Just for you to know...

I made Juniper a girl here.

The city.

A…city, literally, located inside the great sword piercing through the vast lands of Aionios.

A place where humans live as they were supposed to.

And…a place with almost no variety of color.

A metallic tone of brown, black, and gray.

It was pretty boring.

But, today, there was a small spot of green in the city. It was not the color of some trees or grass.

It was the color of Juniper, the commander of Colony Tau, known for her calm and cool attitude. On a bench of the city, she sat there, looking at the scenery of the city. She was mesmerized at the sight. Although the color scheme was indeed boring, the sight of little humans called children running around, a woman and a man forming a couple showing affection to each other, and an old woman walking around the city with a young man, called 'son'. Everything was new to her, and her head still spun around when she thought about the new things Noah and friends taught her. But she liked it. This was the reason she decided to leave the colony and see the world around. Her life was completely different from her life in the forests.

As she hummed some tunes of Colony Tau, she heard some voices.

"Juniper!"

It was Noah. And his friends, too. Actually, she wasn't alone in the city. Noah and his fellow Kevesi friends decided to give her a tour of the city while they did some shopping for necessities. While that, she said she would stay on a bench located in a park she liked. Noah and his friends accepted it, and went shopping.

"Heyyy! Juniper, love! We're back!" Eunie waved her hands.

"Welcome back, Eunie, Noah, Lanz. I was waiting for you. What did you bring?" Juniper calmly asked, standing up from the bench.

"We…bought some new clothes…some new plates since we broke some…and some food." Said Lanz.

"Yeah, we actually brought some snacks, too! Want some?" Eunie said, opening the shopping bag,

"Oh, my pleasure! What do you have?" Juniper asked with enthusiasm.

"Um…we have some bread…tasty sausage rolls for Sena and Lanz…Two cups of Milk tea and the milk tea kit for me and Taion… Some bars of city chocolate…" Eunie listed the inventory.

"Hmmm…Eunie, may I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"What is a 'chocolate'?" Juniper asked with pure eyes.

"…?" The trio stared at Juniper, mouth agape.

"Mate…you serious right now?" Lanz said, looking at the seven-termer in front of him.

"Juniper…like…don't you know this? A bar of brown, sweet, happiness?" Eunie said, shaking the bar in front of her.

"Um…yes, I…don't have memories of having it." Juniper shook her head.

"Is it because of Colony Tau being isolated from the outer worlds…?" Noah mumbled.

"I lived in the Colony ever since I was a first-termer, so I don't have any knowledge about the outside world. We just made a farm and fed ourselves with it." Juniper explained.

"Ooh…" The trio scratched their heads, avoiding Juniper's eyes.

"Uh…so…anyway, if you hadn't ever tasted this… Would you want some?" Eunie said, with her hands trembling.

"Yes! I would love to!" Juniper said, with a bright smile.

"Do…I feel light coming out from her…?" Eunie whispered, lifting a hand up.

"It's…too…bright…!" Lanz said, narrowing his eyes.

"Is…this…the power…of…" Noah said.

"Hmm? What is it?" Juniper innocently asked.

"Ah…nononono! Nothing…hehe…here, have this one! It's a mildly sweet one for starters!" Eunie said, handing Juniper a chocolate bar.

"Thank you, Eunie. You have my gratitude." Juniper said, accepting the bar.

"My…my…pleasure…?"

"Anyway, mate. You gotta taste that one right now. If you're first trying it, you're gonna love it." Lanz said.

"Really? Then I'll gladly try." Juniper smiled as she slowly unwrapped the chocolate bar's package.

"Hmm, a unique kind of smell!" Juniper said, putting her nose close to it. She savored the smell, and took a bite.

"So, so! How is it?" Eunie asked. She seemed pretty enthusiastic.

"Mmmmm…." Juniper hummed with her eyes closed.

"Why are we nervous?" Lanz whispered to Noah.

"Beats me…?" Noah shrugged.

"Mmm….Hmm!" Juniper exclaimed.

"Well?"

"It's…the best thing I've had in my entire life! It…melts heavenly on my tongue…And the sweet and unique taste…! Mmm….I love it!" Juniper said with her eyes glowing.

"See! I told you it would taste great!" Eunie cheered.

"Looks like we made Juniper enter a new realm," Lanz said.

"It's always good when you discover new food and it tastes great. Good for you, Juniper." Noah said.

"Thank you, Noah. Every new thing that I discover while traveling with you never fails to amaze me."

"Our pleasure!" Eunie boasted.

