A/N: So, sorry for last chapter being super boring. Hopefully this chapter is far less dry. Now featuring 100% more Neptune showing up.


Chapter 17: Fun-ishiment


"Let's do our best today!"

I try to give an encouraging smile to Lady Ram and Lady Rom, who are dressed in their work uniforms and also now have several pamphlet printouts of the menu that they can hand to passerbys right outside the shop.

"L-let's do our best today!" Lady Rom says back, also giving a smile, with Lady Ram saying the same but somewhat less enthusiastically. I can tell there's a bit of strain here though, probably because this is still a punishment, but I think they're glad to have gotten off a bit easy.

"It's still early, so they can sit around for a while." I say to Lady Blanc. "Have you all had breakfast?"

"We already did." Lady Blanc replies back as she glances at the morning light outside. "What time should Ram and Rom stand outside?"

"Well, I would say maybe thirty minutes from now? It will be slightly before the big rush, so we can start to get more people in."

"I see." Lady Blanc says, looking at her watch. "Okay, that should be fine. Ram, Rom, sit by the counter."

With that, I head back into the kitchen, as Lady Blanc offered to take the register for the day as she's an incredibly quick learner. It does free up a lot of time for me to focus on keeping my production up during the day, as that's no doubt the hardest part of the business.

"Ah, right—" I peek my head out through the kitchen doors, getting Lady Blanc's attention. "—if you have any trouble, don't hesitate to come get me."

"Of course. Thank you, Elliot."

There's nothing too much different throughout the day, but it feels easier when I can focus purely on making more pastries and food throughout the morning.

Granted, it doesn't take very long for the line to form, and I can already hear through the doors people expressing their surprise at the CPU and CPU Candidates of Lowee being here. Likely it's already making its way through the internet and someone's informing the local news.

Well IF, watch over me for just a bit, okay? But if I remember correctly, the weekend has passed by so she should be back in town already. I'll probably have to deal with her teasing later.

"Elliot."

I pick my head up, finding Lady Blanc looking through the doors. "What's going on?"

"The morning rush you predicted is here, can I have a bit of help? I don't want to slow things down too much."

"Oh, sure."

I suppose that a day of training wouldn't help her with all of the coffee making, since while she's observed it and I have the instructions still written down, it'll take longer due to her having to think it through whereas I can do it purely on instinct.

"What orders do we have so far?"

Lady Blanc gestures to the list of receipts taped to the counter on the side, indicating what orders we have. I nod and get to work, hearing Lady Blanc taking orders and giving people their pastries behind me.

"Thank you, your vanilla mocha will be out shortly."

I glance over at Lady Blanc, who gives me a slight nod back at locking eyes with me for a second. I see… that's actually pretty good.

As I continue to work on the current drinks, Lady Blanc verbally calls out what each one is to each customer, allowing me to focus and not waste time looking up what the orders are, though we have to make an exception for when someone places multiple drinks as a verbal confirmation of what they're ordering could be fairly clunky.

My hands are like a small whirlwind, picking up cups and adding in flavors despite the reduced efficiency as the replacement machines haven't arrived yet. However, because Lady Blanc is smoothly taking orders, it almost feels like there's no delay at all.

"Alright, I got one vanilla mocha, two hot chocolates, an iced latte, two green teas, and a caramel macchiato!" I call out, sliding the array of drinks forward on the pick-up counter. There isn't a moment's rest however, as it's immediately onto the next batch of drinks in my head.

At around ten o'clock, the last of the big rush leaves the door. I can hear Lady Blanc audibly sigh in exhaustion, having spent the last hour and a half or so taking orders at rapid speed.

"Feel free to have a seat—" I pause, catching myself. "—Blanc."

Lady Blanc moves over to the other side of the counter, mostly to rest her feet, as she still sits up straight. "That was… an experience."

"Sorry… I should've known of the attention it would cause."

"We were both aware of it. It's just that we may have underestimated how quickly it would spread." Lady Blanc says back, looking outside. Lady Ram and Lady Rom are saying hello to people passing by, pointing inside and also giving them a menu.

"Well, I think you deserve a break. You should go out and check on them, if they'd like to sit around and wait until the lunch rush. There's no use standing around outside while most people are settled in for work."

"Oh, thank you."

Lady Blanc gets up from her seat and opens the door, calling out to the twins. They come inside and quickly take a seat while I look around and eventually pull out two bottles of orange juice that I slide over to them.

"Hey, hey, this is pretty fun!" Lady Ram says, proudly showing off her very much thinned out stack of fliers.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves. Blanc, is there anything I can get for you?"

"Some cold water, please."

I smile, filling up a cup of water for her and putting some ice in before handing it to her. "Tough morning, right?"

