"Haah… How long have we been waiting now?" White Rabbit inquired, her voice brimming with boredom.
"Six years now, is it? This is even worse than that time he stood still for two years just a little north of Safina."
"Ugh, don't remind me. Why does he always do this!? He makes an absurd amount of progress over a week or two, then suddenly stops and fools around for years! And don't get me started on the resets…"
White Rabbit was sitting down, her legs dangling just above the void below. She couldn't think of anything to do to pass the time. This wait was nearly as bad as the one she had to endure for the Hero to reach the age of baptism.
Reaper sighed. She too could not hide her boredom. She may have been millions of years old, but she could still feel every second passing just the same as any mortal would.
Sometimes, the Hero would visit, exploring the Labyrinth of Chaos, watching the same future events over and over, or simply just standing around, doing nothing. When he wasn't there, the pair would just stand there, waiting for him to come back.
The Goddess of Death's daily tasks were made up of three things. One: Waiting, a lot of waiting. Two: Reviving the Hero whenever he got a bit too close and personal with a dangerous monster, and three: Entertaining her friend, the Spirit of Time herself. Out of all of them, the third one was definitely the hardest.
Hmm… what can we do? I mean, we could go try our luck with the hero again…
But we've already done that with him so many times now. What else could we do?
"Oh! I have an idea!" White Rabbit announced, hopping towards her old friend. "We could look through time again! There are so many possibilities we still haven't seen!"
"No." Reaper declared, shutting her friend down. "You know what happened last time. The space-time continuum can't take another hit like that."
"Aww! Please!" White Rabbit begged, kneeling before the red-haired woman. Her long ears dropped down low, and she started to do her best puppy eyes impression, something she was becoming worryingly good at.
…Damn it.
"Fine…" Reaper muttered begrudgingly.
"Yay!" White Rabbit leapt into the air, giddy with excitement. "Alright, where do you want to start? How about that one where Heinrich and Black Alice got together, or the one where Gnome and Lucifina had a little spout?"
"Let's start with something lighter. Your choice." Reaper said. White Rabbit shrank down and got into a thinking pose for a second, pondering the possibilities.
"Alright, I think I've got one! C'mon, sit down." She said, placing herself on the floor, cross-legged.
Reaper followed her example, laying her scythe down beside her. White Rabbit pulled an orb from out of seemingly nowhere and placed her hands on it. After a few seconds, it lit up.
The spirit smiled as her magic worked. Quickly, she started narrating. "In a world where a certain young girl got her wish, the fate of the Hero is forever changed… let us see how it all happened."
The orb started to glow brighter and brighter, eventually displaying an image of a battle in a dark, yet familiar cave.
"Ilias, get up!" Luka shouted, looking over at his fallen companion. The small goddess was currently crawling along the ground, trying her best to escape the danger directly in front of her.
"Damn it! I thought you were supposed to be the Goddess of Creation herself!" Sonya ran over to the small angel, healing her with her magic.
"Luka, buy us some time!" She ordered, unusually commanding.
"Uh, right!" The hero said, tightening his grip on his sword. He looked at the foe before him, which was a large, seven-tailed kitsune. She was currently defending the famed treasures of the cave, and Luka had to get her out of his way.
So far, though, he had been having some trouble in that regard. No matter how hard they hit the kitsune, she just wouldn't fall down.
"Alright, I can do this!" Luka said confidently. He ran towards the monster, holding his sword high above his head.
"Haah!" He let loose his battle cry, which he thought made him look cool. In reality, he was the only one who thought so.
"What a fool," Nanabi said. "Fine then, if it's a death wish you have, I'll just have to grant it."
Three of her tails swept towards the hero, aiming to grab him. Luka failed to dodge in time and was quickly picked up by them. He struggled against the fluffy bindings, but they were far too strong for him to break out alone.
"Geez, just how long is that guy going to take?" A girlish sounding voice wondered.
Huh? Who was that?
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows. Her bright blue hair and red ribbons stood out, along with her severe lack of clothing.
