I know, I know, so many things happening that I can't seem to turn the time skip machine on... I'm trying though! Honest! But then something makes a noise, and I just gotta do something about it...

Chapter 52

As luck would have it, Akeno wasn't doing anything she couldn't put aside for a moment. Once Haruhime had gathered up the children, I got Akeno's Tarot out and called her name. A moment or two later, I got a reply, but then because she didn't have anything that needed her attention we switched to the Occulus they had over there.

Most of the greetings were what you'd expect. The children all said hello, Akeno and her nice smile waved back... Then all the children wanted to show off a little, and we had to remind them about fire safety. Thankfully there were no accidents, and not a single Karate Chop of Justice needed to be given.

Once that was done though, Haruhime gave my cheek a kiss and herded the children away. I made sure to keep one of my tails tangled with hers just a little longer than necessary as a signal, and after Akeno and I had a little small talk, my wife returned and sat next to me, curling up a little into my side.

"They seem so darling, and well behaved..." Akeno sighed happily, "And you've been keeping up with their magic training too! I am very proud of you Ko-san."

"I am only as good as my support." I hugged Haruhime with one arm just a tiny bit tighter, "Yasaka-sama has been helping too when we can get them to sit still long enough."

"What about you, No-san?" Haruhime asked.

The normally unflappable Akeno blushed, "Well..." She put a hand over her belly, "I don't think I'll have to try again, though it is fun to pretend I need to."

I nodded, "Remember to eat properly."

"Congratulations, No-san." Haruhime smiled as well.

"So... Remember the Cosplay Club President?" I started, "She had a request, and I feel obligated to try my best to fulfill it."

The three of us poked and prodded at 'the request'. That being to set up some way for Japan to get in contact with the Special Region while the Gate was inactive. Sure, there were a few ways we could do it, and not even break a sweat. But they were very blatantly 'magic', and would expose people. For example, Gasper could literally have walked up to the JSDF after a moment of conversation with Lelei, and fixed the problem.

But that would be too obvious for anyone's liking. (Especially Gasper, who had certainly taken great strides to reduce his crippling shyness, but was a long way off from being comfortable with that kind of exposure.)

So, since it was getting late, we put the idea on a shelf for the moment. Akeno promised to call a few people, and contact us if something came up. We then started to fill her in on all the other things that had been happening. Our trip over there, some of the problems they were (still) having, the resolution of the Gate being in the jungle, our upcoming 'mercenary' work...

But then, though it shouldn't have surprised me, Akeno noticed something.

"Your horns... they started growing again?" She asked.

I kinda left out some of the particulars of that encounter, so I nodded and clarified, "The wall around Telskyura probably had a bit of divine cheating going on. I had to dig far deeper than expected to break part of it." I lifted my hair out of the way, "They're hardly noticeable, but well..."

"I am a little disappointed she went that far." Haruhime said, poking my nose gently, "But I think she'd look quite fetching with horns like the Oni. So long as she was careful with them."

Akeno giggled while I pouted. "Well, so long as you didn't lose control." Akeno chided, "What about the little ones? How are the two of them and their children?"

Yes, even a world away, you did not call their names casually. "They are adorable, and while fearsome in appearance, they are quite well behaved, despite the stories the fathers tell." Haruhime laughed.

There was a little more 'light conversation' but after a while people (myself included) started yawning. Taking it as a sign, we said good night. I didn't go to sleep right away, instead getting a half hour (exactly one batch of potions later) of practice with the Special Region language.

And while yes, Aisha, Haruhime and I had a little fun before sleeping, I was just opening my eyes to the pre-dawn light when Akeno's voice called for me just behind my ears.

"I hope I'm not waking you?" She asked as we got the Occulus running and we both appeared to each other. "Fu-fu, I miss seeing Ko-san bed head."

It had been a while since something bad had happened to my hair, so I was doing a really good 'grumpy badger' impression with my hair. "You called just as I was thinking about rolling over or not." I assured, trying to paw my hair into some kind of order.

"Good. On the topic of yesterday, I have news." She smiled, though it was a 'thoughtful' smile with her usual five degree head tilt, "It seems they were already working on something before the gate shut down. Do you recall the professor we mentioned? Who gave Lelei-chan praise for her genius?"