"Mhm."

"How about you, L—" I notice the look from Lady Blanc and immediately correct myself. "—erm, you, Rom?"

The blue-ribbon wearing twin uses her fliers to partially hide her face as she speaks. "It… was a bit scary with all the people, but it was kind of fun."

"There might be more people in the afternoon, considering how word will spread." I mumble, putting a hand on my chin. I glance over at Lady Blanc, who looks up from her water. "Would you like to accompany your sisters outside for the afternoon? I can handle the register myself."

"Are you sure?"

"It can't be worse than when all four of you showed up." I say with a small smile, earning a sigh from Lady Blanc. "I'll be fine."

Lady Blanc thinks on this for a bit before she nods. "Thank you, Elliot."

Granted, I doubt that anyone would be willing to actually mess with the CPU Candidates, especially because Lady Blanc is well… right there.

"However, I think they'll be fine. I trust that even without my supervision, they'll continue to work diligently."

Despite the calm way of saying that, I can definitely feel the pressure that Lady Blanc is exerting in the air. It's honestly a bit frightening and I manage to successfully suppress a shiver from going down my spine.

"Though, it's only a matter of time before someone tries to get a news story." I mumble, putting my hand on my chin. "Are you sure you don't want to be there to give a word?"

Lady Blanc gives me a look, likely trying to gauge my intentions. Unlike some of the other times, this is a legitimate concern of mine, insofar as that the twins were very eager to bother Lady Noire and I about what our relationship was. I'm a bit nervous if they might do something drastic or say something that I'd have to explain thoroughly, so it would help if Lady Blanc was out there to help curb that.

As if discerning that this isn't one of those things where I'm just trying to alleviate any burdens they have, Lady Blanc leans back in her chair and nods a little more definitively this time around.

"Very well. I suppose you do raise a valid point. As this is my fault for insisting on this, I will take responsibility."

Please don't say such a misleading line in public, Lady Blanc…

"You look like you want to say something."

"A-ah, no, it's… thank you for your concern." I say, starting to falter underneath her stare. "Anyways, the main lunch rush doesn't start for a while, so please feel free to take a break. If there's anything you need from me, I'll just be in the kitchen preparing extra pastries. Oh, but let me go print out some extra pamphlets as well, so you aren't left without any."

Lady Blanc nods as I head for the door upstairs, unlocking it then relocking it behind me as I go up the stairs. It doesn't take that long to print out a few pamphlets of the menu on the cardstock I also remembered to go quickly by from the convenience store after Lady Blanc left. I'm glad I remembered to get it, though. It would've been a bit embarrassing to have had to print it on normal paper.

When I come back out and lock the door behind me again, I see Lady Blanc taking an order from someone and already starting to prepare it. It's fairly easy to tell that while she has a very good eye for following the exact letter of the recipe, her movements aren't flowing and have little bits of hesitation as if double checking herself each time. Judging from where she's looking around and what she's done so far, I estimate we're out of the vanilla flavoring syrup. Despite the impassive stare on her face, I can tell what she's doing—likely, Lady Blanc is trying to remember where she's seen the vanilla flavoring, doubly so as her sisters are watching.

While I don't know what it's like to have siblings, I definitely remember goofing up when I tried very hard to impress my girlfriend whenever she came to visit. It would always be the silliest things, like completely forgetting that of course the whipped cream would be in the fridge or misplacing a teabag. We want to look our best for those we think the best of, I suppose.

I quietly move back behind the counter, putting the pamphlets to the side as I kneel down, opening a cabinet and pulling out a fresh package.

"Ah, just a moment sir, we'll have your drink out in a second."

Lady Blanc turns towards me, but I give a nice big smile despite the fact I know she probably reads right through me as I'm looking away from her, unable to face her right in the eyes.

"I was in a bit of a hurry last night, so some things might have gotten mixed up. Sorry about that."

"It's… not a problem. It's more of a problem that we're taking too long."

"Ah, right, of course."

With that, I hurry up and quickly replace the empty syrup bottle, throwing out the old one and allowing Lady Blanc to finish the drink. She slides it over the counter to the waiting customer, giving a "Thank you, please come again" with a small smile.

After he leaves, Lady Blanc looks towards me. I can only muster a small, awkward smile, trying not to collapse under her admittedly not-too-inquisitive stare this time around. After a brief silence that hangs, I hear her say…

"Thank you."

"Just helping out, La—Blanc." I say, catching myself at the last second. "We're all working together, aren't we?"

She gives a quiet nod at that while I pick up the newly printed pamphlets and hand them out to Lady Ram and Lady Rom, who take a bit of enjoyment out of the small warmth freshly printed paper still has.

