This chapter has not been beta-read. You have been warned, enjoy if you can!


Evening, northwestern quadrant of Atlas City…

Mami watched the increasingly long queue of people waiting outside the restaurant with a dull boredom. She had reserved a table so she technically didn't need to wait in line, but she was stuck waiting anyway since her dates were nowhere to be found. After she put all that effort in picking a time that aligned with all of their schedules, they chose today to be late? They certainly had some nerve—especially Homura, what with that time semblance of hers.

Homura…

She frowned as her thoughts were pulled towards the topic she'd been contemplating for most of the day: her most recent mission assignment, which she still wasn't sure what to do about.

Her skillset was primarily focused on anti-personnel combat—both lethal and non-lethal—supplemented by a number of tangentially related skills. Intelligence gathering was one such skill, which she considered herself fairly good at. Unfortunately, she knew she wasn't quite at the level of covertly extracting information from someone as tight-lipped as Homura.

Still, orders were orders. Whether she was capable of doing it was not a question to be entertained. She'd just have to figure something out.

But what even were her options?

A simple interrogation was obviously unacceptable. Homura was not allowed to know what they suspected her of.

Observation from afar was a waste as well. Atlas' own surveillance systems already kept a round-the-clock watch on all high-profile individuals. The amount of time Mami could spend personally watching Homura could hardly compare—not to mention how Homura would almost certainly be able to sense Mami's aura signature if she was anywhere nearby.

Maybe Mami could take the same route that Kyouko had taken and start dating her? Of the many ways to learn someone's secrets, romancing them was hardly the most outlandish. Not the most effective either, admittedly, but it was an option that sounded intriguing, if nothing else.

"Oi, Mami!"

At the sound of her name, Mami snapped back to reality and turned to the sound. A group of familiar faces approached, though there were two in their retinue that she didn't recognize.

"Running late tonight, are we?" she remarked once they were within earshot. She glanced at the green-haired woman next to Kyouko and the white-haired little girl between Homura and Sayaka. "And I didn't realize we were allowed to bring guests."

Kyouko scratched her cheek, sharing a meaningful look with Homura before muttering, "If it's any consolation, we're willing to pay for them?"

Mami crossed her arms and shifted her weight, allowing the group to better see how large the crowd behind her had gotten. "You'll need to convince this establishment to allow them entry and seating, then. As you can see, their other customers already seem quite impatient and displeased. In the meantime, I'll be inside." With a wave, she entered the restaurant and made for the self-serve food tables.

By the time she arrived at her reserved table with a plateful of meat and vegetables, Homura, Sayaka, and the white-haired child had gained admission. Kyouko and the green-haired woman were still caught in a heated debate with the man at the front desk.

"I don't believe we've been introduced," Mami said with a small smile as Homura helped the little girl take her seat.

"You're Mami, right?" the girl asked once she was comfortable on the chair. "I'm Nagisa!"

A flicker of recognition passed through Mami's mind upon hearing the girl's name. With further contemplation, she recalled a patient that Sayaka had mentioned during her brief stint working at the Hospital Ward whose description resembled the girl sitting before Mami now.

So, this was Nagisa Momoe? She certainly didn't seem like she was dying. Maybe her terminal illness wasn't as terminal as they'd thought? Or perhaps they'd simply found a cure? Regardless, she looked remarkably healthy and energetic for someone who'd once been confined to a hospital bed.

"How much have you recovered, Nagisa?" Mami asked in the carefully polite and cheerful tone that adults used to address children.

The girl puffed up her chest proudly. "Nagisa is one-hundred-percent healthy!"

Sayaka chuckled. "Yep. She's basically as good as new. It's a miracle, really."

Mami chose not to comment on the glance that Sayaka had shot Homura as she said this.

"I'm gonna get food for us. Look after her for a bit, 'kay?"

As the blue fencer walked away, Mami watched as Nagisa tugged at Homura's sleeve and whispered into her ear. Afterwards, the Valean reached for the pitcher on the table.

"Allow me." Several ribbons darted out of Mami's sleeve which she used to snatch the pitcher and fill six glasses with water. She slid two towards Homura and the child and dragged another to herself before reeling her ribbons back into their spools.

"Thank you," Homura muttered before giving Nagisa an encouraging nod. The girl nodded back and began to drink.

There was something strange about how delicately Homura regarded Nagisa. The Valean had always struck Mami as careful and restrained, applying the same graceful precision of her fighting style to more mundane actions such as eating or speaking. With Nagisa, however, the caution she displayed was less the discipline of an expert marksman, handling a firearm that they were intimately familiar with, and more the fear of an amateur holding a loaded gun for the first time.

