Ch 21: The Promise

For about the past half-week so far, the goddess have all been cooped up in Lady Neptune's Basilicom. My shop had been closed for the same time as well, since they wanted me here mostly for my opinion on how to do things.

Goodness, I've had the shop closed so often that I might as well move to Lastation at this point, haha.

"You look like you need a break."

"Remind me never to get involved in politics, IF." I say, getting a laugh from the blue-jacketed girl as she sits down next to me on a sofa in the Basilicom's inner rooms.

"Can't stand sitting around a room and talking?"

"I really feel the need to be doing something with my hands, you know?"

She stands up and offers her hand. "Then let's go to the kitchen, not that Neptune ever uses it for anything but storing pudding in the fridge, anyways. Besides, you'll work with whatever they come up with, right? I'll take the blame if they come yelling for you as well."

I hesitate for a slight bit, but take her hand and let myself be pulled up. "No running away on me, promise?"

"I never leave anyone behind, Elliot. Come on, let's go."

As we walk along, I can't help but speak up. "Uh, hey, IF."

"Hm?"

"You can uh, you can let go of my hand, now."

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't realize that, haha… how embarrassing, geez." She says, immediately letting go of my hand. "But, things are going smoothly, right? Seems that they want to just keep it up to you and you alone."

"Well, you were rather pushy after Kei asked about the gala…"

"I wasn't that pushy." IF protests as we enter the kitchen through a small dining room, which is fully stocked all of the latest and greatest gadgets. "I only gave her a piece of my mind."

"Kei went from 'Please consider this, I will have details for you later' to a personal apology for asking me out of the blue and immediately getting to work on fixing it."

"Okay, maybe I was a little pushy."

"You were plenty pushy."

IF only rolls her eyes as she opens the fridge. "So, what's something you can make quickly from everything in here?"

"Hmm… well, I have been trying to get into crepes recently. I'd rather not touch anything like the meat in there, so I can't make you a lunch crepe. Um, and, are we allowed to be using these?"

"Just make some for Nep and I'm sure she'll let it slide." IF says, running a hand through her hair.

"That's not exactly a response I was hoping for."

"Haha, look, she won't mind. Besides, I'll tell her that it was for me. So, I'm ordering a chocolate chip banana crepe with some whipped cream."

I sigh, shaking my head while having a chuckle. "Alright, alright. One chocolate chip banana crepe with whipped cream, coming right up."

"And a latte, but no art today, you are in a rush."

"Geez, you're really cracking the whip today, aren't you?" I ask with a laugh. "At least get the coffee pot on, then, so I can prepare the steamed milk."

"Right, right, on it!"

"That does take me back, though. Speaking of latte art, it has been a while since you've ordered one."

"Well, we're both slowly getting busier. After the gala, things really took off for both of us." IF says, leaning on the counter after setting the coffee. "Seems you're really moving up in the world and then after this, you'll be a global star instead of just a local delight."

"There's no guarantee of that." I say as I start gathering the ingredients and measuring them out.

"Mhm, I think it's going to happen, though. You're friendly, at least a little well known in the local community, run a rather successful business to the point the goddesses decided to visit, will be publically friends with Noire, had Blanc, Ram, and Rom work for you to which they've had only praises, especially the last two, have probably slightly above average looks even if you need a bit more muscle on you, and you're at this point single." There's a slight pause. "Seriously, just ask Noire out after you go public with all this. She'll definitely say yes."

"Haha, very funny."

"I'm serious."

"I'm putting blueberries in your crepes."

"Wh—hey, no!"

I can only chuckle as IF's attention is turned away from her teasing, despite the fact I clearly brought out the chocolate chips.

"Besides, coming out about the gala is terrifying enough. I don't think my heart could take actually dating one of the goddesses."

"So what you're saying," IF says as I start mixing all of the ingredients together, "is that you can at least envision it."

"And it sounds like a dark and terrifying path."

"Haha! Well, with the media hounding you, I'd agree. You're going to get questioned about it anyways, though."

"I know, but at least I can honestly say that back then, we weren't dating."

"Yeah, if you lied the world would know in a heartbeat with one glance at your face. Not that it's a bad thing. I like the fact you try to be as honest as you can."