"Not the name, but yes." I nodded.

"Well, he and a few other scientists were working on some kind of... Oh dear..." There was a paper ruffle, "Ah, Quantum Pair communication apparatus. Sadly, because of the total obfuscation of the Gate's 'evacuation' the project dropped from the public eye as well. The science community, for something other than war, tries not to limit itself with borders, so many of the scientists aren't actually from Japan."

I nodded, since it was one of the things I had done in Orario with the 'general manual for building stuff' that I'd put together. Not everyone would be interested in building say, a clay brick furnace for smelting metal. But anyone in the city could learn how without having to ask Hephaestus or Goibniu Familia for 'the secret'.

"And since the Gate is closed on your side anyhow, the idea wouldn't work..." I sighed.

"Ara? You already know how it works?"

"Just the really basic part of it. You have two particles that act the same, no matter how far they are. You poke one, and they both move as if they were both poked. If you speak close to one, and make it vibrate, the other will vibrate the same, so it just becomes a case of 'translating' what's happening when you aren't the one poking the particle." I motioned with a hand, "The original occulus we're using now needed to be made of the same batch of glass. And all the crystal communication beads we use in the city now too."

"But you broke this half..."

"I melted down as much of the original as I could, then copied and translated all the magic Fels put into it the first time around." I explained, then waved my hand to 'clear the air', "So how do we go from here? We could easily fix this, but it would break all of those 'non-involvement' laws the Factions have." I looked behind me at my alchemy sets, "Hm since I'm here..." And I got up and started measuring things.

"Always working hard, even before breakfast." She teased, "Though you're right. We'd love to step in, but it would risk exposure. Of course, most Devils, Angels, and Fallen who want to interact with Mortals find harmless ways to do so."

"Angels too?"

"Of course. Though they are more of the... playing chess in the park types. Small harmless single servings."

"Huh, movie idea had to come from someplace..."

"Fu-fu, yes indeed. You of course know about the Phoenix Corporation."

"Next time you see my daughter, you are to boop her snoot MOST SEVERLY." I squinted at the Occulus, "And maybe pout at the Leviathan for me, since booping her snoot would be okay, but impolite."

She giggled, a musical sound unfitting for the seriousness I was trying (and failing) to convey, "I will Ko-san."

"I wonder though..." I turned on the heating elements for the alchemy set, then sat in front of the Occulus again, "I have a little idea... And it's a really long shot."

"Long enough to cross between worlds?"

"Maybe, if we're lucky. I want you to try and track down where the things the JSDF had been mining were sent. Any gems, crystals, metals... Oh! That massive chunk of diamond!"

Akeno perked up, "I see where this is going. You want to try and connect them to each other?"

"Without actual magic on that side, it would be very crude. But with the stuff I've been teaching them, then Lelei of course running with the idea over the horizon, we might be able to amplify the signal to the point where they connect."

"Oh! A spirit radio!"

I laughed, "It would be something very close, except instead of 'the other side'..."

"It would be beyond the Gate." She nodded, doing a little hand clap, "Yes, I will put out a few more calls. Anything else to look for?"

I thought for a moment, and was about to shake my head but an idea came to me, "Try and see if any of the JSDF families got some kind of gem or crystal trinket." I said, "Again, long long long shot, but when I got something for Ha-chan, I knew the crystal setting was taken from a larger stone."

"And if you can find a stone cutter with one of those larger stones still..." She nodded, "My my, I do hope you know this counts as a Favour."

"If there is ever an opportunity, Akeno, I'll pay you back. After the mess I put Nanami in, I feel that bit of karma sitting on my shoulders still."

"There there Ko-san." She had a really good 'headpat' voice, "I understand, and I'll do my best, and won't mind if you are late paying me back."

"Thank you." I bowed my head, "In the mean time, I have to call Lelei. She's probably sleeping... or she should be. You thought I was bad? She's so much worse."

"Oh?"

"As 'mortals' get older, they start to feel like they could have done more with their life. Mid Life Crisis, is the usual term. She's like... not even eighteen I think, and she's acting like she might die of old age next week." I facepalmed, "Her Master, Cato, might actually die next week he's so old, and he acts the same when you dangle something new in front of him."

