you¡¯re doing. It¡¯s quite amusing." ¡°Eeh?! Bu-but-but Landlady?!¡± ¡°No buts. Ara(aneki) swap out, go help Kyrie¡± ¡°Aaaye~~¡± ¨CShe really came out. She must have been just waiting for my signal before swapping out. She must have kept in mind that I am the owner of the apartment complex, and any accidents that would happen will be my responsibility. Aneki-mode was a good person inside. She must have been thinking that she should not add any more on my burdens. ¡°Eh?! Eh?! Kyrie-senpai? Who is she? What is she about to do? That¡¯s not the little crybaby from a while ago.¡± ¡°Ah little sweet invader don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just a ¡®nobody¡¯ that¡¯s going to help Kyrie torture you more. You see¡­ You¡¯ve put on a lot of trouble to Fred these past weeks. I assume it¡¯s just about time to pay the deal, right? So¡­ say¡­ Do you like jazz?¡± ¨CAra(aneki) just did her usual Fred teasing which ¡°Hiiii!!! Not good not good not good!!! Kyrie-senpai please release meeeee. NOOOOW!!¡± Sensing something different from the Ara(aneki), Anemone¡¯s intuition kicked in that being played by her won¡¯t do any good and have any positive bearing towards her goal. She tried to further struggle within Kyrie¡¯s clutch. ¡°Editor Old man! Please! Help me!!¡± ¨Cshe tried to call out her remaining ally, but Old man turned out to be a traitor within her premises and forsaken her for a few cans of beer. She struggled She struggled to survive Then she passed out. ¡°Humu. I¡¯ve overdone it¡­ a little. Tee-hee~~¡±
Ch9-4 This world full of Mysteries, Oddities, Delusionals and Bullies II IV. This world full of Mysteries, Oddities, Delusionals and Bullies II A lamp was suddenly turned on from a view full of darkness with nothing to see. But it was just a small lamp which could focus on a single spot. Imagine an emcee at the stage of a program which was being focused by a single cylindrical ray of light. Not every source of light could simply light up an entire room until everything could be visible. Under the focus of the light was Anemone. She woke up. She noticed that she were tied at the chair she was sitting at. She looked at her body and still saw the clothes she had been wearing that day. She tried to break free from her bounds but as she struggled the tightness of the ropes strengthened too. The sudden change on the environment made her looked anxious. A while ago she was just playing at Fred¡¯s studio with Kyrie and Ara but now she had been transferred to an abandoned warehouse near the port. Will she be shipped to a foreign country? Will she be sold off as a slave? Will she be tortured by a mafia and sealed on a container with cement and be thrown off towards the coast? Those were the thoughts that should be running at her mind at that moment. She looked at her left She looked at her right But the darkness of the room in contrast to the pale light that had been focused on her was making it hard to fully determine the silhouette she had been seeing from the dark. She had to go to her last resort. ¡°Hello?! Guuuuys? Don¡¯t scare me like this¡­? Helloooo?¡± --- (Few hours ago) ¡°Ah crap she passed out.¡± ¨CSeria confirmed through checking the pulse of the passed out Anemone. That was not a scene of a leader of a yankee group ganging up with a single helpless little girl just to extort money to buy food. In fact it was not also a scene where you actually caught the culprit lurking within the remaining alive members of your group in a mystery thriller film that you have to knock her unconscious. It was just a straight act of bullying a defenseless little loner girl amongst the class full of meanies. There were seven people at the room including the bullied one. As to their reasons why they did not stopped Kyrie even though seeing her bullying Anemone too much? I could just think myself of certain reasons and just didn¡¯t asked them why. Kyrie: She¡¯s the root cause of her suffering. Should I even think why? Fred: Quite not sure about him, he should still be quite wary of her ¡®identity¡¯ and she have gave him too much problems recently that¡¯s why seeing her at a miserable state soothed him Ara: She switched to her aneki-mode and helped Kyrie. Seria: It didn¡¯t concerned her, she¡¯s not the editor. Old Man: It didn¡¯t concerned him, he wished he¡¯s not the current editor. As for me I think I had been quite influenced by Kyrie¡¯s weirdness and just wanted to see someone get bullied every once in a while. Quite a shallow reason. THUD!! I chopped Kyrie¡¯s head and talked to her as if I was protecting Anemone¡¯s side. ¡°Come on now Kyrie. Look what you have done to our guest. You¡¯ve gone too far playing with your friend. Make sure to apologize once she wakes up.¡± ¡°Eeeh? Sometimes I really want you to realize that you have been abusing your authority as a landlord already.¡± ¡°Hoooh~~ Also please stop talking like a mother. You¡¯re not one yet.¡± ¨CAra(aneki) added. ¡°I-I-It¡¯s not like that. I just got here with Fred by the time you were finished bullying poo Anemone. Hmp!¡± ¨CI tried to talk my way out of being cornered. I needed to protect my integrity as the landlady. ¡°Right, Fred?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess? Well she¡¯ll be fine. Given her identity she won¡¯t die from something like that.¡± Hey hey hey don¡¯t mix delusions from reality!!! We got an unconscious bullied author-to-be here!! ¡°Gah! Just let her sleep for a while, she will wake up like nothing¡¯s happened. I¡¯ve tested it.¡± ¡°No no no you shut up Old man, you reek of alcohol already. Also what tested? You mean you have been bullying her already since day one?¡± The conversation had been going nowhere and we¡¯re just pointing out each other with our own mistakes. It was when Kyrie decided to speak up for the whole team of bullies. ¡°Humu. If I were to speak. I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± --- Anemone had been struggling and calling out for somebody available inside the room for about a minute already. She might think everybody¡¯s out due to the darkness but we were actually just standing there circling around her. We have arranged the entire setup to make it look like the interrogation scenes from a detective series that Kyrie had been watching. Of course everything was her idea. As scripted, I was the very first one to approach her. ¡°Wha¡ªLandlady? What¡¯s with this? Why have I been tied up? This is practically abuse! I¡¯m going to report you!¡± ¡°Hoooh~~ go ahead and try.¡± As I tried to make Anemone even more anxious than how she already was feeling, Ara entered the scene too to further amplify the effect. ¡°My, My, it seems our little queen here still hadn¡¯t got the gist of the situation.¡± Kyrie entered too. ¡°Humu. Barging in her enemy¡¯s domain like it was nothing, and not bringing anything that could protect her. Fu fu fu¡± ¡°Ky-Ky-Kyrie-senpai? What¡¯s this about?¡± As confused as she was of the current situation, she tried to deduce why were we acting and talking within her same wavelength. It seemed like a part of her being just a normal-normal high school girl and a mangaka had been trying to get in the way of her ¡®proper¡¯ decision-making. Several different expressions could be seen from her face. ¡°Hoooh¡­ So the so-called ¡®Queen of Darkness¡¯ was really this weak? I never imagined she would try to pick up a fight with me despite having such little power and small resource.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She remained silent for a while and started giggling. ¡°¡­Fu fu fu. Fu ha ha ha ha ha!!! You may seems to have underestimated me, Former Maou from a different world.¡± ¨CShe started talking like she usually did. It seemed that she understood our intentions to play longer. ¡°You might not know, but I have took control of one of your previous highest generals that have been rumoured even stronger than your current pitiful state as of now!¡± ¡°Oh, you mean him?¡± I took the small lamp, and focused it on the direction where Old man was lying at the floor. He was not defeated though, he was just sleeping due to the alcohol he drank. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Na?ve¡­ NA?VE!!!¡± I was shocked at Fred¡¯s acting. It came in very natural. I wondered if that was just the way he used to talked back at Mytherion. Without any more delay, he moved so close towards Anemone that she could already hear any slightest whisper Fred was about to make.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Did you really think¡­ Bringing Old man here¡­ will really help the Queen of Darkness¡­ defeat me?¡± He sounded evil and sinister yet it was just an act. I wondered how much of those were real. Words alone contained power, by adding an appropriate tone, a whole sentence like that could mentally damage anyone at Anemnone¡¯s situation. She¡¯s fastened at when she was sitting, without anything to defend herself with. ¡°Humu. I¡¯ve told you already Anemone. Maou Spence is not someone you could just take lightly. It seems like you really took a wrong turn and picked the shortest straw.¡± ¨CKyrie added to the pressure Anemone¡¯s already feeling. ¡°Fwoooosh...¡± ¨CAra blew some cold air at her nape. ¡°Uuuuuu¡­.¡± Anemone¡¯s eyes were already swirling with the images of us swirling around her and teasing her. The room¡¯s temperature was cold due to the AC but she had been sweating lots already. Aside from being bound and unable to move, the atmosphere around her indicated she was in a very dangerous situation. The very core of her normal human form and even her eight-grader syndrome form had been telling her to escape already. But she could not. Common sense and human ethics could not justify the things we were doing. We won¡¯t be able to get away with justice with what we were doing, but the thing was, there won¡¯t be anyone among us that will help Anemone and testify everything that¡¯s happening within my Apartment complex. I was pretty sure this extent of teasing* won¡¯t escalate that much. We approached her¡­ And we approached her again now with more evil intent And we approached her again smiling mercilessly like predators baring their fangs towards their prey. And then¡­ ¡°Uuuu¡­. UWAAAAAAAAAH!!!!¡± A CRAP. She let out a loud cry. It was a cry so loud that it could be heard from all over the apartment complex. The lights were suddenly turned on. ¡°So. What do we do now? We made a defenseless little girl cry.¡± ¨Csaid Seria, who turned the lights on. ¡°Oh I don¡¯t want to hear that from the one who made the sole idea possible.¡± ¡°Oh I don¡¯t want to hear that from the Landlady that still agreed wholeheartedly.¡± I was shut down. Honestly, Seria had been the only one I could not win an argument over. Kyrie could be tough at times but there were times I could score some against her. I¡¯ve tried several times already. She¡¯s always one step ahead of me. It was like, she never engage me on an argument if she knows she¡¯s at a disadvantage. She¡¯s quite a safe player and I¡¯m quite no match from her experience. Just how old was she? Sigh I breathed out a sigh and admitted my fault too. It was out idea at the very first place. It was just a little plot to tease Anemone a little. It was not our intention to make her feel so scared at first place. We just got carried away by the amusement being brought upon us by ganging up with a delusional girl like her. With all that¡¯s said and done, we looked again at the crying Anemone and look towards each other. Seria was trying to escape the accused squad just by looking at us and putting on the ¡°I am your editor¡± look upon her, so we let her off the hook. ¡°Whistles¡­ I kind of have to fix some illustrations on my draft¡­ So I¡¯m going to bail out for a while.¡± ¡°Eh¡ªWe haven¡¯t done anything yet?¡± ¡°Awawa¡­ I remembered I¡¯ve got to cook for our dinner!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just mid-afternoon!¡± ¡°Humu¡­ My pride is absolute and I won¡¯t yield.¡± ¡°Why you¡ª¡± At the end only I was the one left to confront Anemone who was currently having a usual tantrum after being bullied. Each and every one of my apprenticed bailed out on me¡­ Even Fred which I put all my life¡¯s trust as partners in crime. ¡°UWAAAAAAAAH!!¡± Oh God she¡¯s crying like a baby. ¡°Errr¡­ It¡¯s just a joke come on. I¡¯ll free you now.¡± ¡°UUU¡­ UUU¡­ UWAAAAAAH!!!¡± ¡°Oof¡­ You made her cry Miss Landlady.¡± ¨CKyrie¡¯s said an unpleasant comment which really made the veins on my head pop. Me exploding was inevitable. First I was left out for good by my conspirators to clean up our mess, then I would be hearing an unnecessary useless nonsense joke from the very person which the Idea of the bullying came from. ¡°Huuuuuh??¡± ¡°Humu¡­ Miss Landlady? It was just a joke. A joke. Hehehe¡­ I¡¯ll help untying Anemone now. I¡¯ll make her stop crying too.¡± ¡°Call those two and bring your harisen here.¡± That late afternoon at Fred¡¯s studio, three consecutive loud critical hits from a strong fan weapon could be heard hitting human body parts. --- ¡°Awawawa¡­ I¡¯m sorry Anemone.¡± ¡°Humu, I¡¯m sorry Anemone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for all trouble me and my tenants caused¡± ¡°Hah?! Why would I apologize from a person who I really don¡¯t know who or where really came fro¡ª¡± SLAM!! I slammed Fred¡¯s forehead towards the table to make him bow down and apologize towards Anemone. He forced his way up to speak. ¡°Ouch!! What was that for?!¡± SLAM!! I slammed his forehead again of course. ¡°Alright alright! Just this once!¡± All four of us then rose up. Kyrie and Ara had lumps on their foreheads, of course those were critical hits from Kyrie (originally mine¡¯s) harisen*. Fred was the only one different. Besides from the newly added lump at his forehead due to the table slamming, he also had a slap mark on his left cheek and a harisen* hit mark at the right. He was the one damaged the most. ¡°Uuuu¡­ Hic! Hic!¡± ¨CAnemone still was unable to talk, and was still sobering. ¡°Humu. Come on now Anemone, Miss Landlady already scolded us. We won¡¯t do it again. Pff¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Really~~¡± I would not want to trust Kyrie even though she confirmed she won¡¯t repeat it again. That moment I wondered if she knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the feeling I once had when teasing Anemone. What made me became such a person. If Tenji was still alive I¡¯m sure he would bite my leg until I acted appropriately. ¡°YAAAAAAWN!!¡± A huge roar of a sleeping lion was heard on the room. Old man had awoken. ¡°What time is it hon? Oooh I have to cook breakfast.¡± ¨CYes he was still half-asleep. It seemed like he¡¯s been talking to his wife that¡¯s not at the current roster of people at Fred¡¯s studio. It had been a few hours since they gathered at Fred¡¯s studio and during that time Old man and Seria did nothing but drink the stock beer at Fred¡¯s fridge. I¡¯ve asked them to at least replace the stock or bring theirs whenever they would gather here. Old man agreed to and told me he would transfer the payment to Fred¡¯s account. I¡¯ve asked them to, knowing that there would be increasing number of times that they will gather within my apartment complex. Just another woman¡¯s intuition. ¡°HAH!! HA HA HA!! You¡¯re half asleep you geezer! Who have you been talking to?¡± Seria bursted out laughing due to Old man¡¯s pitiable state. It seemed that they have a long-running teasing competition already since they have started working together. Having realized that he just went sober and was not really waking up from a good night sleep together with his wife, Old man immediate stood up and gained his composure. We just acted that we did not saw what just happened in fear of Old man¡¯s fury. Having noticed the sobbing Anemone, Old man clicked his tongue out of irritation and threw a pillow towards the ganged-up and crying Anemone. ¡°What happened? Geez you¡¯re already an old girl. You won¡¯t survive for long in this industry if you will just cry your way out in every situation.¡± He voiced out his opinion without even asking why or what happened. What a nice guardian. Imagine an irresponsible parent just playing mahjong while letting his kids roam freely everywhere. That¡¯s the kind of situation I saw upon looking onto those two. ¡°Bu-but¡­ They were the first¡ª¡± ¨CAnemone tried to reason out but. ¡°No buts! Whatever situation you encounter, you put upon yourself. You reap what you sow.¡± Either it seemed that Old man had been knowledgeable of Anemone¡¯s real intentions as to why she wanted to meet Fred, or it¡¯s just that Old man had just gotten used to Anemone¡¯s delusions. ¡°Hm-Hmp!! Quite cocky for just a humble servant of the Queen of Darkness. And where were you when I needed assistance? You have been wandering at your lucid dreams. It¡¯s pretty obvious from the way you wake up.¡± ¡°Heh. Whatever you say.¡± Without us noticing, Anemone was back to her normal smug-delusional character which we quite found annoying at times, but amusing to bully. We didn¡¯t know of anything that could stop Anemone¡¯s child-like crying but Old man reverted her back without even trying. At that moment I kind of knew already why Old man had been assigned as Anemone¡¯s Editor. It should be the same as to when he was assigned to Fred. Fred grew, not only with his career, but also as a person. Old man was tasked with the very same task. ¡°Well we did our part, no regrets.¡± ¨CI spoke up. ¡°Ah it¡¯s fine it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sorry too for bringing such an abomination to your unit at a very busy day.¡± ¡°Awawawa!! Please don¡¯t refer to Anemone with such. She¡¯s a human being too¡± ¨CAra butted in and stopped the ¡®Anemone bullying conversation¡¯. ¡°¡­¡± ¨CThere was suddenly an awkwardly deafening silence. ¡°Ah speaking of busy day. I just remembered why we went here at the very first place.¡± ¡°It¡¯s way past the proper time already for you to remember something so important. A lot has happened already and it¡¯s waaaaaay past the time you brought that up. Who even goes at somebody else¡¯s apartment unit and immediately goes drinking right away and forgetting their purpose for visit?!¡± I ranted towards Old man for something so irresponsible. We also had our share of responsibilities at that day but it was irrelevant to what Old man opened up. Old man then stood up and approached his carry bag that was suspended on the coat stand. He got something that I supposed to as a draft. He then threw the draft towards the table in front of us and started stating the real purpose of their visit. ¡°Read this. This is a dummy draft that I asked Anemone to create. I felt like I still have responsibility towards you and at least show you the skill of your potential¡­ no¡­ rival in the upcoming months or years.¡± It was a draft. Fred started reading it. Ara and Kyrie felt the seriousness on the ambiance and went quiet. They have let Fred do the initial actions himself. I could only get a few glances of what he was reading but I could only take quick glances towards what¡¯s on the draft. From what I could tell Anemone¡¯s strong points were: Action Brutality Profanity Gore Everything that has explicit content and not suitable for ages below certain range. ¡°This¡­¡± ¨CFred let out an expression of interest. ¡°But the thing here Fred is, contrary to that, she¡¯s quite a bit of a fan of your work, and quite¡­ obsessed with Kyrie.¡± ¨COld man pointed out Fred and Kyrie, whom he mentioned Anemone¡¯s points of interest. ¡°Then why this genre?¡± ¡°Fu fu fu. Insolent being¡­ The truth is¡ª¡± THUD! ¨C Fred hit Anemone with her very own draft, rolled towards a thick mass of hard booklet stick that would surely hurt if you got hit. ¡°Ouch! Why did you hit me?!¡± ¡°Nothing. I just felt the need. Continue talking.¡± ¡°The truth is¡­ Whatever genre I¡¯m trying to write, it always turns out like this.¡±
Ch9-5 Sanctuary: Part 2 V. Sanctuary: Part 2 Fred threw Anemone¡¯s draft at the table. What was the contents? What was the story about? What did she focused on? I could only wonder why Fred had been making the same expression after reading. That expression had been nostalgic to me. It was the same expression he wore the night that he decided to move out from my apartment complex and was ready to challenge the world. It had been about a year and a half or two, I really have forgotten. It was the same expression he had too when he decided and was determined to start drawing manga. The expression of someone being challenged. For what his new rival really went at his studio was to let him acknowledge her capabilities, Anemone seemed to be not pretty confident of her skills. She had been really unsure ever since she started her career as a mangaka. ¡°I got the gist of you situation now. Heh, so you¡¯re really going to challenge me at my A game, huh?¡± Somehow I got irritated with Fred¡¯s statement so I got harisen* lying beside me and hit him so hard that he have to see his own soul leaving his body. ¡°Heh,¡­ Err¡­ I mean whatever I produce, it¡¯s the fruit of our labors, not mine alone. What could you possibly do when you¡¯re alone?¡± ¨CHe was boasting too much so I hit him again. A game, huh? I knew it was just what he had to say because he felt that he¡¯s the superior one. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Hmp! Getting ahead of yourself because you¡¯ve already established your own empire here with your highest generals. You might not know that darkest of a past I had that must have been leading every manga I draw to be that way.¡± ¡°Eeeh. I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Hrrrng!!!!¡± I hit Fred with the harisen again before he went too far. It was a pre-emptive. ¡°Besides¡­¡± The prideful delusional character within Anemone suddenly changed to a normal high school teenage girl. Anemone blushed and turned bright red. She started twitching and she pressed her arms towards her fit body. Matching what she wore which already compressed the wellness of her body curves, her actions also added to the eroticism as she pressed her bust frontward as she sat across the table from the four of us. ¡°¡­I¡¯m a teenage girl too¡­ I wanted to experience those scenes on a shoujo manga too¡­¡± Erotic!! Too erotic!! I took a lot of mental damage. She was not at my age bracket, yet her body had been developed as close as mine, not that I¡¯m trying to boast myself. But that¡¯s not the main problem!! I looked at Fred. His jaw dropped and his nose was bleeding. He took a lot of mental damage than me, even more due to him being at the opposite sex. It made me snapped. Blazing with anger my presence grew more and more noticeable that it made him quiver and looked at the angered me.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Look¡­ Only¡­ at¡­ ME!!!¡± I performed a 10hit combo on him using my deadly weapon. --- ¡°So. You really wanted to draw a shoujo manga just like me, huh? That¡¯s what you wanted to say. And that¡¯s why you went here, to ask advice from me?¡± Fred spoke, full of bruises on his face with matching tissue plugged on his nose to stop the bleeding. It was his fault though. ¡°You could say it like that too, yes. Fufufu. Now we¡¯re talking within the same wavelength.¡± ¡°Honestly¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ too, can¡¯t give you any advice right now.¡± I saw this coming. It was not like Fred was being too selfish of what he could do. It was just that, writing stories had not been his forte for a long time now, even ever since he was at Mytherion. In fact. The oneshot he used as an entry at the ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ and won was mostly written by me. ¡°The truth is¡­¡± Wait. You¡¯re going to say it in front of Seria and Old man?! Are you out of your mind?! ¡°¡­That one shot that you¡¯ve been idolizing¡­ I can¡¯t write those again. Not at this moment.¡± Phew Fred really got me on my seat. I thought he was about to blurt out things that should not be disclosed. ¡°That¡¯s the same problem I¡¯ve been having right now. I will have something serialized but I doubt it won¡¯t be any good to be compared to that oneshot that made me Maou Spence-sensei.¡± ¡°But then¡­ Why won¡¯t you serialize that* oneshot?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The atmosphere suddenly went awkward. Fred suddenly became a wall that couldn¡¯t be budged whatever Anemone did. The playful expression he had earlier became a serious one once Anemone had opened that oneshot. It seemed that I had been worried for nothing. ¡°Fu fu fu. So that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be. You have grasped a power strong enough to destroy this world we¡¯re currently living in, yet you still don¡¯t know how to control it. Disappointed, truly disappointed, I am. I would be able to handle it, if I¡¯m the lucky one who had been picked.¡± ¡°Heh. You¡¯re quite confident of your skills.¡± ¡°Because I knew someone even more capable and worthy of what you have right now.¡± Anemone took a glance at Kyrie and looked at Fred again. ¡°Also, quite the boastful attitude you have earlier with you¡¯re A game. Fine. If that¡¯s what you want, I will be your rival, and don¡¯t expect me to be changing genres just because I¡¯ve became fan of your shoujos. I too¡­¡± Anemone picked up the draft that was lying at the table and pointed it out while looking at us. ¡°¡­ I, will be fighting you at my A game too.¡± Anemone declared a challenge: a challenge amongst their expertise. But I¡¯m quite bothered if Fred could match up someone who produces award-winning manga of a certain genre just out of whim. I¡¯m not pretty confident at Fred¡¯s shoujo story writing skill. ¡°Heeeeh. Challenge accepted.¡± ¨CHe accepted eitherways, knowing where he¡¯s lacking. ¡°Bu-bu-but expect me to be here more often from now on... I still want to draw a shoujo manga so you could teach me every once in a while okay?¡± ¡°Humu. Annette Monica¡­ You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes Kyrie-senpai.¡± She paused a bit. I had a bad feeling on what she meant about ¡®expect me to be here more often from now on¡¯. It felt like the daily silent and calm river will be disturbed and form ripples because someone threw a rock towards the center. As Anemone finished her sentence, Old man brought out a few papers on his bag. Those were familiar-looking papers which I already used three times: one for Ara, one for Kyrie, and one for Fred. Those were apartment application papers. ¡°You¡ªYou can¡¯t mean!!¡± ¨CI stood up and was startled of course. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for this Ingrid, but could we impose on you this one last time?¡± ¨COld man said as he scratched his head. ¡°HAHAHA!!! YOU GOT SOME NERVES LITTLE MISSY! I LIKE YOU!!¡± ¨CSeria bursted out laughing. ¡°Why not, Ingrid? I don¡¯t see any harm on our side. It would be a win-win-win situation on the three of us.¡± Fred had a point. Of course Anemone will gain much as she needed because she will be able to live near the two person she had been idolizing: Fred and Kyrie. It was a win on me too since I will have a new tenant and it will add to my monthly source of income. For Fred having someone to talk too with regards to shoujo mangas will have him grow as an artist too. ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t need a huge space just like what you did here with Fred¡¯s studio. I should be fine with one unit. Will it be possible to occupy unit5?¡± I was reluctant, I was unsure. ¡°Besides, I would feel more comfortable working at my hometown.¡± ¨CAnemone added. Things happened so fast that I was not sure what to say anymore. Then suddenly¡­ There was a warmth at my hand. I was surprised. Fred hold my hand and was looking at me with the ¡®it will be fine¡¯ face. I looked at Ara(aneki) and Kyrie and got approvals on their expressions too. At the very first place I didn¡¯t need to confront them but it seemed that I¡¯ve grown too fond of them that I didn¡¯t want them to feel troubled by suddenly letting Anemone live at the same apartment complex they live too. ¡°Very well¡­¡± It had been decided, Anemone will start living at unit5 the week after that. My happy family of four, became four + one invader
Ch10-1 Two sides of a coin - Guess it Right or Just Enjoy the Story. Chapter 10 I. Two sides of a coin - guess it right or just enjoy the story. Modern Fictitious(or not) Earth 20xx ¨C z(?) A baby girl was born from a normal family that runs a business. During those times, being born from a middle-class family should assure one of having live a life better than commoners, that¡¯s how it have always been. The family could afford a good accommodation at a good hospital so mother gave birth to the baby safe and easy. The baby was also carried well while she was still inside her mother and she was healthy so there had been no issues upon giving birth to her. ¡°It was a success¡± The doctor told the married couple ¡°Here¡¯s your baby mam, sir, she¡¯s a sweet and healthy little girl.¡± The doctor said as she handed over the newly born baby to excitedly waiting parents. The mother gently held her sweet little child crying in happiness the same time as the baby cried on that ward at the hospital that night. --- Their family runs a clothing store at the city as their business. Back during those days when tall buildings and huge malls were still not constructed at the center of the city, having a clothing store as a business grants a family enough fortune already to sustain the needs of a small family. There were times that business had been booming and there were times too that it¡¯s ¡®business-as-usual¡¯ mode. ¡°Mother, mother, I want to play at the open yard.¡± The sweet little child pulled the skirt of her mother while she was prepping the ingredients for cooking dinner. ¡°Sigh¡­ Who¡¯s going with you? Whoa are you playing with?¡± ¡°Boy x from the neighborhood. His mama will come to watch us so it will be fine.¡± ¡°Do you know how to get to their house?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just right in front of ours. Hehehe.¡± Perhaps the mother had been worried for nothing. She could entrust her little daughter with the neighborhood too since they were in good terms. She have decided it would be alright to let her daughter play outside. ¡°I¡¯m going to call her to check for you, okay? Just don¡¯t get too far and wander away from your guardians.¡± ¡°Okaaaaay~~¡± The sweet little daughter skipped out of the kitchen but she suddenly stopped. Her mother looked at her. She suddenly rushed back and gave her mother a hug. She then crouched and pushed her cheeks onto her which seemed like she was waiting for something. KIIIIIIIS~~ The sweet little girl gave her mother a kiss before she headed out. This had been a normal instance for their family. The father works at their shop business during days so the mother will be the one to watch over the house as a housewife and do the household chores. At times she would be able to watch over her daughter play outside, sometimes she had to entrust her to her neighbor which she had been on best terms with. The sweet little girl became even more cheerful. The baby girl grew up to a playful kid that always tried to always do things on her own and tend to cause a lot of trouble to her parents. But the parents payed no mind, it was a part of growing up. There were times that she would get scolded too, but as much as she could, she would want to live her life freely. She then grew up as free as she would. --- Modern Earth, 20xy ¡°Siiiiiigh¡­¡± ¨CSeria gave a long sigh. As she looked at the bundle of papers at the table that was supposed to be Fred¡¯s draft, she could see a mug of coffee suddenly landing towards the table as it came from her back. Of course somebody was holding it at an act of handing it over to her. You don¡¯t actually see floating mugs of coffee being served to you due to somebody¡¯s esper powers, or just thrown at you like a Molotov. Those things are not something you would see at Earth. ¡°Come on now, it¡¯s too early to be sighing. Here, a mug of coffee¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say, Old man¡­ But di I look like someone who would let mornings like these pass without giving a sigh?¡± ¡°Shush!, why the ¡®Old man¡¯ nickname by the way?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not? It¡¯s more fun this way. Besides if you needed to get angry at someone, get angry at Fred, he¡¯s the one who made that nickname alive again.¡± ¡°Hmp. Suit yourself.¡± These two colleagues Seria and Old man were two editors, assigned to different persons, but at least had been assigned to Fred once. Old man was the former, and Seria, the current. It was too early but they were already quarreling like kids. They had just been that way since the start. ¡°What have you been thinking?¡± ¨COld man asked her again. ¡°Why does it concern you? We¡¯re not like secret lovers having an affair. You have your wife and family, I have my freedom. Why are you trying to pry much? Remember, you¡¯re not Fred¡¯s editor anymore.¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re being concerned about Fred¡¯s new serialization then might as well be concerned about Anemone¡¯s work or even more.¡± Old man made a pause, took a sip at his coffee, and breathe out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s going so smooth that it¡¯s very troubling, that¡¯s why I wanted to take a short break and think about Fred¡¯s.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very helpful and productive.¡± Anemone had so much talent that it even scared Old man. He have acknowledged Fred¡¯s drawing style that could match and adjust to any type of story he¡¯s drawing, yet Anemone¡¯s talent was different. Contrary to Fred¡¯s art that adopts to stories, Anemone¡¯s art style is so solid and steady that it even shapes the story she¡¯s writing to just a single genre which she excelled upon. Both talents were overwhelming at their different forte. At first Anemone didn¡¯t want how her stories turns out. Of course who would like to create something with a goal in mind but then turns out the exact different one from what they expected. Drawing was a thing, shaping a story would be a different story. Fred and Anemone¡¯s skills with regards to it was just on par with each other but Anemone excelled at a part which Fred could not do: writing stories. Old man had took advantage of this and had her write a story and draw them just the same as the way she¡¯s been doing. It was a drastic move yet it produced Godly results, results which he found almost comparable to Fred¡¯s award-winning oneshot. Now Anemone had been releasing chapters which piqued the interest of a huge number of readers in an instant and she had been going stable already with her career and first series. On the other hand, Fred have been on a slowly but steady moving ship. A ship he¡¯s been sailing. He¡¯d get to the same destination too but not as fast as how Anemone¡¯s sailing hers. ¡°Anemone being popular right now doesn¡¯t mean it will always stay that way. You shouldn¡¯t be too lax about it. There will and will come a time where she will suddenly encounter parts she will need to improve. You should be always there to guide her when that happens.¡± ¡°Yes yes, I¡¯ve been ready for that. For the meanwhile, Fred¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s something that he had not been telling you, nor to me too, right? He¡¯s been hiding something from us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what not I would like to think, but that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been feeling for long.¡± ¡°His award-winning oneshot.¡± The two of them agreed upon one thing. While looking at Fred¡¯s oneshot which Seria have read multiple times after being assigned to him. They knew Fred had been unstable and was acting strange when anybody would be opening up about ¡®that¡¯ oneshot. Why did he decided to drop his first serialization? Why did he decided to do an original? Why did he not want to serialize ¡®that¡¯ oneshot? ¡°Well, whatever it is, he¡¯ll talk to us about it when he¡¯s ready, so it¡¯s best not jump in to conclusions.¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± ¡°Besides¡­¡± Seria did a pause. She got the mug filled with hot coffee which she have nearly forgotten that was still left untouched after Old man had served it to her near the pile of papers. She lifted the mug, blew the steam coming off from it, and took a sip. ¡°¡­What have brought you upon the thought of me thinking and being worried about Maou Spence-sensei?¡± ¡°Eh? Come again? That¡¯s what not you¡¯ve been sighing for?¡± ¡°HA HA HA!! Jumping into conclusions immediately! That¡¯s sooooo-like you Old man.¡± ¡°Geez, your outward actions and appearance compared to what¡¯s on your mind really are conflicting. You really are a free and unpredictable spirit.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s see. Maybe I was thinking about my past experiences again.¡± ¡°Come on now, you¡¯re telling another set of stories from waaay back decades ago. Don¡¯t treat each person you talk too like the same as your age bracket.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not sure too, those are events I could¡¯ve long forgotten already.¡± What was she thinking? If ever what she said was true, what made her recall events from her past? Her experiences? It must be this draft, huh? She just had several thoughts flashing on her mind as she finished reading the draft time per time: a fictitious story that only she could think of. She with her vast mind and experience. --- Modern Fictitious(or not) Earth 20xx ¨C z(?) Once upon a time at a town several train stations away from where a sweet little girl¡¯s cradle called a home could be found, there once lurked a legendary yankee* called the ¡®Daredevil of the West¡¯ or in short, oftenly nicknamed as the ¡®Daredevil¡¯. It had been said that the existence of this certain individual have shaken the entire gang body of the whole town. The sweet little girl was about to graduate from her middle school. She was not particularly a popular student nor an edgy outcast of the classroom which were often being either the main cast or a supporting character of an action battle or romance school tv shows. She had friends, a group or a circle of playmates and hangout buddies of her own, but they were not really that popular. They perhaps just didn¡¯t want to. Despite being a normal sweet little happy girl at a young age with a fulfilling school life, the girl still sought out for something new. She had always liked venturing into the parts unkown as a free-spirited girl. Before assuring her spot for graduation, she started to realize: By the direction of where I¡¯m headed, I¡¯ll be just following a single path with no other possible new routes to encounter. This isn¡¯t good. That¡¯s just how her mind works. She had to find or do something new to her or she would think that she will only be just like another normal person with a set path. What she wanted was to be an adventurer of her own. Back at their house one afternoon, she started talking to her mother and father. ¡°Mother, Father, I want to live alone for a while. I wanted to enroll at xx-high at yy-town.¡± ¡°Eh? What brought this on?¡± ¨CHer mother asked her.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Perhaps she have lived a life so free that it started to affect her thought process and her way of living at a very young age. The parents knew that a day would come that the little girl will be ready to move out and start to live on her own. But it was very early, a free little girl to live by herself while studying at a faraway place away from her parents. It really does not sound safe by the standards but it was at least possible. What made the little girl want to study to a faraway place? There had been schools within their town too. So why did the little girl chose to study at a school away from the reach of her parents? ¡°You see, I¡¯m in a relationship with boy X, and he¡¯s studying at xx-high. So I thought it would be nice if we could go together at the same school.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¨CHer mother immediately shutdown her argument. ¡°But mother¡­¡± She was prepared to lose the argument. Rather, there was no truth at all to her story. There was never a boy x nor a relationship with boy x to begin with. All she ever wanted to do that time was to enjoy her freedom and live her youth to the fullest. At some point in life she was curious of living alone. But it seemed that it was too early to ask. She must have realized her mother had the valid reason to reject. Her reason was inappropriate at the very first place. The story she made up to support her request was not something to be considered normal considering her age. A normal parent would only be worried to death, knowing that their only daughter was living alone to be at the same school as her childhood crush. Who knows what were to happen if you leave two children in a relationship on their own? ¡°Sigh¡­ You¡¯re not being too stubborn about it. Considering how you¡¯ve always acted I find this surprising.¡± The mother gave a sigh. She knew her message reached her daughter, but she¡¯s quite confused to at the way she reacted. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m really being unreasonable on my end. Even I have realized that too.¡± She looked at her father which changed his expression. She¡¯s quite confused as to why. ¡°I told you she¡¯s matured quite a bit.¡± ¨CHe started speaking up. ¡°Well I admit I lose this time.¡± ¡°Hey could you stop making bets on my growth as a human being? I¡¯m not comfortable with it, even if you¡¯re both my parents.¡± ¨Cshe pouted. ¡°Ah sorry about that sweetie. We¡¯re not trying to make bets on you. We¡¯re just checking if you could weigh in and choose right decisions on your own¡­ Just a bit.¡± What playful parents. ¨Cthe girl just sighed out her complains as she could not really do that to them, now that they have taken the wheels of the topic. She assessed it won¡¯t gain her any more if she were to argue even more. ¡°If you will be really stubborn about enrolling at a school far from here I guess we could let you¡­¡± ¡°Wha-??!¡± The girl was surprised. There was a sudden 180 with the current path of their discussion. ¡°¡­BUT! You won¡¯t be living alone. This may just be another coincidences but one of your aunts are running a hot spring business at that town. If you were to enroll at xx-high I could ask them to let you stay at the inn and help them at managing it. You would be able to stay there for free and at the same time you will have work experience at the inn.¡± ¡°Mother¡­¡± The girl was teary-eyed. The girl didn¡¯t thought that far ahead. All she wanted was for her to be able to experience living alone and get a part time job. Both to save money and support her financial needs. She had been researching since she started her middle school days about these kinds of things. She would be able to come up with a better story, or rather ask her parents directly if she just only knew she had an aunt living at that town too. At that moment the girl realized that she could still not beat her parents. How many steps ahead were they at the race of life? ¡°You could just tell her that at the very start, you don¡¯t have to test her.¡± ¡°Shush! This is for the better.¡± ¡°Is it¡­ really alright?¡± The girl still had doubts. She thought that if ever this would be a dream then she have to wake up right now before it would hit her hard after going back to reality. She pinched her cheeks. ¡°Of course it¡¯s not. Who knows how much we¡¯ll be missing you? You should remember to visit back here at home often okay?¡± Her mother leveled herself to embrace her. She hugged her tightly. ¡°I will mother, father, I promise.¡± The little girl embraced her mother and father. It was an act of gratitude that really should not be explained to the parents anymore. She was happy about the results but quite unsatisfied because at the end it was still her parents that covered for her misses. ¡°Besides, we you don¡¯t have to make up a story about being in a relationship with boy x. We don¡¯t even know him. He¡¯s not on the list of your classmates.¡± The girl just let out a sigh. She was found out right from the start. The girl just let out a smile and said, ¡°Thank you, mother, father.¡± --- A month passed and she have graduated from middle school. She said goodbyes to her current friends but she promised to them that she would return and meet up with them just like old times. She managed to pass her entrance examination at xx-high and finalized her moving out. Talking out with her aunt to let her live and help out at the inn went in like a breeze. That¡¯s to be expected of her parents. It was the final day with her parents. Everything¡¯s packed up and ready to go. She faced her parents standing at the front yard and sending her off. ¡°Always be careful in there. I¡¯ll get in touch with your aunt and have her monitor your studies. You¡¯ve been always a free and adventurous spirit that does whatever just come into your mind. Who knows what you might end up doing without my guidance? Always know your limitations. Don¡¯t cause too much trouble for them¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± ¡°Always keep in touch with us. Feel free to return here during your vacations, okay?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± ¡°Take care, okay?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± She just gave faint nodding answers to her mother as she talked to her and told her dos and don¡¯ts. The light of the morning illuminated at their garden which added a dramatic effect to the scene. It was a painful separation for her parents but it was not like she will not be able to meet them anymore. She will return once she¡¯s gained the experience she wanted and once she¡¯s satisfied. With all¡¯s said and done, she gave her parents a cheerful smile which she always does ever since she¡¯s a little girl. She¡¯s growing, maturing and always gaining new knowledge but it did not stop her from showing her parents that her childishly happy side did not vanish completely. Her mother shed a tear and her father looked satisfied. ¡°I¡¯ll return¡± ¨CShe said. The little chick is ready to venture a whole new environment she had not experienced before. She left the house. The ¡®Daredevil¡¯s¡¯ existence was yet to be born at that time. --- The time she spent to travel towards the town where her aunt lives was not that long. It took a few hours but not a half day. So arriving a bit early at the station, she had a bit of a free time to stroll the little town. The buildings were quite old but well-maintained. The streets were narrow compared to the main city but at least the main road was a standard two-lane one. Breathes in¡­ Breathes out¡­ Carrying her luggage, she caught her breath. ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite aesthetic.¡± It¡¯s a small town. The high school she got admitted was the only school available there but at least it could accommodate the whole student population of the town. Admitting another student from a far city would not affect that much to the student body. She started walking in attempt to find herself the school she got admitted. The whole town was laid in the slopes of the mountains so it had not been geographically flat. The streets were always going up and down and the orientation of how the houses were arranges on the streets were just following the slopes. You could be considered lucky if you had a house at the higher grounds as you could see a great view of the whole town. She continued walking up the slope. ¡°Ah, there it is!¡± From the high ground that she was standing the girl could see a great scenery of the streets that were laid downwards and the bodies of water flowing downstream towards a creek that was at the bottom of the mountains. From where she¡¯s standing she could also see the school she was about to study at. ¡°So I¡¯ll be spending three years at that school, huh?¡± Breathes in¡­ breathes out¡­ ¡°What a nice smell.¡± It was true. The town¡¯s smell was filled with the smell of leaves and hot spring. It could not be the same at the very foot of the mountain because the hot springs was located at the top most part of the town. It could take minutes to walk upwards due to the slope. But the ambiance of the place once you get there was very fulfilling. ¡°Well I guess I should start heading to auntie¡¯s now. That¡¯s enough sight-seeing.¡± With her side-quest¡¯s objective fulfilled, she decided to finally reach her destination: her aunt¡¯s house. Their house was located at the higher part of the town as they were running a hot-spring business. The deal was to have her stay and help managing the inn while she studies at her school of choice. It happened as she started walking. Footsteps then footsteps of others. She could hear footsteps of several people approaching her from behind. BUMP! She was suddenly thrown at the sides of the street as a bunch of people suddenly appeared at her back and walked on groups and occupied the whole space on the streets like it¡¯s nothing. ¡°Hey what¡¯s the big idea?!¡± ¨Cshe called for the one that bumped her. ¡°HUUUUH?!¡± The one ho bumped her turned around and answered her at an agitated tone. It was too early to be angry and exhausted at that time of the day so the girl was confused at first. Her nerves were nearly popping out of her forehead. It was when she realized that they were no ordinary group of people. She realized that this subculture have been becoming more and more popular lately. She have remembered her parents always reminding her not to ever make contact with these kinds of people. What stands before her was a group of Yankees. ¡°Boss, it seems like the little girl had a problem with us.¡± ¨Cthe girl who bumped her talked to what she addressed to as their boss. Of course it was a girl too. It was an all-girl gang. These girls had different distinguishing appearance. Others dyed their hair, others had The ¡®boss¡¯ was just standing still and haven¡¯t even looked back towards the slumped little girl at the side of the road being looked by her members. The ¡®boss¡¯ had a mysterious air fleeting around her. That must be why a band of thug-wannabes had circled around her and refer to her as the ¡®boss¡¯. ¡°¡­¡± The ¡®boss¡¯ just stood her, staring at her with that ¡®eyes that stares to your soul¡¯. ¡°Wha-what do you want? I¡¯m sorry I was at the middle of the road. I won¡¯t pry in anymore just leave me alone.¡± The afraid little girl tried to break out of her situation by conceding and having the group leave her alone through peaceful resolution. ¡°Hoooh¡­ Do you really think¡­¡± The girl that bumped her started talking again. Worse came to worst. She have agitated the members and now the leader had been concerned too. It was her fault too because she agitated them at first place. She just closed her eyes. She was ready to get beaten down. ¡°¡­we¡¯re going to let you off the hook? HUUUH?! You¡¯re new here. I don¡¯t recognize your face. Boss, will it be alright to bring her with us?¡± ¡°Hmp. Suit yourself.¡± And she was brought with them on a quick tour at their gang hideout. As they started walking and headed towards their hideout she also wondered why the streets had been the same as to where she¡¯s supposed to head. After a few minutes of walking they have finally entered the hot springs area. She wondered why a group of Yankees would be establishing their hideout at this kind of place at the first place. She also questioned herself if they were just headed because they will be taking a bath together. Carrying her luggage she was escorted by the group, circling around her which let her had zero chance of escaping. She was like either a VIP being escorted towards a meeting or a prisoner being escorted towards her execution chamber. ¡°Heh, you¡¯re pretty brave for a first timer. You know, not all of the girls around this town could withstand the presence of our group.¡± The girl that bumped her started talking to her. She just did not bother and continued walking. ¡°Heeeh, ignoring me, huh? Let¡¯s see if you could still ignore it when boss started talking with you.¡± The afraid little girl looked at the one on the front, which they had been referring to as the ¡®boss¡¯. She noticed something. Being encircled with several intimidating thugs at first impression you would immediately think that she¡¯s bad news and never to get involved with. But¡­ At the same time there was also a mysterious air around her that gathers girls around her age. From how she looked at it, she¡¯s just a normal high school girl like her. As they were reaching the ¡®hideout¡¯ the little girl realized that she had been reaching her destination too. This must better not be a huge coincidence as what I¡¯ve been thinking. This thought have been repeating at her head for the past minutes they have been walking. A certain conversation with her mother had flashed at her mind, just before they reached their destination. A scene back from her grade school days. --- ¡°Mother, what are these?¡± ¨Cshe pointed out at the newspaper her mother have been reading. The newspaper quality is low and old unlike to those being printed at modern times but the pictures should still be clear enough. ¡°Oh, those were Yankees. They¡¯re being quite popular nowadays, but I don¡¯t see anything good with associating with them.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hmmm. Just listen your mother this time and try to not make contact with them as much as you can, am I making myself clear? Just this time.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¨Cthe sweet little girl gave a grin after promising her mother. --- ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me¡­¡± ¨Cthe little girl said in shock as she stood right in front of her aunt¡¯s house. The ¡®boss¡¯ stood at the very front of the inn¡¯s yard. There inside the yard a lady at her middle thirties could be seen sweeping the dried leaves scattered at the lawn. She was the little girl¡¯s aunt. The little girl was just waiting for the ¡®boss¡¯ to hand down the hammer of justice and completely shatter her doubts and second thoughts about the whole exact scene. ¡°Ma, I¡¯m home. I¡¯ve brought the whole gang with me. Oh we¡¯ve encountered a new girl at the streets. She picked a fight with us though, so I¡¯ve brought her here too.¡± As shocked as the little girl was, the lady suddenly let go of the broom having it topple downwards at the ground. She held her cheeks with her hands and smiled. ¡°Oh my! What a coincidence! Thanks for picking up your cousin! I knew she could manage to get here but I¡¯m still worried she might get lost. The town¡¯s like a labyrinth after all.¡± Everybody went silent. Wind blew and scattered the leaves the mother was sweeping. The little girl scratched her head and looked at the ¡®boss¡¯ ¡°Eh?!¡± ¨CThe ¡®boss¡¯ were startled. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¨CHer group followed her of course. At that time the sweet little girl, who will eventually be known as the ¡®Daredevil of the West¡¯ still had yet to start a gang being led by herself and fulfill accomplishments that will lead her to the legendary title that had stayed at that town for decades. She started with a small band of gang wannabes but they gained name, conquered territories and eventually earned the title. But the sweet little girl would start first as an attendee at her aunt¡¯s inn, and serve as a wingman for her cousin(¡®boss¡¯) first. The story will have to wait. --- Modern Earth, 20xy ¡°Well, how would you like that, Old man?! HAHAHA!!¡± ¨CSeria teased Old man and striked his sides using her elbow. ¡°Ouch! What are you even doing?! You know I¡¯m already experiencing muscle pains at my age. What would you do if my condition worsened?!¡± ¡°That should be up to you! I¡¯m quite older yet I¡¯m still healthy as a baby! What have you been doing for these last decades? Do you even workout your body?! You weakling!! HA HA HA!!¡± Seria had been cheerfully laughing. It had been just a few minutes since the two started a coffee break. They were at the cafeteria of their main office but it looked like they were wife and husband working at the same company doing their usual flirting thing at their break time. But believe it or not, those two were just normal colleagues, but not friends, which had been working as editors of Fred and Anemone. ¡°You have been telling the same story multiple times for about a year now. I¡¯m getting tired of it.¡± ¡°But why would you?! It¡¯s a serialization material! If I would be a mangaka the story would sell well!¡± ¡°But you suck at drawing, admit it.¡± SMACK! Old man took another hit at his sides. He groaned in pain but managed to recover. ¡°I always hit the mark. If you really wanted the story to get serialized then why don¡¯t you lead Fred¡¯s serialization towards it? I know you could.¡± ¡°You idiot, like I could do that?! And even if I could, I won¡¯t.¡± It was true that Fred¡¯s award winning serialization was a romance based on opposing gang factions. But as they have talked earlier, Fred had been keeping a secret about the oneshot that he could not tell even directly to them privately. Fred didn¡¯t want it serialized so the editors should respect his decision. One could only guide a mangaka but should not force one to make decision which would benefit the editor¡¯s personal wish or request. ¡°Just tell me already that these are stories from your past experiences so I wouldn¡¯t bother you so much by thinking that these are stories you just wanted to get serialized. Though I would really be troubled if you really are a yankee back at your days.¡± ¡°Well who knows? I¡¯m getting old, not even I could remember anymore. Also, isn¡¯t the title ¡®daredevil of the west¡¯ carry a nice ring to it?¡± ¡°No. It sounds like something a kid would make up during his eight grade days. How old are you anyways?¡± ¡°Well who knows? I¡¯m getting old, not even I could remember anymore.¡± ¡°Ugh, give me a break.¡± It was about time to wrap up their coffee break. They didn¡¯t want to get yelled at by their colleagues nor the editor in chief due to over breaking. Seria¡¯s story was a short one, yet it covered a long time. The two of them hurriedly went back towards their stations and left the cafeteria, having Seria forget Fred¡¯s draft that had been lying at the table.
Ch10-2 Once Upon a Time in the West II. Once Upon a Time in the West Modern Fictitious(or not) Earth 20xx ¨C z(?) ¡°We¡¯re really sorry!!¡± The group of girls, some at her age and some older than her, had been groveling in front of her for minutes already. In front of them was the ¡®boss¡¯ who were bowing down in embarrassment to her. ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry for all the trouble me and my gang caused you.¡± ¡°No no, no worries¡­ Just¡­ Let them stand already I don¡¯t feel so comfortable while seeing them look like that. It would be just fine as long as you¡¯ve realized your mistakes.¡± ¡°BOSS PLEASE LET ME HIT HET ONCE! I WOULD APOLOGIZE AGAIN!!¡± One of the girls suddenly spoke. The ¡®boss¡¯/cousin hit her with the broomstick to shut her up. ¡°I really did not know you¡¯re coming today¡­ Oh it was today¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you that since this morning!¡± ¨Cthe mother/auntie butted in. ¡°Well I guess you¡¯re all forgiven. Phew quite a loud bunch you got there. Well anyways, before this escalates to an even confusing situation¡­¡± The little girl introduced herself to her cousin and to her friends. She gave a smile brighter than anyone could offer there. She¡¯s about to start her high school days and live free(but not really) away from her parents while helping at the inn. ¡°Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you. We¡¯re all attending at the same high school, that school which you got admitted and will be a freshman this coming school year. I¡¯m two years older than you so I¡¯m a third year there. A senior.¡± ¡°Eh?!! EEEH?!!!¡± The little girl was shocked. But as she tried to recover, her cousin already added up another problem. ¡°As you see, our group is not the only one existing here at this town. There are several groups too. But don¡¯t worry, our group is the one currently standing at the top.¡± ¡°Why does it sound like it¡¯s not very convinciiiiiiiing!!!!¡± ¨Call she could do was to shout and complain. --- ¡°Hey underling, better keep up or we will leave you.¡± There was this girl who had been helping her since she started high school. But she¡¯s not a ¡®friend¡¯-type companion who would invite her to hang out after school, nor invite her to do club activities. She¡¯s the very same girl that bumped her that day when she arrived at this town, a member of her cousin¡¯s gang. ¡°Hey wait!! Let me catch up!! Also I didn¡¯t even signed up for this!!¡± The girl was carrying stuff for the group. Three bags, some plastic bags containing lunch, a kendo stick, and random other items. The girl was unsure of what she entered. A training ground for her to gain experience, or a lair of unknown demons. She was unaware that the upcoming three years of high school for her would become both ¡®hell¡¯ and ¡®fun¡¯. But she¡¯s not a little girl anymore. High school had her mature even more due to the events that she have experienced while studying away from her parents. She have stayed at the inn, helped her cousin attend at the inn¡¯s activities during night, and attend school during mornings till afternoon. But those were the only stories that her auntie have told her mother. --- During those times being in gangs have been a trending subculture and the youngsters of the town have started establishing their own groups which have led to multiple territorial battles and skirmishes. It was not like the town had been big, most of the gangs are being composed of youngsters only so the elders just took them as child¡¯s play. There had been times that incidents have been getting too far so the elders have to take action to suppress them. ¡°So¡­ How are we going to keep this from your mother? She¡¯s pretty scary once she¡¯s angry. Even her husband couldn¡¯t keep her anger down.¡± The little girl and her cousin were sitting in front of her Auntie. ¡°Uhm¡­ I guess we just don¡¯t let her go finding out?¡± ¨Cher cousin answered impolitely. HIT!! The auntie hit her with a kendo stick. Just how she feared her cousin at first, even more to the aunt which could always hold her leash without breaking a sweat. ¡°Tsk, what happens in this town, just stays in here anyways. You know that¡¯s how it¡¯s always been.¡± ¡°Yeah like you young lads keep on playing around with this gang thing. You¡¯ve been a real problem to the elders recently, you know?¡± ¡°Like we could do any other thing to oppose them.¡± The mother and daughter continued their discussion about playing and elder roles which more and more lose any sense as the topic went on. ¡°Anyways. I¡¯ll help you keep your little secret for a while, but if ever the secret comes out, I¡¯ll be turning a blind eye and won¡¯t come to your rescue. Got it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Auntie¡­ that doesn¡¯t sound so comforting.¡± ¡°What, are you in? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re backing out now.¡± ¡°This is forced auntie! Why are you all acting so convinced? AAAAAH!! Don¡¯t blame me on what happens next!¡± And with that, a secret agreement had been formed betweek the three of them. A secret between her, the aunt, the cousin, and the people of that remote town which have been long known for their booming hot spring industry. In fact, later on it would become the town¡¯s sole secret too. At first she was a little free-spirited girl who have always wanted to venture parts unknown or whatever her interest piques her. Looking at how her older cousin had been living out her youth, she have been reminded her of herself when she was even younger. She was in denial at first. The little girl slowly got interested bit by bit on living a life of a yankee. With her cousin testing her, she passed became her cousin¡¯s underling without the consent of her aunt. Lately her aunt found out that she¡¯s been hanging out with her cousin and started her yankee life so they had to persuade her aunt to not tell her parents about it. It would only be for three years that she will study at theirs. They had to keep her activities a secret or it could have her force-transferred back to the city with her parents. --- Amongst these gangs, two groups have always rivaled at the top. One of these groups had been led by the aunt¡¯s daughter. The little girl¡¯s cousin, which have led the group towards the top, was still a student, and have to graduate from high school. And as she have to leave, she have to resign from the spot of the group¡¯s ¡®boss¡¯ too. Her very first encounter with her was right at the first day after she have arrived from the station. Such coincidence struck her as she have encountered one of the top groups and even more, knowing that it was being led by her cousin. At that moment the little girl thought that it was something permanent and would last forever, but like the other previous boss, she had to hand the title to the successor too. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± The little girl and her cousin was talking at the veranda of their room upstairs of the inn. It was a serious conversation, like having a parent-child discussion about the child¡¯s future path to follow. ¡°Well we¡¯re blood related. Also it¡¯s because you¡¯re a member of my gang too. It¡¯s a given.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Listen. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t trust my members, in fact I¡¯ve eyed on some leader potentials as well within them. But in any case. I would like you to lead once I¡¯ve retired.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± ¨Cthe little girl was shocked. She questioned herself why this heavy responsibility had been asked of her. ¡°It¡¯s a personal request. You should. I know you would. Think about it.¡± The little girl were at loss for words. That night after their talk they just looked at the starry sky She kept her cousin¡¯s request for the meantime. Her high school days and yankee adventures proceeded as follows: She gained achievements and proved her worth on the group so she climbed the ranks. Though her reign as the leader of their group had built a solid foundation on their group, her cousin was two years older than most of the members so as a norm to follow, after graduating high school she had to resign to her post as the ¡®boss¡¯ and hand over the title to the selected member that proved herself. Passing all the trials, the little girl proved her worth and had been passed on the ¡®boss¡¯ duties and responsibility of the group. ¡°Boss I won¡¯t stand for this!¡± Her one and only rival for the ¡®boss¡¯ title had been angry and complaining. The little girl couldn¡¯t utter a word. It came all of a sudden. It was like yesterday that her cousin made an absurd request from her. She had been grateful to her and her family so she had less reason to decline. Also inside of her, she had thoughts before of wanting to become one too. She¡¯s a free little spirit after all. ¡°Why? We had a fair assessment and my cousin proved her worth even more. I don¡¯t see any reason as to why this would be unfair.¡± ¡°Bu-but¡­¡± ¨Cthe rival was overwhelmed by the words of the ¡®boss¡¯ and went silent. ¡°Still, I would like to test you one last time. Are you determined enough to be the boss of our group?¡± The cousin asked the little girl one last time, not as a boss, but as the cousin who¡¯ve asked her a favor about a year ago. ¡°¡­¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Leave the rest on my hands.¡± And with that, the passing of the title to the successor had been completed. Her cousin, the previous ¡®boss¡¯, have completed her final duty and left the gang to the little girl¡¯s hands. Being unsatisfied with the results which led to the little girl being elected as the new ¡®boss¡¯ of their group, several members left the group, leaving the very few members who have trusted their previous ¡®boss¡¯s decision. Having left with a small group, the standing of their gang hit rock bottom. The gang nearly died. But the little girl did not let that happen. Carrying the will of her cousin, the previous ¡®boss¡¯, she dragged her remaining members to the path of glory. It was a tough run for them but they got by each challenge one by one. They¡¯ve started stirring up a storm with all the other gangs that had been long established at the town. They¡¯ve won territorial battles, subdued other gangs despite the overwhelming odds, they¡¯ve made alliances, cut ties with others, and grew their group, that eventually turned into a family of their own. Fearless as she had been, she commanded her gang to push through any situations while being careful of not actually getting into harm¡¯s way. That¡¯s how the little girl have been branded as ¡®The Daredevil of the West¡¯ The succeeding two years, the town¡¯s gang body had been hit by a violent storm. It had been quite a scary nickname. It could have anyone who heard it tremble in fear, just by knowing the extent of the ¡®Daredevil¡¯s capabilities. Rumors have spread even to the neighboring towns but the townsfolk themselves had been too careful not to let out a single confirmation of its existence. It was true that the ¡®daredevil¡¯ existed but at the same time it was true that the so-called ¡®daredevil¡¯ was the free spirit, little sweet girl all along. Those achievements were acknowledged not only by their allies, but their foes too. The path had been laid there. The only action needed to be done was to follow it. While steadily gaining back the glory that their gang once had, they gained several new things and experience too. The little girl strived even more to be worthy of the title she gained. The same set of events happened over and over for the remaining two years of her high school. She said goodbyes to those who left, and she said hellos to those who joined. She have met dozens of people and gained several years worth of experience for just three. And just like the previous boss, she graduated high school and it was about time she leave the gang. It had become a huge family compared to the state when the previous ¡®boss¡¯ left them. ¡°It¡¯s time ¡®boss¡¯, you should wrap this up and appoint the new leader.¡± ¡°Yea. Understood.¡± Her right-hand-woman told her. She was the same that bumped her from way back she first arrived at the town, and the very same girl that rivaled with her for the ¡®boss¡¯ title. She was a classmate, a friend, and a family. The successor had been appointed. It was her right-hand-woman¡¯s subordinate. She never had one so the next eligible would be the direct subordinate of the right-hand. After appointing the successor, the three of them stood at the front. ¡°Well, what should I be saying¡­¡± She looked at the faces of her subordinates. The leaders of the gangs she had alliances were there too. It was not only them, the opposing gangs were there too. It seemed like they agreed to a one day ceasefire just to send the ¡®daredevil¡¯ off with a farewell. That was the result of her two years worth of hardwork. A respected and honored individual. The Daredevil of the West. ¡°Uhm¡­ do whatever you may with the title. Today, I¡¯ll be stripping off myself of the ¡®daredevil¡¯ title. You may fight it over, you may leave it vacant, or win it for yourselves. It does not concern me anymore¡­ But always remember¡­¡± Her final words towards everyone she have shared experience for the past years went like piercing daggers to their hearts. ¡°¡­To anyone of you that knows, don¡¯t ever leak the real identity of the very first ¡®daredevil¡¯. Any information that will be getting out of this town, will get to me fast. And if you do, I will hunt you down.¡± Those final words shivered the spines of everyone listening. She had been respected much, but at the same time, she had been feared to just as much. Her final duty as a legendary yankee that once lived at a remote town that had a hot spring industry, several stations away from the city which she originally lived. She gave out a powerful grin, yet followed by a very silent and solemn voice. ¡°Hora. Get out of here now¡­ you¡¯re making me cry.¡± --- That night she immediately packed up all of her things and prepared to leave. Her cousin had been working full-time at the inn as soon as she graduated so she still kept in touch with the members of the gang, but have kept transparent all the time. ¡°Aneki¡­ Thank you¡­ for everything.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to give me any thanks. I was the one that have brought you into this at the very first place.¡± They were talking at the front yard of the inn. The little girl had been carrying the same luggage she had when she had her first encounter with her three years ago. They both grew old, gain experiences, learned things, meet new people. But the emotions they had remained the same even if a long time were to pass by. ¡°You see, I decided to study here just out of a whim. During those times I was a very free spirited young girl. Do you think this is a huge coincidence?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe in coincidences.¡± ¡°Well I kind of saw that coming.¡± ¡°Stay safe on your trip.¡± ¡°Aneki¡­ I¡¯ll come back some day.¡± The two ex-¡®bosses¡¯ said their goodbyes to each other. One was to leave, and one was to stay. The one to leave was ¡®The Daredevil of the West¡¯. That night, the name became a part of the town¡¯s history. --- The once little girl, now at her late teenage years, finally arrived home, at the city where she used to live before studying at a faraway place. Her mother had been standing at the front door, waiting for her only daughter to arrive. She haven¡¯t seen her for years. They had been apart from each other for whole three years and the only way they had contact each other were through phone calls. How much have she missed her daughter to have to wait for hours until she finally arrives home. It was only natural, motherly love. As she looked towards the end of the road she could see her daughter finally arriving. It took a minute for her to finally be at the front of the gate and entered the yard. ¡°Mother I¡¯m home¡ª¡± THUD!! Her mother hit her at the head. ¡°What the fu¡ª I mean, Ouch! What are you doing?¡± ¡°You could say the again with a better and respecting tone.¡± ¡°HUUH?! This is how you greet your daughter that finally came home after a long time?!¡± THUD!! ¡°OUCH! WHY??!¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve told you not to associate yourselves with Yankees!¡± Her mother was furious. It had not been a single day that passed since she have left the hot springs and her mother already knew the things she had been doing for the past three years. And it was supposed to be a very deep secret. ¡°Those scumbaaags¡­¡± ¨Cshe clenched her fist and murmured. She felt the anger and urge to know who amongst the gang body of the town had informed her mother. But she was wrong. ¡°It¡¯s not one of the youngsters just so you know. I¡¯ve known for a long time already.¡± ¡°Tsk! Auntie.¡± ¡°Did you just clicked your tongue at me?!¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why. I should have known I couldn¡¯t trust her on keeping a secret.¡± The little girl imagined the face of her auntie laughing with an evil face. ¡°Hey that¡¯s not nice, apologize to your auntie right now.¡± ¡°So. What would you do? For the record I¡¯ve already laid my hands off. I¡¯m an ex-yankee now. Just feel free to punish me already. I have my own faults too.¡± ¡°Ugh. What have you become in just three years.¡± It was when her mother suddenly embraced her. ¡°You dummy! You had me worried to the core. Good thing your auntie promised me that she would keep you in check and send you back here once things get out of hand, but you managed on your own. Such a free spirit, you are. You should thank her again for taking care of you.¡± All of her worries had been flowing out as she continued and continued to speak. The lecturing went on for a few more minutes and they stood still as her mother held her beloved daughter. As the mother continued lecturing her the little girl realized and realized more her own mistakes and how she had worried her mother. She came back to her proper senses and apologized. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I know. Good to have you back, I missed you so much.¡± ¡°Yeah, me too. Let¡¯s go inside, it¡¯s freezing here.¡± The mother and daughter, after being together again after a long time, went inside the house. ¡°Where¡¯s father¡± ¡°Drunk, sleeping.¡± ¡°Sheesh.¡± --- Modern Earth, 20xy The break time is almost over and almost no one or rather no one was left at the cafeteria or so Seria might have thought. She scouted the area first by taking a peek at the small at the little gap of the door that wasn¡¯t completely closed. After seeing nobody seated at the tables eating, she assumed that everybody must have been finished already, so it should be safe to execute her retrieval plan. She looked at a certain table at the farther side of the cafeteria. Seria looked like she was looking for something important. ¡°Hmmm. Good, it¡¯s still there.¡± ¨Cshe let out an almost muted sentence which even she could hardly hear. It was about time to execute her plan, but she needed to check for some things first: she looked upwards and checked the cctv cameras. She was on a life and death retrieval mission which she needed to accomplish no matter what. Seria always had a good memory. She seldom makes errors while at work and this was one of the very rare cases that there had been a lapse on her carefulness. She was pertaining to Fred¡¯s draft that she carelessly forgot and left at the table when she and Old man had a coffee break earlier. ¡°The other guys must have thought someone reserved and was already using the table so they haven¡¯t used it. Good thing it had not been thrown into trash.¡± It would be a big deal if what Seria said were to happen. Fred and his team would have to redo the whole draft if they didn¡¯t kept a copy at their studio. The draft pages was compiled by a black office clip as it was lay down at the table and got long forgotten by the one who should be responsible for it. It was really a good thing that the cleaners had not considered it as ¡®shred-able trash¡¯. Or it could be also that somebody refrained them from touching it because the owner might come back for it later on. Seria felt the need to secretly thank (editor in chief must not know) her teammates later after she have secured it. Slowly¡­ She opened the door slowly and silently. Slowly¡­ She opened the door to the point that only her slim body could fit in. And with the flexibility of her body, passing through a small gap was nothing. She went in like an acrobat in a circus trick, or like a magician on his escape the prison trick. She then crawled silently towards the first table. She hid her body beside it like a kid playing hide and seek. ¡°Hm¡­ so far so good.¡± By human standards, one would look like a fool if he/she were to do the exact thing Seria was doing. But for Seria, it looked too natural. The sleek black slacks that she wore, the tight office dress which emphasized her well-built slim body. She really looked like an agent sent to spy a company to steal a high-level confidential document. She then crawled towards the next one, then the next one, until she reached the table where the she have spotted the forgotten draft. From a standing person¡¯s perspective, nobody else could be seen at the cafeteria. Then suddenly, a hand appeared at a certain table and got the lying draft that had been left there. After securing the draft Seria suddenly stood up and wiped off the sweat on her forehead after a very tiring mission. ¡°PHEW! PACKAGE SECURED!¡± ¡°WHOAH SHIT!¡± ¡°WHOAH! WHAT THE!¡± The two of them was startled at each other, Seria and Old man. The kitchen sink had been wet, an indication that it have been used. Near the sink was a dish rack with several plates, cups, mugs and glasses arranged to it. Most of the employees were using their personal lunchbox set if ever they were diligent enough to prepare their lunch at home before going to work. But the tableware was provided by the company too just in case an employee will be needing them. Just always clean them and return them to their proper place once finished using had always been the proper etiquette and Old man had just followed that. ¡°Why the hell are you here?!¡± ¡°No I don¡¯t want to hear that from you! Don¡¯t just suddenly pop out of nowhere like a mushroom or something!!¡± ¡°Err¡­ I guess you have a point. My bad.¡± She didn¡¯t had an answer to that. She admitted she just suddenly popped out of nowhere. Of course, she didn¡¯t even entered the cafeteria properly. ¡°But what about you? If you¡¯re here at the first place why don¡¯t you just say so?¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ve been here the very beginning. I was just cleaning the tableware I¡¯ve used after eating.¡± The sink was located alongside the door where Seria entered so it should be normal if she wouldn¡¯t be able to see Old man at it. Like an investigator, she confirmed Old man¡¯s alibi by looking at the droplets of water from below the dish rack which haven¡¯t dried yet. Those had just been washed recently. She gave Old man a squint, just like trying to tell a lying face and a face telling the truth. ¡°Pfft. PUHAHAHAHAHA!!¡± ¨COld man bursted out laughing. ¡°Wha-What?! Why?¡± ¡°Well I never expected to see that childish side of you! What, you playing the double agent on a foreign movie or something?¡± Seria just gave him a frown. She only did it so she wouldn¡¯t get caught by the cctv-camera. She was trying to hide the very fact that she have left a very important draft which was the proof of a week¡¯s worth of hardwork of Fred and his team. It was due to a specific and important reason: to avoid getting a negative feedback from her boss. Seria could not tell that directly to Old man, he was a previous junior to her before he got promoted so she needed to maintain the best impression to him like she always had. ¡°Hmp! I do this every once in a while, you know?¡± ¡°Well you have your similarities with Anemone. I think you two will fit each other.¡± ¡°No, thank you. You¡¯ve let go of Fred already. Cheaters doesn¡¯t deserve second chances. Besides, watching you suffer by being Anemone¡¯s editor still amuses me, so might as well play your role for a while longer.¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t make it look like I was the one in the wrong here, I¡¯ve got reasons too.¡± ¡°Heh, I know, I know, just kidding you¡­ Besides¡­¡± Seria approached Old man with the intent to kill. He pulled Old man¡¯s tie and forced him to get near her. She then whispered besides his ear. ¡°Don¡¯t ever tell anyone what you saw in here. You will die, okay?¡± Fearing the massive negative intent that personified beside him, Old man had no choice but to nod his head. This was not a death threat nor an extortion. Seria was just kindly asking Old man to keep quiet. It was a silly ploy to avoid getting scolded. But she somehow blown it off big time and gave Old man a wrong idea due to her bad wordings. ¡°Hah! I knew I could count on you, junior!¡± With all the events finished and wrapped up, Seria went out of the cafeteria like it was nothing. Ch10-3 Shut Yourself in or Have a Coffee Break III. Shut Yourself in or Have a Coffee Break Modern Fictitious(or not) Earth 20xx ¨C z(?) Knock Knock Knock! ¡°Sweetie, you in there?¡± ¨Cthe mother knocked at the door of her daughter. The daughter was at her late teenage years and just graduated high school. Leaving the life she built up and the people she made connections with at a faraway town while studying her high school days. She had to return to her parents back to the main city just as she promised. After that she have shut herself inside her room for months already. ¡°Come on in.¡± ¨Cher mother heard a faint answer from inside. The door was not locked. The girl was should not be hiding some shady things from her parents. She seemed to have thrown everything else away but still kept her good relationship with her parents. The mother opened the door. An unpleasant smell immediately burst out of the room just with the smallest gap from the opening door. ¡°Uwaaah! What have you been raising here?!¡± The smell was a mix of rotten eggs, spoiled food, sweaty socks, molded bread, garbage truck and a rotting corpse. That was the exaggeration that her mother thought once she smelled that inside of the room. It had not been a week yet since she helped her daughter clean the room. The neat and tidy presentable room that she have left in her daughter¡¯s care days ago had turned into a disastrous cradle which housed every lousy smell a person¡¯s nose would reject smelling. The blinds of the room were pulled down, not letting any single ray of light to come in from the outside, considering the time of the afternoon. There were scattered chips all over the floor. The bottles of soda are lined up by the wall. There had been a mix of stained, used clothes and even underwear lying on the floor, at the bed, and at her desk. She could not even bother putting them at the laundry basket so she just threw them at any direction whenever she finishes changing. ¡°Geez¡­ You could at least pull the blinds up. Playing with the lights off will be harmful for your eyes.¡± The mother went towards the direction of the window while avoiding to step on something as much. The lights of the room were off. The light of the crt tv was the only light source inside the room, besides from the light coming from outside the just-opened door. The girl could be seen sitting at the floor and slouching at the very front of the tv. She was wearing her anti-radiation-lensed glasses that her mother have paid for her. At front of her was a game console that could be considered a huge hit during those times. ¡°I¡¯ve always told you¡­¡± ¨Cher mother kicked any random trash that¡¯s at where her foot was supposed to land, she assured that the way she kicked the trash will flew and land towards her ¡®how-did-become-useless¡¯ daughter ¡°¡­to always put your trash to the proper place.¡± Some of them hit the girl, but she didn¡¯t even budge, she could not afford to. She had the hundred percent of her concentration poured towards the game she was playing. ¡°¡­can¡¯t. I¡¯m too busy¡­¡± ¨Cthe girl answered in respect. ¡°Come now, what would hurt to pause a little. If you keep on doing this even I will have a hard time helping you clean your room. I mean¡­¡± ¨Cher mother finally reached the window and pulled the blinds up. ¡°¡­look at this!!¡± Light from the outside finally entered the room, the devil¡¯s cradle. Every evidence that the room had been extremely untidy and dirty had been exposed. The once free little girl who always wanted to just be outside to explore new things, was now a shut-in. ¡°Fine fine¡­ I¡¯ll help you clean the room later. Just let me reach the save point.¡± During the modern age of internet, most RPG games that are being released require internet to play. You would always be able to save your progress when you logoff and you could return to your character to continue. But while in game, because it¡¯s something that you needed internet to play, you can¡¯t just pause in the heat of the action and then tell your teammates that you¡¯re taking a break because your mother popped in the room and was asking you to cleanup first. That¡¯s one of the advantages of games that doesn¡¯t rely on internet. You could just press the start button: you¡¯re game is halted. The game won¡¯t be bothered even if you take quite a while to return to it, just don¡¯t ever have a power outage or someone accidentally tripped at the cord and turn off the console. ¡°Come on just pause the game already!¡± ¨Cher mother knew how it worked. The girl saw no point on prolonging their argument any further. Her mother was not a very techy person to begin with but at least she knew something as trivial as ¡®pushing the start button will pause the game¡¯. No more further arguments. She stood up, then started helping her mother to clean up. ¡°You know you¡¯re still not at the point where you being a shut-in couldn¡¯t be saved anymore. Why not hang out outside?¡± ¡°I see no reason too.¡± ¡°First of all you have refused to attend college even though we should be able to afford it, then you suddenly locked yourself inside our house for months already. You¡¯ve never even tried to visit your high school friends. They¡¯ve been contacting me since they knew you¡¯ve came back.¡± The girl silently continued picking up pieces of trash which she didn¡¯t even botherted to clean for the past days. Some of them were left and thrown unfinished and were forming molds already. She grimaced after seeing the product of her lazyness and negligence but again, she can¡¯t argue back. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m just trying to loosen up a little.¡± ¡°For the love of god, it¡¯s nearly a year already! Get your act together. This is so not like you.¡± The girl continued to get scolded by her mother as the two of them continued to clean up the room. It was supposed to be a quick job now that there¡¯s the two of them but the talking had been taking up quite some time too. After quite some time the cleaning of the room was nearly finished. There were only the huge trashbags left inside that¡¯s waiting to get thrown outside the house at the trash pickup station at the end of their street. ¡°You¡¯ve missed them so much don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yea...¡± ¡°You could always visit your cousin and your friends there if you wanted. We could pay a vacation at the hot springs, which would be nice.¡± The girl had a social life back at the faraway town where she attended her high school. She had gotten too used to living with them for the past three years. She had been known, loved and respected equally so it was only natural that she¡¯ll come to love them just as much too. The town was not really something out of her reach like those foreign faraway lands from fairy tales and such. In fact, she could just drop by anytime and visit them just to say ¡®Hello guys, I¡¯ve missed you so much! So I come to hang out.¡¯ But she have already said her farewell. She decided to leave whatever she have built up there for good. There¡¯s no just popping out now to say ¡®Miss ya¡¯ guys.¡¯ It would really feel like farewell and legacy won¡¯t amount to anything anymore if she did that. ¡°But as much as I would like to I just can¡¯t.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Her mother understood what she was trying to say with just few words. The mother could give her better advice and suggestions but she chose to have her daughter stick to the decisions she have made regarding to her high school days. The daughter¡¯s decision were not really the wisest and best compared to the mother¡¯s standards so they won¡¯t have negative impact on her actions.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°But still, compared to when you were younger, you have lost a lot of that free-spirited kid you are which always had a tendency to be curious and adventurous.¡± ¡°Well a lot has happened. It¡¯s just that¡­ Life¡¯s just too normal here that nothing new have piqued my interest¡­ not yet.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Her mother picked up that last thing that was lying at the floor which was her underwear. She put one of her arms at her waist and swung the piece of cloth at the other. ¡°¡­This news might interest you.¡± ¡°Ahg, please don¡¯t say that while swinging my underwear. That really embarrasses me, you know?¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t mind this, just listen to what I have to say.¡± ¡°I kind of guessed there¡¯s something up. Just get it over with and put that underwear at the laundry already.¡± The mother was not sure if her daughter was just bluffing her or she was really certain. She wondered if her daughter accidentally dropped an ear when she talked to her uncle over the phone. That night before. ¡°You see, your uncle ¡®x¡¯ have called last night. He¡¯s been telling stories about having heard a story about a legendary person at a town from the west.¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± The girl knew where the story was headed. The girl knew how the story of her past have reached her uncle. The girl also knew her uncle¡¯s background, so she have summed up what her mother was about to say. ¡°He was asking if you¡¯re interested to join the military.¡± The mother cut to the chase. --- Modern Earth, 20xy ¡°So, what do you think of my story?!¡± ¡°Totally ridiculous.¡± ¡°Eeeeh?!¡± Old man was tidying up his work station. ¡°Where do you plan to go after this? Come on let¡¯s drink like old days!¡± Seria had been persuading Old man to accompany her for a good night¡¯s drink. The night was still young. They have completed all their pending tasks for the day and was about to go home. They were not the only ones left at the office during that time but still there would be no point in staying any longer. It won¡¯t be paid so having an overtime would just be a waste of time unless it would be justified. ¡°No, I have to get home early or my wife would be furious.¡± ¡°Oh please quit it with your ¡®non-existent¡¯ wife stories and stop being a killjoy. I still have lots of stories on my mind that I wanted Fred to draw mangas with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rude. I have a wife and a daughter. And also those stories, you should tell Fred, not to me.¡± Old man showed signs of avoiding the topic and the invitation to drink. It won¡¯t do him any good if she would go out drinking with a work colleague till morning while having a wife waiting back at his house. The best course of action was to flat out reject the invitation and just go whenever he would have available after-work hours without his wife thinking hard over him having an affair with some drinking buddy at an unknown bar. ¡°Tcheh! And here I¡¯ve spent a lot of time and effort telling a good story.¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯re still hung up on that?¡± Old man reached out for his bag. He put his laptop to a hibernated status and turned off the mini lamp at his desk. Near his desk was Seria standing with her hand bag. She was about to go too. Unlike Old man who likes to finish his tasks from the get go, Seria established her own pacing. While it is true that they both accomplish given tasks on time, having different approaches developed different working routines for the two of them. With that being said, Seria just completing the work she allotted to herself for the day at an earlier time, had a lot of free time to bother the still working Old man and told him stories like telling tales. Old man, walking towards the exit, took a final glance towards Seria sitting at the chair of the station beside his. Their colleague that sits there was not available at that time so Seria took the spot and enjoyed bothering him all the time he started finishing his job. ¡°What, you gonna¡¯ wait there until some ghost appears that will lend you an ear on your stories?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Fine, fine, coming.¡± --- The two entered the elevator. Their office was located at the tenth floor of one of the tall (but not tallest) buildings at the city. The building had been constructed there for quite a while already, but it had been really functional the past years. The elevators were not exactly the newest gens which goes up and down quickly so descending inside it at the tenth floor towards the ground floor still took a span of seconds to minutes, depending on the number of people going in and out per floors. But that time of the day it was just the two of them. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The inside of the elevator was not really totally silent. There was a faint sound of the suspension wires that was holding the elevator as it was suspended, the sound of wind at the gaps of the elevator itself and the elevator shaft as the elevator continued to slide down and the sound of the open spaces of the floors which the elevator passes could be heard. After a few more seconds the two finally reached the ground floor. The elevator door opened and there was someone waiting at the ground floor. Not for them of course but to go upstairs. The two of them awkwardly went off of it and started walking towards the abbey of the building. After reaching the huge glass door of the building Seria started talking again. ¡°You really know it, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About Fred¡¯s second (third) draft.¡± ¡°Yea, why have you made a rash decision about it anyways, knowing that that there might be a chance that the series might not sell?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bet that I¡¯ve placed on him. I think that might be the difference between us too. You¡¯re far too perfectionist.¡± The air between them suddenly became serious as Seria opened up something of a high importance. ¡°I could talk up till the station, I guess I could keep you company up to there. But I really could not join you for the drink, spare me this night.¡± ¨COld man told her and started walking at the direction towards the station. ¡°Hmmm. Okay then.¡± It was just as Seria have told. One of the reasons why Fred could not start another serialization was because Old man had been wringing out his brain for the best he could offer him. It¡¯s true that having a solid and unique story would secure a large reader base and long serialization, but it would be pointless if the author himself won¡¯t be able to produce it due to the pressure that the editor had been pushing onto him. Seria was implying that there had been a miss on Old man¡¯s guidance of Fred. ¡°Fred is just starting out his career. Yes he have experienced a five month serialization but I really think that won¡¯t be enough experience to wield something on a criteria that would fit your requirements should take him a decade or so of experience. I mean, look at the big three, those mangas about pirates, ninjas and grim reapers. Do you really think the authors of these works started big time already? It took them years of experience too just to build up a steady base on their series.¡± Old man continued to walk. He was not being scolded but rather, having given some advice by his once life coach but now on the same footing as him. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I just realized it too after being assigned to Anemone.¡± Seria skipped past him like a child and blocked his walking path. She suddenly faced towards him and leaned her body forward to him. Her usual formal clothing was too fit to her well-developed sister or mother figure that leaning just a little bit forward will have the buttons of her tight suit seemed to pop anytime. Old man, a married literally old man, blushed and sinned. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Fred¡¯s potential and I knew you¡¯ve seen it too. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not really the right thing to force a potential out of someone. You develop alongside experience with perfect timing.¡± Seria was not the type to rush things immediately to produce fast results. It had always been her norm to take everything at a steady pace and produce quality results. Old man knew she was always like that. Not too long ago he was just still her assistant but now he was on the same level as hers. He should have been pressured to produce results like Seria did. That should be the reason why he had pushed not only Fred but also the previous authors he have been assigned with to produce best results. Well he had been producing better results but those were not the best. And just like what happened with Fred, he had been assigned to multiple authors already due to that attitude. ¡°¡­Perhaps you could be the one to bring out Fred¡¯s full potential as an author.¡± ¡°Jeez hey now, just don¡¯t kill the mood! Don¡¯t down yourself to much as you still have a lot of experience to still earn. It should make you grow better on this career.¡± ¡°Hmp. Getting too cocky and showing your vast experience, huh?¡± Old man quickly recovered. The way he acted at first was unprofessional so he decided to make up to Seria by showing off all of his uncertainties. At the first place it was his decision to grow even more of this field of expertise so he¡¯s not on any position to turn down any advice from fellow editors, especially from her previous senior. ¡°HA HA HA!! That¡¯s more like it!¡± I guess she¡¯s back to her usual self, huh? ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the story a while ago¡± SIGH!! ¡°You bringing that up again?! Just how much do you wanted to let this story out of you?!¡± ¡°Now now! What would it hurt to just get along?! I thought you¡¯re accompanying me up till the station? It¡¯s a man¡¯s duty to always keep a woman company.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make that sound like we¡¯re at bed or something! It¡¯s embarrassing!¡± The two of them finally caught the attention of the bystanders. Trying to break through the commotion, Old man started walking fast and passed Seria who was seductively looking at him. Seria regained her proper posture and followed him as he just killed the mood. The commotion was over, it¡¯s time for the stars to leave. The bystanders resumed what they¡¯re supposed to be doing. ¡°Well¡­ If you were to ask me, being accepted at the military will add up spice of the story.¡± Seria gave a smug. Old man suddenly spoke up and started talking editor language. At long last he finally shared took the bait and started to take interest on the stories Seria had been telling. It was not like he was prepared to fully entertain Seria¡¯s interests until she tells all of the stories she had on her mind or she¡¯s fed up with the topic. He just needed to prolong the conversation until he reaches the station. ¡°But what is the plot supposed to be? Is this something you came up as a background story of the character on Fred¡¯s second(third) draft? Or is this something completely different.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Never came across my mind.¡± ¡°Also I suppose these are two different stories. Or is this just a part of a single character¡¯s background?¡± ¡°Hmm, what should I say¡­ Even I cannot confirm.¡± ¨CSeria was wearing her poker face. ¡°Gehg! What a bummer.¡± ¡°What decision do you want the little girl to have? Did she joined the military or she refused her uncle¡¯s offer. I could at least come up with two different stories to tell you, one for each decision.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Let¡¯s see, what would become of her if she were enlisted at the military¡­ The president¡¯s personal body guard?¡± ¡°I know, I know! A spy sent to assassinate a highest general of a foreign country.¡± ¡°Or maybe some legendary enforcer, a leader of a riot squad.¡± The two continued to walk towards the direction they were headed.