"I like to think my parents raised an upstanding young man."

"Speaking of which, I'm surprised they haven't swung around the shop at some point." IF says as she pulls up a chair to sit on as I oil up the pan. "Not even a congratulations?"

"Oh no, no, they call, but I think they think I need space or something. You know, they don't want to intrude. That, and um, they're a bit aware of how embarrassing they can be sometimes."

"Oh?" IF asks, her eyebrows shooting up showing off just how curious she is.

"Well, you know how it is. They really love to tell old stories of me as a kid."

"I'm going to use the Guild's resources to track them down and then issue a special invitation to meet Nep."

"IF, no."

"Wow, you look actually terrified."

"Look, my girlfriend before, after two days of hanging around my parents for a weekend in their vacation home, couldn't look me in the eyes for a week. A week!"

"Hahaha! Oh, yeah, I'm definitely meeting them." IF says, giving me a teasing smile as I stretch my arms. "Speaking of your girlfriend from before, she wrote that article about Elliot at the gala not being you, right? Did you let her know?"

"We covered that this morning, so Lady Vert will be taking her aside to explain the situation rather than me. I think the plan is that I'll say it's entirely possible she figured me out, but since she's a smart girl, thought it couldn't be that simple. It's technically not a lie, I think, and I actually don't know her real motivations."

"Ah, so you're going to remain willfully ignorant so you can't lie."

"Something like that, I guess."

"Haha, isn't that kind of like lying in itself?"

"Well… I guess I'll have to pick the lesser of the two evils, in this case. It's the price I'm paying for deceiving everyone from the start."

I get a slight flick on the head from IF for that one. "Hey, none of this depressing crap. Besides, we all have to do things we don't like every now and then. It's not like work is always sunshine and rainbows."

"I guess that's true. Anyways—" I then put on a smile. "Please witness the first dish from Lapin House's Planeptune Basilicom branch!"

Despite the small distraction that lasts for about thirty minutes, along with the rather delicious afternoon snack, eventually I get found and am dragged back into the council room.

The arrangements are fairly simple. There's a talk show of sorts where Lady Noire was scheduled to make an appearance. Lady Neptune will now be going there as well, mostly just to help watch over me. It's actually scary how fast they work, since as soon as it was confirmed, Lady Noire phoned Kei, who phoned the studio with us listening in on the call, and got it set that they'll be having an exclusive interview with 'Elliot, the man who was with Noire at the gala'.

"No turning back now." was the general mood of the room after the call ended. I almost wanted to throw up out of sheer anxiety, but I managed to hold it in.

IF is also going to come with us and apparently, so will Compa, mostly to keep an eye on Lady Neptune. I'll be brought on set, removing the contacts on stage just to sell the point. Or, as Lady Blanc mentioned, I could just wear a pair of sunglasses if I wanted to cover my brown eyes. Not like anyone's going to question me if IF and Lady Neptune are throwing their weight around.

Afterwards, I'll be hiding away in Leanbox. Obviously everyone's going to be searching for me in Planeptune and Lastation, plus it's known that I've worked with Lady Blanc so there'll be eyes over in Lowee. Well, 'hiding' anyways, as it's not like I'm going to be in something like witness protection. Rather, I'll just be moving there for around three weeks or so to take the heat off of my shop. I'm a bit remiss to leave my shop for that long, but I suppose I had enough savings where it's not really a problem. Lady Noire did say she'd be willing to help me recoup some of it, in private, anyways, but I didn't want to say yes.

"Um, Lady Blanc." I say, as we all leave the room for the day. "Can I speak to you about something?"

"Oho, are you gunning for Blanny, t—MPGH!" Lady Neptune's teasing is brought to a sudden halt courtesy of a hard elbow from IF, who starts pulling on Lady Neptune's ear to drag her out.

"Come on, Nep. It probably has to deal with the shop with how Blanc's been working there." IF says, shooting me a knowing glance as she starts to drag Lady Neptune out.

We wait until everyone else has left the room, with Lady Blanc being the first to break the silence. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"It does have to deal with the shop, actually." I say, looking down at the rather shiny wooden cherry-finished table in the room. "Um… I met my mentor the other day. And found out that Lapin House used to be in Lastation, actually."

