AN: Sorry for the long wait on this one. I put a lot of work into this one, deleted a lot of it, and decided to post this because I don't want to make everyone wait over a month for a new chapter. It will never be perfect, I have to publish at some point and it's good to have a deadline. I'd like to make it longer and better, but it was not to be.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it.

"Could we not? This fake dating thing is really annoying. No more fake dating, just friends and see if there's something more from there." Alexia didn't know what kind of response she expected. Cid was a bit uncouth however she wasn't expecting him to say no to fake dating but yes to staying with her. She wasn't sure if she liked it.

"Bold to assume there's more." At the very least, she was glad that he considered her a friend. She was a bit worried that it was all about the money.

"What can I say, I'm a pessimist." Alexia held back her laugh, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. If Cid wanted to be more than a friend he had to work for it. "Let's go in, it's hot as balls out here."

Alexia walked in beside Cid. This would work. At the very least it wasn't like anyone better than her would give Cid the barest hint of attention.

Iris was doing everything she could to learn about the Cult and Shadow Garden. Unfortunately, they had very little to go on. They had more information about the Cult, most of the locations attacked on that dreadful night seemed to actually be connected to each other. They had no clue what they wanted beyond her younger sister's blood, but they could have learned so much more from what they found.

That was not to be. They had filled a warehouse with all the evidence from that night. That warehouse was now a pile of ash, and they could just sift through it and hope to find something. For now they were looking into everything Zenon had been doing, since he was somehow a traitor.

They somehow had less information on Shadow Garden. They only know that Shadow Garden opposed the Cult, and that a silver haired elf woman and a man called Shadow were a part of the organization. They didn't have any leads.

It didn't help that she had no one she trusted with this to investigate. She had trusted Zenon, and he was the one who kidnapped Alexia. The Knight Order was meant to guard the evidence at the warehouse, and the day they finished placing everything into storage it burned. Hopefully something could be recovered, and now she knew that anyone for this case needed to be trusted implicitly.

The list of people she trusted implicitly and who were qualified was incredibly short.

For now, she needed to unwind. For that Iris could take solace that with all the problems in the world, her relationship with her cute sister has never been better. She had heard about a wonderful store with some new products that were apparently delightful. She was to meet Alexia nearby

"Alexia!" Iris shouted as she approached. Her sister looked adorable, but she always looked adorable. Iris rushed forward and gave her adorable sister a quick hug

"Where are we going?" Alexia wasted no time as she detached herself from Iris.

"It's called Mitsugoshi. It's all the rage recently. I heard they sell tasty treats."

"Treats? I don't hate that but…" Alexia looked shocked. "Pooch?"

"Pooch?" Was there a dog she was talking about?

"Cid!" Alexia shouted, dragging Iris behind her. "What are you in line for?"

Iris saw him turning toward them, and he did look a bit plain. She also felt a bit of shame at accusing him of kidnapping Alexia. Zenon claiming that Cid was the primary suspect really should have been a big hint that Zenon was a lying traitor. It made it all the more galling that Iris couldn't deny that if Shadow Garden wasn't fighting this so-called Cult then she would have lost her sister.

"Princesses, um, hi?" Not exactly what Iris was used to, but he was Alexia's friend. She recalled meeting his sister, Claire Kagenou. She was very passionate in his defense, and considering that the Cult framed Cid she could be a good prospect for her planned investigation.

"What are you doing here Po- Cid?"

"I heard about Mitsugoshi, wanted to see what it was about." The boy seemed a bit bored, maybe uncomfortable. "The line is going to be a bit of a problem."

"We will cause some trouble if we stand in line." Iris muttered as two young ladies in Mitsugoshi uniforms approached.

"Princess Iris, Princess Alexia, and Lord Kagenou. Thank you for coming, please come with us." Iris was a bit surprised that they knew who Cid was. Then again, they weren't exactly quiet about accusing him of kidnapping Alexia. She had to apologize for that if even these workers now knew who he was.

They were escorted into the building and were awed at the array of shops. Food, toys, clothing, treats and restaurants, most of which were Mitsugoshi products, impeccably and ornately decorated. They even had cheaper fare like Tuna King, though Iris would admit that while cheap it maintained incredible quality for the speed of service.

Leaving behind the crowds, they were led to a quiet part of the shopping complex. "This is a special boutique we have prepared for only the most honored of guests." The young lady said as she opened the beautiful mahogany doors.

The boutique was perfect, with so many of Mitsugoshi's original products, many of which Iris didn't recognize. They had a variety of different drinks, mostly juices, a few wines, some teas and a drink that was taking over the Kingdom, coffee. Iris had yet to try it, but it smelled beautiful.