Juniper smiled at Eunie, and continued to savor the chocolate. Juniper's smile never vanished during she ate the little snack, and the trio had their smiles on their faces, looking at the precious seventh-termer commander enjoying her new experience.

Everything seemed fine.

Yes,

It seemed….fine…

Until something happened later.

(Outside of the great sword)

"….."

"Down…."

"…."

"Up….."

"….."

"Now!"

With the sound of the arrow sweeping through the air, Eunie's arrow of light shot bullseye in the middle of the makeshift target.

"Nice, Eunie!" Sena said, giving Eunie a high five.

"What did I say? I'm good at shooting things." Eunie boasted.

So…what were they doing?

The answer is simple. They were practicing using Juniper's class. Eunie, the party's shooter, and Sena, who was just simply interested in Juniper's class, were out with Juniper to practice their bows.

"How about you try, Sena? You were indeed interested in using ranged weapons."

"Me? Hehe…could I get the accuracy of you and Juniper…?"

"No one knows unless you try." Eunie shrugged.

"Well…okay! I'll try! It's good to be good at various weapons…so…. Oh! I have an idea!"

"What?"

"How about we ask Juniper for a demonstration? It's her class, you know."

"Hmm…that's actually a good idea! Hey, Juniper, love, would you come here?" Eunie called Juniper, who was supposed to practice on her own away from the two girls. Hearing Eunie's call with her superb hearing, Juniper turned around.

"Oh? Yes? Do you need me?"

"Yeah, Sena said she needs some demonstration from the master."

"Ah…hahaha! Yeah! Master? Okay! Uh…just a minute!" Juniper stuttered, grabbing her bottle of water. She started rapidly drinking it, almost half-emptying it.

"Whoa, slow down there! Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Me? Nonono, I'm just…thirsty! Yeah, thirsty! It's…a bit hot out here…" Juniper awkwardly laughed, fanning herself with trembling hands.

"Hot…? Uh…Juniper, I believe…the forest you lived in was hotter and way more humid than here…" Eunie said.

"Really? I…do feel pretty hot right now…" Juniper said, drinking another sip. And now she was panting, her face slightly red.

"O…kay…I got it….then…." Eunie scratched her wings.

"Oh, anyway, you needed some demonstration? I can do it! Uh…what should I do?" Juniper asked, running towards Eunie in a hurry.

'She's acting strange…? Or is it just me…?' Eunie tilted her head.

"Uh…yeah! Demonstration! That's it! Hmm…how about doing that technique? That…'Liberation Arrow'! You do like that technique, don't you?" Sena chirped.

"Yes! I sure do! Uh…uh…so…Liberation! Arrow! That's what I have to do?" Juniper got heated up. Not the usual Juniper they used to know. After answering Sena, she took another sip.

"Uh…yeah! I'd love to see….eh…?"

"LIBERATION ARROW! HIYAAA!" Juniper did a 360 faster than the speed of her arrow, and shot three arrows in a row. The arrows soon landed on the target, completely obliterating it.

"Woohoo! One more! LIBERATION ARROW!" She did another 360, this time in the air. Her arrows landed on a random tree this time, again completely destroying it.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Sena shouted.

"Uh…yeah…that was pretty outstanding…" Eunie said. But she felt that something was off. The ever-so-calm Juniper, shooting dozens of arrows in a row, doing loads of 360s? Especially doing the 'Liberation Arrow'. Usually when she did this technique, she took some time spinning, and she only shot one arrow for accuracy. But today she was different. She was a machine gun. To be specific, a machine gun on steroids.

"Ha…ha…ha…should I do more?" Juniper panted, drinking more water.

"Uh….about that…"

"What, Eunie?" Juniper said, her face now flushed red.

"Juniper…are you…alright…?"

"Me? I'm totally fine! Hahahah! The weather's great, isn't it? Wait…my water's all gone…"

"No, Juniper…you're…acting all weird all of a sudden… Where did…your chill, and calm attitude go? You're all pumped up right now, all sweating and panting. And…your hands are all trembling…." Eunie said, with a worried tone in her voice.

"Huh? I'm totally calm right now! Look! My hands aren't….trembling…?" Juniper froze, looking at her hands violently trembling.

"And you're…drinking like crazy, you know. Do you know…that we don't have any latrines, or…additional water supply when you're out of water…?"

"Huh? We don't?"

"Come to think of it… Yeah…Juniper, you're acting all weird now…." Sena added, giving a worried look to Juniper.

"Plus, your face is all red, do you have a fever?" Eunie asked, putting her forehead against Juniper's. As she did it, Juniper's face turned into a brighter shade of red. Like a surprised cat, she jumped back and banged into a tree.