"Oh dear. Well, see what you can do. How is your planning for the little mission going?"

"We have a team and a loose idea on how to do things. But no starting point yet. Less than a week or so left before the 'exchange' is planned, so I'm hoping people come through."

"I suppose we both have work to do then. Be well, Ko-san." She waved and her hand fell over the Occulus.

To my great surprise, Lelei was indeed sleeping. My call through the Occulus (my private line to the JSDF genius mage) met with Arpeggio. The instant her face appeared, she did the universal finger over lips signal for quiet, and said, "Call at lunch."

So, I nodded, covered the Occulus, put it in my pocket, and headed to join the rest of the Manor in our daily routine.

Breakfast, training (Maki and Kaede were almost literally on fire during practise, it was great to see!), weapon maintenance, language practise (that looked similar to a play recital as we walked up and down the halls, nose in book, and talked to each other in the new language), then getting ready for lunch.

"Lelei?" I called through the Occulus, then just for the practise, I switched languages, "Are you there? Did you sleep well?"

There was a moment or two of noise as the Occulus was fished out of what ever pouch it was in, a few little swirls and sparkles of light as it was moved about, then Lelei's face came into focus, "Kodori. Good morning. You have news? Problem?"

"A friend of mine and I had an idea to maybe get a word back to Earth." I said, "Find a place to sit down?"

Her usually passive face showed a bit of interest, and she nodded and the background started moving behind her, "I'm just leaving the dorm... I will head back to the special room."

From somewhere near her, I heard Tuka, "Lelei! You missed breakfast, you can't skip lunch!"

"Tuka? Is Yao there too?" I asked.

"No, she's likely already at the mess tent, or on the training field." Lelei replied.

"Ask for Yao to bring you lunch. She might be able to help as well."

"Tuka? If you see Yao, can you have her bring lunch? Kodori needs her for something as well."

"Grrrr so long as you eat!" A pause, then Tuka's face got cheek to cheek with Lelei's, "Hello Kodori!"

"Don't worry Tuka, I won't keep her long." I waved to the cheerful elf.

We shared a very Japanese 'V' sign to each other, and she vanished from the 'screen'. A minute or two later, Lelei closed the door of the room behind her and sighed, "Ah, Arpeggio, Master Cato."

I looked around, but didn't see Bell.

"Good, that will help." I said, "Hello from Orario." I greeted the two other 'masters'. "Didn't expect you as well, Sage Cato."

"The other mages of Rondel told me to go away." He pouted, "The three of us are bringing too many new ideas from your side of the Gate, that they can't keep up. BAH! Back in my day-"

"Yes yes, up hill, both ways, in the snow and rain." Arpeggio sighed, "Must be something important if you wanted all three of us?"

"Let me explain the basic framework..." I started.

I had just finished the super-duper basics of the idea of 'resonant communication', by using two bits of the same thing to talk, when Yao came in.

"Yes, I remember the old scientist was trying to do something similar, but meeting little success." Lelei said, "It's strange, how their machines seem to take the long way around when magic would be simpler."

"What was it one of those JSDF fellows said? Science that is advanced enough is magic?" Cato mumbled, "Now that I've looked at their contraptions, it seems less magical."

"Tuka said you called for me?" Yao said, the noise of something being placed on the table, "And your lunch, Lelei." Her voice was far less gentle than the 'light elf', "You will eat it, won't you?"

"Don't worry, you can still listen in." Arpeggio said, her hand giving the mini-mage a pat, then moving the Occulus to face Cato and her more directly, "So you had an idea specific to this... 'quantum somethingsomething'?"

"Okay, now that Yao is here, oh, hey Yao! Good to see you're alive."

"The dungeon was everything you said it was." She replied, "But it was good you sent us behind the forward group."

"Okay, so, off the idea those scientists had, here's what my friend and I were thinking..."

After I was done, the Occulus went dim for a moment and turned towards Lelei. Her plate, just within view, was empty, and she had a speck of rice on her cheek. Before she could start, Arpeggio plucked it from her cheek, "Ah, thank you." Then she put her serious face on, "We will talk with everyone, and look for any of the things you mentioned."

