Raphtalia observed as his master and the Spear Hero spoke to one another, as the two discussed everything pertaining to skills.

"As you absorb things into your Spear, you'll often unlock new recipes or gain skill bonuses to help you. Tools generally give you skills or abilities, whilst new ingredients will general provide recipes; I assume pitting in textiles will give you new recipes to work with," her Master said to the Spear Hero.

"I got that part. And I've mostly used that for autocrafting, but skill bonuses?" the Spear Hero said back.

"They improve the quality of everything you make. Sometimes, I see my Shield glowing for a moment and suddenly, the quality of whatever I'm making jumps up a step or two," Naofumi said back. "There's even some skills that apply effects to objects you create when you use them; there's a skill I have that, whenever I apply a potion to someone else, a small portion of its effects will also affect everyone else nearby."

"Wow, you really have this system figured out," Motoyasu said.

Raphtalia had always been curious about Master Naofumi's Holy Shield and its strange abilities. She had accepted very easily that the Holy Weapons gave strange and mystical abilities to the Heroes, that had been the point of them after all.

What had been a bit hard to comprehend was that the Heroes had needed to absorb materials from the world around them; why did Master Naofumi unlock new powers if he had his Shield touch it? She could only fathom that it had something to do with the Holy Weapon drawing on the symbol of the object her Master absorbed to bestow magic. Even if she couldn't understand why a rope gave him Air Strike Shield, a pickaxe seemed to bestow magic related to digging. The racoon-tanuki had come to the conclusion it was something that might have been more easily understood by Heroes and their education in Japan.

Though, it still confused her as to how exactly the Heroes become more skilled by the magic of their weapons? Did they simply gain ability? Was magic used to strengthen their crafts? There were so many questions.

At this moment, Motoyasu took a sewing kit and placed it onto the gem of his Spear. Within moments the box of various tools had disappeared and his spear transformed into a gigantic sewing needle. "Huh, I don't think I can use this for actual sewing."

"Not unless you decide to make clothes for a dragon," Naofumi agreed. "But nothing stops you from using actual tools to help you in your craft." He then turned towards Raphtalia. "Raphtalia, I'm going to make dinner. Can you teach Motoyasu?"

"I sure can!" Raphtalia smirked. After all, although everyone in the group knew at least a little sewing, the raccoon girl had been the one who helped her master learn in the first place... ..sometime right about next week, if she had to guess. Time travel made nonsense out of sequences.

Her master raised his hand and walked out the room.

Raphtalia then turned to the Spear Hero. "How about a simple exercise? Let's see how good you are at stitching some cloth together."

The Spear Hero nodded and then went to work, using a small needle from a sewing kit to bind together two separate pieces of cotton.

Raphtalia gave him a nod and then wanted to see more. "Can you do it faster?"

Motoyasu nodded his head and then went back to do that in half the time.

And that's how it went for a while. Raphtalia came up with a simple exercise and saw how quickly and how efficiently it took Motoyasu to do an assigned task.

Raphtalia eyed Motoyasu as he slowly pushed the needle through the cloth in sequence, gently stitching the cloth together yet again. "Have you done this before?" she told him.

Motoyasu nodded his head and continued to work on his design. "I had some practice before, but never made actual clothes back home. Usually, we'd just buy everything we needed."

Raphtalia nodded, knowing that in Japan, the people there had machines that made so much clothing that they often did not bother taking measurements and instead had a customer pick an outfit that fit them from a rack. Even people who weren't nobles sometimes just threw old clothes out instead of trying to salvage them. "All the same, you are surprisingly good with your hands."

Motoyasu flashed her a gentle smile. "Thank you, Raphtalia."

"So, who taught you?"

"There was Home EC, but it didn't cover the subject much." Motoyasu cupped his face. "I don't think anyone did… Mom never really did and none of the girls back home knew how to sew." He then frowned as he thought.

Raphtalia blinked several times, a mild shock reverberating through her thoughts. She had come to terms with the idea that her Master's world was not her own, but on occasion, she would learn something that challenged her idea of what was normal. "...Sorry, that's surprising."

"...How?" Beryl piped up, turning away from her own sewing work. "None of their mothers taught them how to sew? Or what about the men?"

Motoyasu looked confused. "I don't follow."

Thankfully, knowing what she was working with, Raphtalia had an explanation. "Sewing clothing is something that most common people learn here. You can't always afford new clothes, so you have to learn to repair everything. So, your parents often teach you basic skills like how to sew your own clothes." She then frowned, remembering the small lessons her mother gave her.

Motoyasu mouthed an "Oh." He turned towards Beryl. "Sorry, I forget that what's obvious to me, might not be obvious to you."

Beryl smiled. "That's okay. I'm still learning about your world, too."

"I would be happy to teach you, a bit at a time."

Raphtalia smiled as she watched the two of them. It was a shame that she never got to see this side of the Spear Hero before.

"Hey, dinner's ready!" she heard her Master's voice call to them from the next room.

Raphtalia raised a hand and got the attention of both Beryl and Motoyasu.

Without a word, both of them ran out of the room. The tanuki girl followed after them.

While much of Lute had been heavily damaged, there were still many places for one to rest their head. Master Naofumi had opted to rent a cheap if large house for them all to stay in, different from the previous ones. It was currently divided into a sleeping area, a living area, and a workshop.

In the living area, Master Naofumi placed several plates onto the large rectangular table. Tonight, he opted to create monster meat stir fry with vegetables. For sides, Master chopped potato wedges and sauteed them.

Rifana and Keel were already seated on one side. They gestured for Raphtalia to take a seat nearby.

Raphtalia obliged them.

Master Naofumi sat opposite her on the other side, with Motoyasu and Beryl opposite of Rifana and Keel respectively

"According to the villagers," the Shield Hero began. "Ren and Itsuki had already stopped by, collected their share of monster parts, and went off to who knows where."

Motoyasu breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad that they aren't going to show up."

Raphtalia nodded as well. Even if the Heroes were not going to come to blows, she remembered the looks the other three gave to her Master when he was in Motoyasu's current situation. It would not have been pretty.

Sooner or later, they'd find out eventually. Who knew what would happen when that became public knowledge, but it was better that it was put off for as long as possible.

A brief silence fell over the table as everyone started to dig into the food.

Feeling that everyone could talk about something slightly less serious, Raphtalia posed a question. "So, what's Home ECK?"

Master Naofumi gave her a look.

"Sir Motoyasu said something about it when I asked where he learned to sew," she answered.

"Oh, it's just a class you can take at school," Master explained simply.

Motoyasu nodded. "It teaches you about the basics of living in a home. Cooking, cleaning, medical care, balancing budgets, that sort of thing."

Rifana let out a light giggle. "Don't you just learn that sort of thing at home?"

"Not everyone does, not even here," Raphtalia supplied. Though it did seem kind of strange why an entire class needed to exist about something so… ordinary. It just sounded so silly to have that in a school.

Master Naofumi nodded. "That's correct, Home EC is all about making sure you know the basics of living on your own."

Motoyasu nodded. "And it's especially important if you don't have a complete family or one that doesn't know those things in the first place, either. So on top of reading, science, and mathematics, they teach you that."

"They teach us some of that, too, but I imagine it's different for you," Raphtalia said back, thinking of her days in the classroom. Pretty much everyone in the village under thirteen was educated in the same classroom before being sent off to work with their parents. Wistfully, she hoped the other kids would be safe until she got them.

Master nodded. "From what I understand, here, you are taught either by your parents to inherit their business or are assigned to work under a professional as a master and apprentice."

Raphtalia, Keel, and Rifana all nodded at the same time. As fishing village kids, they were all taught from birth the ins and outs of how to live in such an environment; everything from swimming, to net making, to which fish to avoid eating.

Though Raphtalia did admit that her parents and Miss Sadeena gave her private lessons on some topics that had nothing to do with fishing such as organization skills and the like; had her parents survived, those lessons might have included things that ordinary village girls did not know.