And the tree broke.

"Whoa! Juniper, love, you alright?" Eunie said, running towards the tree. She found Juniper sprawled out near the stump of the tree.

But something was wrong.

Juniper was clenching her chest, with a painful expression on her face.

"Juni…per…?"

"Hah…hah…Eunie…?"

"Are you…No, snuff this. No more asking. I'm gonna initiate doctor's orders. Spark this training, and we're returning up. You need some medical attention." Eunie declared.

"Juniper…are you alright…? You were all red and aroused back then…but now you look like you're in pain…" Sena said as she kneeled down to Juniper.

"I'm…ugh! All…agh…hah….hah…" Juniper, who was giving accent from syllable to syllable a few minutes ago, couldn't form a full sentence without wincing or panting.

"Juniper, give me your hand," Eunie demanded. Juniper nodded, giving her trembling hand.

"Mmmm…. Oh? Wait….Juniper…why are…."

"Something wrong, Eunie?"

"Her heart pulse is…irregular. She's…suffering arrhythmia…I think."

"A…r…what?"

"Sparks, Sena, I did read the word out loud! Anyway, we gotta carry her back. Sena, would you use your strength for this?"

"Definitely. Finally, some muscle training! Juniper, I'll help you get up, grab my hand!"

"Thank…you…ugh…" Juniper moaned as she got up. She was clenching her chest with one hand, and grabbing her head with the other.

"Can…you walk…?" Sena asked.

"I…can…mana…. Urp…" Juniper covered her mouth.

"Juniper? Are you…" Sena tried to check Juniper's state, but she was soon interrupted by Juniper vomiting.

"Holy sparks….Sena, just carry her, don't let her walk. We have no time to lose." Eunie said, changing back to her original class, medic gunner.

"Got it, Juniper, hold on…we'll save you…"

(At The City hospital's emergency room)

The Ouroboros party were surrounding one bed.

Where Juniper lay almost unconscious.

"So….what the spark happened?" Lanz asked.

"She was acting all strange, doing some weird things, like drinking a liter of water in a minute or shooting arrows like a madman or hyperventilating. And…she banged into a tree." Eunie said.

"What? Why….? Why? Why would that even happen? Aren't you skipping some stuff, Eunie?"

"And she collapsed there, expressing some chest pain. I measured her heartbeat, and her heartbeat was very irregular. So I called it an emergency, and tried to make her get up. And after that….she…puked."

"She…threw up….?" Taion interrupted.

"It was mostly water, but yeah. She did. And now this shit." Eunie said.

"Do you have any ideas for this, Eunie? As a medic." Noah asked.

"Actually…no. I assume poisoning, but she didn't eat something strange…."

"Actually you're wrong, miss wings." A doctor, different from the one who taught them about human nature, interrupted their conversation.

"Uh, the name's Eunie, old man."

"Okay, Eunie, what I'm trying to say is…"

"I brought Mimi, guys!" Sena ran in, carrying Mio on a piggyback ride.

"Oh my god, Sena, when did you become so fast?" Mio said, getting off from Sena's small back.

"I learned from the best!" Sena boasted.

"Oh, Sena…." Mio sighed, patting Sena's head.

"Anyway, I heard that Juniper was in serious trouble. What happened to her?" Mio asked the party.

"Uh…we were going to explain that." The doctor said.

"Oh, right, so…uh…please continue…?"

"Okay, so, Miss Eunie, what did the patient, Juniper, eat today?"

"Hmmm…let me see….Manana's potato dish for breakfast…An armu sausage roll for lunch…And a chocolate bar for a snack between meals."

"YOU WHAT?" Mio suddenly shouted.

"Whoa, whoa, Mio, what was that out of the blue…?" Lanz said, waving his hands in front of her.

"No, Lanz, this is serious. Eunie, did you really let her eat it?" Mio said, furiously looking at Eunie. Eunie, as known as the boss, shrunk down at the sight of the big sister of the party glaring at her.

"Uh…yeah…she did…enjoyed it after all…" Eunie mumbled out, fiddling with her wings.

"Bloody sparks…Eunie, you almost killed her."

"What?"

"Wait, Mio, what the spark are you saying?" Lanz blurted out.

"You see… Us, I mean….Agnians with these…ears…on their heads… Must not eat chocolate or anything related to it." Mio said, pointing her cat ears.

"Wait, what?"

"We're still experiencing cultural differences, aren't we?" Taion sighed.

"So…then….how do you know it, Mio?"