Time goes by fairly slowly after that, but soon enough it's eleven thirty.

"The lunch rush should be starting soon." I say to Lady Blanc, moving out of the way so she can get to the other side of the counter. "I haven't seen anyone who looks like the press talking to your sisters yet, but that might change during all of the chaos."

"Mhm. Thank you, again."

"Don't worry about it. Oh, and here."

Lady Blanc raises an eyebrow as I go into the kitchen and come back out with three bagged pastries which I hold out to her.

"I know you have lunch, but in case it's a while before you're able to have a break, I made some cream bread. It's not too sweet, but—"

Lady Blanc sighs, but accepts the pastries anyways. I expect to hear a comment about how I'm not supposed to give these during a punishment, but instead I hear a mumble about "the kind of behavior that gets one entangled in troubles". I want to question it, but decide it's probably better to not let her know I heard it.

"Thank you, Elliot. I hope it's not that bad, but we'll see."

"Good luck."

I wave her off as she gestures for her sisters to get up from their chairs and head out the door. The line is already forming as they begin their work, as no doubt the word has already spread throughout the morning and those who weren't able to come then are trying their best to come now.

Taking a deep breath, I mentally prepare myself for what surely will be an onslaught of orders. Here we go.

The lunch and slightly-after-lunch-to-grab-a-dessert rush is almost a complete blur. Fortunately it is somewhat stalled as people outside seem to be asking Lady Blanc for a picture, no doubt wanting to capture them in a very rare setting. I can even see some news vans through the windows already pulled up, trying to catch the latest scoop.

I fortunately, however, seem to encounter far less people bothering me for a comment on this whole thing, probably because Lady Blanc is keeping them occupied and potentially scaring them off. I think. Maybe. Or maybe I'm just lucky today and won't be so lucky tomorrow.

Granted, that all goes out the window when I hear a certain female voice outside.

"Blanny, I challenge you to a duel of cuteness!"

Oh dear. I suppose I should've seen this coming, but I was quietly hoping it wouldn't.

At the very least, everyone's attention turns outside. I quickly pardon myself from the counter, saying I'm just going to check on the situation outside. When I get out there, it's about what I expected. Lady Blanc is with Lady Ram and Lady Rom, "confronting" Lady Neptune who is accompanied by a very fidgety Lady Nepgear.

"Hey, Elly!" Lady Neptune says, all the attention suddenly on me as I started to backpedal into the shop. "Good, you're he—hey, don't run away, you coward!"

I stop as soon as my foot touches the ground behind me. It seems I won't be able to escape.

"S-sorry, Lady Neptune, I just thought not to keep my customers waiting once I had confirmed the situation."

"I can handle them."

Before I can react, Lady Blanc retreats into the shop, mumbling a simple "Sorry, but please deal with this" as she passes by me. Ah…

I move behind Lady Ram and Lady Rom, intent on backing the shop with… whatever is going on. "Lady Neptune, may I ask what the occasion is?"

"I got word that two cute CPU candidates were helping with your shop and humbly nominate that Nepgear also join in!"

"E-eh?! That's not what you told me! You said you just wanted to go get pudding!"

"Huhu, learn fast, Nepgear!" Lady Neptune says, pounding her chest twice with a smile before pointing right at me. "So, Elly, tell me—is Nepgear cute enough to help?"

There's a landmine buried in that question. Actually, the landmine isn't really buried at all. Frankly it's not even a landmine, it's just a very large, blimp-sized bomb that was announced with a marching band and airhorns.

"Er, cuteness is not a factor that Lapin House uses to determine if someone is capable of working here." I say with a nervous smile. "After all, I'm not very cute, am I?"

That manages to get a chuckle out of the crowd here. I then kneel down so I'm eye level with Lady Ram and Lady Rom, giving them an encouraging smile. "Now then, you two, it seems we have two very important guests. Let's do our best to invite them inside, okay? I'll be right with you."

"M-mhm!"

The pressure of the cameras is definitely making them nervous. It's making me nervous, that's for sure, but I stand up and stand next to Lady Ram and Lady Rom before giving them a nod. They both move forward and hold out a menu to Lady Neptune and Lady Nepgear.

"Welcome to Lapin House, the line is a bit long but here's a menu to look over!" Lady Ram says, confidently leading them off.

"W-we also have pudding, Neptune… And there's a coupon..." Lady Rom follows, pointing out where it is on the menu printout.

"Yeah, yeah! It's really good! There's lots of other sweets as well!"

To complete the whole package, I give a light bow with a service-focused smile. "If it's not too much trouble, please do consider having something. There's some pudding for you, if you'd like. However, to be fair to the other customers, I'd like to humbly request that you wait in line."