Mami's first assumption was that Homura was simply ill-equipped to deal with children—it would certainly explain the constant tension and steady smile she maintained. Another assumption was that Homura was worried about Nagisa relapsing back to the state she'd been in when she was stuck in the Hospital Terminal Ward—which Mami doubted, given Sayaka's surprising confidence in the state of Nagisa's health. It could also be a third option that Mami hadn't thought of—her intuition certainly suggested this was the case—but that left her guessing as to what could possibly make Homura so wary of a prepubescent child.

"How did you two meet?" Mami eventually asked, taking her first bite of her meal.

"I'm not sure if I can—"

"Homura saved my life!" Nagisa said cheerfully, making Homura wince.

"Nagisa, remember what the doctors said."

The girl pouted at the stern tone but nodded, mumbling apologies.

Mami chewed thoughtfully, deciding to move the conversation away from the topic. She did have the authority to bypass security clearance laws if her mission required it, but she wasn't about to break OpSec merely to sate her curiosity. Whatever was happening between Homura and Nagisa would just have to remain secret until their non-disclosure restrictions were lifted.

"Why did Miss Akemi or Lieutenant Miki bring you to this restaurant, then? Neither of them gave any warning that you'd be joining."

Raising her hand high above her head, index finger pointing towards the ceiling, Nagisa exclaimed, "I wanted to eat cheesecake!"

"Cheese…cake…?" The statement had a level of bombast, silliness, and self-seriousness that only a child could muster naturally, let alone simultaneously. Mami couldn't help but sputter a laugh. "I see, I see. Well, it's a good thing this place has an all-you-can-eat dessert table, doesn't it?"

Nagisa's mouth fell agape. "Unlimited cheesecake?" she whispered with awe.

"I wouldn't say it's literally unlimited, but I expect it's certainly more cheesecake than you'd be able to eat in one sitting."

Mami quickly realized that Nagisa was no longer listening, though she noted the striking glow in the girl's eyes. It was the kind that Mami normally associated with hunters who'd just unlocked their aura or had just manifested their semblance for the first time. It couldn't be the former, since Nagisa's aura was already unlocked, but she couldn't really believe it was the latter either. The thought that someone's semblance could awaken due to the simple mention of unlimited cheesecake was just too absurd for her to give it credence.

Shaking her head, Mami turned to Homura, who looked just as bemused as Mami felt. "She's a darling child. I think I can see how she convinced you to let her join."

There was the ghost of a smile on Homura's lips as she took a sip of water. "I'm not very good with children," she admitted weakly. "Though, thankfully, Nagisa and I have come to an agreement of sorts."

"Which would be…?"

"Cheese and other dairy products in exchange for good behavior."

Mami chuckled. "I thought you weren't supposed to be good with children? Incentives are a wonderful way to enforce discipline." She placed a hand to her chest, pretending to swoon. "A woman after my own heart."

A roll of the eyes. "Please don't. Kyouko already subjects me to more than enough flirting. I'd rather not have another doing the same as her."

The memory of Kyouko's words from earlier that morning echoed in Mami's head, expressing a sentiment eerily similar to what Homura had just said. It made her want to scowl, though she suppressed the urge.

Thankfully, maintaining her teasing smile wasn't difficult, given how satisfying it was to see the subtle twitching in Homura's normally stoic face. Once again, Mami was reminded of how much she shared Kyouko's desire to see Homura squirm. Perhaps Mami should start participating as well now? It would make sense to do so, considering her mission.

By the gods, she was actually going to do this, wasn't she? She was actually going to romance Homura Akemi.

"I don't see why that's such a problem when you seem perfectly capable of retaliating."

"There's only so much I can take before it gets too much."

"The Angel of Death, cowed by a bit of teasing? My my, how surprising."

Homura's face took on a neutral mask and she took another sip, not bothering to voice a response.

Mami suppressed a scowl at the Valean's cold reaction, instead shrugging and returning to her meal.

Clearly she couldn't use the same tactics she used when flirting with Kyouko—not only did the Valean have different buttons to push, she also seemed fairly unwilling to reciprocate. That unwillingness in particular was rather damning, too, since establishing a relationship with someone required participation from both parties. How had Kyouko managed to break through to her if she was so closed off?

"I'm appalled, Mami."

Speaking of Kyouko, the Vacuan lancer abruptly grabbed the backrest of Mami's chair, the sharp nudge derailing her train of thought.