"I think I can see where this is going, but continue." Lady Blanc says with a nod.

"He asked if I could bring back the old coffee shop."

The way she nods seems to indicate her hunch was right. "I see… and so, why ask me?"

"I… I didn't know who else to turn to, Lady Blanc." I sheepishly admit, trying to smile. "You're the smartest out of all of them, like, really, it's amazing. I thought maybe there was something you could tell me."

Lady Blanc chuckles, shaking her head. "I might have a wealth of knowledge, Elliot, but aside from helping you figure out numbers wise if it's feasible, there's not much I can do for you aside from ask one question."

"Then, please…!"

"Do you want to go?"

"I…"

I trail off, not being able to finish the sentence. I both do and don't want to go and I haven't quite settled on which one I want more.

I close my eyes and hold my right hand over my heart, balling it as I feel my chest tighten. "...I'm happy that he's told me that he trusts me enough to believe I could resurrect his legacy. I could probably make a lot more than what I have now and really make a name for myself if I can do it. It's… it's almost like a dream, actually. It's everything I could want, in a way. Fulfillment, success, and validation that I was able to do good by the shop."

Lady Blanc nods. "Mhm, I understand. Either way, I'll support you. I can't tell you what the right decision is, but I know you'll make the decision that's right for you."

"Thank you, Lady Blanc. It's… it's really nice, having someone who I can trust like this."

"Though, I have just one more question. Open your eyes and face me."

I open my eyes, finding Lady Blanc has close the distance between us. I let my balled-up hand fall to my side, feeling an immense pressure coming from her.

She leans in, looking me right in the eyes, searching towards the depths of my soul. "You listed out everything that moving to Lastation would give you. And frankly, it sounds like it's everything you want, you said so yourself. So I want you to tell me why you haven't already decided to go."

I hang my head, closing my eyes. I can feel my hands tense up, my chest suddenly contracting. I take a deep breath, trying to relax myself. If there's anyone I can tell right now, it's Lady Blanc.

I can't tell Lady Neptune, because of who she's friends with. I can't tell Lady Noire as that'd be just too cruel. I can't tell Lady Vert, because I don't know her well enough. I most especially can't tell IF, because of what this secret is.

But for the person who was willing to be with me every step of the way, to teaching me how I could learn to bring the goddesses off the pedestal I had put them on, to the person willing to entrust me with her beloved sisters, I feel like I could tell her. It's not exactly like the feelings I have with IF; I can tell her almost anything, but with Lady Blanc, I feel like she always has the right advice with how smart she is. If IF couldn't figure it out or if I couldn't tell IF, then surely…

"You remember, how you asked me to think about how I felt?"

"Yes, I do. I take it you've arrived at a conclusion?"

"I have, so… is it okay if I confide just one more thing in you?"

"So, the big day's almost here, huh?!" IF shouts as we zoom down the road on her motorcycle after a long day of motorcycle training and then baking training, as I taught IF how to bake her own pastries as thanks. I think I was starting to get the hang of the motorcycle, but I definitely need a lot more practice.

At the end of day, just around when the sun started setting, she asked if we could go somewhere. I didn't have a reason to say no, so I went with her. IF insisted I ride on the back though, just to continue getting a feel for how it felt to sit on the bike.

"I mean, you know the schedule, right!?" I shout in return, barely audible over the engine.

"I'm just trying to play nice, Elliot!"

"Where are we even going, anyways?!"

"Just a nice place!"

"Oh, real descriptive!"

IF weaves through the light traffic on a Thursday evening, taking us a bit beyond the real downtown area of Planeptune. She parks us over by what appears to be a small boxcar lift that goes up a rather large hillside.

"There's a path as well that you can take something like a mountain bike, but I don't think you feel like walking." IF says, with me following behind her.

"I didn't know we had a place like this in Planeptune." I say, glancing around. Not a lot of people out here, that's for sure.

"Really? You should look into the parks more. Come on, let's head up. It's a really nice view."

I try not to question IF's motives for bringing me here, but I simply follow along and head into the lift with her.

At the top of the lift is a wide open area, with a few decorative statues, plants, benches, and lamps. Underneath the clear, starry sky are a few people wandering around, mostly couples and small groups of friends. The only sounds that break the otherwise suffocating silence along the stone pathways are crickets chirping filling the air.

