I honestly don't have an excuse for how long this took. Anyway, enjoy if you can!

…

Rikka placed one last artifact onto the shelf, completing the pattern she had constructed on the wall. She stepped back and admired her handiwork. "That should be the last of them. Once I acquire supplies and activate the wards, my new base of operations should be fully functional."

Yuuta chuckled behind her, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "We moved you into this new apartment in record time, didn't we? Must've been all the practice we've had these last few years."

"Perhaps," she replied with a smile. "I do recall at least four separate instances where you helped me transport my belongings in the past, the first of which being the day of our fated meeting."

He rolled his eyes. "You mean when you made me miss the train twice, lost your wallet, and failed to inform the movers that they were supposed to deliver your mountain of boxes to Touka's apartment instead of ours?"

"Yes. The threads of fate had intertwined most fortuitously on that day."

"That was all a coincidence and you know it."

"A coincidence?" She clutched her chest dramatically. "My soul recoils at the very thought! No, it couldn't have been anything less than destiny!" She punctuated the statement with a sharp thrust of her arm.

After a brief huff to prepare himself, Yuuta recoiled backward with equal gravitas, exclaiming, "It cannot be! So my destiny is to assist your migration to a different domicile with alarming regularity!?"

A grin. "Indeed, Dark Flame Master, for you and I are bound by the eternal contract! If I am to move, then by order of the universe and our mutual agreement, you are to move with me."

He replied with raised arms and a cackle. "If that's the case, then so be it! I resign myself to the fate of one bound to you, oh Eye of the Wicked Lord! May our futures prove to be as moving as the celestial—"

"Just what are you two doing?"

They both jumped as they suddenly heard Touka's voice. She had somehow gained entry without alerting either of them, and was now standing at the entrance to the room, looking at them with irritated displeasure.

"You two are supposed to be unpacking."

"I knew I should have activated the wards as soon as I finished," Rikka muttered before standing up straight and clearing her throat. "We were just… uh… We were taking a break…!" She looked down, fidgeting. "Yeah… a break…"

Touka raised a brow. "Mhmm…" She turned to Yuuta expectantly.

"We actually just finished most of the work," he clarified, also relaxing his stance. "The kitchen is still empty, and the bathroom's still missing some essentials, but a quick trip to the grocery store should deal with those."

The woman blinked, and then smiled. "I see. Good work, then."

"If you are here to check on our progress, then you have nothing to fear. We've completed this task before and thus have had much practice. We are quite adept at it now, as you can clearly see." Rikka puffed up her chest and gestured at her new, mostly furnished apartment.

"So you are." Touka crossed her arms, leaning on the wall. "Checking up on you two isn't the only reason why I came here, though. I have another errand to run and I'd rather Cento not be with me for it. Shouldn't take me more than two hours, but you're in charge of her until I'm done."

"Then I shall perform my task with honor," Rikka acknowledged with a salute, and then peeked around her sister curiously. "Uh… By the way, Touka. Where is the Outer Blade?"

Touka stared, as if deeply conflicted. "I won't comment on you giving her another one of those ridiculous names—for now, at least."

Rikka made no attempt to look apologetic. It was a good name. Cento certainly found it cool.

"In any case, Cento's playing with Yumeha right now. She's taken quite a liking to the girl." She eyed Yuuta with a smirk. "It's an odd sight, though. To think she took the kids in the divorce when we played house. Now she's playing with my actual kid."

He winced. "Odder than my girlfriend's niece being older than my own little sister?"

"Families are just like that sometimes." Touka turned to leave, shooting one last glance at Rikka. "Once I've finished my errands, I'll treat you both to lunch at a nice restaurant. I'll message you the details later."

With that, the woman made her exit. Rikka and Yuuta were alone in the apartment once more.

"Say, Rikka," Yuuta began slowly. "Do you know how she got in? We have the only two keys to the apartment other than the ones that the landlord owns, and I'm pretty sure I locked the door before we started unpacking."

"Sophia told me you only need six different keys to be able to open every door in this building. Something about buying locks in bulk from the same manufacturer?"

For a moment, Yuuta frowned in thought. "How would Shichimiya—?" He shook his head. "Actually, never mind. She probably learned lock picking or something and checked all the doors."