Ch10-4 A to Z: Chiefs, Editors and Oneshots IV. A to Z: Chiefs, Editors and Oneshots Headquarters, Old man and Seria¡¯s main office. Modern Earth, 20xy - 3weeks The usual ¡®meeting ongoing¡¯ signage of a certain room was replace with ¡®deliberation ongoing¡¯. The meeting room of their office was filled with people, from high positions to the senior and junior editors. The number of employees at their publishing company were not exactly comparable to those of the corporate ones but still the overall employee count exceeded a hundred. But regardless of the count the several selected people were only allowed to attend the meeting. ¡°I really think girl x¡¯s work is far more superior¡± ¡°But I root for boy x¡¯s work.¡± ¡°This man¡¯s work seemed to have more potential in the long run¡± ¡°We need a huge impact right at the very first chapter.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Isn¡¯t this work nice?¡± The room was filled with several voice coming off together at once. A person who¡¯s not used to being within a noisy crowd or someone who have sensitive hearing won¡¯t last for even ten minutes for these storm of words and ideas. For what reason? The projector facing the screen were flashing several titles and front covers and their corresponding authors. ¡°Come on guys, we won¡¯t get anywhere with everyone talking at the same time.¡± The one seated at the center of the room at the back of the projector was the editor in chief. The man did not really need to have himself look like someone at a higher position. With just a white t-shirt and a dark blue blazer on top with matching slacks and formal shoes, his looks really did not match up with his role. But even so the way he looked was too dignified and composed that just by seeing him as he sat at the chair, you would immediately know that whatever he says will impact everyone at the room in an instant. That¡¯s just how strong and experienced he looked was. ¡°But Chief can¡¯t you see everybody had been so gung-ho about this discussion, won¡¯t it just hurt to let them be just for a moment?¡± Seria talked. She was sitting beside the editor in chief. There isn¡¯t really a position called assistant editor-in-chief on their team. It was just the juniors and the seniors. But the way she spoke to her superior was like they were buddies from way back. ¡°The point is. It¡¯s been an hour since we¡¯ve started this deliberation. And we¡¯re getting nowhere.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s an hour already?¡± ¨CSeria asked and checked her wristwatch. ¡°Oh yeah.¡± CLAP CLAP CLAP! ¡°Okay guys! We¡¯re getting nowhere! I guess we should wrap this up already, boss¡¯s orders!¡± Seria shouted inside the room. The meeting room should be almost sound-proof from the noise being produced inside but her loud voice stood out that it was even heard at the other rooms right next to it. ¡°Here you go again, senior Seria, we still haven¡¯t finished discussing.¡± ¡°As expected of the boss, to even have Seria under his command.¡± ¡°Now now, she¡¯s just acting professional and shush!, keep quiet what if she hears you?¡± ¡°At least we should narrow it down to a few choices, we really got nowhere since we¡¯ve started.¡± There were several more sentences that followed Seria¡¯s loud command. As a senior, she was only supposed to follow what her lead have asked but it escalated the situation even further. And even though her seniority was her one of distinctive traits at work, what the group of brainstorming editors have to do still didn¡¯t changed. ¡°Well, at least you had your say.¡± ¨COld man sitting beside her told her after she got embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m quite not satisfied, do I need to repeat that? Say it chief.¡± ¡°Ah, no need. At least they¡¯re aware of the urgency. I mean, we could still do this all day. It¡¯s just the earlier we finish the more work will be finished. Having a definite goal prevents the discussion from going into circles.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here at the very first place.¡¯ ¨COld man murmured. ¡°Well being the one with the most experience here, Seria, what do you think?¡± ¡°Eh why me?¡± The team members that attended the deliberation were still noisy and discussing continuously. The Chief¡¯s volume was very minimal that it should not catch the attention of most of them actively participating at the discussion. The only ones who have heard should be Seria, Old man who was sitting beside Seria, and the ones near them that were focused on the Chief¡¯s words too. Seria was so startled that a very important decision had been pressed to her by her only superior at that room. It should be a unanimous vote between her and her fellow editors but the request came too sudden that it caught Seria off-guard that¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t answer immediately. ¡°Err¡­ Hmmm. If I were to say, what genre was the previous winner?¡± ¡°Fred¡¯s work was a shoujo.¡± ¨COld man, being the editor of the author in question, answered. ¡°Oh, a shoujo, huh?¡± Seria looked upon the entries listed at the projector screen again. She seemed to have been picking the best and the best one an editor could defend given the situation. The room fell silent. The juniors and even the other seniors put their attention to her. ¡°I think we should go for that one then.¡± Seria pointed out that one entry that least stood out. The whole room went silent and looked at her. ¡°May I hear your reason?¡± ¨CThe Chief asked her. ¡°I mean have any one of you guys read the oneshot?¡± Everybody wondered what Seria had been talking about. She and the Chief was the only one that had calm faces. ¡°Yea that¡¯s a gore action with romance.¡± ¡°The story is good, but the brutal parts were too exaggerated.¡± ¡°I really think the author of this was depressed. She would need someone to talk to first.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t think we need a gore serialization at this moment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, getting a ¡®just good¡¯-plotted action gore won¡¯t benefit us and the author at this moment.¡± ¡°Are you serious, senior?¡± There were several opposing reactions, the others remained silent and thinking what have made Seria chose the one being on the least pick. Old man was scratching his head too, before being promoted to a senior spot he was Seria¡¯s junior so he should have known how her thought process works, but that¡¯s not the case. Even with the years they¡¯ve been through Old man still could not assess which was which. But at some point he realized something: Why did Seria asked the genre of the previous work that won last year? ¡°You can¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll go for that one then.¡± ¨CThe editor in chief agreed with Seria. ¡°EH?!!¡± ¨Cmost of the employees at the room shouted in surprise. The chief had decided, all that was left to do was to explain why it was chosen. Seria was the one who pointed it out. It looked like a biased decision. But just because Seria and the chief were quite close colleagues that goes back years ago didn¡¯t mean the chief¡¯s decision was favorable of her. She needed to explain back her explanation up with something that would make the other guys at the room agree and realize that the oneshot was worth the win. ¡°Well guys you¡¯ve been looking at the story on the wrong side. That¡¯s not a gore, that¡¯s a shoujo. Or rather, it¡¯s a gore that was originally written for the sole purpose of being a shoujo. I wonder comes of the mind of its author?¡± There was a brief silence, then followed with a huge ¡°EEEEH?!!¡± of the startled editors. All the chief needed to decide was something that would shock the whole meeting body that was currently inside the room. What he based the decision upon was simple: if the editors who have keen eyes on mangas would be surprised, what more for the readers? The reaction was natural for Seria for she was the one who have noticed it first. He knows of Seria¡¯s vast experience already so he fully trusts it. She was an exception from exceptions. The deliberation had been concluded that very moment. The long work then follows. ¡°Well, let¡¯s proceed. Who will be in charge of contacting Anemone-sensei?¡± --- ¡°It¡¯s been a while we¡¯ve had a talk like this since you got promoted at a senior position.¡± Seria took a sip at her cup of coffee. She was talking to Old man. A whole day of straight work would be tiring, even for the best employees around the world. That¡¯s why there had always been allotted break time for a long day of hard work. Seria was the one that invited Old man for a cup of coffee. It was a long day. The separate tasks have been assigned to the respective employees that will handle them. After the long deliberation to determine the winner of the annual ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ manga competition the Chief finally adjourned the meeting. Several members went back to their stations to continue their work, some went for a break. The two of them took theirs too and went to the nearest coffee shop just a few minutes¡¯ walk from their office. ¡°Well I¡¯ve been assigned to authors here and there right after each other. What can I do?¡± ¡°Well, at least you¡¯ve learned lots of experience.¡± ¡°Also why do you make it sound like it really is a big deal to you? What does it make you after not being with me for a long time, you¡¯re not my mistress?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Wha¡ª?! Oh, please don¡¯t get too full of yourself.¡± ¡°Just kidding just kidding.¡± Old man smelled the hot vapor coming out of coffee. Their hot coffee had a complementing effect to the cool environment of the caf¨¦. The place was filled with the smell of freshly brewed coffee ordered by the customers. It really should be a nice place to cool off one¡¯s head and have a nice long chat with others. ¡°So how¡¯s your author lately? What was his penname again?¡± ¡°Oh, Maou Spence-sensei? What could I say?...¡± Old man gave a pause for a while. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°That¡­ really doesn¡¯t sound like he¡¯s doing good..¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s been almost months since his last release. They¡¯re managing, him and with his team I mean¡­ But they still hasn¡¯t passed something which I could approve.¡± Old man were open to talks like this, he had always been. He tries to talk as much as he could about the situation of the authors he¡¯s been assigned with, but also at the same time did not let others influence his decision making too much. Still, he tried to get as much advice as he could from his seniors. ¡°Well he had passed a draft a few weeks ago. It¡¯s okay to be published but I still rejected it. He¡¯s aiming for a long serialization so I thought I should only approve something that¡¯s within the levels of his ¡®fresh aspirants¡¯ winning entry. I wonder what happened? He wouldn¡¯t ever want to serialize that series yet he could not produce something at least comparable to it.¡± ¨Che further explained. ¡°Sigh¡­ I see now. Will you get angry at me if I say ¡®you need to find out why your own¡¯ like those of the shounen mangas you¡¯re reading?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Okay then, But in any case I kind of forgot your author¡¯s story already it was a year ago. Could I borrow a copy of his award-winning oneshot?¡± ¡°I still have a copy at my desk, you could read it later.¡± Well it¡¯s not like I¡¯m just gonna sit here and watch my junior make mistakes one after another. Well I guess I¡¯m going to take a bit of action myself. I got some free time anyways. Seria thought as she continued to sip at her coffee. That was a statement she could not tell Old man on the fear of wounding his pride as an editor. She had decided that if she had to take some action it would be better to stage up something that will trigger some events that would make Old man realize which parts he needed to learn and grow, without ever telling him about it. But at least she had to give advice too that it won¡¯t be obvious that she¡¯s not been doing something. ¡°Well I think it would take some time for the author to make something comparable to an award-winning piece so I could advise you to have him take sure little steps first, if you were to ask me.¡± Old man finished his coffee. He¡¯s not the type to savor a cup of coffee towards its very last drop. ¡°You see it troubles me that he¡¯s still not serializing something months after he dropped his LN* adaptation. Well it¡¯s not like I should rush him. Sometimes I wonder if I were to blame and should change the way I handle him.¡± ¡°For now you should stick to your trusted methods.¡± ¡°Is this the real reason why you asked me to have a long break here?¡± ¡°Not really, I just want to enjoy a cup of coffee that¡¯s not the free one at the cafeteria. Also the office is too crowded, it stresses me. I just want to see a clean and tidy environment for a while.¡± ¡°Signs of aging.¡± ¡°Shut up. Besides. I¡¯m troubled. Anemone-sensei might be assigned to me.¡± Seria looked troubled. In fact, it has been a while since she was assigned to a new author and she¡¯s not used to handling new authors anymore. After being a senior which was ages ago, Seria had always been assigned to experienced writers with ongoing long serializations. Those were not at the country¡¯s top charts but still mangas with considerable reader base and were often hot topics all over the internet forums. In short Seria was troubled that she might not be able to handle newbies anymore. ¡°Why? You¡¯re the only one that noticed the story at a different perspective than the others. Oh that doesn¡¯t count the chief. Don¡¯t you not like it?¡± ¡°We still had no assurance though. It was just how I¡¯ve looked onto her story. Yes I¡¯ve found it amusing but I just based my choice from the results last year. Maou Spence-sensei wrote a shoujo so I thought it would be nice to select something that is a complete 180 of the previous one. Not saying that that¡¯s my only basis, but I really felt that it would sell great for a long time.¡± ¡°Woman¡¯s intuition, huh? Good thing if I would have that too¡­¡± ¡°UWAH!¡ª¡± ¨CSeria suddenly looked disgusted. ¡°No no! Tha-that¡¯s not what I mean!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m kind of worried about your wife.¡± ¡°NOOOO!!!¡± Seria stood up while holding her coffee which was still not finished. It was a paper cup though so a take-out was possible. She seemed to just have been waiting for Old man to finish his. She readied herself to return to work and return to her usual work tasks. It pains her that she couldn¡¯t just spend time at the coffee shop for as much as she likes. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t want to be charged with overbreak by the chief.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± The two left the coffee shop and headed back to their office. --- It¡¯s been almost an hour since Seria and Old man left the office. After all the hurrying back towards their office, they still did overbreak. As soon as they entered their area, Seria immediately rushed towards her station and found herself a comfortable spot at her seat. But right after seating a colleague immediately appeared at her back and called for her. ¡°Seria the chief has been requesting for you.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Seria felt like was struck by a lightning. Just like a kid that¡¯s about to get scolded by her parents, a shiver went down her spine. Was it because of the overbreak? Or was it because I¡¯ve made a mistake on choosing this year¡¯s oneshot award winner? Seria couldn¡¯t help but get anxious. Either of the two would produce negative impact on her performance as an employee. Whether it would be the first reason or the second reason she would need to have to explain it to her superior. Somehow Seria had develop a tendency in which she would be afraid of her direct superior at work so she would always have to provide only and only positive results. ¡°Te-tell him I¡¯ll be there in a minute or two. I just need to take a deep breath.¡± ¡®A-are you okay?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Then if you say so¡­¡± Her colleague left. Inhales¡­ exhales¡­ ¡°Okay then.¡± --- ¡°You called for me?¡± Seria said as she peeked at the door of the Chief¡¯s office. The Chief¡¯s office was not really far away from the aisle which the editor¡¯s stations were located. It would just take a few seconds of walk and you could finally reach the door. There had been a very few person who usually enters the room. The Chief himself, those at the higher ups which would probably have business with him, his very few colleagues at the office that he could treat him as a friend, and those he asked to go to inside to have a ¡®little chat¡¯ with. ¡°Yes, also what took you so long outside? You could¡¯ve just ordered a takeout.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ We¡¯ve been talking about the author from last year¡¯s annual oneshot contest. Seems like he¡¯s having trouble on his next serialization. We had a good time talking then we didn¡¯t noticed the time.¡± The chief¡¯s attention had been diverted. ¡°Oh, Maou Spence-sensei, huh? Actually the thing I¡¯ve want to talk to you about was other agenda.¡± Seria had it coming. She was free from a heavy workload and didn¡¯t had any authors assigned to her at the moment so it would be a good choice to have Anemone assigned to her. Also, she was the only one who had looked at Anemone¡¯s work thoroughly and interpreted it on a different approach. The best course of action would be to have a very good experienced editor to handle the job. Seria could be classified on both of the latter two. ¡°I want you to be Anemone¡¯s editor.¡± The chief cut to the chase. ¡°But why me? Aren¡¯t we letting the juniors handle new authors so that the growth of experience will be simultaneous?¡± ¡°Well what you said was true. But I think we got a bit of a situation here. I¡¯ve actually talked with Anemone-sensei via phone. And¡­¡± ¡°And?...¡± ¡°I think she had a bit of a screw loose.¡± ¡°Okay count me out.¡± Seria immediately backed out of the offer, pushing to the chief that she did not want to associate herself with an author with a high-class brain damage. ¡°No no no wait! Listen to me first. I knew you¡¯re the only one I could entrust this with¡­, I trust your experience too.¡± ¡°Hey did you really think I was some nurse at a mental hospital? I didn¡¯t applied for this spot to babysit a screw loose.¡± The chief was getting too pushy. It was an indication that he¡¯s thought about it over and over and Seria had been the only option left. He¡¯s exhausted all his options. ¡°Besides, there could be a possibility that what you¡¯ve told us at the meeting room was true. When I spoke to her she just kept on talking and talking about idolizing Maou Spence-sensei¡¯s work. The girl was a real nutjob and a hardcore fan at the same time.¡± ¡°Then all the more reason why I should reject!¡± Then suddenly there was a spark at Seria¡¯s eyes. She looked like someone who¡¯s found something that would work up her dormant brain due to inactivity for a long time. She felt like all the puzzle pieces had been put into order, the only thing left would be to put them into their rightful places. ¡°Chief I have an idea.¡± ¡°What is it? Somehow I don¡¯t feel comfortable, hearing that from you. Just don¡¯t put the company out of business with it.¡± ¡°You still remember him right? The fooly of an assistant which I¡¯ve had three years ago. He recently got promoted to a senior role. And such coincidence, he¡¯s the editor of Maou Spence-sensei right now.¡± The chief was surprised. The proposition was still not complete. He could try to guess out the many possibilities Seria could introduce to him, but he immediately got what Seria was trying to point out. And it was not something that gives a sure win. ¡°You can¡¯t mean!¡± ¡°Yes, this would be my proposal, since I¡¯m quite interested in this ¡®Maou Spence-sensei¡¯ too.¡± Seria threw a bunch of papers at the Chief¡¯s desk, it was a pile of papers which was supposedly a oneshot. It was Fred¡¯s very first work, which have fetched him the mangaka career he had pursued. ¡°A senior editor needs to grow in experience. What if we have him handle Anemone-sensei and I will be the one to handle Maou Spence-sensei.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The chief went quiet at first, and after a few seconds of thinking he spoke again. ¡°Are you saying your fooly of an assistant would be able to handle Anemone-sensei, and trigger a growth for himself? This is a heavy bargain. What are the odds of producing best results?¡± The chief assessed the situation and asked Seria the odds. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know. This was just one of my hunch. After comparing the works of the two, I¡¯d like to put my bet on Maou Spence-sensei. Not like there had been much of a huge difference in talent, but I really feel like I could wring him out of an even greater potential. Just a hunch.¡± ¡°I see¡­ And what about him being assigned to Anemone.¡± ¡°I trust him to overcome this. Even though he was a fooly of an assistant which I¡¯ve had. I¡¯ve poured on every drop of learning I could onto him. That¡¯s why he got promoted in no time. He could manage on his own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite irresponsible.¡± Seria was just being honest. It was just a coincidence that Anemone had a shocking characteristic that got revealed and she had no intention to push the burden of a responsibility towards Old man, but initially she really intended to have him gain experience which he had not yet gained while he was Fred¡¯s editor. She knew it would be fine and Old man would be able to manage. That¡¯s how he trusts him too much. It was just like being in a sports game, being at an ¡®away game¡¯ would lessen chances of winning, but it was always the experience that¡¯s being counted. After all, you miss the opportunities you don¡¯t take. ¡°Tell me we aren¡¯t gambling on this.¡± ¡°We¡¯re gambling... But I¡¯ll produce results¡­ Whatever it takes¡­¡± The atmosphere within the room became too tense due to these two high-positioned and experienced beings began talking about a serious topic that would have a huge impact on their company¡¯s future all of a sudden. It was a good thing that they were the only ones at the room that time. It¡¯s not like they should keep it under the table since it was a move that had only been discussed by the two of them. It¡¯s just that if ever there would be others at the room they doubt they would be able to keep themselves in track of what they¡¯re discussing. They won¡¯t need to. The only one to keep what they have discussed from for the time being would be Old man, who would later on be struck by the sudden change and will have to adapt. ¡°For starters we would need to process the proper documents and email materials to be sent to Anemone-sensei. I would entrust that to you. Leave the talking to your fooly subordinate to me.¡± Seria picked up Fred¡¯s oneshot lying at the Chief¡¯s desk and raised it as to emphasize her statement to correct him. ¡°That¡¯s a senior editor now.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Seria then prepared to leave the room but the Chief forgot to tell something. ¡°Oh right, one last thing¡­¡± Seria knew what he had to say so she tried to talk to him one last time. She was still hoping she could escape it somehow. ¡°¡­Can you lift the sanction¡­ please?¡± ¡°No. write a memo of the overbreak and mail it to me. You only had today.¡± ¡°uuu¡­ fine¡­¡± Seria dejectedly left the room, but she peeked again to follow up something. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve changed a lot, since the first time I was accepted here.¡± ¡°Trust me, stress handling and repeated instances are the key.¡± ¡°I really think we should gather up again every once in a while, our group.¡± ¡°You know that won¡¯t happen.¡± The expression between the two changed, from joking to serious. ¡°But in any case, just us here, we could gather up and pay a visit.¡± ¡°Right, I¡¯ll arrange a meetup.¡± Seria didn¡¯t said anything more. She left the room.
Ch10-5 The Experienced and The Former Experienced V. The Experienced and The ''Former'' Experienced Some rooftop of some hotel at the main city, Modern Earth, 20xy - 2weeks Seria had chosen a quite good spot to have a view of the whole city. It was a sunny afternoon but she did not gave a damn about the heat of the sun. She was wearing sunglasses though. It was a weekend and she just wanted to savor herself with a time off from work, a whole week¡¯s worth of work should get a week¡¯s worth of time off too. The rooftop of the building was absolutely not that high compared to the tallest skyscrapers at the main cities or like those on foreign movies. It was one of the buildings which height could be considered just at the middle, being at the estimated fourteenth or fifteenth floor. The area was spacious, but there were tall laundry racks aligned and standing in rows and columns at the middle of the spacious area. The white blanket sheets were suspended on those racks, being dried under the fierce heat of the bright sun. It was the best day of the week to do the laundry. The breeze was rather cold compared to the heat coming from the sunlight. It could still burn skin if you just stay on a single spot but at least the gentle breeze would cool them off. But still one does not just stay under the sunlight for too long so she had to finish her business with the place quickly. But that was not the case. She could hear the fluttering sound of the cloth as the wind tried to blow them off the racks. She could hear the chirping of the birds as they tried to play at a free spot at the rooftop just a few meters away from her. The sound of the vehicles from the road at the very foot of the building could be heard too. Well perhaps I won¡¯t be bothering anyone here at the very top of this building. All that she had to do was to wait for a queue, a signal or a sign. But what for? ¡°Siiiigh¡­¡­ what¡¯s taking him too long.¡± The past week had been too stressful to her. First she had to attend a deliberation that lasted for hours. Then she had been assigned to an author with a reported personality issue, which she tried to talk her way out to her chief and was a success. Then afterwards she had been here and there to their main and remote offices that would not be covered by walking distance alone just to process documents. Their chief had already talked towards Old man a few days before about being Anemone¡¯s editor. For whatever decision Old man had chosen, she had not known yet. ¡°In any case, they¡¯re taking too long to contact me, either one of them.¡± Prior to this, Seria had already talked with Old man after being notified by the Chief of the assignment to Anemone. He was still reluctant during those times but Seria still needed to get Fred¡¯s contact details from him so she advised him to take his time to think about the offer. If Old man decides to take Anemone then it would be set that Seria will be Fred¡¯s new editor, but otherwise, Seria will be forced to be assigned to Anemone, which she¡¯s trying to avoid as much as possible. Only god knows what would happen to Anemone if her short fuse shatters. Beep beep! Her phone rang with an unusual ringtone that was like an old pager. ¡°Hello?¡± ¨Cshe answered the call. ¡°Well guess what, you win this one again Seria.¡± The one speaking at the other end of the phone was Old man. At that moment had just been at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex to notify Fred of the changes that had been made at their office and his assignment to Anemone, which he should have accepted already now that he¡¯s gave a call. ¡°Tell me you¡¯ve planned up to this extent.¡± ¡°No, it was you who have realized where you¡¯re lacking and it was your decision to make, not mine. I still would like to avoid Anemone as much.¡± ¡°You know there¡¯s an extent to how much you and the chief had to manipulate things around.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like we¡¯re villains here. It was just for the individual and the whole company¡¯s growth.¡± ¡°I think it the aim just aligned with your convenience, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°So, you could still withdraw your decision while you still don¡¯t confirm it. I could wait all day.¡± But Old man was determined already. He must let go of Fred or else he won¡¯t grow. He had a good run with him but their compatibilities are just way off the mark. He had tried his approach with him. Having an adaptation worked, but the author¡¯s choice was to make an original. Having the latter with his kind of approach did not work. He knew it was too early to give up but the situation was not some story of a slice of life series where perseverance and taking all the time one needed to produce results was the key to accomplishing something. One should not force himself to someone if it does not really work out. What Old man needed was a change of pace. And if being assigned to a new author would bring him the chance to discover new things and gain further experience that would change his work style as an editor, then he must accept this opportunity with Anemone. ¡°What other choice could I have. You may contact Fred now. I¡¯ve said my farewells to him as his editor.¡± That was all that Seria had been waiting that time. ¡°Copy that.¡± ¡°Oh wait, before you hang up. I¡¯ve had him make one final assignment as his editor. Don¡¯t think I would go down without a fight. You¡¯re long vacant as an editor, you need to de-rust. So I¡¯ve had him make a draft which you should evaluate once you¡¯ve meet up with him.¡± ¡°Right after our very first meetup, huh? You¡¯ve become too sly. I¡¯ll need to punish you for that.¡± ¡°Hey we¡¯re both on the same level now.¡± ¡°HA HA HA!! Well, see you in a few days.¡± ¡°Ya, see you.¡± The call dropped. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Seria searched her contact list. She had saved Fred¡¯s contact details just for this moment. All that she needed to do was to call him.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. She hit call and there was a ringing sound on the other end. It took a moment for Fred to answer. ¡°Hello?¡± Seria looked nostalgic. What did she saw on Fred that made her wanted to guide him by being his editor? What did she saw on his oneshot? She had never met him nor talked to him via phone or email. She only had his oneshot which she borrowed from Old man which she had gave a read twice: one on last year¡¯s competition¡¯s deliberation, and one thorough read a few days ago. Perhaps it was her oneshot that had Seria laid her eyes on. After re-reading it she must have saw something which even Old man, at his peak of career experience could not. It could also only because she find the story aligning with her interest to the point that she would have her personal taste weigh over her professionalism. From the most professional to the most personal. Well, I haven¡¯t done this in a while so¡­ It was the latter, so Seria took the deepest inhale of her week, not to sigh, but to¡­ ¡°ORA!! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO ANSWER?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry you have reached a wrong number.¡± ¨CAnd then a blah blah blah blah barrage of multiple sentences Seria paid no mind. Seria was about to burst out laughing. She was just containing herself from her amusement. And the call was dropped. ¡°Eeh, such a killjoy. Well, I guess that¡¯s it for the jokes, let¡¯s get down to business.¡± Seria redialed the number. It took a few more seconds before Fred answered than the previous call. It was obvious that he¡¯s scared. Well Seria scared the shit out of him from the previous call by acting like a full-pledged gang leader so she was aware she¡¯s at fault too. ¡°Well I¡¯ve always wanted to try that, I guess I¡¯ll try one more time.¡± Fred finally picked up. ¡°Uhm¡­ Hello?¡± Seria answered on a provoking manner again. ¡°YOU GOT SOME NERVE TO DROP THE CALL OF YOUR NEW EDITOR, HUH?!¡± The phone went silent without getting dropped. Seria wondered if Fred already peed on his pants and had to make a change of undies. Seria felt guilty for the first time. ¡°Uhm¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to scare you or such. Come please talk. Helloooo? Are you still alive?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Old Man told us that the meeting with you will be next week, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, might as well drop a call to my new fledgeling. Say country boy, Are you a virgin?¡± ¡°Say what?¡± The two continued to talk. Seria continued joking him while having a normal conversation time to time. She still needed to have a proper image on Fred as his new editor, but she felt that chances of that now would be low. She scared him twice already. She might as well portray the role until Fred¡¯s impression her as a serious and top-notch editor would be cleared. ¡°Uh, thank you for your patronage.¡± Fred finally said his regards to their first meetup next week. Hmmm. I wondered if he¡¯s made contact with Anemone-sensei now. That fooly assistant. Seria suddenly remembered that Old man which at that time, was supposed to contact the Chief too to confirm his decision of the author swap. Seria remembered that she had Fred still on the other line so she added up something before finally hanging up. It would be fine now to have Fred know of Anemone¡¯s existence. ¡°No worries, no worries! You might also want to meet who your previous editor was assigned to, the pen name is Anemone-sensei.¡± Seria dropped the call after a few more exchange of formal words. The birds were still chirping at the vacant space near the corner of the rooftop. The cool breeze stopped and the sun was now even higher and was emitting even more heat than before when she arrived at the rooftop. Drops of sweat were starting to form on her forehead, indication that it was really hot. Her casual white cote on top of her camisole should do its job on reflecting the rays of the sun but her head was still exposed. It felt like if she stayed there longer she would get a heat stroke. But she paid no mind. ¡°Why did I do that?¡± Seria wondered. ¡°Seems like I¡¯ve gotten a bit rusty from being a pro.¡± What Seria wondered at was why she mentioned Anemone to Fred before she hung up. She had no reason to nor anything to gain by doing it. She never knew if Old man already mentioned the name to her. She just took it the way that Fred never got the chance to ask her who would be Old man¡¯s new assigned author will be. It would be better if the news would come directly from Old man himself, rather than her, who will be just appearing as a new unlocked character from Fred¡¯s story. ¡°Well, nothing much I could do now. I guess I should learn new things from Fred as well. Also¡­ That oneshot¡­¡± Seria then walked passed the rows of suspended blankets and headed towards the door of the stairs. The scene where she left at was too calming for a sunny weekend afternoon. A while ago there was a shouting and laughing middle-aged woman talking on a phone but now it was as quiet as watching a river flowing downstream. It was a scenery where anyone who would find a shade and lay their body rest would be able to take an afternoon nap comfortably. With the sound of the open door slowly closing, Seria headed downstairs. --- Modern Earth 20xx ¨C 8 (not fictitious anymore) A woman entered the house. The woman heard the sound of the door shutting by itself as she lay down her huge luggage at the side. She sat at the upper portion of the entrance and took off her high boots which should take longer to take off than any other sneakers you could wear. She was wearing a black tank top and a loose cargo pants which was being held by a bulky belt. The fashion was not clearly something you could just carry for just a casual walk nor going on a vacation. It had not been trending too. She looked like she came from a very long walk while carrying such a heavy luggage. Did she hiked? Did she went camping? Did she went to the gym? Her sweaty body was an indication that she had at least a few kilometers of walk from the station towards their house. Her body build was not of a body-builder, but at least anyone would notice her ripped muscular figure. She looked at her arms and flexed it. The biceps and triceps had been ripping and healthy. ¡°Ugh¡­ It will take a while before I could somehow be able to bring back at least normal feminine-looking arms.¡± She then looked towards her lower abdomen. The brick-like lines at her abdomen that was nearly visible due to the tightness of her tank could be seen whenever she crunches herself downward to reach our for her foot. She wondered if she was developing a fetish for flexed muscles. ¡°I guess there¡¯s nothing much I could do down here.¡± It was a healthy body but the woman seemed to be even more worried. ¡°Hooooooooh¡­ Haaaaaaaaah¡­¡± The sweat was dripping down from her forehead to her cheeks, and from the back of her head where she tied her ponytail to her nape. She was dripping heavy but she still needed to act appropriate. Resting starts now. She took a very deep breath in, and let a very long breath out. She repeated it a few more times until she finally caught her regular breathing. She was dead tired. She looked up the ceiling. She was about to drop dead instead of further pushing herself to her room. Then a sudden feeling of a cool towel covered her whole head. ¡°You could¡¯ve just called us if you¡¯re going home. Your dad could pick you up at the train station.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ It felt like I needed some workout so I walked.¡± ¡°Gosh what do you think you¡¯re doing? It¡¯s almost fifteen kilometers from here to the station!¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to it.¡± The woman won¡¯t be boasting her ripped body if it was just for display, so might as well have a proof that she could. ¡°But what¡¯s this? You¡¯re home all of a sudden. I haven¡¯t got any notification from your uncle that you¡¯re going home too.¡± ¡°Well the news might have not reached him yet. I¡¯ll be the one to talk to him once I get the chance to.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­¡± The woman wrapped the towel at her neck at her convenience and turned her head towards her mother. She gave a quick smirk and talked. ¡°I¡¯ve quit.¡± ¡°Siiigh¡­ Not again. But why though?¡± ¡°Either I got tired of it or the job is getting more and more dangerous each day for me. Whichever it is.¡± The girl looked like someone who had been away from home for a long time and just missed being home. It didn¡¯t matter whether she quit work or she continued, her financial support and savings should sustain her needs for a while until she got to find a new job. ¡°Me and your father won¡¯t have that much say in the matter anyways, right?¡± The girl went silent and stared into blankness. ¡°Yeah, decision¡¯s final. I don¡¯t have regrets anyways.¡± ¡°Okay then, seems like you had taken a rest already. I¡¯ll prepare a bath for you so you could stay at the living room for a while.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The mother prepared to get back to the dining area to check whatever she was cooking at that moment. The woman stopped her. ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°Yes my dear?¡± She was not a kid anymore to give her mother a hug or a kiss. It was an age where she could already have a kid, and a happy family for herself too. But still she felt like she still need to do it like good old days. It was not an act of formality nor an obligation. Her mother was not asking for it too. She just felt like it. She had been long out from their home. She just missed her parents. ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ch10-6 A Group of Not-so-protagonists and a Jobless Woman VI. A Group of Not-so-protagonists and a Jobless Woman Modern Earth 20xx ¨C 8 (not fictitious anymore) ¡°What time will father arrive?¡± ¡°Around past nine or something.¡± Her parents were still at the age that¡¯s too early to retire. Her mother had to be a full-time housewife but the father still continued to run their business even at an old age. It had been modern times. Huge infrastructures and tallest buildings had been constructed due time. Malls were no exception. After these malls and huge joint businesses had been established, most of the well-named stores from food to clothing to hardware gathered there and secured their own spots inside. It was to secure sales and circulate competition. A lot of the city¡¯s population visits the mall each day so securing a spot inside it should also secure sales. Despite being a well-known and have lots of customers, the father decided to still keep their business separated from business joints. They still continued to run their business on a small building downtown. It lessened the competition they had within that area but at the same time, it also lessened their customers that came through time. The father paid no heed. It was not like the decrease in their income from their business would impact greatly with their needs. Besides, the woman was not married. All the salary she¡¯s getting from her previous work either she puts at their joint account with her parents, or she puts at her separate account for emergency purposes. They never really had financial crisis to begin with. Her father continuing to run the clothing store went just as an old man¡¯s hobby. ¡°Can you pass me the pudding at the fridge?¡± The woman was watching TV. She had been sitting there for long already. After taking a bath and eating, she felt so refreshed that she wanted to just laze herself around all night until she feel sleepy. Her mother was washing the dishes so she was not sure if she heard her or not. ¡°Well. I think I will wait until someone gives it to me.¡± She was already procrastinating. After a few more minutes of watching her mother finally approached her, carrying a cup of pudding which she requested a while earlier. The mother then sat beside her and got the remote. She then changed the channel to that of the news. ¡°Wha!¡ª But I was watching that drama each night! You can¡¯t just do that. We can watch the news later.¡± ¡°Oho, little girl you really forgotten who¡¯s in charge here.¡± ¡°Bu¡ªWha¡ªEeeeh?!¡± The woman was worried. Each second spent at the other channel would be another second of the scene she won¡¯t be able to watch. She just looked at her mother, nearly teary-eyed, hoping she would change her mind and have the channel back to that prime-time soap drama. ¡°Fine fine. But only at that series. After that we¡¯ll switch back to the news.¡± ¨Cand she won. She got the remote back and immediately switched back to the channel that was airing her favorite soap. But the scene was almost over. ¡°aaaaAAAAAAAAHH!! NOOO!! I missed the kissing scene!! NOOOOO!!¡± ¡°What are you making tantrums for? You still a high schooler who¡¯s into romance? I could record it for you to watch later on.¡± ¡°AAAAHG!!¡± Sulking as she now was, she just continued to watch the remaining of the show while eating her pudding. ¡°You know, you¡¯re still really a spoiled brat.¡± ¡°Hmp! And just who do you think looks over the spoiling?¡± ¡°Tell that to your father.¡± Despite having an argument, the mood was pleasant. It was a happy mother-and-daughter time for the both of them which they had not experienced for a long time. While still a kid, the woman was a playful and as free as she wanted to. She had been spoiled to a certain extent but not too much. ¡°You know, your middle school friends have been trying to reach you since you got back here. They still were even after you went on to your uncle. Why don¡¯t you keep in touch with them and hang out at times?¡± The woman made a pause. It was a sudden topic that her mother opened up. Missing out the scene she¡¯s been waiting the most killed her mood to continue watching the episode. It did not bothered her that her mother opened up such one. Perhaps she could answer thoroughly if she decided to fully drop the episode she¡¯s watching. She chose the latter. ¡°Well let¡¯s see. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m hiding from them or anything. Guess I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± ¡°Yea, I really think you should. I¡¯ll leave you their contact details at your room later.¡± Their talk was suddenly interrupted by her father which just arrived from a hard day of work. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± ¡°Welcome back father. Good work for today.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard from your mother a while ago over the phone. It was really a rash decision.¡± After putting down his coat and bag the sofa besides the one the two were sitting at, he found himself a comfortable spot at the couch too. The family continued to talk their remaining time before they went to sleep that night. --- TRIM¡­ TRIM TRIM¡­ TRIM¡­ ¡°Gosh your hair is too long. It looks like you haven¡¯t had the time to at least visit the parlor each month.¡± Her mother was quite knowledgeable to parlor stuff so she¡¯s asked her to fix her hair for her. ¡°Instead of paying so much at the parlor for minor changes, at least I could save a day of expenses if I just ask you.¡± The mother was too focused. She just didn¡¯t want to make any mistakes that would make her daughter look funny due to a failed hairstyle so she avoided talking too much. TRIM. ¡°Phew, there finished!¡± Her mother wiped the sweat on her forehead and handed the hand mirror to her. ¡°Hmp. This is fine. I expected nothing less.¡± ¡°Well at least you could ask me a few days before your day out with your middle school friends. But asking a few hours before. You got me nervous here.¡± It had been just a week since she came back after resigning at her previous work. She¡¯s actually a jobless freeloader at their house right now. But she still didn¡¯t want to be a heavy load for her parents so she was trying to minimize her daily allotted expenses as much. Right after she arrived a week ago, her mother have talked to her regarding a meetup with her old friends. She considered it as hanging out or a reunion after a few decades of not getting in touch. She had no reason to refuse at all since she don¡¯t have current work at the moment. Also she wanted to let off relieve some stress. She looked at the mirror. Her black hair was trimmed nearly short, with a few centimeters below her shoulder. Her silky black wavy hair that resembled her mother¡¯s were trimmed just the way she asked for. She had less time to be conscious about the way she looks while she was at her previous work. It was only at this time that she noticed her hair was too long already so she had decided to had it trimmed. It¡¯s always better to look at your best if you¡¯re on your way to meet people from your distant past. At least for good impression purposes. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Perfect.¡± ¡°Well it was me who did it.¡± Her mother gave an oldies bragging. ¡°I know, I know. Well I guess I could go now.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s your purse. I¡¯ve put everything you might need in there.¡± Her mother handed her a small red purse with a thin red strap which she could use to hang it at her shoulders. It was too small to be considered as a hand bag and it looked like it could only fit a wallet, a handkerchief and a lipstick, but the way her mother talked made it sound like there was an invisible black hole there which she stored their whole house with. ¡°Well I won¡¯t be surprised whatever I would find here, so I¡¯ll trust you with your words.¡± It was a sunny Sunday. She had nothing to do at home. Most of the household chores had been completed too. She had all the free time in the world at that moment. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Her father who was unaware of almost everything while slouching himself at the huge couch at the living room asked her where she¡¯s off to. ¡°I¡¯m off to meet a few friends from middle school, right?¡± ¡°Oh that was today?¡± ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t be home until late night.¡± ¡°Do you bring ¡®it¡¯?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t carry one and I don¡¯t intend to. I still have no plans yet.¡± They talked about something not even their mother could not immediately catch on. It should be something within the realms of the deep and dark stages of being an adult. ¡°Okay then, if you say so. Just don¡¯t get drunk so much.¡± ¡°It will take a lot for that to happen, so I doubt it would.¡± ¡°Just take care you silly girl.¡± The woman did not further argued. She¡¯s not really the type who always like to win arguments over with her parents even if she knew she was at the right. There should be nothing wrong with a parent being cautious of their daughter¡¯s safety so she just let them speak out their reminders as much as they want. After listening to a few more, she finally set foot out and left the house for a day off. --- Her middle school days were not really that exciting but not that boring too. It was just right too normal to be considered as one like a protagonist of a shoujo manga or a slice of life series. If one could imaging a whole classroom with a few characters whose hairs were so different from normal that you could already play ¡®spot the plot-related character¡¯ game then she¡¯s probably not in one of those characters. Her and her group of friends would probably a noticeable group of middle schoolers gathering at the background where there would be a scene shot from the main characters. They could be branded either of the following: as the geek club, as the nice and supporting character club, the class representative and his lackeys, an out of the world nice guy and his harem. They could be either of those stated. They were five, including her, a middle-aged looking man (quite young but stressed), and three other girls. After meeting up at the station, they went to lots of places the whole afternoon. It was a typical gathering of not-so-kids anymore group of people which were trying their best to once again live out their youth. They went to the batting center They went to the bowling center They went to the karaoke If they still had the time they would also go to the amusement park. But it was already late afternoon towards evening. So just to do something appropriate for their ages, they stopped by at a coffee shop of the mall at the center of the city. There were five of them, they had been calling themselves nicknames over each other, just like the way they did back from their middle school days. The only boy¡¯s nicknamed Riku. The other three girls went on by Gretty, Eriri and Kotocchi. They have started calling the woman Big Sis since meeting up. They should be shocked at how much she have ground from a span of a decade and a half.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°So how was your previous work?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Well¡­ It was fine, I think. It was not just fit with me anymore that¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to leave.¡± ¡°Aaaaw such a waste. Well it¡¯s not like I wanted to be at that line of work too. I think I wouldn¡¯t have the courage even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re really shocked about how mature-looking you¡¯ve been. You we¡¯re waaaay very different from how you looked back at middle school. You went and looked like a fine woman at the age of mid-twentyfive. What do you even do to keep those looks? It seems like you¡¯re not aging.¡± ¡°Tell us Big Sis.¡± They have been talking only to her and was pushing her to tell them stories of her past since she graduated and parted from them. To her they were like little siblings that were waiting for their sister¡¯s stories of her school adventures and puppy love talks. ¡°Ugh. You¡¯re really having your sweet time teasing me, huh? Then what about you guys? What have you been doing this past years?¡± The other four went silent. Somebody needed to tell her a story of her past so she would not think that they were only pressuring her just to tell hers and kill time. Each of them should be embarrassed to tell about their past too. In any case there had to be a sacrificial lamb, just to keep the topic going on. ¡°I have been working at the showbiz industry recently.¡± The first to speak up was the girl in the nickname of Eriri. She sounded quite confident about it. Being seen at TV had always been treated as something cool ever since. ¡°Whoah! So you¡¯re an actress?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s more like on the news, a news anchor perhaps.¡± The group had a blank expression. They had expected too much from Eriri. ¡°Well that¡¯s new. I would expect you to be an actress since out of all of us, you are the one that had lots of other friends during our school days¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, I¡¯ve considered the offer once, but the course I went in at college applied more on news¡­ So I might as well take advantage of what I gained from studying.¡± Eriri told that to them which implied that she got an offer to be an actress. ¡°Whoah¡­ really¡­¡± ¨Cthey were just amused at the way it sounded too normal to Eriri. She must have had a reason so they tried not to pry in anymore. ¡°Well that¡¯s good for you, as long as you¡¯re enjoying it.¡± The woman then looked at the girl nicknamed Kotocchi. ¡°How about you Kotocchi?¡± ¡°Whoah¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t have much to tell¡­¡± The girl who was the very active one during their discussion a while ago, now being shy and reluctant after being questioned. Amongst all of them she must have had the most embarrassing experience she needed to hide from them. The looks from the other four became sharp and evil. They wanted her to speak, no matter how embarrassing it was. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve been a shut-in for a long time.¡± She turned bright red out of embarrassment, that¡¯s to be expected. But the woman was too understanding. She stood and tapped the left shoulder of the embarrassed girl, and told her ¡°I know the feeling, I¡¯ve been there once before I decided to take my previous job. To tell you guys the truth, I was a shut-in too.¡± She did not tried to make the girl nicknamed Kotocchi feel better. She just wanted to tell everyone the truth. But they seemed to not believe it, but rather thought it was the prior option. ¡°As expected of our big sis. To be so much mature after so much years¡¯ worth of experience.¡± The woman was not sure if that was just to tease her too or really a compliment given towards her. She could try to ask them but she chose to not. She just let it slide as a teasing and gave a sigh of disinterest. ¡°Didn¡¯t you had any job even before that?¡± ¨Cshe asked. ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s too embarrassing to say. And It¡¯s not something I could be proud of saying.¡± ¡°Uwah¡ª That killed the mood.¡± ¨CEriri told her. ¡°Well if it were something like what we were thinking as Kotocchi mentioned, then I guess we should leave it at that.¡± The mood became heavy. The girl named Kotocchi among them circle of friends was one of the shy students at their class, or rather, one of the composed students. Being someone who would work for a shady business won¡¯t really fir her so the other four was shocked by that statement. ¡°Fine¡­ I was¡­ I was¡­ a waiter on a maid caf¨¦¡­¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Of course the four was shocked again. After all those hard thinking on how to even console a friend, or move on to another topic. She would suddenly break her silence and shatter all those worries that they had with something like ¡®I was working at a maid caf¨¦, teehee~~¡¯. ¡°Ugh, we got worked up for nothing. Back to the discussion.¡± Eriri was the next to speak. ¡°How about Gretty, you haven¡¯t spoken for a while. We¡¯re getting suspicious.¡± ¡°Uhm me?¡± The girl nicknamed Gretty finally spoke. She had been silent for a while when they started talking about the topic. It seemed like she was trying to hide something from them so it piqued the woman¡¯s interest. Now she¡¯s been trying to find out what was it. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to hide it from you guys. In fact, I was about to open it up once we¡¯ve gathered here.¡± ¡°Hide what?¡± ¨CKotocchi asked her. ¡°After graduating from middle school I went back to my hometown and there I met my destined¡­ I¡¯m now married and have been raising a daughter for a while.¡± ¡°Whoah.¡± There was a sudden silence. All of them did not knew how to react. The fact that it was a sudden news, all of them had no background or experience with having a family. It had only been being thought to them during their science class, ¡®the process of making a baby¡¯ by their term standards. ¡°Haha¡­ Congrats¡­¡± She had just been sitting there for a while, sipping her coffee, talking to her friends and laughing, teasing, getting teased, and other stuff. But now she gave Gretty and awkward best wishes. ¡°Yes, from us too, best wishes.¡± ¡°Well you suddenly became like big sis here. After graduating you suddenly lost contact too and didn¡¯t even tried to contact us. We¡¯re just shocked about it.¡± ¡°Riku here has a family now too, not like we lost contact with him after middle school. That makes you best buddies if terms of family raising. Aaaw how cute.¡± The other three followed her. ¡°Well Kotocchi and Gretty really surpassed our expectations from them, so¡­ I guess we should celebrate this get-together with a cheers!¡± ¡°Come on now big sis, we aren¡¯t drinking beer.¡± ¡°Oh, were you suggesting we have a drink after this?¡± ¡°We still have time before late night so¡­¡± ¡°Uwaaaah another night of drinking, you will see my most embarrassing moments of drinking again.¡± ¡°Whoah really?¡± The long talk between them continued. They still had a lot of time that afternoon until they go to their next destination. --- Her parents actually told her not to go home late too much, just before she left the house. The woman checked the time at her wristwatch. It was already minutes past ten. She have asked her friends that she would not want to worry her parents too much so she needed to go home early. But they were not at the age anymore where parents should worry about them having a nightlife and going out with friends. It¡¯s an age way long past the borderline of a parent¡¯s babysitting. ¡°Well in any case, I won¡¯t care anymore about the time. Besides, it¡¯s already past eight. I¡¯ll just apologize to them later I guess.¡± ¡°You still live at your parents¡¯?¡± The girl in the nickname of Kotocchi asked her. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m planning on relocating once I¡¯ve found a new job.¡± The woman could smell the scent of the booze around their area. They rented a room at a drinking bar where they could drink and shout all they want. The room had a size not too big, but could fit up to six people, including their luggage. There was a sliding door at the side, and a talkie-like device where they could call in the waitress and order more drinks. It was a room that was designed for group drinking activities. ¡°Haaaah?! ¨Chic! I would like to recruit you to ours! Pass me your ¨Chic! Resume!¡± Eriri was already broke and drunk. She was not the type to handle her liquor well. Gretty and Riku were the ones that you might wonder if the alcohol really gets into their system or not. They had just been quietly drinking while making small responses to the topic. If they were on a blind date, the girls would probably brand them as killjoys and just leave them with the bill. But they knew each other quite well, so they just let them be, as long as they don¡¯t pass out. The ones that were active on the discussion were just the other three: a drunk maid at the maid caf¨¦, a tired and stressed news anchor, and a jobless woman. ¡°That¡¯s not really a job that would interest me, besides I don¡¯t have the background.¡± The woman could still answer the question straight though. She looked at the glass of alcohol she¡¯s holding. Perhaps she was already drunk too. There had been countless of bottles already aligned at one of the corners of the room. She could only think of how she would excuse herself to her parents when she gets home. She¡¯s drunk, but she could also say the same for the other four, especially for the girl named Eriri. Concerned as she was for both of the reasons she had been thinking, she did not noticed that so much time had passed already. She did not know whether who¡¯s still even aware of what he/she¡¯s doing. All of them were already drunk eitherways. ¡°Uhm, what time is it again?¡± ¡°Come on now, you have your watch.¡± ¡°Oh right.¡± She checked her watch and was not sure it the reading was already past eleven, or a few minutes before ten. She could read whether the time went forwards or whether it went backwards. That¡¯s how drunk she was already. ¡°Hmm, guys I think we should wrap this up.¡± ¡°Eeeeh? But we¡¯re just getting started.¡± ¡°Fool no we¡¯re not. It¡¯s too late already.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a kid big sis.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound really convincing.¡± The other two were just prolonging the conversation. It was an act to buy some more time to have the alcohol the woman drank to further affect her system. It was not poison, but their real aim was to have her spend the whole night with them drinking their worries away. It was like when drugging someone, but it¡¯s just alcohol. ¡°Like really, look at you Eriri and Kotocchi. You look too broke already. It would be hard for you to go home if you stay here further.¡± ¡°Big sis is right. I think we should wrap this up. Both Gretty and I vote with big sis to go home.¡± ¡°Eeeh? Gretty you traitor! Also why also speak up now Riku. You¡¯ve been almost quiet the whole time.¡± ¡°Well I guess if it¡¯s three on two. Honestly I don¡¯t want to end up puking inside the cab too.¡± ¡°Eh? You really do that?¡± ¡°Hahaha of course no.¡± The conversation still continued and continued and continued¡­ Until¡­ ¡°Aaaaaah!! Don¡¯t!! I don¡¯t wanna go hoooome!!! Ughwaaaaak!!¡± They had been dragging Eriri towards the entrance of the bar while letting out the booze she¡¯s housed in her stomach. She had been a goner. Kotocchi presented to go with Eriri and escort her home. A drunk woman who can¡¯t even stand on her own anymore should have someone to support her until she gets home. And since the effect of alcohol seemed to subside from her, Kotocchi took the role of the knight in a white horse for the poor Eriri. ¡°You sure you know the way?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve gone to her apartment lots of times already.¡± ¡°Well then, see you guys.¡± The three sent their goodbyes to Kotocchi and to Eriri who was immediately knocked out at the backseat. The cab then left with Eriri and Kotocchi. ¡°How about you Gretty, you¡¯ve said you¡¯re now living at a remote town, it¡¯s too late already. We could check in at a hotel if you won¡¯t be able to catch the last trip.¡± The woman was pertaining to the train. The trains should have long stopped operating for the past hours already. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I could walk myself to the station. My husband should be waiting there already to pick me up.¡± ¡°Oooooh, okay. Then. Take care. We¡¯ll contact you again. Also invite us to your wedding.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Gretty started walking away. ¡°Oh by the way.¡± ¨Cthe woman followed up on her. ¡°Introduce us to your family every once in a while, okay?¡± ¡°Sure! I bet you will really like my cute daughter. You should raise one too, before it¡¯s too late. Fufufu.¡± Both of the two were quite surprised. Gretty didn¡¯t even had traces of alcohol effect with her. It seemed like somehow before the alcohol reaches her stomach, it will then be transported by a mini black hole towards another whole dimension. Normal and unscathed as she was, Gretty then left too while politely nodding her head back at theirs. ¡°So, it¡¯s just the two of us now, Riku.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m really thankful that you¡¯ve invited me here. You know I¡¯m one of the most anti-social students way back from our middle school, RiRi-nee¡­ no, Seria-nee.¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯ve become too cocky, using my cute little nickname back at middle school against me.¡± The woman gave a smirk and tapped Riku¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Want to take a walk? I know you¡¯re quite drunk too. Still got some time before midnight, might as well have a walk to sober up.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take on the offer.¡± --- The two were walking at a park late at night. There were street lights, but just enough to light up the way across the park. It was quite delicate walking at that time at the park because there might be molesters or thugs lurking by, but who will even want to rob two drunk middle-aged man and woman looking broke and walking at the park suspiciously late at night? ¡°Back when I confessed to you, what did you think of me?¡± Riku spoke bringing up a past between the two of them. ¡°Ah, that time¡­¡± ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t make it sound like you just banished the event to oblivion, it hurts me to know that, you know?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t be silly. Of course I remember.¡± There had been a past between the two of them that the other three amongst their circle might or might not know. Riku confessed to the woman. It was one of the youthful events of their life. ¡°Well, that time I really considered you as a younger brother.¡± ¡°Cheh, even though we¡¯re just at the same age.¡± ¡°I mean, look at you, you¡¯re like someone that had just been a miserable character pulled out of a drama manga. I would feel more at ease if I were to watch over you as your ¡®aneki¡¯ than be your lover. Besides, I really can¡¯t develop those feelings and such, for that time I was still a young and free-spirited girl that just wanted to explore and explore.¡± ¡°Siiigh¡­ So I really didn¡¯t stand a chance, huh?¡± Riku looked up while he continued to walk. The woman acted as a support in case he were to hit an obstable or there¡¯s a sudden open manhole and he¡¯s about to fall. ¡°Come on now, it¡¯s not a bad thing, right?¡± ¡°I think¡­¡± Riku started blurting out his honest thoughts. ¡°I think I¡¯ve really admired you by that time¡­ I mean, look at you, you still acted as our big sis even though we¡¯re at this point of age already¡­ Even though we could act on our own already.¡± ¡°Sorry, old habits never die.¡± ¡°No no no don¡¯t take it badly.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¨Cthe woman was worried. ¡°You see, back then, you are the one who made me break out of my hard shell and face the world. I¡¯m really grateful to you for that¡­¡± Riku suddenly stopped walking and looked towards the woman. He had been grateful to her. He must have been waiting for too long to finally express his gratitude towards her and that time was now. ¡°Thank you. I really think it was because of you that I¡¯ve met my wife.¡± Even with the whole group which he considered the closest friends, there were things Riku could not even say. He¡¯s currently married and was raising children. He had a stable job and didn¡¯t have any hard time. He was truly happy. He¡¯s just worried what might have happened with him if he had a chance with her ¡®big sis¡¯. Even if he was not flat out rejected immediately, it might have had a different impact with him and could shift the course of his future headed to something besides the one he¡¯s currently having. ¡°Am I the only one left who does not know of this?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Uwaaah. Now I feel so left out.¡± The two laughed. ¡°Say¡­ Are you still finding a job?¡± Riku then broke the joking around with a sudden topic. ¡°Yes, kind of.¡± The woman was grateful for her parents because for a very long time, even if she¡¯s at the age where she should be moving out to build her own family, she still could stay at their old house. She was once a cute little girl. She was once young and free. Her parents granted her almost all the freedom that she needed while she was young. She grew up a bit and went to a faraway place for long to gather experience and live her youth freely. She went back home after and became a shut-in for a while. She then again grabbed a chance to live faraway again and gained further experience as an adult. She then came back again to them. It had been a repeating cycle for her. And every time she goes back there she would find her parents home with welcoming arms. She was grateful. In fact she wanted to stay there forever. But the time has come to leave her nest. It should be for the best. The last experience in life that she needed to have: to be able to stand alone on her own. And for that to happen she needed to have a stable job. ¡°Well I had a job, and it¡¯s a job that required me to stay away from home, so I guess I could say this is just a continuation of what I¡¯ve started.¡± ¡°You know¡­¡± Riku handed a calling card to her, ¡°I could refer you to our company. It¡¯s a manga publishing company. Though you will serve under me. I think it¡¯s better than considering other options. Bu-bu-but it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve invited you for a walk to get ahead of the others and recruit you to my current company.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¨Cthe woman paused a bit. ¡°Heh. Fine by me. I¡¯ve been there before.¡± Seria had lots of time to find herself a work that would suit her interest, but it would just prolong the time that she would be freeloading at their house so she decided to take Riku¡¯s offer. Besides, it would be best to work with a company where there¡¯s someone she already knows. A referral would also increase her chance of being hired. ¡°You know, it might bother me to serve under you but it would be better than passing random resumes to different companies.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Why do I feel like I¡¯m being threatened?¡± ¡°Hahaha!! Just kidding¡± The woman smashed Riku¡¯s back. ¡°cough cough!! What was that for?!¡± ¡°Hahaha!! Nothing. It just felt like you came right on time, with the perfect offer. Thanks a bunch Riku.¡± ¡°Gosh¡­ Seria-sis.¡± ¡°Come, it seems like the effect of the alcohol both subsided. I wonder if they got home safely. Better leave them a message later.¡± The two walked towards the park exit.
Ch11-1 Annette Monica Side A: With Kyrie Chapter 11 Anemone I. Annette Monica Side A: With Kyrie ¡°Kyrie-senpai!¡± The winter was ending and spring was about to begin. The snow covering the road had completely thawed. The coolness of the window glasses formed dew as the heater from inside the rooms still ran. The plants were growing healthy in green and the flowers should bud soon. The breeze from the outside was starting to get warmer, but anyone should at least still wear their winter uniform. It was already late in the morning but the warmness of my breath was still visible due to the coldness of the surroundings. It was not practically sunny, nor was it raining too. I did not know which type of clouds it were but they were scattered at the sky, making rays of sunlight pass through open gaps in them. In my honest opinion it was not my typical atmosphere for farewells because I promised her not to get melancholic over anything that seems so trivial. The graduation ceremony ended early. The senior student who just handed over their diplomas were now gathering at the front of the school entrance taking pictures. Some of them were walking out of the school with their groupies. Others were crying with their friends too. My eyes were clouded and nearly swollen. I was panting due to the distance I¡¯ve ran from the second floor down to the entrance. The girl walking a few meters away from me headed for the exit. She was one of those alone students who would want to just straight home after graduating. But it was not like she¡¯s alone because she had no friends or anything. There was this mysterious aura around her that would make someone not wanting to just casually stand by her side. Mysterious Beautiful Stunning Majestic I could just say whatever good quality anyone could have but all of them still wouldn¡¯t be enough to describe her character. Her straight silver hair lay down lightly got blown away by the cool wind. A ray of light suddenly shone down from us, making it look like a scene from those fantasy-genre mangas I had been reading for the past few weeks. A clich¨¦ scene where an angel descended towards a mere mortal like me. She was holding the diploma which she supported at her shoulder like holding a baseball bat in a fashionable way. She turned her head a bit which should be enough to be able to see me at a distance while still not being fully turned towards me. As she tried to hold her diploma on a fashionable way and looked at me and acted like wiping a runny-nose delicately which supposedly look ¡®zero¡¯ but went to ¡®hero¡¯ because she was the one to do it. She gave a good old smug before talking. ¡°How do I look, Little Annette??¡± ¡°Jeez.. Stop acting cool already and be like the others!¡± I started hopping towards her until I reached her front and stopped. ¡°I know you¡¯re quite sad inside too. I¡¯ll be here, and I will lend you a shoulder to cry on.¡± ¨CI¡¯ve delivered a form of teasing, only privileged to those junior students to say to their closest seniors who just graduated a few minutes ago. THUD!! ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Hmp. Don¡¯t get cocky, you being the new club president won¡¯t get you in any position ahead of me.¡± Wait¡­ Did she just declared me as the new club president? She seemed agitated over my statement. Her pride really was something. She would not want to get her pride wounded over a silly argument so she would try to find and find a way to win it over. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m in a contest with her or something anymore. She¡¯s on her final days at school already. I just want her to spend those being the happiest. If I would¡¯ve been a boy I would have fallen in love on her for countless of times already. What I felt was a great attachment, or rather, an obsession. I just wanted to be just as special one to her like nobody ever had before. I looked at her again and question myself I mean, why wouldn¡¯t I be obsessed with something created by God to be so close to perfection? ¡°It seems you¡¯ve made your decision already. Oh just one thing, you just make sure to keep the club running. I¡¯ll try to visit you at times.¡± ¡°Yes, Kyrie-senpai.¡± She was about to leave and I still had no idea how to continue her legacy at our school. I wondered why she had passed the baton over to me. There had been some students notable and worthy to succeed her throne as the president of our club. As I followed my train of thought I did not realize that time went on and it was now a few minutes since we started standing at the same spot. THUD!! I was hit again at the forehead with the rolled diploma. ¡°Ky-ky-ky-kyie-senpai!! I-I-I¡¯m sorry I dozed off!¡± ¡°Jeez, how would you be able to do the job I left you if you would always be like that? Keep your act together! Now I¡¯m really worried.¡± ¡°I¡­ If you would just give me permission to ask you a question.¡± ¡°Humu¡­ go...¡± She did not have any second thoughts before giving me permission. That would be a great proof that I was one of her closest friends. ¡°Why me?¡± I did not need to prolong the question. I wanted to avoid confusion as much but Kyrie-senpai was not someone who needed to have the situation explained to the very last of details for her to understand. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­¡± She paused for a long while. It took a minute or two or I didn¡¯t know. That moment I had forgotten how time on Earth goes. It¡¯s just that the way she rack up her brains were too cute to be even compared to the boundaries of human cuteness. She was just way too cute. After a few more moments she came to a halt, then looked at me and gave a sly smile. ¡°No matter how much I think of it I just can¡¯t find any reason. I just wanted to pick you, that¡¯s why. Maybe a hunch. Besides, you did not just landed at the clubroom by mistake.¡± That again¡­ ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± She was not the type of person who would lie and joke around at the same time. ¡°¡­Well I hope that hunch of yours turn out right. In any case, I¡¯ll do my best on my end.¡± It was about then that I made my very first promise with her. I¡¯ve been with Kyrie-senpai for my very whole first year, and I think she¡¯s the only one who knew me as a whole, and accepted me the way I am. With all¡¯s that said and done, she gave me an honest smile and started walking towards a long black car that was waiting at the front of the school gate. Please don¡¯t go¡­ Words wouldn¡¯t go out of me. I just have to say those words and everything will reach its conclusion. ¡°I¡ªI¡ªdo¡ª¡± ¨CI stuttered silently, silent enough to not let her hear my pathetic attempt to ask her to stay for a little while longer, like she usually did.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Please stay for a little while. I don¡¯t want you to leave me. Please don¡¯t leave. Yes, it was just like a mother going out for shopping while leaving her little kid at a daycare center. She stopped and turned towards me. She then headed towards me slowly. The succeeding few seconds of my wish becoming true went longer than the months we¡¯ve been together. It was the longest few seconds of my life where I had to wait for her as she approaches me. It had been very long that I did not noticed she¡¯s already at my front. ¡°How pathetic. Look at you. How unsightly.¡± She crouched and leveled herself towards me. I did not realized that I was already slumped at the ground, a truly unsightly scene I could offer to her as a graduation gift. She reached out a handkerchief at her pocket and wiped my snot-covered nose first, then my swollen eyes. I did not even realized I was already crying. I did so much just to have her turn back, return, and console me at my worst. ¡°I¡ªhic!¡ªI¡¯m sorry¡ªhic!¡ªKyriee-senpaaaaai!!!¡ªUWAAAAH!! Don¡¯t goooo!!!¡± I was just childishly wailing in front of the most nearly-perfect person that ever existed at our school. When did I went through such extent? Did I subconsciously made myself look pitiful just to get attention and delay her inevitable farewell with me? My mind was all blurry and jumbled. At least I said what I needed to say. ¡°Siiiigh¡­ You¡¯re such a kid, you know? Is this the unique ¡®you¡¯ that you have found out the remaining time we¡¯ve spent together?¡± Just like a mother, she patted my head and tried to calm me down before fully leaving. ¡°You think I won¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been doing these past month? I knew you¡¯ve been trying to make a manga by yourself. Was it because of that time that I¡¯ve piqued my interest on it?¡± ¡°How did you¡ª¡± ¡°I expected it from the start. It¡¯s not something you could hide from me.¡± It was supposedly one of my secrets but she have known it from the beginning. Of course I would be flustered and embarrassed to the fullest extent. ¡°You could continue it if you¡¯ve found it as a passion. I wouldn¡¯t want to fully influence your do¡¯s and don¡¯ts.¡± ¡°Kyrie-senpai?¡± ¡°Yes, today, I¡¯m freeing you of the shackles that had been binding you from this world. Come, liberate yourself.¡± She was referring to something. It should be my other self, that one whom everybody knew of that was the real me. The clingy and pathetic side of me that moment was only known by her, so it made no sense to show it to everybody else. But what could I do. My greatest senpai was about to leave the school. And we might not be able to meet again. ¡°¡­Trust me, we will meet again in the near future. I will only be gone for a moment. But I least I want to trust you to take care of yourself while I¡¯m gone, okay?¡± ¡°Sniff¡­ Okay¡­ sniff¡­ I promise to.¡± ¡°Now, where¡¯s the Little Brand-new Annette that you¡¯re supposed to show?¡± Was she sad too? Was she feeling the same way as I did? Her facial expression were too blank with a matching monotone voice. Of course I wouldn¡¯t know. She had been an expert on hiding her real self. But at least she¡¯s talked to me one last time. I knew she were graduating, and I promised her too that I wouldn¡¯t cry, but I can¡¯t suppress my emotions. I could only blame her for turning me into someone like this. But I guess there¡¯s nothing I could do. I just looked up to her face which was being shone upon with the ray of sunlight peeking at the clouds. But for some reason I could not remember the face she made that time as I answered, ¡°Heh! I was just acting. I might not be able to surpass you in this life, ¡®Queen Kyrie¡¯. But I promise at the next life(next meeting) and we encounter each other, I will make you eat my dust.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± That was what I remembered she answered me. It was a scene from my distant past. The clouds were starting to leave, giving a good afternoon sunshine that would be best for spring sakura viewing. A girl with straight long silver hair headed towards the school exit. An end. A beginning. --- Modern Earth, 20xx+3 A dream? Urgh my head hurts¡­ A faint ray of light woke me up from my deep sleep¡­ And I could hear a faint voice from a middle-aged man near me. ¡°She¡ª ¡­ acts like ¡­ ¡ªfrom Fred¡¯s team, but the difference is she¡¯s quite alone.¡± Oh it is Old Man, and not some shady intruder, nothing to worry about. God I dozed off. What time is it? Did I missed my deadline? How long was I asleep? Why wasn¡¯t I wearing anything? I get up like a high school girl that woke up earlier than the sound of her alarm clock. ¡°GOOD GRACIOUS! OH GOD NO!!¡± ¡°No nonononononono!! I¡¯m sorry Fred.¡± ¡°Trust me, whoever you are¡­ I¡¯m most probably not a burglar and I¡¯m most probably nooooOOOT a molester. I¡¯m not a pedophile. Please. I¡¯m just a humble editor.¡± What is he talking about? Oh that was the fake camcorder I¡¯ve installed. Fufufu he fell for the trap. So Stupid. ¡°Quick¡­ Put on some dress, gal. You don¡¯t want to add fuel on the fire that¡¯s incinerating me right now.¡± So stupid¡­ Good thing my editor, or rather ¡®Old Man¡¯ because he wanted to be called by it so why not, was someone I could trust, so him entering my apartment wouldn¡¯t be a problem, I think. I mean, look at him getting flustered for nothing. I murmured silently, ¡°¡­well at least I needed to do something about my naked body. I¡¯m starting to feel cold.¡± ¡°Quick¡­ Put on some dress, gal. You don¡¯t want to add fuel on the fire that¡¯s incinerating me right now.¡± I got a whole blanket wrapped around my whole body and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m totally exposed. I just hoped he did not saw my whole naked body accidentally. It would feel like I won¡¯t be able to marry anymore if that happened. It doesn¡¯t look like it anyway, I guess I could play with his stupidity for a while longer. ¡°yaaaaaAAAWWN! Oh, Old Man you¡¯re already here. I told you to always knock before you enter.¡± I said as I stretched my body as if I¡¯ve been asleep for a week. ¡°Knock, you say?¡± ¨CThe nerves started to appear through Old Man¡¯s forehead as he hear the words ¡®knock before you enter¡¯ I looked at the materials near me and checked to see if I could act like a royalty which had just been woken up by her most loyal butler. At least I got a blanket with me. Well this should be enough. ¡°Oh, wait I¡¯m not on fully awakened speech yet. Let me adjust quite a bit. My loyal servant! What brings you so suddenly at my Royal Palace? Come tell me, and the queen of darkness shall reward you appropriately.¡± Then after that exact sentence I¡¯ve received a long scolding. I think I¡¯ve made him snapped. I¡¯ve never seen him that angry before. Was he always like that even for the past authors he¡¯s managed? I tried to cool him down as he just ranted his stress. I also started to take account the things that must have happened on his way on my apartment. I¡¯ve always kept a spare key under the potted plant at the very corner of the apartment in front of my door, which only he and I knew. What if the tenant next door have seen him and took him for a suspicious person. That would mean a lot of trouble for him. Well, what¡¯s done was done. ¡°Just wait there and I¡¯ll dress up. Don¡¯t you dare peek on me. I could sue you immediately if you try something funny.¡± Well but I knew he won¡¯t. It just felt like it. This Old man had the air around him of a sincere salaryman that would just stick to doing his job rather than having any distractions via lewd thoughts. But still, he¡¯s a man at an age where he¡¯s considered the one to be responsible of me. I would not want to add up to his pent up stress because who knows what might happen if he reaches a certain extent. I quickly finished suiting up to my early morning gear. It was a tight suit I¡¯ve ordered at an online shop. It was a sleek black leather tight suit with thin red lining stitches at the sides. It would get harder for me to breathe if I fully zipped it up to the upper part of my neck, so I left it half-zipped a bit above my chest. It revealed quite a bit of a daring part of my body but I really bet he wouldn¡¯t mind. It would be just like as if he¡¯s watching a spy movie. I really loved trying one of these dresses so I ordered one, considering I¡¯m a working individual already. I just thought of it as a little gift for myself after all those hard work. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m good now.¡± He turned and went dumbfounded. ¡°What¡ªUgh! forget it!¡± ¡°Looks good, right?¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± He sat at a free chair at the front of my bed. The apartment complex was quite smaller to those I imagined way back when I was still at my hometown. But it could still fit in up to four people. But the space that was supposed to be for those other three had been occupied with various manga-related stuff, like the big table, some cabinets for stocking up supplies, lots of books, magazines, piled-up newspapers and other mangas for references and my bed which I just dumped beside my working table. The kitchen was quite small, and I eat at the free small space where I¡¯ve put in a television, small couch and a mini table. Besides all the indicated above, I still wondered how an apartment for four, became too crowded for just two. I¡¯ve got all the things needed already. We just need to get down to business. ¡°So, what does a loyal servant came here at my Royal palace for?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Did I not notice you of the event tonight?¡± It seemed that Old man had gotten a hang of how I was and started to understand me. We talked about it. It should be the awarding event he had been talking to after he got introduced to me. Ah shit. That was tonight¡­ I totally forgot. The event Old man was referring to was the oneshot competition I¡¯ve entered. It would be an event dedicated just to introduce me to their whole department. I¡¯ve been meaning to ask what was it for. They could just let me work without even making an extravagant event like this which I didn¡¯t really needed. But Old man might become too furious again. I didn¡¯t want to find myself wearing a neck brace because he snapped my spinal column in half. I just had to get away with a ¡°Yeah. The Royal Queen really did forgot about the grand event tonight.¡±, but he still gotten mad anyways. At times I wondered if he¡¯s just made of 99% hot gas like someone from a foreign cartoons I¡¯ve watched when I was a kid. He recovered from getting mad, but he still was not finished. He suddenly opened up about someone. ¡°As I¡¯ve been telling you, I was the previous editor of Maou Spence-sensei. He would be there tonight, along with his new editor. I guess it¡¯s about time to have you meet each other.¡± And it came. The thing that I¡¯ve been waiting for the most. This person was second to the most godlike existence I¡¯ve referred to as Kyrie-senpai. He was the very only one who became my sole inspiration for completing my award-winning oneshot. If it was not for his work I would not be able to enter the same industry as his, which I¡¯ve been pursuing ever since I was still at high school for the past two years. He was an idol, a reference, a person I could get obsessed to, and most of all, my second savior. ¡°Fu fu fu¡­¡± My laughter crept the whole room. Old man might get creeped out on me due to that but I still continued. ¡°It¡¯s about time both of our existence cross each other.¡± Besides all of the description I could give above for Frederie Spence, I could still give another thing to describe him. ¡°I as the Queen of Darkness. And you, as the Maou, my one and only Rival.¡± I held my right eye with my left hand as if it was aching. I acted like someone writhing in pain. Old man in front of me had stopped reacting. More like he stopped caring at all. He must knew it was all an act. It was all a silly childish play. ¡°Maou Spence-sensei!! Aaaaaah!! We¡¯re about to cross paths!¡± ¡°Fu ha ha ha!! FU HA HA HA HA!!!¡±
Ch11-2 Do ghosts even walk? Well they will.