Other than that, we walk around in silence, as I don't know what to say and IF doesn't speak, instead just quietly leading me around. The sound of our shoes hitting the pavement echo through the air as we do so, at least filling the gap.

"Oh, yeah, here." IF says, breaking the silence as she points over a hand railing. Down below, despite the darkness, I can kind of make out a pathway through the trees.

"The bike path?"

"Yeah. You'd have to be pretty crazy to ride in the dark, though. I don't think there's any lights. Makes for a good workout during the day, though. Oh, I guess if you have a headlight it's not so bad, since the pathway does have lines you can follow."

"Ah, I see." I say, nodding as we continue walking along. "Are we going anywhere in particular or…?"

"Well, sort of. But it's no fun just skipping straight to the end, right? You gotta have the right buildup."

"Haha, I can agree with that. This is a pretty quiet place, though. Must be nice to come out here and relax."

"It gets pretty crowded during big events." IF says as we walk through another plaza.

"I see, huh. Guess it's not hard to imagine." I say, making a quick detour to grab an information pamphlet about this place from a stand. Purple Peak, huh…?

It's about another ten minutes of slowly walking through the nature filled walkways before we stop near a railing, just underneath the statue of an angelic being who has a slight resemblance to Lady Purple Heart. However, the real spectacle is the view from up here, an incredible sight of Planeptune sparkling in the distance, the forest around it bathed in moonlight.

When I glance over at IF, her brown hair shimmering as a light breeze kicks it around, I catch an ever so slight smile on her as she looks over the landscape before us.

"You seemed pretty troubled lately, so I wanted to bring you here. This place always helped me relax. Plus, it reminds me of what I'm fighting for, you know?"

"I can imagine." I pause, sighing. "Was I really that obvious?"

"You're not exactly hard to read when your face is visible," she says, nudging me in the arm, "but it's alright. I like that part of you, really. Honest to a fault, sometimes."

"Guess that's why I'm coming out about the whole thing."

We both manage to have a laugh at that one.

"But, I guess I've been a bit troubled, yeah." I mumble, looking out at Planeptune. "A lot on my mind, lately."

"Care to share?" IF asks, leaning back from the railing as she holds onto it. "Sounds like it's more than just what's coming up."

"Well…"

"If it helps, I'll tell you something that's been on my mind as well. That fair?"

"You seem pretty eager for me to spill."

"Ah, well… I wanted to get this off my chest, anyways, so it's kind of a double purpose." IF says, forcing a light laugh with a hint of nervousness in it. "I'll go first."

"Alright, sure."

"Well… ah, geez. This is a lot more embarrassing than I thought, haha."

IF lets go of the rail as she stands up straight, turning towards me. I turn to face her as well, looking into her eyes. Lit under the soft off-white glow of the moon, her cheeks visibly redden, which is highly unlike her.

"Um… Nep talked to me, actually, about the Guild. Gave me a pretty good talking to, surprisingly. But she… she mentioned you asked her to, so, well, I figured Compa probably said something. I'm a bit mad about that, but… I guess this wouldn't have happened otherwise."

"Are you… perhaps considering new work?"

IF shrugs, her glance going towards the ground, "I wasn't, but after Nep told me that my smi—I mean," IF pauses in her speech, but I catch the grin on her face, "my health is more important than 'any stupid promise' it's been on my mind. She even told me she's absolving me of it."

She stops, no longer looking at the ground and instead staring straight at me. I realize it now, too, but… is IF wearing lip gloss?

"So thanks."

I'm almost swept off of my feet by the unexpected whisper of thanks.

"I might've gotten burned out sooner or later, but now I've got some motivation to look elsewhere, too. I still want to work with the Guild for now, though, but you know, maybe I can work part time at your shop and see how it works out, haha!"

I can only offer a guilt-ridden smile, IF's laughter trailing off.

"Elliot…?"

"I… that's what I was thinking about. My… my mentor, you know him, right? Of course you do."

"Yeah, Gregory. He's a decent guy, I'd say."

