"I'm thankful you all came to help us." (Blanc)


For this event, we must simply go back in time, to a period where Gamindustri was not dealing with a firewall, or monsters from another dimension, or whatever dangers the CPUs faced.

It was an important day for Blanc, the CPU of Lowee. Earlier that day, she met with a couple of Planeptune officials to discuss several topics on Planeptune-Lowee relations. It wasn't particularly exciting, but for Blanc, that was a blessing.

Normally when she had to deal with Planeptune, she would end up dealing with Neptune herself, who would come and make a mess of things. It's not that she disliked her, despite the times she may have raised her hammer in rage. It's just that Neptune would drive her crazy with her antics. It was difficult to get work done whenever she was around.

There have been other times, when Planeptune would instead send the more calm and studious Nepgear, which was a nice change of pace. Lately, however, Planeptune sent a group of officials to do the work. This wasn't so bothersome, but they generally didn't hang around after the work was done.

A few individuals sometimes stayed in Lowee for a time before returning back home, and one in particular stayed in the Basilicom on occasion. The man politely asked one day if he could check out the library, and since then has dropped in any time he visited to check on the books after work.

Blanc didn't mind him in the library at all. This person, Thomas, was calm and orderly in the library, never making too much noise or being a bother. Apparently, he was a former citizen of Lastation who tended to relax in places such as these. She would later find out another reason why he stayed indoors. He despised the cold weather outside. Still, it was not too bad to have a visitor check out the library, and keep things in order when he left.

In some ways, it reminded her of the few times Noire would visit. Sometimes there would be a book she needed to read up on in Lowee, and Noire would spend some time quietly reading through it. This was on the rare occasion, though. Thomas was becoming a more frequent guest. Plus, he wasn't trying to tell her how great his nation was or look for some attention, or whatever it was that Noire did to try and make friends that day.

One day, Blanc saw Thomas back in the library after the official talks were done. This time, he was looking through a few of the fictional books Blanc had been reading. Again, she did not mind, as Thomas was careful to put everything back in place afterwards.

As the day was winding down, Thomas gently put the last book he was reading back, rubbing his eyes afterwards as he was getting tired, "That should be enough for today." He muttered this to himself as left his usual reading spot and walked towards the exit. Blanc was at another desk, reading another book, before noticing the man leaving, "Oh! You're finished for today?"

Thomas nodded a little, "That's right, Lady Blanc. I'm heading back to the hotel to sleep before heading back home in the morning. Again, thank you for allowing me to come read here."

"It's no problem," Blanc responded, as she closed the book and stood up from her seat. She closed her eyes briefly, pondering something before saying, "Actually, do you mind if I ask you to do a favor for me?"

"Hmm?" Thomas was surprised by this, "O-of course, Lady Blanc. What is it that I could possibly do for you?"

"Follow me," Blanc said as she headed to the library exit, as Thomas promptly followed.

They exited into the Basilicom hallway, with Thomas catching up to walk beside the CPU. Blanc could tell that the man was a bit nervous. His eyes were darting about the place, not sure where he would end up. She smiled a bit, "No need to be nervous. This shouldn't be too difficult."

"Er, right," Thomas flustered, "Apologies, Lady Blanc. It's just, what could I possibly do as a favor to one of the goddesses?"

"Tell me," Blanc got right to it, "Do you know of any events happening today?"

Thomas glanced up, trying to recall from memory, "I believe there is a nearby book signing today?"

"Correct," Blanc nodded, "There is a book signing at the market today, with a local author releasing a new book in their series. I personally would like to check it out, and maybe got myself a copy."

"Ah," Thomas said, "It must be an honor for an author to be visited by a CPU to sign a copy of their book."

"Not really," Blanc admitted, "When I go to these events, I go as a simple reader." She then muttered, "Besides, they are better authors than I am."

"Oh?" Thomas blinked, curious at the end there, "Did you say something at the end there?"

"It's nothing," Blanc said, "In any case, I like to go and meet with the author."

Thomas thought a moment, and said, "Alright. I am not sure what that has to do with me." He blinked, "You need me to go with you?"

Blanc blinked, "Uh, n-no, it's not that." She shook her head of the thought, "Actually, I need someone to stay behind while I head off for a few hours. Specifically, I need someone to keep an eye on my sisters."

