Disclaimer: FoZ/ZnT belong to the departed Noboru Yamaguchi and whoever inherited the I.P.. Any real life organisation/person is merely being used in a fictional non-profit way.

Author's note: Here you go guys! Sorry about the delay. Got into Witcher III and Shokugeki no Soma which, along with my job, messed up my writing schedules. Special thanks to Trainalf and F-14 Tomcatlover for their help in this chapter. Ending Saito's conversation with his parents wouldn't have been possible without Tomcat's help.

A New Day?

"He did what?!" There'd been optimism yesterday among the leaders of the three nations over potential interaction between their nations. Today though, among this new crowd, feelings were very mixed.

A series of groans echoed inside Trudeau's office as Minister Freeland calmed herself down after her outburst. Trudeau was having an early morning meeting with his cabinet to discuss yesterday's meeting- and if there was any change in their approach.

"Yes, he got the Princess to agree to allow intelligence officials to enter her country," Trudeau stated, "Along with military personnel to analyze their armed forces' capabilities without warning us."

"And forced us into allowing him to let his troops pass over our territory outside of our usual agreements," Freeland completed, massaging her temples, "That man played us like a fiddle."

"I hate to say it but it's a good move on his part," Sajjan admitted with Goodale nodding in agreement, "We can get detailed intel quickly and confirm if there's no invasion force."

"Can we get experts and officials ready for this party on such short notice?" Trudeau asked. Goodale nodded as he looked through a stack of files.

"CSIS has a few agents that available to be send through. Multilingual- it isn't much a stretch to think we'll hear other European languages over there besides French and English. Probably some offshoot of German if Germania is really their version of Germany. Possibly Italian too, since their church seems oddly similar to the one founded in Rome. We'll make sure that they'll blend in easily."

"Not a very diverse society over there, apparently." Freeland commented, although they seemed to have their own brand of quite literal racism judging by this talk of elves.

"This was Jim Mattis' idea, at least," Sajjan reminded everyone before continuing. That tidbit of knowledge made it just a slightly less bitter pill to swallow, as they knew they could at least trust the American SecDef.

"Let's try and find some military officers with experience in civil conflict to send with them. No need to make ourselves look foolish."

Everyone else agreed with that idea.

"I believe that sending Afghan war veterans who worked with the ANA and the Afghan government would be our best bet. If they can deal with tribal warlords, local feudal lords similar to old Europe wouldn't be too hard or different."

"They're going to need protection. It's not a combat deployment of our forces, but it'll still cause a stir in Parliament and the media if we don't take precautions." Trudeau remarked, "That can look extremely bad in the UN. M. Ambroise is already going so he's going to require security as well."

"We can arrange for elements of JTF2 to assist. It'll be a statement to both Tristain and Trump." Unsurprisingly, the man's bragging of America's military dominance over North America had been received as slightly insulting by the Defense Minister and Afghan war veteran. Sending Canada's elite special forces was a good way to show that they meant business and they were also the best bet against any surprises that might crop up. "We'll have it set up soon. The US may have gotten a head start yesterday, but they still need time to travel." Sajjan said, "I can make a phone call to Major-General Dawe to get his men ready."

"Do that now please Harjit." Trudeau ordered, "What about communications?" Obviously, secure phone lines or internet connections were out of the question. Radio as well. At least, between the worlds.

"I may have a suggestion- once we prove it's safe to traverse this portal, we can send someone through daily to make a long distance call, maybe set up a system of some kind to allow communications. I have no idea how far away their Capital is from the portal, but I'm sure we have means of covering that distance. For once, we won't have to worry about interference or espionage."

There was some chuckling. That was always appreciated.

"Thank you Harjit. What about our border security right now?"

Trudeau looked at Goodale and Freeland. Ever since the talks had begun, reporters from all over Earth were swarming to Canada, trying to get in on the action and sell the best headlines. But only a fool would believe that every single person who'd come was only that.

"Counter-intelligence has been cooperating with the police to monitor the crowds," Goodale reported, "The usual suspects and places are under watch as well."

Trudeau nodded. This was excellent news.

"Our allies have already sent us pledge to support us and help us if anything happens or if they catch wind of anything," Freeland added, "Some have already asked us if they can send people to meet with Tristain's representatives."

Trudeau nodded.

"We'll get to that eventually; the Princess can't stay here forever. Right now we need confirm what's going on over there."

"If I may Justin, what do you intend to discuss with the Princess today?" Freeland asked politely.

"I'll tell her that we'll send in military experts as well with the US. This'll probably get her hopes up again, but it's necessary. Trump's gotten us by surprise and tied our hands." he answered, "I'm also preparing a declaration of goodwill between our three nations. Obviously we can't get anything more substantial than that without running it through Parliament but it's better than nothing."

Goodale chuckled.

"Good thing we control Parliament eh?"


Saito awoke with a groan. Last night had ended with a barrage of anger from Louise that almost reminded him of his first days in that world. Mostly a very loud scolding about his perversions defiling a pure and innocent princess's eyes. Unfortunately, he ended up sleeping on the couch, despite finally convincing Louise and Henrietta it had been an honest mistake. Still, it felt good to sleep on Earth and the couch wasn't that bad. The trio was sleeping inside a suite meant for dignitaries afterall.

Louise was still snoring softly on her bed while Henrietta was in a separate room. The pinkette was sleeping in her nightgown. A soft knock on the door caught Saito's attention.

"Good morning? Is anyone awake?" a female voice asked softly. The teenager quickly made his way to the door and opened it. A woman dressed in a suit was waiting at the door.

"M. Hiraga?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"The Japanese embassy has just called," she said, "They've managed to get in contact with your parents." Saito was instantly wide awake.

"Really?!"

"Yes. We've been instructed to take you and Lady Vallière to the Japanese embassy before bringing you back for breakfast with M. Trudeau and M. Trump. Would it be possible for you to get ready?"

"Oh, uh...of course!" Saito's head was still spinning. His parents! After all these months! "We just need a few minutes to get ready." He explained. That and leave a note for the Princess in case this dragged on long. He ran to a still sleeping Louise's side. The mage was adorable when she slept and she seemed to mumble in her sleep.

"S-saito."

There was a small smile on her face.

"Hey wake up sleepyhead!" he muttered into her ear.

"Don't wanna."

She rolled away. Saito rolled his eyes. Time to use the secret technique.

"You're drooling all over the pillow. Again," he whispered again. As he finished those words made her wake up, red as a tomato.

"AM NOT!" she shrieked as she wiped her face with her hand before glaring at a smirking Saito, "Wha-what did you do that for?!"

"Cause you're adorable to tease."

"Dummy," she scowled half-heartedly, a pout on her face, "I was having a very nice dream," But seriously, are we late for breakfast with M. Trudeau and M. Trump?"

Saito shook his head. "Actually, it's about my home."

Louise's face lit up as she saw his face beam.

"Did you get to talk to your parents?!"

Saito shook his head as he replied.

"Not yet, but Arima-san has arranged everything for me to talk to them. We need to get ready, though!"


Inside a secured office in Japan, two middle-aged adults were sitting. They had been picked up by government agents earlier in the evening and told to come along without explanation. They had arrived at a governmental building that was largely empty. A man dressed in a simple suit entered the room with a briefcase.