Rikka nodded, placing a gentle hand on her new kitchen table. "Anyway, chances are, Touka has a lock that uses the exact same key that my door uses. It's one of the reasons why I plan to install further security measures for my peace of mind."

"You mean like that calculator you taped to your door frame once?"

"I mean like a steel deadbolt lock, or if the landlord won't allow that, a hook or chain latch." She pouted. "Yuuta, I'm sure I amused you with the idea of some complicated passcode lock, but remember that the apartment I lived in back then was not mine. A calculator taped to the door frame was the most I could do without making someone mad at me."

A sheepish smile. "R-right, my bad. Sorry."

"There is no need for apologies, Dark Flame Master. Even now, I'm drawn to the idea of using an electronic lock—a real one, and not a simple calculator. But alas, if only my budget allowed for it."

"How much do they usually cost?"

"I'm not sure, but I remember the incident with my night vision goggles. I'd rather not spend a month with so little food again."

He rolled his eyes. "Surely it can't be that expensive. We'll ask around when we do our groceries. I'm not sure if they have those kinds of locks in a supermarket, but it can't hurt to check. Speaking of which…" He stretched his limbs before heading towards the door. "We should go do that now. Touka said two hours, so we might as well kill that time doing something productive."

Rikka moved to follow but stopped mid-stride, frowning. "But… Touka said I'm to watch over Cento."

"She's playing with Yumeha, isn't she?"

"I'd rather not foist my responsibilities onto a little girl not even a third of my age."

He shrugged. "Why not just take both of them with us?"

Rikka tilted her head slightly before nodding. "A fine compromise. Let us go!"

She marched out of the apartment with a spring in her step, eliciting a chuckle from Yuuta as he followed her out and locked the door behind them.

…

"How long do you plan on sleeping in?" Sanae asked, her hands on her hips as she stood before her bed, and the girl who lay in it. "I realize that last night's tryst lasted well past the point it became morning, but it is now nearly lunchtime. Surely nine hours is enough rest for you."

There was no response.

"This behavior is most unlike you, Shinka. It is normally you who rouses me from slumber. This reversal was amusing for the first five minutes but it has since grown tiresome."

Again, there was no response beyond Shinka shutting her eyes more tightly and rolling to face away from Sanae.

A growl. "Do not test my patience, witch. My Mjolnir Hammer is hardly a suitable alarm clock but I will use it as such if you do not get up now."

Shinka groaned and pulled the blankets over her head, clearly intent on staying in bed.

A deep scowl marred Sanae's face as she began twirling the two sandbags tied to the end of her twintails. "Do not say I gave no warning." Her twirling picked up speed, turning the bags into dangerous instruments of centripetal force that she redirected towards her target. "Awaken now! Ultimate Mjolnir Crusher!"

"Ack—!"

Sanae hit Shinka in the side, barely above her hips—not enough to cause bruising, but enough that she recoiled in pain.

"You damn brat!" Shinka threw off the covers and grabbed at Sanae's twintails, pulling the smaller girl into the bed. Once Sanae was in grappling range, Shinka trapped her into a choke hold. "You just had to ruin the wonderful dream I was having, didn't you!?"

"So what if I did!? It wouldn't be the first time! And besides!" After a bit of thrashing, Sanae managed to break free and lock her opponent's arms in an awkward twist. "You would have scolded me after the fact if I didn't wake you!"

"So I would!" Shinka swung her legs around to trap Sanae into a different kind of grapple, putting both of them into an even more awkward and uncomfortable pose. "But I don't care right now!"

"Of course you don't!"

The two of them wrestled for some time until they both collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily.

"You'd think… after last night… we'd be too tired for this," Sanae panted, staring at the ceiling.

"But… you're not surprised… are you?" Shinka shot back, resting her head atop Sanae's chest. "This… is how… we've always been…"

A small smile tugged at Sanae's lips, placing her hands on Shinka's head. "Not untrue," she admitted, "but less so now than we used to be… We've fought many times these last few months… though, not like this…"

Shinka let out a chuckle. "It's usually a different kind of wrestling that we do on this bed, isn't it?"