Yao, from Lelei's other side, "I will contact my village and see if anyone used a chip from the adamant I brought here."

"I'm sure the JSDF will cooperate. But this is really a long shot, isn't it?" Arpeggio pouted, "But I'll happily go to Italica and see if the jewellers there have any larger stones they've broken bits off of." Her voice perked up, "I can even buy them if I have to!"

"Use your money sparingly." Cato warned, "It was good fortune you were given such a good deal, don't waste it."

"She may end up like you." Lelei said quietly, "Hiding in a small village to get away from petty debt collectors and using my tuition to pay them back."

"Ahem." I did my best Eina impression, "If you find anything before the mission, give me a call. Otherwise it will have to wait until after."

"Yes, Kodori." Lelei said, "We'll do our best."

That settled, I got back to 'the usual things'. Potion making, playing with the children, doing housework, studying the new language, making sure not to hide so that if anyone had a problem they could find me. It wasn't a 'hectic' day, but it was still busy.

Speaking of potions though... I got Sir Skitters into the lab. If this was a capture mission, then we'd want something to capture people with, and still have them alive later. I mean sure, we could bring in ears or heads or whatever, but Rory said Necromancy was illegal so that wouldn't help.

Even if he was the friendliest, smartest, best spider ever, it was alarming to see just how much venom he had stored in his mandibles. But, after he let himself get milked, accepted all kinds of very gentle pats on his rear, and was given the best place to watch me work (on my shoulder), I got to making a potent, but 'low effect' paralytic agent. In simple terms, 'worked fast' but wouldn't stop your heart or lungs, like a full power dose would. One drop for 'uselessly numb' two for 'passed out drunk' and three for 'see you next week'.

Secret agent stuff. This of course gave me even more ideas, and I started making more alchemical stuff for the six of us who were going across. We'd have to get, or make, a six part sound stone set (sound only Occulus) so we could all stay in communication too... Hmm...

For the next three days, nothing exceptional happened. The Guild was 'hyping' up the imminent arrival of the JSDF caravan, the JSDF caravan was well on its way to being put together, those of the Familia that went into the dungeon came back out again with heavier pockets, those who didn't worked on the 'secret agent' stuff we were about to do, and nothing in the city as a whole burned down.

"Not that I mind, Miss Kodori, but why the sudden hug?" Bell asked as he and the 'dungeon party' came back for the day.

Yes, Bell had almost 100 percent shed his crippling shyness around sudden affection from women. He never had much of that around me, aside from when I would forget/ignore the fact I was a woman, and thus should try to maintain some kind of modesty. But over all, getting hugs, headpats, nose boops or sudden hand holdings, didn't lock him in place anymore.

It still took him a half second longer than you'd think to respond, like only just now was he returning the hug. But anyhow.

"Just showing my appreciation for the Manor's good luck charm." I said, putting him back down and ruffling his hair, "How'd the new trap potions do?"

"The mini versions you made for the smoke potions work really well in a tunnel or small room. But they are too light for open areas, they blow away too fast." As he spoke, he handed me the unused thumb sized glass vials, "The sticky traps don't work on much more than goblins, but are stronger when they harden. But more brittle."

Thanks to having the best spider ever on staff, the new 'sticky trap' was almost like a small concrete bomb. It was basically liquid glue that crystallized when it dried, so that someone could break you free while it was difficult for you to do it yourself.

"These are meant for 'normal' people." I said, "I don't want someone to get stuck someplace then starve to death because they couldn't get free on their own. And the last one?"

"Oh! The 'thunderball' vials are... painful." He stuck his pinky finger in his ear and wiggled it around, "I see why you said only use it in a large space. But why is that?"

"Remember what I told you about sound?" He nodded, "Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it can't exert pressure. In a small space, the sound will bounce off the walls, and less of that pressure will escape the area. If you're in the middle of that, you'll feel it more."

"So the pressure escapes faster in a larger space." He nodded, "I remember the wave table you showed the class."

Yes, a simple 'pond ripple' simulator, with a shallow watertight pool.