"That face… No way! Alipheese the Seventeenth!?" Nanabi dropped the hero on the ground, instead focusing on the new threat that presented itself. She had heard many tales of the Seventeenth, and she sincerely hoped they were just exaggerations.
"You're Alipheese the Seventeenth!? What are you doing here!?" Ilias asked, just about barely standing up to face her.
"I should be asking you that. Aren't you supposed to be beating Nanabi?" The monster asked. "No matter how you look at it, you're getting stomped. But, that's not what happened in the stories I was told."
"What kind of nonsense is that!?" Nanabi shouted. "Alipheese the Seventeenth, I shall take your life as well!"
"It looks like I better straighten things out~," The blue-haired girl said, drawing her blade at an incredible speed. "Be purified in an explosion of crimson fire… Vaporizing Rebellion Sword!"
Suddenly, her sword erupted into flames. Luka never saw the girl swing the weapon, only the aftermath. Nanabi was flung back into the wall, flames covering her whole body.
"Gaah! What power!" She shouted as she hit the cave wall. Immediately, she collapsed, defeated.
Luka backed up from the terrifyingly powerful monster, returning to his two companions. Ilias looked on in awe at the display of sword skills, and Sonya looked like she was about to faint.
"Ugh… That power… I didn't think it was possible." Nanabi groaned.
"A-amazing!" Luka exclaimed. Neris smiled at his reaction. "She's so strong…"
"Luka, come over here and help me with Ilias!" Sonya said. The hero turned to the pair, and saw the goddess holding a small cut on her hand.
…Seriously?
Luka sighed. He walked over to the angel, took a plaster out of his bag, and applied it. It was made for a child, which fit the little goddess perfectly.
"Thanks…" She muttered, massaging her hurt hand.
"Well, what do we do now?" Sonya asked.
Ilias stood up, took hold of both Luka and Sonya's shoulders, and pulled them in for a group huddle.
"Alright, here's the plan. First off, Luka, you go sacrifice yourself to the monster. While she's distracted, Sonya and I will make a run for it, okay?" Ilias proposed.
"Huh!? No way!" Luka shouted, surprised by the sudden betrayal.
"Yeah… there must be something better than that," Sonya said. "I'm not just going to leave Luka behind like that."
"Hmph. Find then, you two can come up with something on your own. I'll be leaving now." Ilias said, storming off. Sonya grabbed her, however, stopping her in her tracks. The two began to wrestle on the floor, as Luka looked on with jaded eyes.
"Wow, what a cringeworthy line… Anyways, let's get back to where we left off."
The hero turned around, realising he had missed everything that had happened. He heard them talking, and he could swear he heard a young girl and the White Rabbit's voices somewhere in there, but the situation with Ilias seemed more important…
Damn it. Am I going to have to fight her now?
Luka looked over at the fallen Nanabi, who had still yet to get back up. As he looked closely, he could still see some fresh burn marks on her tail…
…I'm so done for.
"W-who in the world are you.." Luka asked, trying his best to not just turn tail and run.
"Hey, Luka..." The monster said, ignoring his question, and looking straight into the young hero's eyes.
Wait a second, how does she know my name? I never told her…
"Let's go on a date!" She proposed excitedly.
...What?
Out of everything Luka could have anticipated her saying, that was the only he thing he never would've thought of. Why in Ilias's name would a random monster he had never met suddenly want to go on a date with him?
"…Huh?" He said, still confused about the whole thing.
"What?" Ilias added.
"Excuse me!?" Sonya exclaimed.
As it turned out, Luka had the most tame reaction in the group. Sonya looked like she was deciding whether or not she should bonk the monster on the head or fall into a coma from shock, and Ilias didn't look much better.
"W-wait a second! You are Alipheese the seventeenth, right..?" Luka asked, trying to get a handle on the situation.
"Alipheese the Seventeenth is too formal and stuffy! Call me by my real name, Neris!" The monster said.
