After a couple of tumultuous days, order has slowly returned to the underground base as routine reasserted itself and everyone got busy dealing with their duties on the daily. There was still a sense of tension though. The trainings grounds were booked from morning till curfew, and the Fauns conspicuously shifted their attention from renovation projects and were always seen around the armoury. The Research Division was also abuzz, though it was more with excitement, and in my absence, Fred somehow managed to convince everyone that we needed giant robots, just to be safe. If I could, I would've Phased over to whack him over the top of his head, but sadly I could only fume and watch as he diverted funds to his pet project. Once all of this was over, it was high time I kicked his ass. And the collective asses of the Research Society guys. Plus the people who failed to notice all of this. Damn, I had lots of asses to kick. Maybe I should start making a list. That thought aside, there was one particular group in the base that drew my attention, and so I focused on them, if only to take my mind off the other annoyances. "This way, Brother Naoren!" "Yes! Come this way, quick!" The dragon/miko duo was full of energy as always and they were practically dragging the Feilong patriarch down the corridors of the second floor. It's where the second barracks were built to house the influx of new personnel after the Knights got integrated into our group, and while most of them were bunk lodgings, the executives had their personal quarters in the same area. "Please, slow down." The kids ignored his pleas, so Naoren did his best to keep up with them, his expression showing signs of anxiety. "Has Lady Rinne truly requested for me?" His question made the girls twitch and Ichiko turned on her heel and started walking backwards while explaining, "N-No, not directly, but Naoren-san is the only one who can help Rinne-san right now!" "Help with what exactly?" "Sister Rinne thinks she failed Brother Leonard," Xiao told him, her small hands still clasped around his forearm and pulling. "Brother Naoren must do something before it's too late!" Before he could've gotten a straight answer, the three of them came to a halt in front of a metal door with Mountain Girl's name engraved on a plate at eye level. The two girls stood at the sides of the entrance and gestured for the Feilong patriarch to enter straight away. He didn't do so and continued to eye them for a while, but he eventually resigned himself to playing along all the same. He adjusted his sleeves, then his lapels, and finally his glasses before he inhaled deeply and reached for the doorknob. The room on the other side was like a yawning maw of darkness, and he uttered an uneasy, "Lady Rinne?" "N-Naoren-san? Don't come in! Rinne is…" It was at this point that the man found the light switch on the wall, and as soon as he flipped it over, Mountain Girl let out a shrill "Eeep!" Honestly, when I first heard that she was freaking out over what happened to me, I was genuinely afraid that she would do something stupid. Like that dumb seppuku stuff, because of the whole honour-bound ninja retainer thing she was all about. Luckily even she wasn't that irrational, but the way she dealt with the situation was still pretty silly. "Go, Naoren-san! You can do it!" Hearing Ichiko's carefree urging made the bespectacled man's expression cloud over. It only lasted for but a blink of an eye, and then he slowly approached the bed at the far end of the rather eclectic room filled with a combinator of utilitarian ready-to-assemble furniture hidden under a mountain of Japanese paraphernalia, from bright Daruma dolls and those maneki neko cat statuettes to hanging scrolls and way too many brightly coloured instant noodle cups piled into a small pyramid. In the center of it all, Rinne was hidden under multiple layers of blankets with only her face showing. She was a bit unkempt, but in that 'still pretty attractive' kind of way you would expect from an important character in the scenario. "Lady Rinne… is everything all right?" She didn't respond right away, so Naoren slowly inched closer and sat down on the bed next to her. "Rinne is not all right. Rinne is a failure." "What? Don't say that." He tried to reach under the blanket to hold her hand, but he must've touched something else, because she let out another startled 'Eeep!', much to his embarrassment and the little girls' amusement. He sent them a stern glance, and he must have found her hand at last, as he sucked in a deep breath and spoke up again. "Please don't blame yourself for what happened to Brother Leonard." Mountain Girl blinked in surprise and then gave the man one of those looks that screamed 'What is this weirdo talking about?', though this time made