"We're taught not to eat them at all costs. We're taught that if we eat them…we will experience…"

"Hyperventilation, superexcitation, high blood pressure, fever, trembling, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, and…heart attacks. Eventually leading to death." The doctor added.

"Okay, enough of that talk. We have to sum up here for now for her treatment. How much did she eat?"

"A…bar…?" Eunie choked out.

"Not bad, but also not good at all. So, I'll have to take her for emergency treatment, so I need you guys to wait outside." The doctor said.

"Uh…so…how are you gonna treat her then?" Noah, who stayed silent for a while, asked the doctor.

"Well, antidotes could be a solution. But most of all, we have to get the poisonous substance out of her."

"By…?" Eunie carefully opened her mouth.

"To be simple, we're gonna make her vomit the thing all out." The doctor declared.

"Spark…." They all frowned in slight shock.

"So…yeah, got the essence? Now, we're gonna actually do it, so… I'll gonna be using simple words from now on."

"Out."

As the doctor said the simple word with a firm expression, the party rushed out of the emergency room in a hurry. They wandered a bit, and soon found a bench to sit on. The party all had worried looks on their faces, each with a different kind of tone. Noah and Taion were talking with each other. Taion telling the bodily characteristics of some Agnian people, and Noah listening to it. Lanz was listening to Sena's expressive talk, about what happened when she went training with Juniper. And about Eunie…. She was just downright depressed right now. Her head dropped down, and her wings were all drooped down.

"Eunie…are you alright…?" Mio asked, touching Eunie's wings.

"Hah…I….still have no idea why I did this to Juniper…" Eunie sighed, her face filled with guilt.

"Eunie…you don't need to feel like that…" Mio said, stroking Eunie's wings. They soon perched up as Mio touched them.

"But I…I…sparking messed up the entire thing! I almost poisoned her to death!"

"Yes, you did. But it wasn't on purpose." Taion said, adjusting his glasses.

"You're not helping…Taion…" Eunie sighed, her wings drooped again.

"What I am trying to say is this. The thing you committed was indeed dangerous. But that's all. You did not have the purpose to actually poison her. You just…didn't know about the consequences. We…we should've sent one Agnian to accompany you in the morning." Taion said, his voice getting soft.

"And you're not the only one who gave her that. We were there too, you know." Noah added.

"Heh…Strange, isn't it?" Lanz blurted out.

"What now, Lanz?" Eunie complained.

"We thought we now know each other really well after all that interlinking and traveling. But we still have things we don't know about each other. Heck, who thought that a simple food would be a lethal poison to Agnians similar to Mio? You know, I think what we needed was a lecture about the differences between Kevesi people and Agnians, not about how to make a baby or something." Lanz said, with his hands behind his head.

"Whoa, Lanz, since when you were so thoughtful?" Eunie said, giggling a bit.

"Hey, who do you think I am? I do have a brain, too."

"Really? I never…."

"Now you come here, Eunie!" Lanz said, standing up.

"Hehe, looks like the Eunie we know." Mio chuckled.

"Yeah… Hope Juniper recovers well…" Noah said, leaning back to the wall.

"She'll…be alright… If she gets everything out of her body… Although that process could be extremely painful…" Mio sighed.

"Let's hope for the best…"

(After some time)

"Okay then… Ouroboros?" The doctor called the party, who was dozing off on the hospital chair.

"Oh, is everything done?" Mio asked, bolting up from the chair.

"Thankfully, yes. She successfully avoided death, and she is now recovering."

"Thank the queen….. Sparks…I was almost getting crazy waiting for this…" Eunie said, her wings slightly trembling.

"How can we visit her?" Noah asked.

"I can lead you guys there. Follow me." As the doctor signaled, the party all got up from the bench, and started to follow the old doctor. The walk didn't take so long. After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at a small room for patients to stay.

"She's here, and she's probably regaining consciousness by now. Don't irritate her too much, though. Her heart did experience some strains."

"Of course we will!" Sena nodded.

"Then go in, she'll be waiting for you." And that was the last word the doctor left before he went off for other work. The party stood in front of the door, watching him go off.

"So then…shall we head in?" Lanz suggested. The party all nodded. Noah led the party by silently opening the door, as not to disturb Juniper.

"Ju…niper…? Love…? Are you awake…?" Eunie whispered.

"Oh….Eunie….? And…Noah…Lanz…Mio…Sena…Taion… You're all here…?" Juniper choked out with a raspy voice.

"Yeah…it's us… Um…Juniper…?" Eunie mumbled.

"Yes…?"

"Sorry… I…didn't know…this…would happen when I…" Eunie slowly talked, syllable after syllable. But Juniper interrupted.