"But it works well then?" I accepted a final glass vial, my alchemical imitation of a military 'flashbang'.

"Bright light, loud noise and ringing ears." He nodded, "Even from the other end of a hall."

"Good. I'll make more for our little excursion then." And the neat thing about them, is they were in half sized vials! I could make twice as many in the same amount of time, and scale them up for actual dungeon use later.

From the direction of the kitchen, Haruhime called out, "Ko-san? Ah, Bell-san. Good work today."

Haruhime didn't give him a hug, but gave his forearm a pat, then like a proper supporter started to help him out of his armour since I'd interrupted him before he could remove it himself. Since I was there, I helped, making note of any wear and tear on the non-metal bits of his equipment. "Ha-chan?" I asked, "Something up?"

"Ah yes, a short message from the JSDF Occulus, from Lelei-chan." She handed me a bit of Bell's armour for inspection, and I put it away on the mini-armoury we had near the 'mud room' (where you put all your boots and shoes before coming inside), "It wasn't urgent, so she said to call after dinner."

"She must know Taco Night is important." Bell said, "I wonder what the other world is like?"

"Well, if you want to join the 'tourists' you can go when we send the return caravan." I replied, "Speaking of, that's in two days. And ours is two days from that. Or it should be."

"Mr. Marius came at a good time, didn't he?" Bell said, "When I went by his spot in the market their shelves were almost all bare."

"Some of the spices for Taco night tonight are from Asfi's gardens." Haruhime said, "I'm not sure what to think of 'cilantro' but I'm sure Lilly-chan will use it well."

As a side note, yes, Lilly did indeed figure out where to put the slightly citrus flavoured herb, though to someone who'd had it before on Earth, it wasn't the best. However, no one complained, and thus Taco night was still a huge success.

We also used some Rakia imported Cheese. It was closer to Parmesan (strong smelling, firm almost hard texture and great tasting) than the local Gouda (soft, slightly sweet, mild flavour), but for those who loved the taste, but not the burn of Lilly's 'expert level' platter of ground meat, it was a near total failure. It lacked the 'heat reduction' effect of our usual cheese. But we had fresh cold milk for just such an emergency.

Maki, Lilly, Takemikazuchi, Finn, both Oni and I were the only ones able to handle the new cheese with the 'super hot' spice. But almost everyone at least tried a little. Yes, even the children. Though they suddenly started to run around until we could catch them and hold them still for some milk.

Oh, yes, Finn always came over for Taco night. Or he had been since Lilly and him became 'an item'. Loki occasionally attended, Ais as well (though she only ever tried the extra spicy meat once), and Gareth. Bete had once, but only because Finn beat him in a fight just so he would have to try his future wife's cooking. And the Amazon twins... Well, they'd only ever eaten any leftovers Finn brought back, and never actually told Finn how they liked it.

So while Weine was going around the table with the model 4 ice cream maker (The third most popular item in the 'small refrigeration' line of Softy powered appliances from the Odds'n'Ends workshop), Finn started the evening's dinner table conversation.

"I'm curious." It was never a good sign when Finn was curious. He was an expert at information fishing, and never started a conversation like that unless he had a good idea already and just wanted fine details.

Of course, we were all friends here, and I replied with, "Still not telling people how to make iced cream."

"Ah, I am sad." Finn laughed, as did many others at the table. "Even Lilly won't tell me."

"Lilly thinks Finn should try cooking more, maybe he'll figure it out?" Lilly said, giving Finn's shoulder a poke.

Yes, little known fact, Finn was useless in the kitchen. About the best he could do (at least, by his own admittance) was boil water, and hard boil eggs.

"I'm wondering what exactly these JSDF people will be bringing from the other side of the Gate." Finn said after swaying side to side from Lilly's poke. "Do you know exactly?"

"Part of their tour was to gather information." Aisha said, 'paying' for a little extra iced cream with a headpat for Weine.

"It won't be weapons." Ryuu said, "If anything, they might want some of ours."

"Even if their 'rifles' are so advanced?" Finn returned.

"Like a bow, they're useless without ammo." Maki said, "But you saw how their soldiers arms and armour folded up under stress."