slightly more nebulous by her flushed face and droopy eyelids. "… You don't?" She shook her head, and I could almost see the question marks circling over Naoren's head. "Then… why have you secluded yourself here?" "Because Rinne is a failure." "Yes, you already said that," the Feilong patriarch responded with the patience of a saint. If it was me, she would've already gotten a bonk on the head, but I digress. "But if it's not about his capture, then what could you possibly mean?" She shuddered and averted her eyes. "Leonard-dono didn't tell Rinne about Leonard-dono's plans." "Alleged plans," Naoren interjected, but she continued on without any reaction. "That means Rinne wasn't trustworthy enough. Rinne is a failure as a retainer." "Erm… I mean no offense, Lady Rinne, but Brother Leonard didn't tell anyone about his plans. Not me, not Sir Arnwald, not even his fiancées." "But Rinne already knows things that others don’t, so Rinne should've been told what to do…" "You can't blame yourself for that. If anything, it's Brother Leonard's fault." "Rinne knows, but blaming one's daimyo is unbefitting of a retained, even if Leonard-dono was clearly at fault." "As a trusted retainer, Lady Rinne must also be honest. Let's tell Brother Leonard together once this is all over." "That he should trust you more." He must've squeezed her hand under the blanket again, as she flushed bett red once more. "I'll be by your side, and together we'll make him understand his error." "Rinne… would like that." That was followed by a long spell of silence that, were this a soap-opera, would've been accompanied by the sappiest romantic music possible… followed by a record-scratch when Xiao let out a happy-go-lucky "Yay!" in the doorway. Followed by Ichiko giving them a thumbs up. And the other ninjas doing the same. Oh, did I mention that there were other Kage ninjas clustered around the entrance? Because they were. I had no idea when they got there, since my attention was on the duo inside the room, but in my defence, they were ninjas. Highly visible or not, being sneaky was part of the job description. Displeased, Naoren stood up and walked over to the door to unceremoniously shut it, and then he returned to Rinne's side. "I can understand the children, but to think even the other retainers would engage in such tomfoolery." He shook his head and gently pulled the blankets off Mountain Girl's head. "You see, Lady Rinne? Your presence is needed to maintain order." "Rinne understands, but…" She had a hard time meeting the bespectacled man's eyes, and she mumbled something along the lines of, "Now Rinne is ashamed that Naoren-san had to see Rinne …" "You need not worry. I'm willing to support you any time." "But Rinne can't just inconvenience Naoren-san like that…" She finally managed to look him in the eye and, after another long beat, firmly declared, "Rinne will replay Naoren-san!" "Do you mean 'repay'?" She tilted her head in confusion, so the young patriarch hastily waved his hand, as if chasing a fly. "Never mind. You really don't have to." "No. Rinne must. Naoren-san may ask anything, and Rinne will do it!" "There's no need… But…" Naoren must've only just realized that they were alone in the room, because his expression grew tense, maybe even a little flushed. He hastily cleared his throat. "I mean… if Lady Rinne insists, then… may I make a request?" She responded with a determined nod that felt a bit comical, considering that she was still cocooned in a pile of blankets from the neck down. "In that case… can I see them again?" She only blinked in confusion at Naoren's question, so the man cleared his throat for a second time. "I mean… Lady Rinne's cat ears." "No, Lady Rinne, please don't misunderstand! I have no ulterior motives, I just wish to admire them aesthetically and…" Okay, that was enough of that. I thought there was going to be something important discussed here, but it turned out to be just Rinne overreacting and then Naoren overreaching in some weird rom-com shenanigans. I thought they would've been over the UST stage, considering they were officially engaged (and not in the 'contract marriage' kind of way), but I figured it would take a bit longer. Anyhow, I left them to their private life and moved on. But speaking of UST, the next pair I found in the base also had some of that going on, and I found them bickering in my own office of all places. "… does this have to happen now of all times, when I finally decided to support My Lady!?" Hearing Tajana's complaints, Roland looked up from his paperwork and let out an overt sigh. He was sitting behind my desk and filing some documents in my absence, as usual. I often had him take care of things like that while I was busy elsewhere (or just couldn't be bothered), so he must've been doing them