Sanae felt heat in her face but merely laughed. "Just last night, in fact," she agreed. "Are you awake now, my love?"

Shinka pushed herself off and sat up, stretching her arms and back. "I'd be hard pressed not to be after that," she grumbled. "Why did you wake me up, anyway? While I do like being productive with my time, it's not like we actually have anything to do today."

"Actually, my mother requested an audience with you. She planned to pull you aside after breakfast, but you didn't show up."

Shinka's face soured. "And I assume she asked you to make sure I come to lunch?" She received a nod in reply. "Oh joy. A talk with your mother. I'm so excited."

Sanae rolled her eyes. "The tone of your voice suggests the opposite of your words, love. You should have that checked."

"Oh, shut up. Now, where are my clothes?"

…

From behind the metal frame of a shopping cart, Yuuta watched as Rikka gave various products on the shelves a cursory examination before throwing them in with the rest of the groceries. Cento and Yumeha ran around nearby, fighting with fake weapons. The shorter of the two held a large wooden spoon, the other holding the foam LARP katana that Rikka bought as a gift. They were evenly matched as far as Yuuta could tell.

Though, truthfully, Yuuta paid little attention to the children in their retinue. Against his better judgment, he chose to trust both of them to not cause trouble for the store employees. They had yet to betray that trust, at least so far.

The bulk of his thought processes was instead tasked with tallying all the items Rikka put in the cart, subtracting the price from their budget. Thankfully, said budget was higher than usual thanks to Touka giving them money specifically to stock Rikka's new kitchen. Even still, the total cost of everything they needed to buy made Yuuta wince with pain at every addition.

"Hmm." Rikka stopped in front of the kitchenware section and frowned at her phone. "Given that I've not specialized in the cooking skill like the Priestess, would it not be acceptable for me to decrease the number of cooking equipment I procure? This list is rather long."

Yuuta smirked, already imagining the highlighted text of tutorialized video game dialogue when Rikka said 'cooking.' He shook his head and leaned over the shopping cart's handle bar, resting his chin on his palms. "It depends. What exactly do you plan on leaving out?"

Rikka raised a handful of kitchen utensils. "I don't really need a dozen different big spoons, right?"

"I… suppose not…?"

She dropped only two ladles into the cart, one with a shallow cup, another with a deeper, scooping cup. Then she raised two pans, one flat, the other curved. "These are perfectly usable for most of the cooking I'm capable of. I do not think I'll require the variety of pans that the Priestess listed."

Yuuta winced. "Okay, sure, but if you're gonna buy those, get different utensils. Steel ones are gonna scrape off the non-stick coating."

"Right."

She pulled a knife from the shelf, testing the sharpness on a piece of paper. It cut through with ease.

"This looks good for meat and vegetables. I'd like a smaller one for bread and fruit too."

"Sure. Put it in with the others."

This back and forth continued for many minutes until they'd gone through all the kitchenware on the list that Touka had given them.

"We didn't even get half of what's on here," Yuuta noted with concern.

"If you fear the Priestess' disgust at the soon-to-be state of my kitchen, do remember that the wares in this cart are the only ones I'm absolutely certain I'd even use."

"Fair enough," he said with a sigh and a shrug. "What's next?"

Rikka looked down at their cart. "Hmm. Well, we've acquired all the toiletries and laundry supplies, and clearly we're finished with kitchenware as well. I think all that remains is the actual food."

Glancing at the clock on the far end of the department store, Yuuta mentally mathed out if they had enough time. "Actually, we may have to postpone that until later," he concluded. "It's nearly time for that lunch Touka is treating us to—and she will not be happy if we're late."

Rikka grimaced. "Yes, you're right. We should get going." She handed him her purse. "You go bring all this to the checkout. I'll go find where Cento and Yumeha ran off to."

Yuuta went wide-eyed. "I completely forgot about them," he whispered in horror.

"Go! I'll find them. My Eye sees all." As she said this, she pulled off her eyepatch, the golden sheen of her contact lens evoking a small comfort in Yuuta, though it was barely enough to calm him in the face of his own worry.

"R-right. You go do that."

With some reluctance, Yuuta put on a smile and rolled the shopping cart to the nearest checkout counter. He willed himself to sit still while the clerk began scanning their purchases.