"Good evening. Are you Hiraga Ichika and Hiraga Naru?" he asked quickly.

"Yes, now tell me what's going on." Naru retorted impatiently. Instead, the man asked another question.

"You are the parents of Hiraga Saito?" Both looked startled. They hadn't thought this could be about him; they'd talked to the police and the police had talked to them many times, but these men hadn't looked like the police.

"Yes, though I can't see why is that-" Ichika gasped in shock, "Did you find him?!"

"Is my son alive?!" Nasu almost shouted. To his credit, the official didn't flinch at the angry woman's yelling.

"Dear, please calm down!" Ichika begged before apologizing to the agent, "My apologies, my wife is rather quite protective of our son."

"I understand." The agent said. "But to answer your questions, yes. We have found your son, but, I'm afraid, the matter is… rather complex." He explained.

His words, though, were quickly misunderstood.

"Is he dead?!" Nasu's eyes began to water as she slumped back into her chair, "Where did you find him?!"

Ichika wrapped his arms around his wife's back.

The agent was quick to make placating gestures to calm the pair, "You don't need to worry. He is alive and in good health," the agent said quickly in the first slip of composure they'd seen from him. Despite her short size, her yelling had caused him to backpedal a bit. Then he went off on about as far a tangent as they could've guessed. "Have you been keeping up with the events in Canada?"

"That mysterious portal? Sounds like something out of a movie," Ichika scoffed. He had heard about the commotion it caused from his older son, Hayate. "Why? What does this have to do with my second son?"

"We've found him and that is where things have become complicated," the agent stated again, "It has been quite complicated and we're still getting all the relative facts, but your son, Hiraga Saito…" the man trailed off for a moment, clearly trying to find a way to break the news until he just gave up, "He was on the other side of the portal."

His words dumbfounded them. Hiraga Ichika and his wife Naru could only look at the agent before them like he grown a second head or was completely drunk. But the nervousness the man displayed seemed to counteract that process of thought.

"Is...is this some sort of sick joke?!" Naru growled angrily at the man. The loss of her youngest son had been hard enough on her. She didn't need people taking advantage of her grief for their own sick and twisted humor. She stood up and was about to slap the man but he spoke up before she could swing.

"I assure you that I am not," the agent slid a large photograph that clearly showed their son with a pink haired foreign girl in some room and a pair of government agents questioning them, "He is your son, is he not?"

He got a pair of dumbfounded nods while Naru slid back into her chair, slightly embarrassed.

"However," the agent continued, "the…" he paused again, "delicate nature of the present situation makes things difficult."

"What was he doing over there? How did he get over there?" They were shooting off questions at the man.

"Like I said, the situation is complex and we still have trouble understanding exactly what transpired, but your son is alive and well. We brought you here so you could speak to him."

"He's here?!" The boy's mother jumped from her seat.

"Now calm down dear," her husband said, "I think there's a catch."

"Correct Hiraga-san, as your son is still in Canada," the agent explained calmly, "We have arranged for secure communications between here and our main Embassy compound in Canada. Before we let you through, I have to make something expressly clear to you- this is still a very confidential matter. You cannot tell other people about this. If it's known that Japan is involved in the events in Canada right now- or if it's known your family is involved in them- the consequences could be… undesirable to say the least, politically and diplomatically. This situation is very delicate in the extreme that has the Canadians and Americans stepping lightly and we know how boorish President Trump can be, so that should tell you how delicate this matter is."

"You have our word," Ichika said confidently, wondering if he wasn't dreaming or stuck in a bad movie. Nasu nodded as well.

"Excellent." The agent opened his briefcase and pulled out a laptop before setting it up. After a few moments, the man turned his computer to them.

There was a moment of silence as the family finally saw each other again over video conference. Saito noticed how his parents seemed to be older than he remembered. He couldn't see his brother but he was always busy. Dark circles and wrinkles had appeared on their faces that he didn't see before.

"M-mom? D-dad?"

There was suddenly crying.

"Saito… my beautiful baby boy," Nasu cried, "I can't believe you're alive."

She had feared the worst many times. Saito being found dead in a ditch or in Aokigahara forest or washed up on a river bank.

"Is is really you son?" his father asked tearfully, "I can't believe it."

"Y-yeah, it's me dad," he replied with a scratched to the back of his head and that large smile he never could get rid of when he was nervous, "I'm alright if you want to know."

"Young man, I want to know what happened exactly," his mother asked sternly despite the tears in her face, "Tell me how you ended in another world?"

Saito gulped nervously and scratched the back of his head. His mom had… a quick temper to say the least. Maybe that was part of his attraction to Louise? He hoped not!

"Well, it's not very complicated butIsteppedintoamagicalportal…"

"You did what?" his mother asked barely understanding the jumbled ending of his sentence.

"I-I stepped into a magical portal," he stammered out, "and ended up in some magical world."

Ichika groaned.

"Son, I thought I raised you better than this. With all the anime we've watched together… don't you understand it's a bad idea to muddle around with strange portals?" he joked, trying to defuse the tension.

His son looked rather sheepish.

"Wait!" Ichika blinked, "You're being serious. You can't be serious. That's all make believe!"

"Ah-haha," Saito's nervous laugh didn't help ease his parents' stress, "I, er, might have found that out to be not so true dad."

"By all the Kami and Buddha," Ichika began massaging his temples to stop the migraine that threatened to open up his skull.

"Really dear?" Nasu added dryly, glaring at her husband who cowered slightly, forgetting his migraine for the moment, before the woman turned back to her second son, "Can you tell me what happened to you once you went into that portal, Saito?"

Saito was silent for a moment. Though, he was not well versed in hiding his emotions. He was quite fidgety for a few moments before he turned his head.

"Well," he began, "can you come over here Louise?"

"What?" what sounded something like a girl's voice was heard.

"Get on my lap, I'll show you my parents."

Ichika and Nasu looked at each other, startled. Their son was speaking in other language that sounded like French. Not to mention that the other voice sounded definitely like a girl's.

"Eh?!"

That was definitely feminine. Both parents turned to look at one another. Ichika mouthed 'No way' to his wife.

Suddenly, a short, pink haired girl appeared on their screen in front of their son and sat on his lap. With a black cloak held by a golden medallion and a white shirt as well as what seemed to be natural pink hair, she dressed like the stereotypical anime magical girl and appeared to be rather confused at everything.

"Saito, what is this magic?"

"It's not magic, it's a computer."

"A what?"

"A very useful device that lets me do lots of things like talking with my parents," he explained quickly before turning his attention to his parents.

Both of them couldn't understand what Saito was telling the pink haired girl.

"Mom, Dad, this is Louise-Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière of Tristain. She's my girlfriend that I made over there." he said proudly before hearing a slapping sound. Looking at the screen, he saw his dad facepalming. His mom was seething on the other hand and he realized, he could have said that better or left it for later.

"You went to a new world just to get a girlfriend?!" His mother sounded outraged, "You have a lot of explaining to do young man!"

"Well, I heard her voice when I was around that portal but it's not exactly that." Saito tried to explain quickly while his mother looked even angrier, "When I came out of that portal, she was in front of me."

"I'm not sure if I should laugh or be angry at this son," Ichika was leaning back into his chair, trying to make sense of everything. Was he stuck in some bad anime? "What exactly did you do over there?"