"Would a simple sword do for them? From what you say the population on the other side of the Gate is larger than ours." Finn replied.

"They can apply a bit of Alchemy to any metals we give them. Given time, they might figure out how to repeat the process on their own." I said.

"Ah, much like finding out what is in an unknown potion." Asfi also 'payed' for a little extra iced cream with a headpat for Weine.

"What else might they want? Or bring then?"

"They've already struck a deal with the Blue Pharmacy for some of their local plants. Nazza said they were useful, and would be talking to Lady Demeter to grow some." I said, "But for 'dungeon' stuff, they'll probably bring nothing past that."

"A shame." Finn shrugged, "But expected. Watching them in the dungeon, they showed great teamwork and skill, but it was obvious they lacked the same history as us when fighting monsters."

It was true. And why our little alliance did so well against other Familia, as well as the dungeon. We trained to fight people as much as monsters. But our weapons evolved to break through hard shells or scales, and our clothes to deflect fire breath or teeth.

"But." Ryuu said with a smile, "They have a very diverse culture for entertainment. Music, art, crafts, clothing."

"And domesticated monsters." Finn looked at me, "I went to the Ganesha Zoo. The Earth Dragon was quite friendly, even to someone my size."

"wurf-urf-rrr." Spot added in his opinion, part of his nose covered in iced cream before he could lick it clean.

Delly translated, "Old mom knows people, big, small..."

"uf."

"And isn't stupid." Delly finished, helping Spot get a tiny missed spot of iced cream, "Here you go."

"That explains why they have domesticated monsters at all." Finn mused, "They aren't born hating people like most of them are in the dungeon." He paused as Weine finished her trip around the table with the iced cream maker, "Thank you Weine. Make sure to have some too."

She didn't reply, but smiled, bowed (carefully since she was still holding the iced cream maker) and went back to her seat.

"Was there anything else?" I asked, knowing there was.

"It seems they will be bringing things for the Gods and Citizens." He nodded, "But funny you should mention weapons. What of your most recent innovations? I saw your rookie team testing them in the dungeon, and the effect was... much less than you'd expect for a team of their skill and usual depth."

Ah well, so much for hiding that. But I knew, while Finn wasn't 'evil' or 'sneaky' he wasn't just coming to every Taco Night because he liked Lilly's cooking. After Bell and I had beaten Loki's ace team, him and Loki Familia were probably the biggest Familia that spied on us.

Politics... sigh...

"How to explain simply..." I sighed.

Finn put his teacup down with a firm little 'tap', "It seems the other world has problems of its own." He hmm'ed, nibbling at the end of his thumb, "How interesting."

I'd given him 'the short version' of everything that was going on. Zorzal, the hit and run tactics that his faction was using, some of the other things the 'War' faction had gotten up to before the Gate had closed between Earth and the Special Region... And of course, being the Loki Ace tactician, he asked questions.

About the only question he didn't ask, was 'how I knew all this'. He either knew already, or didn't see it as important enough to care about. So of course, he basically knew everything now.

"We've been asked very nicely not to just walk north and throw Zorzal off a cliff or something." Maki said, "They haven't been there long, but they've done their best to build a reputation with the citizens."

"They're also following orders from back home." I said, "It would be like we are now." I motioned with my arms wide, "If the Hestia, Takemikazuchi, Astraea alliance core does something bad, the entire city would come down on us. The JSDF are under similar scrutiny, and even though there are no 'eyes' on them, word would get out eventually, and their leaders would be basically put to the torch, and their access to the Special Region would be taken away, by force most likely."

"I see. I understand the need for a soft hand then." Finn nodded, "Ah, and then your little side quest. You want to talk to one of their Gods directly?"

I nodded, sighed, then shrugged, "I'm not hopeful, but if I don't try I'll never know. Thankfully, Lelei has told me what to expect, so I can at least try and prepare."

"And if they do not?" He asked, "Even here the Gods can be stubborn."

Everyone, even the three Gods at the table nodded.

"I'll work with Fels, Lelei and some people back home." I held up a hand to stall his next question, "If I did that first, it may irrevocably strand the JSDF in the special Region." Finn closed him mouth and nodded.

