Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Wow this took longer than I expected. I guess I wasn't feeling the Trails bug after all. (I still haven't finished Azure since its English release, whoops) But hey, so many things have come up since my last chapter! I platinum'd Reverie, Daybreak got announced, and now it's 2024! Man, time really does fly, huh? Shame I missed out on the third anniversary, but can't win 'em all.

May 3, S.1206 - Homeroom

"Keep in mind that we have Panzer Soldat training early next week and our next field exercises the following weekend. Use your free day wisely because you can imagine it'll be just as taxing as Sutherland."

Rean paced around the room, eyeing his three homeroom students. It had been another day of classes and it had concluded well on his end. He wasn't exactly a whiz when it came to programming on orbal computers so he found himself silently thanking Machias for those extra lessons back when they were in school to prepare himself for teaching such a class. Kurt seemed to have a rather fruitful day at the very least, but he could feel Juna and Altina's eyes boring into him.

"What did I do this time?"

The two girls continued to look unimpressed, mumbling to themselves snide comments seemingly pertaining to him. He turned to Kurt who looked about as confused as he was.

Juna crossed her arms, huffing to the side as she averted her gaze.

"Stupid… What's even… special about…? He's just…" she continued muttering to herself while Altina nodded with each and every word.

"I believe… something happened during their cooking class with Instructor Herschel." Kurt noted to Rean. "They've been like this even before you came into the room."

"That's… strange, but all right. I'll ask her once we get out then." Rean cleared his throat, attempting to get the girls' attention. "That aside, I also have an additional announcement. We have a new student transferring to Class VII."

If the throat clearing didn't catch Juna and Altina's intrigue, the announcement certainly did. "A new student? I don't remember seeing anyone new on campus. Have you, Allie?"

Altina shook her head. "I haven't. Even with the new hires, no one else has really stood out to me as a potential new student."

Kurt scratched his chin. "Then I can only assume it's someone we're already familiar with. Am I on the right track, Instructor?"

"As a matter of fact, you're dead on." Rean nodded. However, his unenthused tone overwhelmed his student's deduction skills. "From what I'm aware, we all know her quite well."

"Teehee~ I'm guessing that's my cue?"

The door swung open, revealing a bright and cheery girl that Rean had grown to know a bit too well since his student days. The lithe, bright, and annoyingly cute Musse Egret.

When he first got the news from the principal, his immediate question was "How?"

He hadn't known the girl for too long, only meeting her briefly during the day of his second Thors festival and kept contact with her through Elise since then. But what he had learned about her in that time was that she could be quite the manipulator when she wanted to be. Thankfully she hadn't used her skills for anything nefarious yet, but no doubt she pulled some strings to transfer to his class. Principal Le Guin probably let her do it because she thought it'd be funny.

"M-Musse?! Why are you in our class now?!"

"Why?" was also a question Rean wanted to ask. He saw no reason for her to transfer since she had been excelling with Class IX by a significant margin. Her academic performance was incredible and would probably even put Machias and Emma to shame. And for all she'd done up to this point, Musse had never been one with dastardly ulterior motives. She might have been a bit pushy when it came to their interactions, but she always had his best interests at heart.

"'Why', you ask?" The girl giggled. "I thought that'd be obvious~" She elegantly twirled in Rean's direction, smoothly transitioning from jubilant dance into cradling his arm in one single motion. She held on tight, affectionately rubbing his sleeves with her cheeks. "I'm here because I wanted the chance to be closer to my darling instructor~ And what better way than to join the very class that he teaches? The smaller size makes it easier to get some… one-on-one time~"

…Ah. Yup, that basically answered everything.

Rean once again cleared his throat, swiftly slipping his arm out of Musse's tight embrace much to the girl's disappointment. "'Why or why not' ultimately does not matter. This was a decision made by the principal and I trust her judgment."

"That just means she scares him." He heard someone whisper, followed by a few giggles.

Ignoring the annoying tinge forming on his temple, he continued. "So from now on, Musse Egret, welcome to Class VII: Special Operations. We'll be counting on you."

"It would be my pleasure. It is an honor to work alongside you all."

Rean nodded, leaving in a hurry after taking a quick glance at the clock. He bid the four students farewell, mumbling to himself the talking points he wanted to bring up for the next faculty meeting. They really were gonna need a few extra hands on board or else the entire staff was going to run themselves ragged.

"So how's progress, Juna?"