"Pray-tell, why?" Mami grumbled in reply.

A fanged grin. "Because you didn't get me a plate!"

Homura snorted from across the table. "Self-service, Kyouko. Don't be lazy. You're setting a bad example for your little sister."

Mami's eyes went wide as her gaze was pulled between Kyouko and Homura.

A sister? That couldn't be right. Command had done a thorough background check on the Vacuan lancer. Her records clearly said that she had no living family members—she hadn't for nearly two decades. How could she have a sister now?

And why did Homura know about it?

"Bah, she's a big girl," Kyouko dismissed with a huff and a wave. "She can take care of herself without me. Ain't that right, Chitose?"

Those at the table collectively looked at the green-haired woman standing hesitantly behind Kyouko. "Can we not do this, Kyouko?" she asked in exasperation. "Can't we just get some food without making such a racket?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Kyooouuuukooo!"

For the second time in so many minutes, recognition flashed in Mami's mind. Yuma Chitose was a young woman she had encountered multiple times in passing during her tenure at the academy. Yuma wasn't a student, at least as far as Mami could tell—though, she frequented the school enough that she may as well have been. Something about an apprenticeship? Unfortunately, they'd never interacted directly, so Mami's knowledge of her was limited to just that.

And all this time, she had been Kyouko's sister? Adoptive, surely, but an actual sister nonetheless?

"Well, tonight certainly became a party," Sayaka remarked as she arrived at the table, holding a plate of food in each hand while a third plate sat on a summoned glyph hovering at shoulder level. "Here," she said, handing Homura and Nagisa their plates.

"Hey, what gives, Miki? Why'd you get plates for them and not me?" Kyouko whined.

"I don't see what the problem is," Sayaka sniffed, settling down to eat.

A sly look. "Oh, I see what you're doing. This is payback for earlier today, isn't it?"

"Believe what you want to believe, Sakura."

"Ahem," Mami cleared her throat, pulling everyone's attention to her. "I do hope you don't plan on wasting the food Lieutenant Miki and I are so generously paying for."

There was a moment of silence before Kyouko cracked an even wider grin than before. "Heh, don't need to tell me twice. Excuse us." She grabbed Yuma by the shoulders and dragged her away.

"Wa—? I can walk on my own!"

As the two left to fill their plates, Mami turned and addressed the rest of the table. "I have many questions for all of you, the least of which being why I was never informed of our extra guests."

Both Nagisa and Sayaka looked sheepish but Homura continued to eat her fileted fish without so much as a twitch in reaction. "I didn't expect our group to be this large either," the Valean said quietly after swallowing. "Frankly, I wouldn't have brought Nagisa at all if I knew Kyouko would also be bringing her own plus-one."

Nagisa looked up from her lasagna, frowning like she was greatly offended. "You promised!"

"But I did not promise it would be tonight."

"No fair!"

"What are you getting mad about? Haven't you already gotten what you wanted tonight?"

The girl blinked owlishly before frowning again. "Because you said there was a chance you wouldn't have brought me even though you promised!"

"Nagisa, what did I say about requests and instructions?"

A pout. "Always say what I want clearly…?"

"Was that a question or an answer?"

"I'm supposed to be clear about asking for things."

"Correct. And were you clear when you made your request earlier?"

"No…"

"Very good. Now, finish your meal and we'll get you as much dessert as you want."

Nagisa nodded and began eating more vigorously.

Mami smiled slyly. "Miss Akemi, do reconsider your earlier statement. For someone who is supposedly bad with children, you seem to be handling this one splendidly."

"I'm not a child!"

Once again, Homura brought her spoon to her lips, not bothering to voice a response. Thankfully, the faint reddening of her cheeks was response enough for Mami.

"No need to be modest, Miss Akemi. I'd say you're doing quite well."

"So you say…"

"It's the truth. Don't you think so, Lieutenant?"

Sayaka fidgeted. "Uh… Yeah, I guess…" She glanced at Homura and Nagisa before looking down at her plate. "We're genuinely really sorry, by the way, Mami. We didn't mean to be a bother."

Once again, Mami studied the expressions on each of the three's faces. Sayaka did truly look apologetic, which was unsurprising given her straightforward personality. Nagisa was much the same, though she seemed to be distracted by the dessert table across the room. Homura, however…

Mami thought back on her many interactions with the Valean, attempting to compare her memories to the present. She couldn't quite pin down what it was, but she could sense that something subtle had shifted in Homura's demeanor upon hearing Sayaka's apology. It was an odd sense of conflict, as if she was debating within herself about something, though Mami didn't know what. It had to have been serious as what mild inconvenience they'd caused was hardly a reason for such deep thought.