He then rubbed his chin, hmm'ed a moment, then smiled, "I'm interested. If you didn't mind, I'd like to take up an advisory role."

All of us going on the mission looked at the others, then nodded collectively, "Sure." I nodded, "We'll set up a study here for you to look at all the maps and such we were given."

Things in the manor, and the city overall, were quiet for the next couple days. The Guild had been doing its best to advertise for the JSDF, warming up the market as it were. Lelei hadn't contacted me. Finn had actually slept over a couple of nights (no, we didn't tease Lilly about it). And our little spy group was doing its best to plan and practise. We took helping people very seriously, and aside from occasional snack breaks, put in every effort.

And that afternoon, right on time, the JSDF caravan arrived.

I was being a giant foxxo couch for the children and Haruhime for afternoon story time, when we all felt the ripple of power under our feet. Dutifully, Haruhime put a bookmark into the book, closed it, then helped all the children to their feet. I myself, since I didn't feel like changing back, simply walked beside them as we went to the nearest Babel facing window.

Ouranos, his ancient face smiling just enough so that his eyes lit up, spoke in his best 'closet showman' voice, raising one hand up from its stone perch on his chair, "People of Orario! Our guests from the other world have arrived, and are, as I speak, setting up their stalls in the market place!"

"Ha-ma, O-ma... he seems really happy today." Kei said, hiding their face when I turned my head to flick my tongue over their nose. "Eep!"

Haruhime came to the rescue, putting a single fingertip on my nose, "He hopes, like we all do, that this trade will enrich both our worlds."

"While they are not as focused on fighting the dangers of the dungeon, they have a wide and diverse culture to share." Ouranos continued, "Books, instruments, arts, crafts, and other things unique to their world." He put his hand down, leaning forward just a tiny bit, "They will be here for two days, then return, so if you have any interest at all, feel free to satisfy your curiosity."

I thought he was done, and was just about to try and give random fox kisses to the children, when he added one more thing.

"And, for those Familia who came to the guild Directly with requests, please, see a representative, and you'll be informed about how the Other World managed to do." And with that, he waved a hand, and vanished from the huge screens surrounding Babel.

"Oh? Was that something we could do?" Haruhime asked, "Asking for specific things?"

I had to stop doing circles in an effort to catch one of the children while they held my tails and ran around me to avoid getting kissed. This of course caused a bunch of little collisions, but my tails also acted as crash cushions. I nodded to Haruhime, let the children untangle themselves, then shed my fox 'skin' for the shape of Kodori, "There was no guarantee, but I thought we might expand our library a little with more stories."

"Oh? More things to read at story time?" She smiled, "Let's hope then. Shall we all go to the market and see?"

"Yay!" Of course the vote was unopposed by the children.

The JSDF, as well as the 'local Alnus Militia', some of Pina Co Lada's Rose knights, and even a handful of mages from Rondel showed up. I was honestly surprised at just how much stuff they'd brought.

No, really, very serious here. I knew they'd make an effort. But the Caravan from Another World took over nearly the ENTIRE market lane. Aside from the 'bulk sellers' (who sold things not easily packed up for a day) and the 'perishable' sellers (produce, meat, other time sensitive consumables), the Guild had cleared the entire market for our Guests. Being cooped up at home studying and preparing for the mission, I hadn't noticed the scope of what was going on.

Not that I minded! This was great! Almost exactly what I envisioned happening. Or rather, exactly my vision except on a larger scale.

Sugawara was taking like... all the notes when he visited, and the JSDF had the 'political pull' with the nobles in the Special Region to make it happen.

And of course, being 'new and different', the entire city had come out to see what was for sale. It made foot traffic close to 'oversold anime convention' levels of difficult, but the Guild was there to direct traffic and Ganesha Familia was there to keep people in line.

So while Haruhime, myself, the children and whomever else from the Manor wanted to come along, went through the stalls, I took note of the stuff they brought.

Foods, that was one. Exotic looking fruit, plain looking vegetables, weird herbs, it was all there, looking pretty fresh and smelling good.