  1. Do ghosts even walk? Well they will.
It was a big venue It was a big event solely dedicated for me, but¡­ I was sitting at the center of the stage. I was holding my head as it still ached due to being hit with a sharp object that was suddenly thrown towards me. In respect to the object that hit me, I looked around and saw a microphone at the ground. I was wondering why it would hurt so much. That was no joke. It seemed like the crime was did out of pure hatred rather than having any bit of remorse at all. Who in their right mind would?! I wanted to scream it out but I still had to deliver a good appearance as the event was dedicated for me. Of course I would get mad to someone who dared to interrupt my very special introduction to myself. I would get crazily angry. I wanted to catch her, tie her and torture her until she spews out who she¡¯s been working for. As far as I could, I erupted while still maintaining minimal anger on my statement. ¡°HOOORA!! WHADDYA¡¯ THINK YA DOIN!!¡ª¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± That was the face of someone I¡¯ve made promise with three years ago. Where have you been all these years? The light that had been focusing on me was obstructing my vision quite a bit, keeping me from seeing the person that was approaching her clearly. It had not been a few more moments until a spotlight started focusing on the frail-bodied girl who was the culprit of throwing the mic to her. What a grim premonition¡­ fu fu fu¡­ Dreams really could be scary at times. I was shaking. Was it because of the cold temperature on the venue and I was at my almost naked outfit, or was it because of the happiness I felt due to the sudden reunion. ¡°Ky-Ky-Ky-Kyrie-schwenphai!?¡± I stuttered the sentence out of me. The cold must have gotten into me that it started affecting my speech too. ¡°Humu. I see you never even changed after I graduated. Annette Monica. Or should I say, Anemone-sensei?¡± ¡°Bu-but wh-wh-why?!¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯re displeased to see me.¡± I still couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. It was like a ghost suddenly appeared in front of me. She picked up the mic and started apologizing at the audience due to the commotion she¡¯s caused. But it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was how I should talk to her after these three long years that we hadn¡¯t seen each other. ¡°uwaaah¡­¡± ¨CI blushed silently as she continued talking to the audience. Looking back, it was about more than three years when I first met Kyrie-senpai. --- Annette Monica Modern Earth, 20xx-1 A girl in her scarlet red hair is to be seen sitting at her very own chair and desk placed at the very back corner besides the window of a certain class. It could be compared to those heroines at shoujo mangas where the very first page of the very first chapter could introduce a character like her. Well that was me. I was quite a loner when I was still at the very start of my high school. But it was not like I was casted aside by the whole class, nor was I being bullied. I just chose to be alone for some time myself. I did not had any problems making friends when I was at middle school too. In fact, I was pretty popular, but it was just way back then. At the very first day of my high school I had suddenly caught a fever, so I had to stay at home for about a week. When I got back most of the girls from the class had formed their own groupies and were buddy-buddies with each other already. It was not like I was afraid of talking to them. I just felt like I wanted to be alone for the time being. I could always start talking to them and make friends. They had their first impressions and weird rumors going around but I didn¡¯t care. I could always just prove them wrong. Siiiiigggghh¡­ I let out a long sigh while supporting my chin with my right hand and looking outside the window as the clouds pass by. My parents have always told me that I¡¯m a half native and a half foreigner from a faraway land. Well, aren¡¯t those too fancy for a character background of a sub-character like me with no friends? It was actually like a character background from some fairy tale where the main character princess gets rescued by her prince charming at the time she needed him the most. Those formats are so very fir for an always delusional child like me. They told me to always be friendly at school so I won¡¯t grew up a lonely loner girl that¡¯s always been being isolated by the class. I just followed, and I made friends, that¡¯s how it had always been ever since. ¡°Well that was just at the past though¡­¡± I murmured and gave another sigh. Well what could a loner girl like me do at these kinds of situation anyways? I stood up and left the classroom. --- It was ideal for a loner girl like me to go towards the rooftop, bring a melon bread and milk from the vending machine, and take my lunch there like any other typical outlaw-ish type loner character. Yet I decided to take my lunch inside the classroom. Munch¡­ Munch¡­ Munch¡­ ¡°Uwaaaah. This is too much for me to eat¡­¡± I looked at my lunchbox and saw the excessive food that would soon be wasted because I wouldn¡¯t be able to eat what¡¯s offered to me by my beloved mom. Those would be leftovers that either I bring home and tell my parents I did not have much appetite; or I would just throw them over and tell them I shared them with my friends. I bet they would be ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice, having lunch with friends sometimes. That¡¯s the power of youth.¡± I would still feel bad for the wasted food though. The food I¡¯m eating was carefully prepared by my loving parents maybe for the sole purpose of sharing it with ¡®friends¡¯. In short, it was well-planned. I looked around. I saw groupies already eating together. In a middle of a meal, it would be rude to just suddenly pop out and go ¡®Oh hey! Could I still eat lunch with you?¡¯ or something. And since there were only types of people at the classroom that¡¯s either: eating, eaten already, or no plans to eat at all, I really felt out of place. ¡°Well, special occasions.¡± ¨CI¡¯ve decided to eat everything in exchange for gaining weight that day. --- Days passed by, and most of my classmates had acknowledged my existence already. They would talk to me about random various stuff, related to studying or not. But I did my best to keep distance towards them. I did not want to enter their circle of friends and would want to maintain my status as a loner, since I was getting used to it already. I was practically enjoying it. But it did not last long. All those selfish acting struck back on me. In the end, I had to swallow my own pride and go against the way I wanted it to be. At the end of the day, I was still a loner little girl. There were instances that would need groupmates, or P.E. partners, or even just the very little thought of having someone to chat with. There really were times that I would be staring at the window saying to myself ¡®Ah, I miss those glamorous days where I still have friends that I could chat with¡­¡¯ But still, at the end of the day, I was still a loner little girl. ¡°Ah there goes the bell, what are you gonna¡¯ do after class? Let¡¯s hang out!¡± I¡¯ve heard my other classmates. I guess it¡¯s time to go home¡­ ¡°Or maybe not.¡± Those were the times were its still not too late to join a club. I¡¯ve thought that maybe I could search the school for clubs that might accept me, whatever club it is that¡¯s not exhausting like sports clubs. So I wandered around¡­ ¡­and wandered¡­ ¡­and wandered¡­ and wandered around the school until I¡¯ve found myself in a place being seldom visited by most of the students. There were still clubrooms at the area but it would be like you never knew these clubs existed at first place. Actually it was the place that seemed to never exist at first place.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. As I wandered around the area I reached the very end where a single door that might lead me to the other dimension could be found. It looked haunted, but at the same time it looked mysterious that you would get drawn and open it. I opened the door. ¡°HIIIIYAAAAAAAH!!!!¡± I screamed my lungs out. ¡°UWAH! What do you think you¡¯re doing, suddenly screaming?¡± I was startled to the point that I cramped up and couldn¡¯t move my legs. I was scared upon seeing a ghost. She was a girl in our school uniform and had silver straight hair. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ please don¡¯t hurt me or haunt me¡­ I¡¯ve been a good girl. I promise I¡¯ll socialize more with my classmates. Just don¡¯t do anything bad to me.¡± She looked at me with a dead fish eyes, which along with her monotonic voice as she talked. I questioned myself if ghosts really could not project emotions, that¡¯s why she¡¯s been looking at me like that. What if she was already cursing me? I was too scared to even move a muscle. It was like all my body functions besides my five basic senses have halted. Actually I could have thought first if ghosts really exists, but I¡¯ve skipped the fundamental parts and assessed she¡¯s a ghost already. ¡°Oh good gracious, here we go again¡­ Are you a freshman?¡± ¡°HIIIIIII!!!¡± She started asking for my details. That¡¯s it! She¡¯s going to curse me!! I¡¯m very dead for sure!! I could not think up of a better response than a shriek. My body fell down at the floor slowly like a steady tower crumbling at the midst of a strong earthquake. I had always been afraid of ghosts, still, will and will always be. She stood, and steadily walked towards me. ¡°You¡­ You can w-w-walk?¡± ¨CA silly question I¡¯ve asked her. ¡°Humu. Of course I could. Do you not know¡­¡± She headed towards me and whispered, ¡°¡­not all ghosts are floating?¡± Her voice send shivers down my spine. I should be at the peak of my fright but I realized too that she¡¯s just teasing me. She¡¯s a mere human, just like me. But¡­ I was too late to realize it. I¡¯ve shown a pathetic side of myself at a very first encounter with the person speaking to me. That should seal the worst first impression that any student at this school could have towards me. ¡°Heeeeh¡­ You¡¯re not a ghost. What have I been afraid for¡­¡± My tone was disappointed, with a mix of the slightest intention of saving myself from embarrassment. ¡°How did you say so?¡± The girl stood up, she went towards the sliding door at my back and closed it. I heard a clicking sound afterwards. She must have locked it. I wondered what her aim would be, locking us up at a deserted room at the ends of the school. She then went back and crouched in front of me. The girl pressed her feeble body towards me. The force was so little that I was pushed back only until my back slightly pressed onto the wall. I supported my body from falling with both my arms at the ground. ¡°Wha- awawawa!!¡ª¡± ¡°Shuuush. Stop making some noise. Others might hear us.¡± The girl slowly pressed her index finger on my soft lips to stop my talking and stuttering. I blushed. I wasn¡¯t into relationship with my same gender, nor was I interested with ¡®yuri¡¯ stuff. Even for me, as a loner, I wanted to have a proper relationship with a boy in the near future, fell in love, marry, and raise a family. Would I be tainted by with some insane freak I just accidentally met at a deserted room at the farthest side of the school? I closed my eyes as I questioned those and got afraid that my purity will be tainted. Then slowly, she got nearer¡­ and nearer¡­ until her face was almost touching mine. Please stop¡­ Stop¡­ please¡­ STOOOOP!!! I closed my eyes, and waited for seconds like I didn¡¯t care anymore. I would be broken but I guess it should be fine. I could manage anyways. Then. ¡°Fufufu¡­ FU HA HA HA HA!!! Humu. That was one of the best laughs I¡¯ve had since ¡®Meat lump¡¯.¡± She burst out laughing. Eh? ¡°Humu. That decides it, I like you.¡± ¡°Eh?... what happened?¡± ¡°Are you really expecting something to happen? I¡¯m quite amused.¡± She regained her distance, and slowly stood up while laughing loudly. It seemed like she just teased me out of boredom. I¡¯ve read quite a few manga and novels which introduced characters like her, but I really thought it would be something that could only be found on fictions. I was at a loss for words. I did not know how I should react, given the situation I was put through. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°I have a name, but for some reason you wanted to insist calling me ¡®you¡¯ then I would be kicking you out of here right now. My name is Kyrie. I¡¯m a third year student here.¡± ¡°Th-then.. Kyrie-senpai, I suppose.¡± ¡°You could call me Kyrie if you want.¡± She advised to not act too formal, but as if I would immediately get accustomed to that. She¡¯s a third year and nearing her peak of her experience, and I was just a cocky freshman who would just start her high school life. In every aspect it would be difficult to adjust. At least for a few months, if I get caught up with this. During the days when I was still a kid, I used to be always getting caught up with events which forces me to become part of something: ¡®A bystander who suddenly gets involved¡¯. I was playful, even still at that moment. Part of me was wanting for something to happen that would stir up my everyday life. I suppose I¡¯ve gotten too used to that kind of life. ¡°Why suddenly turn silent? Did your spirit left you? I have no means of getting it back.¡± There was a quick pause, followed by the faint sound of student club activities from afar. I decided to break the silence. ¡°Uhm¡­ Kyrie-senpai¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± She finally got back and found a comfortable position at her solo couch which just fits her small body. I¡¯ve got several questions I had at my mind, yet I still continued to ask the supposedly last-in-line question ¡°Don¡¯t you have any friends?¡± She became flustered. Then gave a big laugh ¡°Humu. That¡¯s a tough question, indeed.¡± She caught up with her breathing and talked. ¡°You like short but straight to the point talks, perhaps.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨CI tried to trace back even at least a step. ¡°No, please don¡¯t mind. Just how straightforward can you be?¡± At which point did I do wrong? I could¡¯ve asked her what club she currently houses at that secluded room. I could¡¯ve also asked for the club members, or the adviser or whichever activities they¡¯re doing. I could¡¯ve also opened up a topic that¡¯s less awkward. At least she¡¯s not short-minded of a person to get agitated over the slightest slips. ¡°Really. ¡®cause I¡¯ve just been wondering why you¡¯re all alone here at a secluded place like this even if ¨C¡± ¡°Even if?¡± I¡¯ve already noticed before, but still looking at her while she combs her silky silver straight long hair while looking at me with those majestic eyes were really captivating. It was like I was pulled in to another world where there were only the two of us, no one and nothing else. You might think she¡¯s a ghost or an angel, or some god in disguise, but in reality, she¡¯s still just a person, which in my perspective was someone close enough to be called perfect. I blushed, and gathered all my determination to praise her just once. It might not happen again, a meeting like this, so at least I should give one. ¡°¡­you¡¯re really pretty¡­¡± ¡°Humu, that should be something given¡­¡± She went back to her monotone voice. ¡°I¡¯m used to being praised young one, that¡¯s to be expected of me. But you don¡¯t need to go that far to make it sound like a praise you give only every once in a blue moon. It just makes it more favorable for you. I¡¯m quite pissed, but I guess after hearing a praise like that, I would give you a small reward. Punishment comes later.¡± What is she suddenly talking about? That¡¯s quite arrogant tone. ¡°I¡¯ll answer you three questions¡± ¡°You a genie or something?!¡± ¡°First of all, I have friends. In fact, they just haven¡¯t arrived yet. I¡¯m the club president and it would only be normal to have members if you want to keep the club going.¡± ¡°Eh¡ªah?¡± I was caught off-trail. She suddenly started talking was it the question I asked her a while ago if she don¡¯t have any friends? It was natural to think at first that where there¡¯s a person, there¡¯s a club. But at the same time the same could be said true about her being a loner and just wanted to pass time at a remote room at the almost non-existent corner of the school. ¡°I also have a normal life, friends at class, butlers in black suits, maids, fanclub, usual stuff¡± Uwaaaah~~ as I thought, she¡¯s not normal. The only thing normal among the things she mentioned is that she have a normal life!! ¨CWhich she clearly doesn¡¯t!!! ¨CIn my case having friends at class is not normal too, so meh. I needed to regain my composure faster than I could get swept up with the pace of her ridiculous talking. ¡°Uhm¡­ Okay, okay, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve asked a stupid question without thinking it over carefully.¡± ¡°Okay then, so long as you understand. Now quick, proceed to the second question. I don¡¯t have that much time left.¡± She really talked like a being that popped out of a magic lamp and grants someone three ¡®something¡¯. Do I continue speaking with her? Do I start excusing myself and leave? Questions clouded my mind but she wouldn¡¯t let me choose. It was more like her presence wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Uhm¡­ So what club is this?¡± ¡°Oh, this is the research club, AKA ¡®Do Nothing or Go Home Squad¡¯. As its name suggests, we literally do nothing that contributes to the school. We¡¯re just goofing around and wasting free time. We don¡¯t have any club activities nor set up any booths at festivals. By the way, telling the faculty won¡¯t help. I¡¯ve used my influence to have them cover up for our club activities. To others this is just a non-existent club that only goes through rumors and urban legends.¡± ¡°???¡± The most unsettling part of her explanation was having her influence shut the faculty up with the existence of their club. It was in every aspect: wrong. I wondered how much of the student body knew it really exists and whether they were paid for their silence too. I was scared to know just how much of an influential being Kyrie-senpai at the school was. The more you know, the heavier the burden gets. But I paid no mind. Wandering around and reaching the clubroom myself was a very more alarming thing to think about. ¡°Then why create your own little cradle here, if you also had group of friends at your class? Are they also the same as the other members?¡± ¡°Well¡­ no, I¡¯ve kept them separate. It¡¯s okay by them anyways. I know they all just hang out with me for fame. It¡¯s fine though, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m letting them manipulate my life events. I¡¯ve got nothing to hide from them, so I¡¯ve let them know everything, and the extent of what I know and what I could. They still chose to befriend me for their own sake. Feeling¡¯s not really mutual, but no harm is being produced to both sides. But that¡¯s not the case here at the club. It¡¯s the actual opposite.¡± Well that ensured there are other people know of this. Well that¡¯s not what¡¯s important anymore. ¡°Is that all you want to ask me? The club members are about to arrive, you might not have a chance to do it later.¡± The other club members are about to arrive at any moment yet still I feel lacking towards our one on one conversation. What did I wanted to ask at first? Why did I even stayed to the point that we¡¯re already having a conversation? I was not sure. The answers I¡¯m getting are being overshadowed by follow up questions I didn¡¯t want to have. It was like adding more fuel to a forest fire. It was then when SLAM!! ¡°Aaaaaah! It¡¯s so hot. I¡¯m getting sweaty! Kyrie turn on the AC!¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re cutting budget this month. We need more snacks, so deal with it.¡± ¡°Eeeeh?! ¡®dun wanna¡¯!!¡± ¡°Hey, Meat Lump! Don¡¯t just stick your butt here! Enter now or I¡¯m going to kick you! Quickly enter the room so nobody gets hurt.¡± ¡°Waaah! Kyrie-chaaan!!¡± ¡°He-hey! Don¡¯t bump! The door¡¯s too narrow!!¡± About four other girls entered the room they came storming in one after another. The quiet peaceful environment created by the two of us, was suddenly stormed by these ¡®fellow club members¡¯. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re new? I remember Kyrie saying some few days ago that we might have a new member. Sometimes I really wonders if she¡¯s an esper or somebody with supernatural powers that came from another world. Amazing, isn¡¯t she?¡± The three entering members were now followed by the last one who approached me just like a normal human would. She seemed reasonable while she talked. Aaah, finally somebody I could talk sense to. I felt relieved that there would be somebody I could talk to directly from these bunch. Or did I really? ¡°Well, time¡¯s up. The other club members are already here.¡± Kyrie-senpai continued to talk to me. I lost all my chance to ask the one last question building up inside me. Or did I? Was it really coincidence that had me ending up being here in this almost desolated place in search for a club I could join? At that moment I was still conflicted upon believing fates and destinies. But if it was really fate that manipulated me on this fated meeting, I guess I have no choice but to play the role. Besides, the upperclassmen named Kyrie-senpai was too shrouded with mystery that it makes me want to know more and get closer to her. ¡°Uhm¡­ Kyrie-senpai¡­¡± I finally caught the attention of all the members. ¡°Oh there¡¯s someone.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t noticed her there. Why is she still slumped like a kid?¡± ¡°Oh. Kyrie-chan drawn in another poor soul.¡± She responded. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve told you I won¡¯t be answering any more questions once the other members arrived. Well anyways, I think it would be the most important you have. Well, let us hear it.¡± I gathered my courage, it¡¯s now or never. ¡°The¡ª the club! Please let me join!¡±
Ch11-3 Just a normal day on a redhead’s daily life with her senpais. III. Just a normal day on a redhead¡¯s daily life with her senpais. ¡°Annechi, pass me the smoothie at the table, pleeeease?¡± ¡°No, get it yourself.¡± ¡°PLEEEEAAAASSEEE??!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Pain in the ass.¡± I reached out towards the paper cup at the table. It had been left there for a long time already so the supposedly cold drink was now a just a semi-cool smoothie drink with its shaved ice or ice cream or whatever cool substance was used to it surely have melted already. I¡¯ve handed the cup over to Amanecchi-senpai sitting at the other side of the room. But that was not the problem. A root cause still lied as to why we were acting like that. ¡°Kyriiiieee-senpaaaaai!!¡± I screamed myself out of heat and exhaustion. We¡¯re not even exercising or working out or having PE subject. We¡¯re just having our late afternoon after-school club activity (which literally is do nothing or go home squad). But the supposed to be nice killing the time activity was turned into a literal scorching hell. As in literal. I rolled over my body, lay myself at the narrow space of the couch. I tried to make it look so lewd that it would get the attention of the reading Kyrie-senpai from her separate seat. My excessive sweat should have wetted my uniform that it made my undergarments slightly visible from within. ¡°Whitwheew~~ nice figure Annechi.¡± ¨Cbut the person that noticed me was Amane-senpai and not Kyrie-senpai. ¡°Why are we not turning on the AC!!!!¡± I screamed the heat out of my lungs. It was really uncomfortable sweating even with the sun about to set late at the afternoon. It was still hot at a classroom without proper ventilation. ¡°At least bring an electric fan or something.¡± I can¡¯t stop complaining. We have been hanging out without even doing anything for about 3 hours already, enduring the heat of the summer sun penetrating at the building walls towards the spacious room that¡¯s not being protected by the AC or any cooling device. ¡°Quit it with the complaining newbie. You¡¯ve been only here for a week and you already started acting too familiar with Kyrie already.¡± The one speaking in a frank manner was Suzuha. The others have been calling her Suzuchi for some reason, so I started calling her that too. She was a happy-go-lucky girl with hair colored in blonde (or it was natural) and a semi-tan brown colored skin. Her school uniform which was so fitted that she can¡¯t close the upper buttons. It had been showing her huge boobs which does not really fit her age. I was not envious though, I¡¯m pretty confident with my figure. She looked like an average gal you could find at the cities, but she still got a distinct aura which differentiates her other gals. ¡°Quit it Suzucchi-senpai, just accept me already. I¡¯m a club member now.¡± ¡°Look, that¡¯s not the issue here.¡± Amongst all the members of the club, excluding Kyrie-senpai which didn¡¯t really seem to care, she¡¯s the only one who¡¯s treating my getting along with everybody so fast as a big deal. Quite a bratty act for a senpai that¡¯s two years older than me. ¡°My My, when will you move on about that? Perhaps is it really getting on your nerves, that you can¡¯t act as an upperclassman for Annechi here.¡± ¡°Sheesh it¡¯s not like that, I tell you. She just at least have to show some respect.¡± ¡°Hey it¡¯s not like I¡¯m showing disrespect towards anyone here. I¡¯ve still always treated you as senpais.¡± ¡°See? She still knows where to draw the line.¡± Heh, and here I thought she¡¯s already a full ally. The girl took a sip on her ¡®now liquid¡¯ smoothie was Amane-senpai. She¡¯s a girl with a twin pony-tailed brown hair, sharp hazel-colored eyes, and a snow-like complexion which looks like vampire skin. Unlike Suzuha-senpai, which dressed quite vulgarly, her dress looked more normal: a proper uniform and a proper length skirt. She was quite slender compared to Suzuha-senpai which had a plump figure. At first look, she didn¡¯t have the aura of someone who would avoid having other friends and kill time at a remote club room. ¡°Hahaha! Silly you don¡¯t have to turn awkwardly silent, Annechi.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to joke about that.¡± ¡°Yeah seriously that killed the mood, my bad. Blergh!! This smoothie tastes less and less like one each and every minute.¡± She continued to sip on the melted liquid formerly known as a smoothie and realized it was not the drink she initially brought. The canteens should have been long closed so she won¡¯t be able to buy a new one even if she wanted. ¡°Well the drink should have been okay if we just have the AC turned on.¡± The third girl that talked was Moemi-senpai. The girl in pink (surely dyed hair) and red eyes (I did not know that time if she was using contacts) stood up and walked towards Amane-senpai. ¡°Kyrie-chaaan. What will we do with my drink? Give me back my moneeeey!¡± Amane-senpai playfully turned towards Kyrie-senpai and started joking around with her non-cold drink. She continued bugging her while I noticed Moemi-senpai approached me. She rested her boobs at the backrest part of the couch. I¡¯ve always been reluctant to tell her, but it was always humongous. Amongst all of the girls at the clubroom, Moemi-senpai was the very definition of the word meat. The very existence was the personification of unfairness and doubt when it comes to her boob size. Suzuha-senpai¡¯s was already that developed, but hers was like as of one from a side character of a comedy manga. I never knew such beings existed, since it was only seen at fictions and such. I¡¯ve been wanting to tell her ¡°hi cow¡± but I could not. I should not. It would be for another months before I could call her ¡®Meat Lump¡¯ like my other senpais could. Yeah, I should really keep my cool or it won¡¯t end well with her. But it¡¯s not like it was the only thing that¡¯s dominant with her looks. Her arms and legs are distinguished with muscle lines. I¡¯ve heard that she was at the swimming club too. I was conflicted whether she was always taking her practice seriously, or she¡¯s just a lazy ¡®just-in-for-fame¡¯ member because she¡¯s always hang out at our clubroom, yet still had a well-maintained body, not counting her imbalanced boobs. MOO!! Now that I had observed her more, the ¡®MOO!!¡¯-ing sounds just kept getting and getting louder on my brain, to the point that I might get mentally squished by these two big lumps of meat that she¡¯s boasting in front of me. It was like also saying ¡°Hey I got boobs! Meh meh bleeeeh!!¡± right in front of me, it¡¯s shattering my pride as a growing teen already. ¡°Hi cow¡­¡± ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°Ah, no no, it¡¯s nothing, I just remembered my pet named cow.¡± ¡°Pff~~¡± I heard a puffing sound nearby, it was a supposed to be sudden burst of laughter that was successfully contained inside to just not hurt a close friend. But it was really a mean one. I mean, I was mean, but at least I¡¯ve successfully hidden my intention to tease Moemi-senpai with the size of her breasts.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Jeez!! Kyrie-chan!! Shiichan and Anecchi are teasing me again! Uwaaaah!!!¡± Or not¡­ She suddenly started bursting to tears and rushed towards Kyrie-senpai which was just wanting to have a peaceful late afternoon tea-time. Her response to others teasing her was quite the opposite from what one would initially expect to come out from her, considering her build. Now there were two persons bugging her. I felt the conscience welling up since it was quite a bit my fault why Kyrie-senpai was experiencing that. ¡°Moemi-senpai I think you really should stop that. Please don¡¯t do that to Kyrie-senpai while she¡¯s busy with her tea.¡± ¨CI tried to sugarcoat my wrongdoings. ¡°Bleeeeeh¡± She turned towards me and stuck out her tongue. I realize she was just doing it in order to cling onto Kyrie-senpai. I got the feel before but I was quite certain that she ¡®likes¡¯ Kyrie-senpai. To make it more confusing, let¡¯s say that Kyrie-senpai knew too. She was a know-it-all type of person at all, a genius perhaps. Well in any case, it was pretty obvious even for us too, but we just let it be. It was not like it was giving harm to our relationship as fellow club-members. ¡°Could you guys please stop making unnecessary noise and add up to this heat we¡¯re experiencing.¡± ¡°Meh, rich words coming from someone with full intent of teasing me and my body again.¡± ¡°Oh, so you knew?¡± Shiyruu-senpai held her glass and repositioned it in a respectable manner: like those of the most respected student council presidents from high school dramas I¡¯ve been watching on TV. Shiryuu-senpai was like the elder sister amongst all of us at the club. She had a bob-cut sleek black hair, jet-black eyes and glasses. What¡¯s more distinguishable on her looks was the mole at her right cheeks, right under the right-bottom side of her eye, which even I found attractive every time she fixed her glasses¡¯ position. She¡¯s quite slim, and had underdeveloped body compared to the other three, and was more like Kyrie-senpai in terms of body built. Kyrie-senpai was just ahead of body frailness, which seemed more fragile like hers. She could act jolly at times, like the one which she demonstrated a moment ago, while still having the air of the respectable elder sister for us. If I were to compare her with Kyrie-senpai, Kyrie-senpai would be a mystical being closest to perfection, while Shiryuu-senpai would be the very hardworking person who¡¯s achieved the spot worthy to stand beside her. She seemed to be like always trying to catch up to her, as an equal, but little did she knew that she¡¯s already been being recognized as a different individual than Kyrie-senpai, in a good way too. ¡°Don¡¯t get angry at Shiichan-senpai, Moemi-senpai. It¡¯s my fault to begin with. I¡¯ve gone too far with the jokes again¡­ It¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°JEEEEZ!! I¡¯ve told you it¡¯s not like I¡¯m enjoying this feature of miiiiineee!!!¡± ¡°HA HA HA!! Let me tell you straight Moemi, you¡¯re boobs are huge, even larger than mine!¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really an unnecessary comment, thanks for the follow up.¡± ¡°Kyrie-chaaaaan they¡¯re ganging up on meeeee.¡± The seemingly endless noisy chatter continued without any care for those who wanted to have a quiet afternoon. It had not been proven if being noisy add up to the heat building up in a room without proper ventilation, or it¡¯s just our minds playing tricks on us. But it was surely getting hot. SNAP! ¡°Oh crap.¡± The snap that was heard that moment was not of some ordinary snapping of one¡¯s calmness, but perhaps a literal one. It was a literally snapping object. Our sense of hearing did not play tricks on us and it was not just an ¡®ehem¡¯ Kyrie-senpai had made. For some unexplainable circumstance the small teacup plate was split in half. Everybody at that room had the look of ¡®Eh, seriously?¡¯ It was a warning. ¡®How long are you still going to interrupt my peaceful teatime?¡¯ Shiryuu-senpai continued reading her book like nothing happened. Suzuha-senpai started bringing out a nail polishing kit and started doing her nails while whistling. I took a deep breath and lifted my uniform back and forth in attempt to fan myself. Everybody at the room immediately got the mood except for the blockhead mass of meat-lump named Moemi-senpai. ¡°Hey Kyrie-chan, are you angry? I¡¯m sorry but they really went too far this time. Hey, Kyriiiieeee-chaaaaan, notice meeeeeee.¡± THUMP!! For the past week that I have been at the clubroom I¡¯ve seen plenty enough of every member¡¯s shenanigans to have myself act comfortable while with them. Suzuha-senpai might be always keeping me reminded about it, but I knew deep inside she won¡¯t go as far as to drag me out of my style and forcefully instill her ideals onto me. She¡¯s not that kind of person. Amane-senpai should always keep Suzuha-senpai in check, and always acts as a counter force towards her so she wouldn¡¯t cross any line with her speech. Moemi-senpai was not the type to fight back, so she¡¯s that one that¡¯s getting bullied most of the time. I wondered if there would be a time that these senpais would bully me instead. Lastly, both Shiryuu-senpai and Kyrie-senpai were the ones who acted as the pillars of the club. That moment I still did now knew why they agreed upon letting me join, for there were still events that were about to happen. --- ¡°Fueee~~¡± We were walking towards the front gate of the school. Moemi-senpai was still feeling the mass of lump on her head as Kyrie-senpai hit her with a teacup. The hit was so critical that the sound it made let us imagined a small creaking of a portion of Moemi-senpai¡¯s skull. I won¡¯t ever let myself get hit by that ¨Cwas the only thought us four had after seeing Kyrie-senpai miraculously split a ceramic plate in half with just pure silence and sinister intent. Her strength must have been insane in contrast to her size, unless she use another method while we weren¡¯t looking. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for disturbing my teatime.¡± She told her at last. I felt quite sorry for the aching Moemi-senpai since I was the one that instigate the whole event. ¡°Come on now, Kyrie-senpai, It was my fault for starting the topic anyways. And really, at first place, it was not like we don¡¯t have an AC. Or anybody amongst us might have requested any form of ventilation from the faculty, like an elfectric fan, or something.¡± ¡°I told you already that we¡¯re cutting our budget. Requesting unnecessary items at unnecessary times would cost us. What would you want in exchange of turning the AC on, less tea budget for my teatime?¡± Ah there it is, it finally came out. She¡¯s not even trying to hide it. Her intention was as clear as tempered glass. She was just trying to buy the latest and most expensive brand of tea with our club budget. Well what could I say? I already knew that time that she¡¯s the daughter of one of the most influential and crazy rich family at our town. She¡¯s always being driven towards school by a huge black car back and forth from their house. She didn¡¯t even look like someone who had tried to walk her way to school. Wasn¡¯t she getting any extra allowance from her parents, or she¡¯s just using it on other stuff, or she really was just that mature to go and save it to her personal bank for savings even though she didn¡¯t really need it. ¡°As expected of Kyrie-chan. Let me give you a hug!¡± The dejected Moemi-senpai suddenly turned 180 energetic. She sure recovered quickly. ¡°Okay Okaaay stop! Before I add another lump in your forehead. You would not want a miniature imitation of your boobs sticking at your forehead, would you?¡± ¡°Fuee~~¡± ¨CMoemi-senpai immediately calmed down while covering her forehead with her two hands. ¡°Kyrie, even the newbie had her point!¡± ¡°Please refrain from calling me a ¡®newbie¡¯, it feels like we¡¯re playing an online game¡± ¡°At least leave a single electric fan or something. UWAHHH I¡¯m soaking wet¡ª¡± ¡°Yes you reek of sweat.¡± Sniff sniff ¡°¡ªNO!¡± We continued to be a noisy bunch heading out of the school yard towards the gate. This had been the routine for us for the past week. I had already blended myself towards them, but seeing them chat like better old friends, I really was feeling out of place at times they continued on with their usual discussion with me being unable to follow. Well it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been with them for a month now. For starters, let me take it slowly. ¡°In any case, decision is final. I¡¯ll be using our club budget this month for the tea flavor I¡¯d love to buy. You can find ways on your own and deal with the current situation for the room¡¯s ventilation. I hope I could entrust you with that task, Vice-pres.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll find ways.¡± ¡°Eeh?!¡± ¨CI was shocked, that was new. I never imagined Shiryuu-senpai would agree to such an unreasonable request. ¡°Yes, don¡¯t be shocked. I know what you¡¯re thinking. Fu fu fu.¡ªOr maybe not. Well in any case, we all have our issues. This is your first week yet you¡¯ve managed to get along with us, but what you see is still just the tip of the iceberg¡± The one that tapped my shoulder to stop me from being surprised was Amane-senpai. I did not expect those words to come out from her since she had always been a jolly one like Moemi-senpai and Suzuha-senpai. That should not been the point where she would suddenly blurting out life advises and serious statements. ¡°Wait, what do you¡ª¡± Before I knew it we we¡¯re already at the gate and there¡¯s the big black car that¡¯s supposed to be Kyrie-senpai¡¯s service. ¡°Well see you guys tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yah, see you¡± ¨CShiryuu-senpai waved her hand towards Amane-senpai and Suzuha-senpai who¡¯s going to the direction of their houses together. Their houses were quite close so they¡¯re the ones that were always going home together. ¡°See ya¡¯¡± ¨CI also waved at them. Now it was just the four of us. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Kyrie-chan. He he he.¡± ¡°Humu. Tomorrow is Saturday. Sooo¡­ Stay at bed.¡± Kyrie-senpai shut her down like ordering a dog to stay put. Moemi-senpai had gone through enough for that day. ¡°SEE YAAA!!!¡± ¨Cbut she still quickly recovered like it was nothing. Waving at us back while walking and not looking at her path. I had nothing to do after club hours, so I decided to go home. It was not past curfew hours yet so I could still hang around a little, but with my fellow club members as the only ones I had connections with, I was a ¡®go-home straight after club activities¡¯ student. Ah, well I guess it¡¯s about time I make friends with me classmates as well too. Ah well, I¡¯ll leave that problem to the Monday¡¯s me ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be heading home too. See you, Kyrie-senpai, Shiichan-senpai.¡± It was when I was blocked by Kyrie-senpai¡¯s driver. I was dumbfounded. ¡°You won¡¯t have any issues or violent reactions with this, right? Shiryuu?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Just don¡¯t wander for too long.¡± ¡°Wha- what are you two?¡± I looked at the faces of the two and they¡¯re showing a face like ¡®This is normal¡¯. The sense of danger got ahead of me and I tried to break free from the driver. He¡¯s just alone, I could break free if I used my speed and girlish traits. Grab. It was already too late. ¡°Fu Fu Fu. Do you really think I¡¯d let you go, especially now that Shiryuu and I have gone through this lengths.¡± Eh? I suddenly couldn¡¯t speak. There was suddenly a welling up feeling of pressure being emitted by the two top figures of the club, named as the president and the vice president. What were they planning to do with me? And what¡¯s the meaning of this big black car. Was Kyrie-senpai actually a daughter of a known yakuza and they were actually abducting high school girls to recruit to their group. Did I messed up? ¡°Awa¡ªawa¡ªawawawa¡ª¡± ¨CI lost my sense of speech. ¡°Sigh¡­ This won¡¯t be an abduction, we¡¯ll just take a quick tour of the city, no worries. I just wanted to talk with you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Now I was even more confused.
Ch11-4 Anemone Side B: With Fred IV. Anemone Side B: With Fred Modern Earth, 20xy I bowed down my head and apologized to the audience. Actually I didn¡¯t want to do it. It was more like I was being forced to. Khuk! And here I thought I¡¯ve gained enough strength to oppose her. Fu fu fu¡­ as expected from my lovely Kyrie-schwenpaaai. I was being forced to do something yet I was happy. I¡¯ve continued to apologize for a bit more to the audience and to the staff, and gave Kyrie-senpai a serious stare. Nothing much have changed on her since she¡¯s graduated. How much time has passed since? A year? Two years? It really felt like it was just a span of two or three weeks. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you beforehand or before you have any funny ideas. I did not do this because I was concerned about your chastity or something. I just did this because it would only demerit Fred.¡± ¡°Eh? Who?¡± We were whispering to each other, not the audiences could hear us nor even the closes MC. It was just the two of us. But that was not the issue that moment. She have mentioned an unfamiliar name. Was she with her boyfriend? Why was she even here at the first place? Did she got herself employed at the same publishing company? What a coincidence. ¡°Oh, you must not know yet, sorry I had to use a name unknown to you. Whom I mean is Maou-spence Sensei.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean.¡± Yes she meant it. Kyrie senpai was not the one to make jokes to cover up for what the purpose of what she¡¯s doing was. I¡¯ve been with her for just a short time in the past but at least I¡¯ve known her most important traits. What she would do on events like these. It was not a very distant past. Actually I¡¯ve just took drawing manga career seriously at the third year of high school. I¡¯ve been interested on romance stories and soap dramas at prime time television during evenings, so getting hooked to romance genre novels and mangas won¡¯t be hard. At those times that I was already obsessed with Kyrie-senpai she have introduced me to the world of manga. From there I¡¯ve stumbled upon Maou-spence sensei¡¯s work. ¡°Mic test.. Mic test¡­¡± thud thud thud. She suddenly had the mic. Did my mind wandered off again for too long ¨C is what I asked myself. She had the mic so she did the apologizing. ¡°Humu. Okay. Hi ladies and gentlemen. Blah blah blah¡­ Second¡­ I would like to apologize to Old man over¡­ blah blah blah¡­ by this lowly creature.¡± Call me a masochist, but calling me a lowly creature while I¡¯m on ¡®chuuni-mode¡¯ sent chills down my spine, so I reacted instinctively. ¡°Kyah! Kyrie-schwenpai called me!!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¨Cthen she kicked me at my sides. She then continued talking. ¡°Where we are again¡­ uhm¡­ Let me apologize for Anemone-sensei¡¯s behavior. Blah blah blah¡­¡± She bowed down again and it was followed by the crowd¡¯s cheering. ¡°Humu. Now that everything¡¯s said and done, Anemone-sensei¡­ Are you ready?¡± ¡°Eh? About what?¡± It was when Kyrie-senpai pulled out something familiar: one of the greatest weapons ever invented on primetime television¡¯s reality sitcoms. It was a paper fan that was folded several times which the other end was tied with a tape so that the other end could be expanded and make it a giant paper fan which not really served its purpose. The paper quality was not at its top condition because it was quite used towards somebody already. The pain by being hit by the paper fan is far comparable to those torture devices, but still getting hit with this in front of a huge crowd looked far more pleasurable than any other forms embarrassment. ¡°Ky-ky-kyrie-schwenpai¡­ May I ask what are you going to do with that?¡± I asked Kyrie-senpai even though I¡¯ve known of its purpose already. ¡°Ohoho¡­ Nothing. I¡¯m just going to scold my little junior that¡¯s so unsightly shown excessive skin than what was needed. I really could not tolerates such acts. Nothing personal.¡± ¨CKyrie-senpai must have referred to my excessively revealing clothing. A memory of a snapping tea-set platter came across my mind before it happened. ¡°P-p-please be gentle¡­¡± ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ NO.¡± WHACK! ¡°KYAH!~~¡± She gave me a minute or two of harisen beating. ¡°I¡¯ll be getting off from here. Well I¡¯ll meet you again soon later, so for starters it was nice meeting you again, Little Annette.¡± Kyrie stood back up, and got off the stage at the side platform. I was still hurt and dumbfounded when the emcee decided to resume the program with a ¡°Sorry about that sudden interruption, but it seems like the problem has been resolved now, so let us get back on track!¡±. I was still looking at her walk and disappeared on the crowd as I¡¯ve heard the noise coming from them resumed. I covered my revealing costume again with the trench coat I initially used and got back to the program too. --- ¡°I didn¡¯t know how you sneaked up those items you¡¯ve been buying online onto your luggage but I¡¯ve kept telling you to dress formal and act appropriately! You¡¯ve been making my nerves pop since day one!¡± It was like an endless barrage of machine gun bullets. The endless scolding coming from Old man hit me directly as the time I needed to spend on stage went finally over. Whatever was happening at the program did not concerned me anymore, for I¡¯ve done my job. I also looked at the other party¡¯s side: Maou Spence-sensei¡¯s team. Kyrie-senpai was with them and she looked like she¡¯s a kid having fun. It was a face once familiar to me. She was not practically smiling but you would notice the calm happy feeling she¡¯s letting out. What have Kyrie-senpai experienced in a short span of time? I was a bit excitedly curious but there should be a right time for me to talk with her, so I just let it be decided by fate. They then split into two groups and exchanged goodbyes with each other. The first group was the supposedly assistants which included Kyrie-senpai, a girl that looked like Moemi-senpai in terms of body build, and the overly clingy girl towards Maou Spence-sensei which I could assume head over heels for him but they¡¯re not really dating. Then the group of the very trending author and his editor. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been informed? Do you want me to explain to you every last detail of what¡¯s happening after this?¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­ The after-party.¡± ¡°Tell me, do you drink?¡± ¡°Water: yes. Alcohol: not yet. I could try but who knows what might happen.¡± ¡°Then juice it is.¡± He decided it like he was my father. But at least it meant that he¡¯s concerned on my wellbeing. ¡°SIIIGH¡­ Sorry for the trouble one of Fred¡¯s assistants did.¡± The other editor named Seria approached Old man and started talking. They seemed to be colleages from way long back since Old man started in this industry. What I just knew was she¡¯s older than her and more mature in terms of work experience. But that¡¯s contrary to what how I¡¯ve seen her handle Maou Spence-sensei. ¡°Ah no, if that¡¯s the case then my LITTLE SHITHEAD OF AN AUTHOR here should be the one to blame. But really, such a turn of events. I never knew the two were acquainted.¡± ¡°Hmp. For a lowly little servant to push the blame onto his master. You sure are quite getting ahead of yourself.¡± THUD! ¡°Ouchie!! That¡¯s sexual harassment! I¡¯m going to file charges on you for sexual harassment!!¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s wrong in every aspect. All he did was hit you on the head.¡± ¡°No¡­ Stop it Fred. You¡¯re not looking at things fundamentally. It was entirely your fault for not holding Kyrie¡¯s leash. You should consider that event as a learning experience to improve your writing and produce even more results.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t steer the conversation even more away from the main point.¡± ¡°Wait wait! Don¡¯t treat my¡­ My Ky-ky-kyrie schwenpai like a dog! Her existence is not for you to belittle!¡± ¡°Hey Old man, your author¡¯s got a few screw loose.¡± ¡°A ton of them actually.¡± ¡°Come, let¡¯s head to the venue already.¡± ¡°Ah, right let me just get my car at the parking. Let¡¯s meet up at the entrance.¡± Old man then left and brushed off every single word I¡¯ve blurted, protecting Kyrie-senpai. That made me wonder what kind of experience they¡¯ve had with her, with the very little time they¡¯ve been with her. I¡¯m not trying to compare the very little time I¡¯ve spent with her, but I¡¯m pretty confident that I¡¯ve experienced more with her than they did. But just¡­ The scene of Kyrie-senpai smiling with Maou Spence Sensei. ¡°HEY!! DON¡¯T IGNORE WHAT I¡¯M SAYING!! GET BACK HERE MY SERVANT!!¡± Then we went towards the venue. --- It was the four of us at Old man¡¯s car. It was a sedan-type so the four of us is very fit like a whole family: that¡¯s composed of an overly-cautious father, a yankee mother, a nerd and uncertain brother, and a very normal chuuni little sister. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going too slow? Let me drive.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°No. I won¡¯t ever entrust my car on you, nor our lives.¡± ¡°Eeeh you cheapskate.¡± The two were still quarreling like cats and dogs. I¡¯ve reminded them it would be too dangerous to drive if they were to continue that useless unnecessary quarrel but they wouldn¡¯t listen so I just entrusted my life onto Old man, who seemed to be a more reasonable driver than Seria. SIIIIIIIGH¡­ I let out a long sigh due to the exhaustion building up on me. Honestly¡­ I want to sleep¡­ I looked at Maou Spence-sensei at my side, the others had been calling him ¡®Fred¡¯ but I didn¡¯t want to get too familiar all of a sudden. The very least I could do at my situation was to be professional and call him by his pen-name. ¡°Hey, Maou Fred.¡± AAAHG! NOW IS NOT THE PERFECT TIME TO BE PLAYING TRICKS ON ME YOU STUPID BRAIN OF MINE! I looked at him. Besides maliciously laughing at him during our chance meetup at the venue, I hadn¡¯t really gotten the chance to talk with him well, not even a proper greeting. That wasn¡¯t really the time to be pulling off a chuuni sentence for laughs. It really had been infecting my mind. But there was no response. I looked at him to confirm what he had been doing. He was looking outside the glass window of the car, seeing the relatively passing vehicle lights at the other side of the road. He looked too absorbed that he did not heard what I just said. What was he thinking about? Was he thinking about the clingy girl that went separate ways with him back at the venue? Or was it another different entirely different story from a faraway place he could only look from the position he was given at the moment? Now I¡¯m getting curious. Maybe I¡¯ll try to yank something out of him later. --- The place was crowded with people. It was pub a few stations away from the original venue. It was not an obligatory event to attend to so the number of people was incomparable to the prior event. It seemed like it was just a gathering of people who just wanted to spend their nights wasted. We entered. ¡°Uwaaaah! What¡¯s that smell!¡± ¡°Alcohol of course. And here I thought you¡¯re quite familiar with it already.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not at a legal age yet. Don¡¯t expect anything.¡± ¡°OH HERE¡¯S THE STAR OF THE NIGHT!!¡± ¡°OH REALLY?! WHITWEEEW!!¡± ¡°SHOW US ¡®THAT¡¯ COSTUME AGAIN!¡± ¡°HEY QUIT LEERING AT OUR NEWBIE SHE MIGHT RESIGN IF SHE GETS FED UP¡± ¡°JEEZ OLD GEEZERS!!¡± ¡°BOSS BRING ME ANOTHER PITCHER AT TABLE SIX!¡± It was an absolute chaos. My very first time at the after party shocked me so much that it left me trembling and speechless. It was like a confinement of barbarians and amazons getting along with each other after a peace treaty had been signed by both tribe¡¯s leaders. ¡°Quickly, I¡¯ve reserved a table! Come here!¡± ¨CSeria waved at us. I was surprised she quickly found a place for us right after we entered the bar. Maybe I just dozed off to long again. The table was round and small. The size was a real fit for the four of us. It had a grill at the center which we¡¯re supposed to cook anything being served by the bar. ¡°What would you get?¡± ¨Csomebody asked someone while I was looking at the menu, so I did not knew whether it was directed to me or not. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have a mug of beer first.¡± ¡°Now Fred, don¡¯t be shy, I know you would want to drink your stress away for the night. I¡¯ll keep you company.¡± They were talking about something they shouldn¡¯t in front of a pure girl like me. Or I was just mistaking the pure thought for something else. ¡°For you, Anemone, I guess I¡¯ll order you orange juice.¡± Somebody finally spoke to me, as usual it¡¯s my editor. ¡°What if I told you I would like alcohol too?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m quitting as your editor.¡± ¡°Fu fu fu, what a stingy servant. You do not only know, but this ¡®Queen of Darkness¡¯ here could handle any liquor.¡± ¡°Try me. I have your parent¡¯s contact on me.¡± ¡°How the¡ª!!¡± Of course I¡¯ve always wanted to drink. But all of the external factors were preventing me to. I know the right time should come and I could drink all I want, but I really felt that it didn¡¯t make any sense. What¡¯s the use of patiently waiting for the right time, especially when it would still come. If I was going to be a sad lonely lady drunkard then at least I should practice myself now or I won¡¯t get used to it fast. ¨Cis what I would love to tell them but it¡¯s best I shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Fine.¡± After we got served, a member of the team stood up and self-proclaimed himself as an emcee of the bar¡¯s program. He stood up and said ¡°Any words from our newest author?¡± I¡¯ve got trouble answering. Good thing I¡¯ve still remembered my speech at the original program and made a carbon copy of it. Of course drunk men couldn¡¯t distinguish what¡¯s happened and what¡¯s currently happening already so they paid no mind. They went on with their usual crowd cheering and then suddenly somebody shouted ¡°To the new young sexy and crazy author Anemone-chan! KAMPAI!!¡± Everybody responded with ¡°KAMPAAAAI!!¡±, including the three on my table. ¡°I felt offended.¡± ¡°Now now, Anemone-chan you know drunk men spews out everything up to the very last of the nonesenseness in this world. Pay them no heed. If somebody sexually harasses you I¡¯ll kick them sorry asses out of here.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m more troubled.¡± ¡°Old man, do you have a smoke?¡± A flying box of cigar suddenly passed across the grill on my peripheral vision while talking to Seria. It was quite bad manners but on a primitively uncivilized area, you could do almost everything without anybody yelling at you. ¡°Do it at the rooftop.¡± Maou Spence-sensei, or commonly called as Fred, stood up holding his mug of beer and the cigar at the other. ¡°You¡¯re really irritated and unsociable tonight. You could tell me what happened.¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just feeling unwell.¡± ¡°Oooh that lover¡¯s quarrel with Ingrid still bothers you, huh?¡± ¡°Shut up. We¡¯re not in a relationship.¡± ¡°Tsk, so stingy. Such a killjoy.¡± Fred then headed towards a door that must have been a passage towards the rooftop. That was quite a new sight for me, seeing one of the two main reasons why I chose my current career path looking at that state: an unenthusiastic stressed author. Something must have happened beforehand or he¡¯s really already stressed from everything. He might¡¯ve caught up on a deadline too so he¡¯s like a dead fish or something. The bar was too busy. Nobody noticed him left besides us at the table. It really killed the mood for us three. Now we couldn¡¯t even talk, nor try to open up something. Well it¡¯s a chance. I needed a time alone with Maou Spence-sensei so I could talk with him. I really needed to see what type or person last year¡¯s award-winning oneshot and my masterpiece inspiration¡¯s author really was. ¡°I need some fresh air.¡± ¡°Whoah, too sudden. You¡¯re intent is as obvious as your sudden change in tone.¡± ¡°Quit it Seria. At least let the two authors have time alone to talk.¡± They¡¯ve really understood my intentions of talking with Fred alone. The very one who knew how much I¡¯ve been meaning to was Old man himself. He¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve talked with about Fred, no one and no one else. Nothing bad would come from it so the two gave me a go signal to head upstairs. I hurriedly rushed, keeping in mind not to waste time. I must know. I must see it for myself. What happened with him and Kyrie-senpai. --- Puuuffff¡­ He was smoking at by the rails of the rooftop, letting the smoke vanish to thin air. The smell of cigar filled the place, but only for a short time after he puffs and it was also being carried away by the blowing air. A man at his early twenties, looking at the city¡¯s nightlife while smoking and thinking about his fair share of worries. It was a nice reference for that manga I¡¯m drawing. I took note of it and stared for quite longer. Puuuffff¡­ bleeeeew¡­ A gust incidentally blew on his best puff that pushed the smoke towards me. COUGH COUGH!! ¡°Bleeergh!!¡± ¡°Oh, how long have you been there already? Haven¡¯t noticed you.¡± I wasn¡¯t supposed to make a noise for quite some time more. But it couldn¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m not used to the smell of cigar especially when it was forcibly blown towards me. ¡°Well¡­ I was just here for the fresh air.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get fresh air from an urban place like this.¡± ¡°Ah yeah, I just got blown with cigar smoke at the face.¡± ¡°Not my fault. It¡¯s the wind.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± And there was silence. Things suddenly got awkward. What do I do? ¡°You¡¯re here to talk?¡± Honestly¡­ What¡¯s wrong with these sharp people. Lately, everybody that has been too sharp that they seemed to know what¡¯s on my mind already even before I start talking. They were very different from these shounen protagonists that were so thickheaded that they don¡¯t even know they¡¯re carrying a power that could change the world. ¡°Heh, peeping onto my mind, huh?¡± I¡¯ve talked like how I used to when making first impressions with others. Even though he would only think of it as me being a chuuni with a screw-loose (which I¡¯ve been troubled if I really am), at least I had to show some consistency. ¡°Ah no¡­ I don¡¯t have that ability. Well if only I could. But really. I¡¯ve been summoned here just as a normal human being.¡± Huh?? The guy had experience talking with chuunis like me. Or he might have been just influenced by Kyrie-senpai¡¯s lifestyle for all I know. Kyrie-senpai might have been working with him since she graduated. ¡°Ooooh. It seems like somebody finally caught the wind of how things are. Fu fu fu¡­ As expected of Maou Spence-sensei.¡± ¡°You could just call me Fred.¡± He gave me the go signal already. I guessed it should be fine with him. ¡°Fu fu fu. I won¡¯t show any restrainsts then, Maou Fred.¡± ¡°Also you can stop the crappy acting now, Morgianna.¡± ????? ¡°Hiding behind the name of Anemone, also picking the same profession as I did. What are the odds? I¡¯ve already seen you from years ago: coming here, rescuing me. I¡¯ve been waiting for this for about two years.¡± He was smiling at me full of hope, like I was a savior sent to rescue him on a predicament that could cost him a lifetime. He was practically treating me like a saint or something else higher than a normal higher class being. What¡­ in¡­ tarnation¡­ ¡°Hmp! Naming me on somebody else I don¡¯t even know. How shameless.¡± ¡°Wha-what¡­¡± He seemed too startled. Where did all that energy from a while ago went? ¡°The¡­ Then Proctor, is that you? I couldn¡¯t think of anyone else. Whoever you are, please tell me what happened after I died!¡± Now now¡­ What kind of play is this? The alcohol seemed to have gotten deep within Fred¡¯s system already. Some people really could handle their liquor but some don¡¯t. I wondered whether whenever he would be sober he would be able to remember what he¡¯s been doing in front of me. He might get embarrassed. Those words he had said might¡¯ve been a mix of delusions and absurdity. I tried to be careful and answered, ¡°I am not one of those you have been mentioned, and rest assured I am not from the place where you came from.¡± I looked at him, he had that sad and solemn eyes. It seemed so deep in jet black that it indicated all of the experiences and events he might have had. I started to question myself again how old he was. ¡°I see¡­¡± He regained composure so fast. It seemed like he accepted my rejection. ¡°Sorry you have to see that side of me. But I won¡¯t let my guard down.¡± Was he pertaining to the competition as fellow authors? Or was he still hung up over ¡®that¡¯ thing he¡¯s been talking about? ¡°In¡­In any case, I¡¯ve got something to discuss with you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­ Kyrie, I suppose.¡± ¡°You pick up fast.¡± ¡°I would be lying if I¡¯ve shown something like being shocked. Kyrie already told me a week before. It seemed that she did a little background check about ¡®Anemone-sensei¡¯, sorry about that. Well I was pretty shocked at this coincidence too.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah that¡¯s too typical of Kyrie-senpai.¡± So he said it. It was not like the publishing company reveals the identities of their authors. It was just that Kyrie-senpai had too much connections that she managed to immediately know her true identity. Wait, isn¡¯t that breach of confidentiality? Well at least that ones who¡¯ve only knew was Fred and her, his teammates might be too. I was still too na?ve about having no care at all about my identity being revealed that moment so I¡¯ve let it slip. ¡°So, how did the two of you ended up with each other.¡± ¡°Ah it was really a long story, but let me summarize it to she wanted me to be her test subject so she triggered a flashbang inside her apartment just to catch my attention. Considering her, she must have known that I at the veranda of my apartment and planned everything.¡± ¡°For short?¡± ¡°We¡¯re living on the same apartment complex.¡± ¡°Aaaah¡­ I¡¯m starting to get the whole picture now.¡± I left it at that, I would not want to hear a complicated story so I¡¯ve stopped him before he started spouting unneeded things. He¡¯s quite drunk already, that¡¯s all. ¡°Well she just gave me a bit of the background.¡± He¡¯s wanting to ask about it too, but he¡¯s just too shy. It¡¯s written all over his face, the ¡®I¡¯d like to pry in as much as possible¡¯. Kyrie-senpai was his assistant after all, though the mixing the term Kyrie-senpai and assistant really doesn¡¯t sound good to me. ¡°Ah, before I tell you the story about it, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask first.¡± Telling a long story without getting something in return is a bummer so I¡¯d have him exercise his tongue too. ¡°Ah, no my lips would be sealed. You won¡¯t get any confirmation about my past life.¡± ¡°HUH??!¡± ¡°Ah, sorry I got derailed, what was the question again?¡± ¡°Why as an assistant?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± He went to think hard. Did all of us who had experienced living with Kyrie-senpai had the same experience with regards to that would lead us to thinking hard when asked with: ¡®how¡¯s living with Kyrie?¡¯. I wondered. He took the last puff of his cigar and blew it upwards so it wouldn¡¯t be blown by the wind towards me again. He was still being considerate for the wrong cause. ¡°Well to be honest I don¡¯t know too. Maybe she¡¯s taken a liking to me?¡± ¡°Wha¡ª?!!¡± I threw my glass of juice towards him which he evaded. But he evaded only the glass, he did not knew that there was still juice on it. Splash!! ¡°Whoah! What the hell? What¡¯s getting you so agitated? It was a misunderstanding! What are you gonna do with the glass?!¡± I heard the glass crashed at the ground floor it sure must have broken, but I was a first time customer at the pub so I thought I could get off the hook with just a scolding from Old man. That was the very least of my worries so far. ¡°Ho-Ho-How dare you!! Ky-Ky-Kyrie-schwenpai won¡¯t fall in love with anyone! Not even the slightest bit on such a lowlife scum like you! I won¡¯t approve of it!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s a misunderstanding! Listen if you were really a friend of Kyrie from long ago I¡¯m sure you must have experienced something extraordinary from your first meeting! That¡¯s what I meant by ¡®taking a liking¡¯! stop getting enraged over the slightest misunderstandings!!¡± A memory of our first meeting flashed onto me. The very first scene of her I remembered which had already been imprinted on my memory: A scene of her having a cup of tea at a very quiet calming and peaceful place called a clubroom. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s right! You¡¯re not drunk like me so think properly!¡± ¡°Ah yeah?! We¡¯ll do this from the start again! Well fine I¡¯m going to tell you the whole story!¡± I was envious of course. I¡¯ve longed for meeting Kyrie-senpai for the past two to three years, yet she just got by on her own, with a new plaything called ¡®Maou Spence-sensei¡¯. But what got me agitated the most was why she¡¯s chosen to step down from being a superior being who¡¯s supposed to stand up above all and letting Fred took the spotlight on their team. ¡°Fine fine, I¡¯m all ears.¡± And there, the two of us went interested on something common. There we started talking about Kyrie-senpai.
Ch11-5 Secret Base: Just the two of us, but not really… V. Secret Base: Just the two of us, but not really¡­ ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± There were only the sound of the engine inside the car, and the heave sighing instances made by Me, Kyrie-senpai, and her driver. It was not too long since they have ¡®abducted¡¯ me. But Kyrie-senpai said she just wanted to talk. But it really looked like the prior. Did anybody from the faculty noticed me got abducted? I doubt that was the case. Kyrie-senpai notified Shiryuu-senpai about this and it would seem like they have already planned this even before us walking towards the school. Who even knew how much the extent of her family¡¯s influence reached the school faculty. Wait no! now¡¯s not the time to think about that! Besides, they seemed like a family who would not abuse their influence and power just to have their child¡¯s silly requests granted. Brrrrrrrrrrr The car was a vintage one so the engine¡¯s sound could be heard from all over the place. But besides it¡¯s distinguishable looks and the sound of the engine, it looked so highly maintained and comfortable to ride with. The seats were covered with white leather with black linings and is really comfy. The window was tinted, so whoever would know what¡¯s happening inside should be an esper or something. ¡°Uhm, Kyrie-senpai?¡± ¡°Shush¡ªnow¡¯s not the time for you to talk yet.¡± ¡°What¡ª??!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Just kidding, just kidding. Oh well, I guess you can talk.¡± And I¡¯m always the one who doesn¡¯t have any choice? ¡°I¡¯ve been asking since before you¡¯ve forced me to come on your little trip. I guess it¡¯s about time you tell me since me joining this is already inevitable.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be a surprise if I tell you right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She had a point, but that was not the issue. I¡¯ve mailed my parents right on time that there would be an after-school club activity so I would get home late, but what if this would be an overnight trip? I would not want them to worry much about me, while I was with Kyrie-senpai¡¯s company. I didn¡¯t want to make excuses because I was forced to join a silly joyride just for her fun. And I didn¡¯t want to add up any more problems than what I¡¯ve been thinking like ¡®let¡¯s play a silly guess where we¡¯re going game¡¯ or ¡®dear mam and sir we have your child so prepare this ransom money¡­ teehee~~ just kidding¡¯. Eitherways, the situation had turn very unfavorable on my end but as much as I wanted to complain I could just make a silly remark. ¡°You know, sometimes I just wanna pull your straight silky long hair just to get you off your high horse.¡± Ugh I¡¯ve done it now. ¡°Fufufu. I¡¯ll go ahead and see you try.¡± It was an invitation, more than a threat. But the fact that I was the one who snapped first, meant that I already lost the conversational battle since word one. It was already rude to pull the hair of the town¡¯s most known family¡¯s daughter in a bratty manner, in front of her personal driver. ¡°Just to be sure, my dead body won¡¯t be found at a creek or beside the road or cemented at a container and thrown at the bottom of the sea, right?¡± ¡°Fufufu you¡¯re starting to give me weird ideas.¡± ¡°Why would it be my fault anyways?! From the very start wasn¡¯t I the victim??!!¡± ¡°Why would you be?¡± ¡°Oh! Great question! Why would I be?! This was way too sudden!¡± ¡°Sudden? I can¡¯t ever recall this being forced.¡± Then at that very moment, It was then a memory flashed with me, but it was still unclear, so I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me. In any case, I need to make things clear or might need someone to make me remember what really happened. Kyrie-senpai¡¯s memory had always been as clear as glass. She wouldn¡¯t blurt out something out of the blue. ¡°Eh? Wha?¡ªBu-bu-but¡­ That was¡­¡± ¡°Fu fu fu. You really seem to be clueless. Well let me tell you: you might want to remember what I¡¯ve told you right after you¡¯ve signed up your club registration form.¡± Ah¡ª She was right. There was a memory of from when she was saying, ¡®Please spare me your time this Friday. I¡¯d like to have a little chat with you, if you¡¯re free.¡¯ And with me answering ¡®Hmmm. I don¡¯t have activities this Friday, so I think I could spare time.¡¯ Then afterwards she asked Shiryuu-senpai to make preparations. It was a memory that certainly happened. ¡°Ah, hehehe~~ whatever do you mean?¡± ¨CI feigned ignorance¡­ ¡°I guess you finally remembered. You sure took your time.¡± ¡°A-a-about what? What?¡± ¡°Fu fu fu.¡± ¡­but I could not. I was so embarrassed. How could I mess up so bad in front of the president? Not to mention her driver had seen an embarrassing side of me too. We didn¡¯t even know each other but still, what if he thinks her young lady is being associated with a dumbass of a junior. If that story reaches out to her parents that would be the end of her. She would get pulled out of the campus just because of a scene I¡¯ve caused. ¡°Awa¡ªawawawa!!¡± There was a swirling sensation building up inside me. It made me lost my sense of speech. ¡°Fuhahahaha!! No worries. Come on now.¡± I came back to my senses due to her laughter which I¡¯ve seen for the very first time. Ever since I joined the club she almost never laughed, let alone smiled at times. But I thought that¡¯s fine by me, as long as I could see that majestic view she¡¯s shown me the very first time we met. The face she was making was very new to me that I was so shocked she could make one. I guess she¡¯s still a human after all. I looked outside the window, hiding my thinking with a pout, making her think I was still embarrassed. About which extent of ¡®being human¡¯ was she showing? Which smiles she¡¯s showing was really her and which was just made up. It seemed that¡¯s she¡¯s really fond of taking advantage of someone¡¯s mistakes for her amusement. But what was her real goal here? The silence went on for how longer that I could ever imagine. The town was small but it felt like a ride towards the province. Was it due to the embarrassment I¡¯ve had? ¡°Ah, we¡¯re near our destination.¡± ¨CKyrie-senpai spoke after the deafening silence. Eh? It¡¯s just 4:10pm?! The truth was, it had not been hours, nor did even an hour since we¡¯ve take a ride. It was only actually a few minutes ride from school. It felt like we¡¯ve drove on a road uphill which anybody could walk. I guess she wanted to show me a place where she usually hangs out. The car stopped. I tried to peak on the other side but Kyrie-senpai was blocking the view from the window like she did not want me to see it immediately. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°Oh somewhere not really far from town. Actually the place is still within the vicinity of the town itself so you won¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Errr. Are we going to just talk here or outside?¡± ¡°Of course, silly junior of mine. Why would I bother drive you here if we could have a heartfelt talk at the clubroom for ourselves.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, right¡­ Hehehe.¡± The driver went out of the car first and opened the door for me. Even though he¡¯s seen all of ¡®that¡¯ earlier, he still treated me like an actual lady. I must¡¯ve thanked him for his act and gentlemanliness but what happened earlier still bothered me. So I just stepped out of the car and bowed down to him. Afterwards he went to the other side of the door and opened it for Kyrie-senpai to step out. The way they treated me like a VIP and opened the door for me first was really appreciated. I¡¯ve thought about treating Kyrie-senpai a free drink later just to show some gratitude. The late afternoon cool breeze suddenly blew strongly like winds at an open plains, where the wheats would bend over along its direction. ¡°KYAH!¡± I suddenly let out a girly voice. I held my skirt for it to avoid being blown by the gust and show my underwear towards the people around. Though I haven¡¯t seen anyone around besides Kyrie-senpai, the driver and myself, I still couldn¡¯t take the risk of a stalker or a paparazzi suddenly taking snapshots of my underwear and uploading it everywhere on the internet. I would lose everything if that happens. That was when I tried to look at the scenery below. From the side of the car where I went out was a cliff, not that high, but a cliff in which you could see a portion of the town. From below you could also see our high school. It was a quick and nice view if one would notice sooner. ¡°Humu. Perhaps the view is really great here since even you were captivated.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? Anyone would! I don¡¯t even know a place like this exists at our town.¡± ¡°Ah, well the view could be one. Sorry to burst your bubble but that¡¯s really just a part of it. My real ¡®hideout¡¯ is located here.¡± ¨Cshe pointed at something behind her. ¡°Eh Eh?! There¡¯s some place that has even better view than this one?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± There was a huge building from behind where Kyrie stood. It seemed abandoned. Eh? Wha¡ª Behind her drew an eerie environment: an abandoned building. It looked like a storage one rather than a school or a house or a haunted hospital. It didn¡¯t looked like it was being manifested by ghosts, but rather a venue for shady business. ¡°Ky-Ky-Kyrie-senpai¡­ Am I going to be cemented?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I looked at them. Then they looked at me puzzled. ¡°P-p-please make it quick and painless.¡± I squirmed my body all over. I was afraid and the thought of fighting back can¡¯t even enter my mind. I thought of what I would become after the main event. I¡¯ve seen news about girls becoming missing. Those might be incidents where syndicates were involved and those missing were being sold as slaves on an underground market. But were those events really happening in real life? Weren¡¯t those just fictional and could only be watched on televisions. ¡°Uhm. Annette? May I ask what are you talking about?¡± A group of people bringing me at a deserted and abandoned place would only mean one thing: I¡¯m going to be murdered. ¡°P-p-please make m death quick. But at least inform my parents that I¡¯m going to be killed.¡± I closed my eyes and accepted my fate. ¡°Uhm¡­ Well then. I¡¯ll be taking my leave young lady. Please do give me a call when you¡¯re finished.¡± My eyes were still closed as I heard the closing of the car door and starting of the engine. I¡¯ll get run over by a car. Would getting hit by a car hurt? I¡¯ve never really tried even once. Wait, do people usually get run over by a car and die? Won¡¯t this be considered murder? But the sound of the car moving were gradually decreasing. It was going away from my direction. Actually it was already that far away. ¡°So¡­ How long are you going to expect something there? Are you really hung up with that mafia stuff?¡± Eh? Did I messed up again? I tried to recover from another miserable state, but it was too late already. ¡°Wha-Wha-What would you mean??? Ex-Expecting something? Hah! As if I would. Wa ha ha!¡± I was bright red blushing. I couldn¡¯t see my own embarrassed face but I knew that if ever given a chance to see myself at a mirror I might die with eyes wide open and my soul escaping from my mouth. ¡°Well sorry for making you have the wrong idea. To give you a summary of what¡¯s happening, I¡¯ve done this to every member of the club. For the record I¡¯ve established the club with me as the initial member. It was a long story, but I could spare you the story telling for later. For now, I¡¯ll take you to a quick tour at my playground.¡± ¡°Uwaah¡ª¡± ¨CI was disappointed by the last sentence and did a facepalm. Was I actually waiting for something bad to happen to me? ¡°At least pretend that you¡¯re going to torture me even for a little.¡± ¨CI murmured my disappointment as I follow her. Well¡­ I-i-i-it¡¯s not like I w-w-was expecting or something¡­ ¡°Well the place looked trash outside but looks nice inside. Come, I¡¯ve got snacks.¡± ¡°Hmp!¡± --- I followed her, but not because I was bribed by snacks like a kid after playtime. Actually, a part of it was due to that to be honest. I was still a growing teen after all and needed food to live. I¡¯ve come this far. And after assuring my security and safeness on this short trip, I decided to fully accompany Kyrie-senpai. She and Kiryuu-senpai worked on this to happen so I should just be grateful. What is she going to discuss with me anyways? There was a mini man-made playground near the entrance to the woods. There were swings, slides, see-saw, blocks, sandbar, some roller stuff and fences. It might be just arranged by some kids who initially played house on the area, or Kyrie-senpai must have asked her personal butlers to arrange it like that. I stopped thinking about it and continued to follow her. ¡°What, you¡¯re interested? Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll let you play there later.¡± ¡°Really?! YAAY!!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ???? ¡°LIKE HELL I AM!!¡± ¡°Fu fu fu. No need to hide it. I¡¯ll know all of your secrets too in no time though.¡± ¡°THAT¡¯S BREACH OF PRIVACY!¡± We finally entered the building. It¡¯s not large enough to be compared to store rooms of a huge factory, but at an estimation, I could say you could part at least two mixer trucks on it. It felt more like a storage house of a rich family. Oh Kyrie-senpai is rich anyways. I looked around and what awaited inside was a plain¡­ ¡°Old¡­ Abandoned¡­ Building¡­¡± I looked around. There was a steel stair which led to a rusted railing up ahead. There¡¯s a narrow platform attached on the wall connected to the stairs where people could walk around and examine what¡¯s happening down. It was like a school gym, but actually a manufacturing building. Due to the building being old and abandoned, nobody would even bother try to maintain it. The walls were tattered and the roof was full of holes, allowing light to pass through and illuminate separate parts of the place.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. It was late afternoon already and the sun was about to set, so it was quite dim already inside. Yet, opening the door still let some light pass through so it¡¯s not like we need to feel the switch of the lights in case there it was still working. The available space inside is wide. At the middle there¡¯s a single old upholstered steel chair which were quite rusty. The thought of being tortured entered my mind again and got another goosebumps. ¡°The¡ªa chair¡ªThe¡ªa chair?¡± ¡°Humu. I won¡¯t, okay? I¡¯ve told you countless of times already. Unless you¡¯re really asking for it.¡± SWITCH! It was a sound of a lever. As my eyes wandered inside a ray of light suddenly shone from my right side. It took few more seconds for my eyes to adjust and I saw a small cube cottage-like structure inside at the corner right side of the whole building. The light source was coming from there. I placed my hand at the front of my face to form a shade to protect my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s bright!¡± ¡°Ah, my bad for suddenly switching it on.¡± I hurriedly skipped towards Kyrie-senpai standing at the front of the mini shelter¡¯s door in which the focus of the light couldn¡¯t be found. ¡°Well, we could stay here if you want but I really suggest the view of the sunset outside.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. I guess that¡¯s better. But why show this to me if we¡¯ll be talking outside?¡± The small room was comparable to a treehouse for Kyrie-senpai if I were to say. Anyone would like a place or a resthouse far from where she originally lives, so if in case there were time she would like to be alone, she would have a place to run to. May it be family problems or just a simple soul-searching. Still¡­ ¡°But what would be the point of showing me this. Will we have an overnight stay? Like a pajama party?¡± ¡°Humu. You never really stop betraying my expectations...¡± ¡°YAY A PAJAMA PAR¡ª¡± ¡°¡­For being stupid.¡± I pouted. I never really expected that I¡¯d be, again, branded as the stupid girl at my senpai¡¯s eyes. Each and every time I¡¯m straying farther away from being an average among the normal-grade students at my current year, while being closer and closer to being an idiot of a henchmen. ¡°¡­But then again, why?¡± ¡°Ah that¡¯s because I need somebody else to do the labor for me.¡± ¡°Huuuh?! And why would I do that??!¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m the senior and the club president. And you¡¯re just a stupid henchmen.¡± ¡°Okay. What to do?¡± --- Pant¡­ Pant¡­ Pant¡­ It went to be a late afternoon workout that spanned for almost an hour or two. We were supposed to be a ¡®do nothing or go home squad¡¯ but what happened was I was extorted to do unpaid labor. And it was not just an ordinary one. It really was muscle workout. ¡°Phew! Finished at last.¡± I wiped the sweat from my forehead. It was just about time to stare on the majestic sunset too. The cliff was actually a great place for sunset viewing, and in my opinion, to build in a tourist park too. ¡°So. You really didn¡¯t even tried to exert even a tiny bit of effort?¡± ¡°Humu. Perfect timing. You did a good setup too. In my opinion hard labor would be better done by you. Also I¡¯ve done my part on setting up my tea.¡± POUR¡­ Kyrie-senpai was holding a teapot. She poured a freshly brewed tea at her teacup and smelled the aroma coming from it. Sigh¡­ I was called on this one very important event on Kyrie-senpai¡¯s daily life to help her set up a tea-time table set and couch for one. She did not even lift a finger for hard labor except for the tea set which she casually just casually setup in a span of a minute. Not even half of the time I spent carrying heavy furniture. ¡°Kyrie-senpai, I¡¯ll be blaming you if I won¡¯t be able to go to school this Monday due to some sickness.¡± ¡°Humu. You¡¯re a growing teen and you need some workout. It should be fine. Sore muscles eventually heal.¡± As if it¡¯s that easy!! I¡¯ve experienced it before after having a tiring P.E. activity. The crippling pain I¡¯ve experienced was even worse than having a scrape on the knee. It was certain that I¡¯m going to experience muscle pain again once I¡¯ve lifted an almost 20kg of a table and a couch, each. But the question was how long would I experience it. Either I force myself to attend classes the next Monday or I¡¯d notify the teachers that I couldn¡¯t lift a finger because a certain pushy senpai forced me to. ¡°This will be on you, if I die on muscle pain. I¡¯m telling you this. Hmp!¡± I walked towards the man-made swing nearby where I setup her table for sunset viewing and teatime. It was quite a scenic large tire exterior hanged with a thick rope that was tied at a huge tree branch which could support even up to 4 people¡¯s weight. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ This is quite an old swing. HUMPH!¡± I lifted myself and got my body inside the whole tire like it was some kind of pool¡¯s rental water floats and put force on my butt to fully make it swing. It was sure damn heavy. Or was I just truly exhausted? I swung hard, and harder, and harder, up to the point that the swing could almost do a 180 curve from back and forth swinging. Sip. ¡°You surely love the swing. Careful I did not know how long had it been there. You really think I was the one who arranged that too?¡± SCREEEECH!! ¡°ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!!¡± ¡°And why would I be the one out of my mind? There you are swinging at an old swing like a five year old kid.¡± ¡°NO!! WHY WOULD YOU SUDDENLY DECIDE TO SHATTER SOMEONE¡¯S HAPPY PLAYTIME WITH A HAZARD WARNING?!¡± I was yelling not because I was trying to defend my side of the story. I was defending myself because of the adrenaline that suddenly swirled up from within me. It nearly gave me heart attack. I was swinging an old swing in full force then would suddenly get interrupted by a similar ¡®you¡¯d die if you continue that¡¯ statement. The cliff was just a few several meters. Who knows what might happen to me if I continued to swing with full force and the rope suddenly snaps and I got thrown into oblivion? My heart was racing. I did not get a confession but it was comparable to that. ¡°Ah yeah, sorry my bad. It¡¯s quite old but it¡¯s still sturdy. Just continue to swing all you want.¡± ¡°HRRRRNNNGG!!¡± That really killed the mood. I didn¡¯t felt like swinging anymore, but to not infect her with my anger and disappointment, I continued to do light swings, now assured that the rope won¡¯t betray me. I was the one to initiate the talk. I didn¡¯t want to prolong it any longer since my pride and mental health was being degraded into one of just a mere stupid assistant. ¡°Well, I think we should start talking.¡± ¡°Humu¡­¡± ¡°Why bring me here, just to have a club initiation talk. Just one on one.¡± ¡°Why indeed?¡± Those were the parts Kyrie-senpai would start talking riddles or play word games with me. I did not let my guard down, but she was cleverer. ¡°Well I don¡¯t just casually ask anyone to accompany me on my personal activities. You¡¯re now a club member so¡­ Ah yes, consider it a privilege. SIIIIP.¡± ¡°Say¡­ How much tea do you usually drink per day?¡± ¡°Fufufu. I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination.¡± I looked at her as she blissfully enjoyed her tea. The sun was setting. I guess there were people who really enjoys doing stuff like these while just looking at the sunset. The orange afterglow that was produced by the sunset at the desolate area we¡¯re currently just letting the time pass by were truly calming. No wonder why she¡¯s chosen the place as her secret hideout and do stuff like these every once in a while. I really ended up saying nothing after that. I was the one that initiated the talk, but also the one who couldn¡¯t keep up. She seemed trying to measure how much I figured out about her purpose of invitation. She spoke after assessing I couldn¡¯t ¡°You see. I did a little background check on you.¡± ¡°Wha!!¡ª¡± That was supposedly breach of privacy, but¡­ ¡°Oh don¡¯t get me wrong. What I mean is a little background check on how you usually do at class.¡± Phew¡­ so that¡¯s what it was. Me being a loner at class was not really something I could hide. Besides it was a truth, it was well-known by everybody too. It is not a breach of privacy if what she did was to just ask somebody from my class and have someone tell her what they usually see. To see is to believe, so I thought Kyrie-senpai wouldn¡¯t just believe groundless words while not actually seeing it. I haven¡¯t seen her gone to my class. If I were to guess, we might have missed each other out. Or¡­ ¡°Hooooh. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve climbed a high tree with your binoculars just to scout my current state in the class.¡± Heh! Silly idea. I knew she can¡¯t. I knew she won¡¯t. Unless¡­ SIIIIIP ¡°Eh¡­ seriously?¡± I failed to remember that it was Kyrie-senpai. She¡¯s the almost ¡®can do everything ¡®cause I¡¯m a genius¡¯ senior at our school: a one in a million prodigy that comes once every ten or hundred years. ¡°I have lots of ways to. Even without climbing a tree, I can spot you even from a mile away.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m even more worried you¡¯re actually a sniper from assassination squadron x.¡± ¡°Well I could. But the recoil would be so strong that it could shatter my bones. I might be strong but there¡¯s still a limit to this human body.¡± ¡°Ah now you¡¯re talking as if you¡¯re some sort of a possessing spirit.¡± ¡°So much for that.¡± ¡°Well I admit I was a loner at the class. But hey, I¡¯m starting to make some friends. It won¡¯t be that much long and I won''t be a loner anymore. I¡¯ve done it before. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t made any friends back at grade school and middle school. You just don¡¯t know how popular I am. Well I¡¯m not bragging but¡ª¡± ¡°Is what you would think. But is that what¡¯s really happening?¡± Eh? ¡°That¡¯s rude. Are you saying that I can¡¯t do it?!¡± I snapped. A part of it was only because it was a rude way to say it to me. But most of it was because Kyrie-senpai was seeing something I couldn¡¯t. But was it a big deal? It¡¯s just a matter of having some ¡®friends¡¯ at class you casually talk to, just so you wouldn¡¯t be alone. It had always been like that for me. When I was at grade school, up till my middle school years. There¡¯s always been these friends that I hang out and talk to, just not to be left out and be the ¡®loner¡¯ which was always being teased by the whole class. She took another sip while smiling. She was surely implying something. Am I wrong this whole time? I faced the ground. The swing moving slowly back and forth and my focus were relatively moving that it¡¯s making me dizzy. But I paid no mind. I needed to clear out my mind and knew for sure if everything that I¡¯ve been doing from the start was wrong. Did I really need friends because of a silly reason of wanting to just be in the loop? ¡°¡ªis what you¡¯re thinking.¡± I came back to my senses after hearing the last words Kyrie-senpai said. ¡°Annette-chan I really think you¡¯ve had your definition of ¡®friendship¡¯ misaligned the whole time. Don¡¯t take the word too lightly.¡± ¡°Bu-but. I just needed to do the very same thing I¡¯ve been doing ever since. Nothing¡¯s went wrong so far! I¡¯ve made friends!¡± I was so agitated, and at the same time I was trying to prove that my way of making friendship is better than hers. ¡°Doing the same thing is different than doing what you really want. Showing others your true self is what I mean.¡± I heard a long sip after wards, then the sound of ceramic hitting each other. ¡°Oh don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not trying to force anything to you.¡± Is this why she called me here? To discuss with me what I would really like to do? ¡°I-if that¡¯s so¡­ Then are you also saying that I only joined the club for the same thing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve said the latter. Have you forgotten already? Sigh¡­ Okay, let me repeat this for you. Doing the same thing is different than doing what you really want. It was one of the reasons why I¡¯ve invited you here too. I need confirmations. I won¡¯t just base every decision I make on guesses. What I need are facts.¡± ¡°Bu-but¡­ even if I say it¡¯s the contrary, would you believe me?¡± ¡°I only put my trust on a person once. Well maybe if someone who lost my trust managed to change and prove it to me I guess I would give a chance.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± I was really conflicted. The topic struck me seriously that my thought processing had been derailed. I couldn¡¯t trace back my time spent with them for the past week. What have I been doing? Was I trying to do to them what I just realized as something absolutely ¡®wrong¡¯. Was I just using them for my convenience the whole time? I could not remember which happened first: me deciding to make friends with the class, or me being a member of Kyrie-senpai¡¯s club. It was never really too late to admit everything and turn back if that¡¯s the case. ¡°Did I really wandered around the club room that time because I was trying to seek shelter from being alone?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Perhaps what you needed is a push to realize what you need to realize. I¡¯ll do you a favor and say this. Well I think the way you¡¯re just acting normally.¡± ¡°The¡ªthen¡­ What¡¯s normally and what¡¯s not? I don¡¯t know anymore.¡± I never got worked up so much before. That was probably the very first time realization hit me so hard that I can¡¯t properly speak. I just gradually apply force on my feet to further continue the movement of the swing, but it was just instinctual movement and what¡¯s really happening was I was busy recollecting myself. --- Slide. ¡°Good afternoon. Senpais.¡± A girl entered the room with a sliding door. It was me. I was a newly accepted member of the ¡®do nothing or go home squad¡¯ which was being led by Kyrie-senpai. ¡°Osu~~ Annette. You surely took your time for a new member.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªBut¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t pick on the new member too much. You know what will happen if the new member suddenly doesn¡¯t come anymore, right?¡± The two girls were Suzuha-senpai and Amane-senpai. They were two happy-go-lucky character senpais who always assured that the club was always noisy and happy because who knows what might happen if they were not in the club? A spiraling silence might emanate throughout the room. ¡°Oof. Sorry Sorry! My bad, my bad. Hehehe! Well I can¡¯t help it. I can¡¯t help picking on the weak! HA HA HA!¡± THUD!! And she was hit by a rolled notebook at the head, by none other than Shiryu-senpai, who had always been the strict (but not really) one. ¡°Awawa~~ That hurts! It surely hurts.¡± ¡°Hey! Why are you the one aching when I was actually the one who got hurt?¡± The club¡¯s meat tank Moemi-senpai was crying as she felt the pain that was supposed to be Suzuha-senpai¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t blame her. Seeing the critical hit land on Suzuha-senpai hurt me too. ¡°Siiiigh¡­¡± I just walked towards a free spot, dropped my bag, and took a sit. I watched them argue over something so trivial. But somehow the look on their faces didn¡¯t tell me that it wasn¡¯t an argument could cause them to break their friendship. In fact, they looked happier rather than irritated. --- ¡°So that was it¡­¡± ¡°Humu¡­ Sure took you long, but it was worth a shot.¡± The fact that I realized I was envious at them made tears well up from me. That moment I must have realized that I felt something different. Different from the ¡®friendship¡¯ I was supposed to know. ¡°I thought I was just curious at first¡­¡± ¡°A part of this discussion was for your realization. It¡¯s okay to be envious, especially when you saw something fun and you wanted to be in too. That¡¯s what have made you stay at the club even for a short week, right? It¡¯s fine to be like that. At least you¡¯re realizing there¡¯s more into you than you already know.¡± Again, Kyrie-senpai talked mysteriously right on the mark. As a person I¡¯ve always took note that there¡¯s always room for growth. But growth was not as easy as I could just force myself to learn every single thing there is for me. But most of the time a human grows, was due to a trigger event, in which at times being triggered by somebody else. ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°I see you still have too many doubts. Okay. Let me tell you a story of your senpais.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was her turn to tell a story. It seemed like she¡¯s trying her best to be a good example and help me decide what I really wanted to do. It was the hardest of times for me so I wouldn¡¯t mind a helping hand. I attentively paid attention to her story. ¡°Did you really thought me and your senpais at the club were best of friends right off the bat?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I responded with a silenced look of curiosity. She understood it and continued. ¡°Beauty, majesty, brains, money¡­ Everything¡­ No¡­ almost everything. I¡¯ve had almost everything a normal girl would want. I¡¯m grateful for that. I¡¯m grateful for having them. It¡¯s not my intention to brag what I have but there were times that I couldn¡¯t avoid having them shown to others. It could really be unpleasant at times. What do you think?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t see anything particularly wrong about that.¡± ¡°What you are being always shown to is only an outer shell. What you strive to truly see is what¡¯s inside. Not every person like me is always surrounded by people who were nice. You know what I mean already. With me being like that, I had always been being surrounded by people whom I needed to live within their expectations so that they would always stay by my side. I¡¯ve been living each¡­ each and every day being surrounded by people who ¡®just¡¯ wanted to be by my side. For whatever reason I don¡¯t even want to know. I tried to mask what I show them, but I got fed up. One day I ended wanting to have some free time with myself. That¡¯s how I ended up on our current clubroom. Then there came Shiryu. At first I thought: ¡®ah, another someone of the same species¡¯. But well she proved me wrong. Actually she was just like me, just a bit lower in status. Then came Suzuha and Amane, then eventually Moemi too. They were really a rowdy bunch at first. I was annoyed. But they just continued to bother me even though I kept telling them to get lost already. But they just wanted to have fun with friends, no other motives. At least what they were showing is real. There on I realized that people who can still stay true to themselves even when surrounded by overwhelming presences exists: like me. I¡¯ve had a hard time in controlling them and how they act. Eventually, it wore me down so I just stopped, like, just come what may. Why would I need to? It doesn¡¯t bring any harm. It should be fine. Catch is, I see my old self in you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Shush whoever might be here besides the two of us.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ Are you trying to say this to me just to make me feel better?¡± ¡°I have no slightest intent of doing that.¡± It felt like it was a very long story, but actually Kyrie-senpai kept it short and brief, enough for me to take a grasp on the situation she had. She used herself as an example because she¡¯s seen similarities in our circumstances. ¡°Now I¡¯m really grateful after receiving a life coaching from you. Just kidding¡­¡± I tried to lift the heavy atmosphere with a half-assed thanks which she should take as a joke more than a serious one. That¡¯s the very least I could do. I¡¯ve cooled down and was now thinking straight. ¡°I¡¯ve been hanging out here even before establishing the club, and I could also say that this place is also our second clubroom. Of course I¡¯ve had a one-on one talk with your senpais too.¡± ¡°So it was not just only me, huh.¡± I felt relieved. I was not a special case. ¡°Each and every one of them had particular issues. For their privacy I¡¯ll keep my lips sealed. You could try to progress with them just to know if you¡¯re curious. It should just feel like playing an eroge* or something. You may try each route and win them over. Who knows what you might experience?¡± ¡°NO!¡± ¡°Humu. It seems that you¡¯re back on track already. But the traces of emotion on your face shows you¡¯re still undecided.¡± ¡°YOU AN ESPER OR SOMETHING?!!¡± I did not noticed it was already evening. Kyrie-senpai finally placed the cup of tea at the platter after she took a final sip and enjoyed the sun finally setting down the horizon. I lifted my head and looked up for the very first time after we started talking. I looked upwards. The purple lining formed by the dark night sky which slowly crept towards the horizon was truly majestic. Truly majestic. ¡°Like you¡­¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°Majestic, like you¡­¡± Somehow I¡¯ve realized something. From there on I knew what I should do. ¡°Thanks, Kyrie-senpai. But I¡¯m still not confident now that realization hit me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Would you take your time to be able to handle yourself? Or would you rather have accompany you on your journey?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d pick the latter.¡± Then I gave smirk. I¡¯ve had so much on my mind ever since talking with Kyrie-senpai. It was like a bomb that was suddenly dropped to a busy supermarket. Of course everything will be thrown into chaos. Just like a disorder, with a certain group of people to handle the situation. I also entrusted everything to Kyrie-senpai and to my other senpais at the club too. For now, at least. ¡°Well for now, at least. But remember, this would be our last year. After this you¡¯ll be alone by yourself. Will you be fine by that time already?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± I just realized the very crucial and most important thing. They were all seniors and were graduating.it would be a matter of time before I ended up being alone again. That time I had just hit rock bottom and was about to start again with the proper approach on how to be friends and how to deal with others. So rather than immediately getting tested whether I could already handle myself or not, I would rather take it slowly but surely. ¡°Awawawa.¡± I wailed at Kyrie-senpai like a kid who¡¯s suddenly realized there¡¯s no classes and won¡¯t get time to spend playing with friends. ¡°Fufufu! Okay then.¡± Kyrie-senpai stood up. She skipped and hopped at the set of wheels laid at the mini playground. She raced towards the dark purple night sky that was eating away the very last of light by the very little sun getting buried at the horizon. Slowly slowly and slowly. Time turned so slowly that it felt like watching an ultra-high definition movie on a super fast pc that could render it on slow-motion. The lights flickered and turned on one by one life it was following her as she skipped. I never knew they were still fully functioning until they lit up. It should be a must if Kyrie-senpai have set her secret base at the small location we¡¯re in. The dimming of the environment wa suddenly halted by these lights while it also created a glittering effect which even emphasized the small but not really little senpai that¡¯s playfully skipping in front of me. It was not a thing that she¡¯s usually shown others. My senpais must have seen this side of her too, if they had also been here besides me. But that¡¯s okay. Because at that moment, I¡¯ve seen a side of Kyrie-senpai that¡¯s real and not a mask that she forcefully puts up. She looked back at me and said, ¡°Humu. If that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you, then I¡¯ll¡ªno. We¡¯ll make a year full of real memories you won¡¯t ever forget. That might help you find who you really are and what you really want to do. Are you fine with that?¡± But are you really fine with spending a whole year just for me? Is what I liked to ask her, after all she¡¯s done, it would be rude to still show uncertainty. ¡°You might be thinking stuff like ¡®are you really fine spending a whole year just for me¡¯ or something but it why thought? It should not hurt, for you are a member of the club. From now on you¡¯re one of us.¡± ¡°Kyrie-senpai¡­¡± ¡°Humu. From now on you¡¯ll be mine.¡± ¡°Uwaaah~~ way to kill the mood.¡± That moment besides the realization I had, there¡¯s another thing that I realized. It was the thing that had a great impact as to who I am at the present. I¡¯ve read about it on some fictional romance books and shoujo mangas. Those were the topics about liking somebody. The feeling that would always keep you thinking about a certain person; would make your heart skip a beat whenever she¡¯s near; would make your chest hurt like being pierced if you see her being giddy-giddy with another. That moment was inscribed onto me and would never be forgotten. That should be the very moment I got infatuated to Kyrie-senpai.