"Hmhmm, pudding does nice… maybe—wait, this is just a distraction! You nearly got me to fall for it, but we won't! I've seen through your tricks!"

"Oh, I didn't know you sold cream bread." Lady Nepgear says, looking at the menu she was offered. "I hope you're not sold out."

"Nepgear!"

"It's hard to find a bakery that makes these in Planeptune, right, sis? And they sell out pretty quickly."

"Are they your favorite, Lady Nepgear?" I ask, tilting my head as I give another winning smile.

"Hmmm, just a bit." She says, grinning back as she puts a finger on the corner of her lip.

"Well, hopefully we won't sell out right now, but I have some more currently baking."

"Gah, he's already roped in Nepgear!"

"Come on, sis. The line isn't getting any shorter."

"Wha—Nepgear, wait! Waaaait!"

Of course, it's all likely in good fun, as Lady Neptune doesn't put up any real resistance to her sister dragging her into line. I clap twice, gesturing for Lady Ram and Lady Rom to come over, and once again kneel down to be eye level with them.

"Good job, you two. Please continue to warmly invite everyone into the store, okay?" I say, giving another smile. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to attending to everyone you two have helped bring in. Please keep up the good work."

With that, I shoot them both a thumbs up, getting one in return. And of course, immediately beat a hasty retreat back into the store as the reporters call my name and ask for official statements, but I manage to get away without giving them a single word.


Lady Neptune and Lady Nepgear leave the shop after getting their orders, with Lady Nepgear leaving a sizable tip. As they pick up their orders, Lady Neptune reached over the counter to pat me on the head, saying "Good job!" as she left with a satisfied smile on her face. I don't think she means any harm, but this is just a way of lightening the mood for everyone.

That, and maybe she just wanted an excuse to go clean out about three fourths of my pudding stock.

It's a struggle not to sigh in relief as the line finally starts to die down around the one forty-five mark, with the line slowly returning to its natural pace. Instead of sprinting to get orders done, I'm more able to take my time and have a chat with people as I prepare their drink.

"Come again, and have a nice day!"

With that, the last of those in line leaves the shop, where I hear Lady Blanc (who switched out with me after Lady Neptune came into the shop), Lady Ram, and Lady Rom greet them with a "Thank you for stopping by" as they enter the cafe.

"Can I get you anything?" I ask, smiling for the clearly exhausted Lady Blanc who makes sure her younger sisters are nice and seated before sitting down herself. "Let's see, perhaps a mocha with a hint of vanilla, L—Blanc?"

"Yes, please."

"How were the pastries?" I ask, starting to prepare her drink. "And anything for you two?"

"O-orange juice, please…" Lady Rom says. "U-um, we handed out all of the pamphlets, too…!"

"Yeah, everyone took one!" Lady Ram adds on, holding out her empty hands. "And it was really good!"

"I'm happy. Thank you for doing such a good job." I say back with a friendly smile, putting their drinks out for them. "Ah, just a moment."

I finish Lady Blanc's drink and set it out in front of her, sliding the cup and saucer forward. "One vanilla mocha. Should I go heat up your lunch?"

Lady Blanc shakes her head 'no' as she sits up and drinks her mocha. "I'll get it in just a bit. May I use the kitchen?"

"Of course, go ahead."

"Additionally, thank you for the pastry. I don't think I would have made it through without having it."

"Our sister would've gotten really mad at those journalists after Neptune showed up!" Lady Ram says with a teasing smile, Lady Blanc's eyebrow furrowing in the background. "And then there might not be a shop anymore!"

"Ram, quiet." Lady Blanc says with what I hope I'm imagining is the smallest bit of embarrassment in her voice.

"I'm… glad?" I say, trying not to step on a landmine here.

"That makes one of us." Lady Blanc grumbles. "But I suppose this is my just desserts, as I insisted on this. I just hope it doesn't get worse."

"Same here. Ah, though, I don't really have too much else for you all to do. There's a small spike in the evening for dessert after dinner, but I think I'm out of cardstock so there's no more pamphlets to print out."

"They can stand around and call people into the shop, can't they?"

"I suppose that's true, but that rush is already past five o'clock." I say, nodding. "For the most part, I tried not to keep my part timer I had before here past then, so he could at least go home and have dinner with his friends in college. Therefore, I don't want to keep them any longer than that. Aside from that, there's nothing much to do, though."

"There's always cleaning, right?" Lady Blanc says, eyeing the two who look a little nervous. "Maybe it could be a bit of practice for your own rooms."