Books. Yup, my modest little order was there, as well as a few other books that the scholars at Rondel had brought with them. I doubted they held any real 'scientific' value, but I was still hopelessly curious.

Art. Yeaaaaahhhh we had to cover the children's eyes for some of the statues. But their painting and tapestries (some showing signs of recent washing, marking them as 'leftovers' from various castles) were really top grade.

Textiles. It wasn't battle cloth, or fine silk, but they had a local equivalent of cotton that was pretty nice, and 'flax' based cloth that was something close to canvas that they used to paint on.

Instruments. Yup, Ihy was there already, and just having the Egyptian (?) god of music there, testing the various instruments had gotten all kinds of attention. Maki split off from the group here to jam with Him.

Trinkets and jewellery. Expected of course, but some of this stuff was influenced by the Special Region's style, and while not powered by Divine Skill like some of the adventurers, it was unique and interesting.

Then there were the surprises. Animals. Yup. They were put at the very VERY end (mostly for smell and how large some of them were), but livestock were on the list. I wondered, then figured the answer was obvious, if Demeter had asked for a special order of them 'off the market' for some of these. Horses were on the list too. Pina and her knights had brought some older 'Stud' horses. No longer really fit for combat, they were still heavy warhorses, and while I was only good at making friends with them, they looked every bit as capable as our own terminally bored city horses. Seems she was paying attention when I said Orario had horses too.

And, at the very very end of the 'foods' lane, they had a Maid Cafe.

Yup. Almost right out of a high school festival event, there was an open air cafe, with Special Region styled 'fast food' and coffee.

Of course my family and I sat down at a table, under the shade of a collapsible gazebo. And who, might you ask was actually working here?

Silly question of course. Not only was Giselle here, in her nice 'fit for a dragon' barmaid uniform, the 'secret service maid squad' was here too. Led by 'Grandma' Kaine, it seemed they were all here. Or most of them. This meant, that aside from the obviously exotic half-dragon Apostle, most of the other races were here too. Cat girl (Persia was in fine form), Mamina the orange/blond haired Warrior Bunny, a harpy who's name I never got, Mohmu (adorable black haired human), and to my surprise, Aurea, the red/pink 'haired' medusa!

She even served our table, approaching with a smile, two menus, and a metal canister with what looked like bread sticks in it. She greeted us in a clean Eastern, "Welcome to our little cafe!" She made me think a little of Lilly, with that sing-song voice and easy manner, "My name is Aurea, and I will be serving your table today."

The children all greeted her politely, with a polite, "Hello Miss Aurea-san!"

"Oh, you are all quite adorable." She smiled happily, "You must be proud of them!"

Haruhime and I both nodded, accepting the menus. I of course gave as many headpats as I could to whomever was in reach for being adorable.

"Miss Aurea-san? Why is your hair moving?" Chie asked, reaching up as if to pat the medusa's head.

"Oh, be careful." The maid stepped back a tiny bit, raising a hand to pat her head before the snakes could get too curious about the little hand, "My 'hair' is made of snakes. Be careful, they like to nibble little fingers."

"I think it's cause they're hungry." Chie said after a moment, giving up on her attempt to boop all the snoots on the medusa's head.

This of course got a giggle from our hostess, but also a few tummy grumbles from the children. "Well, if you'd like to order, we can solve that?" She said happily, "We've been expecting you after all. Please help yourself to the bread sticks while you wait as well."

Being closest, I spotted the corner of a small bit of paper under the bread stick canister as I started to hand out the crunchy appetizers to the children. Expected indeed. I'd used the exact same trick before as well, sneaking a note under a teacup. "We'll try the sweet tea, and the muffins."

"Yay muffins!"

NOTES!

Well then. For absolute sure, the next chapter starts the mission to the other side. I'm hoping to give more than just Kodori a little time in the spotlight as well, just because it will be a split mission.

Anyhow. Five days, unless I can't write.

Daeore on Ko-fi (more art soon! I hope? Should poke artists...)

Daeore on Inkitt (for that book I hope people read, Were Too?)

And now on Discord, aKAQg4bnYu

And Azur lane, Kodori (Washington server) 268452286 for my guild there. :) Or even if you're in a guild, be my friend. My friend list is very sad...