"I see," Thomas idly said, before the words sank into his mind. His eyes widened, "Wait, you want me to babysit?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it that," Blanc remarked, "I just need someone to keep an eye on them while I'm out."

"Uhhh," Thomas grimaced, "Do you not have anyone else in the Basilicom to handle this?"

"Actually, no," Blanc shook her head, "Our last Oracle has left on a personal journey a long time ago, and we don't have anyone to replace her. As for the others, most of the staff have headed home for the evening, and the rest are not so eager." She muttered a few words under her breath.

"That is rather unfortunate," Thomas said, rubbing the back of his neck, "But why me? What am I supposed to do?"

"Just make sure they are out of trouble for a while," Blanc stated, "It shouldn't be a problem. Rom is very well-behaved, and Ram..."

"And Ram?" Thomas asked, confused for a second. At this point in time, he was not too familiar with the two CPU candidates.

"It should be fine," Blanc responded without really alleviating Thomas' fears, "I just want you to keep an eye on them. If something does happen, you can let me know when I return. I'll be able to take it from there."

"Are you sure it will be fine?" Thomas was concerned at this point. He never really had to deal with children so much, and it was already odd that he would be placed to check on two that happen to be the CPU candidates. How do you babysit a goddess anyway? How did the previous Oracle of Lowee manage when she was around? She didn't leave because of stuff like this, was it? Thomas sweatdropped as questions like these ran through his head.

"Yes," Blanc said bluntly, "It won't take too long, really. I trust it will be alright." The two stopped by another room in the Basilicom, as Blanc went to the door, "Wait here. I'll go speak with them."

"Uh, okay," Thomas said as he stood nervously along the wall. Blanc sighed a bit, "Relax for a damn minute, will you?"

Thomas arched his eyebrows, "Sorry."

Blanc shook her head, "I only hope I did not make a mistake."


Blanc had talked with the twins to let them know she would be out, and soon left towards to the market. Meanwhile, back in the Basilicom, the twins went to the kitchen to grab a late snack. As the two got themselves some milk to drink, Thomas sat somewhere else in the kitchen, going into his thoughts.

He frowned a bit, thinking about how odd the situation was. Here he was, a Planeptune bureaucrat, keeping an eye on the Lowee twins while the CPU went off to a book signing. It wasn't so much the situation itself that was odd to him, but the fact that it was CPUs. He then recalled that his experiences so far with the other CPUs should have prepared him. Neptune certainly wasn't what he thought a goddess would be like. Even Nepgear wasn't quite what he expected when he finally met her. Then again, his first sight of a CPU was still hard to believe, recalling Nepgear saving him from that Fenrir so long ago.

Of the goddesses he's encountered so far, Thomas thought Blanc fit the role more. Whenever he came over to Lowee to discuss things, Blanc was very attentive. She acted like a person well aware of what was happening in her nation, and was confident in her actions. Thomas thought she also acted with an air of elegance that was missing from the others in Planeptune. Like a queen, perhaps?

Thomas winced, recalling that even with that, Blanc had her own odd quirks. Much like a certain red queen, Blanc had a hell of a temper. Although he's yet to incur such a wrath, Blanc did scare him whenever she flipped out. Thankfully, no one lost their heads, although that giant hammer was rather intimidating. In addition to all of that, Thomas had noticed that Blanc was extremely interested in literature. He even saw a few times she was trying to do some writing in the midst of her meetings.

Thomas sighed softly. He had researched much about Gamindustri. Yet, he was not prepared to find that those who people would rely on to protect them and run their nations were so... human? Was that the word he was looking for?

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling out right beside him, giving him a brief jump, "Hey mister! You okay there? You look like you have a headache or something."

Thomas snapped out of his thoughts to look over at the quizzical Ram, who had put away her drink and was now looking at him with some concern. "Uh, yeah, I'm alright," Thomas said sheepishly, "I was just thinking about some things."

"Just thinking? How boring," Ram frowned, "You should do something more fun, especially if you're hanging with us!"

"Th-that's not really needed," Thomas said, not really eager to do some activity.

Ram shook her head, then waved a finger in front of him, "Nope! I refuse to let you sulk in the corner. Come on, let's do something!"

"Do something?" Thomas asked, confused to what Ram had in mind.

"I dunno," Ram admitted, "Didn't you do stuff when you were a kid?"

"Uhhh," Thomas stuttered as he glanced away, "I didn't really have much of a childhood. I mostly tended to the crops and read as a kid, living far away from other people."

