Chapter 2: The Biggest Series in the Land

"So, what did you find," Klaus asked, entering his sister's office at the University a couple of days after Kirsch informed Mimosa of Star Knights.

His older sister, Viola Lunettes, was an Associate Professor of Literature and Language at the University. Nine years older than him, Viola was a bit of a pain and a know-it-all. Viola gave him a dirty look. "What no "Hi, my wonderful and loving big sister, good morning, how are you, thank you for asking your friend about an author?""

Klaus always felt like a kid again when he was around her, but that's par for the course with older siblings. Mimosa always bickered with Kirsch. Langris bickered with Finral, though Finral was done out of worry over Langris' health. "Hi, Viola, good morning. What did you find?"

Viola rolled her eyes. "You're really worried about Asta."

"Asta is my dear friend and he's way too trusting," said Klaus.

Snickering, his sister said, "Well, my friend said that every month they get a new chapter sent anonymously under the name T. Atoes. Whomever requested that any money earned get donated to Hage Village in the Forsaken Realm. My friend had been curious at first, but when the series took off, he decided not to look further. As long as the chapters keep coming and it sells hundreds of copies, he doesn't care who wrote it."

Klaus frowned. "They even know where Asta is from. That's disconcerting."

"I mean, Asta is sort of famous since the thing with the Spade devils," Viola pointed out rationally. "Even I know that he's got an Anti-Magic devil, three swords, and he's from Hage. He's really strong, isn't he? I think it might just be a fan of his. You and Lady Mimosa are taking this too seriously."

"We can't be too careful," Klaus chided. "Enemies tend to have an unnatural interest in him."

Viola sighed and said, "Well, I've read the chapters that are out. From a literature perspective, it's a little rough in its delivery, but the writing is earnest and optimistic. I think that's what draws people to the story. And there's even a character based on you! Think of this as good public relations for the Magic Knights."

Logically, Klaus knew his sister was correct. The Magic Knights' once stellar reputation had taken brutal hits during the Eye of the Midnight Sun attacks, the elf reincarnation, the battle against Zagred, and then again with the Spade's Dark Triad, who attacked two Magic Knight Squads and kidnapped two Captains. In each instance, the Magic Knights were able to endure and pull out a win, but the wins weren't without civilian casualties and towns destroyed. Add the fear of the lack of safety to the usual discontent about class stations from the common people and the pressure from the nobility to keep the status quo and there was a powder keg ready to explode.

If a popular series using characters based on Magic Knights swayed a bit of goodwill towards the Magic Knights, then all the better.

But still, Klaus didn't like it. Whoever wrote this knew way too much.

"Ah, I know that look, little brother," said Viola, gently as though he wasn't a grown man and a seasoned Magic Knight. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll ask around some writer friends I have, okay? Maybe find out who's behind the story."

Klaus smiled tightly. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

Mimosa and Klaus were acting weird.

Yuno may be busier than ever being Vice-Captain and fending off impassioned pleas from the Spade's interim government to become the rightful King, but he knew his two friends well enough to know when they were hiding something from him. Klaus and Mimosa were both too honest and earnest to keep secrets from him. It worried him that they couldn't tell him something. Was he being that distant from them lately that they wouldn't let him in on what they were doing? He hoped it wasn't anything bad.

He knew that Klaus wouldn't crack if Yuno pressed the issue, but Mimosa would, with her far more gentle nature, she'd hate to see Yuno upset. She was very empathetic like that.

"So, why's Klaus running off lately," Yuno asked Mimosa as they were sitting in the Golden Dawn kitchen, making lunch for themselves.

Mimosa froze, ceasing her chopping the celery. "Um, don't know."

"You're really bad at lying, Mimosa," said Yuno. "I'm not mad."

Mimosa muttered under her breath, "You will be."

"Mimosa…" Yuno looked at her and she looked at him.

She averted her eyes and Yuno knew that she caved. "Okay! But don't be mad or too worried, alright?"

"I won't," Yuno promised.

Mimosa pursed her lips together as though she didn't believe him. Then, she sighed. "Fine."

And thus, Mimosa explained the whole story about the magazine serial about Star Knights and how detailed it was so she and Klaus asked Klaus' sister to investigate a bit for them, just to make sure it wasn't a creep writing the series. Yuno clenched his jaw and he felt irrationally angry, but not at Mimosa or Klaus. He knew exactly why they kept it from him.

