Disclaimer: It's obvious I don't have Tales of Xillia, because it is the properties of Bandai Namco.
Hello everyone, sorry for disappearing and appearing out of blue like this but I'm not dead! Actually this one is finished quite a long time ago… a month or two to be precise but I have this thing called exam so I postpone on publishing this one. I have nothing to say about why the update in Scion of Maxwell is earlier than this one.
Okay, enough with my yapping Toriya Izumi present you the chapter 16 of 'Memories From Back Then' entitled, 'The Start of the Date Operation'! Hope you enjoy it!
Normal POV
"They aren't doing anything…" Leia complained as she hides behind a random board of amusement park map with Milla standing beside her. They were in safe distance away from Mai and Jun to avoid being caught (and face Mai's wrath) and was watching the two eating ice cream together, apparently, it is Jun's treat.
"What do you think should happen then?" Milla asked as she listened on their conversation. Most of their talk was pretty normal ranging from which one to ride next or what do you think of this ride or their daily life in general. Milla found the last as useless talk knowing that both Mai and Jun stalked each other passionately, somehow (miraculously) managing to miss each other at the same time.
Leia pondered a little bit as she listened on their conversation as well. Being friend with Mai for few months already, they knew that Mai already knew Jun's private information down the pat that it is slightly scary. So, to listen on her asking what she already knew again is slightly irritating.
"Something interesting like… someone hit on Mai and Jun protect her or something like that. This is too normal of a date…" Leia said before peeking toward the two couple-to-be who looked like they enjoyed the peace and quiet out from Leia's weird plan… yet.
Milla raised one of her eyebrows at that. Even if someone were to hit on Mai, this 'someone' will be finished in record time. So she asked, "Aren't normal good?"
"It is, but at this rate they would just get on some ride and be done with it! Aren't that like our usual outing?" Leia said actually making a point this time. They hadn't gone to Amusement Park together before, but the images are the same.
"Well… that's true but… I really don't know what to do here…" Milla said as she tried to think of some catalyst to make their spying more worth it. While she wanted to check on the Park condition in general, she wanted to see something actually happening between Jun and Mai.
"How about the classic one like Mai fell on top of Jun or something?" Leia murmured as well since she had no idea either.
"I think that one is slightly too hard to happen…" Milla commented as she looked at Leia who had run out of idea this time.
"Mai… err, there is ice cream on your face…" both Milla and Leia heard Jun's voice through their headphone saying something that usually would earn him a punch on Milla.
Realizing what had happened, Milla and Leia quickly turned their attention back to the two stupid couple with Mai trying to wipe the ice cream that Jun was talking about. Jun looked like he had a hell of the time with his face completely red, ignoring that his ice had started to melt as well.
"What do you think would happen Milla?" Leia asked animatedly as she glared at the two like a predator watching its prey.
"Jun might wipe it himself… I guess. That's the most I could ask from that stupid basketball-loving fool like him," Milla responded softly as she naturally expected something to happen like Leia.
But, the most impossible thing happened and Jun leapt through the expectation of anyone in this world. Lo and behold, Jun actually moved his face closer and pressed his lips dangerously close to Mai's lips to wipe the possibly imaginary ice cream remain there. Milla and Leia widened their eyes at the same time on the sight. It was like watching a desert suddenly turned into a lush forest, winter immediately turn into summer, a wild tiger suddenly became your everyday pet, or a jerky Chronos became stupidly gentle! It was way beyond anyone expectation.
… Although to break the overall atmosphere, a baseball ball quickly hit Jun's head rendering him unconscious split seconds later.
Leia mentally shrieked when the ice cream on Jun's hand was wasted on the ground. She quickly turned to Milla who was taking the position of a pitcher and was actually the culprit behind the flying baseball ball that hit Jun to render him de-… unconscious. Without thinking of what is actually important Leia protested, "Milla, what are you doing? Look… that delicious sweet ice cream is now… wasted on the dirty ground…"
"Ah, my bad, my body moved first before I managed to digest everything. But Leia, don't you think your focus is wrong?" Milla responded in guilty tone since her body did move by itself although she honestly wanted for any progress between the two. She already tried to forgive Jun since what happened the past summer was just an accident but maybe her body had another will in it.
"Oh! Oh yeah, where did you get that darned baseball ball at the first place? I remembered that the baseball ball is unnecessarily hard… wait, I mean, did you actually brought it with you since the start?" Leia said correcting her focus since the one Milla hit is Jun with the ice cream as unexpected capital victim and wondering where Milla got the ball to throw to Jun.
"Sorry, I just threw the thing I managed to get… I'm reflecting on it," Milla murmured apologetically since she didn't do it on purpose, honest. She made it sound that if what was in her hand is a bomb then she will gladly throw it as well, making Leia sigh.