out of habit. Meanwhile, the young spymaster kept pacing up and down in front of the desk. For a change, both of them were in business casual, which made sense; Roland wouldn't be doing office work in his Uniformer, while Tajana would've stuck out like a sore thumb in either her gothic dress or her indoor slacker outfit. She even had her hair done up into a tidy bun to look more professional, though her Neapolitan colours remained the same. "Have you only switched sides because you thought she was on the winning side then?" Roland's phlegmatic question made her stop in her tracks and glare at him. "What? No! I mean, I didn't throw my lot in with My Lady for such shallow reasons… but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to be on the winning side, too!" "So you think we're now on the losing side." "That's the problem! I have no idea!" she snapped and planted her hands on the desk, nearly toppling over some documents. "This is so vexing, and you're not helping!" "Then why are you complaining to me?" the Knight asked with a brow raised, and after a short beat, Tajana stood straight and crossed her arms with a huff. "I can't exactly bother My Lady with my worries. Penelope either. They're already anxious about Leonard's well-being, I can't expect them to shoulder my own doubts and fears." "That still didn't answer the question of why you're bothering me," Roland insisted in a flat voice, and it made Tajana's expression twist into a red grimace. "You know exactly why! It's because you're the only other person I can talk to about these things!" She must've realized what that implied, because she hastily folded her arms again and tried to look provocative. "A-And it's not like you have lots of people who would listen to your complaints either!" "What does that have to do with…?" Before he could finish, Tajana pointed a finger at him. "Listen here! I know that bottling up everything and swallowing it down is the 'macho' thing you people like to do, but it's seriously unhealthy! And don't try to tell me you have nothing to complain about! Look at all this extra work you have to do now!" "I'm used to it," Roland responded off-handedly and put down his pen. "Also, for the record, I'm not bottling up anything. I'm simply tallying my grievances, and I will let Leonard know them all as soon as he returns." That… sent chills down my spine for some reason, but the conversation didn't stop, so I had no time to dwell on it. "… You have a lot of faith in him." "Just as much as you have in 'Your Lady'," he quipped back, and before she could react, he grabbed the finger still pointing at him. "Eeek! What are you doing, you… you brute!" Ignoring her outburst, Roland continued his previous train of thought without a hitch. "Which reminds me: I understand why she's first on the list of people you trust here, but how come I'm the third?" "W-What? Are you going to make fun of me because I don't have enough associates up here?" "No… but it does bother me," he whispered and pulled her closer until her hips hit the other end of the desk. She didn't seem to mind and continued to argue with him instead. "T-That's just because I haven't had time to establish myself here! I let you know, I'm quite popular in the Abyss! Even people who aren't part of House Inanna know of me!" "… That also bothers me." "A-And what are you going to do about it?" "I don't know yet," Roland responded with the same, stone-faced expression, but then was an unusual glint in his eyes. "Maybe I'll aim for the number two spot first?" Aaand cut. Seriously, did my absence cause one of those weird biological flight-or-fight reactions that made everyone extra flirty in a stressful situation? Or was that just a trope? In any case, there was nothing new to see there, so I decided to move on. In particular, all of this 'My Lady' this and 'Milady' that reminded me of Melinda, and by proxy the Princess, so I decided to check on them. What would you know, they were actually in close proximity, and when I cast my Far Sight over, I saw the blonde chamber maid pushing a food trolley down the hallway leading to my girlfriend's room. She came to a halt in front of the door and politely yet firmly tapped on it three times. "Come in!" came the familiar voice of my princess from the other side, and so Melinda deftly flicked the door open and pushed in the food card without making contact with anything or disturbing the cold cut plates and homemade lemonade on display. A professional maid was something else all right. Once inside, she closed the door behind herself and did a simple curtsy. "Milady, Lady Judy. I brought refreshments." Elly wasn't alone in the room. Both of my girlfriends were sitting at the edge of the large queen-sized Victorian-style bed, surrounded by open textbooks and