"Yuno, breathe," said Mimosa, gently patting his arm.

"How dare someone use Asta's life as a mere source of entertainment? Do you know how hard he worked? How much he suffered, with no complaint from him? He never gave up and that's someone's idea of entertainment," Yuno questioned, heatedly.

"I know, I know," Mimosa stressed. "As his comrades and friends, we know how much Asta went through in his life."

"I see you told him," said Klaus, entering the kitchen.

"Well, he looked so put out," Mimosa defended herself.

Klaus sighed.

Yuno asked, "What did you find out?"

"Basically nothing," said Klaus.

"I'm not standing for this. Let's go," said Yuno, abruptly. He started to leave the kitchen, as Mimosa and Klaus hurried after him.

"Where are we going," asked Mimosa.

"To wherever that magazine is from."

Mimosa didn't think she was going to be stopping Yuno from threatening someone today, but here she was, holding her best friend back with the vines from her flower magic, while Klaus profusely apologized to the editor of the Common Realm Monthly Literary Magazine. It was just very unfortunate that the editor also was in charge of the Common Realm Daily Newspaper. Yuno had no tact when it came to protecting Asta.

"We're so sorry, Samson," said Klaus. "Yuno's a bit protective of his rival."

Samson, to his credit, didn't freak out when three members of the Golden Dawn came storming into his newsroom. "Well, you're Vi's little brother, so I can let you get away with it. But listen, let me give you the first letter I got from the mysterious T. Atoes. Perhaps you can go harass the post workers instead of me?"

"Yes," said Yuno, finally calming down, so Mimosa was able to recall her magic. "Hand it over."

"Please," said Mimosa, adding sweetly with a smile.

"It's an honor to help the lovely Lady Mimosa," said Samson, winking at her.

Internally, Mimosa grimaced, but she still had her smile plastered on her face.

"Eyes to yourself," Yuno ordered. "Where's that letter?"

"Is he always this pushy?"

Yuno glared at the editor, while Klaus sighed and Mimosa thanked the heavens that he didn't bring Bell out of the grimoire (not that Yuno needed her).

"Right, right, I'm getting it."

Kirsch sighed as he put sugar, flour, and several other grocery items in his basket. Feeling bad that the rookies in his squad were having a bad time adjusting, he decided that he was going to make them his mother's pot roast (from her recipe book) and potatoes for dinner and his great aunt's raspberry tart for dessert. He didn't know how to get it through certain members' heads that they needed to treat the rookies better. Protobe Collina, one of the oldest and most reasonable members of the Coral Peacocks, suggested that Kirsch put together a lesson. Medio, Levi, and Cornelia laughed at the suggestion.

Unhelpful jerks, thought Kirsch.

"Zora, come on, let's just get the tatoes," said Asta.

"We have enough at home," Zora snapped. "We just need milk, damnit."

"Muscle for brains, you really don't need more tatoes," said Asta's Anti-Magic devil friend, Liebe.

"You can never have too many tatoes," said Asta.

What were they doing shopping all the way in the Noble Realm when he knew that they lived in Henry's house in the Forsaken Realm?

Kirsch steeled himself as he walked towards where the produce was located. While he didn't mind Asta much, since he was such a good kid, Zora was another story. A whole other story where he had some sort of allergic reaction around Zora since they met—like his stomach hurt and his hands got really sweaty and his heartbeat sped up, honestly, was it the stink bugs…?

"Mimosa's brother," greeted Asta, attention diverted as Liebe and Zora chucked the two pounds of potatoes back on the shelf when Asta wasn't looking. "You're shopping?"

"Asta, Liebe, Zora," said Kirsch. "Yes, I'm making my juniors dinner tonight. After all, I'm their beautiful, skilled Vice-Captain."

"Royal narcissistic dumbass," Zora greeted.

"That hurts, Zora. I thought we were friends," said Kirsch, teasingly.

"In your dreams," replied Zora. "But I'm surprised that a Royal Dumbass like you knows how to cook. I'd thought that'd be "beneath you.""

"Hah, that shows what you know. Great-Aunt Doris taught me and Mimosa how to cook and bake when we were young," said Kirsch, haughtily.

Asta laughed as he put the two pounds of potatoes in his basket while Zora and Liebe were distracted. "That's really great of you, Mimosa's brother."

"I have a name, Asta," said Kirsch, sighing.

"Yeah, I know," said Asta, with a grin.