"Well…" If the diplomat hadn't reacted so well, Saito wasn't sure how his parents would. "I got a job." That wasn't technically a lie. Unfortunately for him, Louise had to start running her mouth and bragging. Saito praised the greater powers that his parents didn't understand her.

"Your son is the greatest hero I ever met! You should have seen how he fought a foul man that tried to force me to marry him! He saved our lives several times like when he killed an Earth Golem that was attacking me and has been a great help to Tristain."

"What is she saying?!" she snarled noticing the generous amount of praise, which surprised Louise and ended her what she was saying, "That sounds like you have a lot more to explain young man!"

"She's talking about what we've been doing over here together since I arrived." Saito explained quickly, hoping it would satisfy his mother. "It's sorta…of police work...over here...I guess?" Saito faltered in explanation while Louise looked confused.

"Police work?" Nasu's voice was deadly quiet which meant that Saito had to come up with an explanation and fast.

"Euh yeah, we euh helped the Princess stop a corrupt official."

"Princess? How did you that?" Ichika asked uncertainty and had a feeling he knew where this was going to go.

"We caught him redhanded trying to steal from a bar."

Just as Ichika thought with a mental groan.

"Care to tell me how?" his mother pressed on through clenched teeth, Naru's appearance reminding Louise of her sister or worse… Her own mother.

"We were there at the right time, right moment?" Saito tried to make it sound more innocent, but it was obviously a lost cause.

Both of his parents groaned. They weren't sure which was worst- that their son had been in a bar with a girl, or that he was apparently doing police work. He was too young for all of that. To say nothing of his girlfriend!

"At least he's safe," his dad sighed while his mom was glaring at him and was clearly unimpressed, "He hasn't been getting into battles or anything."

"How have you been living there?" she asked seriously.

"Well I've been staying with Louise at the Tristain Academy of Magic. She's given me a place to stay," he explained not thinking anything serious about it.

"What did she ask?" Louise asked Saito, wondering what was going on with Saito's mother.

"Where I was staying in Tristain," Saito responded, not too concerned.

His mother's blue eyes narrowed.

"Staying with Louise? As in the same room?"

Saito's eyes widened in fear. He suddenly remembered how his mother had been very strict about things like that. She lived heavily by the saying that 'A boy of nine sits with no woman.'

"Of course, I've given him the privilege of sleeping in the same room as me! He is my familiar after all!" Louise explained happily, "He has my gratitude for all the things he did for me even if he acts like a dog every now and then!"

Nasu's eye twitched as she had to listen to the girl's strange ramblings again. She noticed the rather appreciative tone of voice.

"What did she say?" She demanded from her son who was flushing even redder, "Don't tell you two have been-"

"No mom! We haven't done-"

"What did your mom ask?"

"No-nothing! Just if we-"

Louise suddenly blushed redder before glaring at Saito.

"Did she ask if you were being perverted with me?!"

"No!" Saito was started to get extremely pressured. What was it with him and short tempered women? Maybe it was a family thing? Fortunately for him, his dad changed the direction of the conversation, although not without placating his wife first.

"Dear, this is the first time we see Saito in months..."

Nasu pouted as Saito blew a sigh of relief. His mother quickly calmed down a bit as well.

"Son, please come back to us," his dad begged, "It's been getting lonelier ever since Hayate left."

This surprised the Tokyo teen. His brother had left? When? How? Why?

"What happened to him?" Saito asked suddenly. His older brother was always the kind of guy that could spare him time whenever he could despite his busy schedule.

"He left to study abroad in Canada remember?"

There was a brief moment of silence from both parties. Apparently that little tidbit had been overlooked. The agents on both sides were already communicating with their superiors about it, who would then contact the Canadians about it as well.

"Wait! Where is he in Canada?!" Saito suddenly exclaimed, startling Louise. He had forgotten that little detail.

"He's in Montreal right now!" Nasu exclaimed in surprise, "Haven't you tried to contact him?!"

Saito fumbled a bit as he stammered an answer.

"Well, we've been busy. I've been interrogated by secret agents of two countries and I had to help Princess Henrietta negotiate with President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau!''

"Wait what!?"

All color drained from Ichika's face. His son was helping that fantasy princess negotiate with two of the most powerful men on Earth!

"This feels like a bad anime," he muttered to himself before elbowed by his wife.

"Ichika… focus!" she barked before turning back to Saito with a sad expression, "Now Saito, I want you to come home. You shouldn't be doing all of this."

This was the moment he dread the most. Even Louise noticed the sudden change in tone. There was a unnerving silence in the rooms.

"I'm sorry, but no mom, I can't," he finally said with a firm look of determination on his face, "I've been doing alot of good over here, over there, and now I found a nice girl and things are still not over."

"But Saito, you're not even an adult yet!" his father desperately replied, "You haven't even finished school of all things! How can you help that princess?"

Saito's mind raced as he tried to say something that he did.

"Well," Saito scratched the back of his neck, "I kinda convinced President Trump that Halkeginia would make a nice tourist place," which honestly he wondered how hard that was, "Prime Minister Trudeau was also convinced that there was no threat of an invasion. Not to mention that I convinced the Princess to come and negotiate over the objections of her Regency Council, including even her own mother."

His parents were stunned that Saito pulled this off. It didn't seem that he was lying. If anything, he showed that a quiet confidence they had never seen in him before. Like he had gone through a momentum change when he was gone. He seemed to have found something over there.

"How exactly did you do that young man?" Naru found her voice as Ichika had a very good idea of where things would go.

And feverishly hoped his son wouldn't mention it to his wife as Ichika knew Naru would make him go several weeks without even a manga!

"I told them about how Canada and the United States were respected countries in our world," he explained quickly, sparing the embarrassing moment when it turned out his 'knowledge' was wrong, "The Princess's kingdom needed help so I thought it would help her. They're really struggling over there and I've managed to do some good there."

'No doubt,' thought Ichika as he eyed the girl on his son's lap and how she seemed worried, 'Probably Section Nine-like police work, right son? If so, how much have you seen? What have you done? And where does this girl stand in all of that?'

"Well, for one, I think you've done enough," Nasu scolded, "So come home now, you've done enough. Leave it to the Americans and Canadians. It's their matter now."

"I can't mom," Saito replied, but then held a hand up to forestall her protests, surprising both of his parents by calmly doing so in the first place, "I feel that I belong here. Louise is the best thing that happened to me. I also made some new friends and I can't just leave them like that either. I did so much already to help them. She's serious about me as well. She almost dueled her oldest sister over this and even the Princess helped us out. I can't just throw that out. Mom, dad, I want to keep helping out in that world. I'm also staying at an academy for nobles, so I'm learning things and I can be sent what is needed for me to learn by MEXT to keep up on my Japanese education."

"Saito…" Naru couldn't believe her son could even think that! Let alone say it. Why wasn't he listening to her, like he always had?

"Son," Ichika knew how dangerous this would be, but he had to ask, " 'Your police work'," now that brought back the memories of what he wanted to do when he was Saito's age, "Is your work more like Section Nine work?"

Saito was silent for a moment, his mother showing a confused look on her face, but the young Hiraga answered.