Neris, huh? What an odd name. I wonder who chose that. It's just as bad as Nero...
Huh, their names are pretty similar. What an odd coincidence.
"So, Neris. What are you–"
Ilias was interrupted when the monster suddenly spoke. "You don't get to use my real name!" She said. "Damn, scummy Goddess."
"S-scummy!?" Ilias looked shocked by the insult.
"Hey Luka, wanna go hang out somewhere? I found a bunch of nice spots in this world for us." Neris suddenly asked, surprising the hero.
Is she actually serious about this whole dating thing?
"Like, a date at Sabasa's Oasis would be wonderful, or how about we go see a play at Grandeurs theatre?" She proposed. "Hmm… knowing you, you'd probably prefer Grand Noah's Coliseum. We could take a field trip to the Academy of Magic, too…"
"Or maybe…" Neris's smile suddenly got strangely lewd, with her cheeks becoming bright and red, which only worried Luka even more. "We can skip the date and get right to the good part. I'm okay with that if you are~"
"Cut it out already! Luka is my servant! I demand you reveal your identity and purpose for being here!" Ilias commanded. Luka noted that her childlike appearance made her look ridiculous as she barked orders.
Wait a second, did she say the Coliseum?
…I've never been there before, and I've heard rumours of how incredible the fights are there…
I would really like to go…
"Uh, okay," Luka said.
"...What?" Neris tilted her head in confusion, not fully understanding what the boy was saying, or more accurately, not fully believing it.
"I'll go on a date with you." He repeated.
To say Luka underestimated the reactions from everybody in the room would be a severe understatement. For one, he didn't expect Sonya to try hitting him over the head with her club, and he didn't anticipate the burst of lightning from the small Goddess's hands.
But the thing he expected the least was how wide Neris's smile was at hearing the news.
"Yaaaay!" She said, almost jumping up and down with joy.
…I may have made a mistake.
After calming his companions down, he managed to make them hear him out. Luka did actually have a reason for accepting the date. He thought of the plan by using something he was not known for ever using. His mind.
"Look, she said she'd bring me to Grand Noah, right? Think about it. If she really does bring me there, then we'll be able to teleport there at any time, thanks to the harpy feathers!" He pointed out, proud of his plan.
Unfortunately, the pair before him did not look convinced. "And what if she doesn't bring you there? And who knows if she'll even let you come back?" Ilias pointed out the faults in his plan, but Luka looked undeterred.
"She seems trustworthy enough." He said, doing his best to ignore the squeals of joy from the blue-haired monster.
"Uh-huh…" Sonya looked at Luka suspiciously, trying to discern whether or not he was going on the date because of what he said or because the girl fit his… tastes.
"Well, it's too late now," Ilias said. "It was nice knowing you, Luka. If you do actually survive, we'll be waiting at Iliasport."
Geez, thanks for the vote of confidence, Ilias.
Luka nodded, watching as the girls left the cave, but not without getting Poseidon's Bell first. He could still hear them whispering to each other, presumably about him, as they left.
…Was this a good idea or not?
The hero turned back to Neris, who was still smiling and muttering to herself about the whole ordeal. She looked happy, too happy…
…Definitely not a good idea.
Oh well, no takebacks. I think I'll be seeing Reaper again by the end of this.
"And so, the Hero Luka and the Monster Lord Neris finally got their date." White Rabbit narrated ominously. "Little did he know, he would actually survive the encounter. But how would it affect his future? Only time will tell…"
"…Please stop doing that voice. It's only me and you here." Reaper said.
"Hmph. You're no fun. Anyway, let's get back to it…"
Wow… I've never seen a castle so tall before!
Luka looked in amazement at the buildings all around him. The architecture was incredible—so much so that it was almost hard to believe that man had made all of it.
"Come on, there's plenty more to see!" Neris said as she pulled the hero along. She was holding his hand in hers, the two looking like they were on a real date.
She's pretty clingy. She hasn't even let go of my hand once since she teleported us here.