Master Naofumi then pursed his lip as if trying to decide to convey this. No doubt, it had to do with how different things were for people in their world. "So, for us, the major difference is that instead of personally working under a mentor, we generally start in the same schools, in groups of children of roughly the same age. This is so that we have a good general education consisting of mathematics, literature, and the sciences; then once a student knows what subjects interest them the most, their education shifts to specialize in those fields. After which, the prospective student then finds a vocation that uses those skills either joining a guild or founding their own business."

"Why do you have such a strange educational system?" Raphtalia then shook her head as she suddenly understood. "Is it because people that like working at a job are better suited to it than people that don't?"

Master nodded his head. "People who like their professions tend to learn faster than those that don't. If they don't like their tasks, they will often do the bare minimum and will not care to learn beyond the essentials."

"But if people like the subject, they'll constantly think about ways to improve?" Raphtlia turned a glance to Keel.

Keel blinked a few times and then suddenly blurted out. "You're talking about me cooking, aren't you?"

"You have been taking on more and more of kitchen duties as of late," Rifana offered. "Of course, if we let you cook everything, the only things we'll eat will be crepes and fish."

"Hey, I can cook more than that!" Keel spat back.

"Prove it!"

"Well, maybe I will!" Keel spat back, arms crossed.

Raphtalia gave them a silent giggle as she saw her friends engage in a little bickering. Also, it was good that Keel seemed more… like her old self lately. Not so much on edge, though just as easy to agitate. Hopefully, that issue that's been bothering her had been resolved, though she did not know why the dog girl couldn't tell her about it.

Raphtalia then turned to both Beryl and Motoyasu, both of them silent and not focused on the pair of demihumans that were currently arguing whether or not cooking soup counted. It was clear to the tanuki that the two had… interests they wanted to engage in. For Beryl, her eyes angled towards the counter where the filolial eggs were safely kept. Motoyasu, meanwhile, eyed the sewing kit he left in the previous room.

"Now, not everyone even in our world gets to do the job they want to do," Master Naofumi continued, causing the two demihumans to settle down just from words alone. "Sometimes, it's forced upon them by necessity and circumstance. Janitors, maids, and laborers rarely are in that profession by choice, but they can tolerate their tasks if the compensation, their wages, are good enough to justify it. And even if they don't care for their profession in of itself, there might be parts of it that they like especially more than others."

At that, Raphtalia felt a shiver down her spine as it was obvious to her that there were examples of that in this room as well.

For starters, her own Master did not like being a Holy Hero. He did not like how Melromarc treated him as a pariah, nor did he like the abuse he endured. However, she knew he did not see it as purely a punishment. After all, his trades and crafts were prone to late hours because of how much he enjoyed tinkering and negotiating.

Rifana, too also, fit this mold. She originally had no skill in herbalism, but took it up because it made her feel useful when she was at her most vulnerable. Also, she did enjoy the adventure for its own sake.

And finally, Raphtalia herself fit as well. Sure, she had played hero with her friends in the old days, but those were games. She had no interest in the real thing at all, not until her hometown was brought to ruin. And for the longest time, she was terrified of blood and violence as a whole. However, she learned to accept that, to want to improve on her own because there were things were fighting for.

"Raphtalia, you're staring at me," Master Naofumi spoke, bringing the raccoon girl back from her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry!" she offered an awkward smile.

"It's fine," Master shrugged. "It's obvious there was something on your mind."

"That's right," she admitted.

Master gave her a nod.

"So, the world of Heroes is so different, isn't it?" Beryl questioned.

"In many ways it's the same. People are still people, both here and there," Rifana said and then smiled "But you are right, it's so different in other ways, too. Did you know that they don't have levels there?"

Beryl looked like the world was tilted on its side. She turned to Motoyasu. "Wait, really? How does that work?"

Motoyasu gave the girl a nervous grin. "It's a bit hard to explain."

"I'll get the 3DS," Master offered as he rose to his feet. "It helps to have a visual aid."

Raphtalia exchanged a glance with her two friends, remembering the day that Master bought them together.

"We should probably add some pictures, too!" Rifana said aloud.

"Pictures?" Beryl blinked.

"Think of a very fast painting." Raphtalia offered a smile, remembering her own introduction to her Master's strange technologies.

"You mean that Sir Naofumi can make a painting in minutes?" Beryl beamed.

"More like in the blink of an eye," Raphtalia smirked.


In the tall grasslands around Lute, Motoyasu cut loose and unleashed his frustrations on the local wildlife.

When Motoyasu drove his Spear through the guts of a rhinoceros sized pig monster, he couldn't help but imagine a certain swine's face upon the creature's head, as the light faded from its eyes. It might have been cruel and maybe a tad sadistic, but he truly blamed her for everything wrong that happened to him since arriving in this world.

With the creature dead and dying, he flicked his Spear in one direction and let the blood fall off the blade.

"Nice work, Master!" cried Beryl as she leapt from the creature's side, pulling a knife that she had lodged in it during the fight..

"You did some work yourself!" Motoyasu smiled back.

Beryl nodded. Of course, she still had a long way to go with her level and stats being lower than his, but she was a quick study and eager to please.

Raphtalia and Rifana walked up from behind Motoyasu and tossed several small swine nearby the large pig monster.

"Did there really have to be so many of them?" Rifana muttered as she put hers on the pile.

"Well, if they're like normal pigs, they'd have big litters," Beryl offered.

"That's… not what I meant," Rifana sighed and shook her head. "Beryl, are you injured?"

"Only mildly," the fox offered. "Master Motoyasu took the brunt of the beast's attention. This gave me an opening to slice its jugular."

"That's good," Raphtalia said, sounding pleased. "Now, it's not quite the same dynamic that I have with Master Naofumi, but because Motoyasu is much tougher than you, it's often best to let him draw the attention while you swing in from a different angle."

Beryl nodded. "And that's when I attack - when the opponent is thrown off by Master Motoyasu's maneuvers."

"If they're too busy to reeling from an attack, they're usually unable to guard against further attention," Raphtalia said.

"Just remember that you can't always rely on avoiding a hit. You will take injuries, eventually. That's not a question of if, but when," Rifana added.

As the three girls continued to discuss, Motoyasu quietly observed, thanking Naofumi for offering two of his finest companions. The Shield Hero, himself, was not allowed to be nearby or else both Heroes would be unable to gain experience points. So, Naofumi suggested that Motoyasu take what companions he could and try to train. And to top it all off, he had said that anything they gathered on the field was his to do with as he wanted.

Raphtalia was there to tutor Beryl in swordplay, as she had the best skill in that field. Rifana was present to provide medical expertise.

Naofumi was not alone, however. Keel opted to stay behind because she wanted to practice some of her skills. Tama refused to leave Naofumi's side and thus was unable to gain experience while everyone was in the field. So, all of them were off working in the village of Lute.

"Bladework is more complicated than it looks, I guess," Beryl commented.

"That's just the theory," Rifana stated gingerly. "Actually learning about fighting is mostly about practicing so your body knows what to do in a given situation without having to think about it. How to keep a grip on your weapon, how to swing in a way that is quick and efficient, how to move your feet to keep pace with an enemy that's moving back, that sort of thing. Theory helps so you know what you're actually doing and why, but practice makes actually doing these things easier. You'll learn it like how Raphtalia taught us."

"Huh, where did Raphtalia learn all of this then?" Beryl questioned.

Raphtalia gave the girl a wry smile. "Master showed us many things."

Motoyasu wondered just how much of this would improve him. Sure, he knew he was powerful, but the way the girls talked about positioning, stances, and momentum, it just showed that he had little finesse backing up his power. In a way, it was the weapon that did the actual fighting; he just held it. That had to change.

As Motoyasu neared to ask about what he could have done to improve himself, he became aware of someone approaching by the shouts of men.

"Come on, that boar's going to make us rich!"