"Yes," Saito confirmed, "We were starting to investigate that official we caught, but he ended up committing his crimes right in front of us as soon as we got started. It was quick and to the point. Louise was more powerful, given her family's standing in Tristain, and so we arrested him on the spot."

"After that, we've done a few more things like that. Louise and I only investigate, but yeah. I got into a few fights over there."

"FIGHTS?!" Naru's face is drained of blood at hearing that, "What have you done?!"

"Yes mom, nothing too big though," Saito swallowed hard, "I can't believe how lucky I was to be born in Japan. There's so many things we take for granted, " Saito closed his eyes, thinking of his world and how safe it was.

"But," he opened his eyes, to see his parents. Louise couldn't help but feel Saito's sincerity radiating from his heart as he spoke. Each word, even if she couldn't understand them, carried great emotion.

"Here well… There's no one to save the day. The princess does her best but the corrupt nobles don't want to help. If it wasn't for me, the meetings between her, President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau wouldn't be happening right now. I'm also doing some real good now, acting on the princess' behalf and that good will help keep Canada safe and if Canada is safe, then Hayate is safe and Japan is safe and you're safe too! By being the police detective over there, I can help save people and make a world a better place. One sting operation at a time, but isn't that how our police think? Isn't that how Uncle Hiroshi thought?"

Hiraga Hiroshi.

Ichika's own older brother. He had joined the JPO and rose to be a detective. During a sting, he was sold out by a crooked partner. Hiraga Hiroshi went down swinging, drawing attention. The police still made their bust and caught the man who betrayed them.

Perhaps, his spirit had inspired Ichika's youngest son. A sense of accomplishment. Something all people seeked and few found right now.

"I don't want to lose you the same way," Naru began to tear up, "We went through much after Hiroshi died. We don't want the same of you."

"I know mom," Saito instinctively took one of Louise's hands in his own, surprising the girl who suspected the topic had turned very serious, "But I need to do this. I can't just leave it. Not now. Not so easily."

"Saito," Ichika crossed his arms with a nod, "You are my second born, but I care for you as equally as I do your brother and mother. You're too important to me. But in the past, a man explored to find himself. You've managed to find yourself after doing something stupid."

"Gee, thanks dad," Saito looked like he ate a bad fruit.

"You're welcome," Ichika grinned at his son, "You still need time to sort this out. Even if you think you know, you may actually not know. Speak with your brother, continue your work, see it through if you must, and then get right home! As I said, it's very lonely now. Your mother and I have been very worried and until you return, we won't stop being worried or lonely."

"I'll see if I can't arrange for you to visit the academy or at the very least Tristain. I also promised Louise that'd we visit Japan," Saito smiled to his parents, "It's the least I can do with the money I've been paid."


Princess Henrietta took a deep breath as she and the other leaders were led into a room by their guards. As the doors opened, a magnificent brown table was in the middle of a regal looking room. She recognized the representatives of the media and began to wave with M. Trudeau. They looked eager with their cameras pointed at the table.

The three leaders were beaming as they sat down at the table. All three of them had been assigned a different table end with Henrietta in between Trudeau and Trump. The three had chosen this arrangement to clarify how things were meant to be. Tristain was equal to America and Canada in all things, a respected partner, not a puppet state to North American interests. Something that pleased Henrietta greatly, having dealt with Albert III's rather belittling attitude towards her.

In the middle, a single paper laid on the rich wooden surface.

The paper, written in both French and English, spoke of the intention of the signatories to increase cooperation and the relationship between their nations. It didn't spell out anything specific and it wasn't legally binding, of course- that would require conventions by the legislatures of both countries. But it showed commitment in a way better than words.

Plus, for Henrietta's benefit, it was physical proof she could show her people that they had a chance of having strong allies as well as putting her on the throne. Earlier, during the round of talks, Trudeau had announced that Canada would send their own military experts alongside the Americans to investigate how they could aid Tristain, if the situation ever become fortunate enough for that to occur.

Henrietta might not have gotten an alliance out of these talks, but, as far as she knew, she'd gotten the possibility of one. which was better than nothing and gave much needed hope. She was the first to sign the paper. Trudeau was second, as Canada would be the most important party in connecting their worlds, and lastly Trump, as the United States was Canada's closest and greatest ally. The cameras flashed rapidly throughout all three signings.

"With the signing of the Ottawa Declaration, our nations engage themselves to cooperate and further diplomatic relationships in the hopes of bringing peace and prosperity to our people," Trudeau declared proudly before giving Trump his place in the spotlight.

"This declaration will be remembered in history as one of the greatest ones ever done," the POTUS waved his hands dramatically, "Nothing we've done so far can compare to this and nothing will ever be as world changing as this declaration! Humanity will never be the same after this!"

Henrietta cleared her throat as it was her turn.

"I look forward to strengthening our relationship between our two worlds to the benefits of our respective lands. I am blessed and honored to be standing as an equal with such great nations and leaders. Such an agreement will only lead to peace and prosperity."


"Looks like shit's getting real," Lieutenant Huynh whistled as he watched the whole scene on television, "Think Trudeau'll dress like them if visits the place?"

"Probably! Greatest Canadian actor ever!" another officer chuckled.

"I think I saw a picture of him in a musketeer suit once!"

His unit had been rotated out of guarding the Montreal gate. They were back in their armoury in Laval, but still on a degree of readiness. Everyone had their gear on while the ammo stores had been filled out.

"At least we won't be dealing with random monsters or armies rushing out of that fucking thing," one of his fellow officers remarked, "That's fucking good news."

"Indeed, we can sleep a little better now."

"I'd think they'd still want us to guard that gate though," Huynh remarked dryly as he checked his phone, much to the annoyance of his comrades, "At least we'll get better pay for that."

"So what are you guys gonna do with the extra money eh?" he asked, stirring up conversation.

"Maybe pay me and my girl a nice trip to Europe this summer."

"Good luck with what's happening!"

"Gonna pay off that new TV," another said, "What about you Kinh?"

"New gaming PC probably, gonna ask my buddy to choose the parts and build it once things quiet down a bit. Been meaning to get a new game."

Huynh suddenly burst out in laughter as he looked at his cellphone.

"Fucking SJW Hippies!" His fellow officers looked at him quizzingly, so he explained, "Remember that I went to UQÀM right? And that I did my master's there right?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you're not some pink haired faggot that's always yelling about oppression and rape!"

"Wasn't that bad but the place has it's reputation for a reason. Still have some FB contacts from the wackier crowd that went there," he explained, chuckling, "To give you an idea, some of them are already fucking triggered tabarnak. Claiming that we'll be bringing colonialism, imperialism and oppression to an innocent people."

He laughed a bit.

"Crisse, they're already organising protests against 'Canadian Imperialism'. Fucking shitheads"

"Hippies… go get a fucking job losers!"

"Jobs are oppressive man!"

That filled the armory with laughter.


Throughout the US and Canada, opportunists were watching and considering their next moves. People of religion, people of business, people of politics, even just plain curious people wanted to be a part of the new interactions. There were meetings in Churches, politicians' offices, company boardrooms, studios, even over family dinner tables about what they wanted to do.

Research institutes were already thinking of the massive potentials for them. Their heads were already starting to prepare new demands for funding to back their projects while their researchers were already salivating at the discoveries lay beyond the portal. The unicorns had already captured many biologists' attention.