"J-Jun, hang in there!" the two somewhat bickering (?) were cut off by Mai's worried voice coming from their headphone.
That effectively turned the two spies' attention back to their target. Mai was hugging Jun who fortunately fell to her direction when Milla instinctively made a home run by KO-ing Jun. They could see that Mai panicked as Jun fell deeper to her since he lost his consciousness. Unable to do anything she simply let Jun used her lap as pillow while compressing the part where the ball hit him with her handkerchief.
Seeing the sight made Leia murmured, "This is slightly twisted version of it but don't you think this meant something actually happen between them this time?"
"Too bad Jun lost his life- I mean, his consciousness so he couldn't take a proper taste of being hugged by Mai… maybe I did throw it too hard," Milla murmured as well while hiding behind Leia since she had made quite a ruckus.
"Maybe you should use tennis ball or the like next time. Well like they said 'There are a lot of roads to Rome' so good job at this Milla," Leia said missing the point again before saying something that sounded like a compliment in Milla's ears.
Milla laughed lightly at that and wondered why Mai didn't find it odd for a baseball ball to fly around in the middle of Amusement Park. Especially, if no one actually went to her to pick up the stray ball and apologize for the mistake. She felt like maybe some of Jun's stupidity (or to put it in a better word, innocence) started to rub on Mai and she was conflicted whether she was glad or not that it did.
"Anyway, we managed to make a chance for them to grow. If by some chance nothing changed in their movement, we need to think of another way to make them grow closer. They started to frustrate me," Leia said as she watched the two intently to make sure she didn't miss any movement.
"I don't think you need to glare at them like that… but, if that this 'some chance' happened, do you have some sort of idea Leia?" Milla added although she decided that leaning on the board is more comfortable than glaring at the couple.
"The most classic of everything, shoving those two into Ferris Wheel. Something bound to happen there," Leia said without even blinking or looking at Milla when she said her answer.
Milla sighed at Leia's action before saying, "The Ferris Wheel is our last resort. Do you have another idea in mind? Mai is quite though since she didn't get scared easily so the Haunted attractions are crossed. She also had no problem against the thrilling attractions so no hugging because of fear."
"…Yeah, she is tough," Leia murmured after thinking about their usual chat with Mai.
Although she looked like your usual weak-looking girl, Mai is exceptionally tough it is almost like Gap Moe except Mai likes girly things too. From day-to-day observation, in Milla's eyes, Mai is exceptionally calm and not a lot of things managed to surprise the girl. Leia ever tried to scare the disciplinary committee with ghost stories but Mai didn't blink at all as she listened on Leia's story, seriously. At first Milla thought it was because Mai is scared of Leia's story, but short moment later she threw even scarier story to Leia, sucking the soul of the poor girl.
At the time they crashed the Game Center on Leia's idea, Mai swiftly take the challenge from Milla on the racing game in which Milla won. She also took the invitation to play the Zombie-shooting game there without flinching either so she had no problem with grotesque stuff. Milla realized she looked uncomfortable at the dance game but it wasn't like she is bad at it, she seemed to be uncomfortable with the hip-hop tune of it so she is a fan of classic. Well, that's given knowing that she joined the tea ceremony club.
If there is anything, she noticed to be something that Mai feared, maybe it would be crocodile. Anything related to it included like crocodile-skin bag or the like seems to be one of few of Mai's weakness. At few chances, she flinched at the sight of the crocodile-related stuff, even the harmless looking crocodile doll. In Milla's observation, no one in their school seems to realize about it except for her and the girl herself.
But even if they know that, it wouldn't help them since they are in the middle of an Amusement Park so no crocodile would suddenly drop out of the sky. Milla sighed since she had no talent in this matchmaking stuff before saying, "How about we leave them alone?"
That made Leia turned her attention fully to Milla with a look that asking Milla what she was thinking when saying that. Leia then straightened her back and put both her hands on her hips as she said, "You know they are ultra slow at this too right? And it's not like we are trying to be a nuisance!"
"I know that but… don't you think this stuff would be better to leave at fate's hand? I think without doing anything special they would start dating sooner or later. To be honest I'm tired…" Milla pointed as she shrugged her shoulders a little.
Leia let out an exasperated sigh before saying, "But, there are some who needed some pushing… or shoving, to move things out. Like Jude and you for example."
"Why it moved to this subject again?" Milla thought since she didn't really understand what she wanted to be for Jude in the near future since she liked to be Jude's friends.
However, Leia seems to notice Milla's tired face so she loosened her nerves before saying, "But, it is true that I got tired from that walking… do you want to take a rest somewhere? It's not like they will do anything for now since Jun is unconscious."