Ch11-6 Kyrie-senpai’s Project Annette Happy VI. Kyrie-senpai¡¯s Project Annette Happy Phase 1: Pool party. ¡°Kyaah~~!!¡± ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s cold¡­ Brrrrrrr!! Kyrie-chaaaaan.¡± Splash! ¡°Noooo!!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m wet.¡± We were living at the peak of our youth. ¡®We¡¯ll make a year full of real memories you won¡¯t ever forget.¡¯ ¡ªIs what Kyrie-senpai offered me so I leisurely took on the offer and started to enjoy a year full of activities with my senpais at the club. It was not really compulsory, to attend these silly activities that she¡¯s pushed to arrange with the help of her connection and influence. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m just a home person during weekends so I saw no reason to decline. But me being a home person was of my own choice and was not due to my mistake of starting my high school days being alone. Splash! ¡°Kyah~¡± I slipped out a cute voice as the splashing of the early morning cool pool water reached my fair maiden skin. The two playful senpais at their usual energetic human bodies were at the middle of the pool. They didn¡¯t even bothered to take a warmup or stretching before submerging their bodies on the water. They didn¡¯t even bothered applying sunblock, nor checking the temperature of the water. It was like their bodies were built to endure and overcome the harsh conditions of the environment. Suzuha-senpai wore a quite revealing red swimsuit. It really fit her gal image. If she were to hang out at a public pool it would be certain that she¡¯ll get hit on. At her front was the also tag-along playful Amane-senpai which wore her frilly sunflower yellow colored swimsuit. Her body curves were not as good to compare with Suzuha-senpai¡¯s but at least better than mine. That was what I had to say. But hey I¡¯m still a growing teen. I¡¯ll grow up like them in a span of two years, right? I thought as I rubbed my ¡®still developing¡¯ breast in attempt to measure how much it would still grow. ¡°I see you¡¯re still hung up on that issue. You see, I¡¯ve long lost my hope with regards to that matter. It¡¯s just¡­ Too hard to bear¡­¡± The one beside me was Shiryuu-senpai. She had the same predicament I was encountering. But it seemed that she already had accepted the cruel fate those who have ¡®flat chest for the plot¡¯ characters had. She had dead-fish eyes and seemed to harbor all the hatred at the world whenever we have topics like this. I tried to avoid it but teasing her gave me a pleasurable feeling. I still have room to grow while she might not have some anymore. ¡°Heeeh.¡± But the way she looked didn¡¯t match up to what she really say. ¡°At least you look daring on your switsuit¡­ Even though you¡¯re not really a curvy senpai unlike them.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Shiryuu-senpai suddenly became flustered. She followed up with a quick denial. ¡°Bu-bu-but¡­ I-it¡¯s not like I¡¯m do-do-doing this to compete with Kyrie! I won¡¯t gain anything from proving that I have a better body than hers!!¡± Ah, I really can¡¯t get enough of her tsundere* side. I must admit at times I were like that too, but the way Shiryuu-senpai executes it was too flawless that I looked like an amateur. Shiryuu-senpai had a daring black swimsuit which couldn¡¯t even be compared to the swimsuits Suzuha and Amane-senpai. The ones they¡¯re wearing looked innocent and childish compared to the black one-piece backless and belly-open swimsuit with several laces to tie the strips of cloth altogether, covering her feminine parts. ¡°You look like a sexy mistress at a late night tv drama. Tell me, Shiryuu-senpai are you rich?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Not really ¡®that-that¡¯ rich compared to Kyrie.¡± ¡°Nah, It¡¯s fine. You guys really have it easy. You just ask your parents or guardians what you need and you could immediately have it. Compared to Kyrie-senpai¡¯s clothing which is the pure symbol of purity, yours is the exact opposite of it. Well too bad our bodies were still underdeveloped.¡± I then gave a smirk. To deliver a fatal blow. ¡°I-I-I told you I don¡¯t mean to compete with Ky-Ky-Kyrie!!¡± She denied again while fixing the position of her glasses. Siiiip. Kyrie-senpai, was as usual, sipping her tea under the shade of a parasol while sitting on her fancy chair which I didn¡¯t get how they were able to set that up at our school pool. She was wearing a thin white long dress which when get hit by light, you could see her polka-dotted white and blue swimsuit underneath. Even though she came just to watch us play and take her hourly dose of tea, she¡¯s still prepared to swim. She¡¯s the one who arranged all of the pool party activity, so why not? ¡°My, my, it¡¯s fine vice pres. As if it would do any good to lecture you about appropriate swimming apparel when you¡¯re trying to show off your body.¡± Shiryuu-senpai was bright red embarrassed. She burst out a steam and can¡¯t even looked at us properly so she just held her legs and looked at the ground so we won¡¯t be able to see her embarrassed face. Kyrie-senpai: 87 Shiryuu-senpai: 0 I¡¯ve been counting instances where Shiryuu-senpai seemed to challenge Kyrie-senpai onto something and never saw her won even once. ¡°Whistles~~ Shiichan, cute daring lady, come join us here! Water is cold but you¡¯ll get used to it once you¡¯re in! Come play with us!¡± ¡°WH-WH-WHO ARE YOU WHISTLING FOR?! YOU DUMBASS!!¡± Having her legs dipped at the pool while talking with me, she applied force on it and kicked a portion of water, causing it to splash everywhere. But her main target were supposedly the two playing at the middle of the pool. ¡°Yaaaah!!~~ Wha¡ªit¡¯s cold!¡± The two screamed like little girls dipping their bodies onto ice cold water. They then laughed afterwards. They were native pool people. ¡°BrRrRrRrRrR!!¡± We heard the sound of the engine-like rattling of whatever was it at the corner of the pool. It¡¯s Moemi-senpai. She¡¯s been like that ever since she¡¯s dipped her whole body. She¡¯s supposedly gotten used to it but in reality she¡¯s still feeling cold. That was a very unusual sight considering her being at the swim club. We were expecting something like being proactively swimming back and forth but that was not the case. I gave her a pitiful smile as she looked like a cold and wet abandoned puppy under the rain. ¡°Annette-chaaaan!!¡± ¨Cshe shouted at me, then pouted. While still producing that shaking all over. ¡°Uhm¡­ Well¡­ No matter how you look at the level of eroticism, Shiichan-senpai can¡¯t really beat Moemi-senpai¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t need to rub any more salt on a bleeding skin.¡± ¨CShiryuu-senpai made that dead fish eyes again. Moemi-senpai was wearing her school swimsuit. It was supposed to be an expandable clothing which fits any body of a high schooler girl for the span of three years. But that law had been broker by Moemi-senpai. Maybe both I and Shiryuu-senpai wondered how much would her huge mass of lumps would still grow. ¡°Shii-chan senpai¡­ that thing is¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. Don¡¯t say it¡­ That it¡¯s about to burst¡­ She might hear it.¡± ¡°You already did though. I wnder how much more will it grow. Will it grow big enough to fill the whole volume of our clubroom? I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t attend club anymore if that happens.¡± ¡°I think we would graduate first before that happens. I know that math so you could trust me on it.¡± ¡°You have a point¡­¡± We continued our useless and unneeded side comments to just let her hear. Moemi-senpai really feels uncomfortable with other people talking about her exponential growth in terms of bust size. ¡°JEEEEZ ANEEETTE-CHAAAAN!! SHII-CHAAAN!!¡± I jumped into the pool and played with Moemi-senpai to lessen the hatred she¡¯s starting to harbor on us continuously teasing her around. I stopped for a bit and caught my breath. It seemed that I needed more exercise. Playing around for a small amount of time tired me out that instant. Phew¡­ I guess this would be another eventful day. And thus, we continued to play around the school¡¯s pool on a sunny weekend. --- Phase 2: Test of courage ¡°Humu¡­ I guess these sticks should be fine¡­¡± ¡°Kyrie¡­ They look like twigs you snapped from a sinister alive tree on fantasy cartoons.¡± ¡°Shut up¡­ As long as you tie ribbons they will look cute.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a distorted definition of being cute. I could almost see creepy laughing faces from the bark patterns.¡± ¡°You¡¯re absorbing too much of what you¡¯ve been watching Shiryu. You need some help.¡± It was an urgent order to us club members. The order came from non-other than the ¡®never was a boring day¡¯ Kyrie-senpai. It was just a few minutes since we¡¯ve gathered at the club room when she suddenly blurted out ¡°Hey let¡¯s do a test of courage later. I¡¯ve discovered a haunted place up the temple at the hill.¡± Like a jolly little girl that¡¯s waaaaay out of her character. That only meant she was planning for something to happen. Everyone treated it as a club activity so there¡¯s no reason to refuse. It was a Friday so nobody would be worried by having to stay up all night doing a test of courage and ghost hunting (as if anyone of us could really see ghosts). The mechanics were never really explained. Each of us must have experienced test of courage / ghost hunting at least once on our early days so we just proceeded to the preparations thinking supposedly everyone should know about it already¡­ Or going back to the current situation, everything¡¯s unplanned. Kyrie-senpai was holding six twigs which she tied little colored laces with: yellow, pink and light green. The colors were so girly that it¡¯s starting to hurt my eyes. ¡°Really? We could have just asked for some popsicle sticks with the science club.¡± ¡°Humu. These are the darkest of times, Suzuha. We should learn to be resourceful.¡± ¡°Give me a break.¡± Kyrie-senpai held the six sticks with her tiny hands in attempt to hide the part with the tied ribbons. I was surprised she managed to hold all six of them with her two hands and kept us from seeing which was which. In the middle of my thinking my side was suddenly poked by an unknown object. ¡°HIIIIII!!¡± ¨CI let out a scream from the top of my lungs and at the same time my reflexes made me jumped a bit due to the sudden scaring. I looked at my side and saw Moemi-senpai. I looked at the entire group again and saw them smirking on me. ¡°Jeez, don¡¯t pull pranks on me like that Moemi-senpai.¡± ¨CI said on a sarcastic voice while looking at Moemi-senpai to lift up their impressions that I was too much of a scaredy cat. I admit I could still be scared at times but jumpscares were different. Same should apply to every single normal person like me. ¡°Don¡¯t mind us here, I¡¯m just teasing Annette-chan a little.¡± Moemi-senpai drived away their attentions away and had them continue their final discussions so she could talk to me one on one. ¡°What¡¯s the deal?!¡± ¨CI quietly complained. ¡°Sorry about that Annette-chan, but I have a favor to ask you.¡± ¡°Uwaaah¡­ I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re already rigging the mechanics of a pure-hearted game of chances activity.¡± The timing was perfect. Moemi-senpai approaching me at the last minute to ask a favor only meant one thing. ¡°Please switch with me if you¡¯ve picked the same as Kyrie-chan!!¡± ¨Cshe begged me. ¡°Siiiiiigh¡­ No.¡± ¡°Eh-Eeeeh?? But why?¡± ¡°Be-because I¡¯d like to team up with Kyrie-senpai too.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I!! I knew it!! Annette-chan you¡¯re a snake! I¡¯ve got some suspicions before but I gave you a chance!¡± ¡°Why do you talk like I was at the bad?¡± A part of my refusal was due to the fact that I thought I needed to protect Kyrie-senpai from the obsessed Moemi-senpai. But half of it was because I¡¯d like to have an alone time with Kyrie-senpai too. At that moment I was not yet that obsessed with her just as Moemi-senpai did, and me wanting some time with her was due to I wanted to be closer with her so that I would be able to see that side of her that day we had a heartfelt talk at her hideout. But I knew she¡¯s been treating us club members fair and equally and she¡¯s just either barely managing or fine at all and I might as well not ask anymore. She¡¯s could be as hardheaded as a stone at times, but at least for useful things. Well I don¡¯t see any reason to rig her fair random system. ¡°Hmp! I won¡¯t teach you math anymore. Bleeh!!¡± ¡°Wha¡ªwhen did you ever teach me math anyways?¡± I exhaled a sigh and rejoined the group. It was finally time for the draw lots. At the end they decided to place the twigs inside a tin can which would only show their ends without the tied ribbons being shown. They must have argued about Kyrie-senpai holding the twigs and the ribbons getting tangled with each other and spoil the fun. ¡°What took you guys too long? It¡¯s getting too late already.¡± ¡°Shush, Shiryuu-senpai. I know you¡¯re only getting more and more scared as the night goes.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªNo!¡± ¡°Hai Hai! Enough of those, let¡¯s get this started already.¡± And each of us took a twig each. The results were as followed Suzuha ¨C yellow Amane ¨C yellow Me ¨C pink Moemi ¨C pink Shiryuu ¨C light green Kyrie ¨C light green ¡°Aw yes! I¡¯d get to be with you again, Amanecchi. Hehe!¡± ¨Cboasted Suzuha-senpai as she seemed to draw the lucky straw. ¡°Shiichaaaaaa!! Trade with meeeeeee!! Uwaaaaah!!¡± ¡°Oh god! Stop it with your obsession thing already!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be partnered with Annette-chaaan! She¡¯s going to strangle me at the dark uwaaaaaah!!¡± Moemi was wailing all over the place. She must felt she needed to obtain Shiryuu-senpai¡¯s twig no matter what, whatever it takes. THUD!! Her busty body was suddenly thrown off balance which led to her stumbling down. She was kicked at the back by non-other than her obsession target: Kyrie-senpai. She¡¯s hurting all over her body due to that. It was not that strong to break a certain number of bones on her body but she was still caught off guard so it still must have hurt. ¡°If you¡¯ve got time to whine then you might as well get started already.¡± It was Kyrie-senpai¡¯s usual monotone killer voice. She¡¯s angry. The dejected Moemi-senpai suddenly turned towards me and glared. ¡°Eh, eeeh? You could still trade twigs with me, you know?¡± I tried to cheer her up, but the sentence really did not. ¡°If you guys still aren¡¯t going, then we¡¯ll go ahead first.¡± ¡°Humu. That might be better. I still have a cow here to scold.¡± ¡°HIII!!¡± The problem with Moemi-senpai wanting to pair with Kyrie-senpai was closed. The thing I was now interested was with the two. They seemed to have immunity to being scared. Well, I think I should not overthink about that anymore. And not even ten minutes after they entered the location. ¡°HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!¡± It was a scream that was almost heard up to the location of our school. A few more minutes and they exit at a certain bush near us. Amane-senpai was alright but Suzuha-senpai seemed not. Her dress was tattered all over. She looked like a molested jk* from some R18 manga I¡¯ve read. Her shirt became loose that it was showing her left shoulder and a part of her bra. There was some twigs and leaves that was left pinned at her top and skirt. ¡°I won¡¯t ask what happened. But please refrain from your indecency. I hope you would not corrupt little Annette¡¯s mind.¡± ¡°NOTHING HAPPENED!!¡± ¨CSuzuha-senpai retored while being teary-eyed. I was not supposed to know, but thanks to Kyrie-senpai¡¯s warning that the thought tainted my mind. It was her way of hinting me of whatever¡¯s happening between the two. I was just not sure what¡¯s going on with her mind as to why she needed to do that. It was so much I needed to think about so I just stopped and said, ¡°Gee, thanks for the heads up.¡± It was time for me and Moemi-senpai to enter the course. She¡¯s still on her hysterical mode for not being able to team up with Kyrie-senpai. She¡¯s still holding onto a thin thread of hope that Shiryuu-senpai would exchange twigs with him. She¡¯s practically wanting to rig the entire mechanics in front of everyone. So I dragged her sorry body into the course. ¡°Jeez, Moemi-senpai you¡¯ve been delaying this activity too much. I don¡¯t want to catch daybreak here.¡± ¡°Hmp! This is all your fault!¡± ¡°You know, your obsession with Kyrie-senpai is getting out of control.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you who¡¯s trying to steal Kyrie-chan away from me.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªMe?! No! I-I-I don¡¯t have any idea about what you¡¯re talking, whatever you mean.¡± As much as I wanted I¡¯d like to get along with Kyrie-senpai too as much as I could before them graduating. It didn¡¯t mean that I only wanted to get close as much as a friend with her and not with everyone else. Of course I wanted to be friends with everyone. Nothing to hide, nothing to lose. But if I were to find an excuse, it would be because there¡¯s always this mysterious aura surrounding Kyrie-senpai that makes her draw everything around her. As if I could make that an excuse, huh? ¡°The-then what about you, Moemi-senpai? What makes you so in love with Kyrie-senpai? What makes you so obsessed with her?¡± She paused for a bit. She giggled like a girl being teased on her crush. ¡°If¡­ If I were to reason out, it would be because there¡¯s always this mysterious aura surrounding Kyrie-senpai that makes her draw everything around her.¡± Deja-vu!! ¡°Well, she¡¯s cute, cuddly, smart and rich! Crazy rich!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear the last part.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a genius and can almost do everything! She¡¯ll make an ideal wife!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just mad. And please don¡¯t try to forget that you¡¯re a girl too!! Please don¡¯t forget your gender!!¡± I wonder if Kyrie-senpai knows of this¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to hide it with Kyrie-senpai. She¡¯s talked with me about this and my condition and somehow I¡¯ve started to convince her little by little up to the point that she didn¡¯t cared anymore.¡± Ah Kyrie-senpai knows. Wait¡­ ¡°That¡¯s not even a good way to put it!!¡± SIIIGH¡­. I took pity to my sorry self, being partnered with Moemi-senpai. She¡¯s way too much for me to handle. Whoever would talk to her would start to lose brain cells little by little. It should be a secret mechanism where she tries to absorb all your brain functions and convert it to protein and feed it to her breast. ¡°Give me a break¡­¡± ¡°You know, you talk too much. What about you, what makes you like Kyrie-chan so much? What makes so obsessed with her?¡± ¡°CUT IT OUT WITH THE OBSESSED PART! THAT THING ONLY APPLIES WITH YOU!!¡± ¡°Hmp! If you don¡¯t want to talk that much¡­ Guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± You sure give up so fast. I guess it¡¯s alright to talk a little. ¡°Well, the reason is quite simple, if I were to reason out, it would be because there¡¯s always this mysterious aura surrounding Kyrie-senpai that makes her draw everything around her.¡± ¡°Uwaah¡­ I can¡¯t believe you just repeated what I said¡­¡± ¡°Bu-but! It was me who first said tha¡ª AAAARHG NEVERMIND!!¡± ¡°Yaaay I won! Admit it, I was the one who loves Kyrie-chan moooooore!¡± ¡°Fine fine, let¡¯s just finish this. Our conversation killed the mood already. I¡¯m really sorry ghosts here, but nothing can scare me more than further conversation with Moemi-senpai. Please eat away the soul of her boobs.¡± ¡°HEY THAT¡¯S RUDE! JEEZ!!¡± I gained nothing while talking with Moemi-senpai as we continued. We just followed the path and eventually finished the ghost hunting session. We¡¯ve entered a trail that¡¯s not really being walked upon so the branches of the bushes have grown and was blocking the path. That explained why Suzuha-senpai¡¯s skirt were full of broken twigs and leaves. Yet, it still left the mystery behind her tattered clothes which wasn¡¯t supposed to be like that. Absorbing it was too much for me so I just stopped thinking, like what Kyrie-senpai would normally do. The night went on as the last pair went on and completed the course too. But as usual, they went out of the course with Shiryuu-senpai complaining and arguing to Kyrie-senpai which was just silent and couldn¡¯t be bothered so it looked like she was just talking to herself. I would like to ask Shiryuu-senpai what made her so irritated that she¡¯s spent almost half of the time hanging out with us trying to win a self-proclaimed debate with Kyrie-senpai, but I got the feel like I¡¯d be getting an answer like: ¡°if I were to reason out, it would be because there¡¯s always this mysterious aura surrounding Kyrie-senpai that makes her draw everything around her.¡± So I did not bother anymore. The activity was a total mess. Nor we did experienced thrill with the test of courage, all we did was talk and argue and talk on things that were irrelevant at that moment. My heart was conflicted if that was actually fun or not. Nevertheless, we cleaned up and headed home afterwards. --- Phase 3: Karaoke It was not like I have no experience with karaoke. In fact, I¡¯ve gone to it lots of times when I was still at middle school. I remember those times when I still had ¡®friends¡¯ and invited me to hang out with those ¡®player¡¯ like guys. It was one of those of mixer parties where you try to hook one of your friends who¡¯s new to the karaoke experience with one of the boys at the group. To be honest it was really not a comfortable experience. Who in their right minds would do that anyways? ¡°Humu. This would be a nice time to hang out at the karaoke.¡± ¨Cis what Kyrie-senpai told us. We refused with ¡°No, if you would just try to remember how tone-deaf Suzuha-senpai is.¡± We¡¯ve experienced the terror of Suzuha-senpai singing already due to some eventful activities that led to us needing to showcase each of our ¡®treasured talents¡¯. But that¡¯s a whole different story I¡¯d be leaving the story with just that. To sum it up, it was a hellish experience to all of us and it nearly snap away Kyrie-senpai¡¯s genius trait. ¡°Humu. Then I guess I¡¯ll have to resort to this. ¡®This is a direct order from the club president. All members, no exceptions.¡¯¡± And so there went the Magical Order 1-2-3. It left us with no choice but to comply. Later that afternoon we went to the karaoke. There was a single location at the small town¡¯s center we¡¯re living in where there were establishment dedicated for the townsfolk¡¯s amusement focused. There was a small amusement park, arcades, and karaoke pubs. There were age restrictions to other establishments so we¡¯re only knowledgeable of those accessible to us. The karaoke was small compared to those on the big cities, but was still comfy and spacious for the six of us. Well reserving the whole place would just be child¡¯s play to Kyrie-senpai and her family¡¯s influence at the town. She could just ask right away. But in consideration to those students and people who wanted to have break from a day of hard work too, we just did a normal walk-in and enjoyed a normal life for ourselves. The snack bar was self-serviced so the six of us had a thorough discussion who would maximize their time enjoying the karaoke and who will fetch the snacks. Nobody wanted to have the role of the latter so in the end, we had to resort to the fairest and safest method of random number generating theory called draw lots. I ended up drawing the short straw with Kyrie and Shiryuu-senpai. Kyrie-senpai seemed to be surprisingly alright with it yet Shiryuu-senpai was doing her usual banter with Kyrie-senpai and she seemed like she wouldn¡¯t stop unless she win a silly argument with her. I would be stuck with these two until we completed our losers get the snack campaign. At that time I wondered why it felt like Kyrie-senpai planned everything and how the team ended up being composed of the newbie, the president and the vice president. It was when it happened. ¡°AWAWAWAWA!!¡± ¡°Uwaaaaaah~~ Kyrie-chan, Shiicchan, Annecchi. Save me¡­¡± ¡°What in tarnation¡­¡± ¡°Humu. I expected something like this would happen.¡± ¡°Teehee~~ we¡¯re caught, Suzucchi.¡± I¡¯ve had an idea already of what¡¯s going on. Everything felt like a mix of fiction and reality. And if ever things within my mind were right it would be my first time witnessing a ¡®yuri¡¯ scene. These kinds of stories were getting common nowadays, might it be just a part of the sub character¡¯s progression or a story solely dedicated on bringing yuri scenes to the readers. People tend to have weird tastes at times too. With regards to the scene we¡¯ve arrived upon, Amane-senpai have pushed the sorry and weakly Suzuha-senpai down at the big couch and she¡¯s holding the necktie of her uniform in a fashion that¡¯s making Suzuha-senpai look like she¡¯s a leashed dog. Her body is barely holding up as she supported it with her elbows as she fought against fully being pushed down. Amane-senpai was at her top, preventing her to move and retaliate by holding her ¡®leash¡¯ with her left and pushing her shoulders with her right. She have placed her left leg in between Suzuha-senpai¡¯s legs and pushed it further up until her knee started to feel Suzuha-senpai¡¯s private regions. Everything was so lewd and descriptive that it have already broken the tags required for a decent story-telling and might already need viewer discretion. It¡¯s a wall we¡¯re not trying to break, but now it¡¯s been breached. In short, everything¡¯s already in R18 doujin. ¡°Hey put a little consideration when engaging your activities. Can¡¯t you see we have a kid here?¡± ¨CShiryuu-senpai sighed and told them like it was a daily normal routine. At the corner of the room was a crouching poor meat-lump called Moemi-senpai, covering her face and was so flustered at the sight she¡¯s already seeing (considering she might¡¯ve seen even a lot more than us). She was so flustered that she¡¯s covering her face with her two hands but her fingers were making gaps that she could still see the entirety of the scene. In short, she¡¯s already busted a fuse. She was so pure and little and pure little senpai who had not yet been tainted of even a slightest sight of obscenity, considering she¡¯s also harboring feeling towards Kyrie-senpai and it¡¯s quite similar to what the two have. But I might still be wrong. She was just there, making unlimited ¡°AWAWAWA!!¡± noises until us, her saviors, shows up to stop the two. ¡°By the way the kid I was pertaining to was you, Annette-chan. So please pretend that you didn¡¯t see a single thing or else I would use that light flasher from a foreign alien movie to erase what¡¯s on your mind.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s already imprinted on me so¡­¡± The three of us were there already, so there¡¯s no point in showcasing any more than what¡¯s already seen. Amane-senpai let go of Suzuha-senpai¡¯s leash and supported her from suddenly getting thrown off-balance. She then sat like a kid ready to get scolded while holding her legs in a demure position. Suzuha-senpai, even though she¡¯s the victim, went with the flow. She also got up and do the same as Amane-senpai. Now there¡¯s two kids ready to get scolding after playing fire. Kyrie-senpai approached the two. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re both sorry!!¡± ¨CThe two suddenly begged for forgiveness as they clapped their hands and bowed their heads in front of Kyrie-senpai. At first glance Kyrie-senpai seemed to be forgiving but when she¡¯s reached out to the very first item in her sight. And it was a mic. The quiet peaceful mic was just sitting there until Kyrie-senpai came and smashed two skulls with it. Two loud thuds from the speakers were then heard at the whole karaoke pub. ¡°Ouchie! But I was the victim! At least spare me the skull smasher!¡± ¡°You still get it by not fighting back to temptation.¡± ¡°Bu-but anyone who got pinned down like that won¡¯t have any means to fight back.¡± ¡°Hehehe. Don¡¯t deny it anymore. It felt good, right?¡± Kyrie-senpai glared at Amane-senpai who was at that point, still didn¡¯t looked apologetic enough, but rather, still needed another beating. ¡°Ooops. Hehe. Sorry for the sight Annechi!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I already got the idea since our test of courage anyways. Thanks to a certain genius senpai who¡¯s kept me updated with the hints and ideas.¡± ¡°See!! I told you they¡¯ll get the wrong idea!¡± ¡°Wha-what-which part of that is the wr-wr-wrong idea?! I¡¯ve seen everything! Everything¡¯s indecent right of the very bat!¡± Moemi-senpai seemed to have recovered since she¡¯s already trying to butt in. But the way she did it was not really helping to resolve the current situation. ¡°Hahaha! Said someone who¡¯s pretty obsessed with Kyrie-chan!¡± Poor Moemi-senpai¡­ Immediately shut down. ¡°UWAAAAH!! KYRIE-CHAAAAAN!!¡± ¨CAll she could do was to wail when she can¡¯t already fight back. ¡°Jeez. Why is everyone trying to prolong this discussion when it could already be fixed with a sentence or two. You guys surely love unnecessary arguments.¡± Siiigh. ¡°I promise you Kyrie-chan, we won¡¯t cross the boundaries of indecency. Just please let me keep teasing Suzucchi for my own pleasure.¡± ¡°He¡ªhey!! But where¡¯s my say on this?¡± ¡°Humu. Well I think it¡¯s fine. Besides, it seems to be our little Annette here is open to these kinds of discussions. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s set this entire scene up anyways.¡± After all that¡¯s happened it was still Kyrie-senpai¡¯s ploy that was executed. We were like little pawns dancing at her palms, but not really to shield other piece from being eaten, but to get promoted at the eight rank. It was really for the growth of each of us. ¡°Now now, what would you be talking about?¡± In a way it¡¯s clever and cunning, but at least it¡¯s for the better of each of us. But I still wonder how much the others had idea with? ¡°Ah nothing. Come let¡¯s not waste any more time since this is just a rented place.¡± I gave up. Time¡¯s running out. We just had a 1 hour walk-in so any further time wasted was a song not sang. That¡¯s how karaoke works. You just sing and sing until your time runs out, or your throat dries out. ¡°Little Annette is right. Let¡¯s start.¡± ¨CShiryuu-senpai told everybody and concluded the incident. ¡°Humu. Cow girl, you choose is you¡¯re going to sit here with us or you continue to be our livestock and sit there.¡± ¡°Noooo!!¡± Moemi-senpai immediately skipped and positioned herself in advance to the spot where Kyrie-senpai was supposed to sit but Kyrie-senpai went on and sat a few spaces from her, allowing me to sit in the middle. I could just heard angry Moemi noises as I sip on my beverage. ¡°Now I suppose I¡¯ll just had over a small punishment to our two PDA lovebirds here. What do you think?¡± ¡°Oh no, please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what I think it will be then it¡¯s a no for me¡± ¡°Awa? Awawa?? What¡¯s going to happen?¡± Kyrie-senpai looked at Suzuha-senpai who were just at the point of recovering from the complete humiliation. ¡°????¡± ¡°Of course you will be giving us a full album.¡± ¡°But why me? I¡¯ve done nothing wrong!!¡± Everyone was looking at Suzuha-senpai not minding the terror of how tone-deaf Suzuha-senpai could be. We could not do a single thing to stop the brewing situation. But it was an order, so we just have to sizzle every second and minute that Suzuha-senpai would be ¡®singing¡¯ for us. ¡°Sing! Sing!¡± And the single cheer became a mass cheering from the members of the crowd. It¡¯s a form of a push, encouragement, confidence booster or just bullying. ¡°SING! SING! SING!¡± ¡°ALRIGHT! DON¡¯T BLAME ME FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT OKAY?!¡± Ah, we¡¯re done for¡­ ¡ªthe four of us had same exact thoughts. That¡¯s when I looked at Kyrie-senpai who suddenly brought out a western winter earmuffs from her bag. She came prepared. It was supposedly just an item to keep yourself warm during cold seasons, but at her case she was about to use it as a sound-proof material. ¡°Eh? Kyrie-senpai? That¡¯s cheating. That¡¯s unfair.¡± ¡°In this world there are those who naturally survives and those who does whatever it takes to survive. You have to be resourceful in order to get by on your own.¡± Yes, Kyrie-senpai cheated. And so Suzuha-senpai began singing.
Ch11-7 My Way Home, written and told by Anemone. VII. My Way Home, written and told by Anemone. Extra Phase: Town Central Raid ¡°Ugh. My ears still hurt. It was like hell.¡± Shiryuu-senpai was still checking if there had been any defects developed by her ear by poking her pinkie finger in it. ¡°True, I could still hear even if the karaoke was almost a mile away from us. It seems an after-voice could be still heard inside the shop. It¡¯s like a haunted apparition on a haunted house.¡± ¡°Hey! Where¡¯s the sympathy earlier? You¡¯re supposed to be at my side, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Not after you damage our hearing.¡± ¡°Humu. I never thought Suzuha¡¯s singing power could still be amplified with the use of karaoke speakers. That dealt devastating damage to you guys. I guess I¡¯ve learned something new from this experiment.¡± ¡°Uwaaah. I don¡¯t want to hear that from someone who cheated on the very last minute.¡± I immediately retorted. We have been cheated. But there were no rules saying you could not do something about being able to protect your ears from not hearing Suzuha-senpai¡¯s singing. So it was still her win. ¡°Ky-ky-kyrie-chan did nothing wrong!!¡± ¨CMoemi defended her even when unneeded. ¡°Fine fine. Still, I¡¯m amazed you haven¡¯t got much damage despite being the one sitting closest to the speakers. Sometimes I¡¯m really amazed how your cow breasts could achieve great feats. Like for example, being able to vibrate back the sound. It makes you soundproof at very convenient times.¡± ¡°MEANIE! KYRIE-CHAN!! ANNECHI IS BULLYING ME AGAIN!!¡± We were a loud noisy bunch walking at the sidewalk. Though we¡¯re not really bothering anyone or a nearby establishment with our noise, I still gave them a few breaks in order for them to keep being aware of the surroundings. I thought that¡¯s the very least I could do. To be honest it was my very first time walking home with Kyrie-senpai and the rest of the club members altogether afterschool. I did not know whether it was a very rare occasion to the others but at least for me it was one. I could proudly say I was happy at the moment. It was happiness real compared to my previous experience. ¡°Ssssh!! We¡¯re getting too noisy again!¡± ¡°Jeez, Annechi you¡¯re too stingy! Look, even Kyrie-chan won¡¯t try to stop our fun.¡± ¡°Because it would be wasted energy and effort. Little Annette is already doing a fine job so why would I still bother to do the same? For the record, what we¡¯re doing might really be bothering the other establishments.¡± ¡°AAAAAA!! That¡¯s right! Guys let us tone down!¡± And there was a brief moment of silence. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, guys there¡¯s a shop I suddenly wanted to visit and it¡¯s supposed to be at this area too! If you want guys you can tag along.¡± Suzuha-senpai suddenly spoke up. She seemed to have recovered already from that embarrassing 30 minutes of her life. ¡°A beauty shop, perhaps.¡± ¨CShiryu-senpai concluded. ¡°As if! I may look like an average gal but there are still other things I¡¯m interested with!¡± ¨Cshe answered like she was being mocked with. ¡°Like for example?¡± Suzuha-senpai then went silent and turned away from us. It seemed to be an embarrassing hobby, as if she¡¯d die if she¡¯s told us or we knew accidentally. But there was no point in hiding it, especially now that she¡¯s let it slip. ¡°You know, those manga stuff that I¡¯ve been reading.¡± ¡°Oh, so that was it, huh? What a turnoff.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve had a very dull life!¡± To be honest I was a bit disappointed too at that time. I¡¯ve expected I¡¯d be learning something new from one of my senpais. Lately I had been very interested in each of my senpai¡¯s backgrounds and developments. It might be because each of them had their own distinct characters like those protagonists from those manga series Suzuha-senpai¡¯s talking about. To put it simply, I was a protagonist of a good story. Then there¡¯s suddenly a groups I¡¯d encounter, being led by a great leader (which was Kyrie-senpai) and later on I¡¯d be a part of that group. Then I would have major roles with the developments of the sub-characters (which would be my other senpais), in which I would later on know the ¡®why¡¯-s and their character backgrounds too. Of course I would be glad to be one of those characters. I¡¯d like to know much about my senpais too with the very little time we¡¯d be together. What could I do, I was once just a lonely girl hanging out with my ¡®friends¡¯ and have never experienced this. But the development on my relationship with Kyrie-senpai had a different route which I¡¯ve always handled with care like a fragile package. ¡°My my it¡¯s okay Suzucchi-senpai. I¡¯ve been reading mangas too, it¡¯s actually nothing you should get ashamed of or something to hide.¡± Well this should cheer her up, at the very least¡­ I tried to console Suzuha-senpai by rubbing her back. I then looked at Amane-senpai and immediately removed my hand. She was glaring at me and was omitting some dangerous aura. I did not intentionally consoled Suzuha-senpai with the ulterior motive of competing with winning over her heart. I just did it out of pure goodwill. I smiled at her and did the ¡®I don¡¯t mean anything by it.¡¯ message. She realized my intention and removed hostility. She then spoke. ¡°Well if we we¡¯re to go then we should all go together. I really think the time we hanged out at the karaoke is still not enough. Come on guys, we still have a lot more time before evening. You might see also see some good reads there.¡± ¡°Well, what do you say, Kyrie-chan.¡± ¨CShiryu-senpai asked for an approval. It might be an extended activity but it¡¯s fine by me. I really got not much to do at home than watching TV and grow my fats as I eat chips and drink soda. That might be the same for the others, but Shiryu-senpai¡¯s decision, consulting to Kyrie-senpai first was really needed, considering the position Kyrie-senpai had as a daughter of a well-known family. It¡¯s the same as saying it might be dangerous for an ojou-sama* to be out at the busy town center in the middle of the evening without any escorts. ¡°Well It should be fine. Also remove that ¡®Kyrie-senpai is a delicate princess¡¯ look at your face little Annette. I could handle myself perfectly fine even without my butlers.¡± Heh, you cheating esper. I couldn¡¯t do anything but give a smirk. Suzuha-senpai gave a sudden burst of joy, now given a chance to boast her hobby to her friends. ¡°Really?! I love you guys! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°No just love only me.¡± ¡°Ah, there you go again, Amanecchi-senpai¡­¡± --- ¡°Whoah! We got a new volume for this pirate series! I haven¡¯t got the chance to read this for a long while. I guess I could buy the few volumes from the last chapter I¡¯ve read!¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re interested in action and adventure genre more, Suzucchi-senpai.¡± I¡¯ve been talking with Suzuha-senpai once we¡¯ve entered the shop. The shop was about a block away from where Suzuha-senpai asked us to tag along so it was just a few minutes of walk. We didn¡¯t had a hard time finding it because it was just alongside the street. The shop was a bookstore, featuring a mix of old used and brand new books. There were sections for magazines too and our target: the entertainment section. The section had a mix of mangas, light novels, magazines and foreign comics. The whole shop had a smell of old books despite having both mix of delivered new books to sell. The old books looked like they were being maintained so they were still presentable to be displayed on the rack. The shop was being run by a family as Suzuha-senpai mentioned but I looked at the cashier and there was only an old man watching it. It was supposed to be a busy time but there hadn¡¯t been any people besides us at the shop. We could make noise all we want but in consideration to the old man on the watch, we couldn¡¯t. At least we could have normal conversation but we¡¯ve refrained from becoming our usual noisy bunch. ¡°Hmmm, not really that into adventure and action. I just give some interesting series on a certain genre a quick read If I get interested to it, then I¡¯ll be switching to another if I get bored or I filled my need.¡± ¡°Wow I see. That gives me an idea maybe I should try another genre for a change.¡± ¡°What have you been interested with anyways?¡± ¡°Mmmm. Romance.¡± ¡°Whoah so girly.¡± ¡°Ah yeah, now¡¯s really the time to get confused on what¡¯s the norm form girls and what¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Ahaha! Sorry sorry. It was just I was expecting you to be a hardcore otaku too. Well at least we got a share of interest. What stories have you read already?¡± ¡°Please spare me the titles. Memorization had always been my weakest skill. But I could at least remember the plot.¡± ¡°Okay then, tell me.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Let¡¯s see. There was this maid, and a rich boy, and these characters¡­¡± Blah, blah, blah.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Oh those plots, I remember those. They¡¯re quite old series¡­¡± Blah, blah, blah. We¡¯ve gotten to immersed with the topic that we started to not pay attention within our surroundings. I like romance plots. In fact I¡¯ve always wanted to at least once fall in love, with a boy at my age. Maybe a childhood friend or a sudden transfer student from a foreign country. But those stories were really seldom to experience in real life. But it¡¯s fine, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been reading novels and mangas at least to keep myself being fantasized by stories I might not be able to experience. ¡°Humu. This seems to be a good story.¡± I was suddenly taken back to reality by a familiar voice at my left. It was Kyrie-senpai. ¡°Ah Kyrie-senpai, where are the others?¡± I tried to speak my way out of not being able to notice her fast. THUD! I got hit with a rolled issue on my head. ¡°Hey! That hurts! Also Please don¡¯t roll it that way if you¡¯re not gonna buy it!¡± ¡°Already bought it.¡± ¡°Ah yes, rich man¡¯s perks.¡± ¡°Humu. That¡¯s what you get for not noticing me sooner.¡± ¡°Ah yes, esper perks.¡± ¡°You actually believe those rumors?¡± ¡°No. But I¡¯m starting to believe it¡¯s real. Can I take a look at that? What¡¯s the story?¡± I extended my hand towards her with an act of ¡®Can I borrow? I¡¯ll try to give a quick read.¡¯ without saying anything. She understood the intent and let me borrowed the manga issue. It was a story about a man at early twenties, suddenly waking up and realizing a whole new world was suddenly transported to the one he¡¯s originally living, making the two worlds being able to coexist, and triggering brand new adventures which he¡¯s going to experience. ¡°Oh, this story got serialized?¡± ¡°How would I know. I haven¡¯t really had time to study about this field.¡± ¡°Oh at least you¡¯re still at the borders of being a human.¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Nice one Annechi!¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m still a human. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the very personification of all this world¡¯s knowledge and wisdom. There should be fields that would still require studying if I want to excel on it.¡± Kyrie-senpai was flustered. Maybe it was because I¡¯ve hit a score against her, not to menton in front of Suzuha-senpai. And with Suzuha-senpai should be Amane-senpai watching nearby. Actually include everyone at the shop. To witness a newbie at the club like me score one against Kyrie-senpai was already a great feat. ¡°Humu. You guys are getting punishment tomorrow at the club.¡± She just shyly turned away to avoid getting teased. Everybody else had their own reactions after seeing that side of her. I thought, how cute, but I did not let any hint of that show on my face as it would further hurt our prideful prodigy club president. ¡°Hehehe, fine fine, I guess I¡¯ll gladly accept it this time. But I¡¯d be still worried about whatever that ¡®punishment¡¯ is.¡± We were giggling inside the shop, considering to still maintain the usual volume we¡¯ve been keeping since we entered. I did not even look at the old man but for sure he was also like, ¡°Ah, youth¡­¡± with a smile dedicated to us. At that moment we still did not know of what Kyrie-senpai really plans with the issue she¡¯s bought. Or rather, we never really knew. Why was she so not herself by that time? ¡°Ah maybe I¡¯ll just buy these two. Wait for me here guys, I¡¯ll just pay over at the counter¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± I looked at the two (Suzuha and Amane-senpai package) approach the counter. Eh¡­ really? To be honest, they look like a disabled person being accompanied by a guardian. ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t going to buy Annechi?¡± ¡°Ah it¡¯s fine. Perhaps you could suggest me some good romance genres or you could lend me some. Hehehe¡­¡± ¡°Mmmm¡­ ¡®kay!¡± I meant it only as a joke but I did not expect that she would take it seriously. ¡°Hooh, really? Thanks!¡± ¡°Well instead of them being eaten by dust at home it¡¯s better to share them. I¡¯d let you guys borrow too!¡± ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°If Kyrie-chan is good with it, then I¡¯d read too!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always read them when we¡¯re alone at your house.¡± ¡°Humu. I¡¯ll give this a quick read first. Then I¡¯ll just ask if I¡¯m interested.¡± Kyrie-senpai had regained composure. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go. I guess we¡¯re done here.¡± Suzuha-senpai took the lead. She was the host of the event anyways. The unsuccessful activity we¡¯ve had at the karaoke was redeemed with Suzuha-senpai¡¯s shop visit. At the very least she¡¯s redeemed herself from the humiliating sing a song event. After a few more talks we¡¯ve decided to leave the shop. We then decided to go separate-ways at the station. I¡¯ve decided to accompany Kyrie-senpai for a short walk until she meets up with her escort. At first Moemi-senpai was insisting she would be the one to accompany her but it was too much of a risk, so the majority voted no. Everybody had already disapproved of Moemi-senpai for Kyrie-senpai. As we walk on the street and the streetlight started to turn on due to the darkness, Kyrie-senpai initiated a talk, which she does not usually do. ¡°Are you having fun?¡± I was shocked. I knew what she was talking about. But I still do not know. ¡°I¡­¡± ¨CI did now know what to answer. ¡°It¡¯s fine, you know already. I trust you with that.¡± ¡°Eh? I haven¡¯t said anything yet.¡± I wondered if she¡¯s just making things up or she could really tell what¡¯s on my mind. I am happy, sure. But still¡­ ¡°You have to be certain. Time¡¯s running out, quickly¡­ We will be gone before you even notice.¡± She cut to the chase. Kyrie-senpai must have thought prolonging the conversation won¡¯t do any good. It was really not her style too. But that was not the case for me. I wanted to stall the time so much to think about it again: What would I be doing after they graduate? ¡°Well if you¡¯re really that uncertain, you could disband the club then go back to the way you used to be. Fufufu. As if there are still members besides you after we graduate.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even considered the possibility of someone wandering there mysteriously and being mystified on me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even bother waiting. Trust me it only applies to me.¡± I pouted. She was really getting ahead of herself. It made me want to think of how I could drag her off her high horse. But I couldn¡¯t really think of any. She seemed to always show no weakness. She¡¯s Kyrie-senpai anyways. But however the topic prolongs, it still goes back to the pressing issue. ¡°Guess there¡¯s no point in further extending this talk¡­ Ugh. Should I really pick now?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to pressure you, no worries. But the faster you get to choose, the more time you get to spend further improving yourself. Remember, the cogwheels won¡¯t turn unless it is either automatic or there¡¯s someone operating it manually.¡± ¡°Cut the last part. It really doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± But she was right. I thought: Kyrie-senpai might lose interest on helping me on the situation I¡¯m in if I still try to prolong our daily lives like this without making any progress for myself. But making rash decisions won¡¯t do any good. If it really has come to this, then¡­ Only one thing comes to my mind. ¡°It came to me once to establish a club that will succeed yours, make it a legit club with legit activities. Also participate at school events and stuff. For once I¡¯ve thought about being a club president worthy to your standards. If you would just allow me to inherit your position, yeah.¡± That thought came across my mind several times while thinking what I would do after they graduated. It would be a lot of work since I would be the only one left after they graduate, but I thought I could manage if I just put on tons of effort. ¡°Now I¡¯m even more worried about the future of the club. Fufufu. Would it really be alright to entrust the whole club and clubroom to you?¡± ¡°Jeez!¡± ¡°Humu. Kidding aside, that was quite a better response, compared to the first time we had a serious talk at my little hideout.¡± A little praise she gave meant a lot for me. I was happy. Who would not be? However big or small, whoever it came from a parent or someone¡¯s closest club president, a praise is a praise. I smiled and giggled like a kid being patted at the head. After that, we have a few more topics discussed. I did not notice the time and was surprised we¡¯re already at the perimeter of the school. There was a big black car already parked near the entrance and seemed to be waiting for Kyrie. It was already a few minutes past seven. ¡°Thank you for accompanying Lady Kyrie back at the meeting place.¡± ¨CThe butler told me as we exchanged bows to each other. ¡°No worries. I¡¯m quite worried about her being alone at this time of the night too.¡± ¡°Humu. I will triple your punishment tomorrow.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± We exchanged smiles, as a symbol of our deepening friendship. Those were the moments we¡¯re really close friends to exchange words with just an exchange of glances. It had just been almost a year. As she tried to enter the car, she quickly stopped stepping inside and looked at me. ¡°Ah by the way, Little Annette.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°About the manga I¡¯ve bought¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll try to... murmur¡­ Humu, nevermind. See yah tomorrow.¡± I was puzzled. Well maybe she was just playing her usual mind games on me. Better not think too much about it. She entered the car, and it left. Our daily lives continued with just the usual: we hang out; we do ridiculous club activities at times. Then we do common club activities at times. It was just a continuous routine that we¡¯ve kept doing day by day each and every week. Then we did not notice the days going on too fast. Until graduation day went.
Anemone Modern Earth, 20xx+3 ¡°Now I¡¯m quite curious as to what happened after your graduation.¡± Maou Spence-sensei, or Fred, emptied his nth mug of beer after speaking. He had gone several times downstairs just to had a refill. That also covered time to cut my story and to think of events that happened instead of telling a whole long story. It was getting quite late. I wondered if he would be safe until he gets home. It¡¯s nearly time for the end of the after party and we¡¯ll both go separate ways. ¡°Hey, That¡¯s quite a story you got. But I assure you somebody out there¡¯s gone through worse. At least that¡¯s the only fact I could give you for now, given my circumstances.¡± Is he talking about himself? Now I¡¯m curious. How much could he tell me about his story? I wondered. I¡¯ve heard the other members of the team calling for us. It was about time to leave already. But the city lights at that late time of the evening were quite a scenery that the two of us. He might not have been hearing the people calling for us due to the effect of the alcohol so I tried at least once to call out to him but he looked like he didn¡¯t want to be bothered. So I let him be for a few more moments and gave a ¡®In a minute.¡¯ signal to the people downstairs. I¡¯ve talked a lot. I¡¯ve told a lot. Those were stories of my past that I thought would be alright to tell him because I somehow felt we were sharing a thing in common, that was being a friend to a certain somebody named Kyrie. How much have Kyrie told him about her past. Was I included on those stories too? As much as I wanted I could not dictate Kyrie-senpai with what she¡¯s supposed to do. After all, I was just being considered as a stupid subordinate, at the same time, a friend. At least I¡¯m confident about that. ¡°Hey they¡¯re calling out for us. Are you alright? It seems like the beer is getting more and more into your system. We¡¯re about to leave already¡­ Heeeeey!!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, alright. Sorry I spaced out.¡± Now besides the unusual way of speaking he¡¯s shown a while ago, now I¡¯m quite curious and envious of him too. Maybe I¡¯ll try to stick with him when I have a chance. Or maybe¡­ ¡°Fufufu. More like dozing off already. I really hoped that little time sobered you up already. It¡¯s good to see the ¡®Great Maou¡¯ showing these kinds of vulnerabilities.¡± Thud. ¡°You kid dare talk to me like that. It would be decades¡­ No, centuries before you could pull ahead one on me.¡± He smiled, me too. It was really a good thing that he could talk on the same wavelength as me. I¡¯ve only spent most of the time in the past with girls, so having an acquaintance of the opposite sex I could chat with at times was a good experience too. ¡°Well come now. I guess this would be the last time I would be speaking with you normally, since I will be. The. Very. Great. Qu-een of Darkness once we meet again. But it¡¯s not like you would remember everything that¡¯s happened and everything I¡¯ve told anyways. You¡¯re really spent.¡± I looked at him and he was like an old jolly geezer, silly swaying being drunk while walking at an alley. He might find himself beside a trash bin the day after. Her editor, Seria and the Old man suddenly went up to fetch us. Seria gave good old Maou-spence sensei a smack. Ouch that will surely hurt once he¡¯s sober. Old man supported his shoulder, indicating that he really couldn¡¯t walk anymore. That was why he won¡¯t budge even if being fetched already. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s already passed out.¡± ¡°Siiigh¡­ We ll you¡¯re used to this already, so I guess you could be his cab and get him home safely. I do¡¯t want to be branded as someone who¡¯s really irresponsible that her author died on an accident being too drunk.¡± ¡°Fine fine.. I¡¯ll take him by car. How about you, Anemone-sensei? Are you drunk? I could hitch you one towards your apartment.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine. I could manage myself.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t. You look like a fired hostess! I¡¯ll take you home.¡± ¡°Quit it or I¡¯ll smack you. Your top priority right now is getting the goofball home. Who knew he was already that spent and can¡¯t handle beer well.¡± ¡°MURMUR. I¡¯VE ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY!! MORGIANNA GET ME TO THE CARRIAGE!! AAAHG AT LEAST LET ME DRINK A GLASS OF YOUR MILK BEFORE I DIE! I ALREADY DIED!!¡± ¡°Whoah!¡± We we¡¯re shocked. He was still aware of his surroundings. He was so drunk that he¡¯s already shouting nonsense sentences. ¡°Okay, he¡¯s your responsibility now, but only until he¡¯s sober. Get it Old man?!¡± ¡°Hey hey hey!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of Little Anemone here. I¡¯ll make sure to give those guys who¡¯ll try to hit on us a thorough beating.¡± That doesn¡¯t sound so good¡­ I feel even more in danger with her. Seria did all the planning. It was called ¡®Operation Drive the Maou Home Safely¡¯, featuring Old man, hostess mode me, and a yankee. But before we all went separate ways, I closed my distance with Fred a bit and whispered to him. ¡°Well I¡¯ll pay you a visit, maybe in a week or two. Let me tell you a trivia: I originally live at the same hometown as you.¡± ¨CThen I went with his editor while skipping and feeling happy. At least I was able to give him a payback once. After that I was really escorted home safely by Seria and she parted ways with me at the front yard of my apartment complex. All that was left was to climb at the floor I¡¯m staying. She saw no more threats with that so she decided it would be okay to leave me. The night was eventful, and full of brought back memories. I wondered if I would be able to experience the same thing Kyrie-senpai have let me experience the very first year of my high school again. Even more now that we¡¯ve got a chance to meet again by a sudden twist of fate. That was one of the night I was able to sleep peacefully and soundly after I¡¯ve relocated to the main city.
Ch12-1 And so the story goes at unit six And so the story goes at unit six Modern Earth, 20xx+3 The smell of ink permeated Fred¡¯s whole studio (which was formerly unit seven). The usual daily lives of mangaka Maou Spence-sensei with his two assistants and also featuring lazy Ingrid at the went on lazing at the bed besides the working tables while eating snacks went on. There were lots of progress graphs and tables posted at the corkboard while some target dates were written at the whiteboard. ¡°Kyrie. I need pages six to ten. We¡¯re nearing our deadline.¡± ¡°Humu. Please don¡¯t pressure me. It¡¯s not really effective.¡± ¡°Keep that high and mighty attitude up until the Hag* arrives here.¡± ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t say anymore. Just give me until after dinner.¡± ¡°Heeeey Freeeeed. Speaking of dinner, I¡¯m hungryyyy~~ Give me money I¡¯ll cook for you. But I¡¯m too lazy so¡­ Cook for me, please?¡± Ingrid, at her laziest, was squirming at the bed like a playful cat as she tried to tease Fred and the others who were currently at a rushing state to meeting deadline. ¡°No. Budget cuts. Cook for us but use your allowance. Also don¡¯t try to delay us any longer.¡± ¡°Eeeeh? I told you didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m currently on an unpaid month long leave.¡± ¡°Why do you keep adding up on my current problems like you¡¯re either my wife or my kid or Morgianna?¡± ¡°Miss Landlady please don¡¯t delay us any longer with your wailing. Just, please¡­¡± ¡°Besides I don¡¯t see any reason why you would take a long unpaid leave at work!¡± ¡°You¡¯re earning enough anyways, to keep our family of four¡¯s daily needs in check.¡± ¡°Humu. That leaves me and Ara as the kids. Poor Fred, you suddenly became a father, but still, congrats. Fufu¡± The cocky assistants still got the time to side with Ingrid to tease Fred despite the busy air surrounding the room. Kyrie was just teasing, and Fred could let that pass because he still couldn¡¯t fully sync in with how Kyrie would think and he would only get up being burned through losing arguments (but not all the time). That¡¯s how he¡¯s been battling with her for over a year already. He was the master but at the same time, he was also the slave. Kyrie was one thing, but what he couldn¡¯t accept was Ara riding along Kyrie¡¯s streak and throwing fuel on fire to further increase the damage being dealt. In gaming terms, Ara was like an annoying cleric romantic heroine; Kyrie was like the yuusha, and Fred was like the Maou (which he really was.) ¡°Ara I¡¯ll cut 20% off from your salary if you keep playing the support teaser role. It hurts me so much that when you¡¯re supposed to side with me to make things fair, you¡¯d end up siding with the other two to make it more one-sided. That¡¯s very not imouto-like.¡± ¡°My my¡­ Hearing that triggers the aneki switch, you know? That¡¯s quite unfair.¡± ¡°Humu. That¡¯s really unfair Fred.¡± ¡°Freeeed I¡¯m hungryyyyyy¡± ¡°Guh!! Aaaahg!! Jeez! Fine I get it I get it!¡± Fred stood up. Nothing was heard yet it was certain that it¡¯s break time. What a hardworking man of labor need at times were timely breaks. It was just to avoid being burnt-out with heavy work. Fred didn¡¯t want to be branded as someone who abuses his staff by overworking and underpayment. ¡°We¡¯re close friends already¡± was what had been going on his mind as an excuse at the beginning. But being told with ¡°You¡¯re the lowest of the low Fred.¡± Of everyone especially Ingrid and Old man was what he¡¯s been trying to avoid. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re close friends already. I could use a cut on your salaries to increase our snacks budget. Besides, you¡¯re the ones who¡¯re benefiting the most on snacks anyways.¡± Of course he delivered it as a joke. At the same time Ingrid squirmed at her current position on the bed. She didn¡¯t want to get up because Fred will just abuse her of house work, that she knew. She was just moving out her body to tell him that ¡®at least she¡¯s working her body out¡¯ and that ¡®she¡¯s trying to avoid being fat¡¯. ¡°No Ingrid, that won¡¯t work on me. You will help me out to prepare dinner.¡± Ingrid pouted. At the same time, she didn¡¯t want to anger Fred. She knew it was quite a hell week for the three as they were trying to catch up with their backlogs of work and they we¡¯re quite being pushed on the edge, despite going on with their usual daily banters. With that being in mind, she stood up. CRASH!! They heard a rumbling sound at the very far side of Fred¡¯s unit which was supposed to be deserted at that moment. ¡°HIIIII!!! Ky-ky-kyrie-chan!! Is that the fabled apartment ghost at Miss Landlady¡¯s apartment complex?!!¡± Ara jumped out of her seat and tried to embrace Kyrie, who was currently seated across the long table separating them. She forced her body after being scared too much that half of it was thrown cross the desk already just to hub Kyrie. Now the scaredy imouto-mode Ara was pressing her cheeks at the seated ¡®God please let this be over with¡¯ Kyrie. ¡°No, you silly imouto-mode Ara. Please don¡¯t try to switch too often. We¡¯re now having issues with how to deal with that.¡± ¡°Oooh. That¡¯s so not like you, Kyrie.¡± ¡°Wait. Is this already the aneki-mode or the so-called third and balanced mode?¡± But Ara¡¯s split/multiple personalities was not the pressing issue at the moment. The fact that they heard something from the supposedly vacant unit meant only two possibilities: A burglar; or a ghost if they were real. ¡°Come on guys, you didn¡¯t even consider the possibility of Seria barging in, drunk and spent.¡± ¡°No Fred that¡¯s not an option. We all know Seria handles her liquor too well that it¡¯s getting me too envious.¡± ¡°No Ingrid, now¡¯s not the time to get envious¡± ¡°Maybe a cat got in?¡± ¡°Well that was logical. Now go check it Ara, since it¡¯s your idea at the first place.¡± ¡°Eeeh? I don¡¯t wanna! What if there really is a ghost?! Besides, are you scared to check it too?¡± ¡°O-of course not!¡± The topic was going to extend too long so Ingrid decided to open the door. ¡°Come on now guys. We all know that I¡¯m not raising a demon ghost here in my apar¡ªHIIIII!!!!¡± Ingrid suddenly turn tail and hugged Fred. She was shaking. The three saw no point on her making a prank and prolonging the topic further right after cutting it. They really need all the time. So why did she jump out of fear? The answer was obvious: there really was a ghost. ¡­Or not. ¡°Fu fu fu! Lady Landlady. What an unsightly sight to display upon the great Queen of Dark¡ª¡± SHUT¡­ Fred closed the door. Anemone was sitting at the center couch of his apartment parallel to the door, wearing her usual sexy tight suit and a coat-on-top. She was sitting at her usual pose with her right eye covered with an eyepatch. Her left eye was wearing a purple contact lens that glowed as the light from the outside passed through the windows of his apartment. It looked like she was waiting for the very moment that somebody would open the door.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. At first glance anyone would think she really was a ghost. That was what scared Ingrid. Anemone could only hear Ingrid crying over the other side of the closed door as she sat still, worried about scaring the shit out of the kind landlady of the apartment complex she just moved in. That might lead to her being kicked out without even a month worth of stay. Over the door she could only hear the conversation Fred¡¯s team was having ¡°There there, calm down Ingrid. We¡¯ll just tie up Anemone later.¡± ¡°I would like to ask her how and why is she at your unit right now.¡± ¡°Humu. Please tie him tight Fred, I want to test my newly upgraded harisen on her. She made Landlady cry so¡­¡± ¡°Uwuuuuu Freeeeeed hug me tighteeeeer.¡± Large sweat built up on Anemone¡¯s forehead. She felt like she had prepared and exerted too much effort for something that would get her killed. She silently lifter herself up from being seated, avoiding any sound that would alert the whole Team Maou at the other side of her greatest escape of her life. She turned around. But Fred¡¯s team won¡¯t let somebody who made Ingrid cry (but she must have been really fine after hugging Fred) escape so easily. ¡°Oho, where are you going, my Little Annette?¡± It was Kyrie standing at the open door. Anemone turned around and saw the silhouette of a little figure. The contrast of the dark room and the light from the studio made it look like Kyrie¡¯s silhouette was like a villain antagonist of a shounen manga yet to be revealed at the early chapters. ¡°He he he¡­ Kyrie-senpai. Please refrain from calling me by that name anymore, please? I¡¯m a full-pledged mangaka now, so¡­¡± She looked at the long paper fan Kyrie was holding. It was the very same representation of pain that would be inflicted to her in a few more moments. She accepted her fate. Fred was standing behind Kyrie, consoling the crying (but she¡¯s really fine after hugging Fred) Ingrid. ¡°Kyrie-senpai?¡± ¡°Kyrie.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± -to answer both of them ¡°Please be gentle¡± ¡°Do it.¡± Seria just finished walking a long way from the station and she was carrying dinner she bought at the convenience store. She was about to enter Ingrid Apartment complex¡¯s vicinity when she heard a loud critical hit of some paper landing on bare skin and a delighted ¡°Kyah!~~¡± from the second floor. ¡°Uwaaaah~~ That surely hurts.¡± --- ¡°So, how and why are you here at the first place?¡± ¡°I entered through the balcony¡ª¡± ¡°Which sounds physically impossible, but since it is you I won¡¯t have any more how questions. Now answer the whys.¡± ¡°Heh. It-it¡¯s not like I was feeling quite alone at my new unit. I just happen to want to bother you for a while. I got free time since I¡¯ve met my deadline fast.¡± With that answer she freely gave away the whys. Anemone was sitting politely at the couch she previously sat on. She was being scolded by Fred and Seria who just arrived with the relief goods she bought from the convenience store. Multiple lumps from her head, mainly from the harisen* and one from Ingrid, were visible at her forehead. She looked like a kid who bumped on the table and tumbled down multiple times. Besides from the snot on her nose she¡¯s teary eyed: an indication that she¡¯s cried too. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. ¡°Well you could pack up and leave the apartment after we¡¯ve eaten. I knew this would happen so I¡¯ve bought an extra for you.¡± ¡°UWAAAAAAAA¡ªbu-bu-but it¡¯s not like I¡­ The Queen of Darkness¡­ Would be tempted by this¡­¡± Anemone was drooling as she looked at the sight of the food that was offered at the dining table. ¡°What you say doesn¡¯t match up to the reaction you¡¯re showing, you know?¡± ¡°Well whatever. I¡¯m hungry and it¡¯s a great timing. Guess I¡¯ll help myself.¡± Anemone stood up and grabbed herself dinner. She did not ask politely nor act on courtesy. It had been one of her original traits to quickly get familiar with others and any new environment she moved onto. That posed true after she moved out of the city to the countryside small town where Fred¡¯s studio and Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex was located. She was initially friendly with Kyrie to begin with, but she¡¯s also got along quickly with Fred, Ingrid and Ara too, not to mention Fred¡¯s editor Seria who¡¯s always paying a visit to check on his progress too. ¡°I really can¡¯t believe she went on and spent a whole week like she¡¯s one of your long residing tenants already, Ingrid. What have you made her drink?¡± ¡°I would like to just ask her to drink alcohol sometimes but she¡¯s still underaged¡­ or not? So I just ask her to drink beer sometimes.¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s in every aspect wrong.¡± ¡°I just drink juice, okay? I just drink juice!¡± Anemone reverted to her kid form as she started chowing on her dinner. She seemed like she hadn¡¯t eaten for the whole day. Seria¡¯s decision to buy her dinner was right. Fred just looked at her with ¡®Was she expecting this from the start? Where does she even bring her money to?¡¯ look. He then looked at the initial victim: Ingrid, after remembering an important part. ¡°You sure have recovered quick. You¡¯ve forgiven her already, you know?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Hehehe I was just trying to score a hug from you. Teehee~~¡± ¡°Thought so¡­ Come Ara, Kyrie, let¡¯s have dinner.¡± ¡°Yaaay, I¡¯ve been waiting for this.¡± ¡°Humu. After all that hardwork, and you¡¯ll just serve me processed food?¡± Thud! ¡°Cocky brat, just be grateful you guys don¡¯t have to prepare dinner anymore.¡± Kyrie just pouted after getting a light hit on her forehead. It was really intended to tease Fred but it backfired immediately. She¡¯s not really one to commit silly mistakes. Being stressed from work must have taken a toll on her thought process already. Ara, as usual, just immediately dragged her body towards the dining table and supplied nutrients to her farther growing body. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m going to take the last spot. I haven¡¯t eaten dinner yet too.¡± ¨CSeria said as she took on the final spot at the crowded table. ¡°Eh?! Hey! Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± ¡°No we¡¯re not. You¡¯re not just being hospitable.¡± Fred¡¯s table could only accommodate four persons at max. With a freeloading chuunibyou rival and an ex-yankee editor to add up to his family, he was immediately overthrown from his usual dining spot. But that didn¡¯t apply only to him. Anemone took Ingrid¡¯s spot too. That left Ingrid with a delighted look for a chance on soloing Fred with an ambush dinner date again at her unit. ¡°No that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking right now Ingrid. Let¡¯s eat at the studio table. I won¡¯t get harassed again with your ¡®here honey, say aaah¡¯ thing.¡± ¡°Hmp! Cheapskate.¡± -Ingrid could only pout after getting flat out rejected again. --- ¡°Well at least you¡¯re keeping up. This will sell, I assure you of that. Keep up the good work.¡± Seria finished reading Fred¡¯s chapter draft. It was a 30-40-ish page draft that would be released for the month¡¯s update for the story he¡¯s currently drawing. Unlike Old man, Seria had been handling Fred and his team better that it brings out, no doubt, better results than they have produced while being handled by Old man. ¡°You know, I really got a hunch that this will be a better serialization than my first. It¡¯s just a hunch.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know. As I see it, your first should have been still running even now if you just not have decided to drop it. Well that¡¯s similar to saying that maybe Old man¡¯s forte really lies on adaptations. Hmmm. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯d lose to him with regards to my skills. But who knows. I really haven¡¯t seen him in action due to our conflicting schedules. How¡¯s he doing on your end Anemone-senseiby the way?¡± ¡°Fu fu fu. My humble servant in doing fine on his job under me.¡± Anemone started talking (her style) about Old man. She started telling them the story (her style) of how Old man had been diligently kept up with her for the past month. And the looks on the audience¡¯s faces we quite astonished. It was an achievement well-attained by Old man, considering Anemone was the one he¡¯s in-charged with. As she told them the story she twirled her bangs and spoke while sitting at the side of the bed. She was sitting on the edge to make way for Ingrid, who immediately fell asleep after eating. She had been sleeping ever since Seria and the others entered the studio and started to read and assess the current pages that Fred¡¯s team finished. Though their discussion sounded at the entire room, she¡¯s sound asleep. You would know why she took a long vacation by the way she¡¯s sound asleep. ¡°Well that¡¯s all I could talk about him so far.¡± ¡°Whoah. I¡¯m pretty impressed he still has his sanity. Oh wait, he¡¯s pretty insane to begin with. My bad.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. He¡¯s one hell of an Editor.¡± ¡°Uwaaaah Fred he was still your editor. I would feel bad if you guys started talking to him like that.¡± Riiing Riiing Riiing¡­ Ara¡¯s phone started to make a loud girly ringtone like those of fantasy romance background music. She¡¯s pretty girly to begin and Fred had heard it tons of times already but he was still giving an annoyed look after hearing it. He might either: had a sensitive hearing or the music was just not really his taste. ¡°Ah Fred it¡¯s someone I know from my previous work. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± It was a sudden ring so everybody participating the discussion suddenly went to a halt and looked at Ara. It was quite a rare sight to see Ara suddenly excusing herself because somebody from her previous work called her. Seria and Anemone might now be knowledgeable of events that happened on Ara¡¯s past yet, but seeing the sudden change on their expressions put them onto mixing with the mood at the room. ¡°I¡¯ll just excuse myself for a bit.¡± ¡°Sure. Take your time Ara.¡± Fred looked at Ara as she hurriedly headed towards the exit of the studio. She must have gone towards her unit to avoid the conversation being misheard. Fred looked worried about her. Fred noticed the sudden change on the mood but could not determine what would be a proper ice breaker. It was when Ingrid rose from behind Anemone which shocked her a bit. ¡°Uwaah!! Uhm¡­ Ehem! Fu fu fu! So you have awoken from your eternal slumber, God of the land.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t associate me with your weird nicknames and just call me landlady or Ingrid. I¡¯m going to kick you out. No actually get out right now.¡± ¡°No please don¡¯t Lady Landlady¡­ I¡¯ll behave now.¡± It was an easy score to redirect everyone¡¯s attention away from Ara. Fred knew of Ingrid¡¯s intentions. Kyrie might still not be aware, but Fred and Ingrid were aware of her past and it¡¯s not something to proudly tell to the others as a story to pass time. Fred looked at Ingrid with a ¡°Good going. Thanks, I¡¯ll treat you later.¡± And Ingrid answered with a ¡°it¡¯s fine, just be your usual self.¡± ¡°No. Really¡­ I¡¯m still really pissed with what you¡¯ve done a little while ago. I may have been woken up by Ara¡¯s ringtone but I still really won¡¯t forget what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°HIII!!! Please, Landlady Ingrid. I¡¯ll do everything.¡± ¡°Ara ara¡­ Well then. Accompany me at my unit I¡¯ll have something to talk to you with. It would be fine if I leave with this goofball for a while, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, no worries. We¡¯ll be done here in a few minutes too.¡± ¡°Waaaah!! Please! I still need to see how my idol, Maou Spence-sensei!!¡± And Ingrid dragged the noisy Anemone out of the studio like a teacher dragging a noisy student out of the classroom towards the faculty. Shut. The door finally closed. It was only Kyrie, Seria and Fred left at the room. They continued their discussion.
Ch12-2 A Mother, A Daughter ¡° At first I never believed even a single thing that the man I¡¯ve once met one night at the woods was saying. He was acting weird; he was wearing something weird. Everything around him, his aura, his looks, his style, his speech everything¡­ Weird. ¡°I came from a different world¡­¡± He came with an introduction like this, ¡°I don¡¯t know if magic is something available on this world.¡± ¡°it is something abundant from where I came from¡± ¡°It was a world where war exists.¡± ¡°Knowledge of parallel worlds have been proved real.¡± Those were things one would only read on fictitious light novels authors enjoy writing about: Fantasy genre featuring romance and tragedies. What would I believe? Of course I¡¯d be believing those things I would see right on the spot. It¡¯s because it would be something I would be experiencing for real. What would be the truth? There were always two truths on the side of a conflicting story: The truth being told by the one and the truth being told by the other. I could talk all day to everyone about the thing I experienced, yet they would still believe the truth that has always been proven by the current science of our world. But if that case would always be true, then how would I explain the form of luminescent existence that stood (he was really floating) right at front of us? ¡±
Ingrid, Post Hotspring Arc Modern Earth, 20xx+1 ¡°Who¡­ What¡­¡± ¡°Oho~~¡± He looked like a playful kid at his early tens and before teens of age. A middle schooler? Amidst the turmoil going on at the parking lot at the top of the hill, there were fire, lights, shouting, everything¡¯s a mess. He just stood there like nothing. No¡­ more like, he was floating. ¡°Of course you would be shocked. I never really intended to break the laws of nature in this planet as it seemed I is waaaaaay too far behind from what you would call modern.¡± Suddenly he started talking like someone Fred would really love to talk to when I first met him: An alien from another word. No¡­ Perhaps¡­ ¡°Ah yea, you¡¯re hunch is right. You¡¯re starting to get a hang of it now.¡± Did he just read my mind? No shit!! ¡°Well yeah, can¡¯t help it, part of my existence.¡± No questions asked. He is a God. There were lots of religions that had been established ever since this little ¡®far behind¡¯ world of us started revolving around the sun. All of them, either they choose to worship a single, or multiple gods, for me the concept is all still the same. My mother nor my father never took their time explaining those things to me so I was never active when it comes to discussions like those. But still, If I have to give my honest opinion, if the existence right in front of us that moment really was a God, then it would be closer to those being depicted by fantasy novels. That being said, I assumed that he¡¯s a being from another plane of existence besides ours. ¡°I just wish I could meet a God from our world, ¡®cause it seems that you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Ah them¡­ I know quite a number, but they¡¯re busy attending to other issues so¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re left with the task of meeting up with me?¡± ¡°Meeting up with you and that garbage of a Maou currently sleeping at your lap. Ooooh how lucky¡­ To be sheltered and pampered by a cute little girl. And here I thought he¡¯d have improvements since I¡¯ve sent him to this world. But there seems none. What a waste.¡± The ¡®God¡¯ suddenly talked about Fred and things that were really out of his style. I visualized Gods as some respectable deities being worshipped. They supposed to be existences that have this air around them that makes them dignified, absolute, and full of holiness. But him¡­ The such carefree look¡­ The pinnacle of ¡®just got back from a day of hard work and I wanted to laze around so don¡¯t bother me.¡¯ Is written all over him. The lightings did not match the way he talked. I gave a heh, talk about a grand entrance if you¡¯ll just act that way, which was a freebie thought since he could read it anyway. ¡°Before you tell me the story about Fred, let me ask you something.¡± ¡°Oh. And here I thought people of Earth would get all politely when talking with a God. Guess I¡¯m mistaken. I really hope there would be more of people like you.¡± ¡°Quit it. It would probably be just me, Fred and my tenants too... You¡¯ll just get disappointed, wasting your time searching earth for others like us.¡± ¡°Excluding Ara?¡± ¡°Ara is a special case. The first identity could treat you with due respect, but I¡¯m not sure for the second one. Heh¡­ And also, I won¡¯t be shocked if you know them by the way, considering your great magical entrance. I won¡¯t even try to argue anymore, it¡¯s pointless.¡± For after all that happened. It still hurt my pride that I did not believed what Fred was telling me the first time we met due to the ridiculousness of the story. It was only natural. Most people said: to see is to believe. Well I wouldn¡¯t blame myself for laughing over somebody¡¯s high fantasy story without knowing I would get to experience it firsthand at the near future. Nobody¡¯s born a fortune teller anyways. ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯ll take note of that. Well, what is it that you¡¯re going to ask?¡± -he took what I¡¯ve told him. ¡°Why did you chose earth to be Fred¡¯s destination?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, to be honest it¡¯s quite random. This some higher existence I don¡¯t even know is the only one who knows how this stuff works. Sometimes I just want to go to his place and give him a good smack too, making us do all the work for him. We just execute orders. Think of it as some random number generator stuff¡­ Still, I doubt you¡¯d get satisfied by that answer, so instead I¡¯m going to tell you everything that happened when I met Fredericus.¡± There were things that still happened before I¡¯ve met up with Fred at that hill a year ago. Things that only he and the ¡®irresponsible god¡¯ he told me knew. The God volunteered to tell me the story so I could only be curious and agree to his proposal. But great information from a God must cost a lot. ¡°What would it cost me?¡± ¡°Oh no no¡­ This is free of charge. I don¡¯t really want to charge you since my rates are ultra-high. A few life cycles worth might not even cut the cost. Instead, I¡¯d rather give you a great spoiler to who you really are!¡± What he said really intrigued me. It was information unknown to even me: something my parents would not want to tell me even if the world ends. Of course I wanted to know. But that didn¡¯t really matter the most at that moment. Or was it? Do I really need to trust him?If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He looked like an existence that posed threat to whether or not each and every God were to be treated with respect. Should I still do it like the usual? Still, for the effort that he made, coming down from his realm to the lowly primitive earth, I decided to listen to him. But still¡­ What I really wanted to know that moment was about Fred, and if I had to weigh both, I would rather choose to know about him more. Besides, he offered a special and would tell both of them if I would stay put and hear his story first. He might be easygoing but who on earth might know what he could do? I didn¡¯t want to be someone who would trigger earth¡¯s Apocalypse or Armageddon due to my thick-headedness. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s a deal. I¡¯d love it if you just keep it brief. There¡¯s currently a gang war going on up there so I don¡¯t want to risk us getting caught here with your magical whatever godly appearance and you¡¯ll end up taking action against them.¡± ¡°Ah don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re on a time rift.¡± Whatever that meant. ¡°Okay then¡­¡± That was the signal. I got that grasp of the situation after I took the glance at the surrounding: Everything was on a stop. We were in a space he created where it was only me, Fred, and him. Just how powerful these beings could be? Then he started talking. He told me the story of when he started to take interest with Fred, even when he was still alive It was a quick summary of how Fred managed to lead his own army of demons to battle with the humans being led by Yuusha. There were things in common, but the way Fred told his side was quite different. The background was the same: wars here, there, everywhere. Two strong sides battling over for nonsensical supremacy and reign all over the land. It really was like a medieval setting just with magic and fantasy genre. I remembered the way Fred dressed when I first met him. I thought it was just cosplay, but I guess it made sense as I dig in deeper at the story. God have mentioned Yuusha a lot too like Fred. I guess Fred¡¯s version and perspective really is different from him. I knew Fred loved Yuusha a lot so he would only tend to get biased on telling stories. While he was busy going on his tell-tale stories, I looked at the peacefully passed-out Fred at my lap. ¡°Hmp, you silly Maou. To think that there¡¯s still these parts you haven¡¯t told me.¡± I hit his nose with a light flick. And so on the ¡®Irresponsible God¡¯ continued to tell a quick short tale: those including the events from when Fred met his first highest general, up to his second in command. I remembered him calling them by their titles: General Orcas, General Minos, and General Morgianna. He also told me about how Fred firstly meet Yuusha. Lifespan of humans differed from demons so Fred was already around his late seventies when he first met her. I was like: doesn¡¯t that make him a lolicon? Well died at Mytherion anyways so being an old demon who let a kid human grow up and fall in love with her wouldn¡¯t get questioned by authorities anymore. But truth to be told, hearing the romance story of Fred and Yuusha made my chest sting. What turned me into someone so careless to fall in love with a tenant I just met not even a year ago, not to mention suddenly being head over heels with him to the point that a single story about his first love would make me feel uncomfortable. I felt that I really need to think things through again. ¡°So. Where are we again?¡± He stopped. He seemed like he got bored, telling too much stories about Fred already. The logic behind it was quite simple: He¡¯s thrown Fred already away to this world, meaning he¡¯s served his purpose and the God not interested with him already. I felt quite sorry for the Gods of earth if they were even real, as they were being idolized due to humans thinking they are doing their best to keep earth in track and reward those hardworking worshippers properly and timely; while Gods from other dimensions just throw those that doesn¡¯t pique their interest. But I couldn¡¯t really tell that to the God in front of me. ¡°I think you¡¯ve covered quite everything.¡± ¡°Aaaaah that really felt long. I wanted to go to the main event already.¡± ¡°Eh? That was just a starter?¡± ¡°Ah, no, this won¡¯t take long. I just took a long detour to gain your trust.¡± ¡°What choice would I have? Somebody claiming that he¡¯s the one who sent Fred to this planet popped out of the blue. Whatever sorcery or magic or divinity is affiliated with this, I could trust what you say a little. Besides, what you¡¯re telling incidentally match up with what Fred told me too. There would be no way you two set me up for a long running prank, right?¡± ¡°No interest.¡± ¡°Thought so¡­¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ve told you a while ago I¡¯ll be giving you a bonus, and will tell you something about yourself you don¡¯t even know, right?¡± I wouldn¡¯t gain much from knowing it anyway, is what I thought those moments, but I never knew what he was about to tell me was something that would change how I treat Fred forever. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s this another God that I¡¯m not on good terms with, you following?¡± ¡°mhm¡­¡± I just nodded, but I wondered why he suddenly started gossiping like an office guy that got irritated over a lousy colleague. ¡°You see¡­ It¡¯s quite a trouble. She pulled one on me, and manipulated something from behind my back. I just recently knew about it so I hurriedly went to earth to see how Fred has been doing.¡± ¡°What are you saying¡­¡± ¡°You see, I¡¯ve tried to make Fred about his attachments on Mytherion since he died. I¡¯ve done him a favor and sent him to a world without a trace of magic so he would have zero chance of getting back to Mytherion, considering he died already.¡± I kept listening to him. ¡°He was supposed to forget. That¡¯s what I originally planned. There were no rules, telling other Gods should not interfere with another one¡¯s path being laid out to a living being, but out of respect to the hard work being done by the God, it had become a best practice to not interfere, or you¡¯ll be altering somebody¡¯s fate.¡± ¡°What are you getting at?¡± ¡°You see, this God I¡¯m not in good terms with made in contact with Yuusha when she died.¡± Ah¡­ Everything started falling into place. People of earth have called this thing: Fate. Whatever it was: had it been laid out by a God for someone to just follow; or it really was there to begin with and a God just carefully guides somebody to meet with his destined fate. Same went for me, as I¡¯m just a normal human being that¡¯s not a protagonist of a fantasy story. ¡°I¡¯m taking a liking to you, you sure pickup fast.¡± ¡°Why tell this to me now? Why appear now? Are you going to bring things back at order and kill me right here and right now?¡± ¡°Oh no, I won¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to anger the said God, nor waste the efforts of your mother who¡¯ve raised such a fine lady.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± That¡¯s where thing went off. ¡°Eh whatever you mean? Have you not understood where I was trying to get at? Such a turnoff.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Then I¡¯m not the reincarnation of Yuusha, sent here by the God you¡¯re talking of?¡± ¡°Mmmm¡­ Yea, That¡¯s quite a miss. Sorry for giving you a misunderstanding, Lady Ingrid. Mmmm, yes. The name really has a nice ring to it. Have you ever asked your mother for her real name?¡± ¡°No¡­ No way¡­¡± Realization hit me hard. Of course I would only know her name when she¡¯s already living here on earth. Her name when she¡¯s already married with Father. But before that. The life she had. Her previous life. How would I know? Of course I¡¯d have no idea, nor have any way of knowing. My mother was Yuusha. I asked an important question: ¡°Did she knew from the very start?¡± I was not new to these plot twists. I was just quite shocked that I¡¯ll be experiencing on hand those things that could only be read on supposedly fictional fantasy novels. What if they¡¯re really experiences from authors that they couldn¡¯t tell others so they just have to write them and they sell? Well If I would be honest, I was really shocked too. But expectation did not met reality, so the shock was lessened by a great amount. Like a moving object hitting a foam to lessen impact and damage being dealt. ¡°The God was still careful. She made it look like they were only flashes from your mother¡¯s memories and dreams¡­ But not really flashbacks. Imagine being on an imaginary situation on a dream and wake up to the harsh cold reality of not being able to be with your prince charming anymore.¡± I took a deeper breath. I knew there would be a catch to it. ¡°But your mother¡­ Really inherited the sharpness of the former Yuusha. Even after being reincarnated to Earth as a normal human, it seemed that traces of her abilities back on her Mytherion days remained within her. I do not know if it¡¯s a bonus given to her by this God, or it really is on her.¡± ¡°You mean she knew?¡± ¡°Yes. And she¡¯s also made a record of it, up to the moment she died. I¡¯m just really sorry for her that she was sent to a different timeline. It seemed like even that God had very limited knowledge of when and where I¡¯ve sent Fred, so I think she really just took a chance Your mother will meet Fred. Yet she failed! Ha Ha!! I don¡¯t really even know her motive anyways.¡± That was the great revelation. That which he announced to me. But the story was summed up to the most general form. There were still a lot of things behind it. Those which he gave me the decision-making. Which will I choose?: to live my life like this God haven¡¯t said a single thing, or to pursue the path to knowing who my mother really was. ¡°Anyways. It seems like my time is up, so I¡¯ll offer you one last piece of the puzzle and you¡¯ll build the rest, okay?¡± It seemed that he was just an astral projection, with no literal form. Since he talked that way. I wondered if his power can¡¯t sustain to be in a certain place for too long. For a God that¡¯s quite new, being unable to do something. But I would not want to be choosy. I¡¯ve already obtained information regarding Fred, and I¡¯ve obtained greater information that shocked me greatly too. It¡¯s a win for me and a win for me again. ¡°Your mother had kept a diary, hidden somewhere on your home. It was not a diary of her experiences on earth, but rather, a log of everything she¡¯s experienced before being reincarnated here on earth.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t spoil you much. I¡¯ll leave it for you to know, because stories being discovered by yourself could be found as the most interesting stories of all.¡± ¡°Tell me one last thing! What¡¯s my mother¡¯s real name!¡± I shouted because I¡¯ve felt the rumbling in the ground, and followed by the spiraling air at the surrounding, indicating the ¡®Irresponsible God¡¯s¡¯ exit. He had told what he needed to. There¡¯s no reason in staying any longer. ¡°Ha Ha Ha! Like mother, like daughter I guess. Promise me you won¡¯t waste this one chance I¡¯ve given you to uncover your real identity. You are really an interesting lady, Ingrid. Just like your mother, Ingretta Von Howartz.¡± After the last of his voice was heard, there was nothing again. He vanished in thin air, leaving me in awe while keeping Fred on my lap like a sleeping baby.