"O-oh," Ram blinked at Thomas' recalling, "Well, how about something simple?"

"I got an idea," Rom popped into the conversation, standing beside Ram, "We could just do a bit of drawing."

"Excellent, Rom!" Ram grinned at her sister, "We should make some nice drawings for when Big Sis gets back!"

"I'll go get some of Blanc's books," Rom smiled happily, "She'll like it for certain this time!"

"Actually, let me get some paper," Thomas interjected quickly, "You two can get what you need to draw with." He vaguely remembered one meeting where Blanc was frustrated by her sisters' doodling in her books. He also sometimes came across some of the 'art' whenever he browsed through the library.

"That'd be nice of you, mister!" Ram stated, "We'll be in the room across from here. That's where we do our super cool drawings."

"Okay," Thomas nodded, getting up from his seat, "I'll meet you there."

He didn't want to leave them for a second, but he didn't want the two to be 'improving' Blanc's literature while he was on watch. That would not bode well.


Thankfully, Thomas found plenty of paper to borrow, and ran back over to the room to make sure the twins were there. They were, setting up a table with plenty of pencils and crayons tossed into a cup for them to use. Relieved they didn't run off, Thomas walked into the room, eventually making his way to the table and placing down the stack of papers.

"Oh, just plain paper?" Ram asked, a bit surprised, but then shrugged, "It'll do! So, let's get to drawing!"

"Okay Ram!" Rom exclaimed, as she quickly grabbed a crayon and began pondering what to draw.

"You too, mister," Ram pointed Thomas over to an empty seat at the table, "There will be no sulking in the corner this time!"

"M-me?" Thomas cringed, "B-but I haven't really drawn in a long, long time!"

"Don't worry about it!" Ram grinned, "Just draw what ya like! We won't judge how it looks! Okay, I'm lying. But please, join in. It'll pass the time until Big Sis gets back."

"Y-you have a point," Thomas said as he went over to the seat, "Not sure what I want to draw, however."

"If so, I have an idea for all of us!" Ram beamed, as she was happy to come up with something, "Since we're all waiting for Big Sis to come back, let's draw a picture of her!"

"Great idea, Ram!" Rom exclaimed, "I was not sure what I wanted to draw, but now I do!"

"I'll give it a try," Thomas said, "I don't know if I'll be good or not, but I'll try."

Ram nodded, grinning from ear to ear, "I can't wait to see what we come up with!"

Thomas grabbed a pencil, and briefly tapped on the paper with his eraser, once more thinking. It didn't take him too long to think of what he wanted to draw. On the plus side, this activity would keep the twins busy for the time.

Time went on, as Ram confidently drew a picture of her big sister playing Whack-A-Dogoo, using plenty of squiggly lines and effects to emphasize the action. Rom, meanwhile, was drawing a basic family portrait of her and her sisters standing in front of the Basilicom.

Thomas, meanwhile, struggled as he kept going back with the eraser to correct what he saw were mistakes. He was progressing, but rather slowly compared to the two artists.

As Thomas finally had an idea what he was going to draw, even getting some crayons to add some color, Rom leaned over to take a look. Her eyes widened at the drawing, and she exclaimed, "Oh! Are you sure you haven't drawn in a long time?"

Thomas looked up from his drawing to Rom, "Uh, well, yeah. I haven't drawn since I was little. Wh-what do you think? How is it?"

"It looks really good!" Rom said as she looked over the drawing, "That's some really nice detail on the face!"

Ram looked up from her drawing, and stood up, "What? I wanna see!" She walked a few steps over to check on what Thomas drew. Her eyes also widened at what she saw. After a beat, she said quietly, "It's okay, I guess."

"Is that so?" Thomas asked, not really sure of his artistic talent, "I am just drawing what comes to mind when it comes to Lady Blanc."

"It looks very much like her!" Rom smiled.

"It kinda does, yeah," Ram admitted, but went over quickly to her complaint, "The coloring is a bit off, though."

Rom blinked, and squinted a little, "Oh dear! Mister, you have some color going over the lines."

"Huh?" Thomas paused and looked over his drawing, "Oh dear, looks like it. I did do some drawing as a kid, but I guess I didn't do any coloring. Oops."

"Remind me never to give you my coloring book, mister," Ram joked.

"I just need to practice more," Thomas sighed a bit, "Still, I'm glad you think it looks good. Er, aside from the color spilling out."

