Olivia laid in her bed, the darkness of the room doing nothing to diminish the brightness of her smile. She could feel herself shudder in excitement as she recalled the events of the day.

—.

It was the culmination of the wish she had ever since she first met Leon.

—?

That fated moment when the green light led her to him.

—.

A simple wish, for Leon Fou Bartfort to be happy.

Th—?!

A tiny, foolish, arrogant part of her once thought that she could be the one to give him that happiness. What with his lamentations in trying to find a bride.

—!

She realized how out of touch she was when she met and got to know Angie and Clarice.

—?

She was initially jealous of how insistent Leon was with having a Tea Party with them. She was disgusted with herself as the two girls showed her nothing but kindness and affection.

—.

She knew that both Angie and Clarice were special when they insisted on becoming her friends rather than just stay as acquaintances or ignore her completely. She would come to love them both dearly.

—gie—! —!

She understood why Leon went so far for them during the duel with the Prince and his comrades.

—.

It was the moment she saw Leon's smile when she, Angie, and Clarice found him after the duel, that was when she realized that she did not deserve him. Such a person deserved better than her.

—!

Leon called her his friend, so that was what she would become. She would correct any misconceptions and end any rumor that the two of them were anything more than that.

—hy?! Le–—!

It didn't matter who it was. She would not allow them to have the wrong idea about her and Leon.

—?

The light showed her the way to her destiny. She would protect that destiny with everything she had.

—.

What happened to her was irrelevant.

Th—!

Leon will find happiness. That was all that mattered.

—nt!

Everything will be perfe–

–isten–

–ct! She would make sure of it.

—op!

Olivia smiled and drifted off to sleep.

…

I sat listlessly on my bed after Control finished explaining the problem they managed to uncover over the course of their investigation.

"Control," I nervously began. "The fact that I don't think that Livia and I can be lovers…"

It would raise the possibility that you are also being affected. The readings I have from the health monitoring bracelet you have regarding your brain activity supports this theory.

I rubbed my temple as I struggled to comprehend everything as it was.

The video evidence as well as personal observations I have been making on the behavior of Olivia and those she has been coming in contact with. It all points to the possibility that she has been manipulating the perceptions and memories of the people around her to only perceive her as your friend.

Well, Control certainly had a way of bringing the mood down.

The high that I felt after affirming the feelings between myself, Angie, and Clarice gave way to a cold feeling at the bottom of my stomach. They said that they never brought it up before as they wanted to corroborate any observations with supporting evidence that went beyond the circumstantial.

This went beyond a rumor fading away into obscurity. What happened was so sudden, so final. It was like everyone was sure that Olivia and I were lovers one minute, then dismissing the possibility as absurd the next. Sure, my actions during the party and the duel would have changed the narrative. However, I would have expected that Angie and Clarice would be added to Olivia instead of outright replacing her. Especially with how the two were all over Livia normally.

"So you think that Livia is preventing people–us–from thinking that she and I could become lovers?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

I would actually like to try something to verify a hypothesis.

I nodded, I was willing to try anything at this point. "What is it?"

I request that you close your eyes and think of Olivia in the following context: Friendship. Hatred. Indifference. Sexual. Romance.

I trusted Control enough to do what they requested. I went through the list, some being easier than others. I gasped and opened my eyes when I fully understood the reality of the situation. The first was easy, the next two were harder, the fourth was even easier, the last one…

"It was a blank, Control." I said while looking up at the drone. "Everything up to thinking of Livia bent ov–it was just nothing after. I keep trying to think of her romantically but it's like the feeling of almost remembering something but never quite getting it."

Selective removal of an idea, a concept. With such fine and complete control. Troubling.

"Is she doing this on purpose?" I quickly asked the obvious question.

From my observations, she does not seem to be manipulating cognition deliberately. She herself may in fact be affected by it.

My face twisted in confusion. "So she's accidentally and subconsciously mind whamming everyone into thinking that the two of us are just friends?"

It seems to be the likeliest answer as I do not believe that Olivia would do this maliciously.

I agreed.

The establishment of the When, Why, and How would be the best start to resolving the issue. I already have the When.

"You do?" I blinked, that was fast.