"What are you doing all the way out here," Kirsch asked.

"Wizard King needed to talk to us," said Zora. "Not that it's any of your business. And we just needed to pick up milk on the way home, but apparently we're shopping for more food, now."

"Just more tatoes," said Asta. "It's a good sale!"

"If you buy it then, you have to be the one that'll eat it every day for every meal," Zora snapped back.

"I'm good with that," said Asta. "And whatever I don't eat, Miz Charmy'll eat."

"That's so much starch. A well-balanced diet is better, especially if you want to maintain your muscles," said Kirsch, wrinkling his nose. He looked at Zora (oh, boy was that a mistake, Kirsch's face felt a bit warm when he looked right directly at Zora, what was wrong with him). "I hope you're feeding my cousin well."

"Our resident royal eats just fine," said Zora, scoffing. "Asta say goodbye. We're going."

"Bye, Mimosa's brother," said Asta, not losing his good cheer. "Hope your dinner-thing with your juniors goes well."

Kirsch harrumphed. "Thank you, I suppose."

Liebe, Zora, and Asta turned to leave when Kirsch remembered why he was making the dinner for his juniors in the first place. "Ah, wait, did Mimosa tell you about Star Knights?"

Zora said, frowning, "Fuck."

Asta whirled around and asked frantically, "How do you know that name?"

Kirsch tilted his head. "It's a story in a literary magazine or something. Super popular. Definitely based on your life and the Magic Knights."

Asta paled, dropped the basket, and bolted out of the grocery store, Liebe going with him, leaving Zora and Kirsch staring after them in confusion.

Kirsch looked at Zora, who looked at Kirsch like he was an idiot. "What was that?"

Zora sighed. "I don't really know, but everyone but Asta knew about the serial."

"And you weren't worried that Asta had a stalker? Like it happened before right? What was her name that works for the magic item research team…? Oh and then um, Dante," said Kirsch, making a disgusted face.

"Well, now I'm just worried about his reaction," said Zora. "I'd better catch up to him. Later, Royal Dumbass."

"I have a name, Zora!"

"Yeah, I know."

"What is your problem," Liebe complained as Asta flew straight home and burst into the base, ignoring the greetings from their squadmates, and ran up to his room. Asta tore apart his desk looking for something. Liebe knew that Asta always scribbled things on papers at night before bed, but Liebe didn't have any interest Asta had been writing.

Asta ignored him until he found a stack of papers. "Thank God, it's still here!"

Again Liebe asked the same question over again.

Asta's face turned red, in embarrassment. "Well, when Mimosa's brother mentioned Star Knights I thought it was really my story. The one write that helps me process things like Sister Lily taught me. But it's just a coincidence."

Liebe didn't really understand, but if it was something that helped Asta, he'd try to actually understand. "Well that flower guy said that story was in some magazine. Doesn't Mohawk have a lot of magazines? Maybe he has a copy."

Asta excitedly said, "Yeah, good idea, Liebe." Asta took off running again. Liebe sighed, as he followed his dumbass human brother.

By the time he reached the lower level, Asta was already talking animatedly with Magna, who nodded sagely and showed him a magazine.

Asta flipped through it and a few moments later screamed, "THAT'S MY STORY!"

Magna said, confused, "Huh?"

Grey screeched, "What?"

Noelle hummed, "Really, you write fiction? Who knew?"

"I thought you had a stalker…" said Finral.

Liebe asked, "I'm confused, what's this mean?"

Asta covered his face with his hands. "God, this is so embarrassing. I didn't think…how…what…oh, crap, Yuno can't read this! He really, really can't."

Liebe went over to Asta and patted him awkwardly on the back as Asta freaked out, while the Black Bulls (Charmy, Henry, Gauche, Noelle, Magna, Luck, and Finral) stared at Asta, unsure what to do themselves. Asta never freaked out, but he sure was at that moment.

"Geezus, Asta, you left me all the way in the Noble Realm," yelled Zora, entering the house.

"Stop yelling, it's too early for yelling!"

"Vanessa, it's three in the afternoon," scolded Finral.

"I went out to tea with Dorothy and Charlotte, but I drank a bit," said Vanessa, entering a minute after Zora. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Someone stole Asta's story and had it published as a serial," Gauche summarized.

The purple-haired witch's eyes widened in realization and said, "Oops. Uh, that was me. I did that."

"WHAT?"

~to be continued