Reactions outside North America varied. Most countries, particularly in Europe, were reacting with intrigue and anticipation. Others were more agitated at the news, angry at what they saw as growing Western influence in another world. The location of the portal made it impossible for anyone unfriendly to NATO and her allies to gain influence with Tristain and Princess Henrietta, or the rest of the world beyond that Kingdom. Many were already preparing to negotiate with Canada and the US for talks with Henrietta. Some were too embroiled in internal issues to care, and some outright didn't care at all since they still believed it was a sham.

Every major nation had already began to instruct their UN representative about what to do next...

A young man in his early twenties was looking at the TV screen and turned it off. He had stayed late at the lab, working with the rest of his team on their latest research. Heading back to his room, the dark haired man jumped into his bed. Before closing his blue eyes, he took a quick look at a small picture frame on his bedside table.

Two young boys, one slightly taller than the other, were beaming as the tall one had two fingers raised behind the shorter one's head.

"Saito, where in the world did you end up?" he muttered before closing his eyes. The doorbell suddenly rang. He groaned as he rolled out of bed, grabbed his glasses and made his way to his apartment door. He regretted not changing into clean clothes as he opened the door.

"Hello, how can I-"

He saw a man dressed in a black suit with sunglasses.

"Hello, are you Hiraga Hayate?"

Hayate's eyes widened in surprise at the man's brusqueness.

"Yes. Why?"

"Please come with me sir."

"Uh… Can I change real quick?"

"Yes sir."

"Thanks."


The map was huge, easily covering the entire table. Henrietta was sure she'd have to walk around the table just to see it all. Louise was looking in awe as well.

"This, your Majesty, is a map of Earth- our world." Trudeau told her. She took in the map and intricacies that wouldn't be found on one from her world. It looked so big! Oceans, seas, different landmasses. Hundreds of islands large and small. What seemed to be hundreds of countries marked by borders. In Halkegenia, the land beyond the four Kingdoms and the Holy City wasn't that well known. They knew where Nephtys and the Sahara was but that was about it. Anything beyond that was shrouded in legends. But these people, they'd mapped an entire world! With astounding detail.

Some of these countries were massive. One of them stretched almost an entire continent!

"What nation is that?" she asked, "Ru-ssia. It must be a powerful nation with all that territory."

"One of the stronger countries in our world. Not stronger than us, obviously, but very powerful," Trump explained. "We've had a long history with them. We used to be allies, and then we were enemies, then allies again, and now we can't be too sure about them half the time."

"It's not exactly wealthy however," Trudeau explained, "Most of their land is frozen wasteland that is uninhabitable at best and the only major ports tend to have freezing conditions in winter strong enough to shut them down."

He pointed to Siberia which encompassed most of Eastern Russia.

"The Siberian tundra is a harsh landscape that few live in. It's actually harsher than Canada in certain areas," he continued.

Then, continuing on as the Canadian Prime Minister indicated the map at large.

"There are seven continents in our world. Europe and Asia here," Trudeau indicated a the largest landmass to the Tristainans, "which make up most of our world. Africa is the land to the south right here," Trudeau tapped the continent, "And over here-" He moved over to the other side of the map, which crossed. "Is the Americas, where the United States and Canada are."

Henrietta looked at the land he pointed to. Two lands, joined by a small strip of land between them, bordered on both sides by great oceans. She noticed two familiar names near the top of the map.

"These are your countries?" She pointed to two distinctly colored parts of the map. Both nations stretched across the entire landmass much to her surprise.

'They must've have ports on both seas,' Henrietta thought, realizing that their positioning would make them powerful in terms of trade going either East or West by sea. She did note that Canada actually seemed to be the larger of the two, surprisingly so, 'Well, M. Saito had said most of their land was useless and unlivable.'

"Exactly your Highness, we are currently in Ottawa right now," Trudeau stated, pointing to the star marking the Canadian capital before moving his hand to a large dot, "Here is Montreal, the city where the portal is."

It looked like a fair distance. A key at the bottom of the map helpfully provided a means to measure distance. Out of curiosity, Henrietta did so.

"How far is 200km exactly?" she asked curiously.

"I'm not sure how I can answer that but I think it should be 2 days of walking," Trudeau stated, "Though most people have to travel from Montreal to Ottawa in about 2 or 3 hours if the roads aren't too busy." Henrietta kept that in mind as she compared that distance to the rest of the map. It would take days to walk across either country, maybe even weeks.

"If I recall right," Saito suddenly interjected, "Terry Fox tried to run across Canada to raise money to help against cancer."

"Exactly, he started here in St-John's," Trudeau replied as he pointed two locations on the map, "He made it to Thunder Bay, here, four months later where his health failed him and forced him to stop. His exploits had brought hope to many people in his time."

It impressed the girls to hear about such a man.

"What about your capital M. Trump?" Henrietta asked, steering the topic back on track, "Though I wish to hear more about this Terry Fox later M. Trudeau."

The Canadian Prime Minister nodded.

"Well," the POTUS began as he stepped over and tapped the map, "Washington D.C. is right here. Greatest capital city in the world."

Henrietta nodded in understanding and wondered how majestic it must be if it was the capital of the wealthiest nation of a world. She imagined great palaces, stone monuments and massive golden statues lining the streets.

Behind the party, Agnes was surveying the map too. Immediately, she could tell this was a world no power, human or elven, could hope to conquer. It's size was simply too big. That the people in this world could impose order and law over such a large swath of territory was staggering. No army from their world could possibly have the means for it. If for whatever reason there was war with this world, there would be no counter-attacking; it'd have to be purely defensive and given the sheer scale of potential trade and resources, not a very long lasting one either or worthwhile one.

Henrietta drifted back to the other side of the map where most of their world was located. And then something caught her eye- Halkegenia, or what she mistook as Halkegenia at first. The shape was very similar, down to having an island off its coast. One of the countries there even had a name hauntily similar to Germania.

"Excuse me, but what is this place?" She asked the two men.

"Your Highness! It looks almost like Halkeginia," Louise exclaimed much to the surprise of both Trump and Trudeau, "Look over here. That's where Tristain is!"

"That's Western Europe where many of our allies are. A very important place in our history and today," Trudeau explained, "Many people from that land crossed the seas and settled here. Both our countries actually used to be part of a Kingdom that ruled from Western Europe."

Trudeau pointed the island nation.

"That is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I believe you've heard of their royalty before."

Henrietta nodded in agreement.

"It is a strange coincidence, but Halkeginia is quite similar to that continent." She pointed to two nations in particular.

"These nations, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Netherlands, are where Tristain is in Halkeginia. Even the capital of Belgium is where Tristainia is."

"What about the other nations that you mentioned your Highness? Gallia, Albion, Germania and Romalia?" Trump asked.

The princess pointed to various places on the map.

"Well, Gallia is approximately where France, Spain, and Portugal with some these nations as well," Henrietta tapped the neighbors to France, "are while Germania would cover Germany, Poland, and parts of these countries that border them. Albion is exactly where the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is," she explained, "Romalia corresponds roughly to where the city of Rome is."

"Strange coincidence," Trudeau noted, "Rome is where the Holy See, the Vatican is. That is where Pope Francis of the Catholic Religion leads his faith from."