Yes. The first minor changes started after your initial Tea Party with both Angelica and Clarice. The changes were initially insignificant and dismissible but, after retroactive observation, the pattern fits.

That far back? So she's been brainwashing literally everyone since then? I grimaced when I remembered something about the game.

"I think I know the How." I whispered. It was something that Olivia the Saint would get at the very end of the game. "It's her final skill: Compelling Voice."

I began explaining to Control what it was and what it can do. It was the final requirement for the best ending of the game. In order to avoid the bloodshed that would result in a total war between Holfort and Fanoss, Olivia would use the power of the Saint Relics and the Royal Ship to impose her will on everyone in the battlefield. She more or less asks everyone to stop fighting and they all do. Both armies. No confirmation or negotiation. Just a complete end of all activity.

That is a very dangerous ability.

I agreed. It was so powerful that you don't even get to use it in gameplay. It just unlocks and is listed in her skills but Olivia only really uses it during the cutscene that leads to the Best End. The armies and whoever else bend to her will, Fanoss gets reabsorbed into Holfort, the Saintess and their chosen love interest get married to the roar of approval from the entire country.

"Have the people of the past ever encountered anyone like that?" I asked, wondering if any of the Getter Teams ever had to deal with this kind of problem.

Not with such potency or range of effectiveness. Even then, they were always adversaries and would be dealt with lethally. It is an outcome I want to avoid with Olivia.

Damn right. "What can we do? Should I talk to her about it? Do I ask the others for help?"

This is the first time I have encountered an instance of brainwashing for the benefit of other people. However, I would advise against confronting Olivia about this for now. If she is indeed doing this subconsciously, then informing her may just result in your current awareness being erased by her power in order to maintain her perceived status quo.

"Then I guess the less people that know this the better?" I asked rhetorically.

Correct. Our best course of action would be to monitor her and ensure that she does not escalate. Do you know if the Saint Relics could help with this?

There was an idea! "The Relics were there to both indicate her status as the Saint as well as giving her a power boost. They might just be what we need."

Would we require all three or would a single Relic be enough?

"I don't know. But that actually brings up something else I was hoping to talk to you about tomorrow." I then started telling Control about Clara, the Pirates, the boys, and the stolen Saint Necklace that they possess.

A fortuitous coincidence then. Since we will be hosting the others and their Armors, I assume you wish to use the Nagare as transport?

I grinned, some cheer creeping into my voice as I spoke. "Yep. I want those pirates to see us coming and realize that they're the ones who are being trapped."

We still have the issue of the Why on the table. What would Olivia's motivation for excluding herself romantically be?

That was the golden question, now wasn't it?

"And why aren't we allowed to join you in this mission of yours, dear Leon?" Angie asked in an even tone. Oh wow, was this how dad felt whenever he upset mom?

We all stood at the harbor a few days later as the boys' Armors were being loaded in the Nagare's hangar. My fiancées were less than thrilled when I actually explained the situation with Carla in detail. They were even less thrilled when I asked them to stay behind with Livia for the duration of the holiday.

"It'll be mostly an Armor fight in the sky. With his highness and the others there, we probably have way more than enough to deal with this without any issues." I explained, not saying that it was also so they could keep an eye on Livia as well as to keep them all away from harm.

"I still don't like this." Clarice muttered as she glanced to the side and saw Marie pointing at Jilk's upgraded Armor. "And why is she allowed to join you?"

"Because I don't trust Marie alone without supervision!" I spoke out loud enough for Marie to hear. She made a face and gave a rude gesture that I just laughed at.

"Leon will be fine." Livia suddenly spoke up and hugged Clarice from behind. "Believe in the man you both love."

Oh wow, way to make all three of us blush there Livia.

"Umm…" Someone spoke up. I turned and saw Clara looking around with growing alarm. "What is all this?"

"Preparation." I simply said with a smile.

Clara looked past me and nervously pointed in the distance. "But that's Prince Julius and Sir Jilk."

"Yep. Greg, Brad, and Chris are already inside with their Armors. We're just loading the last two in my ship." I wondered if she was going to pass out with how pale she was getting.

"This is your ship?" She looked at the admittedly intimidating looking ship.

"You didn't know?" Angie asked with narrowed eyes.