stationery. "Thank you, Melinda. Very considerate," my dear assistant noted without looking up from her notepad. "Ah, I was just getting thirsty!" my other girlfriend beamed at her and skipped over to the food trolley. Meanwhile, the chamber-maid kept looking at Judy and the study materials around her and exhaled a short breath through her nose, eyes full of determination. "How are the exam preparations proceeding, Lady Judy?" "So-so," she responded in her usual deadpan voice, but Melinda didn't relent. "The chef especially recommended the beef salad today. I think you will enjoy it." "I'm sure I will, thank you." She kept eyeing my girlfriend, then glanced at the happy-go-lucky princess before whispering directly to her. "Milady. Lady Judy seems stressed. You should encourage her to take a break." "I can hear you," my extra-deadpan assistant noted with feigned disinterest. "She's not wrong thought," Elly backed Melinda up and pointed at the platter. "Let's take a snack break!" "I'm sure it will help to take your mind off Master Leonard," the maid added, and goddamit… I thought I finally found a place that wasn't talking about my disappearance. "I don't need to take my mind off anything," my secretly rather sulky Dormouse snapped at her, but she eventually put her book down and got off the bed anyway. "Are you not worried then?" That was a loaded question, and the princess was quick on the uptake. "Melinda, please! Judy's just…" "I'm more annoyed than anything," Judy admitted, much to Elly's surprise. She also picked up a large toothpick and poked the beef salad. "The Chief should've given us at least some sign of life by now." "Knowing Master Leonard, I wouldn't be surprised if he walked through the door any moment now, as if nothing was out of the ordinary." Melinda's words made all three of them glance at the door in unison, but when nothing happened, she didn't break a sweat and added, "It was worth a try." Wait… Was she aware of the comedic timing tropes, or was I just getting that predictable? Either way, she was off the mark this time, and the disappointment on my girlfriends' faces was subtle yet palpable. "I'm sure Leo's fine," Elly insisted while picking up a toothpick of her own. "I bet he's looking at us right now." She skewered a piece of steamed meat and put it in her mouth, and only then did she notice the weird look Melinda was giving her and she hastily amended, "I-I mean, in his mind's eye… or something…" "If he does, I hope he soon contacts us, or I will have no choice but to start hating him for an unspecified amount of time." What the…? She was even looking vaguely in the direction of my point of view when she said that! Was I seriously getting so predictable? "I hope that you're right," Melinda stated in a subdued voice and gave the girls a tidy bow. "Please, don't forget to rest well between your studies." Elly waved her goodbye, and she soon left the room, leaving only my girlfriends and the cold-cut platters in her wake. That, and an odd silence, eventually broken by Elly drinking a glassful of lemonade and letting out a pleased sigh. "Haaah, that was refreshing! Maybe Melinda's right and we need a break." "Maybe," Judy agreed, if tentatively, and rubbed the back of her neck. "My shoulders are getting stiff." "Oh, oh! Do you want a massage? I asked for some tips from our masseuse the other day and I'm itching to put them to practice!" "You have a masseuse?" "Of course we do," the princess answered as if the question was preposterous and gestured towards the bed. "Come on! It'll be fun!" With that, my slightly morose assistant… threw off her clothes? And laid down onto the bed in just her under— Wait, Elly was undressing too? This really was just a massage, right? It looked like it, but when Elly hopped over to straddle Judy's back while only in her undies and bra… Was this a prank? Did they expect that I was watching, and they did this just to tease me? Was I on the receiving end of some 5D chess move? Or was this just an extension of their massage practice from the other day? Whatever the case might've been, I once again couldn't help but wonder how they could ever be surprised by the rumours about their physical relationship spreading in the Dracis mansion when they acted like that… and also couldn't help but have some unusually lewd urges when looking at them. It was probably because I already got primed by those previous scenes of UST. Oh, but speaking of which, I decided to give those another quick glance. Just out of curiosity, to see if they went anywhere, and… "N-Nya! N-Naoren-san, yamete kudasai! Rinne is s-sensitive!" "Please forgive me, but… they're so soft. I can't contain myself." … caught Naoren fondling Rinne's cat ears. What was this I didn't even… Let's just ignore the two alleged