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, he has given me everything I have, after all. Well, I met him in Lastation. Turns out Lapin House has its roots there as an old famous shop, White Rabbit. And… he asked me to resurrect its legacy there."

There's a long pause in the air where IF seems to just digest what I told her. She just looks at me, with an expression that says so many things that they all just blend together. Is it hurt? Is it happiness? Is it pride? Is it betrayal? It's just so hard to tell...

"Oh. Oh!" However, as everything settles in, her facial expression perks up. "That's… that's great, right? You've been acknowledged by him, really!" IF pats my shoulder with a big grin written all over her face, but it feels oh so forced. "I should really ask for some latte art next time, too! You've probably improved loads and it's been ages!"

Even as IF says all of this, I can hear the smallest bit of strain in her voice.

"I'll… I'll be sure to make the best art you've seen." I force out, remembering that just the other day we were talking about how that it has been quite a while since IF ordered latte art.

IF turns away and looks out, gripping the rail with both of her hands.

"You should go to Lastation." She says as the breeze kicks up, causing her hair to flare up, the light of the stars in the night sky reflecting off of it.

I can't find the words I want to say in reply, my throat suddenly feeling extraordinarily dry all of a sudden.

"You'll really do great, I know you will, Elliot. You're a super hard worker. Plus, hey, Noire'll be right in the city there, you know, that's sure to help. Maybe she'll really fall for you if you make her coffee every day. I did tell you that she'd probably say yes, but if you make coffee for her every day, I think you'll have a one hundred percent success rate."

"IF!"

Don't... IF, don't...

"Just... teasing." She says, flashing a toothy grin at me before turning out to the landscape again.

"Geez…" I force out, trying to play along.

"But really… you should go."

"Where are you going to get your coffee, then?" I ask, stepping up next to her and giving her a small nudge on her left arm as I force on a smile.

"Ah, guess it's back to crappy convenience store coffee, huh…" IF mumbles as I glance down at the pamphlet I'm still holding onto. "Worst case, if I really need a fix, I'll transfer to the Lastation branch. I don't own too much, so it's not hard to move."

"What about Lady Neptune?"

"Well…"

"Geez, Lady Neptune should be more important than me, IF."

"Hey, I'm the one who gets to decide that!"

"Mghgm, well… I guess that's true." I grumble, not having anything to say back to that. I then open the pamphlet up and glance through it, not having the guts to look towards IF. "Though, hey."

"Y… yeah?"

"Um, no matter what happens, we can still you know… hang out, right?"

IF gives me a playful shove. "Geez, you're so worried over nothing. Of course we can, Elliot, and we will. We still wanted to go somewhere on vacation, right? Obviously we'd have to meet up again."

"Summer is coming soon, huh? Maybe we can go to the beach?"

IF scratches her cheek, looking away. "That's pretty bold of you to suggest."

"Huh? Well, you can do things like firework sprinklers, smashing watermelons, and going down the boardwalk, right? Plus my parents have a vacation house on the beachfront, so we don't even have to pay for a hotel if I ask to borrow it."

I hear what sounds like a snort of amusement before IF laughs.

"Did I say something funny?"

"No, it's just… never mind, never mind. But sure, the beach sounds nice."

I nod, scanning the pamphlet again.

"Something catch your eye?"

"Oh, just looking at the info about this place. Turns out there's a fireworks festival here as well, but not for a while." I say, hiding the fact I was using it to avoid having to look IF in the eyes.

"Define 'a while'."

"Well, after I'm supposed to come back from Leanbox. Why, did you want to go?"

"Pass it to me?" IF then takes the pamphlet. "I should be free to go that day. It'll be kind of crowded, but not sardines level packed."

"Then, how about we promise to meet up right here, then? I don't know if I'll still be in Planeptune or where you'll be working if you get a new job, so…"

IF gives a toothy smile as she looks straight at me again. "It's a promise, Elliot. I guess it should be easy to find, too, with this statue. Pretty easy to spot landmark, huh?"

"Yeah…" I say, glancing up at it. Making a promise under the statue that looks like Lady Purple Heart, there's no way I can back out on it now.

"But hey, it's your turn."

"Huh?"

IF puts a hand on her right hip, looking a bit flushed. "I promised, so… you know. Come on."