The date so far had been a strange one, or at least, Luka thought it was. He had never actually been on one before and was a little bit nervous about the whole thing.
"Ooh, look! That's where the knights go to train!" Neris said, dragging Luka along. The training grounds were surprisingly empty, with plenty of currently unoccupied space. It was the perfect spot for some sparring.
"Hey, how about I show you a move or two?" Neris offered, though the hero had a feeling that there would be trouble if he refused. "I'm the greatest sword master there's ever been; who better than me to teach you?"
Her skills were pretty amazing earlier. If she could show me how to do something even half as incredible as they were…
"Uh, sure," Luka said, following the girl down. She threw him a sword, one that she apparently pulled out of nowhere, and then she drew her own blade.
Wait a second….
The hero looked at the new sword in Neris's hand. This was not the same weapon she had been seen using earlier.
Is she… going to use a training sword against me!?
"Oh don't look so disheartened." She said, twirling the weapon in her hands. "It's just so I don't accidentally hurt you. Now, show me what you can do!"
Luka loudly gulped as he steadied his stance and reaffirmed his grip. He had seen the Seventeenth fight earlier, and he wasn't too confident in his own skills in comparison. Still, he was never one to back down from a challenge.
"Alright, take this!" The hero ran towards the monster, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Neris waited till the blade was an inch from her head to dodge, then took hold of Luka's wrist and lightly twisted it, causing him to drop the sword.
"Ouch." The hero massaged his hurt wrists, wincing at the pain.
"Well, that wasn't great… But you're still early on in your journey. I'm sure you'll get a lot stronger over time. Now then, I think a different method would work better." Neris suggested, walking away from the hero.
Once she had gotten an adequate distance away, she turned back towards Luka, drawing her real sword and pointing it at him.
"Now, this is a technique called 'Earth Rumbling Decapitation'. It was used by a certain legendary hero to save the world not long ago, along with a few other skills." Neris explained.
"A legendary hero..? You mean Heinrich?"
Though, I don't think five hundred years would be considered 'not long ago'.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Him. Anyway, pay close attention. Now, first, you jump as high as you can, like so…"
Suddenly, Neris leapt into the air, reaching several metres above the ground, before raising her sword up as high as it could go and crashing it down full force into the ground below her. It formed a crack in the hard dirt, showing off her raw strength.
Needless to say, Luka was impressed, just like before. He was eager to attempt the skill, running over beside the Neris and imitating her pose.
"No, no." She said. "That's all wrong. First off, your leg has to go here…"
Neris pushed Luka's limbs and torso into the correct positions, making the situation incredibly awkward for the hero. The girl was literally feeling him up on the spot, making his face as red as the flames she had used on Nanabi earlier.
"Alright. Looking good." She said. "Now, go for it! You can do it!"
The position was hard to maintain, forcing Luka to act quickly. He lowered his body, building up the power he'd need to jump as high as possible. And so he did, leaping into the air at full force.
Neris sighed as the hero hit the ground, his sword lying on the dirt next to him. She walked over to him, offering her hand to the hero. He took it, thanking her as he rose once more.
"Well, that didn't turn out great. I guess we'll just have to try something else…" She said, putting her hand on her chin as she thought about it.
"Oh! I know. Let's go shopping!" She suggested, eagerly taking Luka's hand yet again.
"Wait, wait, wait. They went shopping?" Reaper asked, sounding almost perplexed by the fact.
"Yeah?" White Rabbit said, confused by Reaper's bewilderment.
"Why would the Monster Lord, Alipheese the Seventeenth, need to go shopping?"
"Haah… You've never been on a date, have you? It's just for fun." White Rabbit explained.
"Oh... I see... Also, shut up. You haven't been on one either. And don't pretend those Tartarus trips with Luka count." Reaper said.
"Whatever. Let's just get back to it, and stop interrupting!" White Rabbit scolded.
"Fine…"
"Yeah… so I don't actually have any gold on me right now," Luka said, showing Neris his empty coin pouch.