"Huh?" Juna looked up from her notes, facing a beaming Musse that paid no heed to the textbooks in front of her. "I mean, I'm still stuck on this one problem… Instructor Irving's insane if he thinks we can memorize all these formulas before midterms…"

"Oh, silly. I'm not talking about homework. I'm talking about your… other problem."

The mint-haired girl leaned forward on their shared cafeteria table, elbows on the surface and chin resting on her hands.

"...I thought you'd be able to tell." Juna responded, her voice slightly tinged with annoyance. "You seem to read everything else like a book."

"Mmm, perhaps~ Though, I must admit, I love hearing things straight from the source. Come on now, it's been three weeks and you haven't said a word about it to me once! I believe it's time for you to 'spill the tea', so to speak."

Juna sighed. "Is my life just entertainment to you?"

"I consider it more as an investment. Besides, you and Instructor Rean are dear companions of mine. It would be remiss of me to not help you two be on speaking terms."

"Well, we are now. That much should be obvious." Juna dropped her pencil back onto the table, almost allowing it to roll off the edge. Seeing as how much Musse was egging her on now, there was very little point in trying to get anything out of this study session. "Though he did want to make it clear that we should keep our distance whenever we're at school and keep our relationship on the downlow. No favoritism allowed." Her eye twitched. "But considering our old Sunday School tutoring sessions, I doubt that would ever be a problem for him."

"I see. Well I suppose that would be the best possible outcome for the two of you. Anything is better than that rut you two were in before the school year began."

"Tell me about it…" Juna's fingers wandered towards a nearby fork, delicately using it to cut into a cake provided to her by Tita prior to their impromptu study session. It was unfortunate to say, but her grades had been slipping as of late. Not too long after Musse's transfer announcement to Class VII, she immediately offered to help her out. Of course, this conversation made it clear that she had other things in mind. "Actually, now that I think about it, you still haven't exactly told me how you knew Rean before school started."

"Oh? I believe I already told you about the school festival when he was in his last year at Thors. You know, romantic date around the school grounds? Lunch at the café; me with pasta, him ordering the paella? The shooting gallery and the dance under the moonlight? Oh, and don't forget him bringing me back to his dorm room-"

"I don't remember that last one."

"Where he declared his undying love to a girl he just met? Come on, Juna. It's like you just ignore me whenever it comes to these things." Musse pouted in mock annoyance. "And here I thought we were friends!"

Juna couldn't help but laugh at her companion's dramatic overreaction. It almost made hearing her over embellished thirst over her childhood friend worth it.

Almost.

"Well, if you want to hear the boring version, I wasn't lying about him and I meeting during the festival. It was brief, but we bonded over many things. Our love of games for one. I taught him how to play Vantage Masters while he showed me a thing or two about his favorite card game: Blade. We kept in touch for the next few months until his award ceremony in the capital. Ah yes, I still remember picking out his clothes from my favorite boutique~! I'm sure if the whole 'war hero' image wears off - and, Aidios forbid, the instructor job doesn't work out - he'd have an excellent career as a model!"

Juna snapped her fingers. "Stay on topic, Musse. You're drooling."

"Ah, pardon me." Musse wasted no time pulling out a handkerchief and wiping off the salivation leaking from her lips. In some miraculous feat, she even managed to make such an unsightly act as professional and elegant as one would expect from a noblewoman. "But I suppose that's the gist of it. I mostly knew him from Elise prior to formally meeting him. However, as time went on, he was just as kind and gallant as I expected~"

"I… see." Juna mentally placed the events on a timeline, not too unlike the times she had to connect the dots for mock cases at the police academy. Musse definitely met Rean after they had their falling out a while back, and she and Elise had been friends due to them both attending St. Astraia from what Juna could gather. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Musse found herself attracted to what Elise told her about Rean rather than just being infatuated with his fame.

While it would've been a thousand times less awkward if there wasn't any attraction at all, at least Juna could feel confident that Musse genuinely liked him for who he was rather than for any superficial reasons.

"Actually, that gives me an idea!" The girl shot up from her seat, slamming her hands onto the table which caused Juna's unfinished cake to almost jump off its plate. Sad to say, her fork was not nearly as fortunate. "Why don't we go to Heimdallr and visit her? It's been ages since you and Elise spoke to each other, right?"