"We'll eat like kings!"

The girl suddenly stopped chattering and paid attention to the noise, readying themselves in case a confrontation happened.

Fearing discovery, Motoyasu quickly donned on his cloak and cowl and changed his Spear into a mundane looking spear. His disguise complete, he turned towards the newcomers and raised a hand towards the newcomers. "Sorry folks, but we got this one already," he said in a firm tone.

Monster hunters came out from the grass and stared at the fallen pig monster's corpse before turning to look at Motoyasu and the girls.

One of them let out a sigh. "Damn, the demihumans got to 'er first!"

"Looks like that contract is a bust," said another, this one wearing an eye patch and holding a hammer.

"Maybe not, I mean, they're just demi's, so why don't we just-"

"Forget it," said the eyepatch wearing monster hunter. "That's clearly the Shield Hero's party!"

"What? You for real?" said another mercenary.

Raphtalia stepped forward, saying nothing, but clearly staring hard at several of them.

"Look at them," said Eye-patch. "The Shield Hero has a squad of demihuman ladies and one of them beat up one of Melromarc's most prestigious knights just a week ago!"

"One of them's a man!" complained the first hunter. "The Shield Hero doesn't have demihuman men in his party."

Motoyasu waved his hand. "He expanded. I'm a new recruit!" he said, trying to sound as cheery as he could. It was sort of true, really. Just not the part of him being a demihuman.

The monster hunters did not look too pleased about that. Most likely, not eager to return to town empty handed.

"There's gotta be some other prey we can fight, and besides, boar meat is awful!" said one of the men.

The other hunters seemed to accept this, though there was clear dislike over it.

Raphtalia walked up to the monster hunters. "If you want some of the meat and fur, you can offer to buy it off of us."

Several of the monster hunters turned towards their apparent leader.

Raphtalia gently nudged Motoyasu. "Why don't you practice? After all, all of these materials are yours, because Master said they would be."

The disguised Spear Hero nodded his head as he understood. Raphtalia saw this as an opportunity to negotiate with the hunters, to practice selling to others. Very shrewd.

The leader of the hunters stepped forward. "Buy the meat off you demis?"

"There's more than we can carry. It'll go to waste." Technically, Motoyasu could have just let his Spear gobble up everything, but retrieving any of the materials from the Spear would have been tedious without the use of a Dragon Hourglass. This way, the materials could be immediately useful.

"So, why should we buy this meat?" The eyepatched leader scanned the Spear Hero, as if probing for a weakness.

Motoyasu pursed his lip and recalled the lessons Naofumi taught him on trading. Straighten the back, put on a smile, be confident, and appeal to logic.

Fact one, the hunters were out here to kill monsters as part of a contract. Someone hired to kill the monster, possibly for the materials and meat.

Fact two, the monsters were now dead, and their bodies were effectively Motoyasu's property.

Fact three, unlike a video game, loot credits were not automatically listed in some chatlog.

Then the answer came to him. No one had to know of his involvement.

"You buy it from us, you can just say you killed the monsters yourself," Motoyasu argued, proud to have come up with a solution. "I don't know anything about your contract, but you can offer to pay us less than the value of what you'd earn."

The hunters all eyed him, as if trying to puzzle it out themselves.

"You won't make as much money buying the meat from us, but that also means you never had to fight the monster and you don't have to go hunting for another. You save time and effort, in exchange for money," Motoyasu continued. Time after all could be more valuable than money.

The eyepatched hunter nodded, understanding. "Alright, lads, let's take a vote. Anyone up for money for doing nothing at all?"

Several hands went up, with only a small number of the hunters abstaining.

"Motion passed. Alright demihuman, you got yourself a deal," the hunter leader said back. He offered a hand.

Motoyasu extended his hand and they shook.

It took a minute of finagling over exact numbers, but somehow, Motoyasu finished the negotiations with help. Raphtalia ensured he was getting a fair price.

"Alright lads, hack away at the bodies!" shouted the leader as he directed his men to work, his voice growing distant as the Spear Hero and his companions left the scene.

"Oh, that was so stressful… How does Naofumi do it!" Motoyasu said as he tightly clutched the small coin sack in his wrist. He came out five gold richer, but the negotiations were nerve wracking with all of the back and forth and needing to maintain his composure. He was worried that he would have made a fool of himself. He turned to Raphtalia, his partner during the conversation. "And you didn't break a sweat either."

"Master Naofumi asks me to sell things for him from time to time," she said, a wry grin on her face. "Though, I don't do as much negotiating, I guess I've been learning how to do that from him, too."

"You're incredibly multi-talented, you know that?" Motoyasu laughed.

Raphtalia gave him a contented smirk.

"I'm a bit disappointed that we wouldn't be extracting the fat," Beryl muttered as she walked past. "But money is good, too."

"Well, I can't say I'm complaining . Blood isn't terrifying anymore, but I can't say I'm eager to have it dripping down my armor if I can help it. So, I'm fine with letting that be someone else's problem." said Rifana. She then turned to Motoyasu and looked up at the top of his head. "Huh, I was thinking no one would believe it. I mean, they look so fake."

"That's because my goal isn't to fool demihumans, but humans in Melromarc," Motoyasu offered as he gently adjusted his handiwork.

"Still, you'd think someone would have noticed that your ears aren't moving," Rifana grumbled.

"Human ears are far less flexible. We're used to the idea of animals having moving ears, but for most part, we don't expect it," Motoyasu explained.

"So, the only reason this disguise works is because humans don't pay attention to this?" Rifana questioned.

"It seems like it," Motoyasu said back.

It was interesting how his disguise worked. All Motoyasu did was stitch fake fox ears onto the hood of his cloak, giving the impression that the ears were poking out through the fabric through ear holes. It was a crude disguise, reliant on the fact that most people weren't going to pay attention to the fact his ears weren't moving to hone in on sounds. It would never stand up to any serious scrutiny and he couldn't remove the hood of his cloak or the entire disguise would crumble.

Still, it was a disguise that he whipped up in an hour and he planned on outdoing himself eventually. Maybe if he could find a way to hide his actual ears and could find a way to seamlessly create ones that fit on top of his head without a cloak… but unfortunately, he was not a practiced cosplayer. The closest he got to that was when he looked at the pictures of various angel cosplays he had seen throughout the years, especially the ones that dressed up as Fleonne.

"Master," Beryl spoke aloud, drawing him back to reality.

Motoyasu looked to his side. "Yes?"

"Why did you pick fox ears?" the fox girl asked as she tilted her head as if to examine them.

"Oh, well, I… don't actually know," Motoyasu said. The entire getup was an at a whim idea, the sort of thing that happened because he had an idle thought. He did not have a reason to pick vulpine ears over feline or canine ears; did he use Beryl's ears as a model? Maybe he should have tried making angel wings, but were there any bird demihumans? He would have to ask Naofumi that.

"You know," Rifana gave the two of them a light chuckle. "With some adjustments to the coloring or dying your hair, you could make it so that you look related. Maybe brother and sister?"

Beryl giggled. "That would be funny, but I don't think anyone would believe it."

"Remember, the goal is to fool humans, not demihumans," Motoyasu smirked, as the idea started to form in his mind. Making a more involved disguise would be more effort, but maybe it would work; he'd rather be a demihuman than the Spear Hero right about now. He then set the notion aside as he spotted some large goat-like monsters in a nearby field. "But I think we've got some more training to do."

There were round nods before the four of them descended.


Despite the damage it endured during the Wave, Lute bustled with activity as the reconstruction efforts began.

As soon as the King's feast had concluded, soldiers and merchants flocked to the devastated village to aid in its rebuilding, both because of the King's decrees, but also because of the sheer amount of money being put into the rebuilding efforts because of the prestige associated with Lute. The Wave may have gone through it, but the spirit of the people was strong and enduring, bolstered by neighboring settlements.