Ram arched an eyebrow, and said with a hint of reluctance in her voice, "It's not so bad. It does look a little nice. Just a little."

"O-okay," Thomas nodded, "I'm glad you both think so highly. Thank you both."

"You should sign it!" Rom suggested, "We can keep it and hang it on the fridge here."

Thomas coughed a bit, stifling a laugh, "I don't think we need to hang it anywhere, but thanks all the same." He smirked, "I'll add a signature though, because why not?"

The twins looked down at the drawing as Thomas went to the corner to sign it. He was feeling a bit silly signing it, so instead of making a serious signature, he signed it in simple printing, with a shortened name.

"Tom?" Rom read it aloud, "Isn't your name Thomas, mister?"

"It's just a shorter name," Thomas answered, "I wanted to put a simple signature."

"That will do," Ram said, heading back to her seat, "I gotta put the finishing touches on mine."

Rom giggled a bit, and returned to her drawing. Thomas blinked and looked back to his drawing, wondering if it really was as good as the two made it out to be. Was it really worth hanging on a fridge?


The book signing went well, as Blanc walked back to the Basilicom with a signed copy of the latest book. She held the book to her chest, feeling rather happy to get a chance to talk about writing with the author. She's been trying to become a better author for the longest time, and finally got enough courage to start asking for help. She was concerned she would be made fun of for this, but surprisingly the people she's talked to so far have been supportive. Overall, it has been a positive experience for her.

Opening the Basilicom doors, she was quickly greeted by Ram, who jumped in to hug her. "Welcome back, Big Sis!" Ram exclaimed as Blanc scrambled not to lose her book during the squeeze.

"Ram," Blanc flustered, "I was only out for a few hours." She paused, "You didn't do anything while I was gone, did you?"

"We just did some drawings while you were out," Ram said simply, as Thomas slowly caught up to the two, waving a little hello to the CPU.

"You... did?" Blanc winced.

"No books were harmed in the making of those drawings," Thomas joked, smiling a little.

Blanc phewed, relieved that her books were safe. Meanwhile, Ram grinned, "We drew some good pictures! In fact, I gotta show you a really good one!"

Blanc smiled a bit, "Oh?"

Ram tittered, and pulled out one of the drawings from her inventory, "Yep! Me and Rom weren't the only ones who did a drawing. Mister Tom also did a drawing!"

"Tom?" Blanc seemed puzzled, glancing over at the man, who also had a similar expression. Apparently he wasn't aware Ram took the drawing.

"Yep! It's even signed and everything! Here, Blanc!" Ram offered the drawing, still grinning, "It's a drawing of you! He even said it's what he thought when it came to you!"

"Really?" Blanc was actually curious, as she took the drawing from Ram and looked over at it. She blinked a few times, before her expression soured. Her eyes stared up at Thomas, "Is this what you thought?"

Thomas blinked, and felt a chill up his spine, "Wh-what do you mean?"

Ram inched away from the irritated Blanc, who turned the drawing around to show it. The drawing was of transformed Blanc, posing defiantly and clearly looking angry, ready to attack. Thomas sweatdropped, with Blanc muttering, "Is this the first thing you think of? Someone always angry?"

"N-no, that's not it at all!" Thomas protested, waving his hands in front of him, "That's not the first-"

"That I'm always looking for something to smash?" Blanc seethed, dropping the book she had as she folded the drawing.

Thomas shook his head a lot, "Absolutely not! I have a reason for-"

"I appreciate you staying here to keep an eye on the twins, Tom," Blanc saying coldly, emphasizing the signature, "But you should be heading out."

"Lady Blanc, please, let me-"

"Now." Blanc said plainly, as she stared a hole into Thomas.

Thomas panicked, and started to move around Blanc, heading out into the cold while trying to keep some distance. He'll have to explain some other time, but he certainly did not want to incur her wrath. He was starting to see a bit of the hammer, and did not want to stay around.

He did stay at the hotel that night, but quickly fled back to Planeptune by the morning. He was sure after that, he would not be back in Lowee for quite a while.

Thomas was surprised when it wasn't long that he returned for another meeting. In fact, Blanc was back to her friendly demeanor with him. It was like the drawing never happened.


We fast-forward to the present day, back at the Basilicom. Near the end of the day, Uzume yawned as she walked down the Basilicom hallway. She was a little tired, but there was something at the back of her mind she wanted to do.