"No need for apologizing…Eunie…I didn't know this would happen too! Hehe…" Juniper let out a weak laugh.

"Oh, you poor thing…" Eunie said, kneeling down to hold Juniper's hand. "How do you feel right now?"

"Bit more…relaxed than before… My heartbeat started to stabilize… And I don't feel the intense thirst of heat now… Probably the effect of the drug they put in me…"

"That's…good news. Wasn't the treatment hard for you?" Eunie said, gently handling Juniper's hand.

"I was unconscious during the whole process… So, I don't know what happened. All I got is a sore throat, I guess…?"

"I see…Anything I can help with?"

"Um…I think I'll be okay with just me… But thank you for worrying, Eunie." Juniper said, giving Eunie a smile. Eunie nodded, and patted Juniper's head.

"Well then, love, get well soon. We'll be waiting for you." After a gentle pat on Juniper's head, Eunie stood up, and returned to the party, who was just watching Eunie talk with Juniper.

"Juniper, is it okay if we went back?" Noah asked.

"I'll be okay. I don't want to disturb you guys because of me being sick." Juniper said.

"You don't have to consider yourself a burden, Juniper. Anyway, then we'll get going, if you need us, you can always call us with your iris." Mio said, approaching Juniper.

"I'll keep that in mind, Mio." Juniper nodded.

"Thank you, please focus on relaxing and recovering, Juniper. I'm sorry that you have to go through this because your colony was so isolated from the outside…"

"You don't have to be sorry, Mio. But thank you."

"You're strong, Juniper. Hah…then…bye, Juniper. We'll see you when you get released, then." Mio said and Juniper nodded.

The party soon left the room, and after minutes, they left the hospital.

"So….guys." Eunie initiated a conversation.

"Why?" Lanz received it.

"Why did you guys all stay silent when I talked to Juniper? You know, you could always join me."

"Well…uh…Noah? Why did we stay silent?"

"If you ask me… Uh…you know, it's been a while since I've seen you talk with sick people on the bed. So I thought it would be better not to disturb you. Plus, it brought back memories, seeing you talk with her with such a soft voice." Noah said.

"Wait, did my voice change back then?"

"Totally, the brashness of your usual voice was totally go…."

"Now you come here, four-eyes!"

"What? Why me?"

"Why you?! Uh….I'll figure it out later! Just come here!"

"Spark's sake…what did I do wrong?"

(Omake)

"So you're planning to spread agriculture across colonies?" Juniper asked Zeon, the commander of Colony 9, also known as the potato lover.

"Yes, and we're making new kinds of food products with our produces. It'll be better just to make raw potatoes." Zeon said, looking around the potato farm.

"Hmm….what kind of product?" Juniper asked.

"Well, it could vary, but the things we're focusing on are the preservation methods for produces, and…"

"Commander! It's done! Our first prototype!" Kite, Zeon's lieutenant, zoomed through the colony towards Zeon and Juniper, holding something in his hands.

"Oh? I never expected it to be done this early."

"Yes! And since commander Juniper's here, it'll be a great opportunity to advertise our product! Commander Juniper!"

"Yes, Kite?"

"I present you…. Colony 9's special….!"

"9 Chocolate!"

"UAAAAGH?!" Juniper screamed and jumped as she saw the devil's creation. She summoned her blade, and aimed it towards the product Kite was holding.

"Huh? What are you doing, Juniper? Why are you suddenly…" Zeon calmly asked, but it didn't work.

"PUT THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" She shouted, her bow still aiming at the product in Kite's hand.

"Uh…Kite…? I think it'll be better if we did this presentation after she leaves…"

"What's wrong with….?"

"Just withdraw now, before things get complicated, okay?"

"I can see why… Then…I'll tell the developers that the presentation of this prototype would be delayed…."

"Yeah, that'll be the best. See you then." Zeon said as Kite zoomed away. Seeing Kite run away, Juniper withdrew her blade.

"Hah….hah….hah…." She was panting, with her hands on her chest.

"Juniper…are you…"

"PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" Juniper shouted, losing her calm attitude again. She bowed her head towards Zeon, her face scarlet with embarrassment.

"Hmm…..? Okay, Juniper, I get it. But…can you explain why that happened…?"

"Uh….it's a long story. And…quite an unpleasant one…. Would you like to hear it…?"

"If it's unpleasant for you, you don't have to do it. Just…give me the essentials."

"Okay….So…to summarize…."

"I had some…issues…regarding that particular food…"

I...originally planned this chapter as crack, but...

Turns out it was...

I don't even know, dammit.