For Naofumi's part, that meant a substantial business opportunity. While it was true most of the coin that changed hands was deeply invested in construction and agricultural works, there was plenty of money to be had as monster hunters flocked to the village in droves; not only were there plenty of monsters that had fallen through the crack in the sky that still needed to be cleaned up, there were plenty of hunters who were interested in researching what exactly was the enemy and needed to upgrade their gear.

For a good accessory craftsman, that meant customers.

With Motoyasu and most of the girls out, Naofumi manned the small store he had set up in the rebuilding market square, offering to prospective buyers what they needed.

"That's going to increase your defense and the other one will boost MP recovery."

"Speed up? Do you want that in green or blue?"

"If you want as much attack power as possible, you can't go wrong with that bracelet."

"Thank you, Sir Hero," was the most common reply.

Despite the activity normally being something he enjoyed, Naofumi felt his thoughts drawn back to Motoyasu, about how the Spear Hero now endured the fate that was originally his. At very least, he would not be suffering alone, but it hurt seeing someone else go through that hell. The best the Shield Hero could do is offset it.

"... Tama is outselling," Keel complained to him during a short lull in the activity. She waved and greeted potential customers, though none were interested at the moment.

"How are you sure?" Naofumi questioned the demihuman.

"The way they look at him, especially whenever he's napping or playing," Keel muttered darkly. "He isn't even trying and he steals their attention anyways."

"He is very cute… and cute does sell." Naofumi turned a glance to the tiger cub who playfully rolled a ball that was larger than his whole body from within his cage. It was so adorable the way he tried to bite on it with teeth that haven't fully formed yet.

"I suppose you're right." Keel frowned, though maybe a bit enviously.

"You do reasonably well enough," Naofumi told the dog girl. "And besides, you can do numbers, and he can't."

Keel bore a smirk, clearly enthusiastic about that.

Naofumi turned away and went back to tabulate something on a ledger before Keel spoke to him.

"Hey, uh Naofumi?" the dog girl began.

"Yes?" The Shield Hero turned his head.

"Sorry, for uh… things," Keel twiddled his fingers.

"Sorry for what?" Naofumi squinted an eye at her. He had known that Keel had been feeling rough for the past few days, ever since they had returned to Melromarc, but she had said nothing about what was causing the issue. He hadn't pressed her on it because things just kept getting in the way, and now this was the first time they were alone, away from Raphtalia.

"Nothing!" the girl said immediately. "Just… uh been under the weather."

Naofumi grunted with annoyance. That can't have been the reason, not when the so-called weather had been stable for the past week. So, whatever the actual reason, she was not telling him. He sighed. Fine. If she ever wanted to explain herself, she'll do it on her own time; he had bigger problems. "Whatever, just remember to work hard."

"Got it!"

Naofumi pursed his lip and went back to his ledger.

Come to think of it, wasn't Keel grumpy back when she had met her the first time around? This time, she hadn't been like that for most of the time he knew her, but that's because of the situation being different. The girl had only really started to get agitated this time around when … Raphtalia kissed him.

Keel had spent the majority of her life being raised as a boy, for reasons that Naofumi couldn't quite understand. What were the chances that as part of that, she had something of a crush on Raphtalia? After all, Keel did want to spend time with her after Cal Mira, but never got the chance to due to her level and situation.

Tama yet out a yawn, prompting several passersby to walk up to the store and gush at the tiger.

Naofumi dropped his musing and turned to give them an expression honed by months of retail.

"Damn it!" Keel spat nearby.


"Naofumi!" he heard Motoyasu's voice call out to him, a hand brushing against his shoulders.

Naofumi lifted his head and turned to look at the back of Motoyasu's face, his gaze fixed on something else in the room.

Everything was so dark, with the only illumination being the moonlight that spilled from the windows and a dim candle light. It was… very late at night.

Raphtalia had also awoken, looking in the same direction, tapping Beryl with her hands.

For a moment, Naofumi did not know what was going on, but then he remembered. Filo!

The Shield Hero practically jumped out of bed, just in time to see the eggs in their incubators forming spider web cracks. Naofumi briefly recalled back in school that many egg laying species were prone to having coordinated hatchings, where the young inside the egg could sense the presence of others in the same clutch. They would all synchronize hatching together as a sort of survival mechanism.

Beryl also arose, realizing just what was happening. "It's… it's time…" she muttered.

Then, tiny beaks pushed out of the eggshells before the creatures inside burst free, scattering eggshells like it was confetti.

Three little filolial chicks emerged from the eggs, letting out bright chirps and staring with wide eyes. One was yellow, another white, while the last and the most important was a pale pink.

Beryl gushed. "So cute!"

Motoyasu took the two chicks that were his and passed one to the fox girl for observation.

Naofumi reached for a familiar chicklet and put her in his arms. It had been so long since he had seen her, especially so small. He remembered how overjoyed he was when Filo was first hatched; she was a bright spot in a world full of misery, a creature that reminded him of simpler times. Even when Filo had turned out to have a voracious appetite combined with the temperament of a bratty child, he still cared for her. He may have had to make plenty of threats to discipline her, but it wasn't like he could hate her, not when he had plenty of pride in her.

Seeing her again, as a little chicklet, after spending so long away from her… It was soothing in a way nothing else was.

"Kwaa! Kwaa!" Filo chirped. She looked up at him and Raphtalia. She seemed agitated. "Kwaa!"

That was not … the expected reaction.

"Filo?" Raphtalia said cautiously.

Filo tilted her head upwards, looking at her. "Kwaa!" she said in a happy tone.

It was like she recognized her own name… or maybe that's exactly what happened.

"So, you're still going to name her that?" Motoyasu said with a smirk.

Filo turned towards Motoyasu and gave several frightened cries. She rapidly flapped her wings, as if to point them at him.

"Uh, is something wrong?" the Spear Hero went over to the chick, bringing a hand close to her.

Filo responded by nearly nipping his hand, stopping only when the Spear Hero backed away.

"I think she's just… afraid of you," Naofumi said. Recognizing her name might have been a coincidence, but given her reaction to Motoyasu, there was little doubt now. Somehow, Filo remembered the previous timeline and that was a problem, considering Motoyasu was not the same man he had been then.

"Kwaa…" Filo said, her tone almost implying uneasy fear.

"Listen to me, Filo," Naofumi said in a soothing tone. He gently patted the little chicklet on the head. "Motoyasu is a nice guy. He won't harm you, okay? You can trust me."

Filo tilted her head into the head pats, soothed. "Kwaa…" she sounded content.

The two other chicklets started to make some noise, drawing attention to themselves. There was a clear air of jealousy about them.

Motoyasu turned to the little filolials and rubbed them with a gentle hand. "Don't worry, Papa has you," he said in a gentle tone. "I'll take good care of you, okay?"

The two chicklets seemed hesitant but one soothing rub against his hands brought them to his side.

"Because of your colors, I think I'll call you Yuki after the snow," Motoyasu told the white colored chick.

"Twee!" the newly named Yuki cheered, happy at her new name.

"And… maybe I can call you Chick?" Motoyasu mused aloud.

"Master!" Beryl said in indignation.

"Just kidding!" said the Spear Hero, as he rubbed his chin. "Let's call you Kou, because you're yellow."

Kou flapped his wings in jubilation.

Motoyasu smiled at his two chicks and the fox girl who stood by his side. It was good to see the man in such high spirits. Naofumi wondered if he must have looked like that when he first got Filo.

Raphtalia gave Naofumi a smirk. "They sound like good names."

Filo seemed to give Raphtalia an annoyed look, though at the same time, it was clear that the little filolial chick was having a hard time understanding what was going on. She just kept staring at the two chicklets who hatched alongside her.

For a moment, Naofumi wondered about renaming Filo then and there, just because he knew that naming was not one of his strong suits. On the other hand, it just wouldn't be the same if he did that, would it? Especially not when he practically knew it was Filo, the same Filo that he had raised before.