Ch12-3 Anemone’s Post-bullied Life III. Anemone¡¯s Post-bullied Life Ingrid Modern Earth, 20xx+3 I have a reason for acting too clingy to Fred. I¡¯ve actually promised to myself that I would support Fred until the time that he would have to make a decision whether he would return to his original world, or to continue his current life here. Fred is an alien. He¡¯s someone that came from another world. That¡¯s how he introduced himself to me. Of course I¡¯ve put my trust onto him once because his eyes looked like someone who wouldn¡¯t lie. Of course it¡¯s up to him if he¡¯s to torn up that trust. Too much have happened, and I still trust him. But the way I view him changed and it was way different from the way it¡¯s been before. It might be because of my certain encounter with this ¡®Irresponsible God¡¯. He¡¯s that Fred¡¯s been talking about that¡¯s the one that sent him here. The God¡¯s aim was to tell be about Fred, and to reveal who I really am(but that¡¯s not the issue at the moment). It was actually just a very short moment and the information given to me was really vague that it almost made no sense at all. But it caused so much disturbance on my supposedly normal daily landlady life. Think of it as a small drop that formed tons of ripples on a calm water. With all that¡¯s said and done. I¡¯ve thought about things again. This time really hard. I¡¯ve confirmed my feelings for him due to the events that happened during our trip at the hot springs a year ago. And then the incident with the ¡®Irresponsible God¡¯ happened. I¡¯ve already had fair share of problems, thinking how I would act around Fred, now that I¡¯ve realized I love him. Now even more because of a solid proof that all the stories he¡¯s been telling me were true. As I saw it, Fred had been constantly working on being able to adapt on life on earth and he¡¯s improved tons since the first months of living here. But still there were times where I couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that he might still be the same old Fred that I know. That led me to the thought that I needed to cheer him up, any way I could. I have to¡­ I¡¯m the only one that could do it at the moment. That¡¯s the reason I¡¯ve been stuck to being the cheerfully stupid landlady that¡¯s head-over-heels in love with my tenant. I¡¯ve thought about it several times and decided for myself that¡¯s the best course of action. It¡¯s not like the way I act bugs me. I¡¯ve gotten accustomed to it and was actually enjoying it. Then came actual storm¡­ ¡°Siiiiiigh¡­.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Lady Landlady? Are you okay? That¡¯s a long loooong sigh you¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°Yes I¡¯m fine. Here, want a smoke?¡± I¡¯ve asked a silly offer to the person at my front. I asked her to seat at with me at the veranda as I wanted to talk with her, but now that we¡¯re sitting in front of each other, words wouldn¡¯t come out of me. It really was a silly move to ask her for a smoke. She just graduated high school and decided to work for a living. She looked like someone who just started to live life freely away from her parents. Or was she a pampered child to begin with? It would be bothersome if her parents suddenly gave me a call to scold me after knowing their daughter learned to smoke due to a bad influence of a landlady. ¡°Ah, yeah, forget I asked.¡± ¡°No. No worries, Lady Landlady. To be honest the thought of trying crossed my mind, but I kinda¡¯ stopped some time ago.¡± ¡°Well aren¡¯t you an honest girl?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Ah, no no¡­ Even I have the darkest of secrets to keep.¡± Whoah. It seems like she¡¯ll open up too fast. I asked her to accompany me on my unit as I would be discussing to her the house rules and regulations. But that¡¯s not really everything. ¡°Well, who does not?¡± I handed her over a piece of laminated paper which printed were the house rules and regulations. Anemone just moved at my apartment complex not even a whole week ago, and she really haven¡¯t gotten out much from her unit since then so I haven¡¯t got the time to spoke to her about the house rules and regulations. ¡°It contains the whole quick read list of dos and don¡¯ts. To give you a quick summary, you may keep that and hang it somewhere on your unit, somewhere you can check and see whether you¡¯ve broken something written in there so I¡¯ll need come rushing to give you a scolding.¡± ¡°Uwaaah¡­ That sounds scary and bothersome. Can¡¯t you just give me a quick summary? I¡¯m the type to break written laws.¡± ¡°Yeah, like how you¡¯ve broke into Fred¡¯s unit a while ago.¡± ¡°FU FU FU, That¡¯s some QoD* stuff for you.¡± ¡°Want me to give you a burn mark with this cigar? Or please just let me hit you with a fan Kyrie is using at the forehead.¡± ¡°No, wait, seriously, that¡¯s against the law. I¡¯m going to sue you. And where did you even get that anyways?!¡± ¡°It was mine to beging with¡­ Siiiiiigh¡­.¡± ¡°No, seriously, don¡¯t come back to sighing. I¡¯ll talk. I¡¯ll talk. Just don¡¯t show me how stressed you are with your weird tenants. Especially Kyrie-senpai.¡± She did not realize she just admitted that everyone here¡¯s weird, including her. But putting that aside, since she¡¯s always been like that ever since we first met her and we¡¯re kind of getting used to it already, she took the bait already so I wouldn¡¯t get nothing from talking to her about her connection with Fred. I remembered Old man telling us that she¡¯s quite obsessed with Fred¡¯s entry work, which I got to help with, great deal. But prior to that, Fred¡¯s gone too gaga over her acting, trying to impersonate someone from her early kid age fantasies. For short, she¡¯s just a chuuni and Fred¡¯s gotten overreacting about it. Fred might still hadn¡¯t fully forgotten about his past. And Anemone¡¯s appearance right now would be a lethal hit towards him, and towards my relationship with him too. All these piling up misunderstandings won¡¯t get us anywhere until it¡¯s proven that Anemone is just an ordinary screw-loose. But I¡¯ve got nothing to lose just by trying to confirm it. Well, here it goes. Better to ask it now than lose the chance I just get. ¡°Say, Annette.¡± ¡°What it is Lady Landlady? Why a sudden change in mood? Why suddenly call me by my real name? Anemone is fine, like you always do.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m gathering courage on my end.¡± ¡°On what?¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve got to ask you about Fred. Are you someone he knew? Are you someone that came from the same place as he did?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± She gave a sudden pause. Why? ¡°¡­what do you mean?¡± ¡°Seems like you¡¯re hiding something. Old man had told us already, about your idolization of Fred¡¯s work. But I just wanted to know the whole story. He just told the things that were important.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-why would you want to know?¡± She got a point. Me asking all of a sudden was a miss on my part. I should have gotten to know her better first and left a better impression of myself. But what we did ever since getting to know her: bully her until she cry. No exception, Kyrie included. And after all she¡¯s experienced so far, living under my roof, I wouldn¡¯t wonder if she¡¯s being wary all of a sudden around us. But it didn¡¯t count Kyrie because she¡¯s a complete masochist towards her. ¡°Sorry about that. We don¡¯t mean to scare you. We¡¯re just having a good time.¡± ¡°GOOD TIME MY ASS! WHO ON THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD JUST GANG UP A NEWBIE TENANT AND TIE HER UP FOR THEIR CONVENIENCE!!¡± ¡°Kyrie would¡­¡± ¡°Ah! I guess I¡¯d be making an exception. Kyrie-senpai KYAH!~~¡± ¡°WOOOOW¡­ You¡¯re a really Kyrie-obsessed being¡­ huh¡­¡± We¡¯re getting derailed. She¡¯s being too wary now and I wouldn¡¯t want to lose the chance on confirming if she also came from Mytherion. So I continued the topic. But I tried a different approach. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Let me rephrase my question then: How do you know Fred?¡± ¡°Of course I knew him from the magazines I¡¯ve brought. Who wouldn¡¯t get interested after being able to read his oneshot awardee?! I¡¯m a real fan of shoujo mangas and his work that time was top-of-the-line!¡± That settled it. With her statement I could already confirm that she¡¯s just a normal fangirl. Every doubt within me had cleared up upon hearing her say that. ¡°Lady Landlady?¡± I caught myself being lost on my train of thought. She¡¯s calling me. ¡°Ah, yes?¡± ¡°Nothing. You suddenly became silent.¡± ¡°Say. How often do you act out your chuuni?¡± ¡°Fu fu fu. It just triggers like this when necessary. Any Unnecessary waste of dark energy would mea¡ª¡± ¡°Oh right. The time, I have to go back upstairs to Fred, Kyrie and Seria.¡± Nothing to gain much from letting her complete unnecessary remarks. I¡¯m the landlady, so I think I have the right to shut my noisy tenants up when needed. --- ¡°Uhm¡­ Mrs. Editor¡­¡± ¡°Ah yeah, they went out. The meeting finished fast, so I let Kyrie sneak Fred out for dinner.¡± Nerves popped out of my head. They exploded already for all I could remember. Not everyday since Kyrie and Ara pledged support on me they tried to snitch time. It¡¯s a very rare case that Kyrie asked for Fred alone. It must have been really important. But it still infuriated me. ¡°Kyrie, you sly fox¡­ I¡¯ll get you for this someday¡­¡± ¡°They might be back in a few hours, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll wait.¡±
Ch12-4 The bigger the peephole, the greater the problem IV. The bigger the peephole, the greater the problem Kyrie Modern Earth, 20xx+3 ¡°Humu.¡± I¡¯ve asked him to accompany me here. But I don¡¯t really have a plan. Well my plain old running brain could come up with something later, but for now I have to keep him accompanied. ¡°What would you like to get? Come on it¡¯s my treat.¡± We have just eaten so Fred must have been wondering why I¡¯ve asked him at the diners. Still, he committed treating me to another dinner set. Walking around the town even if it¡¯s just a few minutes to the town center should still burn what I¡¯ve eaten. Besides I¡¯ve been working for ages so some additional calories to burn in replacement to my lost brain cells. I looked at the menu. One of the random thing I¡¯ve been wondering on my life was the difference between fast-food chains that makes people want to eat on one more again and again. Well it¡¯s random, but it still counts. Taste might differ. Still, it would be the same junk being stored at your stomach, later to be grinded as toxins that spread towards your system. But don¡¯t get me wrong. I have no issues whatsoever, eating at a fast-food chain while having that way of thinking. As long as it¡¯s being moderated it should be fine. Besides, I¡¯m attending Landlady Ingrid¡¯s physical activities during weekends too so it should be considered as fat being burned. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the usual burger and fries, large iced tea and a slice of apple pie as a dessert.¡± ¡°Heh, as ruthless as ever for a rich girl like you. Did you even asked my wallet for permission to spend that much?¡± ¡°Come on, you get used to it. I won¡¯t order that much if you haven¡¯t offered a treat anyways. You reap what you sow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even complaining. Please stop teasing me already.¡± It was not a daily routine. Most of the days, either Fred, Ara or Landlady Ingrid will cook for the team (Ingrid was really not included). I haven¡¯t touched the stove that much but if I put my brain to function I¡¯m sure I¡¯d come up with something served at a 5-star restaurant. But that might trouble Landlady Ingrid¡¯s pride so I¡¯d rather not cross that line and cook something above her standards. She might get real out of place if that happens. Besides, this was a special occasion which I¡¯ve dedicated a portion of my whole free days¡¯ time. For the first time in a long time Fred broke free from Landlady Ingrid¡¯s watch. Our meeting with Seria finished early too, so I¡¯ve asked him to accompany me at the nearest diner at the town center. It was not much. I just wanted to discuss something with him. --- To be honest this was an act of spying, or to simply put: sticking up my nose on wherever it should not belong to. Ingrid¡¯s Apartment complex was a mix of both concrete and wood. It followed the standards for safety and hazard measurements so I¡¯ve wondered why there¡¯s a wooden portion on my unit at a certain corner of my living room that might crumble anytime there would be a huge-scale earthquake. It was only a small portion so it didn¡¯t really bother me regarding my safety as a tenant. What really won¡¯t leave my mind was its practical usage. Maybe it served as a small dent due to construction error or Landlady Ingrid tried to punch a hole on her noisy tenant at the middle or the night. Still, a hole is a hole. So a quick solution was to cover it with some scrap wood. She just never knew she made a fatal flaw on the structural build of her prized apartment complex. I¡¯m used to sleeping at the floor with just a blanket on me to slightly keep me from the coolness of the concrete ground. I¡¯m fine with it anyways. It was that weekend morning after Little Annette¡¯s awarding party and I woke up with the faint voice. ¡°Humu¡­ A dream?¡± No. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m awake already. So where does that sound coming from? Those were voices coming from two of the three people I¡¯ve been closest to ever since I¡¯ve decided being alone, well considering there were only four of us that lived under the same complex for years. Fred and Ingrid. ¡°Humu. So early in the morning. They¡¯re already having a lover¡¯s quarrel.¡± But Ara and I knew they were not really dating. It was more like, Fred won¡¯t allow it so easily. It seemed that he had a though wall to break that even Landlady Ingrid at her finest couldn¡¯t break. Even still, both of us support her quest to win Fred over. So much for that, this scenario where Fred would rush over at Ingrid¡¯s that time of the morning was something new. He must have come straight from the after party. He must have something to talk over with Landlady Ingrid immediately. I knew it. Something was fishy right from the start. Although it¡¯s just my speculation, I wanted to at least be aware of what¡¯s really happening between the two. Fred¡¯s sudden appearance, his unclear origin, his character background. It was really shady that Landlady Ingrid had to process his legitimate citizenship in order for him to settle down here. And why suddenly give an all-out support to a very mysterious person who wouldn¡¯t even talk about his past or where he came from? The answer was obvious: The two of them were hiding something. That thought came on me ever since I¡¯ve started as his assistant. I knew I shouldn¡¯t try to pry too much on things that doesn¡¯t concern me but still, being left out kind of stung my pride. So at the end, I still tried. But lady Ingrid was hiding it almost perfectly that I haven¡¯t got progress investigating the two for a long time. ¡°Where is it. I have to find it fast.¡± I didn¡¯t care if I just woke up. My head still hurts from lack of sleep and my vision was still blurry. But it didn¡¯t matter. Chance! I¡¯ve trusted my sense of hearing and direction to work in unison to find where the sound was coming from, and it led me to the small wooden part of the floor. There was a carpet covering the area. Now that I have seen it, it became clear to me why stepping at that area sounded differently from the rest of the floor. The faint voice was now clearer and I could already hear the exact words they were saying. ¡°Humu. Call me a peeping tom whatsoever. If it¡¯s for the sake of the thing I¡¯ve put my interest in, then I¡¯d gladly accept. Regardless of how low I obtain it.¡± I¡¯ve uncovered the area and pressed my ear to overhear their conversation. ¡°Giving you a copy of my keys doesn¡¯t mean you could just barge in at the very short notice. You know¡­ I¡¯m still a girl and you¡¯re still a boy.¡± ¡°Shush. That¡¯s not the issue I wanted to tackle right now. Besides. I was so spent a few hours ago since I¡¯ve arrived so climbing the second floor would immediately take my life. Your unit was the best safe haven.¡± ¡°Ugh. You¡¯re still drunk.¡± So you¡¯re that willing to give yourself in as long as it¡¯s Fred, huh? As expected of Landlady Ingrid. They continued to talk. ¡°What time did you got back?¡± ¡°Some time past four.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, I¡¯m already asleep at that time.¡± ¡°Not expecting you to be awake though. I¡¯ve rested quite a few minutes here. I think I¡¯m already fine.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t look like it. You really shocked me there. I though you¡¯re really a ghost of my dad.¡± ¡°If only ghosts in this world are being treated as a lump of free-roaming energy or mana like it was back at Mytherion. Then that would solve every mystery behind Anemone.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I see¡­¡± What¡¯s with the painful tone Landlady Ingrid? Also why talk that way Fred? You¡¯re not a shounen protag. All of a sudden the conversation took a topic which was out of this world. The sounded like children talking about fantasies which was out of the norm. ¡°Anemone¡­ She¡¯s from another world too¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± That was the very last I heard from Fred. He maybe fell asleep due to exhaustion of he left. It was a conversation like a television show climax which left me hanging after cutting the episode to the next premiere date. They were not ones who would setup a prank on me that¡¯s way too planned up to this extent. I stared blankly into the vast morning horizon as I lifted up the curtains of my unit to let morning sunshine pass. ¡°Humu. What in tarnation was that.¡± I also took note that Little Annette(now called Anemone-sensei) was also mentioned. What in the world was her connection with Fred? And what did coming from another world meant? I¡¯ve only known her as a normal and a very normal person if I¡¯m not mistaken. Unless¡­ ¡°This is not fun. I¡¯d rather confront him about this or I won¡¯t be able to sleep.¡± --- ¡°Here¡¯s your order.¡± The waitress handed the bunch of calories disguised as food which was mainly my order. I noticed Fred was not much of an eater lately. He just ordered himself a burger and cold coffee. Quite a weird combination if you would ask me. We started eating. But the silence killed me. It hadn¡¯t beed almost a minute since we started but it felt like a holy being passed by and casted silence spell on us two. Munch munch munch. ¨CI could just hear both of our mouths chewing the same food we ordered. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to commit silent eating with you.¡± ¡°Whash. Dwo you ekshcpect me tcho inishiiate the thalkhing? You¡¯re tshe wun who invhiteshd me.¡± ¡°I think you should swallow first. Yea, I¡¯ll get to the point now.¡± Fred somehow built up resistance upon having a normal conversation with me. Either way, I continued to the main topic so we wouldn¡¯t spend too much time at the diner. We have to get back at the complex before Landlady Ingrid noticed I snatched Fred for a few hours. ¡°Humu. You see I¡¯ve happen to overheard your conversation with Ingrid. That¡¯s the morning after the afterparty held on Little Annette¡¯s awarding ceremony.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± He went silent but he continued to eat his burger like he¡¯s trying to stall for time while thinking of something to say to get away from the topic. ¡°Up to what part did you hear?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± It was only a single conversation. I didn¡¯t have any hard evidence to support what I heard. But still I¡¯ve pushed the fact onto him that I¡¯ve heard his conversation with Landlady Ingrid that morning. Those were things that were not usually being talked into public unless you¡¯re too drunk to create your own fantasies. I didn¡¯t want to get a reply like ¡®what are you talking about kyrie¡¯ or ¡®are you out of your mind?¡¯ even though I had the point and Fred knew of what I was talking about. I had to sum it up in general. I didn¡¯t know if Fred got what I was talking about. But I put faith in him that we¡¯re talking about the same thing. ¡°I told you I¡¯ve heard everything but up to that conversation only, for only God knows whatever you¡¯ve been talking with Landlady Ingrid about.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave that up to your imagination.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s something you couldn¡¯t even talk even with me and Ara. It¡¯s just Landlady Ingrid, huh?¡± ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m sorry. But it¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just not yet the proper time.¡± I don¡¯t see any difference with talking to us about it and now and later on. But if he would have a better reason to say then it would be fine by me. I won¡¯t force it out of him. ¡°What does my junior¡­ No¡­ Anemone have to do with it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± That was a line-breaking silence. ¡°No confirmation yet. But at least she¡¯s living at Ingrid¡¯s now so¡­¡± Little Annette is a normal person. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been wanting to tell him. But what if she really was hiding herself even from me from the start? No. I¡¯m 100% sure and I put my trust on myself. ¡°Humu. I¡¯m telling you, Little Annette¡ªAnemone-chan is just a normal ¡®not normal¡¯ girl.¡± ¡°Still it won¡¯t hurt to confirm what I need to confirm.¡± The topic¡¯s lid was ready to be placed. There¡¯s nothing much I could do if Fred really didn¡¯t want to tell the whole story to me and Ara. I¡¯d gladly lay down for the time being. Humu. Just for now. ¡°Humu. Well then.¡± I pulled out the bunch of papers that piled up and hid from inside my slim Gothic Lolita dress from within my breasts. I¡¯m flat so I wouldn¡¯t have any difficulties pulling it that way (curse my genes for being flat lol). There were only a few people dining by that time so it lessened the risk of getting seen. Fred was a different case. I would just have to hit him with the harisen later as we got home for the fanservice. I looked at him. He was looking at me dumbfounded. ¡°Humu. Let¡¯s proceed to the next agenda. Because it seems like I wouldn¡¯t be getting anything out from you anymore regarding this topic.¡± The pile of paper I¡¯ve shown him was the initial draft of the series we¡¯re currently working on. It¡¯s the draft we¡¯ve worked on after Mae-SUF that was rejected by our previous editor. ¡°Why do I started feeling like this already happened. But this time it¡¯s with you, not with Ara.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ve made Mae-SUF with Ara as a character reference.¡± That¡¯s what I¡¯ve summed up. I knew Ara slipped a chance to talk with Fred alone. That¡¯s as far as I could remember. That was around the night Old man rejected our draft. ¡°Wha-What would you mean by that?¡± Of course he would deny. And he¡¯s looking sideways like a kid denying he¡¯s the one who stole the cookie from the jar, so it¡¯s really way obvious. Besides, it was one of the reasons I could think of when I saw them that night went out for a walk. But that¡¯s not really the point. Everybody who loves reading somehow at some point on what they read, tries to relate themselves to the characters and their character background and progressions. It¡¯s a part of a reader¡¯s main purpose on reading. Ara must have felt that way when she¡¯s read the whole draft after being finished. But what about me? I just looked at him, trying to get my point across without saying a thing¡­ ¡°Did you actually asked me here to talk to me about using you two as references on my works?¡± ¡°Humu.¡± He quickly caught on. As expected of someone who talks to me every day. ¡°Did I somehow crossed the line?¡± ¡°Not really, but you should have asked us or told us a thing.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I guess that¡¯s a mistake on my part. Sorry for that.¡± So he really used us as references. Using references from people you usually live in or interact with could be considered a technique when building up a story. May it be someone really close to you, your lover, family, closest friends, up to then the acquaintance of your acquaintance. It¡¯s should be on the writer on how he would write a fictional story that does not depict what really happened. As for the second draft that Fred¡­ ¡°There were things spot on about me, but there were also misses.¡± ¡°I thought so¡­ It¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Humu. Nobody would know me better than myself. It¡¯s me of course.¡± Yeah sure he¡¯s not trying to deny it anymore. But it was a lie: everything Fred saying was a lie that moment. It should be me. It should be Ara. But it¡¯s really neither. Humu. Fred¡¯s getting really good at lying. It felt almost real. Just like the way he talked everything of he¡¯s being with Landlady Ingrid. There should also be things he couldn¡¯t say to us. He must have accepted us talking about finding something relatable to ourselves on the drafts we¡¯ve been created. That was the easiest way to cover up for the real story behind his works. The story he wanted to get across to his readers. I made it look like I took the bait of believing the prior case. That¡¯s for the better. Everything should fall in place once he¡¯s ready to tell us everything about him. I decided that there¡¯s no need to rush. It might spoil the fun. I decided it should still be fun for now. ¡°You won¡¯t be surprised if I tell you Ara did the same thing as you did with Mae-SUF.¡± ¡°Yah, I won¡¯t. I¡¯m aware she asked you to go out with her one night to discuss something about the first draft.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Just how much do you know? It¡¯s always getting me goosebumps just thinking how aware you are of everything going on inside Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex.¡± ¡°I¡¯d only know everything if you would just tell me your complete story. Even my great brain has its limitations.¡± I gave my burger a big chomp. It¡¯s getting cold and I would not want my stomach to burn cold grease from cold junk food. I noticed Fred reached out to the draft that was lying at the table. He took a quick read at the pages while I was finishing my food. I only did most of the talking so he was left with time to eat his little food. And now he was finished it must have given him more time to think things over. Will he realize my bait? ¡°I¡¯ll be telling you the same thing I¡¯ve told Ara. That would be to leave it to your imaginations to whether how you would interpret the story. But after re-reading it¡­ I guess some points hit the mark. But of course those were points from when I already met you. I wouldn¡¯t know anything from way past that.¡± He¡¯s trying to match up the way he was thinking with mine. I really saw no need for it. He could just have shrugged off the very idea of the character references and continued the way he does things which I found confusing at some point. He could have feigned ignorance. But then he continued talking, which I¡¯ve anticipated already. ¡°At times I wondered why Seria accepted this draft. I really was certain that Old man would have rejected this. Might it be because she¡¯s trying to gauge up how much I would grow under her guidance? Or it might be because she saw something in here which even I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Humu. I¡¯m not one to give you some counselling but all I could say is it certainly for your growth.But you can pay me for counseling service if you want.¡± ¡°Siiigh¡­ You know¡­¡± Humu. Wait for it¡­ Here it comes. ¡°I was a lot like you. From where I came from. But here I came to a realization that I¡¯m reverted to a most normal human being with normal capabilities and limitations. I was really frustrated at first. But Ingrid was the very first person by my side. She¡¯s helped me recover a lot during the hardest of days. That¡¯s why I treat her quite differently. I wanted to treat everyone nice and fair too, and I want both of you to know my story too. But for the sake of everyone it¡¯s better to have less people involved. I¡¯ve made a promise with Ingrid that I should not get you involved with this as much as possible. Please bear with me on that.¡± He suddenly became more talkative than expected. ¡°What I¡¯m really trying to say is¡­ it must be nice, living normally in a peaceful world like this¡­ Isn¡¯t it? Kyrie I know you¡¯re already more than capable of yourself, even more so than helping a friend. But for mine and Ingrid¡¯s sake, can you please leave us older and experienced people to handle this? I¡¯d really be grateful if you do.¡± Now I was the one that¡¯s unexpected. But I tried to hide it as much as I could. ¡°Who are you. No, where did you hide Fred? Who are you and where¡¯s my toy manga artist.¡± ¡°Now, now¡­ The way you talk really scares me. I know that¡¯s how you view me as a human, but let me ask you again: is that really how you view me as a human?¡± ¡°Humu. Just kidding. Fine. Just please grant me this last request.¡± ¡°That makes talking with you now even more scarier.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll play as a character reference for the rest of this serialization, so please let me help you on writing your story. It¡¯s a win-win-win situation for you, me and Seria. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t try to influence the flow of the story to fit my liking. What would you say about that?¡± I played my last card. I didn¡¯t expect I¡¯d get pushed by Fred to the edge on an argument. But this method was carefully thought of so that Fred would find no other choice but to accept my offer. I didn¡¯t expect Fred to grew up so much from the wimpy kid dressed up as an adult way he was a few years ago. I guessed his roots have trained him to be a being that with 140% boost on adaptability rate. Fu Fu Fu¡­ Must be nice¡­ having him as a toy to cure my boredom. Of course my initial plans for him still didn¡¯t changed. What changed considerably was how I should handle things from now on. I looked at him, quietly thinking. ¡°Sounds like a good plan to me. Count me in.¡±
Ch12-5 Kyrie’s Post-Anemone-Bullying Plan V. Kyrie¡¯s post-anemone-bullying plan ¡°Humu. So that¡¯s what I¡¯ve talked to with Fred.¡± I¡¯ve told the whole team (Landlady Ingrid included) about the conversation I¡¯ve had with Fred that night at the diners. It wouldn¡¯t be fair if Fred and I would be keeping what we¡¯re doing on our own despite of the members of our team (including Landlady Ingrid). We¡¯ve come to an agreement that we should be including their inputs as well. Editor Seria had left already. She said it¡¯s getting late and she needed to check if her apartment at the city was still holding out on its own. It made me wonder how she¡¯s been living despite being a head editor on their company. ¡°Hmp! I¡¯m envious. I never got to do stuff like this with Fred. Freeeed write something for me tooooo!!¡± Ara (aneki) was whining. It¡¯s natural so I just let her be. She¡¯s always treated me like a rival and I don¡¯t know why. Maybe she¡¯s trying to set it up like a romcom story, our team I mean. But that shouldn¡¯t be an option because we¡¯ve pledged support with Landlady Ingrid¡¯s romance. ¡°Yeah, sure. But I¡¯ve agreed with Kyrie¡¯s terms on this. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t be able to encounter being offered assistance from a human brimming with talent on every normal day here. So maybe we could model something like a supporting character, just for you.¡± ¡°You know Fred. It would be just like the¡ª Ah no. Forget about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve considered that possibility Ingrid¡­ And I won¡¯t make it happen anymore.¡± Landlady Ingrid¡¯s statement made me wonder what she¡¯s supposed to say. There might have been more behind those two lovebirds that we don¡¯t know. But I¡¯ve brushed off the idea and focused on the present. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ve gathered you guys here to talk about Anemone.¡± ¡°Figured you might think about that. You see, Fred. I¡¯m pretty sure Kyrie did not offer you her hundred pecent assistance to help you compete with Anemone. We all know the extent of her talent and she¡¯s helping us just for fun. She might have extended her utmost help only for you. But not because she wanted to see you improve, but might be because she¡¯s getting tired of your pitiful state already. Fufufu. Or maybe, because she¡¯s decided it would be more fun to watch you that way.¡± ¡°Humu. Ara have a point. Fufufu. Seeing Fred as he is right now¡­ Fufufu¡­ How cute.¡± ¡°Hey guys¡­ I couldn¡¯t follow.¡± I just said that to make fun of Fred, of course. I need to pull one on him fast or he¡¯s going to pull me in his mysterious pacing that¡¯s way out of my style. ¡°In any case. Yeah! Anemone has declared war on us. And it¡¯s on.¡± ¡°Aaaaahg. There it is.¡± ¡°Shush, Ingrid. I, a prideful demon from a royal bloodline, who¡¯s accomplished his duties as the ¡®previous¡¯ Maou of Mytherion, shall not yield to any challenge from any adversary!¡± Landlady Ingrid couldn¡¯t do anything but to just hold her aching forehead due to the childish display of our very own mangaka. But I saw nothing that could have negative impact on us. It would just be like a friendly competition being held by my Highschool Junior Manga Artist and my employer Mr Manga Artist. Humu. This would really be fun to watch. Besides¡­ ¡°Ah, wait... Fred. I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡± Before things get out of hand I¡¯ve told them about the meeting I¡¯ve had with Anemone too. ¡°It¡¯s not just you that I would be lending a full support on your manga. Humu. You know me.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Eh? What do you mean Kyrie?¡± ¡°Ara had a point, but I really just want to see my highschool junior and my current employer do a catfight on their works. Well, why? It cures my boredom.¡± --- ¡°Are you serious, Kyrie-senpai?¡± ¡°Humu. It would be more fun to watch it that way. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be interfering much on both of your works so it would retain the identity it had as yours. But trust me, I¡¯ll be helping out so they would be at a quiality where they could compete with each other proudly.¡± ¡°But still, you¡¯re Maou spence-sensei¡¯s assistant.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say I just really need the money. Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure I could manage helping out the two of you.¡± --- It was a flashback a day before our current discussion. I¡¯ve talked with Anemone about helping her as an assistant. ¡°Humu. While working as Fred¡¯s assistant. I¡¯ll be working as Anemone¡¯s assistant too. Fairplay.¡± The members of team Fred, including Ingrid suddenly went silent, and jaw-dropped. It seemed they had not expected the possibility every single bit. It just made me wonder how much trust they have put on me. But it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve betrayed them or something. No betrayal really happened. I was just acting my role as the overly-talented prodigy that comes once every millennium. Having two talented mangakas to coach should be¡­ ¡°Humu. If you¡¯re thinking how I would cope up with the workload then I¡¯ll be telling you. It would just be child¡¯s play to me.¡± ¡°Wooooow. Hyper flex.¡± ¡°Bu-bu-but¡­ Kyrie-chaaaan. What if Seria and Old man finds out about this?¡± Of course the first one who would react would be the ever concerned citizen imouto-ara. It seemed that aneki got tired of the topic already and swapped out so she must be resting already. Humu. Guess I won¡¯t be seeing aneki or the third until tmorrow. ¡°Well with regards to that, I¡¯ll put my trust in you to keep yourselves quiet so¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ What an unreasonable, selfish request¡­ I¡¯m going to ask you this Kyrie. Do you really think¡­ You¡¯re would be better than Old Hag with regards to steering Fred¡¯s career progress? This is professional talk here. Answer me truthfully.¡± I could see where Landlady Ingrid is coming. And if it¡¯s real that Fred¡¯s really got zero experience from this world when he came here, it¡¯s just fair that she would talk as if she¡¯s Fred¡¯s guardian and talk about his future. She must have thought I just take things for fun because I have the capability to almost everything I put my effort into. Humu. In that case¡­ ¡°At the end it will be up to Fred as to who will he be trusting himself with more. Editor Seria¡¯s talent and experience is genuine. I have the talent but my experience is incomparable to hers. Of course she would be ahead in every aspect. Yet, Fred still accepted my offer.¡± Landlady Ingrid looked grumpily at Fred while he gestured to deny parts of it. ¡°Fred is a rational thinker, unlike the abomination living at unit5. I¡¯ve experienced it firsthand during my highschool days. I need to plan things with her a bit more. But still. I¡¯ve informed you guys about this. We¡¯re still running a democratic society here at our little cradle, so¡­ let¡¯s have a voting session on whether I should extend help on both Anemone and Fred.¡± --- ¡°Humu¡­ I didn¡¯t really expect that outcome.¡± It was a landslide. Besides Anemone who¡¯s totally agreed upon the idea (considering she¡¯s needing any help she could get), I didn¡¯t expect both Landlady Ingrid and aneki-Ara to vote for yes too. Kyrie-coaching Plan total votes: -Me: yes ofc, it¡¯s the talented me -Fred: yes due to circumstances -Little Annette: yes due to desperation -Landlady Ingrid: if Fred says yes, she says yes. -Ara: unanimous decision between her three identities. Yes I say at my couch. It¡¯s already past ten. I was already hearing Landlady Ingrid yawning downstairs; thanks to the peeping hole she¡¯s created. I steadied the couch at the side of my tea table, outside the veranda. The light of the moon shined down on the visible vast fields from the second floor of Landlady Ingrid¡¯s apartment. I could not remember already but months ago, this was the same time that Fred and Ara arrived from talking about the first draft. The cool breeze, indicating the coming of the winter blew and passed on me. ¡°Humu. I really wonder what¡¯s going on with Fred¡¯s mind? Is it really intentional? Or It¡¯s really just a fluke? To be able to write something that has two references. Just how much is he hiding from me and Ara¡­ And even with Ingrid.¡± Siiiiiip¡­ ¡°Pu-haaa!... Humu. This is good as always.¡± The tea I¡¯m having was something that Ingrid had always been giving me. She said that It¡¯s a special blend that her mother thought her before she passed away. I¡¯ve been finding the same recipe and it seems like the internet couldn¡¯t provide me of something even similar to this. Humu¡­ This is bad¡­ I might have been getting addicted to alien stuff. ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ As if that would happen.¡± The calming effect of the tea helped me regain my busted brain cells due to a day of hard work. That was when the idea of how I could gather little information from Fred bit by bit came upon me. ¡°But this¡­¡± I was reluctant. It would break the code of conducts currently working at the apartment complex. But it¡¯s worth a shot. All I would need was a neatly laid planning and make sure nothing would come out from me or get found out. It¡¯s worth a shot. ¡°Humu. I wonder if they¡¯re still awake. For starters I¡¯ll check Fred.¡± I looked at the connecting door towards his studio to see if the light was still up, and it was. I finished my tea and tidied up my things. Then I knocked at the studio. The night would be another long night for the rest of us. --Draft 2-- My Prideful Soloist Story written by Fred, Draft02 ¨C My Prideful Soloist I wonder what''s this feeling welling up inside me is. The girl is at the side of the stage, watching a band perform their greatest song ever played. They are not true professionals not even true musicians. In fact, they were just high school students. It is XX High School''s annual cultural festival. Besides the stage setup at the Gymnasium, there are lots of events happening within the school, it includes student booths, food stalls, and other fun places to go to. For short, it is just also an ordinary but fun school event being held once every year. The setting is a stage, and a gathering of a huge portion of the school''s student body. It is an annual school festival. Banners are setup, the stage is brimming with lights. The audience are holding their respective placards for support to their classmate participants. There were lights, people, supporting materials, lights, and people everywhere. The venue is really noisy due to the cheering of the crowd, especially to the students cheering on their performing classmate at the stage. Everyone is supposed to be having fun. But the girl standing at the side of the stage seems to be the only one out of it while watching the band perform. She listens to the music reverberating throughout the gymnasium along with the cheering and heating up of the crowd. She listens. She listens. She listens to the sound that even she could not produce herself. As she¡¯s standing there, it is actually only a few minutes. But it feels like hours for her. She stands there, being mesmerized just as like she''s watching her favorite artist perform a full live concert for hours. The boy singing at the center is a real thing, but the supporting members of the band is also pretty confident on their own way. Why is everyone lively? Why is everything like this? This is the very first time I''ve experienced something like this. But why? Even though it is hard to admit. I''m getting drawn to their music too. But why? I could play too. I could play hundreds of levels better than them. But why is everyone getting drawn onto their music? Everyone... Including me? --- A scene of a happy family living a daily life is a scene that the girl normally sees as she wakes up. She gets up, brush her teeth, take breakfast, and leave for class. At evening she will just casually arrive at home, do some chores, eat dinner with her family, and play her guitar at late night. A boy older than her but not really looking that much older entered her room without permission. He¡¯s the older and pushy brother. He¡¯s got the distinguishable looks from his mother, unlike the girl who¡¯s mostly got her looks from her father. Still, they really are siblings without a doubt. ¡°I see you really love dad¡¯s acoustic guitar.¡± My older brother¡¯s name is Shouichi. His nickname is Sho and I¡¯ve been calling him that way since I could remember. He might be a little pushy but he¡¯s still my older brother so I always keep in mind to treat him with respect. ¡°What do you want? I¡¯m practicing. Can¡¯t we leave it for later?¡± ¡°Nah, really, it¡¯s just quick. I need to borrow your hair dryer.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just ask mom or dad to buy you one?¡± ¡°Nah you already have one so I could just borrow it anytime. Also can you please dry my hair? I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t use your dryer properly. You could just count these little things as sis-bro bonding moments.¡± ¡°You pervert! You Siscon!¡± She throws a pillow at him. We¡¯ve been acting like this but we¡¯re just really that close. In fact, I don¡¯t have any problems with my family. My mom was a famous artist. She¡¯s really at her peak of career when she met my dad. She never had any problems with her career and just have to retire to take full responsibility on being a housewife. My dad¡­ Ugh¡­ My dad is one of the most distinguished figures during the age of underground rock music. But that was only until he met mom. They somehow became well-known on the whole music industry, and are still accepting gigs and live performances up till this moment. Somehow, meeting mom changed their music style, but the distinct quality of their band¡¯s music and I still love the songs they release. Ah, that goes for my mom too. For short, I¡¯m a fangirl of both my parents. ¡°Ah, yeah, I forgot to tell you about this.¡± The brother put on two pieces of paper at the desk in front of her. ¡°We¡¯re having a live house downtown. You could bring a friend with you.¡± Sho¡¯s really confident about his skills, but in reality the band¡¯s just still an amateur. The studio that they¡¯ve been performing is a close friend of dad¡¯s, so he¡¯s been asking him to let Sho¡¯s band practice and perform there at times. If I were to compare the music Sho¡¯s band produces to that of my mom and dad¡¯s, of course it would be inferior in every aspect. But that¡¯s because Sho still has lots of room to grow¡­ Or not. But don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not supporting my older brother¡¯s hobby. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go. But you¡¯ll need to find another one to give the other ticket to. I¡¯ll be needing just one.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Still no friends, I see. Why don¡¯t just form a band? It¡¯s the easiest way to get friend¡ª¡± The girl picks up a pillow and throws it to her brother. ¡°GET OUT! PERVERT! SISCON!!¡± The girl continued to play her guitar, which produced a sound that calmed her. She¡¯s good with guitars. Whether she¡¯s a prodigy at it, or just because she¡¯s playing it day by day. She¡¯s agitated due to her brother¡¯s teasing. But the sound and melody coming from her strumming soothed the distortion at her face. She starts singing. --- I¡¯m a daughter of two distinguished figures at the music industry. I¡¯m someone that¡¯s supposed to play better, and I¡¯m someone that¡¯s supposed to be far superior. But still¡­ The contestants line up at the center of the stage for the awarding ceremony. The girl¡¯s performance was the best but the results are pretty obvious. ¡°And the champion of this year¡¯s XX High School performance competition is Gin¡¯s band!¡± The announcer announced the winner. The girl could do nothing but to just clench her fist while holding her guitar and putting on a congratulatory mask as she looks into the announced winners. Of course it¡¯s too obvious. I still did my best, and I¡¯m also trying my best to be not angry about it. But the way they performed¡­ They did not come here to win. It seemed like they just formed a band out of a whim and decided to play for fun. Still¡­ Why does their face show fulfillment? Why is the crowd cheering more loudly than they was with me? Why do I, too, feel like they¡¯re more deserving to win than me? --- ¡°Please accept my club application.¡± ¡°Hey, I know you, you¡¯re one of the contestants at the performance competition last month! You¡¯re the grumpy girl that¡¯s very obviously hiding her face of disappointment because she didn¡¯t win!¡± ¡°Hey that¡¯s already in the past, please don¡¯t rub it on my face anymore.¡± ¡°Now, now, Shin don¡¯t be too harsh on the girl. She¡¯s applying to be a member. We should be hospitable on our end.¡± I¡¯ve been thinking through this a lot. Losing to them only means that there¡¯s an aspect that they¡¯re better than mine. Also, there should still be room for improvement for me. And the best way to know that¡­ Is to be at the same environment they¡¯re currently in. I should expose how they practice, how they compose their songs, how they interact with their selves, how they find ways to improve their skills. Everything¡­ ¡°¡ªHello! You still there?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, sorry I spaced out.¡± ¡°Okay then, I will accept your application¡± ¡°Eh, seriously?¡± ¡°So, can you please introduce yourself?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. My name is Kylie, I¡¯m a second year student. My hobby is singing and playing the guitar. I¡¯m an artist-aspirant and my dream is to become as successful artist like my mom and dad.¡± ¡°Wait-wait-wait!! Uhm¡­ Kylie, are you perhaps, the rumored daughter of¡­¡± ¡°Hmp. And what if I am?¡± Kylie gave a cute pout in response to Gin¡¯s inquiry. ¡°Whoah¡­ so the urban legend is actually true¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Since when did I became an imaginary figure that exists on tell-tale stories?¡± ¡°Stop it Gin, and you too Kylie, just please don¡¯t quarrel in here.¡± Why am I getting so agitated in the first place? I have always hated this part of me that don¡¯t want to be known just because I¡¯m a daughter of two known artists. This sucks. The girl comes to a halt as she noticed that she¡¯s spacing out again on her thoughts. She came to a realization that she need not to be friends with them, but to¡­ ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s right! Also, that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying my best to build my name here at the school as the best musician. Actually I already was. Not until you guys stole that title from me!¡± ¡°What did we even do to you?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I get the feeling that you¡¯re not really here to join our club to perform with us.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± The girl points her finger to Gin to point out her declaration of war. ¡°Next year!¡± The four boys at the clubroom are shocked. ¡°I promise you I¡¯ll be reclaiming my title as the best musician here at this school! We¡¯ll have a fair fight at the performance competition, me at my solo performance, and you guys at your play band!¡± Kylie said proudly as she pointed out her finger towards the four boys. ¡°Well you heard her. Better start introducing yourselves now. I¡¯ll start. My name is Gintaro. You can call me Gin. I play the lead guitars and sing too, if you could remember. I¡¯m also the manager of the band, and the president of the club.¡± Kylie gets shocked about the multiple roles Gin have mentioned. ¡°I¡¯m Shin. I play the drums. I¡¯m a happy-go-lucky one. Pleased to meet you!¡± ¨Che gives Kylie a handshake like she is a daughter of a famous artist, which she really is. ¡°I¡¯m Kojiro. You can call me Kou-kun. Welcome.¡± -The one the speak next is the silent-looking Kojiro. ¡°Aah! There you go again Kou-kun. Sorry. He plays the bass. He¡¯s really quiet but he¡¯s a good person. Please take care of him. I¡¯m Yuuichi by the way, you can call me anything you like. Ah not really, just call me Yuu-kun like they do. Pleased to meet you! I play the keys!¡± ¨Cthe last one that talk is the talkative Yuuichi. He also gives Kylie a handshake. ¡°Well now that we¡¯ve also introduced ourselves I guess I could accept your challenge.¡± ¡°EEH?!!¡± -The other boys shout in shock as a response to Gin. ¡°Bring it on!¡± --- The scene of a usual afterschool club activity after Kylie has joined the light music club. The band set is ready to be used and they just proceed to their respective instruments. Shin sit at the small bench behind the drumset. Kou picks up his bass while Yuu positions himself at the front of the keyboard. The instruments are ready; the amplifiers are set. The room is quite isolated at a far part of the building so the practice won¡¯t bother much of the other clubs. Still, if someone near the vicinity is to pass by, they will hear the sound of a band practicing at the light music club room. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll start with the ¡®Starry Sky, Starry night¡¯ song.¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s a great idea. Okay! One! Two! One-two-three!!¡ª¡± Staaaaareeee¡­ ¡°Now¡­ We can¡¯t start our practice if you stare at us like that. Kylie-chan can you please not stare at us that much? If you want you can practice with us too. I could teach you the chords. You¡¯re a guitar genius. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll immediately adopt our pace.¡± ¡°No, thank you. Please continue like you always do and like I¡¯m just a ghost that you can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s very unsettling.¡± ¡°Kylie, I¡¯m going to ask you a question.¡± ¨CGin asks her with a calm voice and smile on his face like he usually do. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you want to be stared at while you¡¯re eating?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°I¡­ Of course not!¡± ¡°Then please don¡¯t mind us and go practice too.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference anyway? Of having a single audience and having a standing ovation?¡± ¡°Gin. Kylie¡¯s got a point.¡± ¡°Siiigh¡­ Well then, can you please point out to us what it is that we could improve?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me, you title stealer guys.¡± --- It''s been so long since I last went in this place. Kylie is standing at a front of the studio downtown. It looks like a shabby studio that has an ''underground'' feel. The lights at the establishment is flickering, an indication that it''s not being well-maintained. Still, there are people lining up at the entrance. There''s a scheduled gig and they are there to support a performing band. She looks at her ticket. She''s holding the same ticket she got from her brother. Well, let''s get this over with. I''m not really fond of metal rock music. The music dad''s band produces before he''s married with mom was not really my cup of tea too. I''ve been here at this place before. The performing bands are mostly amateurs who plays death metal for fun. The only thing that keeps me coming here is due to my brother''s request. Besides the music they play is quite... "So-so?... In any case I''ve got to line up before the crowd gets heavier." She finds the last person at the line and stood there like a normal audience. "The roster is too far. I can''t read it here. What time will brother perform and is there any new band" "Oh! lil''sis! You''re here! Glad you could come." "Ugh... Speak of the devil." Sho grabbed her arm like she''s his lover. Kylie gets startled upon the sudden actions of Sho. "Hey! Wha--!! You siscon! Pervert!" "Hahaha! Stop it, I''m your brother and I will be performing later, of course it''s only natural to give you a backstage pass!" Sho''s always like this. It really bugs me that he¡¯s doing this in public with no care at all. But I knew he means no harm and he''s just a loving older brother of mine and he''s done so much for me too. Besides... He''s the only one I could talk to since I don''t have any that much friends at school. So the very least I could do is support him in his band stuff as his fan. "Jeez, we''re causing too much scene here. Just let go of me already I''ll come with you peacefully." Kylie and Sho meet up with his band at the back entrance of the studio. As they enter, the vibe changes according to the place. Kylie can hear the faint sound of the bands practicing at their respective waiting areas. "Have you brought the ticket I gave you?" "Uhn... Yeah, I have it with me." "What?! Then you could have presented it at the entrance so they could let you in right away! That is a VIP ticket!" "Hahaha! As expected of Sho''s imouto." ¨Con of his bandmates teases Kylie. "Jeez, don''t make fun of me. You guys always do this..." My brother''s bandmates always tease me like a little girl every time they see me. But they mean no harm, that''s just the way they always are. "By the way, Kylie, you did by chance told me you''ve joined your school''s light music club, right?" "Yeah." "Okay then. You might want to stay a bit longer after our performance." "Wha?!--" What is that supposed to mean? --- The area for the audience is very crowded. The VIP is not really the typical "VIP" area where the audience are being treated with utmost care. The audiences are being mashed up in a mosh pit where they just jump and bump with each other as the band continues to play stuff. Yes, that''s my brother for you. Still the same taste in music as ever. I support my brother''s hobby. It''s only natural since we''re son and daughter of some famous musicians. There are times that he''s asking me to teach him guitar playing techniques since it is a natural born talent on me. He''s quick on the pickup and is adapting to things fast. And that''s why he and his band produces this good music through hard work. It''s not really on him. His supportive bandmates also contribute on their own way to produce good music. "Heh, don¡¯t get too cocky, older bro of mine... Besides being a siscon, you dare defy me with this music." Of course I''m still far superior compared to them. It is to be expected of a music prodigy daughter like me. The stage lights up one final time for their last song. It is a slow rock that is one of Kylie''s favorite songs. It may seem like Sho really prepared the song just because he knows Kylie will come to watch them perform. ¡°I want to thank my lil¡¯sis that gave all her precious time to watch me perform here! I love you sis!¡± ¡°PERVERT! SISCON! GO TO HELL!!¡± ¡°¡±WHOOOO!!¡± ¨Cthe crowd answered with a cheering upon the scene. ¡°I really hope you could perform here someday Kylie! Ah, sorry, guys but that¡¯s really the last song. I¡¯m afraid having an encore would eat up much more time. Actually I was about to introduce a new band. They¡¯re juniors from my alumnus on my high school days. They¡¯re new and aspiring band so please take good care on them.¡± That¡¯s when Gin¡¯s band climbed the stage to setup their instruments. Ah why¡­ That moment I didn¡¯t care anymore as Sho introduces them to the crowd. What I care for at this moment is that how could this wheel of fate start turning at our lives. This town is small after all. Even the whole world is small. You¡¯re going to meet the same and the same person that you¡¯re always fated to meet. But I¡¯d constantly consider meeting up with him in this small city a curse. I mean¡­ He¡¯s the one who¡¯s put me on my dilemma. The cruel god of fate seems to be playing with me. ¡°Uhm¡­ Hi! My name is Gintaro. I¡¯m really a fan of my senpai¡¯s music I¡¯ve always been asking him to let us play here. It really feels like a dream come true. Our only goal for tonight is to make everyone hear our music and have them know that, ¡®ah, yeah, we¡¯re here!¡¯¡± Gin nodded to his bandmates as a go signal. ¡°For starters, let us heat up the venue with an upbeat song! ¡®Late Afternoon Velvet Sky¡¯.¡± And they started playing. The crowd suddenly become even livelier than when Sho¡¯s band was performing. It may be their reflex but they¡¯re at a live house so when a band starts performing an upbeat song, it¡¯s only natural to get carried away by the music and jump with the upbeat. Ah, this again. I feel like I¡¯m really one step closer on closing the gap between us¡­ ¡­But with this, it really feels like I¡¯m left out again. But still, I can¡¯t help but to get carried away by their pace: their music. ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡± Yes. At that moment I fully realized the resemblance. ¡°It might be only me, but it really feels like listening to one of dad¡¯s old songs.¡± Kylie doesn¡¯t notice by that time that she¡¯s already tapping her feet and grooving to the beat. She¡¯s already drawn into the mosh pit. --- ¡°HEEEY!! Kylieee!!¡± Kylie is waiting for Sho outside of the live house as they will walk home together. There¡¯s actually nothing to do after. The staff will be the one maintaining the place but at least it¡¯s a clean before you leave policy. So Sho promised Kylie that he will be away for a few minutes and he will meet him at the entrance afterwards. That was when Gin and the others arrived. ¡°I was really shocked!! Who would ever imagine that you will turn out to be Senpai¡¯s imouto! Give me a high five!¡± Kylie is in a grumpy mood and don¡¯t want to talk at that moment, especially to her sole rivals. ¡°No. don¡¯t talk to me. After all that, you still have the face to show up here.¡± ¡°Shush! Don¡¯t be too grumpy! Come on smiiiile!!¡± Gin hold Kylie¡¯s cheeks like it was nothing and pulls it up to form a forced smile. ¡°Pufff. Buwahahahaha!! What¡¯s with that face?!!¡± Kylie brushes his hands off and make a full burst. ¡°Stop it! Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m your sworn rival! I will be claiming my spot as the better musician at the school don¡¯t forget about that!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s always been like that. I won¡¯t forget. And I won¡¯t back down. So it¡¯s your time to accept my terms and conditions too.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªWhat is it?¡± ¡°Promise me if you lost you¡¯ll be joining my band, as the main vocalist.¡± ¡°WHAAAT?!¡± The four of them is startled. ¡°Ah wait, why are you guys shocked too?¡± ¡°What do you mean? You didn¡¯t tell us anything about this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I thought it would be just the four of us!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really hoping for that.¡± ¡°Yes! Don¡¯t make sudden decision by yourself and consult it to me too! I¡¯m the one being pressed here!¡± ¡°Eeh? But you¡¯re such a great talent. It would be a waste to let you off so easily after beating you.¡± ¡°Wha?!! Say that again!! Fine I¡¯ll take your terms and conditions. Just you make sure to not come crying to your bandmates when I win.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Challenge accepted.¡± ¡°Aaah. There they go again with their catdog fight.¡± And as the two of us quarreled that night we also didn¡¯t noticed the days of the calendar slowly passing¡­ ¡­And then goes our second year. --- Kylie enters the clubroom. ¡°You¡¯re late! We¡¯re starting our practice!¡± ¡°And since when did I start to cooperate with your practice?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll practice with us. You can practice at your own, but I just don¡¯t want you thinking that we¡¯re pulling one ahead on you just by practicing earlier.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m ways better than you even If I don¡¯t practice. And sorry If I got delayed. I still should commit on daily classroom duties. IF YOU BLOCKHEAD DIDN¡¯T JUST DITCHED ME OUT TO COME HERE AND PRACTICE WITH YOUR BANDMATES.¡± ¡°Oof. You did that for us Gin? I¡¯m touched!¡± Kylie arranges her items at the couch near the table. Today she¡¯s brought an electric guitar. It¡¯s quite different from her usual. The boys of the club get shocked as she suddenly placed an amplifier near Gin and started tuning her guitar. ¡°What? Am I a ghost that will suddenly steal your soul away or something? Haven¡¯t you seen a girl that could play electric guitar?¡± ¡°There¡¯s really nothing a daughter of two famous musicians can¡¯t do in terms of music.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m still a human¡­ So¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you mean, what? Let¡¯s start practice!¡± ¡°Kyliiiieeee!!¡± ¡°Ah don¡¯t get me wrong. Don¡¯t get too excited. I¡¯m doing this to help you improve and me too. I won¡¯t ever join your band. I¡¯ll be good on being a solo artist myself someday.¡± Kylie is blushing a bit as she tries to hide her embarrassment on the situation. She really still doesn¡¯t intend to join the band but by playing with the ones who she¡¯s catching up with is also a good experience for her. ¡°Ah, the guitar¡¯s my dad¡¯s anyways.¡± ¡°EEH! SERIOUSLY! THE LEGENDARY¡ª¡± ¡°And please stop already, we¡¯re wasting time more than we could afford.¡± ¡°Ah yeah, right.¡± After practice, Kylie is packing up her things when Gin approached her. ¡°Ah I forgot to tell you Kylie, please clear up your Saturdays from now on.¡± ¡°Why? No I won¡¯t accept any date requests from you.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªNo! Silly! We¡¯re going on some outdoor practices.¡± ¡°Eh?! Wha¡ª¡± The that¡¯s the start of my long running practices with Gin¡¯s band during weekends. --- The LMC (light music club) goes to the mountains. Kylie, being out of shape and one of the worst on P.E. in their class, is already out of breath as she follows the four boys. Being the only girl of course the boys don¡¯t have her carry the camping stuff. But she¡¯s still impressed by the immense stamina they have. The distinct distance between her and them indicates that she¡¯s really out of shape. ¡°HEEEY KYLIEEE! ARE YOU STILL FINE?!!¡± ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­ I¡¯ll catch up, just go.¡± ¡°NOOO YOU MIGHT GET LOST! WE¡¯LL CONTINUE ONCE YOU CAUGHT UP YOUR BREATH!!¡± ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Fine¡­¡± She still catches up with them though. The LMC also goes to the bowling arena. Kylie is starting to wonder why they are having recreational activities instead of practicing, yet she still goes with them to play. ¡°I still wonder when we¡¯ll be going to practice?¡± ¡°It¡¯ your turn Kylie. Don¡¯t be such a killjoy. We¡¯ll hit the live house later.¡± ¡°Siiigh¡­ Fine.¡± The LMC also hits the arcade at times. The other boys tries to tease Gin and Kylie to competing at most of the arcade games. Their efforts aren¡¯t going futile though. Gin and Kylie would take the bait at times and compete like kids. ¡°Why are you always good at this?! I didn¡¯t expect a music neet like you could be this good at games!¡± ¡°Bro¡¯s practicing me a lot! You can¡¯t beat me! HA HA HA!!¡± ¡°Aaaaargh!! Now it¡¯s come to this. Shin, hold her.¡± ¡°Eh?! Wha¡ª?!¡± ¡°You cheater!¡± LMC also never forgets the town¡¯s festival. Kylie is walking that night on her casual clothes. She¡¯s been asking the club to just practice, but it¡¯s her brother Sho that convince her to go to the festival with her club. She walks towards the venue of the festival with her casual clothing and a hoodie. There she meets up with the boys at the band on their respective yukatas. Their looks give her a sudden shock which left a funny mark on her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do we look weird? And also, we¡¯re expecting you to wear your kimono too.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve never been to festivals before. I¡¯m just a kid that used to play and play instruments and listen to music a lot¡­¡± Kylie¡¯s embarrassed that she¡¯s the only one that looks different from the members of the club. She tries to hide herself with her hoodie but¡­ ¡°Stop¡­¡± Gin stopped her hands that¡¯s going to have the hoodie cover her face in embarrassment. He moved a bit closer to her face and look at her seriously. ¡°Why are you trying to hide? You know you look cute too even if you don¡¯t wear your kimono. No joke.¡± Kylie can¡¯t help but get embarrassed even more and turn bright red. Gin realizes it a moment later and pulls away immediately from her. ¡°We¡ªWell you could always wear anything you¡¯re comfortable with. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re trying to force you to go along with us with everything. Well let¡¯s go. I know a place where we could watch the fireworks.¡± Gin hold¡¯s Kylie¡¯s hands and pulls her in with them as they start walking. ¡°Eh?! All of a sudden??¡± The climb up a bit at an uphill just above the shrine. It¡¯s not a deserted area since there are people going in there too but it¡¯s not as crowded as the regular area. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right it¡¯s actually a bit less crowded here. But still. Wasting precious time for practicing with all these recreational activities. You sure have lots of time, considering the next school festival is nearing. Are you sure you could play something better than me now?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll take on your challenge anytime. But sometimes you need to have fun. Stressing yourself just to improve isn¡¯t good.¡± ¡°Well¡­ In a way, that¡¯s true. But still¡ª¡± ¡°Say¡­ Are you afraid of the crowd?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I don¡¯t understand the question, but I think I¡¯ll play along a bit. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Not¡­ Dad always brings me to his gigs when I¡¯m younger so I¡¯m quite used to it.¡± ¡°Lucky you¡­ I¡¯ve always been afraid of the crowd. Shinn, Kou, Yuu, they¡¯re the ones that have always helped me overcome my fear. They¡¯re always there for me.¡± Why does he start talking like this? ¡°Say¡­ How long have you been like this? Honestly I¡¯m expecting a little jollier imouto when he tells us stories about you. But when you joined the club and told us you¡¯re the daughter of two legendary artists, and more over when Senpai told us about the coincidence. I¡¯ve started to wonder what made you to be like that?¡± ¡°What are you getting at?¡± ¡°You see¡­ Music¡­ I think it is really something that¡¯s way more fun when you share with others. When you play it with others. And when you know that people are getting to know the music you¡¯re sharing with somebody.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that way I¡¯ve been playing everything is wrong? How cocky can you get to tell me that?¡± ¡°No, but¡­ still, I really want you to have a fun experience while having people hear your music. I mean¡­ You always have that stiff look whenever you¡¯re performing.¡± ¡°You mean the way I¡¯ve been playing my music is always wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re good, yes. But are you going to keep playing for better until forever? What if you¡¯ve improved? What if you¡¯ve reached the top? What would be your goal next?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Think about it. No need to rush. I¡¯ll always be by your side until you find the answer.¡± Gin gives Kylie a smile but it¡¯s too dark to see it. Then the first firework lights up the sky like it¡¯s broad daylight. The face Gin is making towards Kylie is not that of a teacher, a preacher, nor an advising fellow musician. It¡¯s just a plain smile of sincerity like his brother, who is happy as long as he could play music and let others hear it. Ah this might be it. Brother you¡¯re right¡­ ¡­I think I¡¯ve found someone.. ¡­Somebody I could play and share my music with. With him¡­ maybe¡­ Kylie¡¯s cheeks are bright red, but she paid no mind. She just reverts her look from him towards the fireworks. ¡°Ah¡­ They¡¯re beautiful.¡± ¡°Are you happy at the moment?¡± If you ask questions like that¡­ Then I won¡¯t have any way of answering¡­ ¡­Well if it¡¯s him, maybe I could play music with somebody¡­ For now¡­ that is¡­ --- A year has passed since I''ve joined the light music club. My original goal is to find something or learn something so that I could improve more on music and to beat Gin''s band. Yet I''m still here, stuck, and conflicted on myself. The girl is standing at the same stage exactly one year after. The day of their promised competition. Kylie and Gin''s band. Having to perform before Gin''s band, Kylie musters up all her courage and go up the stage. But... I can''t¡­ Why can''t I play something?... What I just really wanted was is to let others hear my music, and let them know that... ...I''m here at the stage. Standing... and performing at my very best. "But why..." Kylie''s eyes welled up with tears that she''s keeping from falling. Despite being lost and not knowing what to do, the determination she has is the one that still keeps her standing. But no matter what she does, what she thinks, she still can''t start playing her guitar. "Why..." Come out... please Kylie, just this once, even if you don''t win it''s fine. Just... Remember your goal, remember all the times you''ve practiced with them. It was then several scenes flash from her memories. The times they go went to the live house to watch her brother¡¯s live performances; the times they practiced at the clubroom; the other activities they had besides practicing their performances. Kylie turned her face downwards to muster up courage. She hears the crowd now starting to wonder why she¡¯s not starting to perform. ¡°Ah! There you are! We¡¯ve been finding you everywhere!¡± Eh? Why? Kylie turned her gaze towards the side of the stage where participants enter. There came Shin, Kou, Yuu, and of course, Gin who just talked to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯re late! Hahaha! Talking with the organizers sure took time.¡± Gin talks to her as the other members of the band start to set up their instruments. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t get this the wrong way Kylie. This isn¡¯t free. We¡¯ll make sure you teach us later some playing techniques on our instruments.¡± ¡°Yeah, actually I¡¯m going to spill it. This is really Gin¡¯s idea.¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s really fond of making you enjoy playing music. He¡¯s never been like that before you joined the club¡­ Really¡­¡± ¡°Hey guys! Stop spilling the beans, let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± Gin tries to position himself at the stage besides Kylie where he would not block the other band members. He then looked at Kylie with a sincere face, like asking ¡®What are you waiting for?¡¯ ¡°Seriously. Why?¡± ¡°Uhm.. Ehem Ehem! Everyone it seems that there¡¯s a minor change on the performers lineup for the last minute! The first performer will be Gin¡¯s band, feat. Kylie the soloist! Everyone! Please give them a round of applause!¡± The emcee of the event stated the changes on the participants. ¡°Tell me you planned this from the very start.¡± ¡°Not really. But I won¡¯t deny that I just want you to enjoy this day.¡± He¡¯s always been like this¡­ ¡­he always try to make me look like a clown, but still he supports me on every way he can. And it really makes me feel uncomfortable. But still¡­ He¡¯s here and I know I got somebody¡­ no¡­ ¡­People I could trust. Kylie then looks up and check the bright spotlight shining on each of them. She then looks at the audience, there standing and just waiting for them to play. Bro¡­ so this is what you¡¯re trying to reach out to me. I¡¯ll guess I¡¯ll play along. Kylie looks at Gin as her beautiful face shined brightly. She smiled at him. ¡°So. What are we playing?¡± Gin blushed upon seeing Kylie smile radiantly for the very first time. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll start with your ¡®From the Skies Down to My Heart¡¯.¡± ¡°Eh? My song?!!¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll do an upbeat version, so keep up the pace. I know you could. I trust you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to hit you guys later with this guitar if you mess the song up.¡± ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll start! On my count! ONE! TWO!! ONE TWO, ONE TWO THREE GO!!!¡± --- Kylie is walking at the school corridors heading towards the LMC clubroom. At her shoulder she carries her guitar bag that¡¯s way bigger than her original bag. She¡¯s humming a song. As she walks, she looks outside where the snow piled up at the school yard. She breathes a sigh which creates a white steam due to the coldness of the surroundings. She arrives at the front of the clubroom and opens the sliding door. My name is Kylie, and I used to play music solo. Meeting this band¡­ ¡­Meeting Gin, I¡¯ve realized something. Well it¡¯s pretty obvious since I already accepted my loss and at the same time, became a member of their band. Playing music with someone¡­ No¡­ Playing music with a special someone is waaaaaay more fun than going at it alone. ¡°Kylie you¡¯re late.¡± ¡°Well yes of course! Who ditched the class duties just to get here first and secure a spot besides the heater! What an irresponsible club president you are!¡± Four boys we¡¯re sitting around the heater like it¡¯s a camping trip. They smile at Kylie and give her a warm welcome again at the LMC.
--Epilogue Arc 1: Do you even sleep with eyes open? Yes, you will-- Do you even sleep with eyes open? Yes, you will. Back to Fred Universe, Modern Earth, 20xx + 3 It was a few minutes past 10 pm. ¡°Humu. I¡¯ve given this a read already, but this really is written good. It¡¯s actually better than Mae-SUF. That¡¯s great improvement.¡± Kyrie was at her usual gothic Lolita outfit with twin drills. The season was already transitioning to winter so she¡¯s now even more clad with black and white frills that covers mostly 90% of her skin, rendering only her head, hands and feet visible. She reached out for the teacup at the small table after she spoke, smelled the aroma, and take a quick sip to soothe her soul. ¡°All of a sudden she really started talking like Old Hag. I wonder if it¡¯s really contagious.¡± ¡°Of course I would. You should know the extent of my talent. Or perhaps you need to experience it firsthand.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s enough. It¡¯s fine. Stop flexing already. I know, we know.¡± It was not even an hour ago when Kyrie decided to extend her utmost 100% help towards the competing Fred and Anemone, the two winners of the annual ¡®Fresh Aspirants¡¯ competition that discovers young talents on drawing manga. Just how fate turned its wheels upon the people currently living under Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex. The setup was simple: Anemone was Kyrie¡¯s junior at high school and she¡¯s a year younger than Fred in terms of experience and she¡¯s still just starting her career. Still in terms of talent, she¡¯s a bit ahead on creating plots and twists compared to Fred. She¡¯s experienced quite a lot in high school due to being affiliated with Kyrie. Her warped and twisted mentality had been a result of being associated with Kyrie, and it had been one of her assets on creating good stories. She¡¯s currently occupying Unit5 and was struggling by herself to meet her deadlines by herself. Fred on the other hand, even though he had his arts upon his sleeve, he was really struggling on creating a story that will pass the reader¡¯s ¡®standards¡¯ just like his award-winning oneshot. He had a rough past (including side Mytherion) and he¡¯s really trying to write something in reference to his past experiences. He could make an adaptation so he¡¯ll just have to rely on his imagination and artistic feature but he¡¯s already given up on that and tries to improve his writing. He¡¯s currently occupying Units 6 and 7 and had employed Ara and Kyrie. Ingrid runs the apartment complex, but she¡¯s currently the one freeloading at Fred¡¯s though¡­ ¡°Uhhhm¡­ Kyrie-chan¡­ Are we even doing a brainstorming here?¡± Ara was wearing pajamas. She¡¯s about to sleep and was brushing her teeth when Kyrie rang her doorbell. She was at her imouto-mode since the other two personas were currently sleeping inside her due to a day of hard work. Being someone who runs multiple personality, the stress of the involved personalities had been adding up and shows takes a toll on her current health, so even though the other two personalities have been swapped out of her they must have been resting somewhere deep within her subconscious. That left imouto Ara with all the household chores after a long day of work within Fred¡¯s. Kyrie dragged her sorry state to participate the emergency meeting at the most crucial time. Having nobody to tag to, she was forced to attend a brainstorming while being the weakest entity among the three. ¡°No, not really. Actually yes. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking for your inputs. Maybe we could come up with several new ideas. Humu¡­ Actually I could steer the conversation towards that point.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not letting you be in charge of this. I¡¯ve agreed on your terms and conditions of helping but it¡¯s only because you will still let me handle the flow of the story based on my preferences.¡± ¡°Humu. Of course you won¡¯t. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve initiated this meeting as a brainstorming. That way all of us will have our inputs at the story, since you are staggering to create one that would sell lots. Ah, I don¡¯t mean this draft though. There are too many factors that might affect this.¡± Ingrid was lazing around at her usual spot at Fred¡¯s bed but this time she¡¯s awake and was even more attentive on the discussion.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it For some reason she¡¯s been really attentive when it comes to Fred¡¯s improvement. That¡¯s because she¡¯s helped Fred a great deal when he decided to follow the path of drawing a manga. She looked at the members of Team Fred with discrete concern as they¡¯re really getting nowhere for an emergency discussion. She started wondering about Kyrie¡¯s intentions for another late night meeting and tried to put a stop to it. ¡°Uhm¡­ Guys? It¡¯s already late night. Can¡¯t we do this tomorrow? Besides, Kyrie you haven¡¯t told us what this emergency meeting is about. You said you¡¯d help out Fred, but this is you we¡¯re talking about. You won¡¯t just ask for us if it¡¯s really nothing and you just want to re-read Fred¡¯s draft because he¡¯s made you as his primary character reference on his work¡­ Unless¡­¡± ¡°Ah, no Landlady Ingrid. Don¡¯t take this wrong. I¡¯m not really fond of flexing around when it really won¡¯t do any good for me to rattle you up just for a prank. Not at the end of a busy day.¡± ¡°Sorry to burst your bubble Kyrie, but¡­ I mean¡­ Look at Ara. She¡¯s on constant imouto. It means her other two useful personas are already taking a rest. I could only assume that. Besides, Fred¡­¡± There¡¯s already a bubble forming at the dozing Fred at the front of them. Besides the individual stress for Ara¡¯s personas, Fred had been transported to earth as a normal human with humanly limits, so working a whole day with minimal breaks would be taxing, even towards the previously Great Maou from the planet Mytherion. The bubbles then popped as Fred dozed off as he seemed to be still attentive of his surroundings. ¡°Oh, yea, of course I¡¯m still here¡­ Morgianna why didn¡¯t you wake me up even though I¡¯ve still got tons of paperworks¡­ Wha¡ªI¡¯m sorry guys, forget about that. Where are we again?¡± ¡°No Fred, there¡¯s no Morgianna here. Cut your late night fantasies and help me put a stop to this nonsense meeting already.¡± ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ Humu. Fred you can sleep, but after you hear what I¡¯m about to tell.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Really. I¡¯ve already laid out the plans in my mind on how to help you for this story. You will still be the one to finish the story though. I¡¯ve just asked for the draft again for a reading to clear up my second thoughts and confirm everything.¡± Those were strange words that actually came from Kyrie, and it seemed like she¡¯s got a hint from what Fred and Ingrid had been hiding on them. But that was not really the case. She really had just laid out the plans for guiding Fred towards a story that could compete with Anemone. That goes both ways for helping the two mangakas. But of course Fred and Ingrid wouldn¡¯t know without Kyrie pointing that out. They thought Kyrie must have figured out something so they were wary and anxious but they still tried to hide showing it. ¡°Humu. Fred. For now, how about starting chapter 1 already? We still have plenty time before sunrise so let¡¯s do this. You just draw what¡¯s on your mind and I¡¯ll be you coach/assistant for free.¡± ¡°I see, I see. Kyrie both Fred and I are already at the age where we won¡¯t be able to cope up with the enrgy of young¡¯uns like you. Please let us rest already.¡± ¡°Eeeeeh? Awawawa¡­ Waaaah!! Are you serious about that Kyrie-chan? I doubt I would be able to cope up with helping Fred since aneki is still asleep.¡± ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯ve got things in my mind, so writing them while they¡¯re still fresh would be the best course of action. But are you really sure you want to continue?¡± Kyrie took a final sip on her teacup and responded. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just waaay to excited. Even the great me could still think irrationally when being excited about something. Thanks for noticing something about me is amiss.¡± ¡°Kyrie¡­¡± The four of them went silent for a while. They were having a feel with each other upon how to respond with Kyrie¡¯s sudden change on tone. Ara hadn¡¯t really been able to catch up with their discussion yet, she¡¯s seen a side of Kyrie which her mind couldn¡¯t process without the help of her other two personalities. Wearing her sleeping gear, she wipes off the tears from her eyes due to her deep yawning (while catching up). She then again went silent read between the mood. Ingrid, on the other hand, stood up and gathered the materials lying at the table to tidy up. It¡¯s one of the times she needed to act as a proper landlady and be wary of her tenants. ¡°Come on guys, let¡¯s continue this tomorrow. Meeting adjourned.¡± After Ingrid told the exact words, Ara jumped at the available bed behind her. It seemed like she¡¯s waiting for the go-signal to sleep. Kyrie and Fred were left sitting by the table, overthinking their massive brains about the future which shouldn¡¯t be done. But they still work it out even though Ingrid gave them a warning to stop already and sleep. But not much time after that, Kyrie stood up and crammed herself at the small bed where Ara was already sleeping. She hugged her like one of her prized stuff toys at home and immediately fell asleep too. That left with Ingrid cleaning up and Fred, staring at the void. Out of nowhere, Ingrid pulled out a mattress and an extra blanket under the bed Kyrie and Ara were currently sleeping, and laid it on the floor. Lying on the floor on a cold pre-winter night won¡¯t really be a good idea. Nobody would want to catch a cold with an upcoming deadline. ¡°This, turns out to be a slumber party. Come here, sleep. We¡¯ve got a long day tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t jump on you while you¡¯re sleeping. I¡¯m too tired for it.¡± But there was no response. ¡°Yoohoo Fred?¡± Ingrid stood up again and headed towards ¡®Fred.exe has stopped responding¡¯. She waved at him and still got no response. He¡¯s already asleep with eyes open. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re asleep already. Sweet dreams Fred.¡± She turned the lights off and headed to the mattress. The lives of the three tenants and the landlady herself at Ingrid¡¯s Apartment Complex was shaken up by the several events a year after Fred started his career. That included Old man accepting the offer to be assigned to the new oneshot awardee; Anemone¡¯s appearance and occupancy at Ingrid¡¯s; Seria¡¯s tyrannical but strategic editing; and many more mixed fun and not events. They were barely hanging on with adapting to the happenings and changes but little did they knew that it was only the beginning.
--Maou Decides to Write a Shoujo-- --Arc 1, end-- Interlude 4 (Mytherion) - Intro of the Fated Encounter 1
"The demon race had been one of the ancient races that roots even way back the very first days of Mytherion, for how long Mytherion had even lived as a planet, that I could not estimate. Even the oldest books could only estimate Mytherion¡¯s age was about 6000 years. There were four ancient races that have lived and was recorded on these most ancient history books available: The Humans, the Demons, the Divines, and the Demi-humans. All of these just branch out to multiple sub-races and whatsoever factions. Those I won¡¯t be tackling in this story I¡¯m about to tell. We were a very proud race for ever since when I could start to remember. I knew a lot, I¡¯ve learned a lot, I have to. I was a royalty for all I know. This pride we have been holding might have been the sole reason as to why we have been involved in countless of conflicts between other races. Well that¡¯s why I have been working my ass off to end those as soon as possible or even before my reign came to an end. It didn¡¯t matter anymore since I had been long dead there on my previous world though. Being the leader of the entire demon race, I Fredericus Corralton Spence de Augustus, or rather addressed to as the ¡®Maou¡¯, have done everything I could within my capabilities to lead the entire demon race. I had been living for long to be considered as an old demon, for demons spans age of more than hundred years. We¡¯re not immortals, even old age had been our very sole grim reaper. I¡¯ve lived the past 80 or so years of my life, fulfilling the duties of the ¡®Maou¡¯ that leads the demon race generations per generations. The very first was to gather enough knowledge about the past, almost everything that involved the demon race. Second one was to gather the three of the destined highest generals which became an obligatory task for the succeeding ¡®Maou¡¯ since the second-gen. The very last one was to fulfill my sole obligation and lead the whole demon army to a war against the humans. And so the story went¡­" SMACK!! "OUCH!! What was that for?!" ¡°Aaaahg!! Cut to the main story already. I¡¯ve been getting tired of these introductions that everytime you have to tell a part of the story to me, you have been telling too. How many times have I heard of this introduction already?!!!¡± Ingrid was furious. ¡°Eeh?! But I have to tell it. Won¡¯t a good story need a good introduction first? Like a background story?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been living together for three years now and you¡¯ve been telling me the same stuff.¡± ¡°For the record we¡¯re not living together. Don¡¯t make it sound like we¡¯re already married.¡± Fred and Ingrid were sitting at the couch inside Fred¡¯s unit, not the studio one. There was not much work to do at that moment. They have finished their pending stuff to submit to Seria too. Fred let Kyrie and Ara have a break and do their stuff for a while, whichever it may like shopping, going out with friends etc. ¡°This is your all your fault.¡± ¡°Why?!! What did I even do?!!¡± ¡°I¡ªI mean you should have brought a reference book with you from when you got transferred here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absurd! You¡¯re telling me I should have brought with me history books and references right at my final battle with Yuusha where I got stabbed and died??¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The topic was going nowhere. This were one of the very few instances where Fred was actually the one in control of the topic. Fred talking about Yuusha still would hurt her feelings even though those were already far distant memories for Fred. Fred might be a former Maou but at Earth he was just an ordinary average human so having a memory of someone for the past two years could be considered long enough already to forget. Having her pride hurt, Ingrid was too flustered to defend herself. Fred noticed it so he decided to go back from the start. He did not want to be in bad terms with Ingrid too. ¡°Okay, Okay, I¡¯ll be telling it already, just wait.¡± ¡°What do you mean wait?¡± Ingrid questioned. ¡°I¡¯m still remembering some important parts. My memory was not too great here compared to when I was back at Mytherion.¡± Nerves popped out of Ingrid¡¯s forehead like fireworks. ¡°I¡¯ve just asked when the first meeting you had with Yuusha was. I don¡¯t need a long backstory¡± ¡°Right, right, here we go.¡±
0. Intro of the Fated Encounter 1 Fredericus Corralton Spence de Augustus, narration via Earth Fred. Pre-Mytherion, 33 years before Great Human-Demon War Just like at Earth, Mytherion had day cycles too. If I would compare the cycle between the two, a week at Mytherion would need about two and a half weeks here at Earth to finish. Days and nights had been either longer or shorter and it really depends on the placement of the planet within the orbit so that would be a rough estimate. If Earth would have weekends, Mytherion would have these days called grace days. These days everybody spends just like how humans at earth does: to rest or do recreational stuff. All types of work are being suspended, other than businesses that needed to run all days of the week. Being asleep for long, I just wanted to take all my free time to rest before an actual ¡®you really need to do this¡¯ comes up and consumes my grace days period.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I was awoken from my deep slumber. ¡°Master, Master, you need to wake up.¡± I squinted my eyes. It was already morning. My faint flurry vision could see a silhouette of someone waking me up which I was sure was Morgianna based on the way she talked. My head¡¯s splitting. What time is it?¡­ ¡°Uuuuhg. Just let me sleep for a few more moments.¡± My blankets were warm, and it have always kept me safe from the cold temperature of the whole room. ¡°What would it need to wake you up? Do you need some caressing from me?¡± The laziness I immediately perished. I woke up due to a sentence that I did not want to hear. The person, or the succubus rather, that had been trying her best to wake me up was Morgianna. She had been my companion and one which I acknowledged as a little sister ever since we¡¯ve been together. We had a lot experience we had shared together but still she had been sticking to her duties as my personal guardian too. It was just until recently that she started acting natural with me. Sure took her time. ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t I¡¯m ordering you not to.¡± ¡°And who¡¯s saying I can¡¯t again? Who do you think is in charge on here?~~¡± Her voice was near my ears. Her breathing could be felt on my cheeks which sends chills down on my spine. I didn¡¯t want to open my eyes because I might see something vulgar and inappropriate. She then slipped her hands inside my shirt, gently slide it at my abdomen, towards my chest and towards my cheek. ¡°Hey hey hey!! Stop!¡± I was startled. Even though I knew she could act like this at times, and though it¡¯s only a natural way of teasing me because I¡¯ve been thickheaded and she got annoyed. ¡°Ooookay, but first you need to dress up!¡± She then suddenly pulled my shirt upwards and started to undress me. ¡°Wha¡ªHey don¡¯t!¡± This was one of the things I¡¯ve been having a hard time to deal with. At times Morgianna will try to seduce me bit by bit then will suddenly get serious and turn into a motherly figure which always scold me after noticing my wrongdoings. ¡°You have been using this same shirt for how many days now.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s comfy.¡± ¡°No it stinks already. I¡¯ll be giving this to the maids to be put to the laundry.¡± ¡°NOOOO!!¡± That was when I felt the coldness of the room. I held my slender body by myself in attempt to keep myself warm. I didn¡¯t know whether it was just my mindset telling me it¡¯s cool and demons really were cold-blooded that we didn¡¯t even need protection to the cold or I was really just feeling cold. In any case, my mind tells me not to expose my body to the cold so much or I might catch a cold, if ever I could. ¡°Brrrrr¡­. It¡¯s freezing. Give me back my favorite shirt¡­¡± ¡°Proctor Miriara had called for you. It seems like there¡¯s work to do.¡± ¡°Not at this daaaaay. I just want to rest!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so stubborn, you¡¯re not a child anymore.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I stared into blank space, still hoping somebody would pull me out of this reality and transfer me to an imaginary world, or an isolated capsule of sleep and rest. Well if it¡¯s the proctor that called it must be something really important. It should be something important since my proctor was the one who requested it. Also, there had been no reason for me to avoid my duties, for I have far long set my mind for ending this war against the humans. The proctor was one of my ¡®trusted demons¡¯ ever since the incident with the Thelesmatas, so if she requests for me then it would be because of something important. ¡°Okay, okay. Give me about a few minutes. Besides, I don¡¯t want to anger Proctor Miriara as much as possible. She¡¯s just as scary as my Father.¡± ¡°Make it one minute.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re asking too much¡­.¡± --- My room was at the very top of the demon palace. It was a very clich¨¦ location to hide princess in which the white knight prince should encounter all quests, trials and hardships just to climb and reach her. But it was my room in this case. For several decades I¡¯ve been living at a room near my parents and guardians. But as I grew up I¡¯ve managed to convince them to move my own personal space at the castle. That¡¯s how I ended up with my current state. Being at the very top of the castle with my own personal space frees me from the watchful eyes at the main building. At least that¡¯s the last place to find me whether I tried to escape my duties and just take a good night rest. The spiral stairway down from the topmost room of the castle towards the highest accessible floor was the only way in and out from my room and there were very few selected individuals, Morgianna included, who could climb it and access my room. ¡°My master, you have become too heavy. You¡¯re developing unnecessary fats all over your body. You better work out.¡± ¡°Just carry me, I order you. Besides, I¡¯m still warming up my body. I was just suddenly woken up and I need to warm my body first before having excessive workout.¡± ¡°So this is the warmup that you¡¯re talking about?¡± At the age of around forty she have developed her ability of flight, mostly due to her traits as a succubus. With that, I¡¯ve been asking her to carry me whenever I feel lazy walking. My body was wrapped by her arms which supported me like a young baby being carried by her child sister, while flying. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t notice that you¡¯re just doing this just to take advantage of my well-developed body pressing at your back right now to fill-in your sexual desires?¡± ¡°Wha-?! What are you talking about? I never once did think that way. Jeez¡­¡± What I was saying was true. I was dumbfounded by what Morgianna was talking about. Why would I ever lewd someone who I treat as a family. Rather why would I ever lewd someone for no reason at all. I tried to keep quiet and thought of something to answer Morgianna as she further extends the argument. ¡°Besides¡­ If¡ªif you just tell me¡­ I¡¯d be glad to.¡± WHY?!! She¡¯s a succubus. One of her known abilities were opposite-sex seduction. There had been instances that it just randomly activates and she accidentally releases highly-concentrated aphrodisiac which could even affect me if I became careless. Her random moodswings pose a real threat for me so I did my best to keep up with turning her back to the ¡®normal Morgianna¡¯ if ever she turns Succubus-mode. ¡°Do-don¡¯t! Please don¡¯t cross that line. We¡¯re already at the age where we¡¯re already accountable for our actions. How could you think of something so childish? What if your traits as a succubus suddenly activated and caught me off guard? Do you think I¡¯d be able to reverse the effect myself once it hit me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Morgianna paused for a moment. The awkward air filled the surrounding. ¡°We-well in any case I think we should hurry.¡± I cut the awkwardness off by going back to the main topic. The past years had been like that for me and Morgianna since she developed maturity. It might be up to the moment I died back at Mytherion that I was still wondering what have made her that way: was it just because it had always been a passive to her, or maybe because she had really started to think of me as something other than her older brother, that I really did not want to be overconfident of myself. In any case at times that I needed to draw a line just to have her stop acting awkward towards me, then I would. At times she gets to clingy, then she will get too childish, then she will get too condescending, then she will get awkward. It had been an endless cycle for almost several succeeding decades. ¡°Hoooh, now we¡¯re talking. Let¡¯s pick up the pace. You haven¡¯t seen me at my full speed yet.¡± That¡¯s the sentenct I didn¡¯t want to hear the most. ¡°Wait¡­ You don¡¯t mean¡­ No no no!! We¡¯re heading downstairs it¡¯s dangerous!¡± She had done this to me countless of times already. I wondered too why I was always getting caught on that trap. It might be because I¡¯ve always shown her a lazy side of me which she and only she knew. ¡°It will only feel like descending while riding a flying dragon. We¡¯ve done this countless of times already.¡± She tightened up her grip on me, like a clingy lover that won¡¯t ever let go. I could feel the softness of her body pressing against my back, but that was the least of my worries at that moment. She was about to descend the spiral staircase with a speed of a racecar while flying. I did not know if her body¡¯s already used to it or she had been practicing, but it was certain that I¡¯m not. ¡°LEEEEESGOOO!!¡± ¡°NOOOOOOO!!!!!¡± --- Interlude 4 (Mytherion) - Intro of the Fated Encounter 2 ¡°So, what¡¯s with your hair? Don¡¯t tell me you came here directly after being awoken from a deep slumber.¡± ¡°Errr¡­ Actually that was.¡± The proctor¡¯s very first greeting was a scolding. Maybe Morgianna had become too guilty with the joyride(not for me) we had descending from the tall tower of the castle that she tried to talk our way out of the proctor. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s proceed to our main discussion here.¡± It felt even more hopeless for me as the Proctor immediately brushed off whatever we had to say to defend ourselves with: First, we¡¯re late for about thirty minutes. Second, I looked like someone unbecoming for my position. Third, I looked like an unconcerned citizen. ¡°Bu-but auntiiieee.¡± WHACK!! She hit me with a steel wrench. For some reason she always had it, and had always hit me with it whenever I called her auntie. ¡°¡ªProctor Miriara.¡± ¡°But proctor Miriara, don¡¯t you want to hear my excuse first?¡± ¡°No need. I understand the situation. Besides, I¡¯m just imposing on you on your day off. But I really think this is important.¡± The proctor¡¯s name was Miriara de Fleur Carmilla. She was my aunt, my tutor, and my exams proctor. She have helped me a great deal with the Thelesmata incident and the Dragunov heist. She was one of the individuals I was truly grateful for my whole reign back at Mytherion. Even though she¡¯s really uptight with regards to my studies when I was younger, she still did her task and guided me properly. ¡°Oh¡­ Okay¡­¡± I may sound dejected but I was still glad that I haven¡¯t provoked her much. ¡°My, my, you¡¯ve been ruling the demons for over few decades and you¡¯re still acting childish at times?¡± The one who spoke was Elrufus Dax, who at that time were already entitled as ¡®General Orcas¡¯, one of the highest generals that accompanies the Maou, at least one per generation. ¡°Guh¡ªI don¡¯t know you will be here. Morgianna had only told me it would only be Proctor Miriara.¡± ¡°Come on now, I¡¯ve just got back from our capital by the request of Lady Miriara here.¡± WHACK! ¡°It¡¯s P-R-O-C-T-O-R.¡± ¡°Ugh Why are you so hung-up with the nickname?¡± Dax were holding his head in pain due to the shock of suddenly getting hit by a wrench. ¡°Well kidding aside. This issue seemed very urgent. But I just want to ask, where¡¯s your wife? Haven¡¯t seen her for a while.¡± At those times Dax and Mae were already husband and wife and they were already raising two children. For a long time Dax had been caught between the war of love between the two sisters. At the end he still settled for a choice, and that was to choose Mae over Irish. It was a very wrong timing for Irish and I felt kind of sorry for her. Still, she chose to side with the humans and had put her sister in grave danger. That was the only reason I could think of as a basis for Dax choosing Mae over her. ¡°She had herself left at the capital, she said she had lots of things going on there so she wouldn¡¯t be here for a while.¡± ¡°So irresponsible, what a husband you are. Well just make sure that she¡¯s always safe there.¡± ¨CI teased him a little, but it was half-meant. ¡°I¡¯ve left one of my trusted guards with her. She also insisted that I go here and fulfill my duties from your side too.¡± ¨Che retorted. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve got an item I¡¯ve sent there using the proctor¡¯s courier. Even though it¡¯s just a test item, it¡¯s still a better option than to have nothing to resort to in case of emergency. Besides¡­ You know what happens if the peace we¡¯ve worked so hard at to maintain at the capital were to be broken, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, I still do¡­¡± Jeez, this guy¡­ ¡°Okay then.¡± It was on the agreement that Dax, Irish and Mae, and both of the separate demi-human factions supporting humans and demons were to immediately pull out their support if in case any aggression within their capital were to happen and they will need to resolve the conflict themselves. The past few decades had been really quiet and it seemed like they¡¯re just brewing up an even greater storm that will stir up the whole kingdom once initiated. I had been thinking over and over if it was just that the demi-humans were too loyal to the ¡®patron¡¯ that even though they were at the opposing faction, his words were still absolute, or it was the prior statement. While it¡¯s true that there had been no signs of activities with the opposing faction for the previous years and it¡¯s safe to say that there won¡¯t be something that would happen while Dax was away from his wife, having a last resort method won¡¯t hurt. It seemed that he¡¯s still does not trust the elders there at the demi-human capital. I did not talked any further about his circumstances, instead talked about my other general. ¡°How about Lord Fervus?¡± ¡°Well nothing beats his pride, so might as well just let him be. He said that he¡¯s not interested in these things.¡± The one we were talking about was Fervus Ulterio IV. He was the current leader of the Dragon-folk and the one currently holding the title of ¡®General Minos of the Tallest Mountains¡¯ title, one of my highest generals. It was a natural trait of the dragon-folk to be prideful beings. Their pride had always been told to even rival those of the four ancient races, but by that time I, too, realized that Lord Fervus¡¯s pride was better than any other demon out there, might be even better than mine too. But still, we¡¯ve managed to convince him to support my campaign in exchange for I have to accept his duel requests until he finally beats me. ¡°He must be like, ¡®If it does not help me get stronger to defeat Fredericus then it doesn¡¯t interest me.¡¯.¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly.¡± We then gave a brief laughter. ¡°Okay, so going back to the main issue, I think all of the supposedly involved parties are here.¡± Proctor Miriara confirmed our prescence. ¡°First of all, I would like get assurance that nothing happened here, nor not any single one of the items we¡¯re developing here were to be exposed until completely developed and is safe to use.¡± The tension rose up. What we went for at the small shed just a bit of distance from the castle was not a friendly chitchat and weekend gathering for usual recreational activities. We¡¯ve been preparing as much as we could against the human race. That¡¯s how we¡¯ve always been for several decades after the Thelesmata incident. Everyone nodded. At least we should understand as much. We¡¯ve been meeting in secret, besides those we¡¯ve been conducting with the elder demon council. It was just me, my highest generals and my Aunt or Proctor Miriara knew of these activities. ¡°I¡¯m not really fond of long explanations, but at least let me tell you how this thing works.¡± Proctor Miriara opened the wooden sliding door of the shed. At first it only looked like it was some shed where horses were being housed and haystacks were being stored, but in reality there¡¯s some hidden business, if not shady, that were being conducted there. At first glance one would ask what the item being presented was. Anyone could wonder, but not us. We were not just normal civilian who happened to pass by an exhibition which we didn¡¯t know anything of. Having a higher standing above the society we were also eligible of knowledge which were not normally being learned by others. I tried to break the deafening silence by joking about it. ¡°Well it looks like a portal. What are you up to this time? You¡¯re not breaking the laws of nature aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hehe, well, I¡¯ve been working on it using the same principle as to how ancient angel race have been using teleportation.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Hey¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± Dax was flustered. Morgianna kept silent, as if she¡¯s trying to cope up with my composure too. I¡¯m pretty surprised by myself too if I could just tell her. As I have read on history books when I was younger, one of the ancient technologies that once existed within Mytherion was the usage of portals which could be considered as teleportation device. It had never been shared by the proud angels and only they were the ones to ever use it. For some unknown reason a few thousands of years ago the Angel race vanished, leaving no trace of their civilization, nor ruins, artifacts, none. Their race lived at the ¡®Far North¡¯ which would require the longest expeditions just to get there. It was turned to nothing, and it was now named ¡®The Place Nearest to the Void¡¯. One could still travel for a long time, just to reach the exact location, and also just to see nothing. ¡°The theory is as it goes: the portal concentrates vast amount of mana on a single point, which is located in this circular portal-like material and then creates a distortion within space and time. It will then use a long formula to calculate and reduce the distance between the origin coordinate and the destination coordinate until it reaches zero.¡± The theory itself was terrifying. After milleniums of study never did any other races came this close upon completing this technology, up until now. There had always been failed attempts which leaded to accidents, and multiple deaths. It was a very risky research that¡¯s why almost everybody forgot about it in due time and got comfortable on using sureball means of transportation even if it takes a lot of time. ¡°What would it take to operate the portal?¡± ¨CI continued to question ¡°Tem high magicians at least. And to keep the portal open it will continually drain mana of the casters. Once there¡¯s not enough mana source to concentrate at the portal it will immediately be cut off.¡± I looked at the portal entrance and asked myself if it was really worth the research. By theory the portal could transfer a one-way ride towards the destination coordinates. A way back would be, to construct an identical device there and it would require manpower as she have explained to operate it from the other side too. ¡°So it would be a one-way ticket¡­ for now, huh? Who will give a test to operate the machine? I guess it would be me, since you will be needing someone who would provide a huge amount of mana.¡± I was not trying to boast or anything. We are conducting researches that isn¡¯t being recorded by the royal palace so we have to do it quickly so we could avoid suspicions as much as possible. And to do that, I nominated myself as a benefactor / tester / guinea pig of whatever project Proctor Miriara had been doing. At first they were hesitant at first place, but there wasn¡¯t much other choice. There were very few limited and trusted person that were knowledgeable of the activities we were doing. ¡°Here¡¯s the catch. We won¡¯t let you operate the portal. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve called your three highest generals here too, but since we¡¯re missing Lord Fervus too, it would be too dangerous now.¡± ¡°What? But why?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the catch. The concentration of mana that will be gathering at the center of the portal will be compared to that of a black hole. By theory even a slightest gap of the individual¡¯s mana affinity versus the amount of mana being concentrated at the center will lead to a suction. Then a burst on the individual¡¯s mana will follow. It could be compared to a popping bubble.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± I looked at the expressions of Morgianna and Dax. Of course they would be worried. Morgianna was a given, but even Dax looked too concerned about it. He wouldn¡¯t want somebody he served in for too long to have a tragic end due to a failed experiment. ¡°Yes, it is far too dangerous. An individual with a lesser mana affinity towards the generated mana at the portal will burst out, like an inflatable balloon picked with a needle. That¡¯s the theory. The mana concentration should only be dangerous at the initial stages of opening the portal. Still, the one that would be using the portal should stand at the middle. Imagine it as a beaker that would contain all of the mana being concentrated while the computations are being made. That would prevent any mana leak which might result to explosion. That would be your role. Besides¡­¡± There was still more. ¡°The distance between the source and destination coordinates determines the amount of mana to be used in maintaining the portal open. By logic it would be best to test it with the setup which you will be the transported and the ones will lesser mana affinity will be the transporter.¡± ¡°My master¡­ You don¡¯t have to if it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Proctor Miriara had been gone for the past years and I did not knew what kind of thing she had been researching for herself up till that moment. It really was a top tier innovation and discovery but it¡¯s still at its testing stage. It only on pure theory basis and accidents might happen too. But it was one of the hazard I¡¯ve signed in as the core man of this research team. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. ¡°Somehow I get the feeling that this will be a success, Morgianna. Nothing to worry about. Besides, if an accident were to happen I will do my best to at least keep the damage to minimum while keeping all of you here safe too. Count me on that.¡± Morgianna looked at me like she was a kid about to cry being left out at the house because her mother was going to go shopping. She must have been concerned too much for me which at some point I¡¯ve found irritating. It really felt like I she¡¯s belittling my abilities. ¡°Morgianna I¡¯m telling you, if the initial phase succeeds there won¡¯t be anything more to worry about.¡± Proctor Miriara tapped Morgianna¡¯s shoulder. Letting out a sigh, Morgianna managed to calm down and regain her composure. We then completed the preparations for starting up the portal. I stood at the middle and looked at the circular metal-plated rim colored in silver and gold. Proctor Miriara sure loved to make her experiments look presentable just as much as making it work. If she had that free time it means that she could think up of other innovations too. The setup was as followed: >Morgianna and Dax will act as a main mana source for activating the portal >Proctor Miriara will act as a support and overseer for the two sources. She had the switch to immediately shutdown the portal if she sensed anything went wrong. >I will be the one to enter the portal and confirm if the test was a success. The three should keep the portal open so I could return. The test should run for about a few seconds because I didn¡¯t want to drain out the three too. All preparations were complete. The next step we had to do was to start the test. I was standing at the very front of the circular portal when Proctor Miriara went towards me. I thought she might give me final advises or such. ¡°Say, you might want to close the lid with Morgianna. I know you knew how she feels about you.¡± It was a sudden love talk. ¡°I¡¯ve already done it several times, auntie. She just don¡¯t know how to back out. It might be because she¡¯s a succubus.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it all backwards. Well anyways, if you couldn¡¯t stop it why don¡¯t you try the other way around? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re blood related. In fact, there had been instances too in which royalties make their slaves as concubines.¡± ¡°Shush with the idea!... That¡¯s not funny.¡± Considering the age span of demons compared to my current age, I was at the very peak of my manhood and it could be considered as a proper age to marry somebody and raise a family, royalties not an exception. Proctor Miriara was only talking sense: I should consider raising a family at my age already before it¡¯s too late. For a long time I¡¯ve known Morgianna¡¯s feeling towards me grew more and more as a man, not a sibling. She had just been making her lousy confessions and real talks look like she¡¯s joking but I sensed the heavy sincerity behind her words. She really must have meant them. Most of the time I acted like I was buying the joke but in truth, I was slowly conveying her that I¡¯m serious too. That I just wanted her to stay the way she¡¯s always been: ¡°She should always be my little sister¡­ She have too¡­ As my sweet little sister.¡± She was the main reason I¡¯ve kept myself the same all through these years of my reign as the Maou. I thought that if ever I succeeded on my main goal to stop this everlasting war between us demons and the humans, then maybe I could start thinking about my own love life too. Well Dax and Mae are now living their lives as parents for two children, and Lord Fervus had been married even before I met him. Should I consider Morgianna as a candidate? For now I really have to push to her the role of a pillar that keeps my sanity intact. I¡¯m sorry about that Morgianna but maybe I¡¯ll consider your feelings if the time comes. Silly thoughts though. ¡°Well let¡¯s go back to main topic. I don¡¯t want to delay this much longer. Are the preparations ready?¡± I decided to stop the topic before it got out of hand. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re good to go.¡± ¡°Say¡­ Proctor Miriara¡­ How have you acquired such technology? Where, and since when?¡± Proctor Miriara just appear and disappear for as long as I could remember. Then when she appears she have this new product or experiment which needed testing, and requires us, trusted individuals of hers to attend the testing. The thing bugged me. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t trust Proctor Miriara but some of the details were too vague. You could really and literally find nothing at ¡®The place nearest to the void¡¯. Did some ancestors of an old clan here at the Royal Palace actually have gone towards the Angel¡¯s old city and kept a book or knowledge as a possession to be passed down through generations? The very single one clan I could think of would be the Distancia¡¯s which would be my mother¡¯s. ¡°Well it just really came up to me. Hehe~~¡± A straight up lie. It was the same as saying to me ¡°What would it bother you to ask? You better not pry in any further because it won¡¯t gain you anything.¡±. I felt the need to investigate it later after we finished the test. But it was then an incident happened. There had been several experiments, we had test retries, failures, and lots of trials and errors. But the chain of incidents that were to happen were the very worst on we had experienced. ¡°Three, two, one. Start generating mana into the core you¡¯re touching.¡± I was not looking at them but from the sound I could only surmise the amount of mana being generated and compressed in front of me. It was still not comparable to the maximum I could contain, but at least it was enough to blow up the whole city. The royal palace won¡¯t be an exception. With that I sweated cold droplets. I needed to do this right if I don¡¯t want all of the people living under my reign die without knowing why. ¡°Hoooh. Counting Proctor Miriara out, it seemed that you two have gotten stronger too.¡± ¡°We-well I¡¯ve been training.¡± ¡°For me it was Mae¡¯s bottomless well of love.¡± I tried to hide my anxiety with a joke which they bought. I needed to keep my focus, but they needed it too, especially Morgianna, who¡¯s emotionally unstable whenever I deal with something new and dangerous. For a few more seconds the light of compressed mana suddenly scattered slowly in thin air, like magical granules of snowflakes being blown by air. Then suddenly a small circle suddenly started expanding while taking shape of the circumference of the circular portal, until it reached the gold and silver colored metal frame. What reflected on the other side was an entrance to a forest. It seemed like the test coordinates was a grassland which I couldn¡¯t recognize where. I was amazed. It was just a test, but if I could really step out at the other side of the portal I would be teleported to the destination they¡¯ve set up. I need to do it, but I was anxious. I asked myself what I was chickening out for? I signed up for this so I needed to see it through the end. Amazed as I was I could only hear faint traces of voices and arguing behind me as I was bewitched by the success of an experiment that we did. One step two steps I began walking straight through the portal until I¡¯ve set my foot out of the grassland that I was just looking at the other side a moment ago. I felt the cool breeze, and smelled the dew of the leaves. It was a sight that will make you laze all day. It was then I was pulled back at the reality and had to tell them that I succeeded. The portal was still open so they should hear me at the other side if I shouted a little. ¡°Hey!! Did you see? I crossed the other side! The experiment was a succe¡ª¡± Nothing. The portal was gone. It was just vast plains at my back.