Milla smiled at the suggestion before saying, "Since you feel that the ice cream is wasted, how about we grab some ice cream?"
Leia's eyebrows twitched at Milla's words as she said, "Milla, you are spitting on me right?"
Milla merely gave a meaningful smile while saying, "I wonder…"
Meanwhile, in the Maxwell family estate a certain someone that Milla thought to not appear today actually appeared. After bidding a small 'I'm not going to be long' a woman in her early twenty walked down from a limousine into the entrance hall of the family mansion. Her long wavy light-blue-ish hair with green highlight that reached her knees moved along her humming.
Few maids of the residence who saw the sight of the 2nd Lady of Maxwell Family (based on the inheritance order) quickly moved to the entrance hall. In somewhat record time, the maids and butlers of the residence assembled in the entrance hall. And then when the door opened, they curtly bowed while saying, "Welcome back, Lady Muzét."
Yes, she is no other than Muzét. While she no longer took residence in Maxwell family estate, she would drop in from time to time to make sure there is no problem. Now with Milla back in the estate, the frequency of her coming to the estate increased since she care a lot about her younger sister condition. Usually Muzét would inform Milla of her coming but apparently, this time is one of the rare times where she dropped in as she likes.
Muzét eyed the mansion staff when her eyes landed on her sister personal maid, Lia. With her eyes focused on the maid she asked, "Take me to Milla."
Lia bowed deeply at that before saying, "I'm sorry Lady Muzét but that isn't possible. Lady Milla is going on a promise with her school friend."
"So you are saying that my Milla is out?" Muzét, who actually came to the estate of Maxwell family, asked with a disappointed expression on her face. Since it is weekend and she didn't hear anything about Milla going out, she clearly thought that Milla is present at the estate so she was disappointed to not see her beloved sister.
Lia bowed deeply and asked for forgiveness as if she was in wrong for making the 2nd Lady of Maxwell Corporation looking disappointed. As if to offer some way to repent her mistake, Lia said, "Yes, it was an hour ago Lady Milla stepped out from the mansion, Lady Muzét. Shall I call her to go back home to meet you? I'm sure Lady Milla would go back."
Muzét looked at the maid with her smile returned to her face. She simply shook her head as she said, "No, there is no need of that. But could you tell me where is she and with who she gone with? You said she was with her school-friend right? Which one was it?"
Lia bowed deeply once more before standing straightly. With perfect mannerism of a maid, she replied, "Lady Milla went to one of our branch structure, the Trigleph Amusement Park with her friend. We identified this friend of Lady Milla as Miss Leia Rolando, Lady Milla classmate and the one who got in with the letter of recommendation to the Rieze Maxia High."
Muzét looked thoughtful for a while as she remembering the name of one of their lesser facility. She might had cut her ties with the Maxwell Corp. job desk but at the very least she still helped Milla to take an inspection at the far-from-main-branch property like the one in overseas. Not that it mattered anyway, since sometimes Milla would do it by herself, ignoring the distance.
'Knowing my little sister, she would have done something similar…' Muzét thought as she looked at the maid who remained straight without even budging from her place. For some reason she mentally cursed her father for leaving Milla too often than not.
However, she would love to give her sister some enjoyment rather than stuck with paperwork so when an idea appeared inside her head, she mentally gave praise to herself. With a smile that mimicked a smirk, she turned to the stiff maid once more.
"Okay then, last question. Did you, by any particular chance, know what event would be held in that park today?" Muzét asked as she began typing the manager of the park to make some preparation of her (self-proclaimed) grand plan to make Milla happy.
"At 8.00 p.m. there will be a parade Lady Muzét. Other than that, there is nothing I could take a note off," Lia replied without having anymore problem. After all, she is used to assist the younger but higher in rank Lady with some of her job. In that light, Lia hold a great respect toward the younger Maxwell since handling the Corporation job is no mean a light task for anyone but Milla handled it like it was obvious.
"Okay, that's perfect. Thank you for the help but I shall excuse myself. If Milla come home tell her to go to my place sometimes whenever she was stuck. She really prone to overexert herself so you and the other staff should make sure she eat healthy and balanced food," Muzét said as she gave the maid some words for Milla and for the other staff of the house while walking out from the hall.
"I understand. I bid you a good day Lady Muzét," Lia said before bowing deeply along with the other staff to Muzét who had stepped out from the house.
Waiting in the over-sized park of the Maxwell estate was a limousine of hers, or to be precise, her beloved fiancé. She gracefully opened the door and entered the limousine to be greeted by quite grumpy Gaius who had a slight hint of blood on his cheek.
Muzét merely giggled at the sight as she asked, "Where is that new worker who was supposed to open the car door, Gaius? And how silly, you have some trace on your face."