The process was halfway through when Rikka arrived with Cento and Yumeha in tow. Much to Yuuta's surprise, all three girls were rather red-faced—and the younger two refused to make eye contact, the reason for which became apparent when Rikka placed additional items in the checkout queue.

The clerk raised a brow but wordlessly accepted the broken wooden spoon and an assortment of cracked hand mirrors that Rikka had given her.

Yuuta really shouldn't have left them to their own devices, huh? He quietly rubbed his temples as he thought about how he was going to explain this incident to Touka.

After Rikka paid for the goods, they quickly ushered the kids to a nearby corner where they gave them a brief scolding.

"We're sorry," Cento murmured, head hung low. "I didn't know there were mirrors there."

Yumeha also bowed. "And I thought the spoon was tougher."

"It's alright for now," Rikka dismissed with a sigh. "But in the future, you must take care not to cause collateral damage when doing battle. If you are too disruptive, members of the Bureau will arrive to confiscate any weapons, seal away your latent magical abilities, and demand some sort of sacrifice from you or your superiors."

Cento paled. "A sacrifice!? Like hara-kiri!?"

Yuuta flinched.

Her eyes began to water. "Is Touka gonna be forced to do that!?"

He quickly waved his hands dissuasively. "No no! Nothing like that!"

"Fear not, Outer Blade. Ritual disembowelment is no longer practiced in this land. When I speak of sacrifices, I mean in the form of money or labor."

"You're forced to either pay a fine or participate in community service," Yuuta translated after noticing Cento's and Yumeha's confused stares.

Cento nodded quietly. "I'm really sorry. I won't do it again."

"Don't kid yourself," Rikka chuckled darkly. "I bestowed upon you the name Outer Blade because you are a warrior. You will fight again. And next time?" She handed one of the cracked mirrors to the girl, the shards kept in place by strips of tape over the glass. "Don't leave such blatant evidence of your battle."

The Italian child looked at her broken reflection and pursed her lips. "I understand."

Rikka smiled. "Good. Let's go, then. Touka said she's gonna take us to a fancy restaurant for lunch. We can't miss that, can we?"

Cento beamed. "Yeah! Let's go, aunty!"

Yuuta watched this play out from the sidelines, amusement tugging at his lips and a curious Yumeha tugging at his sleeve.

"What is it?" he asked.

"What are they talking about? Am I still in trouble?"

Yuuta mulled over the question for a few seconds before shrugging. "I have no idea what they're talking about. As for whether you're in trouble or not?" He gave his sister a smirk and wink. "I won't tell mom and dad if you won't."

Yumeha giggled and mimed locking her mouth with a key.

…

After allowing Shinka time to freshen up, Sanae ushered her to the dining room, where food and Sanae's mother awaited them. The woman looked pleased to see Shinka, saying as much when they bowed to greet her.

"Sit, and let us eat," Sanae's mother said with a wave of her hand, as much an encouraging gesture to Sanae and Shinka as it was a dismissal to the house keeping staff who quickly vacated the room.

Sanae wordlessly began eating, glancing back and forth between Shinka and her mother. Shinka was pointedly not looking at the woman, seeming content to stare at her meal of spring rolls, steamed dumplings, and rice. Sanae's mother did not partake in the food either, eyes fixed on Shinka appraisingly.

Sanae lightly kicked Shinka in the shin, hissing, "At least look at her. She wants to talk to you, remember?"

"Then let her talk," Shinka growled before finally picking up her chopsticks. "Not like I don't have ears."

Sanae pursed her lips in displeasure, biting back the numerous retorts she wanted to utter.

Shinka's behavior around Sanae's mother had been curt and dismissive from the very beginning, only growing more so as the days wore on. It was as if Shinka's complicated relationship with her own mother, and the feelings therein, also applied to Sanae's. It struck Sanae as supremely unfair to act as such.

But at the same time, Sanae couldn't help but admire Shinka's stubborn determination to not give the woman the satisfaction of a response, regardless of how much goading and teasing she received. The fact that it was such a petty and pointless thing to care about only magnified Sanae's admiration. After all, what could be more quintessentially Shinka than acts of childish spite.