Interlude 4 (Mytherion) – A Barn Girl from the Human Empire 1 A Barn Girl from the Human Empire 1 ¡°I see¡­ So that¡¯s what happened. Proctor Miriara, you sly hag. I¡¯ll make you pay triple when I get back.¡± To cut the long story short, I was a test subject for a teleportation device without a failsafe. As expected of Proctor Miriara. Before I looked back at them I could already hear faint voices of Morgianna shouting at Proctor Miriara. Something must have happened back then right before the portal closed. Some error on calculations? Morgianna just want to rant because she can¡¯t join me? I won¡¯t be able to return? I was teleported right at enemy territory? ¡°Hahaha! I won¡¯t like the latter two¡­ Hahaha!!¡± I looked at the road not far from me and saw the carriage filled with sacks of milled rice and was being guarded by two humans clad with heavy plate armor and the carriage being driven by another human. ¡°¡­Unless¡­¡± I hurriedly lowered my body to hide myself at the tall wheat near the road so they wouldn¡¯t be able to spot me even from afar. The color of my robe really contrasts the daylight and the color of the fields so either they would treat me as a scarecrow, or they would torture me or sentence me to a public execution or maybe just send me back to my country. ¡°That would be nice, yeah, but to think that I¡¯d skip the basics first.¡± At capture, of course questions first before torture. ¡°But of course, a demon wandering around at the human empire. Not to mention I¡¯m the Maou¡­¡± I would immediately get sniped by their magicians from afar (which I could not avoid to retaliate and kill a few before fleeing). But I¡¯d rather not fight with them. Not at that crucial time where I needed to rack my brain and abilities to come up with a way to escape my current situation. ¡°Okay¡­ so¡­¡± I pulled out the small pin-like material I hid at my robe before setting foot at the platform. It was the supposedly support items she gave me. --- ¡°Here, have this pin. It would serve as a communication device. This device should connect to our channels here, so we would be able to communicate with you if ever any link between the spaces gets cut. Welp that¡¯s the worst case scenario. Ha ha ha!!¡± --- ¡°Ha Ha Ha my ass!¡± That¡¯s what she told me¡­ It seemed that she¡¯s looked into the possibility of the portal getting cut immediately after entering. Well, nothing to do but to try out. I¡¯ve applied mana on the small device and it changed its form, like a fluid jelly taking the shape of my ear like an ear bud or something. Once the material completed its transformation I¡¯ve put it to my ear and applied mana to operate it. Ksssshk! Kssssshk! I¡¯ve heard static for a few bit until the line clears out. I¡¯ve heard several people talking at the background. ¡°Hello? Proctor? Hello? It¡¯s me. Fred.¡± ¡°Oh. Son. What makes you call at such a blissful day off?¡± It¡¯s my dad. Curses, Proctor Miriara¡­ ¡°Oh, yeah, such a blissful day, esteemed Father. My bad, It seems that I¡¯ve called a wrong number.¡± ¡°No worries. Just remember to take a rest. It¡¯s your precious day-off. Seems like you¡¯re very busy right off the start of the day.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, actually¡­ About that¡­ Hehehe¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. You¡¯ll be out for another set of days. Okay I¡¯ll attend the meetings on your behalf.¡± It¡¯s a good thing my father have been supporting of me even without being knowledgeable of any of the things we¡¯ve been doing. It¡¯s a secret research club after all. As long as I bring results and meet up the expectations of the demons around me, it should be fine. ¡°Yeah, sorry esteemed Father. And thanks¡­ Also, uhm, are you by any chance with Fervus?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. We¡¯re currently lifting weights.¡± Eh? Since when did they become body-building buddies? ¡°Can you please do me a favor and tell him to contact Morgianna? They might be needing his assistance with something.¡± ¡°Oh. You¡¯re not with Morgianna? Seriously? But I thought you¡¯re already living with her.¡± ¡°No dad. She¡¯s a sibling and will always be a sibling¡­ Remember? She is my little sister and she will always be my little sister. So please just focus on lifting weights and always keep in mind that Morgianna will just always be my little sister. It¡¯s a boundary I won¡¯t ever cross¡­ Please just do the favor. It would be really helpful. Thanks. I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡± Then there¡¯s no more reply. The line was already cut and beat me to it. Kssshk!! ¡°Ah, there! I¡¯ve patched through. Hello?!¡± ¡°Figures¡­ Proctor Miriara, you¡¯ll be receiving punishment once I, the eight-generation Maou, gets back there.¡± ¡°Save that for later. We need you to follow the instructions for you to get back.¡± ¡°How long will it take?¡± ¡°This might take a whole day. That¡¯s the fastest we could get you out of there.¡± I¡¯ve made a rough estimate of the time since I haven¡¯t looked at it since being transferred to my current location. Hmmm. Let¡¯s see¡­ I looked at the direction where the shadow of the trees and the grass were pointing. I estimated it¡¯s not yet the middle of the afternoon since Morgianna had woken me quite early. ¡°It¡¯s just past the 9th hour. Can¡¯t you see through it that I could get home this 12th?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Well to be honest that would be impossible, even with Fervus in here.¡± ¡°Geez. It¡¯s fine. But really, to mess up the coordinate calculation at the very last second. That¡¯s so like you. Proctor Miriara. Or simply, you¡¯ve just planned this from the start.¡± ¡°Now, now¡­ This is not really the time to think like that. Of course I¡¯d prioritize your safety first.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± I suddenly heard a loud static, like the communication device was suddenly grabbed by someone. Morgianna suddenly talked, all worried like a mother separated from her child at the marketplace. ¡°Where are you! Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll rush over there and get you back at once.¡± ¡°Whoah! Morgianna. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine, for now. Besides, I think I¡¯m currently at the other side of the continent. It would still take a whole week even if you fly full speed right now.¡± ¡°I knew it. The proctor¡¯s up to no good. Should I punish her right now?¡± ¡°Morgianna, get ahold of yourself. This is not the perfect time to be fighting among ourselves. I¡¯d hear what she will have to say once I get back there, but for now, she¡¯s the one who knows how this mechanism works. Let¡¯s put trust in her now. She may always be up to no good, but she makes sure it won¡¯t do me any harm.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her response took longer than expected. I never thought the situation had taken too worse to make even the ¡®always obedient¡¯ Morgianna to think carefully before answering. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll be back.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t do anything rash.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Then I haven¡¯t heard from her for a few more seconds. Proctor Miriara then spoke. I was surprised she¡¯s got much less to say to me than the normal at times like those. ¡°Okay. So let me explain the situation. It really was my intention to create a waypoint from the demon capital to the human empire. But the distance was too great that the cost requires a lot. As much as I would like to refrain you from being the test subject for this, I really don¡¯t have a choice. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you, save that for later. Cut to the chase.¡± ¡°Okay then. The waypoint was really headed towards somewhere at the borders of the human empire, but I did not expect the mana source to get cut off at the middle of testing. It¡¯s not supposed to happen here and I saw no indications that we have lacked the mana required to supply the mechanism. That¡¯s what is getting me worried.¡± Then¡­ That would only mean¡­ It was an external force that cut the portal. ¡°The mana source has not been cut from here, but from there. Be careful there. Somebody even stronger than me, or General Orcas, or Morgianna¡­ Or even you, is currently near you right now. There might be an enemy nearby.¡± I gulped. I could feel the droplets of sweat drip down from my forehead to my temple. There were times battles couldn¡¯t really be avoided. And it should be fine by me. But that¡¯s really because I¡¯m confident with my skills in battle. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve managed to overcome every battle I¡¯ve been through so far. But it was different. The scenario was simple: I¡¯ll be the one to trigger opening the portal and the three will sustain the portal open, even for a very short time. Maintaining it already taxed them a lot so It would be best to not wander too much since it¡¯s just the preliminary testing. But somebody from the other side had force-closed the portal. It meant that being used the same amount of mana I, and the other three used, combined altogether. There¡¯s somebody, even more formidable than the enemies I¡¯ve encountered before was around the area. It would cost me everything if I were to fight that being at my current state. I would be exhausting my everything. Worst case, I might not even be able to put up a fight and die on the spot. ¡°You should already know by now. Your only choice is to either flee, or defend yourself until we¡¯re able to summon you back.¡± ¡°This is not the right time to be prideful and die in vain. They would immediately know I come from the royal bloodline just by looking at me, not to mention there might already be a directive to catch me dead or alive. You¡¯ve put me on a really tight spot right now, do you know that?¡± The situation left me with no other choice. ¡°Tell me, Proctor Miriara. What should I do.¡± ¡°Okay, I know transformation magic usage is not really your thing, it¡¯s not on your bloodline, but it¡¯s your only choice.¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯ve really planned this far?¡± ¡°What? No of course! Why do you think everything that¡¯s happening right now was planned by me?¡± We were like playing a psychological game of tag. ¡°Because it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about here.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Kidding aside, I¡¯ve formulated something based from your incompatibility with transformation abilities. I just don¡¯t know of the side effects yet.¡± There was no time to think about the side effects or later consequences on using a transformation ability. There had been an incident already when I already lost my life due to blood loss when I tried to do transformation magic. It seemed that some ability had been restricted by gods to be used by certain bloodline or race. I could hear the carriage nearly approaching me. They seemed to not chase after time and just want to deliver the goods to its destination. They passed me, I let out a sigh of relief. But there¡¯s still the pressing issue with the one that force closed the portal. ¡°Whatever! Give me the chant.¡± Every second that wasted, the chance that I would be found rose. I¡¯ve memorized every detail she¡¯s said since me using a transforming ability had always been a double-edged blade. Morgianna and the others could do it. It was just me that couldn¡¯t. At that time I was already prepared for the worst since the only possible option I could have to escape the situation I¡¯m in was also the worst possible I could have. I chanted. Light enveloped me and I felt a sudden surge of mana flowed out of me. When a being with mana affinity was drained out of mana there could be two effects on him: either his soul gets sucked out of him, or he dies. I was worried because mana had been surging out of me and it could be fatal if not stopped. At the same time, I was afraid that the passing merchants might see the light coming out from my direction. But it¡¯s broad daylight so it must not be much noticeable if they already passed. ¡°Ugh¡­ AAAAAh!!¡± Then a sudden dulling pain hit my body that made me squirmed back and forth like a worm sliced into two and poured salt on. The scenario went on for another minute or two which I didn¡¯t track anymore due to the intense pain I was feeling. Everything was turning to black. I was blacking out. After a few more minutes my subconscious told me to get back to reality already. I was like a victim of a heinous crime and was just thrown at the grasslands as soil fertilizer. My dead-fish eyes gained life again. I was still holding out my tummy like it¡¯s about to burst out my intestines any moment I try to move. Tears and snot were flowing out of me due to the intense dulling pain. ¡°I have to¡­ Get back¡­ Morgianna¡­¡± Huh?... ¡°My voice¡­¡± It was different from before. My clothes suddenly became too large for me too. It was hard for me to move. A memory flashed on me when I was still young and was still being allowed to play since the calling of the Maou still had not manifested on me. Those were happy days. Those were the childhood days where I had that tone. ¡°Creation magic: mirror.¡± Nothing happened. Wha¡­ ugh.. My mana had been drained out to the extent that I can¡¯t make an incantation. That¡¯s really weird. Even my sense of hearing dulled. I wonder what do I look at this moment. Curses. I had never been at this dire situation before. Not even my choices that¡¯s been limited, even my capabilities too¡­ Upon thinking too much on what happened and what was still to happen, a figure approached me. It was a girl. Her angelic voice gently flowed through my ears like a cool morning breeze. ¡°Hey kid. Are you hurt? I¡¯ve heard you shouting in pain from afar. Shush those imperial guards. They really won¡¯t care whatever might happen to civilians living at this area.¡± She extended her hand towards me. ¡°Come, stand. Can you? Where are you hurting? Where is your house? I could help you go home. Are you lost? What¡¯s with the excessive clothes?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I just looked at her as she talked and talked and barraged me with questions. I could not return a single answer because a question pops out after another. ¡°Ah! Sorry, what¡¯s your name by the way. We could start with introductions first. My name is Ingretta. Ingretta Von Howartz.¡± The golden long hair fluttered as it was gently blown by the calm breeze. Her deep gray eyes stared into mine with sincerity to help. She¡¯s a little girl, wearing a neat white long dress, and a small straw hat on top to protect her face from the heat of the sunlight. ¡°Fre¡ªFred¡­ My name is Fred Augustus.¡± ¨Cof course that¡¯s to mask my true identity. ¡°Augustus¡­ Hmmm¡­ The family name doesn¡¯t ring a bell. Maybe somebody from a nearby town.¡± She seemed to treat me like a normal human. Demons have a very distinct feature that makes them stand out among the other races. It¡¯s the color of their eyes. Well tracing the deepest roots of all other races that emerged through generations it all comes down to the ancient four. To sum it up, us on the royal bloodline have distinct crimson to deep red eyes which depend on the degree of royalty of the clan. As for me¡­ Does my eyes not stand out? Or it changed color? I really need to take a look on my appearance right now. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?...¡± I didn¡¯t notice her as she gotten too close to me. She was crouching to level herself towards me. That should make talking a lot easier than bowing down. She found her comfortable position and continued talking to a lying stranger in pain. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¡°Whooooaaah¡­ No matter how I look at it your deep red eyes really look¡¯s so cool. Is it on your family?¡± Ah¡­ I guess the eye color didn¡¯t really change at all. Damn you Proctor Miriara. Of all the important things you should miss. ¡°Hey. Say, are you willing to let me help you? It seems like you¡¯re not from here. Maybe my parents know something. But they really told me not to just offer help to every stranger I see. What should I do¡­¡± I looked at her. She¡¯s a kid about the age comparable to when I was still a little kid, playing at the demon palace without any concern of burden to carry. She¡¯s had tan lines from her shoulders, an indication that she¡¯s always outside either to play with friends or to help her parents with the fieldwork. But I¡¯d pick the prior. She¡¯s still a kid, she should have been playing all day long. That¡¯s how it should be. ¡°Hmmm? You¡¯re deep lost in thoughts again¡­ You should speak up. How would I know what you¡¯re feeling if you won¡¯t. Come, speak. I won¡¯t eat you. Fu he he he¡­¡± She cracked a silly oldies joke and giggled. It must be to cheer me up. I looked at her again. I¡¯ve been starting to feel better since she arrived so I could now focus on examining her. Her face looks very delicate. A human child with in a plain white dress, and a straw hat. ¡°¡ªte¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t notice I¡¯ve been whispering odd words that¡¯s not supposed to come out. ¡°Cute¡­ You¡¯re cute¡­¡± ¡°Awawa~~¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Eh? Really?? Eh?? EEEH??!! ¡°Ah, no, sorry¡­ Nevermind that. I¡¯m just really out of myself right now.¡± She¡¯s blushing of course. But that¡¯s not the issue. I¡¯m blushing! For God only knows where in the seven hells did I spout such nonsense. I¡¯m not onto kids, I¡¯m no pedophile. She pulled a distance as she saw me making twisted expressions of self-conflict. She might be a blockhead but she could still distinguish what¡¯s safe or not. Yes, a true little girl. ¡°Ah, no, no. I really have no ill intentions about that remark. I promise!¡ªughk!¡± ¨Cthe pain caught up on me as I thought it¡¯s already gone. I looked up with her again after catching up with my breathing. ¡°I swear¡­¡± ¡°Puhahahaha!! It¡¯s fine. I was just kidding. Hm¡­ I¡¯m shocked a bit. But it¡¯s fine. Come. If you could already speak then you should be better than your state a while ago.¡± She stood up and again, extended her hand for a reintroduction of herself. ¡°Here, take my hand, come with me for a while. I¡¯ll find a way to get you home. I promise.¡± The sincerity of her smile pierced through me. It seemed like I¡¯ve encountered someone so pure-willed and straightforward to helping others. She did not need anything in return. She helps when it should be needed. She would just extend her smile and give her hand towards anyone in need. She¡¯s not like those elite kids I used to play back at the demon castle, where everything had been given to them on a silver platter. Of course they would know very little about the word responsibility. Not like I¡¯m one to talk, since I was once like that too. I shook my head again to clear my thoughts. What the hell is happening to you Fred. Clear your mind. You could do better than this. My pride tells me not to accept it but I still accepted the offer. I reached out for her hand. ¡°Whoopsie daisy!¡± She lifted me up with minimal effort. I wondered how she managed to do that despite me being an elder demon at my prime. I¡¯m supposed to weigh several tens of kilos but she still managed it like a guard from a town¡¯s border gate. It happens to struck me when I was already up and standing. ¡°Okay so¡­¡± ¡°Hm??¡± I went down to make another self-introduction of myself inside my head: My name is Fred Augustus. I¡¯m a human, six years of age. My height is¡­ ¡°AAAAAAAAH!!!¡± I held my head with both my hands and screamed from the top of my lungs like my dulling pain didn¡¯t exist in the first place. I could still feel it but it didn¡¯t matter. I needed to scream the sudden stress that hit me after realizing what I have become after my transformation. ¡°THIS IS NOT EVEN TRANSFORMATION MAGIC!! CURSE YOU PROCTOR MIRIARAAAAAA!!!¡±
Interlude 4 (Mytherion) – A Barn Girl from the Human Empire 2 Uwaaaah¡­ Communications have been cut. What¡¯s worse is¡­ I¡¯m really out of mana right now to activate the comms device nor even gather up mana to revert myself back. I could only hear Morgianna¡¯s shouting and wailing from my imagination. I¡¯m really going to have it when I got back¡­ I have placed a spell on myself. Actually it was more of like a curse than a spell. Transformation magic transforms the caster himself to a different appearance from his current. May it be his hair, up to his toes. The amount of mana used should affect the output appearance. That¡¯s what supposed to happen. But right now, I¡¯ve been reduced to a miserable kid state I was when I was a 6y/o demon. What¡¯s even worse than my situation was, I¡¯m currently being led by this mysterious young human girl I¡¯ve met out of nowhere and helped me out of the blue. Well, this is better than being found by that someone that force closed the portal. We¡¯ve been walking for hours already since she¡¯s found me. I wonder how far her home was from her current location. For a young girl to be out alone that far by herself, without any guardian with her, she sure is a courageous little fellow. I really think my way of speech, gestures, habits, are also reverted from being kid-like. Only my subconscious have kept me within my current state. I could still control myself but my kid reflexes are that strong that it eventually takes control of me from time to time. They should be trying their best to retrieve me now. They should make it fast before things take a turn for worst. ¡°Heeeey¡­¡± Her calm voice pierced through my deep thinking. Or it was just my kid identity that¡¯s being charmed by her voice. ¡°Ah, yes¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± I kind of expected the scene that awaits me. Her family should have owned the vast fields from where we walked for hours. The barn was not that big and grand. The house was enough to fit a family of five to six people, including the girl. Still, you would immediately know the status of the family, being able to run a huge amount of fields for producing crops. ¡°The merchants from a while ago, I wonder if they came from here.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, the merchants. They are our direct suppliers from a shop at the human capital. I was asked by my father to accompany them up till the entrance of the forest. That¡¯s where I¡¯ve found you.¡± ¡°That far? With those untrustworthy-looking humans?¡± ¡°How rude. They¡¯ve been clients for three years now.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe you if you say that, you know. You¡¯re too young to remember. How are you even managing the field, considering your age?¡± ¡°Hmp! Whatever. Come, I¡¯m going to introduce you to my parents, they should be in there, preparing lunch.¡± A few hours of walk with my mana drained of course took a toll on my childish body. The growling of my stomach was already out of control and it could only make those who heard it giggle, especially if it¡¯s a pushy little girl of my (kid state) age. ¡°Oh, there they are! Good timing!¡± The parents looked very normal for humans. For a family that should be earning more than enough to buy lots of luxury, they sure weren¡¯t flaunting it out in the open. ¡°Moooom! Daaad! I got news. I¡¯ve found a kid from the neighboring town! He¡¯s collapsed at our field. I¡¯ve brought him here. Can we help him get back?¡± The way she¡¯s said it really brought me discomfort. She skipped towards her parents like a puppy after being long away from them. She was patted at her forehead by her father who stood up and looked towards my direction. I hadn¡¯t caught up with her yet so I was standing from afar. They talked a bit more up until the parents waves at me, asking me to approach them to introduce myself. I hoped they would not immediately eye me as somebody suspicious, as I was just a lost little kid. I hoped that they were good parents. They were willing to help me even though they barely knew my background. After I closed my distance with them I looked at the parents who was happy and would willingly help me just a moment ago, but now terrified by the sight the behold in front of them. Well, that¡¯s to be expected. The young girl that was named Ingretta, of course, should be still not knowledgeable at that age of the ¡®what to do¡¯ and ¡®what not to¡¯ when encountering a demon. She¡¯s not yet used to it. Her mother dropped the basket she was holding due to shock. ¡°Ingretta¡­ Head to your room right now. We¡¯ll talk later.¡± ¡°Dad¡­ Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ingretta. But we really need you to go back to your room now.¡± I looked at her and she¡¯s really terrified and dumbfounded. I knew this could happen if I were to meet her parents. Of course a six-year-old little girl would not be knowledgeable of anything related to interracial conflicts. That was one of the moments where a sweet little pure little girl should stay out of oldies¡¯ business. Her parents must not want to taint her purity with the harsh worldly reality yet. That should settle it. A good little girl should always listen to what their parents would have to say. Or so I thought. But she rushed at front of me and acted like a leader of a hound pack, protecting his family from some wild predators. ¡°Wha!?¡ª¡± not only me, but her parents were shocked too. ¡°NO!!¡± She must have sensed the hostility that her parents were giving towards me. She was a silly prideful human that promised a stranger that she would do her best to get him home, she already felt the weight of responsibility behind her words. But the elders always know better. Even if she said or fight for the promise she¡¯s given me, she¡¯s still just a kid. Sending a lost kid home should better be handled by the parents than herself. But that¡¯s not the case here. I¡¯m not just a lost kid. I¡¯m a lost demon kid, not to mention I¡¯m currently disguised as one, but I¡¯m really the Maou. What if the curse I¡¯ve put upon me was suddenly undone and I popped out like, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up guys?! I¡¯m the 8th-Gen Maou!¡±. Heaven and hell would break loose. Still, she¡¯s standing right in front of me, holding onto the words she said when she helped me back there at the fields. She¡¯s too loyal to her words that she¡¯s willing to stand up against her parents just to show me that she¡¯s serious on her words and she¡¯s really willing to help. Whoah¡­ She¡¯s so cool¡­ Wha¡ªNo!! Don¡¯t take over now, kid me, now¡¯s not the time to admire her! ¡­ Well, let¡¯s see how this situation turns out¡­ Her parents were shocked by her sudden disobedience. But it was more like they¡¯re more worried and scared than shocked because their precious pure little daughter was standing up for a demon like me. Any parents would. They we¡¯re so dumbfounded that they couldn¡¯t speak a word after that. Then¡­ The door of their house suddenly opened. The hinge made a creaking sound that it could actually hurt somebody¡¯s hearing. Their house was not being fully maintained. It seemed that they¡¯re more focused on their farm. What appeared from the door was a little fellow, even younger than Ingretta. A kid boy around three or four years of age. Considering the young looks of the parents, it¡¯s only natural that the kids were young too. ¡°Ma~~ Pa~~.. Food¡­ Hungry¡­¡± What came out of the door was the very pinnacle of cuteness in a form of a little boy. He was a cute little kid with golden hair and snow white skin that would make all ladies would go ¡°My my¡­ How cute¡­¡± upon first sight. Not to mention the mole on his right cheeks was very charming. My my¡­ How cute¡­ --and that reaction was set to stone. We could just smile back while wearing our fake delighted faces. The Father looked back on me, now with a calm and reasonable face compared to before. He should still be wary, but the confidence was real. He¡¯s pretty confident he could drive me away that instant if I were to attack without notice. ¡°Kid, come inside. This discussion will continue after we have lunch. You may be a devil but you hadn¡¯t attacked my silly little daughter. I¡¯ll be grateful and offer you lunch. You seemed to not have anything yet since breakfast.¡± --- I have been lost at the human empire for about two days now. The usual time for a mana-drained demon to fully replenish his stock, usually ranges from three to five days, depending on the degree of the drained mana. Eating, sleeping, taking a rest, all of these could help to speed up one¡¯s mana regeneration. On my usual case, it should take only up to several hours due to my exaggerated affinity with it. But this time it was unusually slow. I¡¯ve been wondering if it¡¯s due to the unfamiliar domain I¡¯m stepping in or the extent of damage done to me by the curse was too deep than I could imagine. To sum it up, it¡¯s already been almost 2 days since I was lost on this random place at the human empire. I haven¡¯t been able to activate the communication device I have with me yet since I¡¯ve been put to a miserable kid state. I was sitting beside the window at their balcony. I was looking at them, happily working at the field not that far away to tend their daily-eaten crops. ¡°Siiiigh¡­ Well they¡¯re a happy family indeed¡­ What am I even doing here? I can¡¯t believe the very ¡®me¡¯ had been too helpless for two days already. Why am I even accepting their kindness and prolonging my stay here when what I need to do still don¡¯t change?¡± But still¡­ Looking at them happily play with each other made me fell envious. The longing for a happy family bonding got over me like in an instant. ¡°I¡¯m really getting old¡­ Or rather, I¡¯d say I¡¯m really getting young. He he he¡­¡± The father was a buff-looking middle-aged man, around thirty to mid-thirties of age. That body could already be compared a little bit to my father. He looked like he got enlisted to the army once and survived a deadly battle against us so he quit and continued his life as a farmer. I¡¯ve often heard him being called by his wife as Seigwald. Ugh¡­ I don¡¯t really wanna get punched with those muscles¡­ I should hurry up and regain my original powers. Ingretta really resembled her mom. I could only imagine her growing up as a real beauty like her mom. At first glance you would think she¡¯s an immediate heir of a royal family due to the color of their hair. Maybe something happened and she had to be disowned and get banished to the farthest borders of the land. The father often calls her Esmeralda. ¡°Hahaha that¡¯s too good of a story to be true, right?¡± Unless¡­If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. About the brother¡­ ugh¡­ The little cute angelic-looking boy had never got his name mentioned. He just pops out of nowhere at times, gets missing at times, and then just pops out again. That made me scared for some reason. It¡¯s like he¡¯s getting teleported back and forth to some other dimension. But still, he must have find being alone entertaining on his own way. I looked again towards Ingretta. I remembered what happened the previous days¡­ --- I just finished the lunch that the family offered to me. Even knowing that I¡¯m a demon, they still extended their hospitality because their daughter asked them to. ¡°Make sure you finish your meal. I won¡¯t tolerate any leftovers.¡± The father was still wary of me. That¡¯s to be expected. ¡°Uhm¡­ Fred¡­ I¡¯m sorry, my parents have to act this way towards you. I¡¯m sorry I never knew of your circumstances.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was the one who hadn¡¯t told you in the first place anyways.¡± ¨CThat was a lie. I should really be fine by my own even if I hadn¡¯t met her at the fields. ¡°But to think that I¡¯d be encountering a demon, and at my age too. Lucky~~ hehehe!! You know, we could be real friends!¡± ¡°Really?... Uhm¡­¡± ¨Cof course the kid me kicked in and blushed. ¡°Ingretta, stop making fun of the situation and continue to finish your food.¡± ¡°Yeees~~¡± That was unexpected. She had a playful side. She was managing to lift the heavy atmosphere by being jolly even if unintended. She and her brother had no worries with life. Ingretta might be at the right age already to get educated about the current state of the opposing nations, what to encounter and what to avoid. It¡¯s really just bad timing that she had to meet me without that knowledge yet. About her brother, the parents must have considered their actions since they did not want to worry the very little kid. Of course a pure and kind-hearted girl like her would help me. I finished my meal. The time¡¯s vey perfect to have an interrogation. ¡°Ingretta, your brother¡¯s getting sleepy already, escort him to his room and come back here once he¡¯s asleep.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± She held his brothers tiny cute little hand and led him upstairs like playing mother. ¡°Okay then kid. Tell me. What is a demon of your caliber doing here?¡± Shit¡­ He knows¡­ ¡°I¡­ I got lost at the forest¡­¡± ¡°The demon empire is about months¡¯ worth of travel away from the human empire borders. A pampered child from a royalty like you won¡¯t survive a day or two of travelling alone. Are you separated?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Playing a poor little demon kid bit me back. My hunch was right. The father is knowledgeable when it comes to other races and interracial affairs, especially when it¡¯s demons and humans. I could only imagine he was working at the human capital when he was still at his prime age. All other form of coaxing wouldn¡¯t work anymore. I proceed to my last resort. ¡°Can I lie just for once? This would be for Ingretta¡­ No, for your family¡¯s good too. Please spare me some time until I would be able to return to the demon capital. I beg of you. I swear on my family name that nothing of this event and your family¡¯s circumstance here would get out once I return.¡± I stooped the lowest I could which was really not my style. But what other choice could I have. There¡¯s no point in lying, but I did not tell everything. At a world where war and bloodbath is a common thing, sometimes it would be best to not know a single thing and just live life normally and happily. Especially when you¡¯ve got a family and innocent lives could be involved. I hoped I conveyed my message properly with the father. The mother looked like she¡¯s fine with it and was waiting for her husband¡¯s reply. ¡°¡­ Okay then. Let¡¯s wait for Ingretta to come down. We¡¯ll listen to your silly excuse when she gets here.¡± Phew¡­ I¡¯m saved. I barely hang on but it cost me a lot more than my pride. A few more moments and the little girl (same age as me at that time) came down from the second floor. She¡¯s now wearing a different clothes. Of course a girl would still be bothered by the reek of sweat. She¡¯s wearing a light yellow long dress, just like the one a while ago, but just different in color. Unlike the sour mood a while ago, she¡¯s now jolly again like a battery that¡¯s recharged for just a little bit. ¡°Heheh, how do I look, Fred? Am I pretty?¡± She turned around, making the round edge of the skirt float in air as she turned 360 and finally looked back at me. Trying to look good, huh¡­ Of course it would take no effect on me. A demon at the age of seventy could be compared to those around thirty years of age of mid-thirties so eyeing on a six-year old kid was really considered a crime. I wouldn¡¯t steep down low and¡­ Hmmm¡­ Yeah, she¡¯s really cute. ¡­of course my kid mentality would. I shook my head to push away the stupid little Fred on my mind. That was not really the time to have those thoughts. What I needed to do was immediately think of an alibi that would pass the parent¡¯s standards, considering their decision whether to help me out or not would really depend on how believable the story I would be able to construct was. ¡°Ingretta, quit playing around and sit beside the kid. We¡¯ve got something to talk about.¡± ¡°Yeeees¡­¡± She sulked and approached the sit beside me, and sit at a gesture where she¡¯s ready to be scolded. The parents really didn¡¯t need to do that. Ingretta¡¯s just a kid and pressuring her so much would only have negative bearing on her growth. ¡°Dear¡­ You¡¯re not wrong about extending help onto other in need, but there¡¯s always a limitation to that. The kid here is a demon. You know what that means, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± I was quite surprised that she knew. And all of the time I was with her she¡¯s trying her best to hide it. She¡¯s that straightforward and kind that she couldn¡¯t lie to her parents at crucial times too. I just left it at she¡¯s just being ignorant a while ago to avoid the suspicion that I might think against her. ¡°Still, keeping a demon in company, especially during this age would be a grave offense. I believe you¡¯ve already been taught about that.¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± There were faint nods, she looked nervous, just as I was. I looked at the father¡¯s stern expression and it¡¯s something that could not yield even though she was to try to persuade him. Ingretta must have been punished with even more severity than that. ¡°I¡¯m going to be frank about this. We can¡¯t have him around here, especially when merchants from the capital are making rounds, taking rations this time of the year. The best course of action would be to send him at the borders, and he¡¯s on his own.¡± SLAM!! ¡°NO!!¡± The three of us were shocked that she shouted against her parents, that included the parents too. ¡°I promised him! Even though I knew from the start¡­ But he¡­ He¡¯s in pain!! He¡¯s alone!! Also¡­ The look in his eyes have some hint of a lonely and lost expression! How could I leave somebody like that alone! It¡¯s only natural that I would help him! That¡¯s what I would do to any human, to anyone of a different race too!!¡± She shouted and explained her side on an impulse. I was amazed at how a six-year-old kid like her could say such things. She realized it, gave a pause, and immediately sit down and reduced herself to the pitiful state being unable to speak against her parents again like a while ago. But her father¡¯s stern expression was somehow changed towards a calm and satisfied. ¡°Calm down, my daughter. I haven¡¯t finished my statement yet.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Boy, how did you get here?¡± That was the question that would determine whether they accept me to hide on their house while the others at the hideout were trying their best to pull me back. I should not mess up¡­ ¡°The slave traders¡­ I was a village chief¡¯s son. After being raided by demon bandits, I was sold at a young age as a slave to an underground demon syndicate that¡¯s practicing dark arts. I was a guinea pig for their teleportation device research.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ How awful¡­¡± ¨Cthe mother just acted the reaction but it felt so sincere. ¡°I was made to test a device that went nearly broken midway. If I hadn¡¯t quickly jumped towards the closing circle my body would¡¯ve been cut off to two. But still, the sudden change of location must have messed my body up. I ended up at your fields, and was rendered unable to produce any strength for hours, enduring massive body pains and migraine. It really was one hell of experience and I was already at the verge of losing hope. That¡¯s when Ingretta showed up.¡± I did my best to alter the story. Part of it was true which was about the teleportation device. Nobody¡¯s supposed to know it, but the parents knew I was making something up. And I also thought Ingrid won¡¯t be the type to tell stories to her friends from other families. In any case, I did not see any demerit of letting a portion of what¡¯s truly happening at the demon continent that time. ¡°I see¡­ Where¡¯s your slave crest then?¡± Crap¡­ A fatal flaw on my invented alibi. Slave crests ensures the status of the slaves being sold. It¡¯s like a pact created by a slave and a master, which the master is given full authority and responsibility on whatever he does with the slave he bought. That goes on both-ways for the slave. He couldn¡¯t ever disobey each of the master¡¯s orders because it might cost his life. That¡¯s a quick summary of how slave crests work. My alibi was supposed to fall there, somehow at the last minute I managed to pull an unbelievable comeback with¡­ ¡°... It¡¯s quite embarrassing¡­¡± ¨CI squirmed and acted too embarrassed like it¡¯s hidden at my private parts. ¡°I see. Of course it¡¯s a private region. We won¡¯t be forcing you then¡­ If that¡¯s the case, an underground society¡¯s best move is really to buy a slave and treat them as an pawn that they could easily drop once they serve no purpose. Just the thought of buying slaves for the purpose of having them on test experiments regardless of how dangerous it is¡­ Kid. Count this as a blessing that you¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make sure of that.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± There was a catch. I¡¯ve asked the parents to play along with me with my current situation but they still did know of my current situation. The father needed a confirmation first. ¡°Do you have somewhere in mind that you could return to? Like, a family, or relatives that¡¯s near here?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ I suppose this is still a part of the human empire.¡± ¡°Yes. This farm is at the borders of the human empire at the far north-west. There should be an elven city a bit south from here, but there¡¯s another route towards the center of the continent.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I don¡¯t really need to go far away. If the place I was at was the border of the human empire itself, the place next to it would be the huge elven forest. There¡¯s no point on risking my safety being along there while waiting for the others at the demon capital to pull me back. The best place to buy time with should be there at their farm, staying hidden as much as I could. My option was to beg for them to let me stay up until I was miraculously transported back to the demon capital. It¡¯s actually up to the parents to decide whether to let me stay for a while at theirs, or to send me to the nearest guard post and hand me over to the officials. ¡°I would not like to impose that much on your generosity but if possible, can you please kindly spare me a night here to rest? To be honest my body is still screaming in pain because of the experiment. I¡¯m afraid my current condition might affect my decision-making. Please.¡± I stood up. I bowed myself towards my humblest on them. That¡¯s already the second time but this time it¡¯s with Ingretta. I just assured to offer my sincerest requests with the appropriate and involved members of the family. ¡°I beg of you.¡± ¡°Dad¡­¡± Ingretta must have felt the mood and stood up and bowed with me to support my request. She¡¯s quick on the pickup. It adds up to the chance of buying time. ¡°Siiigh¡­ since my beloved daughter was the one who¡¯s started this at first place, I¡¯d take responsibility for her actions and let you stay for the night. But make sure to take your decision firsthand in the morning.¡± I looked at Ingrid and she looked at me too. It was like a fulfilling accomplishment the two of us have made. She smiled and raised her two hands asking for a high-five on me. My kid persona immediately kicked in and happily responded to her high five (really uncalled for but what can I do?). ¡°YAAAAY!!¡± Sheeesh¡­ She¡¯s truly a happy, pure, cute, and playful little girl¡­ Like two kids in cahoots for a sleepover planning at one¡¯s house, we were both happy since out silly little plan succeeded. That¡¯s how it looked like from a kid¡¯s playful perspective. I advised the parents to just let me stay either at the stables or at the haystacks inside the barn but they insisted that I use the room at the attic. I had been treated from a hostile demon to a vip guest in no time. I paid no mind. I assumed that I the team back at my place would be able to retrieve me right away. --- About Ingretta¡­ ¡°Crap, this is bad.¡± A good night rest had me replenish plenty of my mana already. It¡¯s a stock enough to activate another portal if proctor Miriara would require me. But I¡¯ve encountered another problem: the communication device I¡¯ve been carrying within me seemed to be malfunctioning for some unknown reason. I considered the possibility a day ago but I thought it was just due to my mana draining that I couldn¡¯t make it operate, but that morning I went pretty sure that it broke. Even with enough mana I couldn¡¯t just force open the portal with just me on the other end. It required coordination with the team from the other side. Being unable to contact the other side, posed me new threats: First, Morgianna must be angry to the point that every second that I couldn¡¯t get home, an even greater punishment awaited me. Second: my parents must be worried sick even if I told them I¡¯d be out for a few days. Three: this kid alter inside of me was getting constantly drawn on a mysterious six-year-old human beauty. Amongst the three the third one was considered the most lethal that moment. The cons of the curse I¡¯ve put onto myself, in which my kid persona suddenly takes over my action just kept on getting worse each hour. That kid persona weighs both the things that I needed to do versus the things new to him and wanted to experience. I¡¯m afraid the latter took higher priority. I¡¯ve constantly kept him away from having illusory fantasies like getting kindergarten crushes because when I got back and the curse is lifted, the thing that will be left of him would be nothing. All the feelings I¡¯d felt and experienced, it would be reduced to nothing. But I couldn¡¯t stop looking. ¡°Crap¡­ This is really bad. Kid me, you really need to stop taking over at such crucial times¡­¡± Ingretta was happily playing with her little brother under the shade of the tree near the land that her parents were working. She¡¯s now wearing again the long white dress and the straw hat she wore yesterday as if those were the only set of clothes she had. A smile that¡¯s only normal for kids like her. It¡¯s supposed to be only normal, but when it¡¯s her, it miraculously tried to clear all my worries away, like it¡¯s another precious day off from a week of tiring demon lord¡¯s work. She was like a single sunflower at the middle of the grassland, saying hello to the soaring sun while keeping her bright yellow color that¡¯s always distinguishable amongst the green field. The view somehow makes me just want to laze around and just wait for whenever the demons back there with Proctor Miriara find a way to finally communicate with me and pull me back at the castle so I could continue my weekend rest. ¡°Hmp. I¡¯ll let you win again this time, kid me. But once I¡¯m back at the demon capital I¡¯m going to make sure you won¡¯t exist anymore, and any memory I¡¯ve had of this.¡± But the happy gathering of the family didn¡¯t last even for an hour. I¡¯ve noticed the father suddenly stood up and looked afar. The road was covered with a huge tree so I couldn¡¯t see what was he looking for. The mother then stood up in response and approached the kids immediately. She approached the playing Ingretta and acted like whispering something to her. I was a spectator at the attic, I did not really hear what the scenario really was. I didn¡¯t have sharp hearing too like Fervus. I only guessed what happened after the next scene. Ingretta started rushing towards the house as if she didn¡¯t want to be seen by anyone. As she got nearer I noticed the expression on her face. It was a face full of fear and guilt. That moment I guessed what was going on. Ingrid finally entered the house and I heard footsteps rushing upstairs. SLAM!! ¡°Fred!!¡± Pant¡­ Pant¡­ ¡°Catch your breath first. Though I¡¯ve got an idea of what¡¯s happening.¡± Ingretta was so sweaty. She rushed towards the house like it¡¯s the end of the world. I was worried that she might faint anytime if she couldn¡¯t catch her breath properly but she managed to recover. I was shocked at her enormous stamina. ¡°Imperial guards! You¡­ We need to hide!¡±
Interlude 4 (Mytherion) – A Chase: Run Devil Boy, Run Human Girl 1 A Chase: Run Devil Boy, Run Human Girl 1 We looked at the window of the attic and saw one of the armored guards approach Ingretta¡¯s father and started questioning him. A carriage full of armored guards then appeared from the view being blocked by the tree. ¡°Now that¡¯s troublesome. I wonder if I would be able to drive them off.¡± ¨CI slipped up an inappropriate remark but Ingretta didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°What are you talking about?! Those are armed and trained imperial guards!! Have you lost your mind?¡± The panicking Ingretta was of course acting like that to keep me from being seen by the guards. Her parents must have ordered her that instant. At very first glance people like them would immediately distinguish a demon like me. Who would I be fooling? If I was at my original state I would be able to drive all of them off, avoiding casualty as much. But at the same time I wanted to hide even a little of my abilities towards Ingretta¡¯s family and hers as much as possible. ¡°Hurry and get some of dad¡¯s old clothes. He¡¯s ordered me to take you outside of the borders until the house inspection is over.¡± ¡°Okay. But do you know of any way we could go outside without getting noticed by them?¡± I decided to go along with her for the time being. Replenishing mana as much as I could until it would be possible to lift the curse I¡¯ve placed on myself was the only considerable option I had. Also, I was now knowledgeable of human laws and what would happen if it were to be known that Ingretta¡¯s family was housing a demon. After the generosity they have shown me. Even though they¡¯re at the opposing race I would return the favor. Ingretta climbed the top of a cabinet and got a dusty sack there. She blew the dust off and tap it several times to check if there were still dust inside. ¡°Gosh. How long are you going to gawk there? Even if my parents were well-known from the capital from way back they still couldn¡¯t hold inspecting guards for too long.¡± ¡°No, I mean these clothes should be fine with me. Why are you packing so much up like we¡¯re going on a long trip or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just! Don¡¯t ask many question and follow me!¡± She then immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. We were rushing down the stairs without any caution. There was no really time to waste. Going at the backdoor would pose such a high risk. So I wondered how she plan to escape the barn that¡¯s surrounded by a group of imperial guards. We then reached the stairs towards the underground wine cellar. For a farm, their house really had a complete package. But¡­ ¡°Come on, a passage that leads outside from the wine cellar is pretty obvious. Aren¡¯t there¡ª¡± But I was wrong. Ingretta knocked the wooden platform at the left wall three times. She was trying to feel and hear something. Then suddenly she pushed a bit and the supposedly flat solid wall opened like a magical door out of nowhere. Then what waited from the door was. Urghk¡­ It was a deep endless void of darkness. ¡°Uhm¡­ Ingretta? Are we going to¡ª¡± I was just about to look at her while asking when I heard her answer at that instant with ¡°Just hurry up and enter already!¡± THUD!! She drop-kicked me at my side and I fell onto the endless bottom pit. ¡°UWAAAAAAAH!!!!¡± -my loud voice decreased in volume in an instant as I fell and slide towards nowhere. --- SLAM!! ¡°Ughk!!¡± I heard the sound of a flowing water. There¡¯s a stream not very far away from me. It was already visible and I could only walk a few steps from it. It was too shallow that it¡¯s enough to only wet my boots. I looked from behind me and saw a quite huge land elevation covered by roots of old trees and the open hole from the passage I¡¯ve came from. The trees were tall, enough to cover the whole land with shade and dried fallen leaves. I was at the forest already. I couldn¡¯t determine how long have I been sliding at that dark long passageway so I won¡¯t know how far I¡¯ve traveled already, and how far was I from the house. What was that all about. To hide something like that from their house. I bet claustrophobic people would die from fear, being thrown into that place. I examined if my body was still in one piece after slamming on the ground. The height from where I fell didn¡¯t even exceed a height of a normal human so falling off from it won¡¯t really inflict some serious injury to me. But still, a wrong landing could still cost me a broken leg or two. I tried to stand but I still couldn¡¯t regain my sense of balance. I heard s joyful loud yell at the hole that I came from. It was Ingrid. ¡°Of course she followed¡­ Who will guide me here¡ª¡± I haven¡¯t finished speaking yet when she launched out the hole and used me as a landing pad to reduce her injuries. A frail and soft kid body of mine would be the best out there at that moment. ¡°No no no!! Try to evade first before hitting me?!! Are you out of your mind?! Ingretta!!¡± HIT!! CRASH!! ¡°Guaaaah¡­¡± That day that time, I was hurt a lot more compared to those of the battles I¡¯ve encountered my whole life. ¡°Ouchie!!... Are you oka¡ªay¡­ I guess not.¡± ¡°Just stand up and help me already. I was still hurting from my landing.¡± But instead of following what I ordered, she continued to finally lay her body rest on top on me like I was a soft couch at the living room during siesta hours. ¡°You little punk, you¡¯re tormenting me too much already¡­¡± I was already blessed that my kid persona didn¡¯t appeared that time because it would just make matters worse. ¡°You¡¯re really bossy. Let me rest for a while, that ride was too exhilarating.¡± She went quiet for a while, tried to stop her panting, and continued to talk. ¡°I was anxious¡­ I was scared too. What¡¯s about to happen to mom, dad, and my little brother? What if a really small sudden decision might put them in danger? But I promised my father that I¡¯ll get you safely out of that situation, so I¡¯ll just have to trust on them.¡± I didn¡¯t respond. Of course she¡¯s just acting tough in front of me that whole time. How would I know if she¡¯s already that matured or she¡¯s really just a kid trying to prove something for herself? A kid shouldn¡¯t stress herself over adult matters, but she did. For my sake, because she¡¯s pledged responsibility on taking me back home. A little reward won¡¯t hurt so bad. She would be enduring much until she gets back to her family. I let her took a deep breath and calm herself so anxiety won¡¯t catch up with her. I still need her to get back home with her sanity intact. ¡°Thanks for listening Prince Fred¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Lady Ingretta.¡± The scene itself was calming for me too. If I was just born a human, I could already imagine two childhood friends trying to sneak out after getting grounded, wound up finding themselves at an isolated area, but still won¡¯t let any worries run ahead of themselves. It was a great day to sneak and play. This¡­ is not the kid me, but the ¡®me¡¯ me, right? She stood up like a prince and tried to help me who¡¯s like a princess. Yes, our roles are reversed. ¡°Come, I know of a place where we could safely hide for a while.¡± --- ¡°Say¡­ How do you know of this place?¡± At first place, it¡¯s quite odd that a six-year-old girl like her knew of a hole at their house that had connecting tunnels towards the outskirts of the human empire borders. It¡¯s like she¡¯s prepared for something that could happen. Or she was just really bored. Either ways, the kid me wanted to find out so I asked. ¡°Hmmm. I dug the tunnel. My parents were not knowledgeable, it was just only me and my brother that knew. I wanted a place for us to pass time and play. Somewhere our parents could not eye on us that much.¡± ¡°Heeeeh¡­ seriously¡­¡± ¡°HA HA HA!! Just kidding!!¡± She laughed hard and then slammed my back. ¡°Ouch!! You almost got me there! Of course a frail girl like you won¡¯t be able to dig a tunnel that long even with your six years of existence!!¡± ¡°You seriously would believe that? Hahaha!! Seriously, you¡­ Well, my dad was the one who¡¯ve build it.¡± ¡°But what for?¡± ¡°How would I know?!! Dad and Mom just let me and my brother use the place as a playing ground. I haven¡¯t really asked.¡± ¡°Well, I guess¡­¡± A wise decision, indeed. I¡¯ve always thought her mom and dad were really distinguished individuals at the human capital. The fact that they have made a secret passageway to immediately head out if ever stuff happened, just like how we¡¯re trying to hide right now from the imperial guards. It would be better to mask something that¡¯s meant for escaping and hide something with something that¡¯s meant for kids to play. Confirming that possibility, I saw no reason to pry in with their family matters anymore so I just let it be. What¡¯s most important was buying time for me to fully replenish my lost mana and try to communicate with the people back at the demon capital to reactivate the portal. ¡°Then how far are we from this place to hide of yours?¡± ¡°Hmmm, just a few more minutes of walk.¡± ¡°Are you really sure only your family knows of this place?¡± ¡°Yes, father told me that.¡± It might take a minute or two if it¡¯s the parents that would carry us, but since It¡¯s just me and Ingretta, out tiny limbs would take us quite a while to reach our destination. After a few more minutes of walking, just as she mentioned, we arrived an abandoned cabin which was not really that abandoned-looking. Rather, it looked like a vacation house where a small family of maximum of four can spend a night to unwind. It didn¡¯t really look abandoned and tearing down, it was just a normal unused cabin. ¡°Hooooh.¡± I was really impressed. Nobody would really wander around the area since it¡¯s covered by bushes and there were no visible trails since Ingretta¡¯s made sure that they would be covered again by bushes. ¡°Nice work here. You guys sure have lots of free time.¡± ¡°Count me out of the praising. It¡¯s already built here for as long as I could remember. It might have been here already even before we were born.¡± ¡°Ah, yes I suppose so.¡± It was a good thing that Ingretta¡¯s always responding to my questions, even though how bugging they were. I¡¯d like to refrain from talking as much as possible. I would not want her to raise even more suspicion around me. It is too sudden that I came up. And the imperial guard¡¯s visit was frighteningly convenient that the coincidence was too much to handle. But it¡¯s really hard to come up with something, so I¡¯d better stick up with conversations like these. ¡°Ah.¡± She stopped to a realization. ¡°What is it?¡± I thought that she realized something like: the guards might already have been chasing us since we¡¯ve been nowhere to be found back at their barn, or something like: the guards might have already captured her parents and was already using them to lure us out. Then it would ascertain that selling me out would be the best option. ¡°You won¡¯t sell me out right?¡± ¡°Haaah? What are you even talking about? We¡¯ve come this far. Protecting you like this will only in vain if I suddenly sell you out. Besides, I had was just ordered to hide you. I really don¡¯t know why the guards suddenly popped out there. They really don¡¯t show up this time of the year.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I was surprised. ¡°For your age you really say some randomly mature and reasonable stuff.¡± ¡°Hey that¡¯s mean. You¡¯re just at my age too. Why suddenly act like an old uncle full of experience and wisdom.¡± ¡°¡¯Cause I really am¡ªI mean¡­ Never mind. Forget it. Besides, why did you suddenly stopped? What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Ah! Yeah! I forgot to bring food. I won¡¯t even know how long we¡¯ll be staying here!¡± That was really a fundamental problem. I couldn¡¯t do anything but to cover my face with my palms due to the failure escape plan we¡¯ve experienced. As much as I wanted to leave everything to Ingretta so I could take my time to fully recover, circumstances made it so that I was to take action. ¡°I¡¯ll do the hunting and you¡¯ll do the housework. Let¡¯s split the labor so we won¡¯t get burned out by stress.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± Ah¡­ shit. Of course how could a six-year-old me be able to hunt deers for food. I was at an age where I should not be bothering myself with things that the elders should be doing. Hunting was one of those. But then again I got worked up and presented myself to be the manpower. How could I be so careless¡­ ¡°Well how will you do it?¡± I was at the middle of thinking of an alibi to cover up for my lapse but she suddenly got close to me like the curious little Ingretta she always was which startled me. ¡°Uhm¡­ Uh¡­¡± So close¡­ so close!! She gotten so close to me that her loose hanging dress was already showing her young body inside her dress, her young breasts and everything included. Of course That shouldn¡¯t be an issue to the old me. I¡¯ve gotten used with bathing with Morgianna since we were young. But since there¡¯s two personalities inside me at that moment, of course it¡¯s a very big deal to my kid me. Seeing a view of somebody¡¯s bare body besides from Morgianna should still make my six-year-old heart race. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± POOF!! My head burst out like an overheated engine. Ingretta suddenly realized that her loose dress had been showing her breasts to a stranger she just met yesterday. She pulled back in embarrassment ¡°S¡­So¡­ How will you do it?¡± ¡°Magic! Right! I¡¯ve studied magic! I¡¯ve studied it when I was young and not a slave yet!!¡± I came up with the most pathetic and generic excuse due to what happened. Of course I wouldn¡¯t have time to think when my kid persona made my brain go boom. ¡°Eeh?! Really?!!!¡± She suddenly went 180 from an embarrassed kid to an excited student. ¡°Yea¡ªYes¡­ My previous masters had me learn magic. Being a slave demon that knows magic, they could sell me at a high price.¡± Nice follow-up! ¡°Wooow. So that means I could sell you to the guards for maybe a long years¡¯ worth of supplies.¡± ¡°Hey I just crossed that thought off my mind. Don¡¯t bring that up again.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha!! Why so stiff?! I¡¯m just kidding! Come on, better get used to the times when I¡¯m cracking a joke. Get a hand of it already!¡± ¡°No, I think that would take some months. Who knows if I¡¯d be still here later.¡± ¡°What are you implying? And what about you? Who knows how much longer would you have to stay with us? It might be for years or decades.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ha ha ha!! I¡¯m just kidding! Come on now¡­¡± I¡¯ve thought about it once already, but I immediately brushed it off. But what if what she said was right? That¡¯s what I thought of that moment and I turned silent. ¡°Hey, really, no need to get so serious. I was just trying to cheer you up. Same goes for me too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just that the thought came on me again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Truth to be told. I¡¯m¡­ I¡­ I miss them. I wanna go back.¡± It was the kid me that¡¯s getting homesick. I was a kid that¡¯s separated to his home and family and got lost for a day already. Even if I had somebody to accompany me. They were total strangers to begin with. ¡°Then¡­ Then if you won¡¯t be able to go back ever again, I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take responsibility and be your older sister!¡± Eh?! Eh?! Did I just got familyzoned?! She just did to me what I had been doing to Morgianna. That I just realized. It¡¯s a thing that I knew I¡¯ve been doing but got no idea how it must have felt for the other party. Now I know how Morgianna have been feeling whenever I¡¯ve been shutting her feelings down with ¡®we¡¯re just family¡¯ thing. ¡°But. But it¡¯s not the same as with her! I¡ªI¡ªIt¡¯s not l¡ªl¡ªlike I have a c¡ªc¡ªcrush on you or something!! Hmp!¡± ¡°Whoah¡­¡± She was blushing. I¡¯ve asked myself if I just made a spot-on confession which was not really intended to be that way. ¡°No¡ªNo!! It¡¯s not what you think¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m still inexperienced with these kinds of things¡­ Besides, it¡¯s too sudden¡­ I mean¡­ We just met yesterday¡­ Everything happened so fast. Think about it carefully. Besides I¡¯m not pretty compared to other girls out there¡­¡± ¡°No! you just don¡¯t know how cute you are!!¡± SHUT UP KID ME I DON¡¯T NEED THAT STUPID REMARK! YOU¡¯RE MAKING THINGS WORSE FOR GOD¡¯S SAKE¡­ I slapped myself to stop my itchy little mouth from talking anymore nonsense which would make things even more worse that they already are. ¡°I¡­ To you¡­ So that¡¯s how you feel already¡­ Hehe¡­¡± ¡°No! Wait!! It¡¯s just a grave misunderstanding. Please! Your father is going to kill me waaah!!¡± --- After I cleared up the misunderstanding (which cost me a huge fraction of my current working brain cells), we started upon the agreed on division of labor. She didn¡¯t ask anymore since I¡¯ve able to give her a proper alibi on being able to use magic. She¡¯s prepared the house¡¯s supply for a whole week, considering we would have to wait for her parents to come pick us up and say that it¡¯s okay to return to the house already. But I was really hoping that the issue with the imperial guard would be fixed first before the others found a way for pull me back. ¡°I¡¯ve finished cutting the woods.¡± I was still panting. Cutting wood was a part of male¡¯s job, but I was a kid. Even if I used a bit of strengthening magic on myself, my stamina could still not keep up with the piled wood which was going to be used for fire to cook dishes and keep us from the cold of the night. I wiped the sweat off my face and looked around. The insides of the house were completely made of wood. Unlike the normal houses which used bricks which was sturdier, the whole house was made of wood. Everything, you could only see wood. But they were not just normal wood. They were neatly polished and there were carvings on the walls and the stairs which were neatly carved that seemed to be done in by a great artisan. The color of mahogany-varnished furniture really stood out even if it¡¯s really covered with dust. If the house was built by her father, then he must have put on a lot of time and effort on finishing it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t show a house that¡¯s always maintained at its top condition.¡± ¡°Ah, no I was not thinking about that. I¡¯m just amazed at how the house was built.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I think it¡¯s really just the same as our house. To whoever built this house, it felt like he rushed it. Would cleaning the house really be worth the time spent? Come on, let¡¯s just laze around.¡± Their house was a mix of bricks, concrete and wood. She would not notice the very small details, but the house layout was really seemed to make anybody who¡¯s not familiar with it get lost. It would be unfair to pursuers and easier to the house owners to escape. Again, I was stuck to the thought that the father must have been preparing for something like a worst case scenario which might happen to them anytime. I would not want to bother Ingretta with that anymore. ¡°Really? I think it¡¯s quite stylish. There are still lots of parts upstairs that would require cleaning and I could devote my time on restoring the beauty of this house.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Suit yourself. I¡¯m going to cook. Have you already lighted the firewood?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Wait¡ªDo you even know how?¡± ¡°Of course!! I¡¯ve always watched my mom cook. Easy-peasy.¡± ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll start cleaning the rooms upstairs.¡± I took a small broom and climbed upstairs. I started cleaning the room, thinking about a scene from a not really distant past¡­ --- It was some time after I¡¯ve secured my own personal room at the very top of the tallest tower at the demon palace. I¡¯ve selected the location due to personal reasons: to have me just spend my whole rest day away from the catching up palace duties. It was a bliss. A peaceful whole day of nothing to do and just to laze around: typically doing every nothingness available on whole Mytherion. Then everything changed when Morgianna attacked. ¡°What have you been doing?!! It Stinks here! Clean this room now or I will inform father of the things you¡¯ve been doing here.¡± And so, half of my peaceful days were now being spent on cleaning my room which was supposed to be being done by my servant/sister/concerned mother Morgianna. She helps me though. --- ¡°Well, it seems like your teachings are coming handy right now. I¡¯m going to pat your head later when I get back.¡± I was cleaning the room. I charged myself with the household chores since Ingretta was such a child and she was stubbornly insisting that she would only do the cooking. I gave her what she wanted but I still got free time so I better work myself up. I could do the resting later. Besides¡­ I looked at the ceiling of one of the rooms I entered. It was almost covered in spider¡¯s web. It felt like a giant monster spider girl had been living at the house while being uninhabited that she¡¯s spewed het legacy to every nook and cranny of the entire house. Living in a house full of dirt and dust and web was not really good for someone¡¯s health so I did the cleaning for our own better living. ¡°Okay! Now you¡¯re looking better.¡± After half an hour of scrubbing, dusting, and throwing out unnecessary items, I finished cleaning an entire room. It was already way past noon and it would soon be night time so I was expecting at least a decent dinner from the chef downstairs. A pleasant dinner, indeed¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ ¡°A pleasant dinner indeed.¡± I lay down the broom, and dustpan and started walking. I hurriedly rushed downstairs due to the odor I¡¯ve smelled. It was the smell comparable to one of the most brutal abominations I¡¯ve once encountered. All of my life I¡¯ve encountered dire battles and life-threatening situations but that was the very first time I¡¯ve encountered multiple cases in just a span of hours. I headed to the kitchen. What awaited me there was a gruesome scene of a child doing her best to cook something horrible nice for dinner. ¡°Uhm¡­ Ingretta. May I ask what in tarnation is this abomination?¡± ¡°So mean. It¡¯s what you call ¡®something nice for dinner¡¯.¡± ¡°No, dispose of it at once. That¡¯s an order.¡± Ingretta pouted. It means she knows of the failure she¡¯s created. But still, she¡¯s fighting for some justice that the food might still be edible and safe to eat. Well it¡¯s not. I felt that I have to tell her it¡¯s not. I decided I would tell her it¡¯s not. ¡°Hmp. I know it¡¯s a failure, but at least try if it still tastes like food. It might still be edible¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. Now Congratulations on your new discovery that you couldn¡¯t cook and get the disgrace out of the kitchen right now. And what are you even trying to do, directly asking the kid you pledged to save to eat immediate poison?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so mean. Also, you aren¡¯t one to talk! How can you be so sure that you could cook better than me? We¡¯re at the same age bracket.¡± My nerves popped out. It was not the kid me, but the current me that¡¯s triggered by that remark. ¡°Fine.¡± --- ¡°Whoaaah¡­¡± A kid girl was staring at a whole bunch of meal that¡¯s in front of her. It was a careless move for me since I was not quite confident of my cooking skills too. I¡¯ve read about the basics, and I was thought too by one of my chef proctors when I was still studying. Still, I saw no significant bearing on mastering how to cook on my duties as a maou. At the end, I let Morgianna do every work I discarded when it goes down to the two of us, cooking included. I expected a better outcome than Ingretta¡¯s abomination but it turned out even better. Not to mention the looks were almost the same as those high class foods while the ingredients were just forest-hunted. And there I was, just following the book. Everything was there, an appetizer, potato wedges, main course of roaster duck and deer, to pearl-white rice fragrant rice. There was also fresh-harvested leafy vegetables mixed on some sauce I¡¯ve tried to mix too. Drool¡­ She was smiling and drooling at the front of the fine dining she might have never experienced her whole life. Again, I¡¯ve made this kid gasp in awe on such things ¡®some boy at her age bracket¡¯ could do. ¡°But all of these¡­¡± She looked at the food, then looked at me, then repeat it for around five times. ¡°¡­but this¡­ It¡¯s unfair!¡± Of course she would be envious of me, especially when I was the only kid she¡¯s got as a friend that moment. She wouldn¡¯t help but compare the things both of us could and couldn¡¯t do. ¡°Ah¡­ Hehe¡­ that was because I was taught how to cook by my master who sole me out¡­¡± ¡°Whoever that master you had was, it seems like the things he¡¯s taught you and the stories you¡¯re telling don¡¯t match.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Err¡­ Come, let¡¯s eat before the food gets cold.¡± As if I could avert her attention on a poorly constructed argument. But still, she started eating. She¡¯s already lost interest on how I would be trying to cover up for my past. It¡¯s for the good of both of us. She seemed to quiet down after being able to eat the food I cooked her so I started eating and joined her too. I was pretty beat from a whole day¡¯s worth of chase and work. I might still have the knowledge and capability but my stamina and stress as a kid really wouldn¡¯t catch to the pace. I needed some rest too. Ingretta finished her meal fast. She didn¡¯t even said a word after our last conversation. I thought something I¡¯ve said might¡¯ve offended her but that¡¯s just a very childish mindset. I let her be and finished my meal. After finishing mine, I¡¯ve cleaned the table and left the dishes at the cleaning area to catch up with the seemingly depressed Ingretta at the living room. The living room was spacious, for the two of us, that is. There were cabinets at the left side of the window, but aside from it, there was not that much other furniture besides a whole set of long wooden bench that¡¯s crafted with soft wool covered in fabric. It was placed in parallel with the huge window frame that had the view to the circular vacant lot where the house was built at the middle of the forest. The current season was a few calendar days nearing the end of fall so the view outside was not really something to appreciate. Besides, we could only see the view being shone upon by the moonlit sky. She was tired, of course she would be. But despite everything that had happened, she¡¯s kept her cool and acted mature enough even though we we¡¯re both six-year-old kids at that moment. I started to felt sorry for her because situations led her to being forced to carry responsibility over me. That¡¯s one part of the reason I took in most of the household chores at the house. When did I start to care too much? I might be gone tomorrow and later on the memory of being with me would be erased as she grows up on a better environment. ¡°You¡¯re tired, you need some sleep.¡± It was then tears started flowing from her eyes. ¡°My¡­ So unsightly¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I was just too worried. You finally caught me like this, huh?¡­¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯ve been there. It¡¯s okay to cry. Want me to lend you a shoulder?¡± ¡°Hmp. Don¡¯t get too ahead of yourself, demon Fred.¡± She still could crack a joke, despite her overflowing tears. ¡°Do you want to go back?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Dad told me not to return and he would be coming to pick us up once things have calmed down. But still¡­¡± I decided to sit beside her. ¡°Okay then. I won¡¯t be able to say anything other than it will be fine. Everything will be fine. Will that be okay?¡± Morgianna was always a worrisome one. And due to her being that way, I was forced to be able to cope up with how she¡¯s always thinking and think of ways to quickly calm her down, especially when it was me that¡¯s bringing her worries. It was another helpful experience. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll be more than willing to literally lend you a shoulder. We¡¯ve packed spare clothes anyway so snot and tears wetting my clothes would not bother me that much.¡± ¡°Hmp. I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°You can go ahead and try some other day when you¡¯re older.¡± Ingretta then suddenly rested her head on my left shoulder as I instructed her. She was being too obedient and it scared me too much. ¡°If this will make you feel better.¡± She continued like that for another three minutes until she pulled away from me. She seemed to have recovered. ¡°How do you manage to be so strong? We are both of the same age. You¡¯ve experienced far worse of horror compared to my complete perfect child fantasy. How could you still keep up with being fine?¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯ the experience that molds somebody?¡± She suddenly started talking seriously. She was implying that she had too many weak points and that she wanted to know how to be like me. I stopped her from getting more into the topic. And again, I assumed what she needed the most is rest. ¡°Come on now. We¡¯re seriously just six years of age, there¡¯s no need to think like that. Let¡¯s just continue life and be happy like a normal kid do.¡± ¡°But at this situation, I really can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Just think of your family. Just what do you think they would feel once they come to get us here, and sees you on a burnout state already.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m already sleepy. All that rich and yummy food made me dizzy all of a sudden. We¡¯ve been working nonstop all day so I think a fair length of sleep would drive away all your worries. You might not know, it will be your family that will be the ones to wake you up. That should make your day, right?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± ¨Cshe nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the room upstairs for you. Make sure you sleep well.¡± She stood up. She was tired too, and was wiping her eyes which were dead tired already. A kid needs to sleep early or she would not grow well. I was prepared to sleep at the living room since I¡¯ve only cleaned up a single room. I would¡¯ve had a room if only not for the time I spent cooking. But brooding over that won¡¯t do any good and it¡¯s better to sleep at the living room than a room full of spider monster¡¯s spider webs. Then somebody pulled at the sleeve of my clothes. Oi Oi, you can¡¯t be serious. Isn¡¯t this bad? Like really bad? My experiences with Morgianna when I was still a kid was really happening again. It¡¯s so much to think that it¡¯s just a coincidence. ¡°The living room might be a little cold at night. I¡¯m fine with it. The room must have extra blankets to keep us warm.¡± No no no¡­ That¡¯s very inappropriate thing to ask! I¡¯m a seventy-year-old demon and you¡¯re a six-year-old kid!! You can¡¯t ask me to sleep with you?! The gods might immediately pass retribution onto me if I accept that offer!! ¡°He he he¡­ Seriously, I¡¯m fine here. The cold never bothered me anyways.¡± ¡°I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind¡­ Besides¡­ you could just think of yourself as my little brother. Come sleep with your elder sister¡­ Also, I¡¯m scared of ghosts.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t word it on a way that¡¯s easily misunderstood.¡± She¡¯s teary-eyes. Of course she had no ill intentions and she¡¯s just a pure little girl that¡¯s afraid of sleeping alone far from her parents. Who knows what might happen if ghosts were to really appear. ¡°Fine fine! I¡¯ll be sleeping at the floor. Just lend me some mattress.¡± But that still didn¡¯t alleviate the looks from her face. She was really worried of sleeping alone. What? Why? Do you have some stuff toy on your bed which I didn¡¯t know and you really won¡¯t be able to sleep without it? I took a deep breath and calmed my nerves. Okay Fredericus. Think of her as a kid Morgianna and think of yourself as a Kid Fredericus. Just act cool. Just act cool. Don¡¯t do unnecessary stuff. I wouldn¡¯t ever try to cross that line. I wouldn¡¯t ever try to think something indecent to a kid girl especially when I¡¯m a kid boy. ¡°Siiiigh¡­ Okay, fine¡­¡± I escorted the little lady towards the room and slept on the same bed as hers. I ensured that she¡¯s sound asleep before facing the other way and knocking myself asleep too. Interlude 4 (Mytherion) – A Chase: Run Devil Boy, Run Human Girl 2 Kssshhk!! Kssshhk!! Kssshhk!! Kssshhk!! ¡°-ericus¡­¡± ¡°Fredericus¡­¡± ¡°Maou Fredericus do you hear me?¡± Kssshhk!! Kssshhk!! Kssssssssssssshhhhk!! Static noise and several loud voices were ringing at my head. I wondered if I was still dreaming. I felt my body. It was still intact. But the pain on my head was so severe that it felt like it was about to break. Waking up in the middle of the night is fine at my peak form. But being a six-year-old kid, it really felt like my head was being split in half. I¡¯ve always gotten a full straight hours of sleep when I was still young and as far as I could remember that might be the very first time I was forcibly waken up. My God¡­ What in seven hells¡­ My thought processing matches up with how slow my brain must have been. I was trying to think what might it be that have awoken me from my deep slumber. ¡°Proctor Miriara¡­¡± It was the proctor¡¯s whispering at my ears. I wondered if they were able to get me back already. I looked around and it was still the same room and bed I shared with Ingretta. I turned around and found her peacefully sleeping. I was glad I hadn¡¯t woken her up with the sudden movements I did. If they hadn¡¯t gotten me back yet, then what was it¡­ Wait¡ª I felt something at my pocket. It was the communication device. I hurried quietly towards the door, and opened it at a minimal sound. Ingretta was still sound asleep so I went out of the room and headed downstairs. It was a sign of relief. I had been waiting for them to contact me for more than two days already. A lot had happened to me the previous day, but those were not really dangerous. There was this issue with the imperial guards, but I didn¡¯t even know what they really came for. The day ended with just me being spent so much doing household chores, and going along with Ingretta¡¯s childish demeanor. Was it really that stressful? Before I stepped down on the stairs, I looked back at the open door of the room we shared. The nostalgic feeling of sharing a room with Morgianna when we were still kids still lingered there. Would it really be alright to leave a little girl on her own at a cabin in the woods? What if her worries were real and her parents wouldn¡¯t be able to come get her for another set of days or so? Would she be waiting until she starves and die? I really hoped not. In any case I needed to talk with proctor Miriara while the line was still working. I sat at the bench on the living room. I activated the communication device and checked if I could still receive transmission. ¡°Hello?¡± KSSSSSHK!! ¡°Hello? Lord Fredericus?¡± A male voice responded. It was Dax speaking at the other end. ¡°Yes it is me. What took so long to fix the communications? I¡¯ve checked my communication device and it seemed like it¡¯s not broken, so I assumed it was at your end that¡¯s trying to fix something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem, both of the devices seemed working properly. It¡¯s just some powerful barrier had been blocking your device during the day. We were able to contact you last night but it seemed that you¡¯re sound asleep. Where are you anyways?¡± That¡¯s odd¡­ A human barrier powerful enough to block all communications from the demon capital by day, but weakens by night, huh¡­ I¡¯d be bothered if it was Ingretta¡¯s father that¡¯s doing it¡­ But it can¡¯t be, right?... ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll explain my current situation. Gather everyone as I¡¯m too tired to explain this to you one by one.¡± After rounding up the current team¡¯s lineup (Lord Fervus now included), I¡¯ve explained everything that¡¯s happened since after the communications had been cut off. How I¡¯ve put a curse onto myself and turn onto a 6y/o kid. How I encountered a girl that helped me and brought me to their farm. How I¡¯ve cleared up the tension with her parents after knowing I¡¯m a demon. The issue with the imperial guards. And lastly, how we¡¯ve ended up being alone at their escape cabin at the elven forest. At first Morgianna was so dead-worried but she was really glad that I¡¯m still safe and was at one piece. We¡¯ve decided to lift the curse for when I got back. The retrieval should come first. ¡°Remember, proctor Miriara. I¡¯m really going to abolish this research team when I get back. Also prepare for consequences for putting me, the High and Mighty Maou to a situation like this.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m prepared for the worst already. Just hurry your ass up back here.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t talk like that to my master. Want to fight right now?¡± They were the same rowdy and noisy bunch even at that time of the night. But still, I was really happy that I was able to talk to them again. The scene of Ingretta¡¯s happy family at the fields flashed on me while imagining what¡¯s happening there that moment. ¡°Guys¡­¡± They answered in unison. ¡°Yes, My lord.¡± ¡°Once I get back there let¡¯s have some lunch together at the palace.¡± I heard faint voices of talking at my back after they realized I was not speaking like my usual self. I did not know if it was my kid persona that said it or the real me. But did it really matter at that point? I just miss my home. The view of the night sky and the forest was so solemn and peaceful. The open area was still shone by the moonlight. While looking at the trees, the endless forest darkness was so blinding that you wouldn¡¯t know what kind of danger might be creeping behind them. Then a single light shone from afar. ¡°Ghost? Spirit cluster? Will-o-wisps? Ugh. I might still be dreaming.¡± Then another popped up. Then another one. Then one after another. Now there were around eight lights lined up shining behind the darkness of the trees. At that point I already knew what were those lights. They were torches. They must be the imperial guards which had already caught up with us. Was they searching this whole time?! In any case I was really at a pinch. The only decision left was to leave Ingretta and run until my team finished preparations to transport me back. Unlike me at my prime who could open the portal in an instant due to my almost unlimited amount of mana, even with my highest generals gathered, it might take about a minute or two. I must do my best to stall time. ¡°Guys. Activate the portal at once. The imperial guards have caught on us.¡± They were startled. Proctor Miriara immediately ordered the three to prepare at their spots and activate the portal. ¡°Lord Fredericus, listen to me. It will take a few minutes to activate the portal so do your best to stall time. I¡¯ve already calculated your coordinates while you were still asleep and we¡¯ve reached the communication device. Please bear with us.¡± ¡°I know just quit yapping and speed it up alre¡ª¡± And I was already talking to thin air again. The communications were cut off for the third time. But it was still night. That confirmed somebody must have been triggering the barrier.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. That damn father! He¡¯s already sold me from the start! But it didn¡¯t really made sense. If the father wanted it, he could have just me sold me to the guards right from the start. But he was too witty. He was worried that I could have magic that could slay all of them right away if I sensed hostility from them. He built a good relation and made it look like we¡¯re being chased by guards. Then get me at the most convenient time. It won¡¯t look like it¡¯s planned at first place. He got me good¡­ But then¡­ ¡°Fred? What¡¯s happening?¡± Another problem stormed from my rear. ¡°Why¡­ Why are you awake?¡± The original plan was to leave her sleeping peacefully so I would be already gone by the time she wakes up. That way she wouldn¡¯t carry the burden of not being able to bring me safely back to my home. But there she was, already awake and dumbfounded. Did she felt me leaving? Did she suddenly woke up at a perfect timing? ¡°Torches¡­¡± She was scared. I was too. I was scared that she might get caught up with everything about to happen. But it was too late. She was already aware that the imperial guards have caught up and it already triggered her ¡®responsibility¡¯ on me. ¡°Quick. Fred. We need a place to hide.¡± That was a logical way of thinking. More like, that was the only way out left. But that¡¯s because she never knew of my real identity and the way to escape the situation was currently being prepared by my demon servants. So, do I tell her everything and about the current situation? ¡°Fred, they¡¯re nearing¡­¡± There were no lights inside the house so they shouldn¡¯t be able to see us from afar. They must still think that we were sleeping. ¡°Ingretta, I need you to listen.¡± At the same time a faint light shone from behind her. I came from the back of the house. At my perspective it was just a small portion of light that I could see, but outside, it must have startled all the imperial guards, giving away our location. That added up to Ingretta¡¯s confusions. ¡°Sigh¡­ Of course proctor failed again¡­ How could the timing really be inconvenient from me? Listen Ingretta.¡± She already noticed the light and looked backwards. Then she looked back at me, being wary of what I had to say. ¡°What¡¯s happening? I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, for I¡¯m about to leave now. It seems that my master already located me and made preparations to bring me back to them.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­¡± She had a sad look on her face. She must have not wanted me to go. She must have want to play with me a little longer. It might took years, but even as a demon that lives for a span of centuries, I still couldn¡¯t spare that much time. I had a lot on my table and was actually just being able to manage all the time I have. ¡°Listen, about the thing we¡¯ve talked about last night¡­ You may not look like it, but you¡¯re plenty strong already. But being strong doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s always good. You¡¯ve got your family you could rely on. Don¡¯t always try to shoulder everything by yourself. Come on look at us. We¡¯re just kids at our prime. We should be playful and just be happy. We could have worries later on once we grow up.¡± ¡°But¡­ But that¡¯s not it¡­ You¡­ You¡¯ll be gone¡­ I¡¯ll be sad when you¡¯re gone¡­¡± ¡°This is an order¡­¡± I patted her head and give her a cute little boy smile. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be back, so until the time I¡¯d be able to fix everything and go back here, be a happy girl you¡¯ve always been. We¡¯ll play again once I get back, okay? I might even be your brother, or a childhood friend, or an ally of justice you could rely on. if you would just allow.¡± Tears overflowed her swollen eyes. She must have been really sad about me going away. But I couldn¡¯t help it. After patting her head, she was already crying. I was sad too. My kid me was sad too. But I had to go. So I ran towards the kitchen and used the nearest door towards the backyard. I checked if there were guards already waiting there but luckily there was none. There at the small area at the backyard the portal was now open and I could already see the place where we¡¯ve conducted the teleportation device research. I breathed a sigh of relief and rushed towards the portal. But when I was about to enter the portal, Ingretta shouted. ¡°FREEEEED!!! I AM HAPPY!! I AM HAPPY THAT I WAS ABLE TO MEET YOU!! HOW ABOUT YOU??!!¡± I stopped. It made my heart skip a bit. Again, for the very last time, my Kid persona went on and played with my feelings. But I paid no heed. I looked back. She was crying but at the same time she was smiling. I was glad I was able to convey what I wanted to say towards her and was also glad that she¡¯s now pretty confident of herself compared to how she was when she¡¯s stressed out. She was smiling. She wiped off her snot and tears. She then looked at me, waiting for my reply. ¡°Jeez. You¡¯re really a handful, Ingretta¡­¡± Am I really feeling this towards a human girl? I weighed my feelings. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to spoil her a bit more. I promised myself to keep my promise and return to their farm once the war is over. ¡°¡­Yes, it¡¯s fun for me too.¡± I entered the portal. And it closed. --- ¡°Waaah!! My master!! Look what have happened to you! I¡¯ll make Proctor Miriara pay for this later!! Uwaaah!!¡± Morgianna was hugging me. I just got back after being lost at the enemy lines few days ago. It was only natural that she would be dead worried. I looked at them. I was relieved that I already got home. But what did it cost? What did I gain? What did I lost? Proctor Miriara headed towards me. She gave an apologetic formal bow. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry My Lord. I¡¯ll make sure to repent on having you go through this incident.¡± ¡°You sure bet¡­ For now, I need to rest. That event made me too stressed. You can lift the curse after I got a good sleep and wake up.¡± ¡°But first¡­ My lord¡­¡± She gave me a handkerchief. I was dumbfounded. What was it for. ¡°I see that it¡¯s too heartbreaking to leave a friend behind. It was just two days but it seemed that you¡¯ve forged a deeper bond with her. You might still be the Prime Maou inside, but right now, you¡¯re just a kid that¡¯s lost a friend¡­ I mean, look at you¡­ You¡¯re crying rivers too right now¡­ Even more than Morgianna.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± That¡¯s right¡­ That night, I¡¯ve gained something. I¡¯ve gained a friend. That very night too, I¡¯ve lost something. I¡¯ve left the very same friend behind. Frederie Spence and Ingrid Modern Earth, 20xx+3 The sound of the crickets could be heard at the near fields just across the street. The two of them were both looking at the distant night sky. It was vast and clear and the stars were already shining brightly. The scenery was being stared upon by Fred and Ingrid. A day loaded with heavy work, two cups of coffee and a box of cigar. Nothing beats a chill vibe with some long story-telling which they were doing. ¡°Then after that, just a few days after I was really shocked that the eight generation yuusha had been discovered. Later on a few years I¡¯ve discovered that it was the same little girl I¡¯ve encountered when I got lost at the human empire.¡± ¡°Whoah¡­ That¡¯s pretty fairytale-like. Seriously. Hey, hey, can we make a 4-koma of your romance stories with Yuusha?¡± ¡°¡­.You¡¯re asking something unreasonable, you know that?¡± Sigh¡­ Fred gave a big sigh. He knew of Ingrid¡¯s feelings towards him at first place. So he thought of why she was suggesting something like that. It wouldn¡¯t really make sense, especially when she¡¯s talking about yuusha. ¡°I think it¡¯s not really a good idea. I¡¯d really be uncomfortable drawing it, you know.¡± ¡°¡­Sorry¡­ I was just teasing you.¡± ¡°Of course you would. It¡¯s fine¡­¡± Fred¡¯s spoiled the mood. It seemed like he¡¯s already even more tired than he looked. He said it would be just a short one, but he still ended up telling a lot. That day¡¯s already exhausted him, yet he still pushed himself to recall events from a distant past he didn¡¯t want to recover. Yet he¡¯s not trying to blame anybody. He just didn¡¯t want to deal with any more teasing even if that¡¯s to make him feel better. That¡¯s the only way he could resort to. Ingrid immediately understood that and backed off. ¡°Aaargh!! Come on now you¡¯re such a lady you know that?¡± ¡°Sorry. I did not mean to make you remember such unpleasant memory.¡± Fred lit another stick of cigar and puffed it hard. ¡°It¡¯s not really an unpleasant memory. Besides, those were still the fun days when I was not yet battling with Yuusha.¡± Ingrid looked at Fred again. She was expecting that he would be tearing up again, but it was quite the opposite. He was looking at a distant sky like it was not a very distant memory from his past. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ been fun. Those days they were¡­¡± Ingrid knew the meaning behind those words. She knew that something must have triggered the great war that lead to Fred being killed back at Mytherion. Compared to those morbid events which he¡¯s not yet telling her, being told of a fantasy-like little crush story between two kids was easier to bear. ¡°It¡¯s glad to know you¡¯re not mad or anything.¡± ¡°Naaah, I¡¯m not mad. It feels nostalgic, talking about something like this. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just me or we¡¯ve been really occupied these past weeks that I haven¡¯t been able to think of the demons I¡¯ve left back at Mytherion. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s really funny. I am the Maou, yet I¡¯m sitting here, preoccupying myself with other stuff so I could forget about the responsibility I¡¯ve left them.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not you to waver that much. I thought you¡¯ll do anything you could to win me over to this side? What if I decide to leave you guys here and resume my conquest back to my previous world?¡± ¡°Where¡­ did¡­ that¡­ confidence¡­ come¡­ from!!¡± Thud!! Ingrid kicked Fred¡¯s legs. ¡°Ouch! Stop resorting to violence everytime you lose an argument!!¡± Ingrid did not say anything. A moment ago she was the one who was waiting to see Fred get teary-eyes but it backfired to her fast and she¡¯s at the verge of crying. She couldn¡¯t stand the thought of losing Fred. The longer the time Fred got to spend with her and with the others, the deeper the scar that would be left once he leaves. Ingrid shook her head fast to drive away the thoughts. Fred then stopped her with a single pat on her head. ¡°I won¡¯t go anywhere. Not until I¡¯ve finished my goal here.¡± He was not looking at Ingrid but he must have known how she felt and instinctively reacted to calm her down. But those words were enough. It was enough to calm Ingrid¡¯s wavering feelings. ¡°You¡¯re becoming really mean to me¡­ Fred you dummy¡­ You¡¯re exploiting my feelings already. You demon dummy¡­¡± ¡°I was a demon, alright. Come let¡¯s tidy up.¡± He stood up. The ashtray was already filled for more than enough the two of them could finish in one sitting. He had to clean it up or it would really leave the smell of cigar at his balcony. Kyrie would not want that and she would be hitting him with her harisen again. Ingrid remain seated for a while longer to finish her coffee and calm herself. She went too emotional. Fred was the only one who knew she could let out that side of herself. Still she felt dead embarrassed by it. Fred spoke silently. ¡°Thank you Ingrid. Thank you for letting me remember. I was too focused¡­ I know I must be focusing on the present, but I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself if I start to forget about who I was.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ingrid heard him, but she couldn¡¯t deliver a response. That time Fred spoke even more silently that she couldn¡¯t hear anymore. ¡°Things like these that you do makes me want to appreciate this world even more. Makes me appreciate you even more¡­¡± ¡°Wha..?!!¡± Fred entered the room, leaving Ingrid who still had to finish her coffee and cigar.
Extra Chapter - Arc 1 Side Mytherion First Encounter: Aftermath "Ah... He''s gone..." A little girl was standing at the back door of their house in the middle of the forest. She was looking at the light slowly vanishing at the vacant lot of their backdoor as she said those words. It''s nearly four hours past midnight and most of the humans living at the human continent should be asleep that time, especially children. Children who were to wake up during those hours usually just end up at the comfort room to pee. Being accompanied by their parents is optional. That''s not really the case for the girl. It was like she went out of her room to hurriedly chase a silly friendly ghost she saw at her door. The light vanished and left everything dark. But the light of the moon was sufficient for somebody''s vision to be able to see the empty backyard space that awaited her afterwards. There were no crops being grown, there were no pets or livestock being raised. It was just pure, barren soil. "Captain the light vanished!!" She heard voices coming from over the left side of their fence. Imperial guards. It was not a usual sight to see a group of human imperial guards rushing over somebody''s house in the middle of the night. But the house was already deserted. "INGRETTA!!" A shout from a middle-aged man shocked the little girl standing still waiting for nothing to come. "Da...Dad..." She got teary-eyed. But not because she was scared or anything. It was a face of relief. It had been a really tiring day and night for the girl so she needed some rest. But still, thinking about her parents who were away from her came first. She knew that her parents came for her with the imperial guard in search for the boy who was with her. She already had thought that her parents might not be safe despite being with the humans who''s supposed to keep families like them from, being hurt. She was super worried that her heart jumped out of joy after confirming her father''s safety. The same goes for the parents. Seeing her daughter safe was the only thing that mattered at that moment. "Where is he?" "His master came and got him back. He''s gone now." -The little girl was not alone at the abandoned cabin in the woods. "It''s okay. I''m here, my daughter. We''re here. We''re safe, me, your mom, your brother. We''re all safe. You''ve got nothing to worry anymore. You''ve got nothing to shoulder anymore. I''m sorry, Ingretta... I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve put you through this when you still should have been just playing as a kid you are." The father embraced her daughter like they were separated for a long time. The feeling''s mutual so the daughter welcomed her father''s warmth. It had been a cold night for her anyways. But somehow the father felt that the daughter''s mind was distracted by something: the boy she was with a while ago. "I''m sure he''s fine, wherever he is right now." "I... I''m just confused. Those masters of his he''s told us. He''s not really treated as a slave, wasn''t he? He seemed to be really happy and willing to go back. Is he really a slave? I wonder why he''s lied to us." "The little demon boy had his circumstances. We cannot just suddenly pry on it. We would just be imposing. Besides, he has reasons for hiding it onto us. Let''s just hope he''s safe for now." The little girl nodded. The little demon boy came so suddenly yesterday. He also left suddenly the very next day. He was like a storm that stirred the normal daily life of the girl¡¯s family. But a quick passing storm posed no threat. Now that he¡¯s gone, there would be no more reason to brood over him. It seemed that he¡¯s also fine going back to where he really belonged. The father patted the little girl¡¯s little head. The patting sensation got onto her and her sleepiness finally caught up with her. She had too much to think that moment, but her limitations as a kid should take priority. She needs sleep more than anybody amongst any imperial guard who rushed at the house. She needs sleep more than her parents. She needed more sleep than any human at the continent. ¡°There, there¡­ Sleep now.¡± At the far entrance of the kitchen she saw her mother standing, and looking relieved to see her doing fine. She looked at her eyes, trying to ask if her brother was okay. Her mother then gave her a good silent response. That assured her brother¡¯s safety. With that half of her worries were gone and she could now sleep. She closed her eyes, while being supported by her father. She could just feel her body getting lifted as her consciousness finally drifted away from her. --- The girl opened her eyes and it was already morning. The light was already entering the room but it was not as bright as it was so She felt groggy all of a sudden. She was able to sleep again but it was still insufficient for a growing kid like her. Her unsteadiness as she tried to lift up her body was supported by her father. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re awake? Perfect timing. I know you just woke up, do you want to have breakfast first?¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not hungry¡± She looked around. They were at the living room of the old cabin where she spent the night along with the little demon boy until he finally left. She was hoping that it was all just a bad dream but it seemed that it really happened.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. There were two imperial guards, clad in silver armors that were seated on a bench her father must have setup across the other side of the living room. They were talking to her father and that talking must be the sound that woke her up. The mood suddenly became tense. She wanted to have a good morning wake up but it seemed like circumstances won¡¯t let her. Even as a child, she would know whether the elders were having serious talks which children like her should not concern herself. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Dad¡­ The guards are scaring me¡­ Is there anything wrong? Can they leave already?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you have to be woken up like this. We need to speak to you if it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Her father had a pained expression. ¡°Oh, dear, you¡¯re already awake.¡± -The mother who came from the kitchen saw her already awake and talking to her father. She the approached the daughter and leveled herself towards her. She then held her daughter¡¯s two bright red cheeks with her cold hands. ¡°Daughter, there¡¯s something we need to discuss to you about.¡± ¡°Dad, Mom¡­ Quit it. You¡¯re scaring me¡­¡± The kid went anxious. It was all about her. She just woke up and instead of a peaceful morning that she would encounter after the incident with the little demon boy, another issue was brought up by her parents. Usually, a normal scolding could wait until after breakfast. But it seemed to be truly urgent. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my dear, we have to put you through all of these. Please bear with us. Listen, this will be the very last thing we would have to ask of you.¡± She looked at the face of her parents. The way her mother had said it sounded like an order more than a request. Children knew that parent¡¯s orders are absolute and they should have no way of defying them. The parents, otherwise, knew that children would be using their kid age to avoid responsibility as much as possible so they went on ahead and used the absolute order to listen and do as they say. ¡°You see, it was not really Fred that the imperial guards rushed over at our home. We¡¯ll be safe regarding that matter¡± ¨CThe mother whispered the thing about Fred so that the guards couldn¡¯t hear. That statement must have assured her of the matter regarding the little demon boy. ¡°The oracle prophesized the birth of the new Yuusha. They said it had been prophesized that the next Yuusha would be a girl, six years of age, that would receive her calling* this time of the year. And it was at our town. The guards have checked all of the families living at our town except for us.¡± ¡°I¡­ Mom¡­¡± Everything her mother told her left the girl with no choice. Her mother explained it the easiest way she could understand. With everything being said, the girl nodded. ¡°Little girl¡­ We¡¯re very sorry to startle your family. We really pose no harm; so could you hear us out?¡± The seemed leader of the imperial guards stood up and approached Ingretta. His armor was clanking as he walked and it seemed to be heavier than both the little girl and her brother¡¯s weight combined. But he didn¡¯t had difficulties. He was a bit taller than her father but the body build was pretty much the same. Thoughts have bugged her regarding whether the captain and her father knew each other from way back. ¡°This¡­¡± He pulled out a sword from the scabbard hanging from his back. The scabbard was pure leather with silver and gold plate lining accent surrounding it. The whole sword had been done on titanium finish style and was really glowing shiny even without being shone upon by light. The lustrous metal glowed upon the room even when it was not night, enough to reflect light on the whole living room like a lamp lit before dusk. The sword was about the same height as the little girl, or even taller. But a little girl would really do nothing with a sword that¡¯s even taller than her. ¡°This is the holy sword that the human empire had kept as an ancient relic. Historians have told that the sword had been forged by the very first Yuusha and was eventually preserved and maintained until it would be ready to be passed on the next generation. You see, kid. There was an old myth, saying that individuals who have received their calling and reawakened as the next Yuusha should have some sort of resonance with this sword. To put it brief, there should be a reaction that should happen to you and this sword. Could you please touch it?¡± The girl looked at her parents. They were having a really hard to tell expression. It was mixed emotions that a young girl couldn¡¯t describe yet. Their sad faces that indicated if the little girl succeeded to inherit the calling of the Yuusha, they might not be able to see each other again. But how would a kid her age knows what to do? She had been barraged by several succeeding problems and responsibilities, one after another. It was not very befitting of her age. But fate seemed to turn its wheels hard when it came down to her. She¡¯s must have grown tired of it. She must have wanted the day to end. She must be yearning for sleep. She looked at the sword. She¡¯s got nothing to do with it. ¡°Mister guard¡­ This would soon be over if I just touch the sword, right?¡± ¡°Yes, little missy.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The little girl was decided. She extended her small hands towards the sword. But even before she was able to touch it, it glowed. The still air gathered and swirled around the girl and the sword the same time as her pair of little eyes gave a golden glow. The air continued to swirl, gather and thicken around the room. It was a dense concentration of mana. The other guards and the captain, who were experienced on handling mana, were astonished by the sight before their eyes. At the same time, they were also frightened to see that the bottomless concentration that was continuing to gather around was already more than they could handle, and if it was mishandled, it could cause a huge explosion and all of them around a huge radius could die in an instant. ¡°My¡­ Madam¡­ your little missy¡­¡± ¨Cthe captain could only mutter silent words to confirm if the parents were still conscious and able to withstand the pressure their daughter was creating. The little girl went on a trance and seemed to have secluded herself on her own gold-colored world. Only she herself could get in and out on that world of her own she had created. The parents we¡¯re barely conscious. They were hanging on as they see their little girl awakening into something they wouldn¡¯t even know. Only God knew if the little girl would still be the same sweet and playful but responsible little girl they raised for six whole years. The mother was crying, but the father held her and kept himself strong as he could. Both of them needed to see this. This was the confirmation that their beloved daughter would be transforming to somebody else. The sword floated. The captain let go of it as he saw the reaction and distanced himself along with the rest of the guards. It then spun several times before thrusting itself erected at the wooden floor in front of the little girl. Contrary to what the guards said about the girl reacting to the holy sword, it was really the other way around. The sword was the one that reacted towards the little girl. Then all the concentration of mana gathering at the living room shattered through thin air and spread all throughout the forest. The other guards gasped in awe. But the captain immediately recovered and talked to the parents to confirm with them. ¡°Madam, My lord¡­ The little girl made contract with the holy sword. Your daughter has awakened. The Eight Generation Yuusha had awakened through your daughter.¡± They looked at their little daughter, who was just standing there. Her eyes were still glowing in mix of silver and gold, but the lackluster glow were now different from her usual cheerful glow. Her expression changed considerably. She was just staring at the long sword thrusted in front of her. She continued to try and reach it but she couldn¡¯t anymore. She¡¯s already lost her subconscious. That day, the girl named Ingretta von Howartz stood still. A six-year-old daughter of a humble family that runs a vast portion of wheat fields at the north-west part of the human-elf continent received her calling at such a young age. That day, Ingretta von Howartz, awakened as the Eight Generation Yuusha.