I try not to laugh, knowing my room isn't exactly the cleanest either. Everything from the mall is slowly starting to make a little more sense now. Lady Blanc is really trying her hardest to make sure that her siblings grow up to become more responsible and aren't spoiled to the core. Perhaps she's hard on them because she's the only person who's capable of being hard on them and the only person whom her harshness will stick. However, it's at odds at her wanting to have a carefree and very close kind of relationship, much like what I saw at the mall. When she was staring down at the kids playing in the play area, I'm sure she might have been wishing that was what her siblings could be like, but they have an incredible burden to bear being the CPU Candidates.

"Um, I suppose I can get the dustpan, the broom, and a washcloth. Just come get me if anyone needs something, though."

It doesn't take long to fetch the items needed for cleaning, and soon enough Lady Ram and Rom are off wiping down the tables and sweeping the floor while Lady Blanc goes to prepare their lunch, which end up being some small club sandwiches, with the oven being used just to get the cheese to melt and to add a bit of toast to them.

As for me, I settle for a simple salad I had packed the night before, with just a bit of grilled pork, but I wait until Lady Blanc and her sisters are done with their meal so that way they won't be interrupted if someone comes in.

Lady Ram and Lady Rom don't get to work until after they finish eating, with Lady Blanc taking the register. That leaves me free to go into the kitchen after my meal and just work on making some additional pastries for tonight along with starting to prepare mixes for tomorrow.

Once they're done cleaning, Lady Ram and Lady Rom mostly act as greeters and apparently, with Lady Blanc's suggestion as she informed me while I was mixing some dough, helping people find a good seat while they waited for their order if they were sitting in.

Once it's five o'clock, I put down the dough, wash my hands, and step outside, finding Lady Blanc chatting with someone familiar.

"Oh, IF, hey!" I say, waving as I step up to the counter. "Did, er, Blanc already get your order?"

"Oh, yeah, she did. Glad to see you're doing okay." She says back, looking just a bit tired with some bags underneath her eyes.

I glance over, finding that she's brought two rather large blue suitcases with her. "Did you come over straight from the airport?"

IF scratches the back of her head with her left hand, her cheeks turning just the slightest bit pink. It's not like her to get embarrassed about that sort of thing…

"She was concerned—" Lady Blanc starts.

"I had a good reason!" IF says, cutting Lady Blanc off. "Besides, I had to come see the damage for myself. Nep's embellishment didn't help at all."

"Well, please feel free to look about as you wish." I say with a comforting smile, trying to ease IF's worries. "But I'm fine, really."

"Mhm…"

I notice off to the side Lady Blanc smile at IF. There seems to be a silent conversation between them, which only causes Lady Blanc to become more amused and IF being more frustrated. I take the time to quietly make a cup of hot chocolate and slide it over to IF.

"I did order a latte." She says with a knowing smile, all the tension fading from her face. "But… the thought's appreciated, Elliot."

"I'll have that latte right out, then. Let me handle this one, Blanc."

"Whoa, that's a shocker." IF says as I start preparing her drink. "Since when did you drop the 'Lady'?"

"Since she won't let me use it while she's working here…" I mumble, feeling Lady Blanc's slight glare into the back of my head. I think it's worth it though, as I hear IF laughing.

"Blanc, really?"

"I thought it best for the position."

IF laughs a bit harder at this, shaking her head. "Okay, Elliot, you can call me 'Lady' if you've wanted to call someone politely."

"Of course, Lady IF."

There's a pause as IF looks straight at me with a curious expression. The two of us lock eyes, trying not to be the one to crack. I'm not smiling, I'm not smiling, I'm not...

"Would you two idiots just laugh already?"

"Awww, you're no fun, Blanc. I was about to win, too." IF says, huffing her chest.

"No, no, I think I had it." I then pause, remembering what time it was. "Ah, right, the reason I came out. Um, Ram, Rom, come here, please."

I step on the other side of the counter as the two twins come up to me. I clap my hands together and give a big, winning grin as I kneel down to be at their height level.

"Okay, that's all for today. Thank you very much for your help, it was great to have you both here."

"U-um, it was actually kind of fun… I'm glad we were able to help, after we, um…"

"It's okay, it's okay. What's more important is that you were able to learn something, Lady Rom."

"But hey, hey, this was actually pretty fun. Can we do it again?" Lady Ram asks, hopping up and down with all of the excitement in her. I wish I could be that energetic after a day of work.

"Um…" I glance back at Lady Blanc, giving an apologetic smile. "I think you would have to ask your older sister about that."

I can already see IF trying not to chuckle as the twins immediately run over to look up at their sister, sparkles in their eyes.

"Sis, can we? Can we do this again?"