Regardless, Sanae still had the urge to kick Shinka harder, which she suppressed by plopping a dumpling into her mouth and chewing grumpily.

"I had a talk with your mother yesterday, Nibutani," Sanae's mother eventually said. "It was… an enlightening conversation."

Sanae blinked as she watched Shinka's expression turn blank. For a moment, it seemed like she had turned to stone, but then the light in her eyes flickered—a tiny twitch that said volumes without uttering a word. Sanae could tell that gears were turning in Shinka's head, whirring to life at a speed they should never spin.

Should Sanae say something? But what would she even say?

That train of thought was cut short by Shinka pushing away her plate and standing. "Thank you for breakfast," she said quickly before turning to leave.

Sanae also stood. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm sorry, Sanae, but I can't—"

"Sit. Down."

The piercing voice of the Dekomori matron stopped them dead in their tracks, sharing pained looks between each other. With an awkward shuffle, they complied with the woman's demand and reseated themselves. Once the two were back to their places, she gestured at the glass of water by Shinka's plate.

"Take a drink and breathe, Nibutani. You've gone pale."

Shinka did so without complaint, her face tight with strain. She was no doubt mentally preparing herself for what was about to transpire. Sanae could only sink into her chair as she held her tongue and watched.

"I'd like you to understand that speaking with your mother was something of a last resort for me. Ideally, I would have learned more about my daughter's girlfriend from said girlfriend herself. Alas, that stubbornness Sanae always complains about seems to have reared its ugly head."

Shinka turned away and scowled, clicking her tongue.

"I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I spoke to your mother, dear—and what little Sanae told me about her beforehand certainly wasn't pretty. But our meeting surprised me in the oddest of ways."

"What did she say?" Shinka asked in a mutter.

"What's that, dear? You'll have to speak up."

"I asked what she said," she repeated louder, the shakiness of her voice now more apparent.

Sanae's mother smiled, though it was clear from her eyes that she was not amused in the slightest. "She said that you and my daughter are a danger to each other's futures."

Shinka pressed her palms to her eyes and shook her head while Sanae snorted and rolled her eyes. Of course that woman would say that—and to the mother of her daughter's girlfriend, no less.

"She continued on to spout some nonsense about society looking down on same-sex relationships; that you two would be cast out as social pariahs the moment your relationship became public knowledge. Jobs and other opportunities would start turning you away. Bit by bit, the future you'd have built for yourselves would crumble away into dust."

Sanae stared at Shinka as her mother spoke, watching helplessly as the love of her life slowly pulled into herself and shook.

"It was a reasonable concern, certainly. Some might even call her motivation admirable. For who would want to wish the ire of this cruel world upon their child? She had no desire for either of you to live through such an ordeal. It made perfect sense."

"Shut up…"

"Hmm?"

"I said shut up! I don't wanna hear any more!"

"Does it bother you that much? Her arguments?" Sanae's mother leaned over the table and folded her hands together in front of her face. "They were sound, but ultimately unconvincing, especially to me. Even if you were to hear them from her directly, I doubt either of you two would be convinced either. I might even go as far as to say you shouldn't be convinced."

Shinka held herself tightly. "I…"

Sanae glanced towards her girlfriend, hunched over on her seat and quickly averted her eyes. With a cough, she raised her hand. "She… she once made that argument to me, too…"

"Did she, now? And were you convinced?"

"N-no. I disagreed, but…" She pursed her lips. "But I didn't really argue with her. I sorta just… nodded along…? I just let her speak and tried to ignore what she was saying. I guess I just wanted to get it over with…"

A slow nod. "Ah, I understand. She's not an easy woman to speak to. She's as stubborn as her daughter, as I'm sure you know, but she has the leg up on you simply by being older and having more experience."

"Yeah…"

"Given that you found her so difficult, I imagine it would be much more so for someone she has power over—a daughter, let's say."

There was no voiced reply to the rather unsubtle allusion, Shinka only holding herself tighter.

"Well, this won't do. Sanae, wake her up. I need her to be lucid."

Sanae winced and took a deep breath. Shinka was gonna be so mad after this…

"Sorry, but orders are orders." She kicked Shinka hard in the shin, likely leaving a bruise. It was enough to make her look up and glare.