adults engaging in some weird-ass foreplay and move on, shall we? Nothing to see here, nothing to… "Ah! Nhh! You're being too rough!" What the shit, Roland!? "Do you want me to stop?" the man holding onto the Abyssal woman propped against the desk asked with an unusually mischievous smile, and… … they went right back at it! In my office, of all places! What are you, hormonal teenagers?! No, wait. Even our actually hormonal actual teenagers had more sense and impulse control than to do it in an office, let alone mine! I hoped they at least locked the door… Ugh, that needed a palette cleanser. Quick; something nice and wholesome. Such as… "Hey, Angie? Where's the lubricant?" "Under the wrenches. Why?" "The drive chain could use some oiling, and… Ah, there it is." … No, wait. False alarm. Looking more closely, Angie and Josh were in the garage of the latter's home. The Celestial girl was lounging on a stool next to a tool cabinet and playing some kind of match-three game or somesuch on her phone, while her boyfriend was kneeling next to his moped, his sleeves rolled up and arms smeared with grease and soot up to his elbows. "Do we really have to do this today?" Angie enquired as she pointed at the bright blue sky visible through the open garage door. "We finally decided to take a break from studying, and we could be out there doing something fun, but instead we're just stuck in here. The weather is so nice." "I know, but this is important," Josh argued back and grabbed a small wrench. "I need the old girl to be in top condition because you can never know when we could need it. In case of an emergency, I mean." He twirled the tool in his hand and pointed at the outside. "Imagine we get a call that the Abyssals are attacking, or that arch-mage lady is throwing a fit, and we're needed on the scene." "Yeah, but…" She also gestured towards the open garage door, or rather the afternoon sky beyond it. "We can fly, dum-dum." "Not during the daytime, we can't," he huffed and pointed at her with the wrench in turn. "Heck, we shouldn't be flying during the nighttime either. It's a small miracle nobody got busted, with everyone having a smartphone with a camera nowadays and all that jazz." "I get that, but showing up to a battle on a moped isn't super-impressive." "Beats taking the bus," he fired back, and she could only muster a shrug before returning to her game. Meanwhile, Josh finished up whatever he was doing secured the casing onto the side of the moped and stood up. "All right! Wanna go for a test ride?" He reached out towards the Celestial girl, but she reeled back like a cat seeing a cucumber. "Hey! Stay back! You're black and oily and smudgy!" Josh was stumped for a moment and stared at his hands, but then his lips abruptly parted into an impish grin. "Hey, Angie? Do you remember last year's field trip, when you drew whiskers on my face with permanent marker?" He raised his hands and wiggled his fingers. "Let me jog your memory!" He leapt at her, but she was one step faster. "Kahaha! No one shall save you today!" Josh responded with a hammy Snidey Whiplash kind of voice and rushed after her until both of them disappeared through the side door connecting the garage to a room of the house (which, considering the layouts of our homes were roughly the same, was probably the kitchen). Looking at them, I couldn't help but feel wistful. It was so nice to have a good friend to horse around with. Doubly so if it was a girlfriend. It was so nice and cosy and wholesome and… Let's ignore the blood-curdling screams of despair for the moment. Doing so, I returned to my body and let out a pent-up breath, followed by a solid minute of vacillation. Truth be told, I was planning to stay put a little longer, but after all I'd seen just today (and no, I didn't mean just the lewd stuff), I just couldn't put it off any longer. "Yes, Uncle?" He responded just as I walked out of my cell, and he immediately backed away from the television and gave me a surprised yet intrigued look-over. "Wow! Why are you dressed up?" Chapters first released on noveⅼfire.net I rolled my shoulders a bit to ease myself into the fancy aristocratic garbs that took up a slot in my Leoformer's memory. Once I was sure I looked presentable, I flashed a smile at my little cell-block-mate. "Uncle has to step out for a bit. Be good while I'm away, okay?" He nodded, though his expression was still unsure, so I tousled his hair a bit to reassure him. Once he stopped giggling, I turned on my heels and followed the tangled mess of extension cords towards the stairs leading up. I wasn't planning to start working on my contingency plan in earnest so soon, but the heart was a fickle mistress that was hard to ignore. Also, I couldn't exactly let Judy start hating me indefinitely, now could I?