"Oh, that's fine. My dad gives me an allowance anyway, so I have plenty!" She explained.
"Your father? Wait, if you really are Alipheese the Seventeenth, wouldn't that make Alipheese the Sixteenth your mother?"
"Biologically, sure. But she was no real mother. Not to me, at least." Neris said. Luka refrained from asking any more questions upon hearing the tone Neris used when she spoke of her parents, or at least, how she talked about her mother. It would've made the date far too awkward.
So Alice is her mother? But last time I saw her, she looked to be around twelve, at most. Though, Ilias did say she was sealed. Maybe Neris really is telling the truth...
"Alright, well, what do you want to get?" Luka asked. "You could get a new sword, a shield, maybe. Or… you know, some clothes." He subtly suggested.
Seriously. Who let her wear that? She looks young, only a bit older than me. Surely her father wouldn't let her go around wearing that.
"Oh? Am I distracting you?" She teased, showing off her body to the hero, even if there wasn't really much to show.
"Huh? Oh, no. I just think it shows a lot of skin is all." He said, completely unaffected by the teasing.
"Hm… that's exactly what you said when I first got it…" Neris said, annoyed by his reaction to her teasing, or rather, his complete lack of one.
"…What? What do you mean by last time?" Luka asked.
"Doesn't matter, I suppose I don't mind getting some new clothes to wear, but you have to try something too!" She said.
"Alright, alright." Luka followed Neris as she dragged him to the clothing part of the shop. There were clothes for both men and women, but all of them seemed a bit too large for Luka to wear, and the same could be said for Neris.
…Damn it.
The pair headed over to the children's section, where Luka took out clothes meant for teenagers, even though he was an adult. Neris did the same, taking a full set of Yamatai clothing, which the hero noted did not suit her at all.
For Luka's clothes, Neris repeatedly tried to make him wear a certain princess outfit, made for young girls, which he was very adamant against. After she decided she had teased him enough, she dropped it.
The hero decided to take the counterpart outfit to Neris's, which was a Yamatai set meant for men, or rather, boys. The worst thing was, they fit him perfectly, much to his annoyance. The only reprieve was that Neris also had to wear clothes intended for someone younger, giving her something the hero could relate to.
Luka entered the changing room, quickly changing out of his clothes. They reminded him of ordinary robes, but he did like the feel of the cloth.
When he left, he couldn't see Neris anywhere. After a few seconds, he could hear someone talking about 'the moral implications of the situation'.
He turned the corner to see a blue-haired girl, whom he instantly recognised as Neris, and another figure, a taller man with darker hair, talking back to her. Luka knew his name. It was Nero, the man he met in Iliasville and again in Harpy's village.
What's he doing here? He looks pretty annoyed.
The hero could only hear snippets of the conversation, with things like "Father wouldn't like this." or "You're putting him at risk." reaching his ears.
After a little while, Neris walked away from the black-haired man in a huff, coming back to the hero. Nero looked right into Luka's eyes for a moment, sighed, and then left, muttering something, but the hero could not make out what it was.
"What's wrong?" Luka asked.
"Just my stupid bro– I mean, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I like the clothes!" She said, touching them. "Ooh, the cloth is really nice. How much is it?"
"I'm not sure, and I don't think it really fits me." He said. "Say, let's see how you look in your outfit."
"Okay!" Neris walked into the changing room, and in only seconds, she was done. Luka noted how ridiculous the clothing looked on her, but realised they probably looked even worse on him.
"It's nice." He said.
"Thanks! Do you think I should get it?" Neris asked, spinning around to show off the backside as well.
"Honestly… no. Not really. I'd save your money." He suggested, trying his damnedest not to accidentally insult the girl.
"Well, alright." Neris hopped back in the room, changing out of the clothes and back into her normal, extremely revealing clothing once more.
Luka did the same, though his clothes were much more concealing. Once he was done getting his cape back on, he followed Neris out of the shop. There was still plenty more to do.