Naofumi shook his head and brought the little chick close to his face. "I'll explain everything later, okay?

"Kwaa!" Filo let out a happy cry, as if hearing that soothed all of his woes.

"Hello, there!" Rifana approached, her tone exhausted from having just woken up.

Filo looked at the girl with some confusion, not knowing who she was.

"My name is Rifana, uh I am glad to meet you!"

Filo blinked several times, still not understanding. Though she did allow the tall weasel girl to pat her on the head.

Naofumi wondered if that simply was because Filo never actually met Rifana back then, only her remains. Maybe something to ask her once she could talk again.

Keel also arose from her bed, her eyes weary. "Keep it down will you… what's so important anyways?"

"Keel, the eggs hatched," Rifana said in a matter of factly tone.

"Oh…. I guess that's good," Keel didn't sound too impressed. "It's way too early for this…"

"Kwaa!" Filo let out a shrill cry. She seemed excited to see Keel again, even if the dog girl did not care much.

Naofumi looked outside. The sky was starting to change colors, though only a little. "Actually, we might be just before sunrise. It's not that early, but going back to bed will be pointless."

Keel muttered several sailor curses. "If you need me, I'll be outside..." she said as she walked out the door.

Tama, the last member of the party Filo had to meet, let out a shrill… cry. Baby tigers could not roar properly; their lungs were simply not big enough. Instead, it came out like an adorable high pitched yelp.

Naofumi looked down and saw the white tiger cub on the floor, preparing to climb up the Shield Hero's leg to find out what was going on.

The Shield Hero knelt downward and placed the little chicklet on the floor next to him. "This is Filo, she's a filolial or a bird. Filo, this is Tama, he's a tiger."

Both the filolial and the tiger looked at each other with vague apprehension. Filo locked eyes with the tiger, while Tama instead sniffed the air around the Filolial.

"Gwaa!" Tama was the one to announce something, his voice between a growl and a purr.

"Kwaa!" Filo answered back, her tone… annoyed.

"Gwaa!" Tama said, insisting… something…

"Kwaa!" Filo argued back.

Naofumi looked at the scene with a vague curiosity. It was like they were having a conversation, despite all logic making this seem odd. Did they share a language or something? Or was this just because they were basically animals.

Also, a small part of him worried if the two of them wouldn't get along.

Tama then walked up to Filo and…. licked her.

Filo let out an agitated cry and ruffled her feathers. "Kwaa!"

"Kwaa!" Yuki shouted as she looked at the scene.

"Kwee!" said Kou, sounding just as amused.

Beryl set the two chicks down next to Tama and Filo. Tama licked them both, too. The chicklets all started to laugh.

The whole thing looked so adorable, Naofumi really wondered if his teeth were going to fall off from suddenly developing cavities.

Motoyasu stood next to Naofumi and gave him a smile. "Well, I'm glad that they're all friendly ," he told him. "I wonder how long it will be for them to level up."

Naofumi nodded his head slowly. In the next week or so, those chicks will grow up very fast, possibly becoming Royals in the process… and eventually, gain the power to shapeshift into winged children. Maybe he should tell Motoyasu about that, but at the same time, the Shield Hero felt that telling him now might cause him to fall into old habits. Maybe it would be a good time to let them bond together, like this.

"So, how does it feel to be a father?" Motoyasu laughed.

"I'm not really…" Naofumi froze, not expecting the question. Back when Filo first gained the ability to speak to him, she had asked if that meant he was her father. He had refused then, because at the time, he did not want to form any attachments in a world that hated him and insisted that he was an owner and she was his monster. Yet despite that, he hadn't really treated her like she was just a monster.

Maybe Motoyasu's question had real merit.

Filo turned to give him a look, as if expecting an answer. Raphtalia, too, also gave him a glance.

So, Naofumi made his answer. "I mean, I'll give it a try."

Filo let out a delighted shriek.

Motoyasu nodded back. "Same." He then let out a yawn. "So, I guess we'll have to level them up and get them to hit maturity? Early morning grinding and farming sound like a plan?"

"Not too early," Naofumi said. Admittedly, a part of him wanted to enjoy Filo as she currently was, small and cute enough to fit on top of his head. But sooner or later, they had to train and level up. "I think we should spend the time getting to know them better."

"Good idea," Motoyasu ageed.

The two of them looked with amusement as Beryl, Rifana, and Raphtalia took turns coddling the baby animals.

"Hey, Naofumi, think can you take a picture?" Motoyasu suggested.

"Way ahead of you," Naofumi said. He reached towards the shelf that carried his laptop and turned its camera over to the girls and the young beasts. He activated the camera and saved an image on his computer.

Naofumi felt pride in his handiwork, seeing that this precious moment would be saved forever.

Then, as the Shield Hero went to close his laptop for storage once again, he noticed an icon on his desktop.

An idea formed in Naofumi's mind, a plot that he had conceived of back at home. He activated the icon and navigated towards a specific directory. He placed his laptop top on a table, positioning it just right. He then got all of the small creatures nearby. Then he ran the program.

An annoyingly high pitched J-Pop song blared out of the laptop's speakers, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Young girls danced in front of the opening theme song, all of them dressed in school uniforms that transformed into bright, colorful dresses that emphasized their personality traits.

The young animals all stared to watch at the screen, entranced.

"Why do you have that in your laptop?" Motoyasu flashed him a bemused look. "I didn't think you'd be into Magical Girls of all things."

"It's a project that never came to fruition," Naofumi responded.

It had been Naofumi's intention to entertain a young Raphtalia, to show her what passed for entertainment for girls in his world. That idea had fallen through when he learned that just because he could understand everyone, no one here could understand Japanese. That plus, he ended up forgetting about the program once he started really thinking out how he wanted to handle the other Heroes.

For the animals, it probably didn't matter if they understood everything in your average cutesy magical girl anime.

Even Beryl and Raphtalia were looking at the screen.

"Oh wow, are those stars and hearts?" Beryl questioned.

"... I don't understand a word of what's going on, but it looks interesting. How do you get pictures to move like that?" Rifana questioned.

Naofumi wondered if he should tell them that they were too old for such a silly kid's cartoon. Then again, why hinder their enjoyment?

He hadn't actually watched this show either; he just had a recommendation from someone he knew online. … Come to think about it, when was the last time he had stopped to enjoy any sort of anime?

He took a seat down. Filo leapt into his lap….followed by Tama, who also wanted to see.

Filo cried in annoyance. "Kwaa!"

"Gwaa!" Tama said back.

Though there did not seem to be any major hostility between the two.

Raphtalia sat by his side, flashing him a smile.

The Shield Hero couldn't help but feel the world be just that much brighter, with Filo back in his life.


Rifana kept away from the house as the two Heroes became acquainted with the new chicks. She felt that after the initial introductions with Filo, Kou, and Yuki, the others deserved some time with the young birds.

That, plus, she felt that the herb stocks were in desperate need of a refill. Besides, it wasn't like she was that far from the village either. She could see the gate from where they stood, even if it was a little distant.

It was still the early morning when the weasel girl had become aware that someone had been looking at her.

She turned her head to see a carriage passing by, the kind that were used for the incredibly wealthy and rich. It suddenly stopped moving, as a young face that was difficult to make out turned to look at her.

Then, abruptly the door opened and what appeared to be a young noble girl came rushing out, lifting her dress as she walked over to her.

Guards from the carriage immediately became aware and went to chase after the young lady, though the girl was surprisingly agile and evaded the soldiers.

Rifana pursed her lip, wondering just what was going on. She opted not to draw her sickle, sensing there was no hostility in the air. "Uh, hello?"

The young lady froze then and blinked.

"Can I help you with something?" Rifana questioned. "You, uh, went out of your way to come meet me."

"I … uh…" the young lady winced, clearly something bothered her. "I heard about you. The Shield Hero has a weasel demihuman with distinctive pink hair. You are in his party, right?"