She walked to a door in the hallway, and gave it a gentle knock. She heard a muffled, "Who is it?"

Uzume smiled a bit, and exclaimed, "Hey Ramsy! Mind if I come in?"

"Oh! Uzume! Sure thing! Me and Rom are here!" Ram said happily as the door opened for Uzume to come into the twins' bedroom.

"It's good to see you again, Uzume!" Rom smiled over at her, as she was resting on her bed.

"Same to you, Romsy. I'm happy we were able to save you," Uzume beamed, "How are you two doing today?"

"It was really nice to be back home," Rom said, "And have a good meal as well. Everyone's been really nice to us."

"That's because we did a good job!" Ram grinned at her sister, "We helped so many people and held off those meanie robots!"

"We sure did, Ram," Rom nodded.

"Heh, you two were strong, and brave, to handle all of that," Uzume complimented them, "I'm impressed with how cool you two were."

"You guys were cool, too!" Ram exclaimed, "And now, we can work together again to beat up the baddies!"

"Absolutely!" Uzume said as she glanced behind her, before speaking again, "Anyway, I came here to ask you two about something."

"Oh, is it something only we can answer?" Ram said excitely, "Because I'm super smart, you know. So go ahead, ask me anything!"

"It's nothing like that, Ramsy," Uzume laughed, "But I do think you might be able to answer all the same. It's about your big sister, and since you two know more about her than anyone else, I'd thought I'd ask!"

"Big Sis?" Rom blinked, "But if you wanted to know more about her, shouldn't you ask her?"

"Oooooh," Ram seemed more excited, "Are you trying to ask for juicy gossip behind her back?"

"Nonono, it's not that, I just feel kinda embarrassed if I asked her," Uzume said a lie, laughing nervously, "Eheh, anyway, I'm just asking about how she is with Tomsy."

"Tom?" Rom blinked, "This is about Tom too?"

Ram clapped her hands together, "Hahaha, is Uzume jealous or something?"

"Wh-what? No, that's not it at all!" Uzume said, "It's just, I was wondering about why she seems so friendly to him."

"Just wondering? Big Sis is always friendly to him," Rom answered, "Tom is a nice person, and Blanc is glad whenever he's come to help in Lowee."

"Did something happen?" Ram asked, before saying, "The two are both big nerds, so I guess Blanc took to him."

"Is that all?" Uzume asked, looking like that wasn't enough. Uzume remembered quite vividly that hug Blanc gave Thomas on their meeting. Sure, the two might have some similarities, but would that be enough?

"What do you mean, is that all?" Ram looked at Uzume's expression curiously.

"Sorry," Uzume said while holding her chin with a hand, "I don't know if that's enough to make me understand."

"I'll ask again: Did something happen?" Ram peered at Uzume's face, "Did Blanc do something crazy?"

"I won't say what it was," Uzume said, "I promised not to say. Still, what I can say, it was not something crazy, just... unusual."

The twins looked to each other, wondering for a second, before the two looked back, eyes wide.

"She kissed him?" The two asked in a bit of shock.

"Wh-what? No! It wasn't that friendly, geez!" Uzume's cheeks reddened, "It was just..." She winced, "I'm not telling! Nope!"

"You're bad at this," Uzume froze up as she heard a voice behind her. What she thought was a closed door was opened just enough for Blanc to overhear the conversation.

Blanc scowled at Uzume, "Seriously, I expect you to bring it up to Vert the first moment we see her again."

Uzume laughed nervously once more, being put on the spot. Ram, however, cut in, pushing Uzume aside and pointing at her big sister, "Blanc! For the sake of your sisters, we must know precisely what happened!"

"I don't have to tell you anything," Blanc grumbled, before she saw the pleading faces of both her sisters, as well as Uzume somehow.

After a pause, Blanc sighed, "Fine." She closed the door behind her, and went over to sit on the bed near Rom, "You want to know so badly, I might as well. Just, please, please, don't tell anyone else. I'm already embarassed as is."

Rom tilted her head, "It's okay, Big Sis."

"So, what is it? What scandalous thing did you do?" Ram pointed accusingly at her.

"It was... a hug," Blanc muttered, "Just a hug."

Ram paused, then frowned, "A hug? That's it? Pffft, lame."

Rom blinked at Blanc, "Did he or you-" Blanc responded on who started the hug by pointing at herself.