Oh joy. Another secret that Mami needed to suss out.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Water under the bridge. Just be sure to inform me next time. Two extra mouths to feed ended up being acceptable in this case but we shouldn't count on restaurants being so reasonable next time. If we make a reservation for one table and surprise them with a dozen people, we're likely to get kicked out."

Her statement received a chorus of assorted acknowledgements before another silence fell over the table.

"So!" Kyouko arrived a short time later, her plate stacked high with various dishes. "What did we miss?"


Later…

The realization Sayaka had come to over the course of dinner was that she and Yuma Chitose had been a hair's breadth of meeting each other for most of their time in Atlas.

For example, Yuma had apparently dormed at the academy when Sayaka had been a student. They'd also shared a shift for a few months during Sayaka's internship at the hospital ward, though they'd worked at different wings. They had even been in adjacent Hunter-Medic divisions before Winter took over Sayaka's training.

With all of that in mind, how on Remnant had the two of them not met before tonight?

Although, now that they've talked to each other, a part of Sayaka wished they hadn't.

"—but that doesn't make sense! All of that resulted in just one arm losing its fine motor control!? That should have resulted in full-body paralysis, at minimum!"

Shortly after dinner, while everyone else was enjoying their dessert, Yuma had struck up a conversation about the finer points of healing.

"Well, it's a good thing I was able to keep the worst from happening to him, isn't it?" Sayaka growled.

At first it was a fairly lax and enjoyable discussion, but when Sayaka mentioned Kyousuke and his injury, it progressively became a little more… combative.

"Then why is his arm still broken, hmm? Short of complete loss of limb, injuries like that should have been treatable, regardless of the nerve damage."

"It should have been treatable," Sayaka said, punctuating the statement by stabbing her fork into her pie. "But by the time anyone noticed the healing went wrong, his body already acclimated to the weird way his arm had recovered. To fix it would require tearing out existing connections and re-tying them back together."

"Which, again, is doable. Just cut off his arm, fix it up, and reattach it."

Sayaka looked at Yuma with incredulous disgust. "Do you even hear yourself right now?"

A roll of the eyes. "Why are Atleseans so squeamish about stuff like this? Your leader is practically a full-body cyborg."

"Ladies!"

The pair blinked before turning to Mami, who was wearing her drill-instructor face.

"While this conversation has been very engaging, you've gathered a bit of an audience. I'm not sure they appreciate the enthusiasm of your banter."

They looked around the room, noting the many concerned and irritated faces watching them. The civilians especially looked ready to bolt on the assumption that they were about to come to blows. The military personnel were calmer about it, but were clearly getting ready to intervene for similar reasons. Even at their own table, Kyouko was staring at them with interest, while Homura was quietly encouraging Nagisa to ignore them and continue eating her cheesecake.

Sayaka averted her eyes. "R-right… Sorry about that…"

"I'd hope so." Mami turned to Yuma critically. "Miss Chitose, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Yuma closed her eyes and straightened her posture. "I, too, apologize. I'll make sure not to incite Lieutenant Miki's ire again."

A pang of annoyance caused Sayaka to twitch, only made worse by Kyouko chortling.

"That mentorship didn't do your people skills any favors, Chitose." The lancer smirked at Sayaka. "Then again, I can't say the look on Miki's face doesn't make it worth it."

A ribbon whipped the back of Kyouko's head.

"Ow—hey! What was that for?"

"I didn't diffuse the situation for you to set it off again."

A shrug. "I mean, fair enough, I guess."

"Hey, can I have more cheesecake?"

After a beat, they all turned to Nagisa who was raising her now-empty plate.

"You've already had two slices," Homura said gently.

"And I want two more."

Once again, Kyouko laughed. "I like her." She shoveled the last of her dessert into her mouth and stood with her own plate. "C'mon, short-stuff. Let's me and you grab another serving."

The girl turned to Homura and Sayaka, who both gave encouraging nods. She beamed up at them before standing as well, following Kyouko to the dessert table.

Shortly after, Yuma also stood. "I think I'll go make sure they leave some for the other customers," she said with a sigh before leaving to accompany them.

There was a brief silence as the three that remained at the table watched the other three serve themselves more food.

"And here I was, looking forward to a cozy meal with friends," Mami muttered as the tension in her shoulders relaxed. She shot Sayaka a pleading look. "Can we not have arguments like that next time we have dinner together?"