"I mean, yeah…" Juna internally winced, feeling a pang of guilt knowing that Elise had become caught in the crossfire between her and Rean's little… situation. She had always wanted to go and apologize as soon as she could, especially after coming back from the recent field exercise, but she could never find time to go.

Or probably that she was afraid to go.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"A-Are you sure though? Isn't it a school night?!"

"No need to worry! We'll go there and come back as soon as we're done! We'll make it back before curfew even becomes a concern."

Before Juna could even begin to protest, Musse immediately vaulted over the table and grabbed her hand. With a swift and rigid motion, the younger girl pulled her from her seat and sprinted out the building, giggling all the while. Her pull was so strong that Juna had to run with all her might to even keep up. For such a petite stature, Musse hid an enormous amount of strength within her…

"Whoa, hold on! Musse, slow down will ya?! I'll come with you just let me-!"

"Hey girls, where are you two off in such a-"

"Hey Instructor Rean~!" Musse squealed, somehow still able to maintain her voice despite the burst of speed that she had been running at for the past few seconds without slowing down. "We're heading to the city for a bit! Don't wait for us!"

"Sorry, Instructor! We'll be back before curfew, we promise!"

"...hurry."

Heimdallr

"I can't believe you roped me into this…"

"Well, if I didn't, how long would it take for you to do it on your own?"

"I definitely would've-"

"No, you wouldn't."

"Grnk!"

"Guilty as charged."

Shut up. No one asked you.

"What was that, Juna?"

"N-Nothing, nothing!" Juna sighed, realizing she would not be winning this one-sided argument. Especially considering her creepy ethereal ghost friend in her head ("Wow. Rude.") was siding against her. "So what's the plan here? We just show up to St. Astraia and say 'Hey, I'm sorry for ignoring you for over a year because I got mad at your brother. I'm over it now.'? Can't really say that sounds appealing."

"Of course not!"

"Oh thank Aidios."

"You'll be doing that. I don't have anything to apologize for after all."

"...Why do I even bother to ask?"

The two girls stepped off the tram into the Sankt District.

It had been a long time since Juna last visited the Erebonian capital, but she found it difficult to find anything that changed within the city. It was a far cry from Crossbell with its ever changing landscapes and new businesses opening left and right. No, Heimdallr was a city built on tradition and history, one that takes pride in its roots.

The last time she came here must have been the summer festival two years ago. She did recall having fun during that time, but the one memory that stood out was being kidnapped alongside Elise and the princess during a terrorist attack. Not exactly her fondest memory, but she did have an enjoyable time with Rean and her family the day after.

It looked a lot emptier now compared to that day. No summer festival means no stalls or events going on in the streets. The only things occupying the stone roads now were the occasional orbal car passing through or pigeons being fed by the residents sitting by the fountain. Not that that was a huge surprise to Juna, considering that the Sankt District was home only to the St. Astraia Girls' School and the cathedral. The Calvardian Embassy and a classy hotel were also there but not exactly a place where the layman would usually hang out.

"It's pretty late in the day. Do you think they'll let anyone on campus?"

"Not just anyone, but I know my way around this place. Just follow me and you'll be fine."

With Musse as her newly christened escort, Juna followed her into the building through the gates. From what she remembered, the Girls' School was a combined middle and high school for the nobility and exceptionally wealthy. Even Uncle Teo and Aunt Lucia had to pull a crap ton of strings to get Elise to attend. It helped that the Schwarzers were pretty close to the royal family, but that probably didn't help things once Rean was adopted into the House.

Meanwhile Juna herself stuck out like a sore thumb with five distinct blisters on it.

Every single student they came across exuded beauty and refinement. Freshly groomed locks, well-kempt clothes, and trendy accessories that screamed elegance. She had begun to feel rather self-conscious, toying with her hair to stay nice and tidy. She felt stares coming from the girls too, hearing semblances of whispering and giggling as she followed Musse's lead.

"Don't let the whispers get to you," Musse assured. "The girls here are rather sheltered, after all. They get rather excited whenever they see outsiders on campus."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense." That didn't stop Juna from grooming herself though. Fashion hadn't been on the forefront of her mind for the past few years, but she wanted to at least look nice when surrounded by the Empire's finest.

That was not to also mention the architecture of the building either. Stone walls and marble flooring was more than enough to make a girl like her feel slightly inadequate. Paintings of incredible quality hung against the walls, depicting various historical figures like the Lionhearted Emperor and the revered St. Lianne Sandlot to name a few.

"..."

Is something wrong, Yuri?