"What's the deal, then?" Uzume asked, before Blanc glared over at her. Uzume hesitated, and said politely, "Er, if you don't mind, that is. I was just asking."

"I was just happy to see someone at the time," Blanc said, "I felt weak for quite a while, and to see anyone after some time alone was a relief."

"And Tom?" Ram prodded.

"We have some similar interests, sure," Blanc said, looking away for a moment, as though that was all she could say.

The three leaned their heads closer, waiting for that part that would explain things more.

"I don't know," Blanc finally spoke, feeling the pressure, "Ever since the drawing, I grew to appreciate him a little more."

"The drawing?" Uzume was puzzled.

Ram followed on that, and looked equally confused, "The drawing? You mean the one Tom made so long ago?"

After a nod from Blanc, Ram was still confused, "That doesn't make any sense! I remembered that drawing! The one with your transformed self all angry and stuff! You weren't happy at all with one. So much so that you told Tom to leave. End of story!"

"That's not quite true," Rom said to her sister, "There's a bit more after that."

"I missed something, Rom?" Ram blinked.

Rom would explain the following flashback. Let's go there, shall we?


Back where the group was drawing, Rom was busy putting some of the crayons away. As she did, Blanc wandered into the room, still looking irritated. She sighed as she went to one of the smaller bookshelves, and putting the book that was signed away there.

"Welcome back, Big Sis!" Rom said happily as she went over to the drawing table.

"Hello, Rom," Blanc smiled weakly, "I guess you're cleaning up around here?"

"Yeah," Rom took the cup that was holding some of the pencils, "I was waiting for mister Tom to come back to help."

"He had to go early," Blanc said before looking over the table, "I'll help out here."

"Oh, okay," Rom said as she took the remaining pencils to put them away. Blanc, meanwhile, looked over the table, and went through the papers . She was sorting through the mess, before noticing something beneath the pile. She paused, looking down at it, and noticed a familiar signature.

"Huh?" Blanc looked at what appeared to be a different drawing. She then asked, "Rom? This thing here? Did Thomas, er, Tom, did he draw this?"

Rom paused to look at the drawing Blanc was still looking at, "Oh! Yep! We had a bit of time, so we drew a couple of drawings. This was his first one. I don't see the other one he drew." Rom glanced around the table, but couldn't find the one that was nabbed by Ram earlier.

Blanc took the drawing and gave it a look. It was a different one from the one she saw earlier. It was of Blanc, in her human form, sitting at a chair with a book on her lap. One of the last few things she saw on the drawing was the detail on her face. Even though the coloring was off, she could see a small smile on her face.


As Rom finished recalling the brief flashback, Uzume was in thought.

Ram laughed, "So she saw the other drawing too, huh? I thought it was just the one she saw."

"It was more than just that, wasn't it, Blanc?" Uzume asked.

Blanc blinked, then nodded, "I can see you're perceptive."

Rom raised her eyebrows, "You figured something out, Uzume?"

Uzume smiled, "It's one thing to just look at the two drawings on their own, but I believe Tomsy was showing Blanc's good points in both. Calm and collected in her human form, with a kind smile. In CPU form, a defiant fighter who will stand up to anything in her way." She clapped her hands together, "All in all, Blanc has seen the fine details in the drawing to see that Blanc is not just a goddess, but a person too. It's his way of coming to grips with that realization."

Blanc nodded, "That it is. The amount of detail would show that. The way he covered my battle stance, or my little smile, or the size of my chest."

"Exactly! Wait, what?" Uzume rapidly blinked at Blanc.

"Tom has never mentioned anything about my size since our first meetings," Blanc muttered, as the three eyed her oddly. She continued despite this, "But I remembered that on both drawings, I can see the amazing amount of detail. The fact that he would notice showed that he knows quite a bit about me. Sure, they were a little on the small side, a minor error, but they were there all the same."

"Is she seriously this shallow?" Uzume asked quietly to Ram, "If anything, that just makes it sound like Tomsy's a creepy person."

"I want to say no, but even I can't lie like that," Ram sighed. The two drooped their shoulders as Blanc closed her eyes, blushing a bit.

Rom shook her head. She did not want to say it aloud to any of them, but she certainly saw the drawings too. What Blanc probably saw instead was a smudge, or an effect of Tom's weird coloring. At least, that was what Rom assumed was the case.

The damage had been done, however. Uzume already regretted asking.