The conflict is written all over Blanc's face. I suspect that she's busy and can't take another day off to work here, but with how eagerly her sisters actually want to take on some responsibility for once, she probably doesn't want to take it away from them. I see her glance at IF, then back at her sisters, then back to me. I glance at IF, who gives me a trying smile. I think we're both aware of how this is likely going to go down, so I mentally prepare myself.

Lady Blanc closes her eyes, takes a breath, and delivers her reply to her waiting sisters.

"Unfortunately, I have a meeting tomorrow morning that I can't make virtual because of what it entails. While I can ask the hotel to extend our stay, based on the circumstances that have brought us to this situation in the first place, I'm worried about leaving the two of you alone here."

The twins look devastated at this, understandably so.

I look at IF again, who gives me a look that asks if I'm ready for this. I quietly nod to her and after about five seconds, IF gives a nod back.

"Lady Blanc."

Everyone, save IF, who has a tired, but knowing look on her face, turns towards me. The twins look up with hope in their eyes, as if knowing what I'm about to say.

This isn't about doing it just because they're goddesses. I'm also fairly sure that Lady Blanc would much rather just finally have this done away with. However, I can sympathize with the twins. What it's like to be given responsibility and feeling proud of it. It's just like when I was slowly given more and more to do in the shop, culminating in owning it. If someone were to take that away from me, then...

"If you would please entrust them to me for even just one day more, I would be most gracious."

I pour as much of my backed up politeness into it. A slow but sure bow, my hands clasped together at my waist as I do so, not rising as I have not been spoken to yet. Even my tone is one of great humility, understanding that I have asked to have two CPU Candidates put into my care even for twenty-four hours.

"I can watch for you as well, Blanc."

I hear a sigh from Lady Blanc as if she's asking "You too, IF?" before she speaks.

"Elliot, look up."

I quietly rise from my polite bow, finding Lady Blanc with a… conflicted look on her face. "If you are offering, I will permit two days at the most. However, they do have their own responsibilities that they'll need to do back home, so they may be pulled away in case of an emergency."

"Then, I will humbly accept, Lady Blanc."

She then looks at her younger sisters and nods. "Ram, Rom, I want you both here at the same time we arrived. Am I understood?"

"Y-yes, of course, sis!"

"Yeah, we'll be here!"

"I will also be requesting an honest performance evaluation from Elliot afterwards, so no slacking. I have a few things to discuss with him as well, but as the two of you are done, please go back to the hotel. We'll get your uniforms washed this evening."

"Mhm!"

The two twins run out of the hotel, looking happier than they did ten minutes ago. Of course, this good mood is then dampered by Lady Blanc's head creaking slowly towards me. There's a… deathly silence that hangs in the air, neither of us saying a word for a solid minute.

"...please take good care of them."

"I'll be here, Blanc, don't worry about it. Just put in a word with the Guild and they'll understand. I'll even walk them to and from the hotel if you give me the address."

"Thank you, IF. I'll indulge in your offer."

"No problem. I'm going to head out for a bit and get my things back. Thanks for the pick me up, but I'll be back soon, okay?" IF says, getting up from her seat. "Stay in one piece, got it?"

"I'll try."

IF only laughs as she takes her suitcases and heads outside, leaving me alone with Lady Blanc. The atmosphere is overwhelming despite her not saying a word. Half of me wants to apologize, but since I moved of my own will, I know better than to offer a hollow apology.

"I'll do my best, Lady Blanc." I say, forcing myself to look into her eyes to convey as much sincerity as I can.

"I'm not worried about that." Lady Blanc says, shaking her head. "I don't actually doubt in your ability to watch over them and I know you'd do almost anything to make sure nothing happened to them. What I'm worried about is that they'll say something by accident."

"Can you… clarify that?" I ask, but I have a feeling I already know the answer.

"When we were outside today, there were already some people who tried to get information about the gala and you, as despite the deception, it seems some people aren't so easily shaken and while it's passed for now, a scoop of that level is simply irresistible. I believe they think that Ram and Rom will spill a little more easily; however, I was able to steer the conversation away. I suspect that's why Neptune showed up as well, just to buy some time, even if I didn't tell her to. I'll brief them on it tonight, but I'm just a bit worried. You've tried to put that all behind you, I would hate to bring it up again."

Ha… right on point with what I was thinking. Geez, it seems like that gala just won't leave me alone, huh? Even now it's causing all sorts of problems for me. I wonder if I should just come clean at some point…

"So, please do your best."

That last line, I feel, is not coming from Lady Blanc, the goddess that watches over the nation of Lowee. That is coming from Blanc, the older sister of two twins who are growing up in the world with a lot of responsibility on their shoulders and Blanc, someone concerned at what being involved with someone famous can do to a person's life.