I can't help but smile as I tilt my head and clasp my hands together in front of me. "I promise to come and watch the fireworks together with you here, IF."

"G-geez…!" IF mumbles, scratching the back of her head as she looks away from me. "No wonder Blanc got the wrong idea."

"Sorry…"

She sighs, shaking her head. "Speaking of which, we should… we should clarify something."

I push back a gulp and nod, having an idea of where this is going. "What is it?"

"What… we think of each other. It's going to come up when you come out since it's not like it's a secret that I hang out at your shop all the time. If we don't, it'll be a pain for you, a pain for me, and a pain for you-know-who in general. So… we need to make sure there's no doubt."

"Ah, yeah… that's true." I say, turning my head to look down and away from IF. "Um, hey, this is really embarrassing to talk about. So, you know, can we um…"

"On three?"

"And um, let's not face each other." I mumble, daring to look in IF's general direction. Our gazes meet for a second, but only so, before we break it and look away. "Sound good? It'll be… I'll be way too nervous, otherwise."

"W-well, I guess that's true."

We can't read each other's minds, but if that's the way IF responds, it almost sounds like she's… afraid our views will be different.

"A-ah, it's not exactly nervous, it's just… you know, nervousness out of embarrassment, like I'll stumble on my words and mess up!" I quickly add-on.

"Y-yeah, definitely." IF says, nodding. "I'm… well, it's a bit similar."

We both shift around, our backs to each other. I take a deep breath, only able to imagine now what her face must look like right now. I can feel the tension in my muscles, a growing stuffiness in my throat and head, making me almost want to just curl up in a corner somewhere.

"R… ready?" I manage to force out.

"Yeah. Let's count together."

Both of us sharply inhale.

"One," we start, "two, three!"

At that moment—

"I think you're a great friend."
"I think of you as a really good friend."

I tell perhaps the biggest lie of my life to IF.

I can't certainly admit that it's anything like love, but I can't deny that with her, it's something more than friendship that I feel. Had the circumstances been different at all, if we weren't facing everything we were about to face and to whom I'm attached with now, I might have considered asking her if we could get to know each other a little better. That sort of thing… definitely isn't viewing her as just a friend…

But right now, I… I need time. I need to figure out what I want to do and where I want to be. So… just for now, I… need to lie. Even if it's the biggest lie I've ever told in my life. And I can't help but admit I was scared, too, that… I'd destroy our friendship if I said anything like a confession here. That she wouldn't reciprocate.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize. Haaa… I really am such an idiot, sometimes.

After a pause of about three seconds, as she starts laughing, I can only pray that, with her being unable to see my face, she bought it. Or maybe I've started getting just a bit better at lying…

"Looks like we were worried for nothing, huh?" IF asks, turning around with a smile, but it looks like there's something welling up in her eyes.

"Geez, my heart." I say, trying to go along with the mood, putting a hand to my heart.

"Oh come on, at this rate, when she confesses you'll drop dead of a heart attack!"

"IF—!"

She gives me a big smile as she leans forward and lightly holds my collar with both of her hands, her voice changing just a bit.

"Oh, Elliot, I'll come to your shop and have breakfast every day. I've fallen for you, please go out with me!"

IF's attempt at impersonating Lady Noire is ruined by the fact she can't keep a straight face and keeps intermittently laughing in between the words, her face as bright red as a tomato.

"S-shut up!" I yell, trying to push her away, but IF's grip on my collar is too strong.

"You're blushing so hard!"

"W-w… well so are you!" I argue back, still trying to pry her off.

"It's because I'm laughing!"

"Like she would ever say that, either!" I follow up, feeling my cheeks redden.

"Okay then, wise guy, what would she say?!" IF says, a knowing smirk on her face.

"I… I don't know! Plus that was a really bad impersonation of her!"

"Glad to know you really know her voice!"

"Gah…!"

At this, IF only laughs harder. After a while, I find myself laughing, too.

"Why are you laughing?" IF asks, but the mood is still pretty jovial.

"I don't know, it's just… you were laughing and smiling, so I couldn't help myself."

IF nudges me lightly, chuckling. "Sheesh. Well, I'm glad I got you to smile again. You've seemed kind of down."

"Thanks."