"Not… 'wrong', per se. Just a little nostalgic is all."

Huh, didn't peg you as a history buff.

"Haha, well, there's a lot you don't know about me. But enough about that. Musse's far about to turn that corner. Don't lose her!"

Juna mentally nodded and picked up her pace. It wasn't too long before they stopped in front of a large pair of doors nearing the back of the building.

*knock knock*

"Come in!" A familiar voice called. Juna gulped. She knew that voice anywhere. Her palms began to sweat as she froze. For a brief second, she considered untying her ponytail. Maybe the change in hairstyle would make her unrecognizable? She could always nab a uniform to blend in as a new student. Or maybe…

Oh, who was she kidding? Elise was smarter than that. Hell, she's the student council president now! Juna would be disappointed if Elise hadn't recognized her!

Without a moment of hesitation, Musse swung the doors open and entered the room with a skip in her step. Her grin widened as she greeted the girl behind the desk that allowed them to come in.

"Hello there Elise! It's been quite some time!"

The girl turned her head up from the mountains of paperwork stacked on top of her desk. Her facial expressions went through a variety of emotions. Starting from fatigue to surprise to slight annoyance.

"Mil- Musse. You know how much I dislike you coming in unannounced."

"You know that's not fair. No one else requires an appointment."

"Because it's specific to you and only you. I always need to prepare myself whenever I'm dealing with you."

"Well, I hope you'll forgive my transgressions this time because I brought something I'm sure you'd like."

Elise sighed. "Fine, what did you bring?"

"More like who did I bring because I brought - where did she go?"

As if on instinct, Juna had immediately hid herself in the small crevice between the door and the outer wall, just barely away from view from the inside. The more she thought about meeting with Elise again, the more nervous she got. It felt like everything was moving too fast!

"Oh there you are, silly!" Musse smiled, instantly discovering her poorly planned hiding spot and grabbed her by the wrist. She then spoke in a soft voice, indicating no judgment or malice. "You can do this, Juna. Instructor Rean accepted you back. I have no doubt in my mind that Elise will be just as gracious."

She didn't understand why, but she found the girl's words to be… comforting. Extremely so. Perhaps Rean felt the same when Musse supported him after Crossbell's annexation. No wonder they felt so close since meeting up with him again…

"...Okay."

Juna followed Musse's lead, entering the student council's room and waving at her childhood friend. Of course, she couldn't help but avert her eyes, still slightly scared of what she thought of her.

"...Juna?"

The addressed slowly made eye contact with her childhood friend. What she saw was… nothing short of relieving.

"Hey… Elise. Long time, no see."

"Oh goddess," Elise made her way towards Juna, each step felt like they took an eternity to close the gap between them. But eventually, they did. "It really is you."

"In the flesh." She tried adding a bit of levity into the air, but that didn't come across as well as she would've liked due to being somewhat choked up.

"W-Would you… like to stay for a bit? We should take the time to catch up. It has been a while after all."

"Understatement of the decade." Juna chuckled. "But yeah, I'd… I'd like that."

Shortly after starting their reunion, Musse was quick to excuse herself from the meeting. She waved it off as "needing to run an errand", but Juna hardly had time to process any of what she said. She was still focused on how she would even begin to talk with her childhood friend.

"That Musse, I swear. It sounds like transferring to Thors hardly did anything to ease her chaotic streak." Elise laughed as she placed cups of freshly brewed tea in front of her and Juna.

"You can say that again. Did you have to deal with her here in St. Astraia?"

"'Deal with her' is putting it lightly. And you said she's in your class now? You have my condolences, Juna."

"Eh, she's not that bad. Really could do without the flirting between her and Rean though."

Elise nearly choked on her tea. "F-Flirting?!"

"It's mostly one-sided. She basically turns anything about him into some sort of sensual comment and it just makes things awkward for the rest of us." She took her own sip. Apple cinnamon, her favorite. Elise always brewed the best tea. "I just wished he'd speak up more. He doesn't really try to stop her. Like, at all. Some instructor he is…"

"...I'm going to have a talk with him. Both of them."

Juna had almost forgotten how scary Elise could be when she wanted something. No wonder she made it as student council president.

"Speaking of Rean though… Have you two made up?"

Juna paused. How would she respond to that question? "Yes? I mean, I feel like we did. We're talking now, so I at least feel like we're better on that front but…"

"Something's missing."