After some more walking, they finally reached their long-awaited destination. The girl promised she would bring the hero to watch a few matches, and she was not one to break her word.
"What!? The Coliseum is closed!?" Neris exclaimed, reading the sign directly in front of her.
"Calm down," Luka said. "It's fine. Do you have any other ideas for what we could do instead?"
"Hmm… I guess we could go to a restaurant or something." She suggested. "I've heard good things about the ones here."
"That sounds like fun. But... You'll be paying, right?"
"Of course... Honey~!" She said, suddenly pecking Luka on the cheek, much to his embarrassment. She locked hands with the boy, and the two walked down the street together, now looking like a real couple.
"…"
"…"
"So…. How long until he finds out she's really his daughter?" Reaper asked.
"Not for a while." White Rabbit explained. "A few weeks at least. Anyway, let's get back to it."
"Sure," Reaper said, looking back into the orb between them. It showed Luka and Neris at a table, discussing a variety of topics.
"Okay, so. You're telling me your fight against Granberia was easy? You do realise she's one of the strongest monsters alive, right?" Luka pointed out.
"Yeah, but it was still a piece of cake. She hasn't reached her peak yet and still has a lot further to go. I'm sure she knows that now, and besides, she enjoyed the fight." Neris explained, sipping her milkshake afterwards.
"Now then, it's time for me to ask a question about you, oh Legendary Hero Luka." She said.
"Heh, I'm not legendary just yet." He pointed out. "Anyway, what is it?"
Neris suddenly pulled Luka close, an easy task thanks to her incredible strength, and started whispering into his ear.
"Have you… done it yet?" She asked.
"Ehhhhh!?"
Luka jumped back in his chair, falling onto the ground, causing a scene. Once he regained his composure, he got back up but still had bright red cheeks, much to Neris's amusement.
"Heh, I'll take that as a no, then. Good, neither have I." She said, finishing her milkshake. Luka calmed down, gulping down the last of his orange juice.
This girl is going to be the death of me…
"And what would you two like to order?" A waiter asked.
Neris immediately took a look at the menu, reading the entire thing in a matter of seconds. "I'll have the Yamatai Wagyu, cooked medium well. Then I'll have some bacon on the side, and some pasta along with that, and then some…"
Luka looked on in amazement as Neris ordered nearly everything on the menu, shocking the hero. Once she was finally done, the waiter turned to him.
"And you?" He asked, desperately trying to find space to write on his nearly full notepad.
"Oh… I'm fine." Luka said. The waiter silently thanked the boy for not making the order any bigger and walked off.
"Okay, so… What do you want to talk about while we wait?" The hero asked.
"Hmmm…. How about… Oh! What's up with that whole Great Disaster thing? Who caused it?" Neris inquired.
"Who..? I don't think it was caused by an actual person. But we don't know what made it happen—just that it did. A new continent even rose from the disaster." He explained, suddenly serious.
"Oh… I think I know who did it. They did something similar back home, and this must be a side effect. It would only make sense…"
"You sure do say a lot of strange things, Neris," Luka said. "Just who are you really?"
"Heh, somebody super important." She answered. "And somebody with a whole fuck ton of power, so you better try to swing me to your side." She suggested.
"Well, I'll do my best." He said.
She really is an odd girl, though. I wonder where she came from…
"Oh, our food is here!" Neris looked at the trays of food ravenously, seeming as though she was about to jump at them before they even arrived.
The workers had to bring out the food in separate waves, but they didn't have to wait any time at all for the girl to finish eating. She would devour the meals in less than a minute each time, as though she were some kind of animal.
Geez. She could at least slow down a little.
"So… what's with all the food?" Luka asked, taking a bite of the food Neris offered him.
"As a super powerful monster—" Neris paused to chew. "I need a lot of energy to use all that power, and all that energy has to come from somewhere." She explained.
"But don't monsters normally eat… semen?" Luka said.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I normally would; it's just … well, I thought I wouldn't need to buy it today." Neris said, looking at the hero seductively.