With a pout Sayaka rested her chin on her palm and flicked a finger at the fork still embedded in her slice. The utensil fell onto her plate with a ding. "I won't pick any fights, but if she brings up Kyousuke again, I'm not just gonna lay over and take it."

"That's understandable—and I wouldn't expect you to—but I did teach you how to de-escalate situations like this. Do better."

Averted eyes. "Yes ma'am…"

And so, they ate and talked for a few minutes longer, the conversation remaining tentatively civil between Sayaka and Yuma. Given that neither of them actually spoke to the other after Mami ended the argument, Sayaka was unsure if such civility was sustainable.

Oh well. She wasn't about to complain.

After Kyouko finished telling some tall tale about how she and Yuma defeated an entire pack of hysteria back when they were both teenagers, Nagisa passed out over her plate. All that cheesecake must have finally caught up to her. The adults took it as a sign that it was time to stop for the night.

"Me and Homura still need to escort Nagisa back home," Sayaka explained as they were exiting the building. "Wanna come with, Mami?"

Mami's face was unreadable as she stared at the sleeping girl in the fencer's arms, also throwing a glance at Homura. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Homura raised a brow before shrugging. "It won't break any laws, if that's what you're asking."

"What's this about breaking laws?" Kyouko chimed in. "If you're planning a little after-party or something, I have some suggestions."

Sayaka was about to retort when Homura shot Kyouko a glare. "Kyouko."

The lancer met the glare with a grin. "Homura~?"

There was a beat where the two looked at each other before Kyouko shrugged.

"Of course, if I'm not wanted, I suppose I'll just have to find my own late night fun. And you"—she threw an arm over Yuma and dragged her into a side hug—"are coming with me."

Yuma let out a groan. "Do I have to?"

"'Course you do! We gotta reconnect. And how better to do that than a night on the town, just the two of us?"

"Maybe we do this during an outing that you didn't plan literally at the last minute?"

"Bah, does that sound anything like me?"

Another groan, this time in resignation. "No…"

"I thought so."

"Don't let us keep you," Homura said with a sigh. She mustered up a smile and waved. "Have a good night."

Kyouko replied with a wink and lazy salute before walking away, towing Yuma along with a vice-like grip around the younger woman's shoulder.

"I can walk on my own!"

"Yeah, yeah."

As the two Vacuans left, Sayaka returned her attention to Mami. "So, you up for it? Won't be too far from Central."

Mami pursed her lips, turning to Homura. "I'd be lying if that comment about its legality doesn't concern me. You're sure I'm allowed to know where she lives?"

Homura met her gaze, a strange glint flashing over her eyes. "To a point. Depending on how tonight goes, you might be allowed to know much, much more."

Sayaka blinked. Wait, what? Weren't they going to ask politely? Why change the plan now?

Mami raised her brows. "You're certainly laying it thick. Is it really so important that I join?"

"No, but you just happen to be the most convenient person for it," Homura replied coolly.

Was there something Homura learned over the course of dinner that made her switch strategies? Sayaka was honestly feeling kind of lost now.

"Certainly not the first time I've heard those words." Crossed arms. "I hear it quite often, actually."

"I'm sure you do. Your distinguished list of qualifications and unflappable moral character certainly helps."

"Flattery now?" Mami chuckled. "I see the Angel of Death is finally fighting back."

"Only when it benefits me, Major."

"Pragmatic."

Homura smiled sharply, rubbing the back of her hand. "Always."

Sayaka glanced back and forth between Mami and Homura, trying to follow what the two were communicating to each other. As far as she could tell, their exchange had devolved into just flirting.

She let out a huff. "We're burning moonlight, ladies," she said, adjusting her hold on the sleeping child in her hands. "I'd like to put Nagisa to bed sooner rather than later."

Homura tilted her head. "True enough. A compromise, then. You join us on the commute back to Central, and if your curiosity hasn't gotten the better of you by then, we split up from there."

Mami mirrored Homura's tilt. "Well, I do have some paperwork that I still need to finish back at the Academy. Tonight's your lucky night, then."

The two exchanged smiles before turning the direction of Central and walking.

Sayaka laughed awkwardly and followed behind them, muttering to the sleeping Nagisa, "Did you expect things to go that way? Because I sure didn't."

The little girl gave no reply, merely snuggling closer.