"...Yeah. And I, uh, haven't exactly talked to you either."

Elise fell silent, her prior mirth dissipated. "You haven't.

"There's a lot I wanted to say to you."

"Well? I'm listening."

The authoritative tone sent a shiver down Juna's spine. How she could exude such a deadly aura in her small body was something beyond her. Rean and Uncle Teo could never say no to her and she could absolutely see why. Perhaps it was something she inherited from her mother?

"I'm… I'm sorry, Elise. For the way I treated Rean like a monster… For the way I ignored you because of that… For everything. I know Rean said he was okay now, but… I can't imagine the sort of pain I've put him through for the past year and a half. I don't think I can apologize enough."

Elise did not respond. Instead, she gently placed her teacup back onto the table and made her way towards the window, looking away from Juna.

After a moment of contemplation, she finally spoke.

"Do you know what happened to my brother since you pushed him away like that?"

Juna never heard Elise speak like that before. Her voice lacked warmth and empathy. It was cold, collected, bordering on venomous.

"N-No." She hesitated to respond. She knew that if she did, she'd hear something she'd never want to ever acknowledge. But if she didn't… then she'd only regret it.

"Ever since coming back from his station in Crossbell, something in Rean broke. I could hardly recognize him after that. He tried to play it cool, but I knew something was wrong. Ever since then… Rean had been suffering from panic attacks."

"Wh-wha…?"

"I doubt he told you yet, Juna, but at the end of the civil war, Rean lost someone very important to him. Someone he looked up to as a rival, a friend, a mentor, and perhaps something more. He died in his arms and he hasn't stopped blaming himself for it. He wakes up in the night, screaming from nightmares that continue to haunt him. He loses his composure when something - anything - goes wrong. I had to learn everything and anything I could to calm him down whenever those moments occurred."

Juna couldn't respond. She had no idea how to. Elise interpreted her silence as license to continue.

"They became less frequent over time. As hesitant as I am to admit it, I'm glad Rean met someone like Musse to support him. Ever since the school festival, he slowly became closer and closer to his old self. They stayed in contact, exchanging letters and meeting up in the capital whenever time permitted. It looked like he was happy again and I couldn't be prouder as his sister." Juna could see Elise crack a small smile in the reflection of the window, but it disappeared just as quickly as it formed. "That's why, I had to make sure he stays happy."

Elise rummaged through her pocket, pulling out a thin white cloth before wrapping it around her hand. She walked back to the table, her face devoid of any amusement or joy. She placed the cloth onto the table and what Juna saw haunted her.

"I-Is that…?"

"Blood? That's correct." Elise sat back down on the couch. "Ever since he started working for the government, Rean hardly comes back home. I'm usually busy here as well, so it's very rare for the both of us to be in the same vicinity together let alone at home in Ymir. But thank the goddess I was home on this occasion. One night, I entered his room to offer a midnight snack. I wanted to chat to catch up. But once I walked in… I smelled iron in the air. It was faint, but the look of horror on his face and the nicks on his arm told me all I needed to know. He was harming himself."

At this point, Juna was utterly speechless.

"He begged me, pleading, that I not tell anyone. Not his friends, not any doctors, and especially not our parents. These were the same bandages I used to patch him up that night. I hold onto them as a memento. A dreadful reminder of what it is I'm fighting for."

"So why…" Juna's fingers curled, digging into her thighs. Tears formed in her eyes as her voice barely croaked out her first real words since Elise began talking. "Why did you tell me then?"

"Why?" Juna silently nodded. "Two reasons.

"First, it's because I want to make it clear that while you're not totally to blame for his state, you are a catalyst in why he's doing this. He already had low self-esteem before our first meeting all those years ago. So having you, a girl who quite literally saved him from himself, view him as a monster tore him apart. You are partly responsible."

"Y-Yeah. I get that."

"And second… it's because I trust you more than anyone else, Juna."

"H-huh?"

Elise's expression finally softened. "No matter what you do, what mistakes you make, I know that you're the kind of person to always work towards correcting them. I know this because… you're my best friend after all."

"Elise…?!"

The young Schwarzer stood up from her seat and moved over to Juna's side. She wrapped her arms around the other's shoulders and held her tight.

"I value Musse's support. I really do. But I don't think anyone else is capable of bringing Rean back from the brink except you, Juna. You mean so much to him. So all I ask is that you stay by his side and help him when he really needs it. Can you do that?"

