Interlude 01

Two weeks earlier

As the two maids have left Shinki's office with the apprehension of the challenge that will begin tomorrow, the red-clad goddess turned to addressed her stoic fox lady chief security the moment the latter walked back into the room. "You shouldn't goad her into such hopeless challenge!"

The fox didn't faze despite facing the displeasure from her boss in full before calmly replied "What will you choose Your Excellency? Your reputation as the mediator that all the civilizations of this world respected as the advocate of peace and benevolent goddess? Or your newly adopted retainer's happiness in the little world called Pandemonium Castle?"

Shinki's eyes narrowed "Do not call me 'Your Excellency', I've told you many times."

"Then you shouldn't let your favoritism ruins everything you strives for and needed me to remind you that there're a lot more people than a single girl depending on you."

The goddess took a deep breath to calm her frustration of dealing with her troublesome but extremely competent guard chief, knowing that she meant well but her method still questionable, a reflection of her violent past that probably never fade away.

After gathering her thought, the goddess opened with a flat statement "You're repeating what you've done to Yumeko all those years before."

"I am." the fox replied and quickly held up her hands to stop her liege from interrupting her explanation which continued on immediately as if fearing her liege's wrath "But as I said before, she's a potential security leak for the upcoming event. I'd be happy to train her normally if we have enough time, but since we're not I have to make this decision."

"Telling her that she has to relocate temporarily should suffice in that case."

Haku's expression didn't change as she calmly countered her mistress "But you still went along with what I did, because you are aware as well as I am, are you not, about how she's like?"

"…"

It was Shinki's turn to be speechless as Haku pressed her advantage with her usual monotone voice "Sometimes a strong medicine with a quick result is needed even if it has some undesirable side effect, Milady. I'm not going to let her goes down the same path I once threaded."

The goddess sighed which made the fox paused her explanation, her eyes slightly widen in the realization that she accidentally let slip things she did not want her mistress to hear.

The small, melancholic smile on Shinki's lip showed that she knows it too.

"Is it still haunting you?"

The fox didn't answer, but Shinki nodded as if knowing it already and then stood up. She turned around and peered outside of the window toward the sky filled with glowing purple miasma before speaking up "But still, I have my doubts. Things that may not go as you predicted. And that's why I'm worried."

Haku tilted her head slightly, her expression returned to neutral "You should have more faith in logical thinking, Milady, failing that, precognitions and divinations."

Shinki let out a mirthless chuckle "Precognition? Divination? When primordial gods whose control over fate was supposed to be 'absolute' weren't around in the multiverse anymore as they did not see their deaths coming…" she stressed the word 'absolute' with so thick sarcasm that even an idiot would notice "How can I bring myself to blindly trust those after learning of that?"

Since Haku wasn't born when that happens, she couldn't comment upon it. However, she still had a piece of mind to give "Even so, if we do nothing then it is inevitable that the child will succumb to the hell of her own making one day."

"I'd say it's this kind of thing that led to the death of primordial gods in the first place." Shinki countered softly, but her voice made it clear that she also didn't reject the fox's opinion either "…But you are also right that doing nothing will guarantee the result we wish to prevent…"

The two spoke nothing as they watched the sky of Makai, pondered on the decision that they already made, or will make.

After a long period of silence, Shinki finally turned around asked; "Are you certain that there's nothing you can do aside from setting yourself up as her nemesis?"

"A challenge is an effective motivation for people to strive to better themselves, as long as they do not succumb to despair or distraction along the way." Haku replied without a doubt in her mind, and then she adds "And I do not do this to get praise from anyone, Milady. If this means that the girl turns into an effective member of this community, then her grudge against me is nothing I cannot bear."

"You better hope that it doesn't escalate into you and her trying to trip each other up," Shinki warned sternly, though her voice seems resigned.

Haku bowed and spoke up with seriousness in her voice "I promise that any resentment she harbored will be directed only to myself. After all these years, has Yumeko not proof of that?"

Shinki could only shake her head at such audacious claim "No two person are the same."

"Yet in my centuries of experience, people always repeating the pattern regardless of era, origin, or even experiences and history." Haku countered calmly, "Do what you experienced across multiverses before settled down here that much different from mine, Milady?"

"No, they're not." Shinki swiftly replied without hesitation as that was what she experienced, to say otherwise would be lying to Haku and herself.

"Then you have nothing to fear." Haku summarized with a dry matter-of-fact tone "I intend only to give the girl motivation to seeks out her potentials, and along the way, unmask and see her true self beneath so that her issues could be rectified."

That caused Shinki's thought to paused as something she hadn't consider before clicked together, from the way Haku provoked Taylor into this pointless challenge instead of simply sending her away. It fits. She then asked, "Said potentials don't happen to be your sworn brother isn't it?"

Haku's expressionless mask was still in place, however, her cheeks gained a shade of pink as she replied, practically admitting to what she was trying to do "I'm only trying to preserve his valuable knowledge. It would be a waste to let it fade away with time."

"He still has a daughter." Shinki snapped at the fox's plan to meddle with even more people under her care "It's his decision to make whether to pass his skill and knowledge on. I can't believe you're going to do that to your sworn brother!"

Haku, to her credit, at least has enough decency to averted her mistress's eyes as she started correcting her statement, her voice tinged with guilt indicating a crack in her mask "I didn't mean to impose Taylor upon him, Milady. Whether or not he found her worthy is his to decide. I just send him a potential candidate." She then added, "After all, he's the type that won't tell anyone about what he knows, and it makes things hard for him to find an heir even in a time like this."

Shinki found her anger fade away as she understood what Haku was thinking. Taking a deep breath, she then decided to end this meeting by a parting instruction "Since words cannot be taken back, I'll have you take responsibility for your actions. Make sure that Taylor or anyone will not come to harm from your schemes…"

"I will." the cold, emotionless mask returned to Haku's face in an instant as if the previous discussion never happens. "That's always my intention, Milady."

Shinki nodded and asks "Is there anything else?"

"My familiars saw strange movement at the border between the Libre and the Dominion. It's probably nothing. But I'll err on the caution for this year's gathering just in case. I'll take my leave now, Milady, have a good day."

'At least that justified her decision, no matter how flimsy it might be.' Shinki thought as the nine white fluffy tails disappeared behind the door, and then she sighed 'I guess even if there's time for her to teach Taylor properly, she'd still anger her anyway, given her personality and Taylor's past.'

Scratching her head, Shinki sat down at her desk and muttered "Haku, the one who needs more friends isn't just Taylor you know…"

What happened today also happened to Yumeko before, and it leaves the relationship between Haku and her daughter cold ever since. It took years before Yumeko could bring herself to at least grudgingly respects Haku, but the two are certainly not friends.

For a moment, Shinki wondered if this's a curse or a blessing? Yumeko and Taylor might become closer over a common nemesis, but at the sacrifice of another potential friendship? Was it really worth it?

Shaking her head, Shinki pulled out a parchment and began doing her paperwork, yet her mind still thinking on what to say to Taylor in their training that night that perhaps might help her in the coming days.

No matter what anyone might say about her, she will always look after her children, however flawed she may be.