Ah, that made perfect sense. The young noble woman likely only knew about her due to her connection with Sir Naofumi. Perhaps, she had this impression that Sir Naofumi was unapproachable and thought that talking to one of his underlings would have been wiser? To be fair, it kind of was the truth.

"Yes, that's correct." Rifana put on a smile and waved a hand. "My name is Rifana."

The girl blinked several times, as though hearing her name disturbed her.

Snapping out of it, the girl became uncertain, hesitant. She visibly mustered the courage to speak. "I… my name is Melty,"

Now it was Rifana's turn to blink, realizing that she was in the company of the Crown Princess of Melromarc… and from what she gathered, a friend of Rapthalia and Sir Naofumi. Though, she did not recall the full details of her arrival from her friend's perspective. Still, she put on a brave face and tried to make the most of this confusing situation. "I assume you have business with Master Naofumi?" she said, borrowing Raphtalia's name for him, all to better seem like a slave girl.

"Princess… " one of the guards muttered.

Melty waved a hand at him, clearly instructing the foot soldier to not get too involved. She turned to Rifana and spoke in a very professional tone, her back straight and shoulders square. "I, Princess Melty Q Melromarc, humbly request an audience with your Master, the Shield Hero, Sir Naofumi."

"I would be delighted to introduce you," a small part of Rifana laughed in joy, remembering the silly pretend games that she and the others played. At least once or twice, someone had to pretend to be royalty. And now, an actual Princess was asking her for an invitation.

Princess Melty seemed to hesitate a little, though she nodded her head and directed the weasel girl to her carriage. "Please, allow me to provide transport."

"I humbly accept," Rifana said with a smile, taking her filled herb satchel with her.

Both girls climbed into the stagecoach and let the horses take them into Lute. The guard who normally requested a payment or a merchant's pass abruptly froze in place and sputtered jargon the moment he realized who was entering town.

Though the trip was short, Rifana could make out a few details in the corner of her eye, namely Melty seemed to be nervously staring at her for some reason. It couldn't have been because she was a demihuman, because she could tell there was no malice in the Crown Princess. Instead, there was something else, something about her that made the girl uncomfortable.

Melty said nothing during the short trip. The guards also seemed very nervous about the whole thing, perhaps reading the uncomfortable feelings from their Crown Princess as a sign of danger? No one threatened Rifana, but it was clear that there was something uneasy about the girl; she kept glancing at the weasel, as if to make sure she was there.

When they arrived at the small house Naofumi booked for them, the weasel girl got out of the carriage first and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Keel's voice sounded out, her voice distorted by, of all things, a loud musical symphony.

"It's me, Keel!" Rifana said eagerly. "I got a guest who wants to see Sir Naofumi!"

"Right, I guess we're expecting someone," Keel said as she opened the door and spoke a line. The smell of cooked meat hung in the air around her, whilst a peppy music tune filled the air.

"Alright, so if this is… wait, you're not the cart merchant…"

"No, she isn't," Sir Naofumi said as he turned to the Princess. "Princess Melty Melromarc," he said in a flat tone. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your arrival?"

The Princess walked into the room, her posture firm. "I am Princess Melty, and I wish to speak to you about- Filo... Filolials!" she abruptly corrected herself.

Rifana turned and spotted the Princess's gaze affixed towards the cloud of fluffy bird chicks and a tiger that stared at Sir Naofumi's wondrous laptop as it sang out both musical tunes and flashed the images of girls in witch outfits casting spells.

At the call of her name, Filo turned towards Melty and leapt off the table.

Rapthalia caught the little bird before she hurt herself in the fall.

Rifana was very confused, but she was observant enough to understand. There was no way that Melty would know who Filo was since Filo had just been hatched this morning. Unless she knew who Filo was before she was hatched, just like Naofumi and Raphtalia.

Both Naofumi and Raphtalia caught onto this as well, their eyes giving Princess Melty curious gazes.

"Is there something wrong?" His voice frosty, Motoyasu gently patted his chicks, eying the Princess with a cold and steely gaze.

"Sorry, I just… filolials are so cute!" Melty sounded like she had a hard time breathing.

"Your majesty," Sir Naofumi said before turning to Melty. "Would you like to have a private conversation?"

"I grant this," Melty said eagerly, though her gaze turned over to Filo in Raphtalia's hands. "Uh, may I carry her?"

"I understand," Naofumi said as he picked up Filo from Raphtalia and handed her over to Melty.

Filo chirped excitedly in Melty's hands and it was clear from the get go that they were fond of each other.

"Stop scratching me." Sir Naofumi then frowned as he looked down. He picked up an excited Tama from the floor. "Fine, you can come, too."

Tama let out a pur of contentment as he was carried in his owner's arms.

"Stay outside and keep the house secure," the Princess gave a command.

Melty's guards seemed hesitant about their Princess's order, but none visibly questioned her at that moment. They stepped out.

Sir Naofumi led the Princess out of the rental house and to somewhere else

Motoyasu, content with the Princess having left, continued to stare at Naofumi's laptop as the two filolials in his lap were affixed to it.

Rifana walked over to Raphtalia and whispered in her ear. "I think she is like you and Sir Naofumi."

Raphtalia nodded back and whispered back. "She knows Filo, just like how Filo seems to know her."

Rifana stared at the screen of Sir Naofumi's laptop. Three girls and a boy dressed in fanciful clothing were in some sort of fight against an evil queen it seemed. It was hard to tell what was going on because she couldn't understand a word that was said during the whole thing, though the young animals seemed to be very invested in whatever was happening.

"Princess Melty does not seem to like me," Rifana said next. "It can't be something I did. You told me I died before I met her, so why do I make her nervous?"

"She carried your bones so we could bury you at home," Raphtalia said softly.

That took Rifana a moment to comprehend. The Crown Princess of Melromarc, in a world where things were just slightly different, carried her body to be buried in her home village. The weasel girl knew she was supposed to be dead, her friends changed her fate, allowing her to grow and fight back. The Crown Princess knew what things were supposed to be.

"No wonder why she's bothered by me," Rifana muttered, thinking of the situation from the Princess's perspective. "Imagine meeting the small slave girl that you carried the bones of, only to see she was so much taller than you."

Raphtalia nodded. "It's a little awkward, but trust me, she is a good friend."

Rifana smiled back. She had heard stories of Melty from Raphtalia and Naofumi, all of them remembered fondly. She wouldn't mind having a new friend, especially one that her friends knew but she had never met.

The weasel girl idly wondered how to approach the Princess about this. How do you say thank you to the girl who helped take you to your grave?

She shivered. Maybe that was too morbid.


Ever since Melty had found herself back in the past, she had found herself struggling to change things for the better. Yet even with her knowledge of things that would come to pass, there was very little she could do while Faubrey.

The Princess of Melromarc had hoped to restore her Mother's intended plans, to divide the Heroes among their intended nations, but even when she told her mother about what she had seen, there was little that could have been done as negotiations dragged on.

She had considered trying to speak to father through a letter, to warn him about the den of vipers that was the Church of Three Heroes, but she knew her father's weaknesses very well.

At one point, she found some filolials and begged for them to take a message to Fitoria, because she was that desperate to change the fates of the Heroes.

In the end, Melty had only one option available to her. She told her mother everything that she was aware of. From the torment the Shield Hero underwent, the treachery of her older sister, the failings of each and every one of the Heroes, her father's hatred making him into a fool, and the dangerous weapon the Pope kept locked away.

While distance kept either of them from taking full advantage of her knowledge, they had the Shadows at their disposal to carry out their will. There were odd reports from home, the Shield Hero had never been charged with a crime for and somehow recruited more demihumans into his party than before. Yet despite these changes, Melty hoped her knowledge could still guide.

When a contact of her mother told her about the Replica, Melty knew it was time to return home. She had always intended to return early, to sooner introduce herself to Naofumi, to rebuild the friendship she had with Filo. She didn't care that she had to start over again, in fact, a part of her wanted to make a better first impression.