"I've been awake the entire time, you little hellion."

Sanae met her look with a steely gaze. "Then look at her," she demanded. "Look at her and listen to what she has to say."

The scowl on Shinka's face deepened as they stared each other down. "Fine," she eventually grumbled before hesitantly turning towards the woman at the head of the table. "Let's hear it."

"Shinka Nibutani." Sanae's mother leaned back and placed her hands atop the armrests of her chair. "Let me be clear on my stance on this: I disagree with your mother and said as much to her when we spoke. Do you wish to know what I told her? I told her that the future she feared would only be a problem for weaklings." The woman's smile widened into something sharper, yet more genuine than the smile she'd kept earlier. "And neither of you two are weak."

Shinka blinked before turning to Sanae, bewildered. Sanae found herself grinning as the meaning of those words sunk in.

"What? Do you think she's wrong?"

"I mean, no, but—"

"But nothing. Your will is equal to mine and I am no weakling."

Sanae's mother chuckled. "Easy there, Sanae. Do not be so quick to shut her down. We could have learned something useful." The woman shifted on her seat, a familiar motion that Sanae recognized as crossing her legs. "Well, Nibutani? Will you continue from before Sanae so rudely cut you off?"

Once again, Shinka blinked, but instead of looking bewildered, she broke into giggles. Sanae glanced at her mother who continued to smile.

"Stars above, I didn't know I needed that," Shinka managed after her fit of giggles passed. "Yes, that was rude. But such rudeness is hardly anything new for her."

"Is rudeness… common between you two?"

"If anything, she was rather tame this time."

"I see. That will have to be discussed in the future, then."

Sanae rubbed her temples as the two others at the table shared a laugh. Was she developing a headache or did she just experience a premonition about how her mother and lover being on speaking terms would be a hazard to her health? She was tempted to say the latter because she could already see herself dying in the near future, killed by mere words tossed back and forth over the dinner table.

Oh well. At least Shinka wasn't upset anymore.

"In any case, Nibutani, I know you harbor doubts about my assertion, as your mother did. Let us hear those doubts so that I may dispel them."

Shinka looked at Sanae who nodded at her encouragingly. "R-right…" She grabbed her glass and downed what remained of her water before taking a deep breath.

"I'll be honest here, I actually just don't believe you at all. Yes, I may be strong, but that doesn't mean what my mother's fears just won't happen to me. I can delude myself into believing a lot of things, but for something like this, I can't help but be a realist."

Once again, Sanae's mother chuckled. "True enough, blind belief will rarely lead to the outcome one desires. However, I think you should have more confidence in your ability—not to mention the resources you and Sanae have at your disposal. How do you suppose you can mitigate your concerns?"

Shinka frowned and let her gaze dart around the room, eyes unfocused as her mind reviewed her options. Sanae, too, thought on her mother's question—after all, she'd become a high school senior next year, just like Shinka was now. She'd have to think about this stuff eventually.

But still, what could they possibly do to soften the blow of society not accepting them?

"Networking," Shinka answered suddenly, throwing Sanae off.

Sanae's mother lazily waved her hand in encouragement. "Expound."

"We aren't particularly public about our love lives in the first place, but if it ever does get out that Sanae and I are in a relationship, whatever opportunities we lose will be negligible if we have a big enough network of contacts who can all vouch for us. After all, knowing the right people will get you very far in life."

"Well said," the woman remarked, her pleased expression brimming with pride. "I assume you already have a network, even if it's only just your friends. How do you plan to expand it?"

"Well, I suppose I could ask Kannagi—the school's love guru is sure to have a bunch of connections. I could also ask Houketsu, and Fukuwatase, but…?" Shinka groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "This would have been so much easier if someone didn't ruin my chances for student council."

Sanae scoffed. "You could have always tried to run again this year, but you missed your chance."

"Bah, whatever. There's also the club, but they aren't particularly well connected."

"Wrong! My Master said the Priestess is currently engaged with a higher power."

"Oh right! Takanashi's big sister is apparently getting married to the owner of a five-star restaurant in Italy this winter. That might be a good opportunity."