Gaius looked to Muzét without answering and only when the latter placed herself on his laps he finally spilled what happened by merely saying, "I just cleaned him up. He was nothing special and just brought a knife and half-assed poison. Sometimes I wonder were those people even serious?"
Muzét took out her handkerchief and cleaned his face from the blood trace before she latched herself on Gaius. As she laid her head on the shoulders of the stronger and quite older man, she said, "Cut them some slack… it's not like every people in this world is my Father or someone from my family… though speaking of it…"
After Gaius told the car driver, who was used on this kind of matter as in the 'fired' worker and the couple sickening closeness, to drive out, he turned his attention to Muzét. He was quite used to his wife-to-be weird request especially when it was about something in regard of her 'experiment' if he used her word to describe it. But he knew the best that no matter how weird Muzét's experiment is, it wasn't mean to endanger anyone in any way.
After all Muzét was a brilliant inventor who worked for his corporation, which was how they even met in the first place. Although some of her invention was wackier in design and lack practicality if manufactured so she needed some help from people to 'normalize' her creation, Muzét is without doubt a genius. She is also the one who created the system in her own family corporation and his, so her work is undeniably top-notch. He knew though that because of that talent, Muzét isn't too good in another field so because of that, his future father-in-law passed the inheritance to Milla.
If Gaius needed to describe each of sibling natural talent, then Muzét would get the title of the craziest but was the best at anything mechanical. Not to mention it wasn't just on electronic device as he ever saw her messed with car engine he almost think to produce the result of her 'messing around' if only Muzét didn't stop him since there is a possibility that her engine might literally blow up a whole city. It was almost like anything with machine seems to love Muzét.
The twin siblings, Milla and Mira, complement each other flaws perfectly like a puzzle pieces. Compared to their older sister, those two are considerably more normal if not without flaw. Milla seems to be comfortable with the various management of their corporation and even with her young age, she had gained a lot of respect from those working under his future father-in-law. When she was still in dormitory, he heard from Muzét that she was already used to take an active role on her status that it worries those around her. Gaius shared the feeling since Milla always looked like she had no complaint over her burden. Anyway, while not as 'genius' as her sister, Milla is perfect in any other field her siblings didn't cover and she had the charisma to make people follow her unconsciously.
Different to her twin, Mira is more of stage person. She can manage a small portion of Milla's works if needed but her talent certainly placed in different area. He rarely saw the younger one of the twin around since the girl move around the globe as violinist. He remembered that Mira went to a music school right now but she is already a professional full-fledged violinist. Mira was prepared to act as the shadow of Milla in worst case something happened to Milla. But as he saw it, Mira didn't complaint on the worst case she needed to become Milla as she didn't resent her twin at all and Milla did her best to prevent this worst case since he knew she cared about her twin. It is worth to note that Mira is probably the most normal from the three sisters in the term of common sense.
Sometimes Gaius wondered how the most insane of the siblings became the very one he loves the most. But again, if Gaius asked Muzét the same question, most of the time he would get a 'who know~' with that adorable smile of hers on. Though Muzét nature aside, he wondered what made his fiancé ask him a favor all of sudden that he asked, "Did something happen?"
Muzét giggled and then whispered what she got from Milla's personal maid to Gaius. Of course, Muzét didn't forget to mention about her self-proclaimed grandiose plan to make her sister happy to Gaius in detail. Gaius merely nodded at it since he got the main idea despite Muzét's poor choice of wording and the sheer absurdity of it.
"I guess if that's what you ask then I could arrange something as well. From the way you said it, you had threatened the park manager to make some arrangement right?" Gaius said as he pulled out his phone to contact the resource for what Muzét asked out of blue.
Muzét merely giggled as she said, "Oh my, how rude. I was merely 'asking' their cooperation honestly and nicely you know~"
Gaius simply sighed as he didn't buy it at all. After he sent the text he merely asked, "Muzét did you get why Milla would go all her way to that small branch?"
Muzét placed an index finger on her cheek before she said, "Well, that Leia Rolando girl was the one who asked her out so it should be a friend outing. But from the frequency of Milla's outing, whenever she went out with Leia Rolando that Ibara Mai would follow suit. From what I learned when they all, with the boys included, went to beach last summer… oh, I get it. Oh my, it seems that having friends make my little sister become even more adorable~"
Gaius looked at Muzét with raised eyebrows as he didn't get from where Muzét took the conclusion. Muzét merely giggled and as she twirled her fingers with Gaius hair, she said, "Well… I could only say that spying on couple is a universal hobby my dearest husband."
And that's it for this chapter. If you ask whether I have anything to say then it is Muzét rocks lol! Oh and sorry for the running gag but I had no ill will I swear. Anyway, I don't have too much to say here so see ya in the next chapter~