Impressively, Luka still somehow managed to miss the obvious hints. "I don't get what you mean."
"Haah… it doesn't matter." She sighed, getting right back to eating.
Geez, Luka is as much an idiot in this world as he is in mine. But that's what makes him Luka, so I guess it's fine.
After the two were done eating, or more accurately, Luka was done watching Neris eat half of Grand Noah's entire food stock, they left the restaurant, now back on the street.
"It's getting pretty late." Neris pointed out. "Why don't we head to an Inn?"
"Huh, why an Inn? Shouldn't we just end it now?" He asked.
"What!? But we haven't even gotten to the best part yet! C'mon, pretty please?" Neris begged, making herself look as adorable as possible, so that Luka would do what she wanted, something she had done many times before.
"Fine…" He said, unable to resist Neris's puppy eyes. The girl smiled lewdly at the answer, dragging the hero along once more. Of course, Luka was somehow still oblivious.
Once they got to the Inn, they booked a room for two, but with only one bed. It was only then that the Hero finally started to get suspicious.
"Wait, why is there only one bed?" He asked, turning to Neris. "Huh!? What happened to your clothes!?"
"Hehe, you look adorable when you're embarrassed, Luka." She said seductively. "As I said earlier, this is the fun part…"
No, no, no, no, no. I'm out of here!
Luka quickly pulled a harpy feather out of his pouch, using it to teleport away. Neris tried to stop him but was too slow. Besides, she didn't want to actually force herself on him… yet.
Damn it! He got away….
Haah… and just when everything was going so well too…
Neris sat down on the bed, pouting. She had nearly gotten everything she wanted but lost it all in the end. Still, the more elusive the prey, the better it feels when you finally catch it.
You may have gotten away this time, Luka. But just wait! I'm not giving up just yet!
"So, their date was pretty standard," Reaper said. "But I thought Neris wasn't a glutton like her mother? Why did she order so much food?"
"Hmm? Oh, she thought that Luka was into that kind of thing, since it worked with her mother. Though, I think she took it a step too far." White Rabbit explained.
"Ah, I see... Well, what now?" Reaper asked. "There's still plenty of time left to wait…"
"Before moving on, let's see what happened with Luka when he got back to Sonya and the others." White Rabbit suggested, starting back up the spell.
"Ouch! What was that for!?" Luka said, massaging his now bruised head.
"Let me guess, you two did more than just go on a date, right!? Tell me!" Sonya ordered, ready to bonk the hero with her club again at a moment's notice.
"We did nothing, I swear! Please put down the club." He pleaded.
"Hmph… I don't believe you. But whatever. Let's just get a move on." She said. Ilias walked over to the hero, eager to hear what news he had brought.
"So, what did you learn? Did you get the warp point?" She asked.
"Oh… I forgot to ask her. She was really vague too." He said. "And… the warp point didn't register, for some reason."
Luka broke the news to the Goddess, who remained strangely silent, only looking down at the ground below her.
"Sonya. Give me the club." She commanded.
"Huh!? Wait!"
And so, Luka spent the entire evening running from his two companions, doing his best to dodge each attack. Once they were finally done, they got back on track, heading off to Port Natalia.
"So, nothing really changed?" Reaper pointed out. "What a waste of time…"
"Hey, don't say that. Besides, every encounter with Neris from now on was met with both Sonya and Ilias doing their best to keep the two separated." White Rabbit explained.
"Wow… really big change there. Anyway, what should we look at now?" She asked, pointing to the many other orbs around them, each one containing a different story, just waiting to be told.
"Let's see…"
Notes
You know, I've always wondered what Neris's date with Luka would've turned out like, and I could never find it in other fanfics, so I decided to just make it myself.
I'll update this fic every now and then, whenever I have the time. I have a lot of ideas that would never be good enough for their own story, so I decided to just make shorter versions here.
And yes, I did only do this to alleviate my boredom. Waiting for Part 3 isn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world...