Clara shook her head and raised her hands in supplication. "I have heard the stories, but I have never really seen it in person."

Oh man, she was definitely in for a surprise then.

"I know that Leon accepted your plea of his own will, but I want you to understand something." Clarice spoke and approached Clara. "If anything happens to Leon, there won't be a place on this world that you can hide from the three of us."

Huh, turns out that Clarice can be pretty scary too. With no other choice, Clara desperately hid behind me in fear.

"Okay that's enough." I dispelled the tension by pulling the upset senior into a kiss.

Clarice pouted at me after clearly enjoying the kiss. "That's cheating."

"She's right! You should kiss Angie too!" Livia exclaimed as she pushed my other fiancée into my arms. Angie looked cute when she was bashful like this and I couldn't help but give her a peck on the nose before kissing her on the lips.

"I'm still mad." She whined into my lips before fully pressing herself into me. I opened my eyes after the kiss and saw Livia giving me two thumbs up. That girl.

As per our plan, Control's stealth drone would be staying behind to keep an eye on all three girls just in case. We said our goodbyes and Clara boarded the Nagare with me, meeting up with the others on the bridge.

-hat is correct, your highness. Everything on the Nagare is automated and managed by myself. A crew is not required for the ship to function at full battle readiness.

Clara and I walked in just as Control was introducing themselves and explaining what my ship could do.

"I'm starting to think you don't even need us on this Pirate Hunt, Leon." Chris commented as he wiped his glasses.

I laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Even if that's true, I'd rather do this with friends than just me and Control."

That got a round of smiles from the boys. Despite our rocky start, I could admit that we really had become friends. I guessed that the whole Shonen philosophy of becoming friends after fighting each other applied here after all. I ignored the gremlin glaring at me and asked if anyone had any suggestions for a plan of action.

"What plan? We just find the pirates and crush them until they stop moving." Greg suggested with a laugh. While it was true that we had a potentially unstoppable death ball with everyone here, I still had a couple of things I wanted to accomplish.

"I actually want to capture the pirates if at all possible." I suggested. The reactions ranged from confusion and contemplation from the boys, to mild irritation from the gremlin, to barely hidden panic from Clara.

She really wasn't good at the whole conspiracy thing, huh?

"Why? They are criminals that raised their hand against Nobility. Death is what they deserve." Jilk said with a scoff. I mean, he was correct and the others largely agreed.

"I want to know how they're able to become such a problem and evade suppression for so long. I can't imagine they can move around freely inside the Kingdom's territory without getting the attention of families other than the Waynes." I reasoned and saw them start to really think about it.

"You suspect foul play?" Brad asked, clearly interested in the prospect.

"I think they're getting more help than they should be." I confirmed with a nod.

"An intriguing prospect." Jilk stated with a nod. "I'll follow your lead on this then."

"I believe that we should all do the same. This is Leon's mission so he'll be in command." Julius suggested and was met with agreement from the rest.

"Jeez, no pressure!" I joked and we all laughed. Well, Marie rolled her eyes and Clara looked like she really was going to faint.

Control got everyone set up with nice rooms, with the boys and Clara being particularly amazed at the automated hot showers and baths that didn't use magic. They were all getting settled into their rooms and I took the opportunity to have a talk with a certain gremlin about a few things.

"Ack! Why are you in my room?! Are you going to assault me?!" Marie immediately said in alarm and brandished a nearby vase.

"Don't flatter yourself. Then again, you're plenty flat already." I said with a snort and eyeroll.

Oh wow, she really looked like she was going to throw the vase at me. "How dare you! I'll tell Juli–"

"How far into the game did you get?" I interrupted with a grin.

"Wh-what?"

"You knew how to trigger the flags of all the love interests before the actual main protagonist could. You even managed to get some late game events happening prematurely. The Armor duel wasn't supposed to happen until year three, for example." I listed out her actions and saw her eyes widen.

"You know about the game? Then you really are…" She trailed off while lowering the vase in her hand.

"I assume you are also from Japan since I'm sure we're the only ones crazy enough to actually play that garbage game." I told Marie in Japanese.

She distractedly shook her head and answered in Japanese. "No, they actually made like four more sequels after this one."

Who the hell would want more of this?!