"The Magical Devil Girl has at least some connections to the fanatic masses given that she secured a position at the congregation known as Comiket later this summer."

"Right, the otaku crowd."

"And we already have some connections on the local and municipal level through Kumin the Enchantress and Makoto Isshiki."

Shinka rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Huh, the club is better connected than I realized. Are we missing anyone?"

After a moment of pause, Sanae shook her head. "None come to mind. We'll have to build up from here."

And then her mother cleared her throat. "Ahem. You have, in fact, missed someone. Are you truly going to ignore the fact that you know a high-ranking executive of a modestly large electronics company?"

Shinka went wide-eyed. "I… I know someone like that…?"

A roll of the eyes. "Sanae doesn't talk about my work much, does she?"

At that, Sanae looked away, scratching her cheek. "Oh yeah, uh… It's never really been relevant…"

Shinka coughed. "S-so, by modestly large…?"

"We're an internationally traded company, dear. We're far from the top, but we are decently competitive."

"R-right…"

A chuckle. "Impressed, are you? Good." She steepled her fingers and shifted on her seat once more, legs crossing the other direction. "I am willing to open my connections to the network you plan to build, Nibutani, but I have some stipulations I'd like fulfilled before I do."

Both Sanae and Shinka sat up in anticipation.

"First, I need you to earn a degree from a reputable university. Connections matter a lot, but a diploma will always be helpful. This also applies to you, Sanae, but I'm not particularly worried about your end."

Sanae smirked and nodded.

"Second, I need you to actually build your network. Sanae has a small group of students, mostly classmates, whom she tutors during study hall periods."

Shinka blinked. "She does?"

"Indeed. I need you to develop something similar. Expand your horizons beyond that fantasy roleplay club of yours."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Third, I want to make sure that your relationship with Sanae isn't just some high school fling. If you two break up—and stay broken up—then the whole deal is off."

Sanae raised a brow. "Was it necessary to clarify that we needed to stay broken up?"

A dismissive wave. "You two are young. I fully expect the two of you to break up over something trivial and make up within a month."

The two shared incredulous looks at her mother's blatant lack of faith in them, but shrugged and made no comment.

"And the fourth and final condition…" The woman's lips parted slightly as she smiled, a terrible chill running up Sanae's and Shinka's spines. "I'd like you, Nibutani, to call me by my first name."

Once again, Shinka's face blanked. "What," she said flatly.

"If that's too embarrassing, I'm also willing to accept mom, mommy, mama, or mother."

Even Sanae was left speechless. What in all that was unholy was her mother requesting? And why did it make her want to throw one of her twin-tail sandbags at her face?

Shinka fidgeted. "Can't it be something else?"

"No."

"I'd really much prefer a different—"

The woman stood, her chair sliding behind her from the speed of her rise. Her arms crossed over her chest as she took a commanding step forward. A scowl bottomless fury broke upon her face as she exclaimed:

"Absolutely not! I spent the last few months hearing you refer to me exclusively as 'you' and 'her', as if I'm some sort of Outsider whose name must not be uttered. In my own home, even! My patience for such impudence has worn thin."

She pointed an accusatory finger at Shinka, the sharp, cutting gesture holding so much weight that Sanae expected Shinka to immediately be smitten by the heavens. But no. Instead, her mother spoke, bearing the authority of the very gods.

"Shinka Nibutani, I now demand reparations for the grave dishonor you've meted. Say my name or begone from my sight."

"I… uh…?"

Sanae stood as well, realizing exactly where her mother was taking things. "Names have power, Shinka! You must use it!"

Shinka glared at her. "Don't you start that nonsense now of all times!"

"Nay, my love, it makes perfect sense! For even you agree that names have power! And who are you to demand I address you by yours if you refuse the same from my dearest mother!?"

"What are you even talking—"

"Fake! Mori! Summer!"

A frustrated stomp punctuated Shinka rising from her own seat. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Yes! Which means you know exactly how it feels! Now cease this hypocrisy at once!"

"Shut up! This and that are completely different."

"Different!?" Sanae let out a cackle. "How absurd! You know perfectly well what her name truly is, just as I did when I referred to you as a lowly fraud. The only difference is that I clung to the name 'Mori Summer' out of love—a love you so foolishly and inadvertently attempted to snuff out."