This confirmed what both men and their intelligence services had suspected. That Halkeginia was a magical version of Old Europe. It shocked Henrietta to hear that this world had a papacy.

"Does Pope Francis hold great sway in your courts?" she asked. Both Trudeau and Trump shook their heads.

"Pope Francis is a very symbolic leader," Trump explained, "While there are many people who follow his religion, he doesn't have much to say about how countries should be run."

This was unheard for the Tristainians. A pope with such little political clout? Pope Vittorio, by contrast, had much more power and many feared his authority and agents. His priests and spies were in every Halkeginian court.

"Say Saito, where's Japan?" Louise asked suddenly, "Is it a big nation?"

"Over here." Saito moved to the part called Asia. "These islands right here are Japan." Both girls looked where he was pointing. The first thing they noticed was how absolutely tiny it was compared to the US and Canada. Actually, how tiny it was compared to most countries on their world.

"But if the nation of Japan is that small… why did it wage war against the United States?!" Louise asked in shock, "The United States would just crush you."

"Uh...Well…" Saito wasn't sure how to defend his country's thought process. He learnt in school that his country had basically attacked the Americans and that it got nuked twice for its troubles. After having their army and navy crushed mercilessly in years of battle.

"They then thought they could beat us before we were ready to fight. They were wrong."

If getting called out by his girlfriend was embarrassing, now Saito had his people being called out by the President of the United States. Trump's tone of voice was almost feral.

"What do you mean?"

Trump cleared his throat.

"It was during a time called World War II." The name sounded ominous enough for the Tristainians, "It was a long brutal war fought by nations on almost every continent of our world. Japan and its allies tried to conquer the world while America and other allied nations such as Canada fought to defend the world."

That was rather clear as an explanation.

"Japan was conquering Asia for two years when it decided to attack the United States' territories in the Pacific Ocean," he pointed to a small chain of islands called Hawaii, "This is Hawaii, home to Pearl Harbor, our great naval base in the Pacific and where the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy has its main headquarters and anchorage. The Japanese launched a surprise attack without declaring war on us. They destroyed many of our ships, planes, and killed many of our brave servicemen that day thinking that a nation of merchants wouldn't be able stomach something like that. After that, they attacked other nations and powers all around them, conquered many areas, with the islands in the Pacific being turned into fortresses to protect them from our revenge."

The Tristainians were enamored with the story, not noticing the Canadians weren't as interested. It didn't surprise Henrietta to hear Trump refer to his country as a nation of merchants. There was irony in his tone however.

"Unfortunately for them, Americans don't cower in fear when attacked by dirty cowards," he boasted proudly, "We bite back… hard."

There was some of that American bloodlust in his tone that intimidated Henrietta slightly. It sounded that the Americans hadn't taken the attack too well.

"What happened next?" Louise asked, not noticing the rather nervous Saito.

"My lady, American industry built more weapons than anyone ever could, which is how we became known as the Arsenal of Democracy, while our soldiers became the finest ones on Earth. We rebuilt our ships, made even more and then destroyed Japan's entire navy-"

"Literally no less," Trudeau remarked idly.

"-during the war while our boys dug them out from every rathole on every island they were on." Trump bragged proudly, "Even the craziest, blood thirstiest Japanese soldier couldn't stand against Uncle Sam's finest boys!"

"I remember M. Saito telling me something about a weapon that destroyed two entire Japanese cities and forced his nation into surrendering. Is this true?" Henrietta asked.

"The atomic bomb is very real your Highness! The Japanese refused to surrender even while we were bombing their cities into ruins on a daily basis. We even razed their capital city in one night and they still didn't budge."

Louise looked at Saito in shock. Henrietta and Agnes couldn't even begin to imagine how horrifying it was. To see how Trump described the whole thing so casually… was disturbing.

"But why did your people fight so hard?"

Somewhere far from the room, one of the intel people monitoring things remotely remarked to another. "You think they're scared shitless of us yet?"

"Nah," the other guy responded, "Give it a few moments. I think he's about to sell it."

Saito stammered and couldn't find his answer.

"It's very simple my lady," Trudeau explained, "At that time, the people of Japan believed that they had to fight because their Emperor had ordered so."

"B-but even my parents would refuse to fight on if it would bring more suffering for our people even if the crown or the pope asked us."

He shook his head.

"For the Japanese people, their Emperor was viewed as a living God amongst mortal men even if he was as mortal as them. Would you disobey your god?"

Louise couldn't answer. Even Agnes could understand why they refused to surrender.

"Since Japan refused to surrender, the Americans used the Atomic bomb," Trudeau continued, "It was enough to make the Japanese Emperor surrender unconditionally."

"B-but how?"

"The atomic bombs razed two entire cities in an instant," Trump answered, "Scared the Emperor into surrendering to us."

If the Americans could make a man who viewed himself as a god to surrender… they weren't people to trifle with. Henrietta looked slightly pale. Both men didn't appear to lie.

"What did you do with Japan afterwards?" she asked, fearing the answer and hoping that Saito told the truth. She couldn't imagine a nation being rebuilt so quickly after such a brutal defeat.

"We helped them rebuild after the war," Trump explained tapping the map, "Turned them into an economic and trusted ally."

"Japan is one of the wealthiest nations on Earth right now and are known for their good craftsmanship today," Trudeau added, "They also rejected war as well and maintain the purely defensive Japanese Self-Defense Force today for national defense."

Henrietta and Louise could understand why. Being that brutally defeated wasn't something that would encourage anyone to start a war. Prosperity also helped.

"I see," she finally replied, "I look forward to meeting your allies as well thought it will be at another time if I understand correctly."

"Exactly," Trudeau replied, "I believe it is time for us to begin our visits of some of our museums as scheduled earlier."


The Tristanians had an enlightening afternoon after visiting the Canadian Museum of History with Trudeau. Trump had set of another tasks to attend to and left for the American embassy. They were amazed at the size of the museum. According to M. Trudeau, the exhibits spanned 20,000 years of history though he brought them to the section covering the last 200 years instead. It was impressive for them to see. Canada, the United States, and by extension, Earth had evolved so rapidly in such a small lapse of time. Humanity on Earth had done things that were impossible for Halkeginians… without magic. It surprised them to see a portrait of M. Trudeau's father at the museum whose enigmatic face and rose intrigued Henrietta along with his important role in Canada's recent history. Trudeau also explained the tale of Terry Fox and his efforts as he had promised earlier. The tale moved the Tristainians greatly, with Agnes proclaiming that Terry Fox embodied noble virtues while Louise and Henrietta had tears in their eyes.

Afterwards, they had visited the Canadian War Museum. It was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. The weapons there were intimidating even if most of them were obsolete… despite being built not even a century ago.

Saito was like a child on Christmas morning when they entered the Lebreton Gallery. Tanks and other fighting vehicles were exposed there as well as artillery pieces that looked deadlier than the mightiest Albionese cannon. The vehicles and weapons were unlike anything they had seen in Tristain.

War in the 20th Century had become a brutal affair with weapons that the Tristainians could seldom comprehend. The mud-filled trenches of Western Europe, the bloody waters of Juno Beach and the frozen mountain passes of Korea were places that were depicted in the museum's exhibits hammered this into their heads. None of the battles in Halkeginia's history could compare to Earth's last century in their scale and ferocity.