So for weeks, she had this meeting in her mind, meeting Naofumi and hoping to win him over. She hoped that without the accusation marring his reputation, that it would be easier to convince him that she was not his enemy.

In all of her planning, she did not think she would have a filolial chick on her head.

Melty did not care that it would ruin her hair. There was a filolial chick on her head!

"Kwaa!" Filo cried out in excitement as she rode atop the Princess's head, snugly burying herself inside.

The little cat in Naofumi's arms shot his head up. He looked like some of the pictures of Hakuko she had seen before. "Gwaa!" he made a strange, growling noise.

It was clear he was jealous of the attention.

"Oh, who are you?" Melty giggled; she wasn't much of a cat person, but he still looked adorable. She gently patted the cat on the head.

"That's Tama. He's new."

Tama let out a contented purr, rubbing his face into her hand.

Filo let out a cry of annoyance.

"Sorry, Filo!" Melty giggled as she patted the filolial chick once again.

Sir Naofumi looked at them with an amused expression. "So, you remember, too?"

Melty nodded her head.

It was as private as they could make it in such short notice. The three of them were in the bedroom of the small house. The door was closed yet the noise that… flat crystal music box… leaked through. As long as they kept their voices down, no one would overhear them.

"In retrospect, it explains why you are so better adjusted than before," Melty said, recalling some of the contents of various status reports the Shadows gave her. "You made an incredible amount of money in such a short time that mother and I received word of it. The reports made it almost sound like you knew exactly what you were doing…As it turns out, you did."

"It helps to be able to read the local language," Naofumi said simply, an air of casual pride around him. Well earned, though still annoying. "So, Second Princess, was Eclair your doing?"

"I'm not-" Melty's outrage burst into a laugh. She didn't realize just how much she missed that annoying little nickname the Shield Hero had given her. Oh, how unladylike. She stiffened her back and changed to a formal tone. "In light of our meeting, I will forgive this insult, but yes, I was the one who gave Eclair her mission."

"Sure," Naofumi let out a sigh. "At least, that explains that mystery, but why did you free her and give her an assignment with Itsuki of all people?"

"Because Bow Hero is by far the most dangerous of the other three Heroes," Melty said flatly. After all, while the Sword Hero and the Spear Hero each caused suffering to villages, Itsuki brought an entire country to its knees with a single arrow. There was no way neither she nor her mother would trust him with anything. "So, right now, Lady Eclair's task is to ensure he doesn't do anything dangerous. It also helps that the Shadows are giving him jobs."

"I can understand that reasoning," Naofumi said.

Filo jumped repeatedly on the Princess's head. It was a clear sign she wanted attention. Melty was happy to oblige.

She took the little chick into her arms and held Filo in a hug.

Filo trilled happily.

Tama let out an annoyed growl.

"Kwaa!" Filo cried back, almost like she was gloating.

"You're so cute like this!" Melty told the small chick. Now, she was glad to have arrived so early.

She turned back to the Shield Hero. "So, I was originally here to learn about what you knew about the Replica, but I think that's a moot point now since I was hoping mother's contact had new information about the weapon."

"Huh, why does your mother know about a slave merchant?" Naofumi thought out loud. "Either way, it's good to know we're not the only ones who've been sent back."

Melty frowned. "Do you know why we're in the past?"

Sir Naofumi shook his head. Disappointing, but not unexpected.

Melty looked out at the door, remembering the faces that were on the other side. Only some of them she was familiar with. "You've been busy."

"I don't know what happened, but a few weeks ago, I found myself in my world before the Summoning. I took steps to prepare for that," he explained. "Raphtalia found herself in the past as well. She was back to being a slave child, but used the opportunity to save her friends when she could."

Melty paled slightly, at the thought. She knew what Raphtalia had gone through in her country. While it was fortunate for her to rescue her friends, the thought of the raccoon demihuman going through that torment bothered her.

There was also Rifana, that girl who should have been a skeleton. One so much… smaller. Oh, she was as tall as Raphtalia. It really brought home the point that demihumans could become grown if they trained hard… and about how fighting Waves could really make people have to grow up. Some had it more literal than others. "... Is there anyone else? People who have come back, that is?"

"Until this morning, Raphtalia and I were the only ones we were sure of," the Shield Hero explained. "When Filo hatched, it was clear she knew who we were and was confused by the whole situation. And now, there's you."

"It's good to know that I did not have to start over completely, it neatly explains why some events have changed, because you changed them." Melty smirked. "But what about Motoyasu? Why is he here?"

Naofumi's expression turned dark. He had that look in his eye that he bore when he wanted to destroy the world. "...Your sister accused him of rape, two days ago, in fact. At the end of the feast to celebrate Lute's defense."

Melty looked down; even Filo looked crestfallen.

Motoyasu might have been a jerk to her and Filo, but even he did not deserve that. "I see."

"Motoyasu isn't a bad guy," Naofumi said in a flat and even tone, which almost sounded surreal to Melty's ears. "He's been lied to and manipulated by your sister; he has a good side to him. He has a heart."

And my sister pulled it out. "... I understand." A part of Melty wondered if she had made the journey sooner, the Princess might have been able to spare the man's reputation. But she wondered how her father would have acted.

Maybe the only thing she could do was move forward.

"Kwaa…" Filo cried weakly, catching the Princess's attention.

"Sorry, Filo!" Melty said. "I'm just lost in thought."

"Kwaa!" Filo rubbed her head against the Princess's chest.

Tama looked like he wanted to growl to get his own pettings, but the Shield Hero stopped him in his tracks by patting his head.

Naofumi gave the two an approving nod. "Unless you have something else to bring up, I think we're done here."

Melty couldn't think of anything, but maybe that's just because all of her attention was solely on the little chick she held. "I believe we are."

"You should spend time with each other," Naofumi suggested. "And you should probably meet everyone else, especially Motoyasu's party."

Melty frowned. Remembering the obsession the man had over Filo. Then again, with chicks of his own, maybe he wouldn't be such a problem. After all, Naofumi was vouching for the man.

How bad could he be?


"Master, what's this… show about?" Beryl said as she eyed the Naofumi's laptop as it played the anime.

Everyone watched the show, though the Spear Hero was sure that he was the only one who understood everything about it. At least Kou and Yuki loved watching alongside him. He wondered if the little birdies could understand what was going on; they seemed so bright and intelligent in a way that you wouldn't expect from newly hatched animals.

Motoyasu's eyes shifted to the weasel demihuman. "Well, this is your standard Magical Girl anime." He then remembered that this was the first time any of the people here had even heard of this kind of thing. "Okay, so, in your world, are there stories that feature specific types of characters as major figures? Like, are there stories about say knights courting ladies in your world?"

"You mean like Chivalric Romance?" Rifana spoke up from behind him. "Or maybe Heroic Tales, which are all about the Heroes and their adventures!"

"Yeah, like that!" Motoyasu answered. "A Magical Girl anime is a type of story revolving around young girls battling forces of evil. It's normally meant for children. It features singing, dancing, and the girls changing into colorful costumes when they fight."

"But can't someone attack them while they do that?" Keel asked. "Like, it takes a good minute for that pink girl to do her dance."

"Sometimes they do; it doesn't always work. Sometimes there's a protective barrier. Other times, the actual transformation takes only a second," Motoyasu answered. It honestly felt good to talk about anime, even if he was the only person who really understood the basic tropes.

"Okay, but why are they keeping secrets from their parents?" asked Raphtalia. "Especially since half the monsters seem to be their classmates."

"I never really asked that question, but I think it's meant to be relatable?" Motoyasu said. After all, these kinds of shows were aimed towards girls who were not yet old enough for college. "Like, most girls who would watch this kind of show are as old as the girls you see on screen. So, the people who make the show think that those girls can see some of themselves in the show itself. That's also why there's a handful of them, each with a different personality."