Shinka grimaced. "I already said I was sorry," she grumbled. "And you even accepted."

"The price of your demand to me was greater than the price of what my mother demands now—so much greater that it hardly compares. You know this to be true." She swung her arm towards Shinka, her hand open and inviting. "So swallow your pride now, Shinka Nibutani. Let go of the petty grudges that shackle you to the ground. Join us as we soar among the stars." She smiled softly. "Say her name."

The crackling spark of joy arced through Sanae's chest as she watched Shinka's eyes twinkle. For a moment—a mere split-second of time—only the two of them existed in the world, sharing a look that communicated every word Sanae had just uttered, yet having uttered no words at all. And when that moment passed, Shinka closed her eyes and sighed.

"You really had to blow it out of proportion, didn't you? You just had to make it dramatic."

There was no fire in her voice; just a tired acceptance.

Sanae chuckled. "It was not I who forced my mother's hand, love. And besides, would you love me if I didn't have such dramatic flair?"

Shinka smiled ruefully. "I'd be lying if I said your drama wasn't part of your appeal." She opened her eyes and returned her attention to the woman at the head of the table.

"Well, Nibutani?" the woman said, hands on her hips and a foot tapping impatiently. "I'm waiting."

With a huff, Shinka raised her hands in surrender. "Fine. You win, Nanako."

Nanako grinned smugly. "There now. Was that so hard?"

Shinka's cheeks darkened as she scowled. "Harder than you could ever imagine."

"Hmm. Pride truly is your biggest weakness, isn't it? My little firecracker was correct in that regard at least. Well, as long as you back that pride up with ability, we won't have any problems."

Nanako turned to address Sanae.

"Well done on the uptake. You took control far sooner than I expected. Impressive delivery as well."

Sanae puffed up her chest with pride. "I was happy to assist! My own mother indulging in my hobbies? That's a surprise on its own. Her doing so in opposition to my greatest enemy and the love of my life?" She pressed her hands on her cheeks and shook. "How could I resist!?"

"Yes, it was quite thrilling. I now understand why you enjoy it so much. I only ever experience such thrill from the rarest of board meetings, where emotions run high and rich old men start spouting the most unhinged drivel you've ever heard."

"The feeling of absurd unreality is part of the charm, wouldn't you say?"

Nanako chuckled. "Why, yes. That is an articulate way of describing it."

Shinka sat back down and palmed her face. "I've thrown my lot in with a family of lunatics."

Sanae frowned but Nanako merely smirked as she watched Shinka from the corner of her eye.

"A family of lunatics with lots of money and extremely good connections."

A groan. "Uhhg. Shut up, Nanako."

End of Chapter

Thank you to CultivatedRitsuEnjoyer and Taba for beta reading this chapter

Thank god I finally gave Sanae's mother a name. Finding the right sentence setups to avoid using a label for her was fun the first time, but grew exponentially more annoying as both her importance as a character and the number of lines she spoke increased. By the time this chapter came along, I was already cursing past-me for deciding to wait until the end of this chapter to actually name her.

Speaking of which, the name Nanako (苗々子) is based on the second Kanji in Sanae's name (早苗). We can just assume that the first kanji is from her father (who will continue to remain unnamed). Thank you to Trillicon for coming up with the name. They've been a big help to me.

The Yuuta/Rikka portion of this chapter ended up being way less important than I intended, but that's fine honestly. She's getting the chance to actually be an adult and do adult things: like doing cost-benefit analyses on her groceries or imparting nuggets of wisdom to young children.

The interactions with Cento and Yumeha were nice too. I kinda wish I wrote some actual dialogue between the two kids, but I can settle with them interacting with Yuuta and Rikka—I've basically never written about Yuuta and Yumeha's relationship, after all; they have such a cute dynamic. And the Rikka and Cento dynamic continues to be a joy to write.

One last thing before I go, Taba, one of the beta readers for this chapter, wrote a K-on fic I beta'd for a few years ago called The Improbable Improvement Investigation Incident on Ao3. It's a fun little oneshot that I think my readers might enjoy.

Well, that's it for this chapter, then. Hopefully the next one won't take another year. Until then!