Act 2 - Prologue Act II --Prologue-- Void, time and date unknown A small form was sitting at thin air. But the supposedly thin air could be perceived as a chair, or a block, or a log that supported its weight. As long as it¡¯s not visible anyone could guess what it really was. The small form with indefinite shape could be anything or anyone. It could be a form of a human, a boy, a girl, an oldie. It could also take a form of an animal, an inanimate object, or if it just wanted, it could just retain its original small luminescent, gooey slimy form. But a gooey slime just wouldn¡¯t do. It knew that somebody¡¯s going to visit. It needed to do whatever it takes to look presentable. So it took the form of a girl around 10 years of age. Just a perfect match for the sudden visitor. From an object to a living form, really quick. There, at the void. She sat in her imaginary chair while staring at the very far distance no eyes could ever try to reach, while waiting for her visitor to arrive. ¡°Fu fu fu. It was about time you arrive here.¡± ¨CShe said as she felt a presence behind her. ¡°Jeez. It¡¯s very hard to get here. Please don¡¯t make things too hard for a beginner like me. Can¡¯t you just have a normal place to hang out?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Is it really that hard? I just put away things here that I really don¡¯t want to see and threw them there¡­¡± ¡°But those things you don¡¯t like almost killed me.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Can¡¯t your senior have just a little fun? Count it as a little display of authority to my silly junior who likes to poke his nose on to things he should not. As my junior, you should at least be able to do that much.¡± The face of amusement that the faceless little girl entity sitting there was showing suddenly changed to a face of annoyance. ¡°Well whatever. You won¡¯t be fooling anyone with those words, considering your current status.¡± ¡°Jeez, so unsupportive. Can¡¯t you be a proper senior just for once?¡± The two talked like they were two close colleagues. In face they really were. The girl realized that she was not being hospitable. So she twirled her index finger like a magic wand out of a habit. Then suddenly a seemingly block form appeared at her left. That¡¯s for the other entity to sit too. He did accept the offer, but he looked unsatisfied by the way the girl did it. After sitting the other entity looked at the very far horizon the little girl was stating. Well he¡¯s one of the very few who could. The girl knew that the boy entity came to her to talk about something. But he seemed to have trouble taking the initiative so she took the lead. ¡°Now talk. How¡¯s your current subject at the moment? I know you wouldn¡¯t bother exhausting yourself just to get here if it wasn¡¯t something important.¡± ¡°I came here to return to that statement you said to me a while ago. You¡¯ve been poking into my stuff for quite a while now. Just leave me alone.¡± ¡°Why? I¡¯m just interested, so I¡¯m having just a little bit of fun. Oh but don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m not bullying you or something. In fact, I¡¯m trying to teach you something. I¡¯m just helping out.¡± ¡°I know that I haven¡¯t produced good results yet. But did you really need to do that? I don¡¯t really like your way of flaunting your feats on me, like provoking me because I haven¡¯t accomplished any notable feats yet.¡± ¡°No. What¡¯s getting you so agitated? Look. What I¡¯m having you understand is to follow the system. You should know that Earth is categorized as a ¡®failed¡¯ world. Why would you bother spending your resources on a world which the universe won¡¯t have any profit with?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°What I considered is even far from what you¡¯re expecting. Your slow and steady progress is only because you¡¯ve always been stick to the book.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re always too serious about this. You¡¯ll immediately burn yourself out.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ Everything¡¯s according to plan until you butted in again.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Look¡­¡± ¡°You really like to make things hard for me. You think this will stop me. Well it won¡¯t. Bring it on, I¡¯ll play with this little game of yours.¡± The little boy entity was just saying things without care. That¡¯s just how he¡¯s always been with her. He knew he didn¡¯t have the upper hand on the discussion, neither did have any intentions to listen. He just wanted to deliver his thoughts across the little girl. That¡¯s all that matters. The two went quiet for a while due to the sudden rise in tension. The little girl faced his direction as he seemingly looked forward staring at nothing after his rant. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ Hmp, whatever. Suit yourself. That¡¯s so just you. You haven¡¯t really answered my question a while ago yet just so you know.¡± The little boy twitched. ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ Ugh!! Really! To be honest, nothing¡¯s happened for a long time already. Siiiiigh¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long sigh you¡¯ve got there. Why did you choose him anyways?¡± ¡°¡­A gut feeling?¡± All the little girl could do was a facepalm. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you to refrain from relying from those gut feeling of yours.¡± ¡°I know, but¡­ He didn¡¯t really accomplished anything while still alive at Mytherion, but I really think that there¡¯s a deeper reason behind it. You see, I¡¯ve been only offered with portfolios, and there really was nothing written there.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because there really was nothing worth mentioning? Hahaha, are you sure you really haven¡¯t run out of luck?¡± ¡°You knew this would happen. And that¡¯s why you sent Yuusha Ingretta to Earth. No more questons asked.¡± ¡°Hmmmm. There might really be something. But that¡¯s just a coincidence. It just happened that I saw her portfolio on my target list, which by that time I recalled you sending same Mytherion subject to Earth.¡± ¡°But I really have to know why you altered her timeline the last second and sent her a generation before Fredericus¡¯ arrival?¡± ¡°Teehee~~ I messed up with the timeline.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit!¡± They were both Gods so the little boy entity should know if the girl was telling the truth. That goes even without their faces showing and they were for that formless entities taking shape of what Earthlings call a boy and a girl. But that¡¯s not the case. He sensed multiple instabilities within her that he couldn¡¯t tell. The form scratched his head in annoyance. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to tell then fine.¡± ¡°Besides¡­ A lot happened before I could send her to earth too.¡± The little girl whispered but the volume was not really low for the other not to hear. ¡°What? Come again?¡± ¡°Nothing.. Oh Come on, believe me on this one. Won¡¯t you trust your pretty senior?¡± ¡°No¡± A wry smile seemed to come out from the little girl¡¯s face. ¡°Well then¡­ Okay¡­ Then at least let me tell you that even though I¡¯ve got accomplishments on my own, the privileges I have is not that far from yours. Just a tiny bit of margin. If you¡¯re looking for someone who would ruin your plan by a hundred percent, you should bug those elders instead of me.¡± But the little boy did not argue anymore. He abandoned his will to press the issue further on just like how he displayed the lack of responsibility from sending his current target to Earth. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve used the conventional method. On your subject eh?¡± What the girl said piqued the boy¡¯s interest. She leaned herself towards the little boy; placed her face near his right ear; and continued to talk, now in a tempting tone. ¡°I have methods on my own. Those which could bypass the rules. If you say so then I¡¯ll gladly teach you.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Nooooo~~ Not telling¡­ Fufufu.¡± The girl pulled away from him. ¡°Well as a senior I really think I should advice you this. It is just stated that we couldn¡¯t directly interact and interfere with your subject.¡± ¡°¡­ So you¡¯re saying you managed to steer Yuusha Ingretta¡¯s second life on earth, huh?¡± ¡°Hmm nice deduction, but I won¡¯t confirm anything. As I say, that¡¯s just one of the privileges I have. You know when doing your job, you have to maximize your resources for optimal results. You¡¯ve already done it, get a hint already¡­¡± The last words from the little girl didn¡¯t seem to reach the little boy. But actually he didn¡¯t want to risk owing something from his pesky senior so he just acted like he lost interest and instead of prolonging the talks further, he looked onto the void and watched carefully and closely. ¡­ ¡­ The silence went on for a long time before the little girl broke it and started talking again. ¡°Hey I¡¯m charging you if you stay here for any longer than thirty Earth years¡¯ worth of time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I may look irresponsible enough but I¡¯m really interested in this subject. Things should get more interesting from now on.¡± ¡°Now that you made contact with my precious subject?¡± ¡°Ugk!¡± ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Hey that¡¯s cheating you know¡­¡± ¡°Privilege you know¡­¡± ¡°Quiet, it¡¯s starting.¡± ¡°Yeah. How would things turn out now?¡± The two continued their heated up discussion as they both stare to the nothingness of the void.
Ch13-1 Assistant -1?! – part 1 I. Assistant -1?! ¨C part 1 Modern Earth, 20xx+3 ¡°Nom Nom Nom¡± It was a good morning for Fred as he woke up knowing that he won¡¯t have any deadlines to catch. He¡¯s currently a mangaka with a monthly shoujo serialization. He had enough stress he musters up while needing to meet his deadline with his scary ¡®so-like-yankee¡¯ editor. But life was so hard that it told him stress was not enough. Several unknown factors had been added to his stress accumulation: The existence of his two out of this world assistants: mainly Kyrie, a genius do-it-all gothic Lolita that always loved to hit him with a painfully hard folded fan (harisen) for fun; and the triple split-personality literal meat tank Ara. But his two assistants weren¡¯t the only ones that planted a bug on his daily life. Lately, a self-proclaimed fan and rival which was created between the unison of the elements of retardism and chuunibyou** codenamed Anemone started living at the unit beside his¡¯. Fred proclaimed that she was tasked by his previous oldies editor to forcefully observe and bother his daily life. To top of his cake with a cherry, there was this Landlady that fully pledged to exist for the sake of making him fall in love with her. To him, waking up on a morning inside his studio without any deadlines to think of was surely a blessing. He could be the person with the least of worries to think of currently in whole Earth. Everybody¡¯s normal and he could spend his day just sleeping more. If and only if that¡¯s just the case. ¡°Nom Nom Nom¡­¡± Fred scratched his head. But he looked like it was not new to him. Instead of asking himself of the why¡¯s, he started flooding his head with the how¡¯s. ¡°Ara¡­ Ara¡­ Wake up. I don¡¯t know how but at least leave before Ingrid enters the door.¡± Yes, one of his assistants was sleeping on the same bed with him, buck-naked. Creeeeeak¡­ ¡°Freeeeeeeeed¡­¡± A cold woman¡¯s voice crept from the door. The place they were Fred woke up was the only rest bed at his studio. His studio was the customized unit 7 that was passable through a connecting door from his unit 6. But the connecting door was not the only option to enter his studio. To make things fair with his assistants, the original door of the unit was kept as the main entrance purposes of those who kept trying to ruin his daily mood. And today that door was supposed to be used by of course non-other than Ingrid, the Landlady to wake him up for his deep slumber. For some reason she became too madly in love with him and he was asking why but she wouldn¡¯t budge from dropping a hint why. As time went he just accepted the truth without being fed with any proper reasoning. And that became his very own basis that at that moment, his very own life was in danger. He wouldn¡¯t want Ingrid to see her tenant Ara (skip the flirting, but advancing her moves) sleeping with him for no reason at all. He had to reason out that nothing really happened and they just slept together for whatever reason he never knew. The door was slightly open, and a sinister face of someone with 140% intent to kill was peeking at it while looking at them. Fred had no time. Even though nothing really happened and there was really nothing to hide, Fred had no option but to cover the snuggling Ara fully with his blanket. He had clothes on but Ara had only her underwear. To sum it up, a death flag was set on him. ¡°Look, nothing¡¯s sleeping here you see? It¡¯s only me. You saw nothing and it¡¯s just your illusion.¡± Step¡­ ¡°Look, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re already going out. I¡¯ve accepted your feelings but never did we have any confirmation about going out, okay?¡± Step Step¡­ ¡°Look, I¡¯m really not a player. I don¡¯t even know why it ended up like this. You remember Ara said she¡¯s no feeling well and went home earlier last night right? After we finished up I slept here. That¡¯s all I could remember!!¡± Step¡­ ¡°Look, nothing¡¯s sleeping here you see? It¡¯s only me. You saw nothing and it¡¯s just your¡ª¡± Flip ¡°Nom Nom Nom¡­ Fred¡­ stop cuddling¡­ It tickles.¡± Ingrid flipped the blanket over and uncovered the snuggling half-aslept Ara, now visibly shown only wearing her sexy black underwear. ¡°HIYAAAAAAAAAH!!¡± ¡°No wait Fred, why are you the one surprised?¡± ¡°Oh wait, yeah I was the one who saw her first. Wait NO!!! Why are you here Ara!!!¡± ¡°Hooo-hummm¡­ Oh Fred¡­ Good morning¡­¡± The devil succubus-like Ara glistened her face with a bright smile and greeted Fred in front of his self-proclaimed lover. That was one of either romcom or betrayal drama series starters. ¡°Ingrid I¡¯m tired of bailing myself out of this situation. Instead, can we throw away her body to somewhere it won¡¯t be seen until it decomposes?¡± ¡°Hmmmm. Great idea. But how about you explain yourself first before I throw away yours?¡± It was a truly sudden but his second assistant Kyrie was already standing before Ingrid and Ingrid was already holding the deadly harisen*. With a voice of a wet kitten in the rain, Fred pleaded with ¡°But I slept early¡­¡± HIIYAAAAAAAAAH!!! --- Ingrid was an owner of a so-maintained apartment complex near the borders of the town. The whole lot area of the complex was about 300sqm, with each of the unit¡¯s floor-size of 30sqm. But the spacious yard at the front where each of the tenants could do their random activities covered a huge area of the lot that the number of units that could fit a floor was reduced to four. Ingrid could earn enough capital to expand the floors for increased number of units but being a cautious landlady, she kept the floors to two and the maximum number of units to eight. The reason was simple.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The thought had always been within her once she started the business. But lately, several oddities had miraculously swarmed over her humble complex where all she wanted was to have a good relationship with normal tenants. The appearance of Ara was so sudden that she just popped out of nowhere just right after she finished restoring most of the functions required for a normal-operating apartment complex. She thought that she was just helping a poor lost soul that seemed to have no direction in life. Then every impression started to crumble after knowing the nature of her work and the nature of her split personality. She had suspicions, but eventually everything was proven after Fred¡¯s appearance. Not too long after accepting Ara (who was by that time, a nocturnal), the living for fun Kyrie arrived, and stormed every corner of her patience. She was a princess-like personality from a dominant family which, by the time God let rain all of humanity¡¯s intellect, the kid¡¯s DNA expanded a funnel to make a catch basin of everything and pour onto her tiny little brain. Ingrid didn¡¯t want to anger her family, but she managed to control her as much as she could because even just a bit of a moment she let her loose on her activities, she always starts to light a candle on an exposed nuclear power-plant or some sort of exaggerated real-time outcome. Lastly came Fred, a former Maou from planet Mytherion that died not for their sins, but¡­, really was just killed by Yuusha and died. He got transported to Earth though and put a heavy burden on Ingrid as the bearer of his saddest truth story ever. Being a caretaker of these three stooges was not enough. Lately Fred was so enthusiastic in his profession that he started to gather another batch of hard to control people, especially two elders and one at a proper working age but with a mentality of a kindergarten. The trend has been set. Of course she wouldn¡¯t want to expand her business just to gather more people like them. There was never a normal day since the three of them gathered at her apartment complex. Even more lately, another once was added to her list of potential humanity-threat level tenants. A not-so-normal day included this. Nothing could hurt more than seeing the man you love being in a bed with another girl. They weren¡¯t even in a proper relationship yet. But that¡¯s just as far as it goes. Despite being the way they were, Ingrid and the other girls at her complex made a vow that only Ingrid should be the one to make advances with Fred. Each of them had their cases, and that was how far it goes. They¡¯re not really into Fred or something. That¡¯s why they promised to support their kind Landlady on her romance too. As far as the fourth tenant, Anemone. She seemed to just aim for Fred as her ultimate rival. Staaaaaare¡­ ¡°HIII!!! Fred save me! Landlady is trying to kill me with that killer glare. Freeeeeeed uwaaaaaah!!¡± The scared Ara(imouto) clung onto the confused defendant like she had nothing to do with his current trial. ¡°I promise Ingrid I¡¯m not doing anything! In fact, aren¡¯t I a victim too? Besides, It¡¯s not like we¡¯re¡ª¡± Thud!! ¡°Ouch! What was that kick for?!!¡± ¡°That kick is supposedly for Ara.¡± Thud!! ¡°Ouch!! Wha¡ª¡± ¡°And that¡¯s for you, for ruining my morning.¡± Ingrid just wanted to let off some steam. To compare what just happened in terms of gaming difficulty, Ingrid just encountered a C-class difficulty quest with an extremely annoying boss and no reward whatsoever. A truly end-game side event. ¡°Here, catch!¡± HIT! ¡°Ouch!! What was that for? You purposely flung a junk of metal in my forehead!¡± ¨CFred was shaken when Ingrid thrown something to him. ¡°It¡¯s the keys on my unit. I¡¯ve left breakfast there. I was planning to bring some here, but this scene spoiled the mood.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Where are you off to?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m working. Can¡¯t freeload on my complex forever as much as I want. Besides, I¡¯ve used up all of my leaves.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ wait, really? You¡¯re working?!!¡± Thud!! ¡°Idiot. What made you forget something so trivial? Drowning yourself in alcohol to forget something and drowning yourself to work to accidentally forget something are two different things. You can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the fourth one! I¡¯m going to charge you with assault! What if I¡¯m seriously injured and couldn¡¯t draw anymore!?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be happy to kick you out. Along with Ara. Well it seems like both of you will be fine yourselves.¡± ¡°HIIII!! Please landlady! I¡¯ve got nowhere else to go!¡± Ingrid was just joking. But the mood forced her to half-meant what she said. The two just didn¡¯t knew. Going to work explained the way she was dressed with office attire. Besides running an apartment complex, she was also working full-time at a small office downtown. She then turned away to head out, but at least she didn¡¯t forget her responsibility and passed it to somebody ¡®trusted¡¯, which was Fred who really had nothing to do that day. ¡°Ah. Wait Ingrid!¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m going to be late.¡± She was already that grumpy. But Fred still stopped her. ¡°¡¯I¡¯ve got something to talk later. Can I barge in at your place?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Shut¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Now you will explain to me how did you managed to get in my studio even though it¡¯s locked.¡± ¡°Eh? Fred¡­ Aren¡¯t we¡­ allies?¡± THUD!! That morning Ara went out of the studio with a big lump on her forehead. --- ¡°Phew¡­ what a day¡­¡± After entering her unit, Ingrid opened a button of her shirt to freshen up and dropped her bag at the center table, beside a hot coffee which was just placed there for her to drink. Ingrid slowly laid her aching back on the cozy small couch. She needed some rest. ¡°Yeah. What a day.¡± ¡°WHOAH! DON¡¯T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!¡± ¡°No I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re surprised. You¡¯re the one that gave me your keys. Sigh¡­ sorry. My bad. In any case. There, drink some coffee.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already evening; you want me to palpitate or not get any proper sleep? What if my body goes out of shape? I could only see demerits for you for your coffee offer.¡± ¡°Is office work really stressing you that much? Can¡¯t you just go fulltime on being a landlady?¡± ¡°Not really that stressed out compared to you. This is normal. Anyways, I think I¡¯ll take on your offer.¡± Ingrid reached out for the coffee cup and took a sip. ¡°Hmmm, nice flavor. I¡¯m surprised you managed to pull this out.¡± ¡°Come on, am I really being branded as a good for nothing but drawing person? I could really do things if I put effort in it. It¡¯s the same back at Mytherion. I really recall telling you stories of almost everything on my childhood back there.¡± ¡°I know, I know, learn to appreciate a joke, will you?¡± ¡°The way you¡¯re looking isn¡¯t of somebody who could still crack a joke at the end of a stressful day.¡± ¡°I told you I just needed a rest¡­ Like this.¡± Ingrid put back the cup of coffee at the table and rested her body at the couch. She then leaned towards Fred and rested her head at his left shoulder. That made Fred almost jump out of surprise. It was nothing new to him but the way it was delivered like that surely brought an audience impact. ¡°Wha¡ª so suddenly?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a good girl, aren¡¯t I? Just give me a pat on my head already¡­ A good office girl should get a reward from her househusband after a day of hard work.¡± ¡°What are you talking so suddenly. You could get easily misunderstood if you talk like that¡­¡± That made Fred blush. He tried to shrug of Ingrid¡¯s teasing but eventually gave up. ¡°I-if that¡¯s what you want¡­¡± ¨Che then gave Ingrid a quick pat and followed up, ¡°Bu-bu-but I¡¯m only doing this to relieve some of your stress. It¡¯s not like it has any deeper meaning or something¡­¡± ¡°My my¡­ is this the fabled tsundere? Now that really relieves my stress. Fu fu fu!¡± ¡°You jest! Quit playing with my feelings. I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m really this close on getting back to Mytherion!¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Come back anytime you miss me.¡± Fred pushed Ingrid away out of annoyance. Ingrid continued her precious Fred-brewed coffee and opened the topic. ¡°So. What is it you want to talk with me? You said it back this morning.¡± ¡°Ah... That¡­¡± ¡°Is it another story?¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s about Ara.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kick you out if you started telling me something really happened last night. No. I might even kill you here right now.¡± Even though Fred was safe that nothing really happened, the way Ingrid looked at him with that dimmed yandere* expression sent chills down to his deepest being. ¡°No no! That¡¯s not it!¡± ¨CFred did his best to divert Ingrid¡¯s focus on what he was about to tell. ¡°The truth is¡­ It¡¯s Ara¡¯s manager. I recently found out that she¡¯s getting calls from her manager at her previous work.¡± That was when a flashback came upon Fred. The memory was still joggled, but he was able to remember something happened that happened the previous night. --- ¡°But¡­ But¡­ I¡¯m currently happy living with them¡­ I can¡¯t just leave them¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m sorry, manager¡­¡± Fred was woken up from his deep slumber by Ara¡¯s mumbling beside him. A chapter was just finished and submitted which passed Seria¡¯s expectations, and he was already at the point where he couldn¡¯t care even a millimeter for the things that¡¯s happening around him, so he just left scolding Ara to tomorrow¡¯s him. But before he finally passed out of stress, his attention was diverted onto Ara that very moment. Even with the darkness within the room, the moonlight the slipped through the window made something shine at her cheeks. She¡¯s crying¡­? --- Ingrid looked at Fred and immediately got what he was talking about. She encountered several flashbacks too about seeing Ara being called several times that she had to excuse herself from the group. ¡°Do you know about her previous work?¡± ¡°Yeah. How about you?¡± ¡°I already had the idea. I first met her near the red lights.¡± ¡°I see¡­ She¡¯s being offered with something to come back, huh?¡± ¡°And that¡¯s what¡¯s making her conflicted.¡± ¡°I think¡­ There¡¯s nothing much I could help regarding this. But what about you? What do you want to do?¡± ¡°I wanted to help her as much as I could, but¡­¡± ¡°In the end, the decision is for hers to make, huh¡­?¡± The two then looked at the TV that was currently off. Pretending to watch something out of the pitch-black LCD and the dim light of the room, the two racked their brains out to think of something that could give Ara a push on deciding. ¡°I think I could use a smoke.¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡±
Ch13-2 Assistant -1?! – part 2 II. Assistant -1?!! ¨C part 2 The tension started to rise at Fred¡¯s studio. At their so-called small meeting table at the middle of the room, the three-man team sat at its single side. ¡°Uwaaaah¡­ This really is nerve-wacking, isn¡¯t it, Kyrie?¡± ¡°Err¡­ Yeah¡ª? I guess¡­¡± Kyrie¡¯s laptop was in front of them. A certain site was loaded on the browser they were looking at. A regular-basis meeting had been a routine to them. Every once in a while they would be gathering to have a meeting on their checklists and tasks to complete. But aside from that they¡¯ve recently added another portion of their meeting agendas: tracking Maou Spence-sensei¡¯s ranking on the monthly charts. For an author, he could try to let other minor things pass, but not the rankings. That determines how much of the volumes will sell. He was getting a big portion of his motivation from seeing his work hit the top charts, knowing that at the least, if his manga sells, he could sustain his current life and status on Earth. ¡°Hmmmm. Let¡¯s see if I managed to climb the charts, unlike last month¡¯s release.¡± ¡°Humu. Certainly, I¡¯m one of your assistants, of course it¡¯s normal if you¡¯ll be on at least top 10.¡± ¡°Uwaaaaah¡­ This really gets me excited.¡± Fred might just be managing to keep his composure, but deep inside, he¡¯s quite excited upon checking the results of his hard work. Fred¡¯s got used to release chapters every month because he was initially assigned to the monthly release section. Aside from having enough time to produce a chapter which he¡¯s proud to present to his editor, it gives his assistants enough time to do stuff on their own too. It¡¯s the scenario that¡¯s mostly beneficial for him. As long as they meet their deadlines and provide a good chapter, that¡¯s all that matters. Besides, with regards to the pay, his assistants we¡¯re pretty low-cost so he didn¡¯t really need to rely on a weekly release for higher volume sales. In short, they¡¯re just a team that as long as they could release monthly, they¡¯re happy. ¡°Uwaaaah¡­ Still not up?¡± Ara(imouto) was going crazy already and she was even more nervous than the actual author. ¡°There! It¡¯s already up!!¡± ¨CFred shouted in relief. The three of them looked at the result on the screen.
  1. My Prideful Soloist ¨C Maou Spence
¡°Tcheh! 14. What a letdown.¡± ¡°Did you just scoffed at my best?!!¡± ¡°Yaaay!! At least we went up on the rankings!!¡± ¡°Humu. That¡¯s nice to know, Ara. But you actually have it in the opposite.¡± ¡°We went down two spots, huh?¡± ¡°Humu. Even with all my guidance. So that¡¯s the best the ¡®Prideful Maou of Planet Mytherion¡¯ could offer, huh?¡± ¡°EeeeEEEHHHH?? Some nerve to say, but all you did was just a yes/no on the drafts I¡¯ve been making?!! And you still have the pride to talk like that. After all that bragging about having me make a manga that would win against Anemone!¡± Fred busted a fuse on Kyrie¡¯s talking. ¡°Humu. That¡¯s what you get for writing a shoujo. We¡¯re talking about fanbase here. With your preferences here, that¡¯s the best I could do. Besides, you are the author. All you need is guidance, not spoon-feeding.¡± ¡°YOOOOUUU!!!¡± ¡°Okay okay, calm down Fred. Aren¡¯t you just happy that at least you were on the top 20.¡± It was true that for a shoujo story to climb the monthly charts was a great feat already. Unless an author really had the blessing to create a story and an art that would be a sustained clickbait then climbing the top 10 would just be a breeze. But at Fred¡¯s case, due to angering the irresponsible God, he was really transported as a normal human with just a retained muscle memory for drawing. Nobody other than him knew his own limitations. But it was also true that Kyrie was pushing facts to him frankly and that¡¯s what was getting him upset. Still, an experience lets a person grow stronger. ¡°Humu. I said I was going to help, but when I thought about it again, if I spoon-fed everything to you, then that would leave Aunt Seria with nothing more to do. Besides, she knew I was up to something. I really couldn¡¯t outsmart her.¡± ¡°Hmp. Well¡­ Yeah, it¡¯s no use getting upset over something like this. But still¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. I already had the feeling but seeing this results¡­ She was not just an award-winner for nothing.¡± ¡°Humu. Well, that¡¯s my junior for you.¡±
  1. Love, Violence, Vices, Virtues (LVVV) ¨C Anemone
An utter defeat. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the trend nowadays. It might just be that the reader body just got tired of too many shounen and shoujo mangas that just keeps on popping up. Why not suddenly kill either of your main characters for a change?¡± ¡°LIKE HELL I¡¯LL DO THAT!!¡± ¡°Uwaaaah~~ Fred no Shouting pleeeease!!¡± ¡°Still, I think I could do better. Look, with this, I see a lot of space in my room for improvement. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°That?¡ª¡± DUUUUUN!! ¡°HA HA HA HA!!! WITNESS AN UTTER DEFEAT, FORMERLY MAOU BANISHED FROM YOUR OWN PLANET!! I, THE QUEEN OF DARKNESS mkII* HAVE DESCENDED FROM HER LAIR OF DARKNESS TO BRING THE SADDEST NEWS THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BRING YOU BACK TO YOUR PARENTS CRYING!!¡± Just like them, Anemone was waiting for the results to come out. After confirming her victory, she rushed over the next next door to pick on her former idol now rival Fred. Fred anticipated it already yet he couldn¡¯t come up of something to rebut Anemone¡¯s upcoming barrage of mean words. ¡°Siiiigh¡­ Get out. I¡¯m not in the mood to play your chuuni games.¡± ¡°FU FU FU!! HA HA HA HA!!! SUCH A LOO¡ª¡± THUD!! A backup came. ¡°Step aside, I couldn¡¯t enter.¡± The three were shocked about what Ingrid did to her. Anemone was hit at the back of her head with a clay pot containing close to boiling beef stew. She lost her trance for a few seconds before fully recovering. ¡°Lady Landlady!! You can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m the only one here who¡¯s allowed to use that catch phrase. I¡¯ll kick you out if you use that again. If you understand that, then step out of the way. The next thing that will hit your head will be the contents of this hot pot.¡± She was still wearing her kitchen mittens while holding a smoking hot pot. Anemone knew that she was not joking when she said it. She switched to her normal Annette Monica mode before getting her face burned of newly-cooked lunch and made way for Ingrid.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. After being able to enter the studio, Ingrid looked at her who was still afraid, waiting at the door. ¡°What are you waiting for? Come inside, I¡¯ve cooked enough for you too. I know you haven¡¯t had your breakfast yet.¡± Grumble¡­ She couldn¡¯t hide that fact. --- The smell of the stew filled the room as the 5 human beings of Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex gathered at the single studio-unit after having brunch. ¡°Fu Fu Fu! Now bow down before my might, you mortal.¡± ¡°Heh, don¡¯t get too cocky. That would be the last time you¡¯ll have a score against me.¡± The proud Queen Anemone of the Chuuni Family stood at the side of their small table after they have eaten, bragging every inch of her victory against Fred. ¡°Uuuu.. Fred, stop fighting already. This is really a losing battle. Why do you keep on fighting even if you know the chances of winning is slim?¡± ¨CAra said, clinging onto his right arm. Fred looked at him with a dignified face of those protagonists he read on some shounen mangas. ¡°It is because this is the only thing I know. If you¡¯re going to remove fighting from me then what is it I¡¯m living for?¡± WHACK! He got hit again with Kyrie¡¯s precious harisen. ¡°Humu. I just want to hit you at times like this, you know? But in any case I wanted to tell you that it¡¯s already time for you to delegate the tasks for your next chapter. Do you even have a story in mind?¡± ¡°Hmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmm.¡± Fred placed his hand to his chin and went on with his usual thinking state. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Well I got a general idea, but I can¡¯t put it up on a story yet, so basically no.¡± He actually thought about it, but not that much. What he really did was to remember how Anemone¡¯s chapters were well-drawn and laid out for a great story. He had to sum it up to the simplest answer. ¡°Humu. Well there you have it Anemone-chan. Seems like you¡¯ll also win the third round. Are you still on for this?¡± Anemone turned to Fred and gave a ¡°Heh, bring it on, Peasant.¡± ¡°Wait, what?!!¡± And that¡¯s as far as it went for their discussion of the monthly results and their chart rankings. It made Fred participate another ¡®losing battle¡¯ of who¡¯s chapter will rank better next month. He sighed his way out of the topic and brooded over the most recent cringe decisions in his life on Earth, which was to take confidently the bait of a retarded chuuni¡¯s provocation and lose afterwards. Now he had another full-pledged life regret that he just want to escape and forget. Everyone else at that room felt Fred¡¯s feelings and took sympathy over his pitiful state. ¡°SIIIIGH¡­ Look at you. And here I thought you¡¯ll be releasing something that could be compared to your award-winning piece. Where did that spark go?¡± The very first to spoke was surprisingly his rival, Anemone. ¡°Such a peon. Looking at you disgust me even more than we were back at the Palace of Darkness. I never imagined you would fall down so low. It makes me want to regret idolizing you for a moment there, former Maou from another world. Such a disappointment. I guess this will be where we part ways. I do my own thing and you do yours. Very well then, I¡¯ll be excusing myself. Oh Lady Landlady, thanks for the fine dining.¡± Anemone gave a speech, and went out of the room disappointed. ¡°Anemone-chaaaaan¡­¡± ¡°Hmp. Well that¡¯s a very harsh way to give a lesson, but¡­ sorry Fred, I¡¯ll give this one to your rival.¡± ¡°Humu. No objections.¡± ¡°Come on guys, are you really on my side? Especially you, Ingrid! Gosh I can¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Uhhhh¡­ Th¡ª! Mmmmmm¡­ Mmmm¡¯kay! You win. I¡¯ll help you as much as I can defeat that kid. But at least learn your lesson from this.¡± Ingrid immediately turned away, to hide her embarrassment from the others. She then turned back to clean the dishes at the small table at front. She looked at Fred, who was gawking at her. ¡°What? Don¡¯t stare that much I¡¯m going to increase your rent by 20% if you keep on doing that.¡± ¡°Anything but that!!¡± Thud!.. Ingrid knocked his forehead softly and went on with a ¡°I-Idiot¡­¡± Ingrid almost finished cleaned up and was about to go to Fred¡¯s unit to use his kitchen and wash the dishes when Fred spoke up to her. ¡°Ah, by the way, Ingrid, I think this is the right time to discuss ¡®it¡¯ to them.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­ Okay, I¡¯ll be washing there right next door then. Goodluck.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± Ingrid stood up and headed towards Fred¡¯s unit while carrying the dishes to clean. After shutting the door, Fred turned to the two. --- Ara was dumbfounded, but Kyrie was might be just trying to hide her awareness with looking like Ara too. ¡°Okay. Let me head straight to the point. But first, I won¡¯t be able to talk this with your imouto-mode Ara. Come out aneki.¡± ¡°Hooooh. I¡¯m surprised. I¡¯m so popular these. I couldn¡¯t even rest well with all these requests for appearances.¡± Ara(aneki) immediately responded to Fred¡¯s summons easily. She must have felt that eventually, Fred would approach her and talk to her about the predicament she was facing. ¡°So, I suppose you¡¯ve caught the wind already about my previous work.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really about time we discuss about this. You won¡¯t have any objections with Kyrie here, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I wanted to hide it as much but I know she¡¯s also got the gist of the situation too. Can¡¯t underestimate her information gathering network.¡± ¡°Humu.¡± ¡°Okay then. Let me get straight to the point. What are you planning to do with the calls you¡¯re getting from your previous work?¡± Fred first met Ara some few time after his awarding ceremony. It was those times that his oneshot had been featured on several magazines that sold around the whole region. Due to its genre being popular with the female readers between ages mid to late teens, the oneshot spread like wildfire especially on schools and establishments with mostly woman employee population. Maou Spence-sensei¡¯s population skyrocketed at that point of time due to the number of hits and views of his oneshot. One of the fans that time was Ara. One night after Ara finished her shift and was about to go home, she stumbled upon some guys that wanted to hit on him. There Fred came in like a knight and shining armor and saved her even when unneeded. Events happened which made Ara gave her idol a critical roundhouse kick. She was very shocked upon learning about Fred¡¯s identity and due to his good nature, they still managed to be Friends, and even more, Ara decided to apply as his assistant. Those were the events that led to Ara resigning to her current work as a hostess. ¡°Hmmm. So you knew. Well, what shall I do with it, I wonder?¡± Ara subconsciously avoided the topic. It might be because the other two entities inside her was subconsciously preventing her to discuss it as much with Fred and the others, but there was nothing they could really do about it at that point. Aneki-mode took a slim chance on slipping away from the topic. But Fred wouldn¡¯t let her. ¡°Sheesh. I¡¯m your new employer, of course I need to stick my nose in this issue.¡± Fred went on like a father, opening up for a life lesson towards her daughter after committing a life-changing mistake. ¡°Is it really the only way?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s only natural.¡± ¡°Besides, I already had a hunch after our very first meeting¡­ the nature of your previous work, I mean.¡± Kyrie was just silent. As knowledgeable as Fred, she too, have the idea of what they were talking about. She was the second tenant of Ingrid¡¯s Apartment Complex, and she had been under the same roof with Ara for a long time even before Fred arrived. She also had her ways to acquire information so it¡¯s not new if she wouldn¡¯t be surprised and already knew what the two was talking about. ¡°Hmmm. But personally, I think it¡¯s fine to leave it that way. I already resigned, so there would be no merit for me to go back now.¡± ¡°But the calls you¡¯re getting, aren¡¯t they even more frequent these days?¡± ¡°Ugk¡­¡± Ara¡¯s reaction gave her away. Now the chances of evading the topic had gotten even slimmer. That¡¯s very unbecoming of her aneki-mode. ¡°So what¡¯s with it? Why are you getting calls from your manager?¡± Ara had no chance of getting away. Even if she switches back to Imouto-mode or the Ara-Ara mode, she knew she would just be bugged again and again by both her previous manager, and Fred who was now bugging her to pick among them. ¡°¡­¡± That was the very first time Kyrie and Fred saw the look at Ara(aneki)¡¯s face. It was a mix of worry and melancholy for some reason. It was the look of somebody being conflicted on choosing the right decision. That was the very first for her. She clicked her tongue, letting them know that she¡¯s ready to talk, and was just somehow getting the best way to express it in words. ¡°Fine, fine¡­ It¡¯s about my previous work. My manager called. He was asking me if I¡¯d be interested in training under him so I could manage the club after him.¡± Fred¡¯s jaw dropped, but not because he was surprised about it. It was actually because that moment he realized that Ara might finally be having her break, while he was just sitting on a steady boat, letting fate decide what would happen to him. He shown a ¡®seriously?¡¯ face. But he immediately regained composure and tried to think of what to answer next. ¡°O-Oh¡­ So that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°Yeah. But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m currently employed to you so I¡¯m not considering the offer.¡± ¡°Not yet?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Not ye¡ª¡± Ara realized she got tricked. Fred cleverly pulled one against her. ¡°Hmp!¡± ¡°Well, considering your reaction, there¡¯s still something within the issue. Circumstances we know nothing of. I¡­ We won¡¯t force you if you really can¡¯t talk about it yet. But at least if it¡¯s bothering you, then you could always talk it out with us. Then I think we could figure something out.¡± While Ara was flustered, Fred took advantage of the situation to showcase a little bit of a hierarchy between them. He¡¯s a superior and his juniors could always count on him in case of any problems. Ara looked down to think. Fred and Kyrie wondered what was she to react after hearing what Fred had to say at the matter. Suddenly she jumped out towards Fred¡¯s back and hugged him. She did her usual aneki thing afterwards. ¡°Gosh look at you, acting so strong all of a sudden. You really think you could get too cocky against me? My my¡­ That¡¯s so not very you. Just return to your old bashful self and let me handle this, okay? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to talk to you about this again once I¡¯ve settled things with my manager, okay?¡± That¡¯s just her front. Despite being flustered a while ago, Ara kept a strong front and finally avoided the topic. Fred stopped chasing any further and respected Ara¡¯s answer. ¡°Well the very least I could do to help is give you a little more time to think about it. You can always approach me if you want to talk about it again.¡± That response made her feel safe. All the worries she had a while ago vanished. She could already kid around them like there weren¡¯t any big issues discussed a while ago. But then her phone rang. The two looked at her phone at the desk and must have read who the call was coming from. ¡®Manager-san¡¯ Ara immediately took the phone and looked at Fred with an ¡®excuse me for a bit, I need to answer this¡¯ look at her face and Fred nodded. Ara took the route towards the main door. She knew Ingrid might be right the door towards Fred¡¯s unit, eavesdropping on their discussion. Before she stepped out, she looked back on Fred and bowed down at her humblest form. ¡°Well then if you¡¯d excuse me.¡± She left the studio.
Ch14-1 All you need for guidance is a good editor III. All you need for guidance is a good editor Modern Earth, 20xx+3 ¡°YAAAAAAWN¡­¡± Fred gave a big yawn. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to work hard. Perhaps he had been like that for a week already. SMASH!! The ultima-weapon for skull destruction: Harisen hit his head. But Fred didn¡¯t even budge nor respond to the shock that it gave him. It might be because he had been immune to the pain it was giving him everytime he¡¯s being hit already. Physically and emotionally. ¡°Humu. I wouldn¡¯t wonder how could you mess up this bad with the chapter you¡¯re currently working. This is sp not like you.¡± ¡°Shut yer trap. I won¡¯t hear anything from you for now on. In fact, I don¡¯t really wanna hear that from my assistant. I¡¯m starting to doubt if you really support me as an assistant or not.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Humu¡­ now you¡¯re acting even more childish than me.¡± ¡°Siiiigh¡­ Shut up! Can¡¯t I get a day¡¯s worth of procrastination?¡± ¡°No. Especially when Editor Seria comes tomorrow to inspect our progress.¡± The one that answered Fred was Ara(third). ¡°Look Fred. I had been tired the whole week because aneki wouldn¡¯t even came out to help. I could only rely to imouto for a very small amount of time. Being out for a very long time like this is already tiring me. Come on, let¡¯s just finish this. I wanna look at the mirror already.¡± She went on and ranted about how she was worn out due to the lack of swapping out from her two other splits the past week. All of it to remind Fred that she already need to see herself at the mirror. Still, she did it while finishing the task she was doing. She shouldn¡¯t have any right to complain about something she¡¯s getting paid for. After finishing, she approached Fred¡¯s desk and handed over a bunch of pages that needed some shading. ¡°Well, I did my job, I¡¯ll leave the rest to imouto. I¡¯m out.¡± Unlike the other two who existed to either prey/pick on Fred, Ara(third) was an identity that popped up after her two identities became conscious that one of each other existed. It seemed like the third identity came up to keep check of the other two so they won¡¯t be led astray. The three of them could tag in and out and toy and interact with Fred as much as they could. Still, that didn¡¯t change the fact that Ara could only look to nobody other than herself. Aside from being that complex, she¡¯s a narcissist too, after all. She tagged out and the imouto mode who was unprepared for the current situation popped. ¡°Uh?! I¡¯m up?! So suddenly?! Uwah. Uhm¡­, so can I help Fred?¡± Fred looked around. The studio looked like it hadn¡¯t had any activities at all. There were less crumpled papers, less spilled ink, less trash, less everything than the usual. For an observer¡¯s point of view, it was a very unproductive week for them. He then looked at the chart pinned at the huge corkboard placed at the far left wall of the room. There were four weeks in a month and they were currently at the second. Aaaah¡­ If this keeps up, then we¡¯ll rush another chapter again until deadline. Fred initially had the idea for the chapter, but he thought it was a ¡®no-go¡¯. He brushed off the idea and was thinking of something better. For that he needed more resources and references. Fred then looked at the pages Ara submitted him. ¡°Some unproductive week we¡¯re in. We can¡¯t remain like this. For starters, take your early off for the day. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll manage to talk my way out of this with Seria tomorrow.¡± He then crumpled the bunch of papers like they were a nonsensical love letter written by a young high-schooler. ¡°UWAAAAAH!! That¡¯s work I spent my energy to, sent right to oblivion!! Noooo!!¡± Ara(imouto) was devastated, they shared the same body so the stress one of them experiences should be shared across them too. But if that¡¯s what the author decided, then she would need to tire herself out to another set of pages. ¡°Sorry. Promise I¡¯ll give you guys a bonus after we finish this chapter. Just please bear with me.¡± Fred clapped his hand in attempt to persuade his two assistants to keep up with him a little longer. Kyrie looked at Ara, and with just that, they came to an agreement. ¡°Humu. Well then, I think I¡¯m going to visit Anemone¡¯s. Who knows what she could be up to with the shortest time you take your eyes off her.¡± ¡°I was just shocked a while ago. Sorry Fred¡­ Uhm¡­, to be honest there¡¯s still this something that aneki tasked me with. So I¡¯ll take on your offer and head out now. I promise I¡¯ll help you next week¡± Fred understood and nodded. ¡°Both of you guys can have your breaks tomorrow too. But brace yourselves next week. We¡¯ll make sure we finish our backlog tasks.¡± Kyrie gave him a salute with a ¡®roger¡¯ while Ara just bowed down. They both went off afterwards. Fred was like a boss sitting at his comfy chair in his office after the two left. The childish side of him suddenly took over and he swiveled the chair so he could rotate round and round until he decided to stop because he got nauseous. He then swiveled the chair a bit more so he could face the window placed behind his desk. ¡°Well I might die tomorrow¡­ Guess I¡¯ll die.¡± --- ¡°YOU WANNA DIE?!! HUH?!!¡± All the prediction was accurate. It¡¯s not like his life was on a real danger. He just exaggerated his interpretation of what was to happen to his assistants. But his current mission was not to make the exaggeration into a reality. His editor, Seria aka. Grumpy Hag, was a real moody editor. But being moody didn¡¯t necessarily mean she needed to get mad and vent out very often. But miraculously, Fred managed to piss her every time they meet. That¡¯s one of his unique passive traits. Fred knew that talking back any further increases his chances of death so he was just looking away from her while silently accepting the scolding from the ex-yankee terror editor that was assigned to him. ¡°LOOK AT THESE. LOOK AT THESE!!¡± Seria held two pages of the chapter he presented to her. Fred just couldn¡¯t obey and look towards her due to his pride instinctively preventing him to fight and protect his life. Seria then slapped the pages on his two cheeks and sandwiched his face on them. She twisted his face forcibly and made him look only to her. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°WHAT ARE YOU?!!¡± ¡°A stupid author sandwich.¡± Good thing that Ingrid was out that day or there would be another world war if in case she would be seeing what Seria was doing to Fred. After admitting, Seria then removed her hands from Fred¡¯s face and placed the two pages back at the desk in order. She then sat at his table and lighted a smoke.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Hey! No smoking! The scent of the cigar will fill the room. Do it outside.¡± But despite his warning, Seria continued. Fred was not really at an advantageous position but he still ordered her around with his own house rules. Still, Seria was a former yankee. She could just scare away Fred¡¯s arguments away with a single ¡°HUH?!¡±. And Fred wouldn¡¯t want to make matters anymore worse. If she let off some steam with it, then let it be. It didn¡¯t take a while before she could puff out a whole stick. That showed how stressed she was, hearing the bad news from her author. Editors were also humans, and were vulnerable to negative emotions too. But they were designed not to immediately give up on their assigned authors. Each of them had been tasked to guide them into producing a manga that could make the readers happy. If we talk about business, a manga that would sell. There had been cases of authors being reassigned to different editors within their serializations, but those should already be the worst cases which forced the management to move. But as much as possible, an editor must keep holding on her pride and guide the authors to producing a series that the masses would approve. That¡¯s what Seria must have been holding onto for long already since she had been assigned to Fred. Seria looked at the tip of the cigar, about to fall down any second. ¡°You got an ashtray?¡± Fred reached out for something under his table and pulled it out. It was an ashtray just like Seria asked. ¡°Hmp. Despite all your reminder a while ago, here you are, hiding an ashtray under your desk.¡± ¡°I do it when they¡¯re not here. I can solo this room most of the time if I wanted too. So I¡¯d appreciate if you keep quiet about this especially for Ingrid.¡± THUD!! ¡°Ugk!¡± After hitting Fred with the ashtray on his forehead, she carefully looked at his face again and assessed his current situation. Now she tried talking to him again in a better approach. ¡°You should worry more about the status of your manuscript and the time remaining. So¡­ What? Are you in a slump?¡± ¡°Kinda.¡± Seria then stood up. She already knew where Fred was coming from. Rather, she¡¯s already had this kind of experience from the previous authors she handled. With that in mind, she knew the workaround with Fred¡¯s situation. ¡°Pack your things. We¡¯re going somewhere.¡± ¡°Huh?¡ªWa¡ªwait!!¡± Fred was shaken by the sudden notice. It¡¯s his editor that¡¯s asking him. Whatever she would do, wherever they would go, her only reason should be to help him. Might it be to gather resources, references and needed stuff; or just to unwind somewhere. She had helped Fred that way several times already. He grabbed a few canvass boards and a pencil. He immediately packed it in his bag and followed Seria. --- ¡°Say¡­ This isn¡¯t some kidnapping or some sort, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to eject where you¡¯re sitting right now if you keep on talking like that.¡± ¡°It makes me feel more nervous is you¡¯re keeping an eject mechanism on your car¡­¡± It¡¯s been 30 minutes already since they started travelling by car. They shouldn¡¯t be that far away but since they were already at the highway and there was no traffic encountered due to Sundays, Fred lost track of the distance they¡¯ve traveled. He eventually gave up and started talking nonsense with the chance of getting hit by something. ¡°You know, I really hope I could get back in one piece. I got some people waiting for me to return¡­¡± Fred stopped a bit. Then he looked at Seria via the rear view mirror. ¡°Heeeh. Must be nice, having someone waiting for you to return.¡± While they¡¯re at it, Fred started the topic. ¡°Yeah, sad I can¡¯t live up to your preferences of a sad lone author, huh? How about you? I haven¡¯t really known anything about you. Mind sharing up some?¡± Fred tried to pry within her personal life. The confident Seria knew she could escape the topic using her vast experience on conversation. But instead, she chose to take the bait. ¡°Sharing up which? Which part of it? You see, I¡¯m already at a forgetful age.¡± ¡°Just how old do you think you are?¡± ¡°An elite professional at her mid-fifties?¡± ¡°Wha¡ªbut¡ªwhat?¡ªQuit screwing around.¡± Fred already assessed by how Seria looked that she¡¯s someone just at her early thirties. She couldn¡¯t have that much of life stories to tell Fred like how he previously lived for more than a hundred years from the world he was from. ¡°You talk like somebody who had lots of time in her whole life to do lots of stuff. Don¡¯t you have a family too? Or somebody that¡¯s waiting for you to return after a whole day¡¯s worth of outside work?¡± ¡°Well I could travel a few hours from the city to where my parents are currently living. They¡¯ll be surely happy to see me. Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t really visited them in a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. Come on, get a hint already. Or is it because you¡¯re already at your thirties and you still live alo¡ª uwaaAAAAAH!!!¡± Fred¡¯s mighty speech was suddenly cut off because Seria purposely swiveled the car towards the opposite lane in attempt to crash it to the incoming truck, but then switched it back to the proper lane just a second before impact. Only she was one of the few who could try to attempt that stunt and could execute it properly without dying. Fred was still gasping in fear. ¡°WHAT THE HELL!! ARE YOU TRYING TO SEND ME BACK TO MYTHERION WITHOUT A SHORT NOTICE?!!!¡± ¡°HA HA HA!! YOU REALLY TALK FUNNY AT CONVENIENT TIME LIKE THIS!! Hahaha seriously, let¡¯s do that again. You¡¯re reaction and the way you talk was priceless. I should have recorded that.¡± Fred just couldn¡¯t take Seria¡¯s normal jokes. ¡°Come on, seriously. I¡¯m going to file a complaint against your boss.¡± ¡°No. please hahahaha. I still need to see those reactions of yours or my work would just be as boring as the previous ones. Sorry. I won¡¯t do it again¡­ hahaha¡­¡± Fred was still in shock due to the ¡®normal things¡¯ that Seria just did. He went quiet for a while. Seria then continued driving until they exit the highway. The road suddenly went rough. Fred noticed that they were actually climbing an off-road hill. He then looked at Seria via the mirror again and saw her focused on driving. She wouldn¡¯t want to have a crash accident, with a cliff several tens of meters of height and narrow track they¡¯re crossing. ¡°Shush, don¡¯t look at me like that it would distract me.¡± The view of the cliff was suddenly covered by tall thorny bushes. The whole scenery went dark like they were in a tunnel, indicating the light post ended some few distance they passed. They couldn¡¯t place the posts at the current part of the road due to the number of bushes. But what¡¯s scary wasn¡¯t the darkness. It was the sound of the bushes hitting the sides of Seria¡¯s car as they still continued the literally thorny path just to arrive to their destination. Fred could only cover his ears due to the painful screeching he could hear. The situation made Fred close his eyes to focus on other things than the horrors he was currently experiencing. Then after a short thrill-ride they finally reached the top of the hill. There, Seria parked her car beside a medium-sized cabin which could fit a whole family of six. There were trees around the perimeter, and the whole garden looked like it was being kept properly. The way the yard looked, it¡¯s like Seria had been visiting the area once or twice a month to keep the weeds from growing. Seria acted like wiping the sweat on her forehead even though the cooler was working. ¡°Phew that was a ride! I¡¯ve just recently got my own car. I normally hike that road up to here. But good thing the car fit. That really gave me a scare.¡± Fred gave him an ¡®are you serious¡¯ look. The sides of her car had scratches all over due to the hard branches on a section of the road they went through. If cars had souls on them Fred would have heard Seria¡¯s new car pleading for help from him to make her owner stop and tear down the road obstacles first before proceeding. Fred looked at the car with a pained expression. But he then shook his head. As if I have time to think about inanimate objects. Fred hold on to the fact that a car is a car, and that car was not his, so no worries mindset. ¡°Well, I should start asking myself if this is your real house.¡± ¡°I own the whole hill. You can say it was awarded to me after being relieved at a military duty. ¡­ Just kidding. Lol.¡± ¡°Well no shit. I might believe that since it¡¯s coming from you. I¡¯m starting to grasp what¡¯s normal and what¡¯s not when it comes from you.¡± ¡°Hahaha!! That¡¯s funny. But you still have lots of grain to eat before you can say that, young man.¡± She boasted about wisdom. But Fred knew he had a lot more so he gave Seria an unyielding look, forcing her to give a faithful answer. ¡°I still live at the city. This is just like¡­ uh¡­ a vacation house?¡± ¡°Jeez. Such a grand vacation house for a single lady like you.¡± Thud! ¡°Ouch!¡± ¨Cwent Fred¡¯s lacking reaction, anticipating he¡¯s getting hit with something afterwards. ¡°So, what¡¯s your main reason for bringing me here? Am I here for a scolding or something? Or are you finally resorting to torture?¡± ¡°Hmmm. Close but if you¡¯re really a masochist then I got tools at the basement, if that¡¯s what you want.¡± The whole sentence sent chills down Fred¡¯s spine. What could she be hiding under it? ¨Cis the only thing he could ask himself. ¡°Ah, no I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear that.¡± Seria gathered her things at the trunk of her car and headed towards the cabin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mobile phones still work. You could contact Ingrid to tell her that you won¡¯t be home for a few days.¡± ¡°Well I was about to ask that. Good thing. I don¡¯t want to return home to have Ingrid spew out fire from her mouth again like a dragon, while scolding me like her kid.¡± Both of them entered the door. ¡°She must really like you a lot.¡± ¡°Yeah. To the point that it bothers me.¡± ¡°Do you not like it? You¡¯re single anyways?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s complicated.¡± A convenient thing to say to brush off somebody prying onto someone¡¯s life. Fred successfully managed to fend off Seria with that statement. Fred must be able to contact Ingrid already. But he didn¡¯t. He could always inform her later on. He just wanted to take a rest for the day. But he started doubting himself. Something started to bother his thoughts. ¡°¡­¡± Fred looked at his phone again CREEEEAK¡­ SHUT¡­ He heard the sound of the door slowly closing behind him. CLICK He heard something following it, which he assumed to be the lock. He looked back and saw the door shut with Seria holding a key which she just used to lock the door. There Fred rewind the time a few seconds from they were still outside. He then remembered something Seria told him just a few moments ago. You could contact Ingrid that you won¡¯t be home for a few days You won¡¯t be home for a few days For a few days¡­ Fred honestly looked at Seria. He needed answers. ¡°Will I die here?¡± ¡°No silly. You¡¯ll just be ¡®M.I.A.¡¯ in a few days. Come, give me your phone.¡± Seria extended his hand to Fred. Fred handed his phone to her slowly. He knew that once he entered the cabin, he already lost. Seria just became his commander at arms. Just like a lowly officer, he must obey her until she pulled out the best of him. ¡°I call this cabin the reverse-door cabin, aka ¡®The Vacation House¡¯. Don¡¯t worry this method is very effective against authors under slump. I¡¯ve brought a few here already, during my entire editor career. Why was it called reverse-door cabin? Pretty simple. The locks are oriented outside. You should know how works. That saves me time explaining. You really can¡¯t escape until I open the door with this key.¡± The way Seria named it sounded like a foreign horror survival movie. Fred looked at the doorknob and confirmed Seria¡¯s claim. He then gulped. ¡°You said a few days, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s if you finish the chapter in a few days.¡± Fred took time to absorb everything. Then after, a loud faint sound of somebody screaming was heard by the villagers down the hill.
Ch14-2 All you need for guidance is a crazy editor IV. All you need for guidance is a crazy editor Modern Earth, 20xx+3 Tweet, tweet, tweet¡­ Fred could hear the birds chirping outside the window of his room at the second floor of Seria¡¯s cabin. The room had a perfect view of the open lot outside which had a single tree near his window. The branches of the tree were also a perfect spot for the birds to build their nest. At the same time, it was also a perfect spot to escape from the whole cabin which he considered as a polished prison cell. He was not being treated as a prisoner. He spent his first night and slept comfortably at the room Seria prepared to him. Rather than a prisoner, the better term was a VIP. There was also a mini bathroom connected to the room so he wouldn¡¯t have any problem heading downstairs to pee during the night. It was really a spacious room for him. As long as he would be able to produce the chapter needed to be released for the month, he would continue being one. After cleaning up after waking, he the opened the window and looked at the great scenery spanning from his sight. INHALES¡­ EXHALES¡­ The branch of the tree was not that far. He could make it if he jumped with all the energy he gained from sleeping. He was more prepared to escape. The most effective way to cross a hanging bridge is not to look down. People with fear of heights should not look down when they were at high places. That¡¯s a golden rule for them. Still, Fred looked down and gulped. ¡°LIKE HELL I WOULD?!!!¡± But he didn¡¯t have any fear of heights, nor it¡¯s not that high as he was just at the second floor. There were sharp bamboo pikes planted on the ground below. ¡°That crazy bitch. Why the hell would she think that I¡¯d be brave enough to jump even without these? Am I a protagonist at some holocaust or survival setting story or something?!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear that. You opened the window so there¡¯s an attempt. Also those poles have been set up there for as long as I could remember.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t jump! Do you think I¡¯ll have any courage to do so? I don¡¯t want to get impaled! I still have a lot to do.¡± ¡°Oh so you know that? Now get your ass working and produce something, so we could get back earlier.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy! At least remove them I won¡¯t try to escape! Also, won¡¯t they find you at your office?!¡± ¡°This is considered work, so we could spend as much time as we want here and we could still get paid.¡± ¡°WHICH PART OF WORK IS LOCKING UP YOUR ASSIGNED AUTHOR?!¡± ¡°Blah blah blah blah. Get your ass downstairs, have breakfast, and work.¡± ¡°You demon¡­¡± That was as far as his expectations could go. Even before his day start, he was reminded that he couldn¡¯t actually escape Seria¡¯s cabin until he delivers her requirements, no matter what he does, no matter how much he think. --- After washing up, he headed downstairs and saw two sets of breakfast at the table. The sets were recently cooked and they were still hot. ¡°Hmmm. I can¡¯t believe you could do stuff like this too.¡± ¡°Next time you say that I¡¯m going to press your cheeks on the frying pan¡­ recently used on frying your breakfast.¡± Fred always wondered if she¡¯s already married, and is living with her family. But every time he opens the topic Seria easily dodges them by resorting to her seniority and authority. A curious young boy just wanted to know. Fred really saw no reason for her to dodge the topic. That¡¯s why he always insisted them. But in exchange for preparing the breakfast, he let her off the hook. ¡°Let us eat then.¡± ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯ve already eaten.¡± ¡°But there are two sets here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve literally meant to serve it for you. Finish the meal. You¡¯ve got a long day ahead of you.¡± Fred paled slightly. He always knew he was not really a heavy breakfast eater. There were also times that a cup of coffee could fill his empty stomach. But the sight of the meal¡­ it scares him. ¡°Uhm¡­ Seria?¡± ¡°Yes you will eat that. I accept no leftovers. Failure is not an option.¡± ¡°You see, I really appreciate the effort to cook, but isn¡¯t this too much? I¡­ You know I always eat less. You know that right?¡± ¡°Of course I know.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a long morning ahead of you. You need to get those gears going. You might regret not being able to have a full meal.¡± Fred then again looked at the meal. It was composed of 2 eggs, 4 strips of bacon, 2 slices of bread and butter, and a cup of coffee. Just a typical lineup of a good healthy breakfast. Each. A typical person with an above average appetite could take the breakfast challenge. But not him. Especially after seeing that dreadful sight a while ago. He already lost enough appetite to have breakfast. All he needed was a single cup of coffee. Not two. ¡°Can¡­ Can I take the other set at the workshop? I¡¯ll eat it there whenever needed. Promise.¡± Seria continued to wash the dishes that she used without saying anything anymore. Fred took it as a yes then he started eating. At that moment Fred started focusing his mind at one thing: I need to get back, fast. He went deep diving to his thoughts again. Ingrid¡¯s long vacation leave had come to a finish and she started coming to her office work again. Regarding her apartment complex, there was really nothing much to do, unless there were sudden issues like plumbing, fixes, and emergency stuff with tenants so she actually employed herself to a regular office work at the town center. It really looked like the opposite and being a landlady was just a sideline. It had made Fred wonder where she was putting her excess money. But Ingrid was already a given. Besides her who would be super worried with him being gone for a few to several days, he also left his two assistants there. Both of them without anything to do for the following days to come. Without Ingrid there at the apartment complex, the two of them would die out of boredom. Fred already accepted the fact that he¡¯s being treated as an object to alleviate boredom. All he needed to do was to play the role and everything would be at perfect harmony. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your assistants, I¡¯ve asked Old man to have them help anemone for a while.¡± Seria seemed to caught on with what he was thinking and cleared his worries. ¡°Tsk. Traitors.¡± ¨Cbut Fred wasn¡¯t pleased to hear it. ¡°It¡¯s only temporary. It seemed like Anemone agreed to pay them for the days they would be helping her.¡± ¡°Then why hadn¡¯t you brought them here with me. I could use their help a lot.¡± ¡°That kills the purpose of bringing you here alone. You still don¡¯t know why I brought you here, huh?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. That made Fred stopped to think. Distractions. Seria was trying to tell Fred that the slump he was currently in was due to the distractions being brought to him by a very rowdy house and work environment he was in. It took a little more time for it to kick in with his mind. Part of the reason he needed excess nutrition would be because he would be doing things done by three people alone. Being decided, he continued to eat. He realized that he was already halfway his second serving so he just finished the food he was supposed to bring at the workshop. ¡°I could fetch you a third serving if you still want to eat.¡± ¡°No, it would already destroy my appetite this afternoon.¡± ¡°Good then. You don¡¯t need to help me here with the dished, just focus on what you should be doing.¡± --- Fredericus, my son. You don¡¯t need to do that. You should let the maids and butlers do their respective jobs. You should head to your proctor. That¡¯s what you should be doing. No ill-will was intended with her mother¡¯s order. He was a son of a royal bloodline, first in line with succeeding the calling of being the ¡®Maou¡¯ of the entire demon race. He should not be concerning himself with the task of his personal butlers. --- Fred felt the nostalgia. It was just a quick flash on a memory with his mother, but the memory was the very first one that popped up after Seria said those things to him. ¡°You know you kinda¡¯ remind me of my mother.¡± FWOOOSH!! Clang!! Then a spatula almost flew straight to his face. Fred felt the wind created by the very fast object that flew past him. Fred looked behind him. He had good reflexes due to the breakfast he had. ¡°Gulp¡­¡± ¡°I intentionally missed.¡± Seria then walked towards where the spatula flew and picked it up. She followed up with a proper statement. For a moment Fred felt something behind Seria¡¯s unyielding expression. But it was really faint that he thought it was just his imagination. ¡°Fine, fine I won¡¯t do it again. Just don¡¯t make me feel my life is endangered while I stay here.¡± ¡°If you miss your parents that much then why won¡¯t you pay them a visit. It will help you unwind for a while. You might be able to get over your slump too.¡± Fred couldn¡¯t answer. Seria won¡¯t be another one he could share his deepest secrets with. He¡¯s decided that it will be and only be Ingrid. ¡°I¡­ I will. I will, after I proved myself here.¡± He wondered how Seria would react by the way he put it in. Being the ¡®I ran away from home because I wanted to prove something¡¯ guy should fit his persona even more on that situation; than the even truer Fred who was a former Maou from another world, only to be found on Earth¡¯s fantasy fictions. And the alibi was a success. Instead of pressing any further Seria picked up his used dishes and returned to the kitchen to continue her chores. ¡°W-well¡­ I¡¯ll be heading upstairs.¡± ¡°Better have actual progress by the time I check you there.¡± ¡°Yeees.¡± --- The whole cabin consisted of three floors, each of them had their own function: >The first floor, divided by for the living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and the bathroom >The second floor which was divided into 4 separate rooms, >and the third floor which was solely for the studio. The studio section was a lot more spacious than Fred¡¯s current one. That¡¯s to be expected for the whole third floor of Seria¡¯s cabin. The spacious area could give Fred and his team their own respective areas where they could work on their own, rather than their usual setup. It really seemed like the whole place was built for a huge team of up to 6 people. Several shelves had been lined up at a single section, those shelves contained nothing but manga volumes. There were lots of complete series. There were some that had spaces too. They were ongoing serializations. They had enough space maybe to house the several remaining volumes they would go. They were arranged in a way you could easily locate it per demographic. Seria still had enough time to maintain the place despite her tight schedule as an editor. That thought alone made Fred wonder even more. Fred explored the whole room. Brushing all unneeded thoughts aside, he approached the section where all romance and shoujos are placed. He grabbed a few starter volumes, and headed to the single desk that was nearest to the window. There he sat and looked outside. A big stump was outside at the open area, beside it lay some logs that were chopped off, being used into household needs. There was electricity, and the kitchen used electric stove. Fred wondered what the firewood were really being used for. ¡°Maybe for heating the bath tub, huh? Pretty classic.¡± At this point in time I won¡¯t be surprised seeing her walking towards there carrying an axe. And his expectations weren¡¯t betrayed. He saw Seria walking towards the big stump while swinging her axe just like a muscular barbarian, all with ease. ¡°Well seeing it directly lit up something inside me. I really think this day will be productive if I started reading.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I CAN¡¯T COME UP WITH SOMETHING!! HOLY FUCK!!¡± It was a random burst. But that burst had pulled him from his immersed reading. He didn¡¯t realize it was already late afternoon until his outburst. The pile of volumes in front of him increased significantly each hour that it already formed a mountain of books that almost covered him. ¡°Quick, what time is it?! I have to make it look like I¡¯ve done something already before she gets back here.¡± He looked outside the window and found nobody outside. Of course it had been long since Seria went out. He thought she must have been cooking dinner already. But instead, she was comfortably lying at the couch near the shelves, reading a volume like he was doing too. ¡°Too late, I¡¯ve already heard you.¡± ¡°WHOAH!¡± He least expected Seria to be already inside the room. ¡°You could¡¯ve continued your reading. You were already at the right path, gathering references is a good start if you¡¯re really in a slump. It¡¯s quite admirable already. But you really spoiled it with what you just said.¡± ¡°AS IF I¡¯D SHOW IT TO YOU DIRECTLY?!¡± ¡°Now I know you¡¯re the type of person that would do everything to escape being scolded.¡± Fred clicked his tongue as he looked away. The huge pile of manga volumes that were on the table needed to be put back to their respective spots but Fred might still be needing them for the near future. Nevertheless, he stood up and tried to group them by series. ¡°I¡¯ll be putting these back. Can you help me?¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re the one that got them. Also you¡¯re not in the position to boss me around.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Okay, fine.¡± But before Fred could grab a bunch of them and start cleaning up, ¡°So¡­ Do you feel like drawing something now?¡± It was a routine check. Seria tasked him of doing something. It was his responsibility. He really had no intentions of not getting over his slump. He had to resort to his previous experiences first before trying something new. Having references would be a good start. But the fact that he couldn¡¯t answer immediately, meant that he still got nothing on his plate. Seria knew immediately the moment Fred went silent. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t pressure you any further.¡± But the fire has already been lit. Even though Seria told not to, Fred had become even more pressured that he was. ¡°We-well¡­ It¡¯s just the first day. I¡¯ll be giving you all the time you need as long as were here. Your pace you know, your pace.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I know¡­¡± Fred then started carrying the arranged manga volumes and started putting them back. And before the heat of the conversation finally cools down, he followed up something. ¡°As if I¡¯d let myself get locked up here for any longer than you¡¯d expect. I¡¯d finish this in just three days.¡± ¡°Oh really? The least I expect from you would be six days.¡± ¡°Heh, we¡¯ll see about that.¡± --- ¡°Congratulations on your first week here Fred!! HA HA HA!!¡± Fred had already resolved himself to get over his slump as soon as possible. But reality wouldn¡¯t let it happen. It had already been seven days since Seria confined Fred at her cabin to help him on his current crisis. He was offered with everything: healthy meals, sufficient resources, comfortable resting place. The isolation should have helped being a trigger to something within him. But the days have passed with the same happenings. He would wake up, eat his breakfast, then proceed to the studio upstairs. Sometimes he would go down and eat lunch. Otherwise, he would just spend the whole time camping at the studio reading several volumes of manga. There were days that he would push himself up late night. Seria would just lend him a blanket as he pull an all-nighter at the studio, yet still produce tons of crumpled papers. And to commemorate his seventh day at the cabin, Seria had been laughing around him for almost thirty minutes already. But it¡¯s not because he was a candidate for the longest tenureship. He was being made fun of because he placed a bet, and lost. ¡°HEY HEY!! WHAT IS IT THAT YOU¡¯RE SAYING SEVEN DAYS AGO? SPEAK UP! HA HA HA!!!¡± ¡°Quit it. I was almost there.¡± Fred couldn¡¯t deny it. The confidence he had a week ago turned 180 the moment he lost the bet. It was the price he had to pay for being an incompetent author and not meeting his self-declared deadline. ¡°So. Seven days. Not only you didn¡¯t meet your deadline, but you¡¯ve also exceeded my expectations. I¡¯ll give you a proper commendation once we get back.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t take another bet. Any more and I would be losing all of my pride already.¡± ¡°HA HA HA!! Whatever you say, you already lost.¡± Fred tried not to budge an inch. He steeled his resolve to get over his slump. He wouldn¡¯t let himself get distracted anymore. But the way Seria kept bugging him really gets to his nerves. So he tried to distract her from asking something related to his situation seriously. ¡°Hey, I know it¡¯s already been too late to ask this, but¡­ like¡­ what was the longest stay of an author here?¡± What Fred asked was something normal. Perhaps he was still hoping that he wouldn¡¯t beat a record holder of the longest slump ever in Seria¡¯s recorded work history. ¡°What a silly question. I¡¯m going to tell you this. Some authors go under slump for months. I¡¯ve housed somebody here for three, that¡¯s the worst. For you, a week might just be a start. If you could consistently keep up your current state, it could last for years at worst. I¡¯m going to tell you that.¡± ¡°No don¡¯t jinx it! Don¡¯t you dare!! The folks back at Ingrid¡¯s will already issue a search and rescue operation for me by then.¡± ¡°Hahaha!! Fine, fine. So, mind telling me what¡¯s bugging your mind? I might be able to do something. I mean¡­ regarding your slump.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s the problem¡­ Even I don¡¯t know the reason why.¡± Seria looked at Fred, which was looking like a helpless kid that¡¯s worrying over an unfinished assignment. He looked like he was about to lose his sanity anytime. A week¡¯s worth of immersing himself onto activities and try to get over his slump seemed to have backfired at him. She was already exhausting her options. At that moment she took a chance onto something. It was out of a whim, and she hadn¡¯t really resorted to it even for the previous authors she had brought. Each of them had their own circumstances. But usually after a certain amount of time they managed to get over their slumps, one by one. But Fred was different. He really was getting nowhere. Seria pulled out something on her pocket. It was an item that she snagged from Fred had been keeping for a week already. ¡°Heads up! Catch!¡± She threw it towards Fred. He almost missed it and dropped it. But he managed to joggle it with his two hands until he finally got ahold of it. It was a phone. It was his phone. Dumbfounded, Fred looked at Seria. He saw her at the front of the door already, planning to go out of the room. ¡°Two hours.¡± Seria gave Fred a time limit. It was not really a deadline of him getting over his slump. All she gave him was two hours of using his phone. She didn¡¯t say anything, nor did she limit his usage of it. She just gave it to him. Whatever he does, she wouldn¡¯t stop him or anything. ¡°Hey Seria.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Thanks. I won¡¯t let this chance slip.¡±
Ch14-3 63 Unread Messages V. 63 Unread Messages Modern Earth, 20xx+3 The cabin was not really in an isolated area so cellular coverage was not really a problem. In fact, a cellular tower was built on a neighboring hill. So getting coverage was just as normal as the city. That was why Seria snatched away Fred¡¯s phone at first. But why did she decide to give it back to Fred? In a work environment where an employee should dedicate his hundred-percent focus, things like these would only serve as a distraction. She also did not have any form of entertainment on her cabin. It was solely built for drawing out focus of any author she brought there. Yet Fred showed no sign of progress for a whole week. The fact that he hadn¡¯t had any progress was because he was getting mentally exhausted already. It was the best Seria could offer him. Now with his phone on his hand, Fred had been staring blankly on it for about five minutes already, not even turning on the display. ¡°Now¡­ What should I do with this? I¡¯m not very savvy with using this for research purposes. If I only had a laptop like Kyrie does¡­¡± Fred wandered onto his own again while still wasting the precious time Seria gave him, staring at his phone in hand. He debated himself whether to explore the phone¡¯s internet functions or to just lay it down and continue what he¡¯s currently doing. That had been his comfort zone for the past week. But being on that comfort zone of his, proved that he was getting nowhere. No no no no no! Seria entrusted me of utilizing this phone so I must not waste that chance. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s only the thing I could think of right now. But why now, of all times? She must have known that I¡¯m not really reliant on these sort of things. I can only see myself being distracted with checking who¡¯s looking for me back at Ingrid¡¯s.¡± He thought about it hard. ¡°Well I guess I really miss them that much too¡­¡± So he turned on the screen of the phone and checked his inbox. 63 unread messages Ingrid Ingrid Ingrid ¡­ ¡­ Ingrid ¡°Geh¡ª Seriously?¡± He started reading the messages. The first ten of them were like ¡®where are you?¡¯ and stuff with Ingrid¡¯s seemingly endless worry about where he was. Then it transitioned to stuff like ¡®if you¡¯re not going to come home then there won¡¯t be any beef stew left for your dinner¡¯, ¡®kyrie had camped at your studio right now, saying she will replace you as a top author if you won¡¯t reply¡¯, ¡®ara said she might consider her previous manager¡¯s offer if you won¡¯t come back soon¡¯ and other stuff that would need him to forcefully contact them. ¡°Heh. That¡¯s just what she says to bring me back¡­ Seriously, that Ingrid.¡± Then as he scrolled up he noticed a message with: ¡®Seria notified me that she had isolated you from civilization for the meantime. I¡¯m really worried. Are you fine there?¡¯ He took a time reading them one by one. For him, seeing Ingrid lower her guard like that would be a form of amusement. At least, every message has been stored at his phone so he might be able to use them to blackmail her for no reason at all. Just for fun. ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve really never seen her this worried before.¡± Well of course¡­ Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never really been at far places for too long away from them. That was a very first experience from Fred, at the time he spent on earth. It might be different if he was still the Maou at Mytherion because he had gotten really fond of the people who lived with him. Besides, the mentality he had from Mytherion compared what he had on earth was really different. So spending even a week from the people close to him here posed a different outcome to him than the months to years that he¡¯d be away from the demons from Mytherion. ¡°Am I really that lovable here? No no no! It¡¯s just the way Ingrid¡¯s been these past months turned 180. That¡¯s right. I can¡¯t let my ego grow.¡± Fred had reached her final five messages, which was sent about two days ago. It went as followed: >You sure are taking your time there, huh? Don¡¯t worry about us here, we¡¯re really just fine without you. In fact, Ara and Kyrie had been helping Anette for the past days. Don¡¯t take too much time there or your assistants might get snatched by your opponent. >Any progress? Are you still on your slump? Want me to head there and beat the shit out of it until you can finally draw a chapter that¡¯s just like you always do? Just tell me. >Am I already bothering you too much? Don¡¯t worry this will be my last message. You should focus. Keep it up. >I¡¯m sorry this will really be the last message I¡¯ll send. Just get over it already, I know you can do it. >I really miss you¡­ Dummy. Fred was blushing. He became too embarrassed to read them. ¡°Really¡­ I¡¯m going to give you a scolding once I got back. How can I even make fun of you if you¡¯re already like that? It¡¯s been just seven days. But for starters¡­¡± He dialed Ingrid¡¯s number. There was a long ringing, the phone must have been unattended. ¡°What, is she already asleep or something?¡± He dropped the call, thinking Ingrid was already sleeping. He wouldn¡¯t want to interrupt her from her slumber, or the role of the scolder-scolded might get switched. ¡°Well, I think the other two should still be working with Anemone at the moment. I won¡¯t try to bother them.¡± And that was it for his usage of the phone. He didn¡¯t really know how to use the phone¡¯s browser, nor do some technical stuff. He also didn¡¯t have any games anymore so he couldn¡¯t at least take a break and relax his mind even for just an hour or two. ¡°Well I guess I¡¯ll be back at my comfort zone.¡± He lay down the phone at the desk and continued reading. But then five minutes passed and his phone rang. -Ingrid ¡°Eh? Seriously?¡± He picked up the phone and answered. ¡°WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT¡¯S THE PLACE CALLED?! I¡¯LL BE THERE IN AN HOUR!!¡± ¡°Wha¡ªCalm down! Calm down hey!!¡± ¡°BUT!!¡± ¡°Ssssh!! I said calm down.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­¡± Fred managed to calm her down, but it resulted to a long dead air. Both of them were trying to come up with words to say to each other, or at least Ingrid, who had been out of herself for the longest time since Fred was out of her apartment complex. ¡°So, why couldn¡¯t you answer earlier?¡± ¡°L-l-like I¡¯m obliged to answer that?!¡± Unlike most of the cases, Fred took the chance to gain the upper hand on the conversation and he succeeded. ¡°So I¡¯m going to take it that you had a new tenant while I¡¯m away and had been catering to his needs while I¡¯m away. Is it a boy?¡± ¡°Okay fine I¡¯ll tell! Just don¡¯t get any wrong ideas!¡± Score! ¡°I¡­ I was¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine by me, just say it.¡± ¡°I WAS TAKING A BATH YOU DUMB FUCK!¡± Fred heard a [poof] as his face exploded from embarrassment upon hearing that. Forcing a girl to tell a guy that she just got out of bath had been triggering death flags for as long as he could remember from all of the mangas he had read. ¡°S-sorry. I wasn¡¯t really thinking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. You would see me out of the bath often anyways when we get married.¡± ¡°DON¡¯T DECIDE THAT ON YOUR OWN!¡ªI mean¡­ Whatever.¡± ¡°Hmp! So¡­ you¡¯ve got some nerve to pick on me, contacting me after that very long time you¡¯ve been gone.¡± Fred had an ¡®excuse me what?¡¯ face, nevertheless he explained his situation, and reminded Ingrid of what Seria has already told her. ¡°Sorry, it really was a short notice. I didn¡¯t expected I¡¯d get locked up too. Not to mention Seria tricked me to handing my phone over to her. As if I could reply to you given my current situation.¡± ¡°Hmmmm¡­ Well¡­ if that¡¯s the case there¡¯s nothing much I could do about it.¡± ¡°Besides, Seria explained my situation to you, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t settle down unless I hear it directly from you, though...¡± ¡°Well tha¡ªyou almost have a point. But can¡¯t you just believe Seria if she says so? Well in any case, I¡¯ll be really locked up here until I get over my slump.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°How long will it last?¡± ¡°I¡­ I still don¡¯t know.¡± Fred could only tell the truth, for he¡¯s the only one that would know best how he¡¯s doing at the moment. But he didn¡¯t need to fully elaborate what he¡¯s going through. Just a few words and Ingrid would know. ¡°I would like you to go home now as much as I need to breathe, but if it¡¯s for the sake of your goals, then I¡¯d be willing to wait for even a week more, or maybe even longer than that. Take all the time you need.¡± ¡°I know you would say that. That really made me feel better. I¡ªwhat I mean is, I¡¯ve already stressed myself enough for the past week, trying to end this slump. It¡¯s really refreshing, having somebody else to talk to.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, are you not talking to Seria there? Does she leave you alone for the whole day and go to her office?¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s here the whole time. But we really don¡¯t talk much. She really wanted me to focus. Who knows how much time I would tend to waste if I started a long conversation with him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Besides, the studio here is really packed with references that I couldn¡¯t help but submerge myself onto reading stuff. And¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it¡¯s been seven days already.¡± But instead of hearing an answer, there was another dead air. Fred wondered what happened so he looked at the screen of his phone. The call was still on so Ingrid might be either staring blankly thinking of a response, or doing something. But instead of an answer, Fred heard a loud FWOOSH!!-ing sound from the other line. It was not a static, but rather, a sound of a loud wind coming from a machine-like source and the phone was near it. Ingrid must have been near an electric fan or something. ¡°ZZZZZZZz¡ªrry¡ªZZZZZZ¡ªI¡¯ve¡ªZZZZZZ¡ªwer¡± The sound of the wind was so loud that Fred could only hear parts of what Ingrid said. It then gradually lowered and Ingrid started talking with not a clearer voice. ¡°Sorry I was drying my hair.¡± ¡°Ugh.. Can you not do that when talking to somebody over the phone?¡± ¡°Why, it¡¯s you anyways. I¡¯ll act as I like when I¡¯m with you. So¡­¡± Fred gulped. Ingrid¡¯s tone suddenly changed onto her daily teasing one. Fred was already used to it so he knew when she will be starting to tease him, again. ¡°Are you imagining me on the bath robe right now?¡± ¡°NO! STOP! DON¡¯T STUFF IN ANY WEIRD IDEAS ON MY HEAD! I STILL HAVE LOTS TO FINISH.¡± ¡°AHAHAHA!! Just kidding. I¡¯ll stop. Sorry about that.¡± ¡°I¡ªIt¡¯s fine. As long as you know.¡± ¡°Ah, going on, how long will this call last by the way?¡± ¡°To be honest, Seria was so generous to give me two hours.¡± ¡°Oh really? I guess I¡¯ll have to keep you company.¡± ¡°Eh? It¡¯s fine, really. I was just really just going to say hi. It¡¯s because the first thing I saw after I got my phone after a week was a spam on my mailbox. I¡¯m really planning to spend the rest of the two hours thinking again.¡± ¡°Eeh? Can¡¯t you just spend the whole two hours relaxing instead of stressing yourself again?¡± What Ingrid said wasn¡¯t really intended for Fred to realize something. It was just out of a whim. But Fred stopped talking. ¡°Fred? Heeeey, are you still there?¡± Fred was deep in thought. He had already forgotten Ingrid on the other side of the phone. ¡°Yoohoo, Fred. If just say so if you¡¯ll be busy again instead of leaving me hanging here.¡± ¡°Ah. Sorry¡­ what you said really got me. Perhaps that¡¯s what Seria really intended to do.¡± ¡°Eh? You really just figured it out now?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that editor of mine¡­ Hahaha! Besides¡­¡± ¡°Besides what?¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯m here and this happened, I¡¯ve remembered something similar that happened to me when I was back at Mytherion.¡± ¡°Oooh nice is this a story? Come on tell me, I¡¯m getting bored here already.¡± Fred remembered something from his past life. He had always been telling Ingrid stories of his experiences back at Mytherion. Some of those stories was used as references for the mangas he had been making. He lived for more than a century already, if compared to Earth¡¯s timeline. A normal human had a mind that would wear down for just a few decades. But being a demon, living a few centuries would be normal. It was only normal that Fred had tons of experience to share with Ingrid. Ingrid, on the other hand, chose to believe whatever story Fred had been telling her. Whether everything Fred has been telling her was true or lies from a delusional kid from the very beginning, she still chose to believe it. Her mind was already set to hearing every story the Fred was about to tell her even if they were composed of stories from centuries¡¯ worth of experience. ¡°Really, it¡¯s a long story. It would take me a whole night even if I start now. I wouldn¡¯t want Seria to catch us talking about something out of this world. I only got 2 hours you know.¡± ¡°Come on? Just a little bit of intro, please?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the sense? I won¡¯t leave you hanging with an unfinished story.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference on waiting for the next volume of the manga I¡¯m currently reading?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a point. But no. I¡¯ll tell it when I return. Besides¡­¡± ¡°Besides¡­?¡± Fred stopped for a bit. He really sounded like somebody who couldn¡¯t even accomplish something just about a week ago. But just after speaking for a few minutes with Ingrid over the phone, he now sounded like a newly reformed somebody, ready to face the new horizons. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ll tell you when I get back.¡± ¡°Eh?!! Seriously what you did is just worse than what we¡¯re talking earlier!¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re going to have to wait until I get back there.¡± ¡°You jerk! You don¡¯t even know how much longer you will stay there! When will you even get back?!¡± ¡°Soon.¡± Fred didn¡¯t say anything anymore. He just dropped the phone. He was quite guilty about what he did, but the he knew it would be better to do something while the thought still lingered on him. Hmmm. I wonder how much time do I have left? Fred checked on his phone again, it was just past fifteen minutes since Seria went out of the room. He still had much time. It just happened that he was able to realize why Seria decided to lend him his phone. But it wouldn¡¯t really happen if he didn¡¯t check on Ingrid¡¯s spam of messages. It was a chain of events that triggered one after another. Perhaps it was just a bet that Seria had to rely on, since they were really reaching nowhere. Fred felt the need to thank Seria about it later on. But that moment Fred wanted to let out some words; words that he was embarrassed to say directly to Ingrid just a few moments ago. ¡°Thanks, Ingrid.¡± The night sky was clear. It might be because the place was that far from the city that he was able to see the clear starry sky and the moon at the window near his working spot. ¡°It was a fine night like this too, when that happened. How many decades had it been? I nearly forgot due to how busy things were here. This is only my third year here and I¡¯m that forgetful already? Damn, being a human sure have lots of cons. On my way back to Mytherion I¡¯d like to make a stopover at the void and kick that irresponsible god¡¯s ass for once.¡± Fred closed the window. He went near the drawer and gathered some materials. He was ready to work again. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve worked alone. It sure is quiet.¡± The faces of those living at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex flashed at him, Ara, Kyrie and even Anemone. Lastly a memory flashed within him. It was that time when he was making his award-winning oneshot. He remembered the face Ingrid was making that moment about two years ago. She was looking at no other than Fred. She wanted to help him, but at the same time she couldn¡¯t. Her expression looked painfully worried, like she was saying things like ¡®if I could only¡­¡¯ or ¡®isn¡¯t there something I can do?¡¯ Perhaps that time Fred had had the same helplessness as he currently having from the scene he remembered. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make a face like that. I¡¯ll manage on my own.¡ªis what I said that time, huh? I guess It¡¯s different now¡­ I¡¯ve become too dependent to them. You won¡¯t know the value of somebody when they¡¯re gone, huh?¡± Fred started sketching and used the remaining time Seria gave him to unwind. --- ¡°Whoah¡­ I just left you for two hours. I didn¡¯t expect you to finish these.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. Do you have something sweet?¡± Fred looked at Seria like his soul was about to pop out from his shell. At the desk were scattered pages with sketches on them. ¡°These¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re next chapter¡¯s storyboards. Sorry I couldn¡¯t do much. They¡¯re quite a mess, I¡¯ll arrange them in order after I¡¯ve eaten something. Please. I¡¯m dying.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Fine fine.¡± Seria walked to the door to head downstairs. Again, she stopped for a bit to say something. This time it was to congratulate Fred. ¡°See? You can do it if you try. Good job, Fred.¡± Fred skipped two meals already. He was already in no shape to talk with Seria. That¡¯s why he asked her to at least give him something sweet. He still managed to rough-sketch several pages of his target chapter so Seria offered him a little service. After recovering a bit of his energy, Fred managed to arrange the order of the scattered pages and had Seria scan through them. ¡°What can I say¡­ Well this will absolutely sell. Care to tell me what happened? What did you do?¡± ¡°Tcheh. Playing innocent won¡¯t get you anywhere. After you set me up to give Ingrid a call. Of course it should sell. I¡¯d die if it won¡¯t. After a long time, I¡¯ve produced something I could brag with confidence to you.¡± ¡°HA HA HA!! You can try to accuse me of anything you want. Well, do you want to take return already? if this is all for your next upload I¡¯ve pretty much approved it. Congratulations, you¡¯ve already gotten over your slump.¡± ¡°Nah, I think I¡¯ll stay here for a day more and ink some pages. There¡¯s something I want to try with my style too. Also I might do sudden changes on the last minute. I¡¯d just want to bring home something for them to finish with a very minimal effort, considering the trouble I¡¯ve caused them.¡± ¡°Trying to shoulder everything, huh? You can try some things but don¡¯t make any distinct changes that would stand out. I won¡¯t allow it.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Seria looked at her author to assess his current condition. Fred was already worn out. He looked like he thinned and it was way more noticeable than an itsy bit. His eye bags were horrendous too. He was absolutely in no condition to do it any further. He was just being carried by his feelings of accomplishment. ¡°But I won¡¯t allow you to work anymore tonight. Rest and do it tomorrow.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Fred laid his head at the desk, half-asleep. It might be the coldness of the polished wooden desk that calmed him down. He was still responding to Seria, but it was only by reflex. Still, Seria continued to talk to him. ¡°They say people who just got out of their slump tend to have drastic changes. I say you¡¯ve changed for good. But don¡¯t push yourself to your limits. Take proper pacing.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± ¡°Seriously. All these babysitting you this past seven days drove me at the edge too. I took the slimmest chance. Then you went on and exceeded my expectations.¡± ¡°I¡­ did?¡± ¡°Yeah. At this point I could already say that I don¡¯t want to lose a talented author like you. I mean it.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Seria still had things to say but she noticed Fred started snoring. He was already deep asleep. She stood up, approached the sleeping Fred, and gave him a fireman¡¯s carry. He was really in a deep sleep that he wouldn¡¯t bother waking up even at an uncomfortable position. Before she left the room she noticed something at the desk. It was Fred¡¯s phone. She went to get it while still carrying the unconscious Fred. She knew the password of the phone. She lit up the screen of the phone and immediately went to the call history. She went out of her way to do it because she needed confirmation. ¡°So all it needed was a call from you, huh? Maybe I should give you a souvenir or something when we get back as a thanks. Good job, Ingrid.¡± --- Fred finished packing up his things, though he didn¡¯t really bring that much with him, these items still fit his small sling bag. Of course they would be a bunch of sketch tools. These were the only things that Fred grabbed because he didn¡¯t have any idea he would be confined and it would last for more than a week. All was good. It¡¯s time to go. Fred headed downstairs and towards the living room. The door was already open. It was just a day ago when the door was still locked. But now it was already open, and all he needed to do to get his freedom back was to step outside, smell he fresh air, and bask himself under the sunlight. He took a step and covered his face with the shade of his hand. He looked at the place where the car was parked. Seria was at the hood section, checking the car¡¯s engine like she was some sort of mechanic holding a wrench with her left hand. Fred shouted instead of approaching her and having a normal quiet conversation. ¡°You just loaned that car and there are already problems with it?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just maintenance! Hey! As long as it runs!¡± Seria gave him a smirk. Fred gave up and just let Seria take the steering wheel both of the car and his life. He then approached the car and lift up the trunk cover. He put his luggage there and slammed the lid down, accidentally triggering the engine to start and make a normally operating car. ¡°Oops, didn¡¯t mean to. Sorry.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Don¡¯t mind it. Anyways, you sure you¡¯ve packed everything already?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m good to go.¡± Fred looked at the cabin. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll be missing this place.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± ¡°HA HA HA!! OF COURSE YOU WILL! I¡¯LL BET ON IT! I¡¯LL DOUBLE THE BET ON YOU RETURNING HERE TOO! HA HA HA!! ... Now hop on the car I¡¯ll just give the cabin a final check before we go.¡± Fred didn¡¯t argue anymore. He went inside the car and strengthen the cooler. He then lay his body comfortably at the backseat and listened to the sound of the car alone. ¡°I¡¯m finally coming home, huh? For a human mind, a week sure is a long time, huh¡­¡± Fred didn¡¯t notice that he already fell asleep.