Chemistry, Earth's alchemy, had created deadly poison gas, something that existed in Tristain… but enough to cover entire battlefields was something unheard of. Firearms had made even the finest plate armour irrelevant. Cavalrymen no longer rode horses but metal monsters called tanks that rampaged across battlefields. Agnes respected the courage of the soldiers that fought without any real protection against these terrifying weapons and how they overcame the trials of battle. Especially when she read about no-man's land.

They saw how Canada honoured its fallen soldiers, regardless of their social status. There was mentions of a monument dedicated to the soldiers who died in one of Canada's greatest battles and replicas of it. All were equal if they had died honorably in service to their country. Even the prime minister had an ancestor who died fighting and was honored like any other man despite his high birth.

They also ran into a group of Canadian Forces recruits led by their instructors, their wool berets and dark green uniforms catching the Tristainians' eyes. Agnes quickly noticed how every uniform was identical despite being worn by common soldiers and how women were a regular presence in their ranks with some leading the group. She wondered what kind of leaders could afford such uniforms with complex patterns for common soldiers and how visiting a museum was part of training. Their discipline was also impressive when they were ordered to salute their Prime Minister and the Tristainians. Henrietta was impressed as well but suddenly realized that Canada was the weaker military power in regards to the United States… What did the American armies look like if the Canadians were that well equipped?


"I hope you have enjoyed our day today," Trudeau said warmly as they arrived at Rideau Hall, "And that you've learnt much about Earth."

The mismatched group disembarked from the limousine and into the cold night.

"Yes, thank you M. Trudeau," Henrietta replied, "I look forward to the day when you and M. Trump will visit Tristain."

Trudeau nodded in agreement, understanding the PR coup that such a visit would do for him and his government. At the same time, it would help convince Canada and the US that the Tristainians were worth their time.

"I'm afraid that I have other tasks to attend to but I wish you all to have a good evening," he said as he embarked into the limousine, "M. Hiraga?"

"Yes?"

"I've got a bit of a surprise for you waiting inside," the prime minister said with a smile, "Good evening now eh."

"Euh thank you sir! Good evening."

With that, Trudeau closed the door and the limousine headed off while the group was led back into Rideau Hall's luxurious interior. Trudeau's words' were perplexing and Saito wondered what was waiting for him. It couldn't be his parents, the flight from Japan was far too long for them to make so quickly. So what was it?

As he opened the door to his suite, with Louise and Henrietta as well as the rest of the Musketeers following him, he recognized a familiar silhouette.

"Onii-chan!? What are you doing here?"

Taller, neat black hair and the same blue eyes behind glasses, though they appeared as tired and weary as his mother's. The two brothers ran up to each other and hugged.

"I can't believe you're alive, you fool!" Hayate exclaimed as he ruffled his little brother's hair.

"And I never thought I'd see you again Hayate!"

"Me too little brother, me too," he said as they separated before smacking his brother behind the head.

"Ow!"

"That was for stepping in some weird portal you idiot," his brother chuckled half-heartedly while Saito glared at him, "Dad raised you better than that!"

"How did you-"

"The Canadian agents explained everything to me."

Saito groaned internally. Some of it was just too embarrassing.

"Well, aren't you introduce gonna me to your girlfriend and friends?" he asked, pointing Louise who looked at him curiously, "Does she speak Japanese?"

Saito shook his head.

"But she can understand French and English."

"Oh very well then," he said before changing, "Good thing I can speak English."

"Yeah, I think Louise's magic gave me better English."

"I see, but we haven't been introduced properly," he said, lightly scolding Saito.

"R-right, so Hayate, this is Lady Louise-Françoise Leblanc de La Vallière! She's my girlfriend that I met in Halkeginia. Louise, this is my old brother, Hiraga Hayate."

"I am pleased to meet you Hiriga Hayate," she curtsied before the older sibling.

"The pleasure is mine milady."

Hayate took a glance at Louise before turning back to Saito with an evil grin on his face.

"Since when did you become a lolicon?" he chuckled much to the embarrassment of his little brother.

"Saito? What's a lolicon?" she innocently asked, causing her boyfriend to become even redder. Before he could say anything, his brother answered again.

"A lolicon is a man who likes lolis," he said cheekily.

"What's a loli then?"

Saito suddenly got himself together as his brother started answering.

"Well a loli is a-"

"Oh no! You're not hearing that!"

He covered a confused Louise's ears with his hands just in time. Saito knew exactly where his older brother was taking this discussion. The older Hiraga hadn't seen Louise's infamous temper… yet.

"Gotcha little bro!" he laughed as he saw Saito remove his hands from Louise's ears.

"What was he about to say?"

"Something really per-"

"A loli's a woman who looks a lot younger than her age. Like flat chested ones-OW!"

The familiar sound of a slap resounded inside the room as Hayate was knocked off his feet from Louise's slap. The pinkette was redder than a tomato and was staring down the older Hiraga.

"SHUT UP YOU MANGY DOG!"

"Louise no!"

"H-how dare he?!" she shrieked with angry tears in her eyes.

"Ow, you got a feisty one there," Hayate said as he gingerly rubbed his cheek, "Must make for interesting nights."

They could hear some snickering from the back of the group while Louise's death glare intensified.

"Hayate!"

"I guess that being perverted runs in your family," the pink haired mage commented dryly.

"Louise!" Saito groaned, "I'm not that bad right?"

"Dog."

Seeing the futility of going on, Saito simply sighed while his brother stood up.

"So how did mom and dad take this whole thing?"

There was another sigh.

"Mom was… mom," the younger brother explained tiredly.

"So lots of shouting and mood swings? Any embarrassing questions?"

Saito and Louise reddened which gave Hayate the answer he needed.

"Ah wonderful. Dad?"

"Worried and tried to make a bad joke to calm down mom."

Hayate chuckled as he sat down on a chair, gesturing the group to follow him.

"Sounds like them alright. So who are your other friends?"

Saito nodded but Louise took the initiative.

"This is her Highness, Princess Henrietta de Tristain, heiress to the Blessed Water Throne," she said grandly before pointing to a woman in green clothes and armours, "This is Chevalier Agnes de Milan, leader of her her Highness's Musketeer Corps!"

"Pleased to meet you both," Hayate answered back before gesturing to a table, "I haven't had supper yet since I waited for you guys to show up."

"The pleasure is ours M. Hayate," Henrietta said warmly as they walked to a table, Hayate leading the group, "I must admit that I didn't expect to meet M. Saito's older brother."

"And I certainly didn't expect to see my brother being friends with a lovely princess," he said, winking at Henrietta, causing the princess to blush slightly, "The world is full of surprises."

He pulled a chair and motionned for the princess while Saito did the same for Louise.

"Here, have a seat, your Highness."

"Why thank you M. Hayate," Henrietta replied, giggling slightly.

"Welcome but please don't call me M. Hayate, I'm not that old yet," he joked as he sat down, "I'm just 23."

"So Hayate, how are your studies going on?" Saito asked as he sat down.

"Very well, they keep me busy," his brother answered, while picking up the room service menu, "Ordered anything here yet? Anything good?"

Saito shook his head.

"I wanted to yesterday but euh... something happened."