I look down at her, meeting her gaze. "I will, Lady Blanc."

She closes her eyes and exhales. "I'll hope so, for your sake. With IF watching, I feel that shouldn't be as worrisome, but please take extraordinary care."

"Mhm."

"Regardless, thank you for allowing us this opportunity. It… was a bit fun, too." Lady Blanc says with a smile. "I hope you've learned a few things as well."

"I will kind of miss the help, actually."

"Well, perhaps you can hire IF part time. I'm sure that she's looking for something else to do outside of working for the Guild. And it will give you the chance to see her in something other than her 'uniform'."

"Ma—" I pause, realizing what Lady Blanc just said. "L-lady Blanc? Er, did…"

"Did I…?" She asks, leading off and forcing me to fill in the rest. A pretty nasty technique, I would say.

I look away, shaking my head. "Never mind, maybe I'm just hearing things."

I remember that IF mentioned that the goddesses used to think IF and I were involved like that, back when they first found out we knew each other. I thought we had cleared that up though…? I hope it isn't the case that Lady Blanc thinks that we see each other that way. She did seem kind of annoyed when it was revealed I was dancing with Lady Noire, though, and she's…

Agh, it would clear this all up if I just asked, but there's no way I can bring myself to ask that question straight to her face! It's just too embarrassing!

"I see. Please get some rest, then, Elliot."

"Well, the shop is still open for a while longer."

"Then, I think I'll stay a little longer."

I can only sigh a little bit, but I can feel the smile on my face. "Mhm, mhm, please do as you like, Lady Blanc."

I pause, realizing that Lady Blanc didn't correct me.

"Lady Blanc?"

"Yes?"

"You didn't correct me this time or the past few times, thinking about it."

"Ah, well… you see comfortable enough standing up to me for something you seem to believe in, so there's no need to force it anymore. You've learned part of the lesson I wanted to give you." She says with an understanding nod. "Please feel free to call me what you'd like."

"I see. Then, as you requested earlier, I will still call you by Blanc while you're working here."

For some reason, it doesn't feel so strained to say that. Maybe that incredible hurdle from earlier was just so high that everything else in comparison doesn't seem so bad. Or maybe it's because it was still a request from Lady Blanc.

"That's fine with me. You can feel free to keep calling me that even afterwards, but I don't think you will."

"That's a bit of a tall order, after all."

"Well, maybe one day. I think, as it seems we're going to continue being a part of your life, that it would be for the best if you could address as friends. You might never think of yourself as our equal, but I know you are capable of accomplishing that much."

"You think very highly of me, Lady Blanc."

"You've done a lot to earn that." She says, turning away and facing the window looking outside. "It's why I even let Rom and Ram go through with tomorrow and the day afterwards."

"Thank you for trusting me, then."

It's fairly quiet after that, until the evening rush. Lady Blanc and I, with our new technique of calling out the orders, manage to sweep through everything without as much of a hitch. I'm going to really miss having someone around like this. Sure, I had my part timer before, but it's got a different feeling. Like I can really trust that Lady Blanc's got my back, through and through.

It kind of reminds me of…

"I'm back. Sorry it took so long, but my driver got lost. Seriously…" IF says, coming through the door looking quite exhausted, breaking my train of thought.

"You should've stayed home and rested. I never did get around to making that latte, right? Let me get on that. " I say, starting to prepare it for her, but IF catches me and waves me off.

"Make it a double shot espresso."

"Coming right up. And let me guess, a…" I snap my fingers, trying to think about what she'd like. "...ah, cheese danish and a slice of cookies and cream cake."

"Read my mind."

Blanc takes the card that IF offers and rings her up while I prepare her drink. They seem to be discussing something, but I can't quite hear what they're talking about as it's all very hush hush.

As I slide the cup of coffee towards IF, I see her quietly turn her head away, looking unusually… nervous?

"Is something wrong…?" I ask, looking at the two pastries that Lady Blanc had given her, which seem to be right. "Seriously, I'll call a taxi for you if you're not feeling well, IF."

"N-no, it's not that. I'm fine," I give her another look, "I'm fine!" she insists.

"You don't seem fine…"

I see IF give a nasty glance towards Lady Blanc, who only offers an enigmatic smile in return. I hope it isn't what I think it is.

"Anyways, um… hey, Elliot, are you free this weekend?" IF asks, probably feeling self-conscious now that Lady Blanc may have said something.

"I… I should be." I say, now also feeling self-conscious and hyperaware of Lady Blanc.

"Then, well, want to learn how to ride a motorcycle? I can teach you." IF says with just the slightest hint of a stammer.