Ch15-1 Ara’s Decision I VI.Ara¡¯s Decision Ara (aneki), Modern Earth, 20xx+3 ¡°MMMMMmmm¡­ MMmmmm¡­.¡± ¡°¡ªup!! ¡­ke¡ªup!! Aneki!! Wake up!!¡± ¡°Urrrrgh¡­ Let me rest for a bit longer. Is that you, Imouto-chan? Don¡¯t¡­ Let me rest a bit more¡­ Please¡­¡± Consciousness. It¡¯s the only thing that¡¯s keeping us together. Dissociative Identity Disorder. That¡¯s how the doctors call it. For common people it¡¯s called split personality. ¡°Wake up!! Aneki, wake up!! Ara-Ara¡¯s going to tag out! I won¡¯t be of any help in the current situation!!¡± ¡°You¡­ Please be useful even for every once in a while¡­ Ugh¡­ I haven¡¯t slept for a while, dealing with stuff here and there. Only the two of us have been useful with Fred lately. And even though third¡¯s aware of the situation with manager, I could only entrust this task to the both of us. Please let me rest a bit more.¡± ¡°Uwaaaah¡­¡± This would be how I should describe how it goes within this girl¡¯s consciousness: A typical setting of a small living room surrounded by four walls and being covered by a ceiling. There were pillows of colors red, pink and yellow; which aren¡¯t really my favorite ones, scattered everywhere. These pillows were set-up like that for us to rest and sleep. It should be fine enough as a resting place for us. But if somebody would insist, we could take turns on sleeping on Ara¡¯s real bed at her unit anyways. It was a completely shut room. There wasn¡¯t any single door or window or anything we could use to get out. But at a single wall, there was a huge television-like screen placed which projects what supposedly the girl¡¯s two eyes could see. As half-sleep as I was, I still tried to peek at what¡¯s happening at the real world that moment. I could only surmise that Fred is having a problem with completing the targets for his release. It had been becoming normal lately and I was sure he would be able to get by. Knowing that I had imouto take care of the rest. I felt sorry for the literally childish-looking-and-acting imouto version of me, crying and panicking over what she would do once she gets tagged out. But the third Ara already set house rules for us. Initially when it was just the two of us, it¡¯s a brutally study till you drop, play till you drop and live till you drop. Then tag out when you don¡¯t want any more way of living for the two of us. The big screen still wasn¡¯t there so it was really just a cold dark room, and a persona inside of her resting should know nothing of whatever the other was doing. After the third Ara came, we suddenly shared consciousness. The big screen appeared at the wall, so now we could watch over what the persona outside does. We now also had distinguishable looks compared to before. Now imouto had the distinct childish vibe and look at her. I, the aneki, had a distinguished mature and clever look within me; and I seemed to have a longer hair compared to the girl¡¯s usual short-cut bob. The third Ara had the closest look to how the girl normally looked at the outside real world. I was guessing that¡¯s how Fred and the others look at us. ¡°No more abusing of each other. We will be spending time outside equally. Whenever it¡¯s your time out, then accomplish what the girl ¡®Ara¡¯ needs to do, okay?¡± ¨Cis what the third said to us. It was true. A human¡¯s state of mind is a fragile thing. Instead of wearing down the girl¡¯s mental state with just a single persona, it¡¯s better to share the stress with the three of us. That way she wouldn¡¯t wear down her mental state that much. That¡¯s how I thought it works. ¡°Listen¡­¡± The panicking imouto could actually manage herself if she tried. She really just lacked the confidence. That¡¯s just how she worked. She needed a little push. I pushed myself up and crawled towards her in a daring position. I could use my mature-looking body in giving her a fan-service before she got tagged out. I placed the tip of my finger to her chins, and slowly guided her face towards mine, close enough for the both of us to feel the heat of each other¡¯s breath. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll give you a little service whenever it¡¯s just the two of us here again.¡± POOF!! Of course the place was just an imaginary world, so it should be fine for us to produce comic-like expressions like an outburst of hot steam coming from imouto¡¯s flustered face. That can¡¯t be helped. Just a close-up view from my face could quickly send her to heavens. That¡¯s how I made her to be. ¡°A¡ªare you sure about that?...¡± ¡°You¡¯re still doubting. How many times have I failed you already?¡± ¡°I¡­ none¡­ Aaaaaaargh! Fine! Don¡¯t blame me for what happens next, okay?! It¡¯s fine now Ara-ara! Switch me out.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Ah by the way I¡¯ve left a note at the table at our living room! It¡¯s got instructions. Just follow them.¡± ¡°Hmp!¡± POOF!! And now she literally poofed out and turned to smoke instantly. ¡°Jeez. What have you promised out little Ara again?¡± ¡°Noooone of your business.¡± The third appeared and talked to me. I¡¯ve really hated the way she just appeared out of nowhere and changed how things went. I¡¯ve always managed to hold the fort by myself with just the two of us. But as much as I hated it, things really went better after she came. It made me feel like all those years I¡¯ve worked on hard were for naught. But not really. That¡¯s why I still really haven¡¯t opened up to her that much unlike imouto. She appeared so suddenly and started doing thing both of us could. I¡¯ve been fond of existing and I had been sure it¡¯s the same for imouto too. At that point she might manage so be just the sole Ara and the two of us wouldn¡¯t want to cease existing so suddenly. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t force you if you won¡¯t tell. It¡¯s not like imouto¡¯s not telling anything when I ask her. Guess I¡¯ll just have to pull out stuff from her.¡± ¡°Tsk. That ever-stupid imouto.¡± For some reason I¡¯ve always wondered why she didn¡¯t seem to get affected with how narcissistic the two of us, imouto and aneki versions, have been. It hates me to think that the dirty moves that I use on imouto wasn¡¯t really effective on her. It felt like the years I¡¯ve trained being a hostess were for nothing. ¡°So, you¡¯re leaving the matter with the manager to her?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ So please¡­ just let me rest, even for just half a day. I¡¯ll catch up to her real-quick and deal with the matters left. I swear I¡¯ll cover up whatever things she¡¯ll blow up. Besides¡­¡± I really wouldn¡¯t count on third with regards to the matter with the girl¡¯s previous work. That¡¯s just a part me being a brat. But I never really wanted imouto to deal with those things too. It was my fault to begin with so I¡¯d rather just deal with it myself. But¡­ ¡°She might have to know it too, sooner or later¡­ I¡¯d really feel bad if she would hate me after she knew it and it¡¯s already too late. Talking again with the manager really pushed me to decide. You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± The situation rendered me useless. The exhaustion I¡¯ve got due to dealing with stuff from my current and previous work already reached the point where I couldn¡¯t be efficient already. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll keep watch here while you sleep.¡± Really¡­ that attitude of yours really irritate me. ¡°You know we¡¯re inside the girl¡¯s consciousness, right? There¡¯s nothing you can hide here, even your thoughts.¡± I was careless. But at least she had an idea of what I¡¯m trying to get say: that she¡¯s the type that¡¯s too kind to always meddle with somebody else¡¯s issues even when unneeded. What¡¯s more was she¡¯s doing it halfheartedly but efficiently. I didn¡¯t even bother answering. Every second counted and each second wasted meaning I¡¯ve wasted my precious little time to rest. I closed my eyes. And even though it was just an imaginary world formed for the sole purpose of housing the girl¡¯s different personas, I still wished to sleep normally, like the way I could if ever it¡¯s my turn outside the real world to sleep at a real comfy bed and dream about several fantasies the girl was yearning. But as I close my eyes it was just utter darkness. Each of us might know we¡¯re already resting but since it¡¯s just darkness, we feel empty once we wake up to check what¡¯s up at the real world. --- Ara(imouto) UWAAAAAH¡­ I really felt bad for Ara-ara. After all that effort she put in to this¡­ I looked at the several pieces of crumpled paper that Fred threw towards the bin. I felt the frustration even worse than what Ara-ara did. It was her dedicated effort being wasted up front. Would someone ever want to pay a huge sum of money for a vip seat just to see his team lose? I¡¯ll make sure to complete whatever tasks Fred asks me to so I can make both of them proud. ALRIGHT LET¡¯S GO!! ¡°UWAAAAAH!! That¡¯s work I spent my energy to, sent right to oblivion!! Noooo!!¡± I looked at Fred. I didn¡¯t excel at reading somebody¡¯s thoughts so I looked at Fred and tried to bet on what his decisions will be. For my basis: I¡¯ve always been watching whenever somebody out here doing assistant jobs for Fred. There had been times where he just suddenly wanted to take a rest and dismisses and still pays us a day¡¯s worth of work. He¡¯s telling both Kyrie and us that it was just another unproductive day of work, and then he usually gets over it the next day around. What I bet on was: the day would just be another unproductive way, which he really confirmed. ¡°Sorry. Promise I¡¯ll give you guys a bonus after we finish this chapter. Just please bear with me.¡± HOOOORAAAAY!! NOTHING TO DO FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!! LUCKY!!! All was set, it would just be another free day to spend, lazing around at my unit, until I tire myself out, and sleep at a comfy bed. But when I thought I¡¯ve been freed from the shackles of a busy day, I¡¯ve remembered a very important thing aneki asked me to do. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll give you a little service whenever it¡¯s just the two of us here again.¡± SLUUUUUR¡­. For me that¡¯s the only important thing that I should remember. Of course I remembered her asking about some notes at the desk in the living room. It was something about the Ara¡¯s previous work from before we got recruited by Fred. That ¡®previous work¡¯ I really wasn¡¯t allowed to know much. Kyrie already an activity on her hand to keep herself from being ¡®bored¡¯. She seemed to already be prepared just in case the situation happened. I need to copy Kyrie but I¡¯ll change the way it sounds so it won¡¯t look like I copied it. ¡°I was just shocked a while ago. Sorry Fred¡­ Uhm¡­, to be honest there¡¯s still this something that aneki tasked me with. So I¡¯ll take on your offer and head out now. I promise I¡¯ll help you next week.¡± After a few more exchange, Fred finally released us. The two of us went out of the door. ¡°Humu. Well at least we have more time for today. What do you think.¡± Hm¡­? Hmmm¡­??? HMMMMMMMM¡­.????!! I found it odd. Kyrie wouldn¡¯t use the studio¡¯s front door for a normal day. That¡¯s why there had been two doors constructed at the left and the right sides of Fred¡¯s studio. It connects the studio to either of Fred¡¯s and Kyrie¡¯s room. I racked my brain up to come up for a reason why Kyrie used the front door. She said that she would do something with Anemone¡¯s. For normal days she would just pass through Fred¡¯s unit and use his balcony to barge in Anemone¡¯s unit. She¡¯s already done it several times and Fred already listed it as a normal event. If she would just go home, then she would just use the door and directly enter her unit. ¡°Uhm¡­ Ky-Ky-Kyrie¡­-chan?¡± ¡°Humu. Lead the way.¡± HMMMMMMMM¡­.????!! ¡°I-I thought you¡¯ll head to Anemone¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Humu. That¡¯s imouto-mode for you. It will take time to explain things to you. So for starters, why don¡¯t we head to your unit?¡± HMMMMMMMM¡­.????!! ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­? heh¡­heh¡­heh¡­¡± Teardrops run down my face as I saw her suddenly holding her harisen which was supposedly not there just a few moments ago. Seeing a weapon which was purposely invented for another person flaunted in front of you wouldn¡¯t make me feel any comfortable. Especially, it was Kyrie. She would do anything to ease her boredom even if it¡¯s hitting a defenseless girl like me for fun. ¡°Humu. Let¡¯s go, shall we?¡± ¡°Y-YES!!!¡±
Ch15-2 Aras Decision II VII. Ara¡¯s Decision II Ara(imouto) How would somebody define being normal? The girl named Ara that acted as a host for the three of us: her split personalities, was in no doubt, not normal. But considering the different personalities, I could consider myself the most normal. I mean, the third would be one, but she¡¯s too normal to be considered one. She¡¯s way too qualified that it¡¯s already bugging me. For me I still consider myself just as an average normal imouto persona. I could be both cute, cuddly and klutz at the same time. Being that character that couldn¡¯t accomplish most of the tasks given to her without assistance; being the one to worry the most about the slightest things; and most of all being the cute childish-like character despite the age, should be the set criteria to be one. These criteria shouldn¡¯t be forced or acted out. It should just come out natural. It had always been that way since I was swapped out after being asleep for a long and met Fred at a certain night at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex. As time passed by I gradually accepted what meant to be a ¡®normal¡¯ imouto. HMMMMM???!!!! I stared at the door of my apartment unit. It was the third unit at the first floor beside Landlady Ingrid¡¯s unit. I stared at the door, feeling threatened due to the object that¡¯s pressing at my lower back. I put on the key, unlocked the door, and slowly entered. ¡°Uwaaah¡­ Kyrie can you stop picking on me already? I still got stuff to do¡­¡± ¡°Humu. Yeah that¡¯s why I¡¯m here, because that stuff you need to do. I¡¯d get bored easily at Anemone¡¯s anyway.¡± ¡°No¡­ please¡­ Just let me be at peace already¡­ uuu¡­¡± I was just a normal imouto that wanted to live a normal day before I got swapped out. I could¡¯ve screamed for help from Landlady Ingrid but she might be busy too and I didn¡¯t have the guts to do it. It was really a 50/50 gamble where my supposedly savior could turn out to be another threat instantly. But I just wanted to have this day pass without any more events other than the pending task aneki gave me. So I tried to plead for Kyrie to shift her boredom relief goods from me to another one. ¡°O-Okay¡­ Okay, just put down the harisen, and I¡¯ll listen to everything you want me to do for today so just please let me be after this¡­ uuu¡­¡± ¡°Humu. Better.¡± After being released from impending critical hit from her harisen, I lay down my restless body at the couch at the middle of the living room. There I say from the small table at my front, a small folded note which should be what aneki was talking about. It should contain some instructions and guides for talking with the ¡®manager¡¯ from her previous work. I never really had any solid information from my previous work since the people around me who knew it refrained from talking too much. They wouldn¡¯t want a pure imouto like me to know. I might be an airhead most of the time but I could at least think that it¡¯s not something one could proudly talk about. Jeez¡­ Aneki¡­ CLACK! I suddenly heard the sound of some glassware-like materials hitting each other. I was too focused at looking on the paper that I didn¡¯t noticed Kyrie setting up a tea-set at the mini table. She was already helping herself with preparing some tea. But most importantly¡­ ¡°Where did you even managed to pull that tea set?!!!¡± ¡°Humu. I have stored one at your storage closet. Haven¡¯t you ever noticed?¡± ¡°UWAAAH!!! Don¡¯t sneak up your things at my unit! I don¡¯t even cook!!¡± ¡°Humu. Too bad. Maybe I could teach you next time.¡± I scratched my head. Every act she was bringing up had a tendency to scare me even more. I¡¯m being too scared of her that It wouldn¡¯t even let me muster up courage to ask her why she suddenly wanted to use me as a ¡®today¡¯s subject to ease boredom¡¯ instead of either Fred or Anemone. UWAAAAAAH¡­ just please leave already¡­ ¡°Hmmm¡­ Why are you so scared? To be honest you can drive me away by force if you could only try.¡± Eh? Really?!! Am I really that strong? NO-NO-NO!! Don¡¯t get fooled. I¡¯ll just be whacked with her harisen!! ¡°Th-then why are you even here? I just want to rest already.¡± ¡°If only that¡¯s what you¡¯ll really do after this. But that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. Humu. Where¡¯s aneki? Why are you the one that¡¯s out?¡± She was always so sharp about things. But still she didn¡¯t have to be so straightforward about it. She could have let me gather up my thoughts to answer. She should know that I wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with answers immediately. ¡°Uwaaaah. Kyrie-chan you¡¯re scaring meeeeee¡­¡± She pursued no longer, or so I thought. I heard the sound of the electric kettle. She finished heating up water. She stood up and approached it. She then preparing the tea and waited for a while. After it was ready she then started pouring it at the two cups at the small table. It was like about five to ten minutes of silence between us. I could only watch her a she did her routine at my living room. ¡°Siiip¡­ Fuuu-haaaa. Humu. It tastes better, every day. So. Aren¡¯t you going to read that note?¡± UWAAAAH SHE KNOWS!! ¡°Eh¡­ Heeeh? What would you be talking about?¡± ¨CI failed to dodge her successfully. ¡°Humu. I knew something was up already right after your statement at Fred¡¯s.¡± Ah. Crap. I messed up. It was just an excuse I made in attempt to copy Kyrie. She didn¡¯t need to take it seriously. ¡°Bu-but how?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°You see, aneki really have always dealt with this matter carefully. Even Fred and Landlady. If you would only remember that moment Fred and I have given your aneki some time to think about it before making her decision¡­¡± I remembered seeing it from the room. That moment when Fred talked to aneki personally about the matter with manager. Aneki accepted their offer and got all the time herself to think about it. That moment I found it unusual for Kyrie not to talk that much. But now it¡¯s entirely different. I¡¯ve only known her as the person who¡¯s really quick on the uptake and wouldn¡¯t want to get out of the loop. She would do anything to meddle with other¡¯s matters as long as it piqued her curiosity or she needed to cure her boredom. The way she talked to much scared me more. That¡¯s how she worked. The way she had been talkative showed she was about to do things the way that suits her style. ¡°I just find it way unusual that she let you handle things at the most crucial time. Tell me, did something happened?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± She looked like she was willing to wait for an answer however how long it took, even though I kept being silent. And she waited for me. That¡¯s precious time given for me to recollect my thoughts. She was probably waiting for an explanation as to why I, the imouto, was out to deal with the matter instead of aneki herself. ¡°She¡¯s resting. She¡¯s sick.¡± ¡°Hoooh¡­ I see. Then the folded paper must be some instructions prepared for you.¡± ¡°H-how did you know?¡± ¡°Humu. You practically gave away your situation.¡± GASP!! ¡°I-i-impossible!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get startled too much. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t , I¡¯m actually here to help.¡± How did she find out? Does her brain know no bounds? Is she actually an esper? Hmmmm¡­ eh?¡ª ¡°Eh?¡± She actually stated that she¡¯s willing to help. I was delighted and felt so blessed. All of those thinking (not really) that worried me earlier vanished when I realized I will be getting a full-hands assistance from the so-ever-great Kyrie. So shivering with excitement, I smashed the teacup at the desk and crawled up to her with glittering eyes of relief and attempted to hug her. ¡°KYYYYRIEEEE-CHAAAAAAN¡± ¡°Fine, fine. Keep your distance or I¡¯ll smash that face with this weapon(harisen). Just a single tap on the X-button could send you flying back to your couch.¡± ¡°Hiiiii!! Okay, okay. Just please¡­¡± ¡°So. Aren¡¯t you gonna read it?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah!¡± I grabbed the paper lying at the desk and unfolded it. It was folded so many times that it shrunk that size. I was amazed that aneki have the strength to shrink this paper to a size you could hide with your palms. Wait it¡¯s my body too at the first place so I could also this too. Well so much for that useless thought¡­, here it goes. I checked on what¡¯s written on the paper: My dearest imouto, Nothing much. Just visit Manager. Here¡¯s the address: ¡­ ¡­ It would just be a train to the city. Go there and talk to the manager. He¡¯s got a lot to say to you. PS, your resting aneki. ¡°Please don¡¯t make it sound like you¡¯re going to disappear. What would I do without you.¡± I murmured it at a low volume but was quite sure that Kyrie heard it. ¡°Ah¡­ About the letter. Really, nothing much was written, just an address. Also it seems like who the manager wants to talk to was actually¡­ was actually me?¡± ¡°Humu¡­ Then?¡± ¡°Then what? I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never even met him in personal. How would I know what to do?¡± ¡°But you just host the same body. Don¡¯t you share the same memories too?¡± ¡°That¡­ uh¡­¡± I hesitated for a bit, but it¡¯s no use hiding everything from Kyrie, now even more that she¡¯s shifted her interest into our situation. ¡°I guess¡­ Bu-but in any case, this would be my very first time meeting him in person. Never did I know what kind of job aneki had for these past years before we became Fred¡¯s assistant.¡± ¡°Humu. Seems like you¡¯re not lying too. I guess we¡¯ll just have to go check it out.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± --- Kyrie suddenly pulled out a tumbler out of nowhere. She was like a magician that¡¯s way too ridiculous with her tricks. ¡°Would you mind to have some tea?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­ Really, I just had one a while ago¡­¡± ¡°Humu. Okay then.¡± Eeeh? Is she gonna be okay after drinking that much tea? I wonder if she has a bottomless stomach. Wondering how she was able to handle drinking tea like water, I also wondered how was she able to do it with the very limited time we had at the train we¡¯re riding. It was not like the trains that travels for days. Would she be able to finish it until we reached our target station? Also what if she suddenly had the urge to pee? It was a weekend so there really weren¡¯t much people riding the train. Inside the cabin it was just us two, a lone male at the corner, and a granny sitting near us, sleeping. ¡°Granny, you want some?¡± ¡°Oh why, thank you.¡± Kyrie suddenly asked the sitting grandma besides her instead. What¡¯s even more surprising was the grandma accepting it. Now it was the two of them sipping a late afternoon tea leisurely. Eeh seriously? She¡¯s already this used to having tea with somebody to the extent that she wouldn¡¯t be able to sip one peacefully without somebody to accompany her? Seriously??? Isn¡¯t that¡­ like¡­ taking this tea-ceremony to another level?!!! I looked at them enjoy their respective cups like they we¡¯re seated at the balcony. But suddenly Kyrie¡¯s blissful face turned pale. She then shivered a bit and poured the contents of her cup back at her tumbler. She then stared blankly into the space like she wouldn¡¯t be bothered even if a kaiju suddenly appeared out of nowhere and a battle between monsters and robot mechas stuff that took place near us. Siiigh¡­ That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been telling you from the get-go. Wa-wa-wait!! Isn¡¯t this bad? How long are we from the next station? Does this mini train even have a portable toilet? ¡°K-kyrie-chan? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Humu. Auto-pilot has been enabled. Please refrain from distracting the vessel.¡± ¨Ca monotone answer. ¡°E-Eeeeh?... Fi-fine then¡­ Just¡­¡ª nothing. We¡¯re near the terminal station.¡± I didn¡¯t finish the sentence because it was Kyrie. And for the sake of her and her reputation alone, I¡¯ve kept the words within me. Thankfully we¡¯ve reached the station safely. Kyrie immediately rushed towards the nearest comfort room. I waited outside for a few minutes until I heard a faint flushing of water inside. A few more moments and Kyrie popped out from the door. ¡°Humu. We¡¯re already at the station? Since when?¡± Hmmmm??? ¡°Well anyways. Let¡¯s go.¡± --- If it was just me then I wouldn¡¯t make it out of the big city unharmed. I would probably get lost, found myself in a dangerous place, lost some things, get ran over by vehicles or even worse. But I found myself safe, being with Kyrie. Same goes with being with Fred or Landlady Ingrid. ¡°Geez, how did Aneki be able to work at this kind of environment? There are too many people. Uwaaaaah there are people everywhere!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you still have no idea how incapable you could be? Humu.¡± ¡°Hey that¡¯s harsh! Hmp.¡± But regardless, I felt safe with Kyrie being with me. I could follow instructions as long as it¡¯s aneki¡¯s. I doubt I would get lost even if I was just by myself, but having somebody accompany me made me feel at ease. But as we strolled the city and get closer to our destination all that ease turned into anxiety. The place really had the dangerous ambiance and seemed like a place where we shouldn¡¯t belong. A ¡®child-like incapable grown-up¡¯ and an ¡®actually capable but child-looking¡¯ combination to walk at a street full of red lights. It would be like a mother and daughter deer lost in a lion¡¯s den. Regardless, we still needed to reach the place whatever it takes. I needed to hold out until aneki finally wakes up. ¡°Hey Kyrie-chan¡­ Hey¡­ will we be able to apply Landlady Ingrid¡¯s self-defense training just in case something happens?¡± ¡°Shush. Forget it. We make a run for it if things turn for worse. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll leave you behind.¡± ¡°Kyrie-chaaaaaan...¡± I could feel the stare of the people. There were a lot of them. But rather than looking at the both of us, I felt like the gazes were just focused entirely on me. I confirmed that I was still walking with Kyrie by touching her shoulders, looking like the scaredy-cat kid. But rather than the feeling of being hunted, it felt different. Those gazes were something similar. And it felt nostalgic. Ah¡­ That must be it. It took a while to sink in. Little did they knew about how the girl named Ara worked inreality. What they were seeing was ¡®Ara¡¯ regardless of whether it¡¯s the one persona or the other. The Ara that aneki built was a known figure within the district. She must have constantly crawled up her reputation within the area even though her line of work wasn¡¯t really something worth bragging. Now I felt like I need to apologize to her when I get back¡­ BUMP!! ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Humu. We¡¯re here.¡± I looked at the establishment and confirmed with my very own existence the occupation that aneki previously had with this body when she forcefully swapped me out to rest and become unaware of everything. ¡°So¡­ It was true¡­¡± ¡°Humu.¡± It was then we both heard a lovely voice of a woman that approached us. ¡°Oh my¡­ Ara¡­ Is that you??¡± I jumped at Kyrie¡¯s back and forcefully hid myself. Yes, I forcefully hid my huge still-growing body behind a girl that¡¯s size wasn¡¯t even close to my build. ¡°Oh my god! Ara it¡¯s really you!! GUUUUUYS!!!¡± And just a bit of a call all these daring-looking ladies swarmed us in an instant. There were seven of them, including the one that called. They sure gave us a grand welcome, enough to get the attention of everyone outside the street. UWAAAH Aneki, how did you even manage to be like a public figure here? ¡°Ah- wait! Wait!! I¡¯m not¡­ Please, don¡¯t swarm me!! UWAAAAH!! Kyrie-chan? Where are you? Don¡¯t leave me like this!! Kyrie-chaaaaan help!!! WAAAAAH!!¡± And just like that I was immediately swallowed and taken away by the crowd towards the establishment.
Ch15-3 Aras Decision III VIII. Ara¡¯s Decision III Uwaaaah¡­ where did Kyrie-chan go? That might be the end of line for her assistance. Trying to remember what she really said when she told me she would help me wasn¡¯t really going to help. I knew she could handle being at the city pretty well. Even though she got separated from me she would be able to get back at the apartment complex in one piece. But I still felt the loss of trust when she suddenly broke herself out of the commotion a while ago. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­ But it seems like you really got the wrong person¡­¡± ¡°No, no no. Don¡¯t try to fool us. Actually you can¡¯t fool us! Actually are you trying to prank us?¡± The one I was directly talking to was called Miri. She seemed to be close to Aneki when she was still working at the pub since she was the one trying to talk to me too much. She and three others were the ones talking to me, while the other three were cleaning the establishment as it was about to open. Miri¡­ Yuki¡­ Sarah¡­ Errr¡­ Jane? And the others¡­ Uh¡­ Uwaaaaah!!! Those were the names I recalled. Perhaps it was not their real names, but rather aliases. I tried to recall all of them but I couldn¡¯t. There was really no point in introductions anymore. I was supposed to know them all anyways since aneki and I shared the same body. Aneki might be bad at names too since there were only few I could recall. ¡°Say, can you tell us about your new work?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard you are now working at some kind of press company!¡± ¡°No it¡¯s a publishing company, get your facts straight dummy.¡± ¡°So, how is it? How¡¯s your new boss? Are you being well?¡± ¡°Are you being treated well?¡± ¡°Are you eating well?¡± ¡°Are you married already?¡± ¡°Are you still a virgin?¡± The continued and continued to swarm me with questions from about the time I spent away from them. I¡¯ve been working with Fred already for two years already and that was already a lot of time away from them. And that¡¯s how far my mind went. After that my eyes swirled due to the massive questions. I went to auto-pilot mode, staring at them as they kept on squeeze out stories from me. ¡°Say. What happened to you? Rather, who are you?¡± The one that killed the auto pilot mode in me was the girl in the name of Miri. Oh god she¡¯s sharp! Kyrie-chaaaan heeeeeelp!! Perhaps she was really close to Aneki when they were still working. I could only give a blind guess about how close they were. Or perhaps could she be a close rival? ¡°Come on Miri, quit teasing on her too much. Or wait is it the other way around? Are you the one that¡¯s giving us a prank here Ara? It¡¯s not fun anymore.¡± ¡°Yeah Ara, seriously, what happened. The way you look don¡¯t seem like you¡¯re joking on us. Also, talking to you now feels a bit different¡­ What happened?¡± The air inside the pub took a 180. SLAM!! ¡°Hmmm. You arrived too early. I was still at the station when the girls called me. Sorry I was late.¡± A manly figure appeared at the door. For my situation was already took a turn for worse, a knight in shining armor arrived at the most convenient time. But that knight wasn¡¯t really as knightly looking as I expected. He¡¯s more like a chieftain or a platoon war veteran with a century¡¯s worth of experience. ¡°Now, now girls, quit pestering on her. Our poor little Ara here went through a lot these past years. I¡¯ll talk with her. Shoo, Shoo!! Opening time¡¯s almost here and you haven¡¯t finished preparing the pub yet! Get to work!!¡± ¡°Aaaaaye.¡± --- The other girls stopped swarming me right after the man¡¯s direct order. He¡¯s not called a manager for no reason at all. He asked me to accompany him at his office. The office didn¡¯t look as grand as other manager¡¯s office would. It was just a perfect fit for an establishment that could house about twenty people per night. It was even smaller than Fred¡¯s studio, maybe nor even half of it. What awaited when the manager opened the door was a dark room. He pressed a switch near him and the room was lit by a very small bulb, semi-dim. But was actually clean, organized and maintained. He then approached his small desk and strangely pulled out an electric coffee brewer. ¡°Do you want some coffee, dear?¡± ¡°Ah¡ªno¡­ I¡¯m fine, really¡­ I just had tea.¡± ¡°Sorry if it¡¯s a bit cramped in here. I got the smallest room at the establishment. I¡¯d rather leave the biggest room as the girl¡¯s locker room.¡± ¡°Ah¡ªno¡­ It¡¯s fine, really¡­ I don¡¯t mind it.¡± If the manager wouldn¡¯t lead me, I would really think that the room I saw at the very back end of the establishment would be just a toilet. The manager then walked towards the window. The blinds were down so he raised them up. Then suddenly, the dim-lighted room became brighter. It was the street lights that lit the whole room bright. Those colors were a mix of white, green, yellow red. Those were the several city lights from the view. There was a very long street across the window¡¯s view which led to the main road. It was the same street that led Kyrie and me to this establishment. ¡°Jeez, it was just late afternoon and the street¡¯s already this lightened up.¡± ¡°Its¡­¡± I looked at the scenery of the busy street. I lost track of the time I spent inside the establishment and didn¡¯t notice that it was already dusk. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yea¡ª¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not the kind of beauty a pure girl like you would want to get exposed to.¡± ¡°Bu¡ªbut¡­¡± The way he talked made me confirm that he knew of the existence of two Aras inside of this body. At first I thought aneki was just fooling around and needed me to talk to the manager at her stead. But it turned out that the one the manager seemed to really want to talk with me, the younger one. ¡°This is a red light district. Thing you couldn¡¯t even imagine happen in these kinds of area. It¡¯s better for you not to know. It was really a short notice but did you had a hard time to get here? Did you get in any trouble? Just tell me, I¡¯m going to talk with the other managers in this area.¡± ¡°N-not really. Rather, it felt nostalgic, the way they looked at me. They know me. Those aren¡¯t the looks of people looking at a newcomer. Good thing we didn¡¯t get in any trouble. Oh, by we, I mean, there was someone that escorted me here.¡± ¡°Good to know then. But how about my sweet pea? Is she resting well?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­?¡± The sound of the kettle pot interrupted us. The manager then pulled out a cup and started pouring coffee to it. He signed me if I wanted some and I refused politely. ¡°S-sorry¡­ I¡¯m not really good with these kind of talks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was the one who asked her* though.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ if I may ask, how long have you known my existence? How did you manage to accept that I¡­ she was telling the truth by that time?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ve known for a while. Maybe a few months after she joined. Not that I¡¯m bragging but, how old do you think I already am? Silly. Try me then.¡± ¡°S-Sorry, I wasn¡¯t really thinking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Now, about the other you¡­ She seemed to always have something she wanted to protect. She always worked diligently while keeping her chastity protected. That¡¯s how she¡¯s got her title and made a name at this area. It¡¯s a ton of hard work, you know.¡± I¡¯ve known how hard aneki worked herself out when it was just the two of us. She had always been reluctant to tell me everything that¡¯s happened. But sooner or later I was bound to know it. But the manager vaguely gave away the specific details. He just wanted me to have the idea. I¡¯ve been told not to pry in too much with aneki¡¯s past work experience anyways. It¡¯s already good to know some general knowledge. ¡°There would be tons of stories about her. She really was a handful during her first weeks. It was like taming an agitated lion. Literally.¡± He opened a bit of his polo there at his chest he showed me a twin scar about a finger¡¯s length. Now now, that¡¯s just to spice up the story. I doub¡¯t aneki would¡ª ¡°You did this.¡± ¡°UWAAAAH¡­ Please don¡¯t feed me with some absurd events from the past.¡± ¡°Her very first customer was a disaster. Just remembering the event sends chills down my spine. I¡¯m somebody that runs an establishment. Imagine the fear of having to close down upon the very first year of operation. I wouldn¡¯t go down to each and every details but that¡¯s just how it went. Even though she was very set onto her decision and strong-willed. She was just still a girl that failed to finish high school. Having to rely on such a way of living; and having to compare herself to my veteran girls who live and breathe as a pub¡¯s hostess, her very first customer became a trigger to an immediate mental breakdown. You starting to understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± I just gulped. Being unable to answer, he continued his story. ¡°Even though the other you might have created a story that I am a father-like loving and kind figure. Business is business. I need to be strict enough with policies so that the business won¡¯t get bankrupt. So I kind of forced some discipline upon her. A discipline fitting of our line of work here. Then this scar happened. Back then, when I was looking at her, her eyes were telling me that she needed to make a living and keep her chastity. At any cost. She really needed to hit two birds with one stone. Failure is not an option. So I, the ever-balanced decision maker, put her to the cleaners first. Then so the story went. She climbed steadily and slowly.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You took a shortcut at story-telling again.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s for your pure untainted mind. You don¡¯t need to hear the rest. At least I¡¯ve put in the parts that¡¯s important for you to have a general idea.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unfair. Everybody always treat me like this¡ª¡± ¡°Girl.¡± ¨Chis voice sounded very whole, just like telling me to stop for my own good. I stopped and straightened up my posture, as if to obeying an angry commander as he was about order me to give him 50 push-ups. ¡°Say, little Ara. What do you think of us?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This kind of work?¡± Then he asks me of this now?? Ugh¡­ ¡°I¡ªI think the girls are gorgeous¡­ and very pretty.¡± ¡°I see. Well, do you think they¡¯re happy?¡± The immediate memory of their faces as they greeted me a while ago flashed on me. I also work in due pressure, both Kyrie and I. I knew the faces of those who¡¯re being stressed by work and those light expressions that were able to balance their work and life. I¡¯ve also seen Landlady Ingrid came home from her office work with a face of ¡®why am I still in this line of work¡¯ like wanting to quit and just focus on being a landlady. I¡¯ve seen Old man¡¯s grumpy face tons of times. But the girls employed under him, none of them were really wearing any of the described above. ¡°OF COURSE THEY ARE!!¡± I instinctively jumped out to him when I answered that. That was an honest answer out of reflex. Anyone who would get swarmed with a warmest welcome would think so. ¡°Is that¡¯s so¡­ I¡¯m glad then¡­¡± Then suddenly there was a smile of assurance from the manager. It seemed though as if my reaction was everything he needed to hear for the rest of the day. It made his day. ¡°I¡¯ve loved Ara like my own kid.¡± He then continued to talk. ¡°In fact, everyone working here too. I¡¯ve loved them as if they¡¯re my real family. You see¡­ I¡¯m really too old already to get married, have kids. I¡¯ve been in this industry for a very long time already. There had been ups and downs. I¡¯ve settled down here and had been blessed with these fine youngsters under my care. It would really make me feel sad to hear from others that they¡¯re not really looking that happy.¡± He somehow reminds me of father. ¡°You somehow remind me of my father.¡± And I burst it out without thinking properly. But he had an even greater shock than mine when he heard it. Then he gave a little smile. I wondered why. That time I asked myself what might being called a father meant to him. ¡°My little Ara. The other you had a reason why she wouldn¡¯t show up even now.¡± Everything was just an introduction. It was a mix of a mellow happy feeling and a grim premonition of a sad main story. ¡°I¡­ I was aware. She told me on this note that you need to talk to me.¡± ¨CI then showed the paper aneki gave to me. ¡°Then that makes things easier.¡± Both of us came upon an agreement. We couldn¡¯t just sit there all night talking and laughing about other topics. I would need to go home because I wouldn¡¯t want to worry Fred and Landlady Ingrid. Besides I still needed to find Kyrie too. Uwaaaah. Here it comes¡­ I hope what he would ask me to do is not as hard as Fred¡¯s tasks. What if I forget his instructions? And what if I wouldn¡¯t be able to deliver his message to aneki well? Just let this end already¡­ There I watched his expression slowly shifted to a bitter one. What came after from a happy and satisfied face was a face full of sadness. ¡°Little Ara. Have you asked the other you about this?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¨CI wasn¡¯t able to answer the questioned. Looking back, I really haven¡¯t got any idea about what they¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s just that I know that aneki¡¯s talking about him about having to help him with something. That something¡­ ~~~ ¡°Err¡­ You¡¯re still up?¡± ¡°But I like to keep watch here.¡± ¡°Jeez. If you don¡¯t take a rest, then you¡¯re already exhausted when it¡¯s your time out. Sleep for a bit. I¡¯ll keep in watch here.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m just enjoying this new feature here. Before this big screen here it was just too dark that anyone who gets swapped out would be forced to just sleep.¡± Thud!! ¡°Ouchie! What¡¯s that for?!!¡± ¡°Sleep.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­ Uwaaah¡­ just don¡¯t hit me again.¡± ~~~ A memory flashed within me. It was the very first time that aneki seemed to have a call with manager. That very exact moment I remembered Ara-ara asking me to sleep and take a quick rest. Then it occurred several instances after that. She always asked me to sleep to and take turns watching what¡¯s happening outside. It had always been like that until the previous time I got swapped out. But I noticed a thing about those instances. They coincidentally occurred each and every time aneki would get a call or would need to talk to manager. Were those instances not really coincidences? If one among us would sleep in the small room we¡¯re being kept, then we would have no way of knowing whatever events happen at the real world. It¡¯s just like back when it was just the two of us, where everything would be darkness and it felt like hibernating while being submerged underwater like those sci-fi experimental characters. It was planned. Ara-ara kept me from knowing what manager¡¯s business with aneki was. If that¡¯s so then why would Ara-ara keep me from knowing what they were talking about. But then a straight fact came upon me. Ara-ara, or the third, came a bit late. She just suddenly showed up when the two of us went through a big change after we met Fred. Despite being new, she never intended to catch up with us two¡¯s experiences, but rather, respect our personalities like very professional colleagues. She would not stoop so low as to hide very important events like these from either of us. Unless¡­ That only meant one thing: Aneki¡­ But why? ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°A-Ah!! Sorry I was deep in thought. Sorry I was not aware of the other¡¯s circumstances with you.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The way he looked changed again, now he¡¯s worried. ¡°Very well then. My sweet pea tried so hard to hide it from you. I¡¯ve tried to convince her to tell it to you sooner but she always kept on insisting to hold out just a bit longer. I guess she realized that she won¡¯t be able to hide everything from you forever. Circumstances won¡¯t let it be that way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t able to respond properly due to thinking how important the issue was based on what he said. Why would aneki bother so much to hide something from me? The what ifs came swarming on me and flooded my small capacity to think. What could have been so important that me knowing could have her vanish within this body? ¡°Say, are you currently having fun at your place?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ If I were to say¡­ It¡¯s really fun! You see, I really had some rough memories when I was younger. Those events might also be the reason on our existence. I really tend to cry and be sad when I remember them. The memories from when I started living with my landlady¡¯s apartment complex helped me forget those. Every day is full of events and are very exciting and fun.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Then don¡¯t you miss your place back at your family?¡± For a second there I was carried away with explaining, but he then cut me off before we could get derailed from the main topic. I then realized what he meant soon after. For the very first time I was able to connect the dots of a matter so complex the usual me wouldn¡¯t be able to understand. Before I went on a deep sleep and aneki took over for almost two years, the very last memory I had from my family was my father: when he disowned me due to some events that happened from my high school days. I¡¯ve loved my parents very much for as long as I could remember. My mother died when I was young so I spent longer time with my father. But don¡¯t get me wrong. I both love them equally to the point that losing the remaining parent I have triggered a defense mechanism on me. And that was to sleep deep within this girl¡¯s subconscious while having the split persona take over. But what happened after my sleep. Aneki told me quite a brief story about it: She went wandering from town to town until she ended up at the front of Landlady Ingrid¡¯s apartment. There aneki was offered a loan for a few months of rent which she could pay in installment. But life wouldn¡¯t be that easy for a dropout like her. Landlady Ingrid, at that point still wouldn¡¯t care so much on her tenants for as long as they could pay (turned out she¡¯s really not like that). But aneki couldn¡¯t find a decent job at the town so she ventured at the city. But the situation was still the same. She exhausted her options until she ended up at manager¡¯s establishment. But was that really all that¡¯s happened. How was she able to end up with a good manager and a pleasant work environment even though the line of her work wasn¡¯t something to be proud about? ¡°I¡¯m a friend of your father¡¯s.¡± And finally, the manager put the final piece in the puzzle. But solving the puzzle didn¡¯t end our discussion, it was merely an introduction to what he was about to tell me. ¡°Listen Little Ara. I¡¯ve been contacted by your father by the time the other you had been wandering around the city to find a job. I don¡¯t know how he knew, but it seemed like he was tracking you ever since he ¡®disowned¡¯ you. Or he might just know. How should I call it: father¡¯s intuition?¡± He continued to explain what happened ¡°I only needed a picture. I knew several shop owners within the city. I¡¯ve asked them if ever they had a chance to meet with you and miraculously, you came across one of them. But even though I knew them I couldn¡¯t impose on them to change their shop standards. I¡¯m someone who runs a pub at the red lights. Who knows who I might refer to them. That left me with one option: to employ you under me.¡± ¡°Th-then¡­¡± ¡°Yes, everything then went as I arranged. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve asked your father if it was really fine by him. But he just the same as you: devastated and sad that he lost the only family he had. He told me to take care of you, but as for your decisions, he left it for the other you to decide.¡± ¡°Bu-but¡­¡± There something went amiss. The last memory of my father I had was the one where he disowned me. It should have been all my fault. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that you would have a reaction like that. There¡¯s were so many untold events about what acutally happened. After your father had contacted me the day after you left home, I had him explain everything. It seemed that both him and the other you made things happen that way. But don¡¯t get me wrong. It was all to protect you.¡± At first I only went there to follow aneki¡¯s instructions and speak with manager. But now I was about to uncover the truth behind all of the happenings in the past. It would be too much for me to carry, but as the center of everything, I needed to muster up everything I got to accept it. I would¡¯ve wanted aneki to be the one to tell the truth to me, but the manager really had the trustworthiness that even aneki agreed to let him take care of what she couldn¡¯t. ¡°You¡­ You seem to be a good man. I will trust you with this.¡± I clenched up my fist to show my resolve. ¡°There would be two things I¡¯d be telling you: First would be why your father and the other you chose to part ways years ago. Second would be why I started contacting you again recently. Are you going to be fine with it?¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± --- I was walking at a park by the riverside. The place seemed familiar with me, but I really had no memories I could remember of being at the place. It might be aneki¡¯s memories that were being triggered and not mine. I didn¡¯t know what time was it already because I don¡¯t have my wristwatch with me. As long as I know that the public transportations were still working, I knew that I could still go home. I need to get home. But I wanted to sit for a bit. Even ten minutes would be too much. I wanted to watch the city lights across the other side of the river. It would be my fault if I will miss the last train. I¡¯ll just check in a hotel to spend a night. I felt like I could manage too anyways. It had also been way past the time aneki was supposed to swap out. Where was the ¡°I promise I¡¯ll catch up as soon as I get the rest I need¡± thing she was saying. I just accepted that she would swap out anymore. For now¡­ I just want to sit and relax. There were too many bench across the long sidewalk. That time of the day it would really be hard to find somebody at the park anymore. But thankfully I saw one with somebody sitting on one. I felt a faint sign of relief. I did not need to tell my story. I just wanted to sit there and let them know that I was there too. Just the feeling of a connection would be fine. I approached and sat at the bench right beside the one that the person now I recognize in a form of a little girl was sitting. I was just supposed to stare at the city lights. I need not tell her my story, but I decided to anyways¡­ ¡°I thought you already went home.¡± ¡­for the little girl coincidentally happened to be Kyrie, which went missing by the time I needed her the most. ¡°Siiiip. Humu. I knew you¡¯ll end up wandering here.¡± ¨Cand she was having another cup of tea. ¡°But you left me alone back there. Talk about somebody who said she would help me today.¡± ¡°Humu. I thought I told you that I¡¯d just accompany you until you get there. Besides, do you really think you could do all of that with me in there?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Busy looking at quite the scenery, I noticed Kyrie cleaned up her tumbler and mini cup. She then stood up and sat at the same bench as I was. ¡°Humu¡­ Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just too tired. All of the stories came overloading my very limited brain.¡± ¡°Humu. Don¡¯t worry. We still have time.¡± Kyrie knew what I need. She would gladly give me all the time I need. It was very annoying that she¡¯s effectively providing me what I needed. ¡°Her Kyrie, you know you¡¯re being annoyingly nosy right now, right?¡± ¡°Humu. That¡¯s how I¡¯ve always been.¡± ¡°Then can you give me a lap pillow?¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re heavy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do what you ask for a week. You can with my other self too, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°Humu. Fair trade.¡± I had no choice but to sell them out too. That¡¯s the only way that could make me feel better that moment. I lay down myself towards Kyrie. She had surprisingly soft and warm thighs, considering her build. ¡°Humu I know what you¡¯re thinking right now. Quit it before I force you down.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. Just let me stay like this for a while.¡± Sob¡­ Sob¡­ Sob¡­ I covered my eyes with my palms, but it still didn¡¯t hide the fact that I¡¯m already crying. Kyrie knew it. Some consoling would lessen when I was feeling. ¡°I¡­ I did great, right? sob¡­ sob¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t nor hear anything. She went silent to listen to my rant. ¡°They could¡¯ve took their time to explain things to me. Why did they need to make me swallow everything in just one evening. So irresponsible!! sob¡­ sob¡­ I hate it!! Uwaaaaaah!! I hate it!! I hate everything¡­ sob¡­ But¡­ But¡­ it¡¯s the truth and it was for my sake! Everything¡­ sob¡­ uwaaaaah!! I couldn¡¯t get angry even though I hate it¡­ So¡­ So I did great, right???!!¡± Kyrie gently stroked my hair without saying a thing. I cried for minutes and I didn¡¯t care if Kyrie would use it as a material to tease me later on. It went on for a while, and when I died down, Kyrie asked me a question. ¡°¡­So? What decision would ¡®Ara¡¯ take?¡± What she meant was the overall decision of the three of us. I should¡¯ve expected less from Kyrie. Even though she was not there, the way she talked sounded like she knew everything. Or rather, it seemed like she was there all along. Was she an esper or something. ¡°I¡­¡± Kyrie is a trusted friend. There would be no difference on telling her in advance now. ¡°Kyrie-chan. I¡¯ve decided to be the pub¡¯s manager.¡±
Ch16-1 Ara Decides to Manage a Pub IX. Ara Decides to Manage a Pub Modern Earth, 20xx+3 ¡°Ah by the way Landlady Ingrid.¡± ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± ¡°Any news about Fred?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah he¡¯s about to go home tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay then. Uhm¡­ About the thing we talked about¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. Of course he would be shock. But as long as he understands your situation then he¡¯ll be able to accept it. That¡¯s why you need a day with him, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Thank you very much Landlady Ingrid.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so formal about it. If you insist then just cook for the afternoon this weekend the whole apartment complex body.¡± After a little bit more of talking, Ara dropped the call. The one active on her that moment was aneki. It had been more than a week since Seria abducted Fred and locked him up somewhere and wouldn¡¯t even let them contact him. During the time that the two assistants weren¡¯t able to work with Fred, Old man and Seria arranged things within just the two of them so that they could still work under Anemone. And for Ara, that¡¯s only the list of her activities for the day. Before it becomes too late to travel during the afternoons, Ara excuses herself so she could make it in time for her training with her previous manager. Well I guess tomorrow¡¯s the day. I need to let imouto rest. She¡¯ll feel more exhausted tomorrow than how I felt this previous week. Ara(aneki) put back her phone at her locker and closed it. She then looked down on her body and let out a long sigh. She just finished changing. The usual loose shirt she could wear comfortably when working with Fred looked way to childish compared to the medium fit dress she was wearing. She approached the mirror and looked at herself. ¡°God, what are you doing, me¡­ I remember I swore never to look like this again¡­¡± The dress she wore looked very well on her. Her very deadly asset: her body curves, immediately went visible as soon as she went out of her way to put on a dress like that. She was ready to seduce a thousand of men once she went out of the locker room and make her way to the floor area. ¡°You are the clothes you wear¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Hmmm. For your case yeah, but for the other you, not really. Not even an inch¡± The manager was at the door. ¡°I told you to knock.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of the master key if I couldn¡¯t do stuff like these?¡± ¡°Shut up. If you¡¯re just a normal male, then I¡¯d given you a roundhouse kick already.¡± ¡°Oho, you knew my preferences well. This is your fifth day training already. It¡¯s about time you get used to that manager attire.¡± Ara blushed a bit. ¡°But why did you ask me to wear this all of a sudden? The previous days it was just like a manager¡¯s suit like yours.¡± ¡°But doesn¡¯t it feel nostalgic? Also, this would be just a sudden favor since you¡¯ve pretty much completed my training and would be ready to manage my establishment. Why don¡¯t you go out there and do some floor tasks for a while?¡± ¡°Eh¡ªEEEEH???!!!¡± It was unnatural for Ara(aneki) to get surprised like that. Even back at Fred¡¯s studio, her solid composure was like an impenetrable wall even for Kyrie. That moment she let out an apparently cute and vulnerable side of her that only the manager knew. ¡°I felt like I won¡¯t be seeing that precious expression from my sweet pea for a long time. So for tonight, I want you to do some floor tasks. Don¡¯t worry, just do your usual thing. It¡¯s been a routine for you already anyways. And maybe when it gets less busy, I¡¯ll be introducing you later to our regulars as the next manager.¡± Ara held her left cheek with her hard and think for a while. ¡°Hmmm, sounds fair.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll return to my office for a while to do some paperwork, so just hit me up there if in case something happens, alright?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The manager just came to remind her of that night¡¯s activities. Afterwards she became all alone again. ¡°Nostalgic, huh?¡± That dress she was wearing reminded her of her state two years ago before she started working under Fred. She was once a known girl at the red lights. But that was not in a good way. She was really good at escorting customers, but was never really booked for a room. The regulars at their establishment were not really that pushy on booking for girls. But there were really some rough instances where the manager covered up for her at times. She remembered something she didn¡¯t want to. She shook her head in attempt to brush them off. ¡°Ugh!! Cringe!!¡± She slapped both of her cheeks. ¡°Ara, Ara, Ara!! It was to keep this girl¡¯s purity. You¡¯ve done it for imouto. Everything you¡¯ve done was for imouto. Always remember that. Life could have been better if you just threw away your virginity here but remember: you have to. You needed to protect that smile.¡± There standing at the front of the mirror she remembered something from a week ago. ~~~ ¡°Are you really fine with this?¡± ¡°Yes. If I was the one out there right now I felt like she¡¯d be forcing her way out and beat the pathetic me like how I¡¯ve always been hard on her.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°But she may be reaching her limit already. Why are you doing this to her? I¡¯d really force my way out if I felt that the situation will just do harm to her, you hear me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯d be the one to do it if that happens. For now, I put my trust on her overcoming this. She need to. Manager was right. Keeping her out from the truth will just make her weak and weaker the longer we keep it from her¡­ ¡­But I couldn¡¯t be the one to do it. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll make sure to apologize to her later. And whatever her decision would be, we¡¯re going to be fine with it. I suppose you¡¯re fine with that, right?¡± ¡°And when did I ever said no to the both of you anyways?¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ~~~ That was the scene from a week ago at their shared room of consciousness when imouto and the manager were talking. Remembering that scene made her stand still for a long while. She didn¡¯t notice that she had been staring at the mirror for too long. That triggered another trait within them which she had yet to overcome: her narcissistic trait. ¡°Hue¡­huehehehe¡­¡± Crap crap crap!! I don¡¯t have time for this. Before matters get worse and she got infatuated to her self-image again, she immediately rushed out the locker room and towards the floor area. --- The night was rough. It was one of the most eventful ones she had for a while since Fred was abducted by Seria. Their establishment closes at 4am. Without a tiny bit of rest, she helped the manager at a few more housekeeping before she was finally able to call it a day. It was a busy weekday at the city so she ended up finding herself within the wave of people getting to their work during rush hour. But working at night shift is quite different. You get to go home the same time as others just need to get to their work. As the train she went on got further away from the city, the lesser the number of people inside the train went. That way she was able to rest a bit more before her target station. She was able to get back at the apartment complex around 8am. There she saw Seria¡¯s car parked. Seria was checking the trunk for any more luggage after dropping Fred. Any tool that wouldn¡¯t be returned to him might affect the target deadlines so she was really careful to check them. At the back door of the car was Ingrid, dragging the comfortably sleepy Fred out of the car. Ingrid noticed Ara as she got near and shouted at her. ¡°Oh Ara, you just got back. Good work for today.¡± It was not usually her nature to greet Ara when she got back from work. But seeing Ara work the hardest for the past week, while juggling her imouto-aneki-third in and out, with a very little amount of rest made her give Ara a compensation for 24/7 of hard work. Ara at her aneki mode, thanked Ingrid with a bow. She then approached the car to help Ingrid extract Fred out. She knew that Fred was just acting childishly scared due to the amount of sermon he would get from Ingrid as she got out of the car and dragged towards her unit. ¡°Come on Fred, man up. I¡¯ll help you get dragged out of here so Landlady Ingrid would be able to scold you properly, real-hard. I won¡¯t be able to help you this time.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very reassuring for somebody who offers help!! NOOOOOO DON¡¯T DRAG ME OUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!¡± Then a flying Harisen (+10 boomerang mode) hit his head really hard and knocked him out. That equipment had a 100% critical on Fred so again, his soul went out of his mouth again and the two were able to finally drag him out on Seria¡¯s car. The two dragging out Fred¡¯s corpse from the car looked back at the non-other than unit-8¡¯s veranda where Kyrie was standing, annoyed from having her slumber interrupted due to the ruckus they¡¯re causing. Ara then looked at Ingrid and she just gave a sigh in response. ¡°That¡¯s odd. Are you out on an early morning shopping district stroll?¡± Seria, unaware of her current situation, asked her why she was out and just got back at that time of the day. She should be expecting her to come out of the apartment complex just like Kyrie did. ¡°Ah. Yes. Sorry for coming out of nowhere, but I had to run some personal errands from my previous work, which Fred and I will be filling you in with the details later.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I got the gist of the situation. And to be honest, I¡¯m more worried about him. He just got out of his slump. Will he be okay with you gone?¡± Ara got surprised. There was really never an instance that would have led to Seria getting an idea about her current situation. Nevertheless, just a little bit of a slip gave Seria all the information she needed to fully understand the situation. ¡°Ah¡­ About that, I was just about to ask Fred about it.¡± ¡°Take your time. Just tell him to contact me if in case he need me to request for your replacement.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­ Thanks for bringing him back today.¡± ¡°No need to thank me. It was all his effort. He just needed a call from somebody. Really. If you¡¯re going to thank me, thank your landlady instead.¡± ¡°Fu fu fu. Seems like I¡¯ve got another favor to repay.¡± Ara teased and smirked at Ingrid who immediately looked away while blushing. She then followed with a thumbs up. After fully the placed Fred¡¯s unconscious body at front of Ingrid¡¯s unit, the three of them ladies at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex saw Seria off. --- ¡°Urgh¡­ Urrrhm¡­ GASPS!! NOOOOOOOOO!! DOOOOOOON¡¯T!!!¡± THUD! ¡°Stop it, you¡¯re out of the car already. Quit being too noisy because it¡¯s still early in the morning. But the one that woke up Fred that moment was Ara. ¡°Huh? Ara? Why?¡± ¡°The way you make it sound like waking up with us by your side is an extremely rare case pisses me off.¡± ¡°Of course it is!! I should wake up alone! That¡¯s my normal mornings!¡± Fred checked the surroundings. He didn¡¯t wake up at either: his unit or his studio. But rather, he found himself to another unfamiliar room. And that was Ara¡¯s living room. He was laid down at her small length couch while Ara was at the dining table, having a cup of coffee. ¡°Relax. It¡¯s just my unit.¡± ¡°But why?! Is this another form of abduction?!! I just barely managed to escape Seria¡¯s cabin and now I¡¯m being confined again at another room?!!! NOOOOOO!!!¡± ¡°I told you to relax. I¡¯ve got Landlady Ingrid¡¯s consent to borrow you for a day. Trust me it¡¯ll be just a day. We¡¯ll continue to work on the chapter tomorrow. For today, please accompany me at some place.¡± It was just Fred¡¯s accumulated stress that made him act like that. But now after being able to recollect his proper thoughts, he was able to assess the situation properly. What Ara had been talking about was the long-awaited answer he needed from Ara about the situation from her previous work. ¡°I see. It¡¯s about that thing with your previous manager. So you¡¯re finally taking a choice, huh?¡± After being agitated for a while, Fred now looed calm and prepared. ¡°By the way. What about Aneki? Is she resting? Is she good with your decision too? What about the other one?¡± ¡°Eh¡ªWhat? Bu-but why?¡± The one Fred was talking to was the imouto. And she was supposed to play the role of aneki. Just when she thought she had portrayed a perfect impersonation, Fred still saw through her. ¡°Come on, how many times you think you have switched back and forth on me. Do you really think aneki would say ¡®please¡¯ on me? She would rather order me around. Like a boss.¡± ¡°Uwaaaaah¡ªI told you aneki this won¡¯t wooooork!!¡± ¡°Why, are you being forced to doing this?¡± ¡°Ah no! Don¡¯t get me wrong. This thing is all on me. Though the decision about the matter with aneki¡¯s previous work, it¡¯s a decision by the three of us.¡± Fred looked at her and smiled. ¡°Then that¡¯s better.¡± But Ara thought it was already over. In fact, Fred was just getting started. ¡°But look how long it took you to arrive at a decision. Don¡¯t you know how hard the other two of you worked to keep you from getting involved in this? If you would get yourself involved, then you should¡¯ve done so at the very first place. If I am to compare you to a manga character you¡¯ve been a beta for too long! If you already know the situation with your aneki then you should have initiated a talk with her. She might have been waiting for a flag and you¡¯re supposed to be the one that set that. We¡¯ve always worked on with chapters like these. There wouldn¡¯t be any progress and the story will keep on circling on same events if no one would take initiative. Besides¡ª¡± ¡°Stop-stop-STOOOOOOP!! I get it, I get it already¡­ Uwaaaah why am I the one getting scolded.¡± For the very first time Ara(imouto) managed to voice out to somebody and that alone made Fred stop by surprise. ¡°Jeez¡­ And here I am, doing my very best here. I still don¡¯t get any praise.¡± ¡°Sigh..¡± Fred stood up and patted the dejected pouting Ara¡¯s head while looking away from embarrassment. ¡°Sorry. You did a great job.¡± That alone was able to completely cheer her up. ¡°Hmp. That alone won¡¯t please me. Treat me some food later.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. So, what have the three of you decided?¡± It had been weeks since Fred confronted Ara(aneki) about the same issue and told her to take her time to think about it and now it¡¯s time to hear her answer. ¡°But before all of that. I want you to accompany me to some place.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Yes. And three places at that. I borrowed you from Landlady Ingrid this whole day.¡± ¡°Come again?¡±
Ch16-2 Ara Decides to Manage a Pub II X. Ara Decides to Manage a Pub II Even though it was just 11am, the sun was already bright and at its highest point. Walking at a narrow road, Fred and Ara endured the grueling climb towards their destination at a small hill. Both of them lack sleep. Fred, due to the momentum he gained, managed to complete a main draft of his target chapter. Meanwhile Ara, had a rough night at her last night of training. But the difference between a body that¡¯s physically fit and a body that¡¯s not getting proper nutrition manifested as they walked the same distance at the same conditions. ¡°Wait¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ Are we still far?¡± Fred was already at his blackout point while Ara still had some reserve energy to continue the day¡¯s activities. ¡°Jeez your body¡¯s too frail. Want me to give you a piggyback ride?¡± ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Go on, just tell me which block it is¡­ I¡¯ll catch up real soon.¡± Struggling to catch his breath, Fred still managed to signal Ara with a go before trying to sit comfortably under the shade to rest. ¡°Hahaha!! Okay! You¡¯ll probably see the block I¡¯ll enter, so catch up to me real soon, alright?!¡± Fred nodded. Ara then continued to climb atop. Contrary to her usual lax tees and shorts that she wore almost everywhere, today seemed to be a special day. She wore a pure long white dress and a straw hat. She was carrying a small hand bag that matched the light blue colored ribbon tied at her straw hat. It was like looking at an angel climbing the stairway to heaven. Just looking at her lessened Fred¡¯s fatigue to the point that he could already catch up to her. But as a former Maou and a current mortal, he felt guilty if he would try to ruin such angelic scene if he walked side by side with her. After seeing Ara entered a block, Fred then stood to catch up to her. But being able to ¡®rest¡¯ was only mental. He still actually lacked the enough energy to climb. So being able to reach the block, he still needed to catch his breath. The very moment they went off the bus they¡¯re riding, Fred already got the purpose of their first trip. He was able to rationally think about the situation and how to talk to Ara at that moment. They were at a public cemetery. Fred could already smell the scent of the freshly-lit incense. There he saw Ara kneeling at the front of a tomb while praying. Fred slowly approached her to avoid disturbing her at such an important moment. Errr¡­ What should I do? What would she expect me to do? I don¡¯t even pray back at Mytherion. Fred just consciously stared as Ara completed the customary routines for visiting a grave. ¡°This is my mother¡¯s grave. I suppose you¡¯ve already heard from Ingrid about my background, right?¡± ¡°I have the general Idea. But not all of it.¡± ¡°Therapists said that my split personality was due to some post-traumatic life events. My mother died when I was young. That¡¯s when the two of us started existing within this girl¡¯s body after mother¡¯s death. But that¡¯s just as far as the truth I know. Here¡¯s a plot twist. Manager happened to be a close friend of Father¡¯s. Father had told him events he couldn¡¯t tell me. Events, which even aneki refused to tell. My father refused my therapy. Instead, he had worked on with aneki in protecting me. Father took it that I was the real ¡®Ara¡¯ and the defensive personality which was aneki appeared to help me overcome my mental trauma. They were protecting me all this time. They¡¯ve done it to at least avoid each and every instance mother¡¯s death would trigger my trauma and something bad happens to me. The had always kept me safe. But being spoiled too much isn¡¯t really a good thing. Maybe manager decided that the truth shouldn¡¯t have kept forever from me. In order for me to grow. That¡¯s why he had told me everything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ How should I react¡­ Manager, he¡¯s a good guy¡­¡± Ara took one last deep breath and closed her eyes. She then finished her usual visiting routine.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°I really think you arriving at Ingrid¡¯s apartment complex, and accidentally meeting with aneki one night have triggered a big change on us. That¡¯s why us three had always treated you as somebody special.¡± Ara suddenly turned around and gave him a sudden smile. Fred was caught off guard and gasped upon being shone with Ara¡¯s brilliance. ¡°Hehehe, did your heart skip a bit? I¡¯m going to report this to Landlady Ingrid. Just kidding!¡± ¡°You¡­ Yeah, yeah. I know. I¡¯m just your aneki¡¯s toy, right? You¡¯re starting to sound like her and it¡¯s scaring me.¡± ¡°Glad to hear that.¡± Ara smirked. She then stood up and walked. ¡°I¡¯m finished. Let¡¯s go! We got two more places to go.¡± Fred sighed and gave a ¡°Give me a break¡­¡± but still followed obediently. --- ¡°Ara¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You might¡¯ve already forgotten due to your excessive energy reserve, but you know we both have zero sleep yet since last night, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± After paying a visit for Ara¡¯s mother, they had lunch at the nearest diner. They needed to replenish a bit of energy before going to the next destination. But Fred didn¡¯t bother eating anymore. What he needed was sleep. Instead of ordering, he pressed his face at the table and snored peacefully. Even a tiny bit of sleep would help him overcome the day. After eating, the two of them road a taxi and headed to their next destination. That¡¯s what led them to the situation they were currently in: they had been waiting for two hours already, while sitting at a bench waiting for somebody to exit the building to have a late afternoon stroll. ¡°We have been waiting for two hours already, can¡¯t I really just take a quick nap?¡± ¡°No! I doubt I could wake you up in time if you happen to submerge a deep sleep. If you miss this, then what¡¯s the point in going this far?¡± ¡°I know you have a point but I¡¯m reaaaaaly damn tiiiiired!! If I would just know that we¡¯ll be waiting here for two hours, then I could have slept for an hour already!! Please give me back my precious sleep!!¡± But as Fred was busy giving a tantrum, Ara was checking at her phone for a message from somebody. Then suddenly he gave the childish Fred a shush to stop him from making a scene. Being unable to accept the unjust mechanics of this world, Fred accepted that he couldn¡¯t get back the hours he could¡¯ve slept, and was thankful that the event they were waiting for had finally arrived. What came out of the building were two old men, one pushing a wheelchair and the sick patient. But the building was not a hospital, but rather, a home for the elderly. ¡°I have the idea already. So, how sick is your father, is he gonna be okay?¡± ¡°Probably. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s became very forgetful that he wouldn¡¯t even recognize me anymore. Manager told me this: Only a part of the true reason why my father disowned me during that event at my high school was due to him and aneki protecting my smile and cheerful bright character. The second half of the reason was this. My father was already sick that time. He was already sick with extreme forgetfulness. That moment he¡¯s already showing signs of it. Father and aneki knew by that time that I wouldn¡¯t just let it slide, knowing that my father is sick. They would think that I¡¯d be spending my whole life, taking care of him first than thinking about my happiness. It would worry me to death and might trigger another post-traumatic results again. So instead of being taken care of, he took the role of a bad father and disown me. Aneki had to push herself to a hard decision to agree to it. They thought that was the best course of action¡± ¡°I see¡­ I think¡­ I would probably do the same too. Sorry that I still wasn¡¯t around here during those times. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Really¡­¡± ¡°Thanks. In any case, I suppose the one pushing the wheelchair would be your manager.¡± ¡°Yeah, he started working here. That¡¯s the main reason why he started contacting aneki. He relocated here so he could watch over father. They¡¯re pretty close. Like¡­ BFFs.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Then why did he choose to contact you? I¡¯m sure there are other outstanding employees that are capable too.¡± ¡°This is what he said: My aneki was a special case. She had kept her chastity even after a year of being employed. She got used to the work environment and still got satisfactory customer ratings even though she¡¯s kept a boundary with everyone. She knew how to handle one¡¯s self very well. Wouldn¡¯t that be a great trait? That¡¯s what he told me.¡± Fred looked at the manager pushing the wheelchair. He then stopped and looked at their direction. Ara¡¯s father was still looking at a far direction with his blank eyes. Fred then looked at Ara and saw the respect they had with each other. Imouto had a tendency to be trustful of whoever aneki or the third puts their trust onto. But she could still be wary at times. That time it was different. Fred saw manager as somebody who the imouto could give her full trust even without relying to the other two. ¡°I see. This is the decision you¡¯ve made, right?¡± ¡°Yes Fred. It¡¯s not just my decision. It¡¯s ours.¡± But she couldn¡¯t tell it. Not yet. ¡°Have you talked to Kyrie with this? And even with Ingrid?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve talked to them already. They¡¯re all thumbs up as long as it wouldn¡¯t be an inconvenience to you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. Even though our hands would be full these coming months, I think we¡¯ll manage to do it.¡± ¡°Uhm Fred. I think it¡¯s time for us to go. We might not be able to catch the last trip if we were to stay here longer.¡± She had to cut the conversation with a silly excuse before it gets to the point that she needed to suddenly tell Fred about her decision. It was supposed to be saved for their last destination. She signaled her manager from afar that we needed to go. ¡°Oh, yeah, but you don¡¯t need to rush yourself. We could stay here for a bit more.¡± It was getting late but the day was not yet finished. As Ara told Fred, there were three places she wanted to go. Fred was aware that the day he got borrowed was still on 2/3 of progress. Still he wanted to ask Ara one last question. ¡°Say, Ara. Knowing the truth already. I know you could think properly now and assess the situation to make better decisions. So, why don¡¯t you show up now? Talk to your father¡­ Don¡¯t you miss him?¡± And there was silence. Fred heard silent sobbing, as if trying to say things like ¡®I wish I could¡¯ and as if trying not to cause a scene even from far away. That alone was an answer Fred needed. ¡°Sorry for the question. Here. I¡¯ll lend you my shoulder. Calm yourself down a moment. We still have one last place to go.¡±
Ch16-3 Ara Decides to Manage a Pub III XI. Ara Decides to Manage a Pub III ¡°Why have you picked this place?¡± ¡°Because aneki told me so.¡± ¡°Just as I thought.¡± ¡°Aneki was actually the one that¡¯s supposed to bring you here again, but since we borrowed you from Landlady Ingrid for just a day, and we¡¯re just part of the same body, we really can¡¯t waste this precious day.¡± ¡°She can just swap out now since she¡¯s the one that wanted to do this at the first place, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°She¡ªShe¡¯s resting right now.¡± ¡°No she¡¯s not. Just as I thought. You¡¯re being forced to do this. Tell her to come out now. I demand for aneki. Right now!¡± ¡°No. Please let me finish what I started.¡± Fred looked at imouto¡¯s determined eyes. He then gave up and positioned himself comfortably at the wooden bench to start hearing imouto out. The two were sitting at the very same place where Ara and Fred first met accidentally. That¡¯s the same place that made the gears turn for her again. That made the place memorable to her. As instructed, aneki told imouto to bring Fred there. She also happened to know the place since she stumbled upon it a week ago. ¡°A while ago I¡¯ve told you that you¡¯ve become somebody special to us, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Why bring that up now? Seriously, you won¡¯t be able to move me with that again.¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s serious. Really¡­ Can¡¯t you just hear me out?¡± Fred wanted to believe, but he had already been toyed with by aneki for as long as he could remember. And since he knew that aneki was forcing imouto to explain things at her stead for whatever reason he don¡¯t know too, he thought it might just be another prank that aneki have set up to toy with him again. But as perfect as the moment was, his unwavering mind was still easily swayed by imouto¡¯s tone. She was wearing a pure white dress; her face looked bright as well as her eyes shined bright due to the city lights; she was the one initiating the talk. For him it felt like several flags compiled in one scene just to completely throw him off guard. ¡°You see, Ara was still a kid when we started to exist within her. If you would happen to be her classmate, then what would you think about somebody who has two personalities?¡± Fred stopped to think. But he couldn¡¯t think of whether he should give Ara an answer or not. But ara saved him by continuing her side. ¡°Being the overprotective one, aneki have always forced herself out of this body to take over. She always had full control during those times, and just forces her way out for her convenience. She might have had a strong sense of responsibility, but as young as we were, our naivety didn¡¯t really help improve the situation.¡± ¡°I¡­ I think I finally get what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°Yes. We didn¡¯t really have great childhood stories to tell anybody. Constantly changing personalities, ¡®Ara¡¯ would be a delightful friendly girl at first. That made the imouto-mode Ara approachable and easy to befriend. Then all of a sudden she would flip 180 and turn into a rough, rebel and tomboyish juvenile. Like, how can you make friends with that. All of the friends I made yesterday, suddenly go and leave my side a day after.¡± Hearing Ara¡¯s story stressed Fred. He attempted to get a cigar from his pocket but he stopped. He thought it would ruin the image of an angel sitting beside him. ¡°That¡¯s. That¡¯s really hard. The two of you kinda reminds me of some demo¡ªhumans I know. But at the very least they¡¯re separate individuals. You have it hard.¡± But Fred knew that he had it rough too before, even rougher than what Ara experienced. He just thought he had to empathize with Ara so she would make her feel better. ¡°That situation went on until the very last day I attended high school. I never really had a stable life. It had been very hard for me. I grew very weak as a person, and on my subconscious, I¡¯ve always tend to rely onto aneki at the very convenient times. But at the same time, I¡¯ve grown to admire the way she handles things too.¡± ¡°I see¡­ But what does this have to do with me being special?¡± It was unfair on Fred¡¯s part to be kept hanging and waiting for the real topic. And since she¡¯s shared a lot about her past now, Ara decided to go onto the main topic. ¡°You know what¡¯s funny. Oh, aneki still might not know about this. She should also be seeing all of this right now so it¡¯s better. I can tell this story to the both of you.¡± ¡°Whoah. Okay, okay. Count me in.¡± ¡°There¡¯s this one night when I¡¯m still young when I accidentally found aneki¡¯s hidden manga stash under my bed.¡± Fred thought he just had to console Ara for her past. He never thought he would get such a rare story about aneki. Any aneki-related story that could catch her off-guard could be a lethal weapon to her against her toying hours on him. Fred felt he had to memorize every event of such a story. ¡°No way! Is this¡­¡± ¡°Yeah it¡¯s what you think it is.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The two connected in an instant. And now they¡¯re both talking from a perspective of a mangaka. So both of them spoke what they both had in mind at the same time: ¡°Finding a porn mag at the MC¡¯s room scene!!¡± ¡°HAHAHA YOU GOTTEM!¡± ¨Cand they both clicked their fingers while being synchronized. ¡°Hmmmm¡­ So aneki had that side on her.¡± ¡°Yeah, I never expected her to be hiding such a thing from me. When we were younger and still hadn¡¯t met you, whenever somebody gets swapped out, she wouldn¡¯t share any memories the other one is having outside. It would just be the physical things and evidences we would see that one is doing something or when she writes a note, telling the other what to do¡­ So knowing that thing really shocked me.¡± ¡°Ugh. That¡¯s a pretty complex thing. I¡¯m starting to think the two of you are even more complex to understand than Kyrie.¡± ¡°Uwaaah¡­ So that¡¯s how you compare us with each other.¡± Ara repeatedly hit Fred¡¯s shoulder while pouting. ¡°Well anyways. I never expected her to engross herself on such a hobby. Maybe at first she wanted it to be just a way to relieve stress, but later on she took interest on it too. I never had the chance to know, since I couldn¡¯t ask her directly. It¡¯s a secret I¡¯ve kept from her for too long. She only knew she told me about it two years ago when we started working under you. But I already knew it long time ago already.¡± Ara still bragged about getting an ¡®upper hand¡¯, despite knowing her aneki would scold her really bad once they were alone at that room again later on. ¡°She¡¯s read many genres, but of course, Ara is a sweet young girl, so most of the volumes she stocked were shoujo and romance ones. I never expected that too, considering her traits.¡± ¡°Well I didn¡¯t know it goes way back. She¡¯s told me here before that she loved reading mangas, but this is new.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it for the silly trivia. I already sold my safety from her by telling that story to you. I hope you¡¯ll give me something in return later¡­ like a pat from an onii-chan¡­ Hehe¡­ Just kidding!¡± ¡°Y-you?!!¡± ¨CFred immediately blushed and hit her forehead. ¡°From here on out, it would be what aneki told me.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Your imouto-trait is so powerful, you should be careful on whom and when to use it against.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, as you wish.¡± That concluded the fun part. Ara¡¯s jolly eyes went serious again. What really lied after a short ice breaker was the main talk. ¡°Okay okay¡­ Well continuing with the topic. Do you remember this place?¡± ¡°Of course. I got roundhouse-kicked here twice already. By non-other than your aneki.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Seriously???¡± ¡°But that event really was the sign she needed.¡± ¡°A sign? What do you mean?¡± ¡°She confessed everything to me. That she had been already conflicted for too long about being a hostess at a bar. How long would she continue? Will she be one for the rest of her life? What if she accidentally lost the purity she¡¯s always strived so hard to protect? Then all of the hard work she did will be for naught. Then out of a sudden, on a random evening, she remembered a silly dream she had when she was young: She wanted to help a mangaka. It was a very long time ago, but it was embedded clearly at her mind. Even at out late teenage already, she would still buy and read some romance mangas. Being the ¡®Ara¡¯ that was constantly swiching gave us a huge disadvantage on living with our daily lives. So even with just reading a very few chapters, buying some volumes, or borrowing one from an otaku classmate, reading mangas had always helped her in a way that just a little bit of entertainment could make her forget about her worries. That¡¯s how significant these little comic books to her on keeping this little fragile body intact up till now.¡± Ara went on with her story and explanation. Fred looked at her and once again, the city lights that shined from the other side of the river reflected some of its magnificent colors to the water and towards the place they were at. Fred looked at the murky color of the water. This scene made me remember that one dream I had back at Mytherion. That dream of the story of me and the little kid version of Dax, looking at the far side of the river, not knowing how far the other side extends. That silly dream I had when Morgianna and I went out for a journey, but instead, got stumbled upon the demi-human caravan and experienced events with Dax that triggered to the resume of the long-running great war of humans and demons. But why am I starting to remember all of that now? Why did I suddenly remember that dream? How did I ended up meeting Ara for the very first time here at this kind of place? Why did Ara thought that I used her as a reference from my previous draft which I used the events from when Dax and I met? Are all of these by any chance¡­ ¡°You should know what happened next already.¡± Ah these are just major coincidences. No way¡­ Really, no way! Being distracted by Ara¡¯s sudden question, he quickly gathered his memory from when the two of them first met at the place and was able to connect imouto¡¯s story to what aneki told him. Being able to, he answered Ara to complete her statement. ¡°My oneshot.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Now for a silly follow-up¡­ Do you believe in fate and stuff?¡± Fred didn¡¯t hesitate to answer for an unknown reason he couldn¡¯t explain too. ¡°¡­Actually yes¡­¡± ¨CFred murmured, but enough for Ara to hear. ¡°She was really hooked by your oneshot. She wished that it would get serialized, but thankfully, you¡¯re such a stubborn human being and refused the opportunity.¡± Fred looked away. He was guilty, that¡¯s a fact. ¡°Sorry¡­ I had a ton of reasons¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay though¡­ Even if she wouldn¡¯t be able to read it to finish, something better happened.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s¡­ So that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Yes. Her meeting with you. She felt it was fate that led her onto you. At the times she was conflicted and finding for answers, you came storming in without any care and saved her. She was thankful for that. Actually it¡¯s the same for the three of us. If you didn¡¯t come, who knows how long will I still be at a deep slumber? I might¡¯ve really been forgotten and cease to exist if that would be the case. Same for Ara-ara too. She wouldn¡¯t come to existence if you hadn¡¯t helped Ara that night.¡± Ara stood up. She ran towards the railing near the riverbank. She then bowed down. ¡°Thank you Fred. This this for the three of us, Ara as a whole. Thank you.¡± Fred was flustered. He looked away while blushing. He still couldn¡¯t face Ara(imouto) at her purest white and beautiful form well. ¡°I¡ªIt¡¯s nothing¡­ It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve helped me a lot too.¡± It was time for Ara¡¯s farewell. She had to tell Fred for a proper closure. It was not like they¡¯re lovers. She¡¯s not a girlfriend that decided to break up with her lover because she¡¯s about to go away or some sort. But the scenery and feel made it look that way. That¡¯s what somebody would think if they were to stumble upon them, making that scene. Fred remembered the very scene at the same spot, two years ago, when the two of them were too happy, talking about mangas and stuff and the series of events that led to Ara being one of his assistants. Perhaps that moment Fred must have considered the place to be special too. Perhaps that moment Fred must have considered Ara to be special too. He looked at Ara that was already thankful and teary-eyed. It really was a fun two years for her. He wanted her to stay. But just like how he was from his previous life, he couldn¡¯t. He knew it would be best to let others decide what¡¯s the best for them. Not very fitting trait for a Maou. It might just be him and his fatigued body reaching its limits that made him remember things he would rather not again. There sitting at the bench, he thought: Ah, maybe that¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t really that successful as a Maou. I¡¯m still repeating the same things here on Earth. As much as I hate it, if this will help her find closure for her past experiences and make her a better person, then I¡¯ll let it be. He looked at Ara say those last words as one of his beloved loyal assistants. ¡°Fred. I¡¯ve¡­ We¡¯ve decided to manage the pub. We¡­ Ara can¡¯t be be your assistant anymore. We shall hereby resign.¡± ¨Cthen she bowed as a sign of gratitude. ¡°I accept.¡± ---