Sayaka shook her head. "Well, I guess that's Homura for you. Always finds a way to pull some sort of surprise out of her sleeve. I just wish she'd warn me about them beforehand…"


After midnight, Atlas Academy…

Yuma entered the Intel Department Head's office and slumped into the nearest chair. As she expected, a cup of tea was already sitting on the table in front of her.

"How productive would you describe your night so far?" Oriko asked from across the table, cradling her own cup.

"Not particularly. Miki and Akemi brought some kid that threw off the whole dynamic."

"A kid, you say?"

"White hair, amber eyes, flawless skin? She was really into cheesecake."

"Ah, that AuraMod pet project. Isn't it supposed to have red eyes? I'll have to read up on it again." Oriko shook her head. "In any case, was she the only complication?"

"The conversation got really derailed by Miki, though I guess I didn't really help get us back on track either."

"Explain."

Yuma pressed her palms against her face and groaned. "I made a comment that she took issue with so she shot back with a few jabs that pushed my buttons. Before I knew it, the whole thing blew up into an argument that lasted half an hour. The Major was forced to break it up and we kept quiet the rest of the night."

Oriko chuckled. "You always did have quite the temper—something you share with Sakura."

"I wish I didn't," Yuma grumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Speaking of Kyouko, I got some insights on Akemi through her."

"Oh?"

"Akemi and Kyouko are close—really close. I don't know what their relationship is but she already knew I was Kyouko's sister before we met. Not even the Major knew until tonight."

"Intriguing."

"I also noticed them exchanging looks while Kyouko was telling a story. It seemed like they were having a completely different conversation to what the rest of the table was hearing."

Oriko nodded slowly, taking a sip of her tea. "I'll make sure to review the footage you took later."

After a moment to stretch, Yuma pushed herself upright and reached for her cup. "I'm not too sure you'll find anything from that. The most I really saw was a bunch of glances."

"Then what gave you the impression that those glances were so meaningful? Surely it wasn't just your intuition."

She downed her drink, letting the heat of the liquid seep into her chest before huffing and waving her hand dismissively. "Not intuition. Aura."

Oriko put her cup down and pulled up a tablet to take notes. "Pulses or streams? If it was powerful enough for them to communicate, then surely others would have noticed."

"That's the thing, though: it looked exactly like the minor fluctuations people get when they feel emotions. The only difference was how the fluctuations would consistently change every time they glance at each other, if only slightly."

"Are you sure it's not just a sign of mutual attraction? It's known to cause a change in pattern and frequency. Eye contact in general has similar effects."

"Maybe? It's hard to say." Yuma shook her head. "It would explain why Major Tomoe and Lieutenant Miki didn't notice it, at least. Their aura sensitivity is higher than mine. If they didn't notice, then they've probably tuned it out."

"We'll have to follow up on it, then." She flipped through some screens and began scrolling through her schedule.

There was silence for a minute.

"What about you?" Yuma eventually asked, resting her chin on her palm. "Any news on the whole unknown disaster situation?"

Orika set down her tablet and hung her head. "No."

A frown. "What do you mean, no?"

"I mean: No change whatsoever."

Yuma blinked. "Seriously? Strongarming Tomoe into spying on Akemi? Guilting Kyouko into fighting Tomoe seriously? Me straight up just gatecrashing their date? None of that worked?"

Oriko sighed. "Nothing we've done today seems to have had any effect on the future. Atlas still falls."

With a growl, Yuma stood and walked around the table, grabbing the teapot. "Fine," she said, pouring another cup for each of them. "We'll just have to keep chipping away at it. Eventually, we'll do something that'll butterfly out enough to make a difference."

Oriko looked down at her tea, watching the ripples on the surface bounce against the cup's walls. "I hope so, Chitose," she muttered before bringing the cup to her lips. "Because I have this horrible feeling that we can't prevent this disaster…"

With those final words leaving the room with a suffocating emptiness, Oriko and Yuma took a sip of their tea in silence.


End of Chapter


You'd think a 5k word chapter of a single dinner date that lasts around two or so hours would take only a few weeks to write—I certainly thought so. Oh how wrong I was.

Part of the wait was because I fell into a bit of a research rabbit hole while writing the Yuma vs Sayaka argument. They both have healing semblances and medical training so I was preparing to write an incredibly technical debate about Kyousuke's malady. I've gone through a dozen or so versions before I ended up with the version currently in this chapter, which barely uses the information I dug into. Oh well.

Another reason for it taking so long is Elden Ring, which was released in late February and has since consumed the last four months of my life. No, I'm not sorry.

Barring any more world-shattering events, I'll probably have a new chapter out sooner than the six months it took for this one. Until then!