"O-oh, yeah, sure! It'll be something to look forward to this weekend."

She nods, then pauses as if mentally checking something off. "Alright. Sunday morning, then?"

"Works for me. Just text me when you're coming."

IF nods before starting to eat her food, no longer meeting my gaze. I hear what sounds like a low chuckle coming from Lady Blanc, who is now untying her apron.

"Gotta go?"

"Yes, need to catch the last flight out, actually."

"Are you sure you'll make it with the traffic?"

"That won't be a problem if it comes down to it, since I can always just fly over it. We just try not to, since it tends to cause quite a bit of reactions." Lady Blanc says with a knowing grin. She pauses her departure at the door, turning towards me. "Thank you for everything, Elliot, and good luck."

"I guess I'll need it."

"And IF, please do your best to help him."

IF only nods as she's busy chewing her food. With that, Lady Blanc gives a slight bow before exiting the shop. I hear a loud sigh from IF, who slumps down in her chair. I can't help but sigh, too.

"Lady Blanc has the wrong idea, doesn't she?"

"You could say that."

"You do seem a bit nervous around me, though…" I say, earning an audible groan from IF, who this time slumps forward, her arms folding and forming a pillow for her head.

"How am I not supposed to be, when Lady Blanc says that kind of thing. Of course I'm going to be a little conscious of how it sounds like a date!"

I look away, finding the floor pretty interesting as I nod. "I guess so, huh…"

"A-anyways, on a happier note, well, maybe not so happy," IF says as she sits up straight. "Don't worry about the twins. I'll be watching over them, and if Lady Blanc's putting in the word, there won't be any problems. I just have to make sure they don't do anything, right?"

"Or mention um, you know…" I glance around, just confirming that no one's in the shop. "The gala."

"Yeah. That shouldn't be too much of a problem. The only issue will be if there's an emergency that I need to handle, but with any luck…"

"...you won't finish that sentence because you'll jinx it."

IF snorts, rolling her eyes. "Alright, alright, I won't fi—withanyluckwewon'thaveanyproblems!"

"Oh, come on!"

IF only laughs, the previously awkward atmosphere finally fading. "Well, why don't you tell me all about today? I'm dying to hear about how it must've all went. Mostly so I can tell Noire. Maybe you can convince her to put on a maid outfit and help out here."

"Of course not, I'd never ask such a thing!"

"Okay, what if someone else did? Or what if she offered?"

"IF!"

IF seems to take great enjoyment in my reactions, her laughter becoming louder and more uncontrolled by the second. "Hahaha, okay, okay, I'll stop! Really, though, I want to hear how it all went."

"You're pretty eager, huh?"

"Well, vacation was nice, but it was a little lonely since it was by myself. Usually I kind of like being alone, but something about it just felt off. So, just entertain me a little, okay? I haven't gotten to hear your voice in a while. In person, anyways."

Geez, that's a pretty embarrassing thing to say… but, it makes me just a bit happy to hear.

"Okay, okay. Let me make myself a cup of hot chocolate, and we'll talk over cake."


And wow okay this went on a lot longer than I thought. Goddamn at this rate the Blanc arc is going to have a chapter that's like 40 pages long, holy shit. Like man, we used to be at the point where 13 chapters was considered long for me, and now as we keep going on these chapters keep stretching out and now 16 pages is like a good stopping point. Keep in mind that the climax of Noire's arc was 27 pages and that was a huge stretch as it was double what I usually go. Assuming similar pace for the "it's all coming together" moment, we're gonna end up hitting a 35 page mark lol

Oh lawdy but yeah, not too much to unpack this chapter. Fairly chill, just everyone working and Elliot getting a bit used to being around the goddesses. I kind of liked having it escalate, to where Elliot is usually very timid around the goddesses, but when he has something he really believes in, he can summon the courage to do something. Doubly so when IF is there as support.

So of course, this isn't the end just yet. Next time will be the twins taking a bit more center stage as I'd like to involve them just a little bit more than just the instigators of this entire arc. Their characters are kind of easy to write when you put them together as they have a natural dynamic, after all. I also liked the idea that they're happy to be given a little more responsibility and so despite the logistics difficulty, Blanc was at least willing to let them willingly do a job. Served as a good character moment for Elliot, too, when he got to speak a little bit about remembering what it was like to earn people's trust.

Regardless, just a bit of fun at the end with some easy ship tease. It was kind of hinted at earlier that on a personal level, Blanc likes the idea of IF and Elliot, such as Blanc mentioning her to him and also yes, Blanc feeling slightly annoyed during the gala when the switcheroo happened and plot twist, it's Noire he's dancing with.

Anyways, that should be all from me. See you all next chapter!