"I-I…" The tears in Juna's eyes cleared up, but they were far from gone. Instead, they reformed into something else. Tears of joy and elation. Hope and light. She returned the embrace. "Of course! You're both my best friends. I'd do everything - anything - to make up for what I've done. You two deserve at least that much."

"Thank you, Juna. That's all I needed to hear."

Elise's bright smile returned, something Juna definitely took for granted.

It was all the motivation she needed to ready her resolve. Not only did her Crossbell pride demand it, but also her friendship with the Schwarzer siblings pushed her to become the best person she could be!

…Perhaps it was rather corny to put it into that perspective, but that didn't matter to Juna Crawford!

"Well, now that we got the heavy stuff out of the way, I know just the place to get you started."

"I'm on the case, Miss Schwarzer!" Juna saluted, adopting an old persona she used to role play whenever the two were kids playing pretend. "Your wish is my command!"

Elise clasped her hands together, giddy to get started. "Excellent! Now let's start with getting some birthday presents. Rean's birthday is coming soon and I need some second opinions."

"Eh… What?"

"...Juna, don't tell me you forgot that it's May already."

"...Mayhaps."

"And that Rean's turning 20 in just a few days, right?"

"...Crap."

Elise sighed. "Guess you'll be staying in the capital for longer than you bargained for. Let's get to brainstorming then."

"...Yes, ma'am."

Musse felt a tinge of guilt for forcing Juna to deal with Elise all by her lonesome, but she understood it was a conversation that she had no business butting in with. That was a conversation both of them had to have on their own without any outside intervention. Besides, if her predictions were correct, and they usually were, then it would go swimmingly.

What she really felt bad about was bringing Juna to Heimdallr under the pretense they were just there to have her reconcile with Elise. While that was her top priority, Musse also had other plans.

"Thank you for this, Your Highness."

"Of course, but… are you sure? We locked him away for a reason. Do you not want any bodyguards to keep watch for you?"

"That won't be necessary. I can protect myself just fine. Besides, I know that he won't do anything to hurt me."

"If you insist…"

*creeeeeak*

"In you go."

"Thank you… Alfin."

Musse walked down the spiral staircase down the dank dungeon. Nothing but stones and bricks forming the walls and the only source of light she had were the torches lit on them. A very typical high security dungeon for typical national high-class criminals.

She ignored all the grotesque and inappropriate comments thrown her way. Disgusting beings deserved no attention, after all. There was only one person that she wanted to see inside this dark hellhole and he was quite possibly the worst of them all.

"Knock, knock."

"...What do you want?"

"Now, is that a way to greet your darling niece, Uncle Croire?"

The man's head shot up, standing at full attention. While he didn't bother moving from his seat, he turned his head towards the cell door.

Former Duke Croire de Cayenne. Her uncle.

"...Mildine. I didn't expect to see you down here."

"Yes, well, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by during visiting hours. Wouldn't want to keep my favorite uncle lonely."

"I'm your only uncle. …Actually scratch that. I can't even call myself that anymore. Ever since the civil war, I've lost my title, my fortune, and my esteem. The only thing we share now is blood."

"Oh, Uncle. You stopped being my family for far longer than that." Musse said, her voice no longer sporting its devilish playfulness.

"So then, why did you come down here? To rub it in my face? As way of revenge? You've always been far more clever than you let on. I'm sure you've already figured out why I sent you to St. Astraia all those years ago."

"Perhaps I have, perhaps I haven't. I only came here to tell you one thing."

"And what would that be?"

The sound of a pistol being loaded could be heard.

"The world is changing, Uncle. And I will be right behind the person in charge of it all. House Cayenne will see a drastic amount of change, as will the other Four Great Houses. This is my declaration to you."

*BANG*

"The revolution has started. This world will burn and we shall rise from its ashes."

So remember when I originally planned for Musse to be a part of OG New Class VII rather than Juna? I guess this way I can have my cake and eat it too, because I really wanted her to be a part of the main cast without joining alongside Ash. It just felt natural to do since she will be contributing to the story just as much as our heroes will. I wasn't too big on how they handled her and Ash's inclusion in chapter 3, so I hope putting them in one at a time would do a better job at keeping things not as bloated.

Plus, it helps that she can air things out between Juna and Elise after all.

Anyway, Thank you so much for reading this far. I wouldn't be here without all of your support and I'm grateful that you've stuck with me despite the multitude of delays. Here's to a great 2024!