Louise glared at him, redfaced in embarrassment.

"Something happened?" she turned her face to Hayate, "Your perverted brother tried to corrupt her Highness's pure and innocent eyes with debauchery!"

Hayate burst out laughing, much to Louise's annoyance. The mage growled lightly.

"What did he do?"

"He showed her a perverted TV show!"

"Wait what?"

Saito flushed red while his brother grinned at his predicament, having understood what happened.

"I just switched to the wrong channel Louise!" he whined, "Honest."

"Don't be too hard on him. He was probably lost since Canada and Japan don't use the same channels."

"Fine, I'm not going to punish him tonight, since your brother seems to take your perversions lightly," she said, changing her tone, "Maybe is it because he's as perverted as you?" she teased.

Henrietta cleared her throat.

"Excuse me but what do you study exactly Hayate?"

The man smiled.

"I'm studying to become a doctor. I guess I can say I'm kind of like a healer."

Henrietta was intrigued. Water Mages, while able to fight with the aid of water, were typically healers, their magic finely attuned for healing grievous injuries and illnesses. The Tristainian monarchs were renowned for their healing prowess and the princess was no exception.

"Really?" she asked, mildly surprised, "I was taught mainly healing magic."

"Healing magic huh? I have to admit that I'm curious to how that works. Perhaps if we have some free time, we can work together?" he suggested politely, "I wonder if I can get the rest of my group to join us."

"Your group?"

"Yeah, I'm studying with a group of other students led by Professor Arthur Summers. We're working on stopping a disease." Hayate answered before his stomach growled, "Sorry about that your Highness. Do you mind if we continue this after eating?"

Henrietta giggled a bit.

"It is no problem Hayate."

"Wonderful!" he clapped his hands together before picking up a menu, "Have you guys had a poutine yet? It's one of Canada's most famous foods."

Saito, Louise and Henrietta shook their heads.

"No, but we've had delicious feasts with M. Trudeau and M. Trump." Henrietta answered with a friendly tone, "Why have they not served us that meal?"

"Ah, that's because poutine is not something to be served in important meals but enjoyed casually between friends," Hayate explained, "Serving that during an official meal between leaders would be a lack of manners."

Somehow, telling her that poutine was very much a commoner's food was not something he thought was a good idea.

"Onii-chan, do you think they have teriyaki burgers here?" Saito asked hopefully, drooling at the mouth.

"Saito! Show some manners!" Louise scolded, elbowing him before turning her attention to a grinning Hayate, "He has been missing that dish a lot during his time in Tristain."

"You two remind me of mom and dad," he snickered much to both teenagers' embarrassment while he glanced at the menu, "I don't think so but I do know a few places in Montreal that do have them."

"Aww man," Saito slumped in disappointment.

"Did you feed him plenty of lemon-flavored things though?" Hayate asked Louise. The pinkette's eyebrow raised in curiosity while Saito glared at his brother in embarrassment.

"That's his favorite fruit," the elder Hiraga explained, "Can't work without them."

"Onii-chan!"

His brother merely chuckled before picking up the phone and calling up some food for the Tristainians to sample. The girls couldn't recognize the foods he called but Saito had an excited look on his face.

"I can't believe I'll be eating hamburgers again!" he exclaimed, "And pizza! And sushi"

"Wait till you taste a poutine Saito!"

"So what exactly makes those food special?" Louise asked, intrigued by her boyfriend's enthusiasm. She had attended many banquets in Tristain but had never heard of such food.

"I haven't had them in a long time! Wait until you have Coca Cola!" he exclaimed.

Henrietta was intrigued by what the brothers described.

"Excuse me but is Canada known for its gastronomy?" she asked Hayate, "Just how many types of fare are there on Earth?"

"Well, your Highness," he answered, smiling, "Each nation has its own way of cooking and Canada is known for having great food. Since people from all over our world have settled here, their culinary traditions have followed them and gave us some really nice choices for eating. Certain chefs even combine different types of cooking to create new dishes."

"Amazing! But please, call me Henrietta as we are amongst friends Hayate."

"Very well.. Henrietta," he winked again, "I hope you'll enjoy the food."

He then glanced at Saito and Louise.

"Think you guys want to watch a movie later on? I saw some good ones that'll be on tonight."

Saito grinned from side to side while Louise looked at Hayate skeptically.

"As long you don't put anything perverted on like your brother did!"

He chuckled warmly.

"Don't worry! I know what channels to avoid!"

Just then, the door to their suite opened, revealing Rideau Hall's smartly dressed butlers and maids along with platters of food. Saito recognized hamburgers, sushi and pizza as well as bottles of Coca Cola.

"Louise! You have to try this pizza," he exclaimed as he piled food on a plate.

"Wait! I don't think I can eat that much!"

"Wait till the poutine comes in," Hayate chimed in, "That's the best part!"

Another butler came in, carrying small bowls. There was a greasy smell coming from them. As he put it down, Saito and the Tristainians were looking at the contents in shock.

"What did they do to those fries?!" Saito exclaimed, slightly disgusted at the dish. It was fries covered with cheese curds and dark brown gravy. The smell was enticing but the look was off-putting.

"They took fries and made them better, little bro. That's a poutine."

Louise, meanwhile, was poking skeptically at the dish with her fork before taking a bite. Her face suddenly lit up.

"This is delicious!"

"Really?" Saito looked skeptical while Louise glared at him.

"Do you really doubt my palate?" she asked as she took another bite from the bowl, "I was taught by my tutors what proper food is."

"Maaybe."

He pushed himself to try out the poutine. As he took the bite, he could understand why his brother liked it. It had a deliciously greasy and salty taste to it. Henrietta seemed to approve as well as she dug into the meal enthusiastically.

"Hey you were right Hayate. This is really good!" Saito exclaimed as he took another bite.

"Sooo got a question for you Saito," Hayate asked with a devilish grin.

"Y-yes?" he asked nervously, not liking the look on his brother's face.

"When are you two getting married?" he chuckled, "You two remind of mom and dad!"

"..."

"I-idiot!" Louise spluttered, her face matching her hair. Henrietta giggled at the joke.

"Hayate, your humour is quite refreshing," she praised.

"I aim to please, your Highness!" he replied in mock-seriousness.

The group enjoyed their meal as they ate the various food that was presented to them. Very soon, they began to swap tales about Saito and Louise's adventures in Halkeginia as well as medical knowledge between Henrietta and Hayate. Hayate also filled in Saito on the latest manga, anime and movies that had come out the past months, much to his younger sibling's excitement. The two joked about making a movie out of his time in Tristain. Both enjoyed discussing the basics between their ways of healing as well as their education, finding much common ground. Once the meal had been finished, the group enjoyed a fantasy movie, awing the Tristainians.

Earth and Halkeginia had become one step friendlier to each other on that peaceful night in Ottawa. It was a well deserved break in Henrietta's mind after recent events. The pleasure of being amongst friends, a small moment of normalcy.

Author's endnote: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Wanted to end this chapter on a relaxing moment given how stressful everything was for the Tristainians. Father like son eh? Guess where I got the names for Saito's family?

Trivia time then, Trudeau does have a relative, Talbot Mercer Papineau, who died in 1917 and whose remains hadn't been found because artillery shells tend to be very good at making things disappear...