"Though, with you taking shelter in Leanbox for a while, it'll be a bit before we can talk again."

"I mean, phones exist, right?"

"In person, I meant. The phone's convenient, but there's a different feeling about it when you're there with someone." She says, shrugging. "Just uh, stay safe. Don't get eaten alive. I can give you a can of pepper spray."

"IF."

"I'm serious."

"IF."

"I mean, I doubt Vert would actually do anything to you, but you never know. I'm pretty sure out of the whole bunch she's the most…"

"Sensual?" I offer.

"Perverted." IF says flatly.

"I was trying to be nice."

"Just make sure to lock your door at night."

"Right-o."

"Anyways, it's getting kind of late," she says, checking her watch, "and we have an early flight tomorrow, so we should get to sleep. Glad we had this talk, though."

"Same here."

With a bit more of the lighter atmosphere, we go down the lift and back to the motorcycle. We make a bit of idle chatter, but once we're on the bike, I can't help but feel some tension from IF when I have to hold onto her during the ride back.

It's not a terribly long ride back to my shop, as there's not a lot of traffic at this time of night. I feel like we were probably speeding, though. Either way, I'll definitely have to plan a trip out there sometime. Maybe with a picnic basket, as well. Sandwiches, some tea, and a few pastries sounds good.

Of course, that'll all have to be for later.

"Oh, but hey, IF?" I ask just after unlocking my door.

"Yeah, Elliot?" She asks back, lifting up her visor ever so slightly.

"Um, hey, uh…" I glance away, but force myself to look at IF directly despite the warmth dancing on my cheeks, hopefully hidden by the lack of sunlight. "That lip gloss looks good on you."

I see her lower her visor, protecting her face from me seeing it. Her voice is slightly muffled with the full helmet on. "Compa just wanted to mess around before I left today, is all."

"Oh. Well, still."

"Thanks, though. I'll let her know she did a good job."

I nod, looking down the road before turning back to IF. "Well, good night, IF."

"Good night, Elliot. Let's do our best, and see you tomorrow."

As she rides away after that, I can't help but wonder about something. While IF's a super spy-agent-operative, probably, I don't think she's ever really lied to me before. But… the way she tensed up and how nervous she was…

...I can't help but wonder if she lied to me, too.

I shake my head, trying to get rid of those kinds of thoughts. I need to focus on what's at hand now. Then, after that, I can deal with everything else. Tomorrow and the next few days are going to be way more terrifying than the gala, after all…

BahahahahahahaHAHAHAHA. This might have come a little early, but I was also late in publishing the last one, as if I had been on time and published on Friday, it would've been two weeks.

But yeeeeeah we have hit a NOOOO return point. I was both secretly dreading but also anticipating this chapter, as it means I can't exactly be super wishywashy anymore. I think it was a good place to finally seal off the triangle shenanigans, or at least Elliot's leanings around, as we approach the climax with Elliot coming out about the gala. I think it's good because it gives us time to now ease into the resolution of the relationships, rather than having to rush it out in the last arc.

I think the hints were mostly there that it was going to be IF, especially since even last chapter Elliot mentioned that despite Noire being right there, he felt like he had to tell IF what happened regarding White Rabbit. Today was mostly just sealing the deal, even if it was in the most delicate way. I thought it was a bit silly to have Elliot, even internally, just be like "Wow I'm in love with her!". Rather, it's nice to have it sort of stew over; while he knows what he feels inside is more than just a craving of friendship, he doesn't think it's love just yet. Gave it a bit more of a better feel, I think.

Speaking of the climax, dear God it's long. I might not get it out in two weeks like I had planned just because it's quite a bit to edit and I'm not sure if I've included everything I want to in it. Send help, please.

Ohohoho but MAN I had way too much fun with this chapter. The "I think you're a great friend" line was just so much goddamn fun. Plus it's probably the super-absolutely-biggest lie Elliot has told in the story. The real question though, is whether IF was telling the truth, hohoho.

Either way, almost didn't get this out in time because I was busy binging romcom manga lmao. But, again, stay as safe and healthy as you all can. I hope you are all doing well, from what it means from a random dude on the internet.

See you all next chapter, and please don't hesitate to let me know what I can do to improve!