"That makes a whole bunch of sense!" Rifana answered.

The screen now showed the main heroine and her love interest arguing some sort of philosophy against the current monster of the week. They spoke about the greatness of the human spirit and about how they were going to fight for their loved ones, no matter the price.

The chicks on his lap let out several excited chirps, cheering on the protagonists. It was almost like they were agreeing.

Beryl gently patted Kou before helping Yuki.

Motoyasu smiled at his little chicks. He almost wished he didn't have to raise their levels and to let them take their time, but that was not a luxury he could not afford, not when he wanted to find Rino.

Just then, the door opened and Naofumi and that… Princess came back out of the room.

The Princess held Filo in her arms, whilst Tama napped in Naofumi's.

"Thank you for your time, Sir Shield Hero," the Princess said as she then made a curtsy.

Naofumi grunted in affirmation.

Motoyasu wondered what could have possessed the man to allow the Princess of Melromarc to hold onto Filo. She was related to her. So, why was he trusting her with someone so important?

The Princess then moved over to him.

Motoyasu kept his gaze locked onto the Princess, waiting for her to make the first move. "Can I help you?" he asked.

The Princess's gaze became sickened, as if conflicted. "I… was informed of your current predicament," she said in a cool tone.

Motoyasu squinted his eyes, wrapping his arms around his precious chicks. Beryl's hands found its way onto his arm. He didn't say anything.

"My sister is a troublemaker. And I am sorry that she has decided to make a victim out of you," she said. There was a hint of frustration in her voice. "I don't understand the events that led up to you being branded like this, but I and my mother will do everything to restore your reputation."

"I don't care about that. I don't care what everyone else thinks of me." Motoyasu spat. For once in his life, he knew what he wanted more than anything else. "There's a young woman named Rino. I want her safe."

The Princess seemed taken aback. "...I… I understand… Is she a friend of yours?"

"Yes." Motoyasu took a deep breath. He'd be lucky if Rino wanted to have anything to do with him, but right now her safety was his priority.

The tiny chicklets all made nervous sounds. From Filo, to Yuiki, and even Kou, the little birds all looked at him with an uneasy wariness.

Motoyasu knew he had made an error. He was scaring them. Stilling himself, he gently rocked Kou and Yuki in his arms. "It's alright. Daddy isn't going to hurt anyone, okay?"

"Kwaa…" Yuki mumbled.

Kou rubbed against his arm.

The Spear Hero raised his head and noted that both the Princess and the filolial in her arms were gawking at him. He found it odd, though he had an understanding as to why they were looking at him like that.

The Princess let out a fake cough before donning a formal tone. "I… you truly care for those filolials? They… are adorable…"

"They are mine, yes," Motoyasu said in an even tone. He gave the two chicklets his affection, patting them on the head one at a time. "And they are."

It was here that Filo leapt from the Princess's arms and went over to the other chicks. "Filo?"

The three regarded one another, speaking in chirps and caws.

"Kwaa!"

"Kwaa?"

"Kwaa! Kwaa!"

It honestly seemed like they were talking to each other, but that was ridiculous.

Then, Filo turned to look up at him, with large, fearful eyes. She seemed so scared of him, terrified.

Maybe it was because he was so big? Or she feared he would harm him? He honestly had no clue. "Don't worry, Filo, I'm just your Uncle Motoyasu, okay?"

Filo tilted her head.

The Spear Hero wondered for a moment if the little chicks could understand him, but maybe it was just the tone of his words? After all, they were just newly born animals. Actions spoke louder than words. He brought his hand over to the little chick.

Filo hesitated, she looked like she was about to run.

"Ssh…Don't worry. I'm just going to give to little cuddle." Then he brought his hand over to Filo's head and gave her a light patting. "See, that wasn't so bad?"

"Kwaa…"

He then took the little chick into his hands… and gave her back to the Princess.

Again, the Princess seemed surprised by the action. "I… you surprised me."

"Filo isn't mine. And it seems like she trusts you enough," Motoyasu replied. "And so does Naofumi. Because of that, I'm willing to give it a try, Princess." it felt hard to say it, when the Princess's own blood was the source of all of his woes. But his friends were willing to trust in the stranger; that was enough to try.

"I understand," the Princess said. "You can call me Melty, Sir Motoyasu."

Motoyasu gave a nod of acknowledgement. He turned towards Naofumi. "Do know why is there a Princess here anyways?"

"The slave merchant brought us together," the Shield Hero said plainly. "I had no idea she was Princess Melty."

"Oh. Right." Naofumi had connections, lots of connections. Who knew what kind of people he had access to?

Motoyasu's chicks got chirped, their faces turning towards the Princess. It was clear what they wanted.

In an incredibly painful act, the Spear Hero offered the chicks to the girl.

Princess Melty squealed in delight. She repeatedly called the little chicks cute, gushing over them and cuddling them in her arms. At one point, she put Filo onto her head.

… It was not until then that Motoyasu had realized just how young the girl was. She was, what twelve? Either way, it was the sort of thing that made her seem… real. …Did Malty ever have that sort of reaction before, gushing over something?

He became aware of Naofumi standing beside him. "Are you feeling okay?" the Shield Hero asked.

Motoyasu nodded. "I will be." He looked and saw the girl kissing the little chicks. Kou and Yuki looked like they enjoyed it. "Everyone else seems to like her, so I don't see the harm."

"She's a good girl, if a bit bratty," Naofumi said.

Motoyasu squinted his eyes. It sounded like he knew her character well. "Was she in the book?"

"Something like that," Naofumi said "As soon as Keel's done with breakfast, we'll have to split up and level, okay?"

Motoyasu grunted in affirmation. It made sense. There were four animals and Beryl that needed leveling. And the Spear Hero, while fast and powerful, doubted he could raise all five into a good level in a reasonable time frame. Plus, it was possible some of the chicks would have preferred being in a party with their respective parent.

Speaking of Beryl, the fox girl had finally mustered the courage to walk up to the the Princess.

"Oh, who are you?" the Princess questioned. "I don't recall hearing about any foxes in the Shield Hero's party."

"That's because I'm Master Motoyasu's!" said the fox girl. "My name is Beryl. I've always wanted to raise filolials and now we have Yuki and Kou!"

"You have no idea how jealous I am!" Melty laughed in a merry tone. "They're so cute!"

"A princess, jealous?" Beryl sounded so amused,

Just then, a loud explosion erupted within the room.

Melty flinched away in panic. "Uh, what was that?"

Motoyasu turned to Naofumi's laptop. There was a smoking crater. "I think that was just the monster getting blown up."

"What?" the Princess sounded so bewildered. "What monster?"

"It'll take a while to explain," Naofumi shrugged. "But it's just pretend."

"Uh, okay!"

"Breakfast is ready!" Keel's voice rang out from the kitchen area.

At that, the three filolials practically did a backflip in excitement. It was obvious they wanted their first meal.

Melty immediately took them with her, delighted to feed them. Tama, the tiger, went after them.

Naofumi looked torn. Raphtalia gently patted him on the back.

"Is something wrong?" Motoyasu questioned. Then he remembered. "Wait, you said that they liked to eat."

The Shield Hero nodded. "Yes, I did. I'm afraid we'll go broke by the end of the week from having to care for all of them."

"It can't be that bad!" Motoyasu sniggered. "And besides, they're tiny!"

Naofumi snorted. "Go ahead and find out."

And so Motoyasu walked over and did.

…How do such small birds eat so much?


The sound young tigers make is so weird. It's really hard to describe, but it's like a yap mixed with a growl.

The anime Naofumi loaded was a generic Magical Girls anime that does not exist in our world. I came up blank for reference ideas. And I thought this was something that would have been good for everyone. Specifically, I thought it would have been an interesting thing because I had been aiming for there to be not only Filo, but also Moto's two filolials from Reprise, and Tama who is an OC.

And Melty not only gets to meet a baby Filo, but also a load of other young filolials.