Iris looked over to Alexia and saw her entranced by the display. It was hard not to be. Iris had been shopping before, but she can safely say that no shopping excursion was as magnificent as this one. She looked over to Cid and he looked neutral as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Iris was surprised at how casually he was taking this, she hadn't even thought of asking for anything yet and Cid was already helping himself. She did want to try it. "Cid, would you pour me some coffee, please?"

"I'll take some too Po- Cid." Iris noticed that Alexia almost said something else instead of Cid's name. She has done it twice now. They were so close she had a cute pet name for him. It must have been embarrassing since she was trying to hide it. Iris didn't want to feel jealous about this but it was kinda hard.

"Sure, do you want milk and sugar?" Cid started pouring two more cups, before adding some milk and sugar to one of the cups.

"Milk and sugar?" Alexia asked.

"Some people like it."

"We'll go without for now." Iris interjected. "You know quite a bit about coffee?"

"I've had it a few times before." Cid said as he brought them their coffee.

"Thank you." Iris took the cup and took a sip. She did not like coffee. How could something smell so good but completely lack good flavor.

"Sugar and milk helps."

"I don't know what you are talking about, it's perfect."

Iris had some trouble believing that her sister liked this bitter drink. She added a bit of milk and sugar. She took another sip, and it was divine. This coffee was going to be a daily thing.

The doors opened and a stunning elf with long blue hair entered with a few aides carrying products. "Thank you for your patience. I'm Luna, the president of Mitsugoshi, Ltd. Here is our newest product, choco–aaahh." She slipped.

Iris watched her fall forward right into Cid. He caught her with a light sigh. "Uh… Luna, was it? Are you okay?" Iris couldn't help but notice Alexia tense as Cid held Luna.

"Um- ye-yes my Lord. Apologies for my clumsiness." She stood up, ushering her aids forward and failing to hide her blush. "As I was saying, our newest product are these chocolate truffles."

The aides presented trays with bite sized morsels before them. "It doesn't look very appetizing." Alexia mutters.

"They're fine, a bit of a bitter taste but still great. Personally I prefer it sweeter." Cid said as he tossed two pieces in his mouth.

Luna snapped her fingers and an aide immediately provided a tray of bars. "We have both dark and milk chocolate bars."

"Great," Cid said as he grabbed the light brown bar and took a big bite.

"I'll try some!" Alexia said as the aide brought it over. Iris took a bar and a few truffles.

Iris started with the truffles, and the bitter notes just highlighted the sweetness, a perfect melding of the two. She spent a moment sitting back enjoying the flavors.

"I want at least three boxes of each." Alexia said as she grabbed a few bars of the dark chocolate and a couple more truffles.

"We will have them delivered for you. Would you prefer the castle or your dormitory?"

"The castle." Iris interjected. She hoped that it would encourage Alexia to come by more often. Also, the chocolate was really good, she needed to try their other treats.

"No, take some to the dorm."

"We'll take them all to the castle. It will give you a chance to come by more often. Right Luna?"

Luna was unaffected, the perfect business woman. "A bit of coffee and chocolate is always good with family. However the cafe Starzeni has the best prepared coffee, and as very special guests we will ensure that you get to try the newest treats first in a private dining area."

Not exactly what Iris wanted, but this was even better. She wouldn't mind making this a weekly thing, as long as the new treats would be half as good as the chocolate. "That sounds delightful."

"Next we'd love to show you some of our clothing lines. However, Lord Kagenou, these next products are more directed toward women. That said, could we trouble you to fill out a short survey?" Luna asked Cid. It would be a bit unfortunate that she couldn't see how her sister acted with her friend, but you can't try on clothes in front of a man.

"Sure, I can take a survey." Mitsugoshi was owned by Shadow Garden. How did this happen, when did this happen, how old was Mitsugoshi, did they take over a business or did they build this business? How many of the employees were Shadow Garden agents?

Cid looked at the woman escorting him. She was wearing the dark toned uniform, and was carrying herself elegantly and perfectly balanced. However he could see in her movements and feel from her magic, she was stronger and more skilled than the norm.

Shadow could take a risk. He got into the proper mindset and tone. "Go back to Gamma, make sure you give the Princesses the best service possible."

Shadow kept the smile from his face. The shift from Cid to Shadow was shocking, it took a lot of work to change how his magic felt to most. Even the subtle changes like posture, the length of his stride, and how he changed his expressions. If he wanted the reveal to be shocking then he needed to make sure Cid and Shadow truly felt different in every way.

"My lord, we'd like to show-"

"Is it time sensitive?" Shadow was the leader. If it's important he'd listen, but it was probably nothing. Or at the very least, less important than impressing the heir to the Kingdom.

She paused for a moment. "No, my lord."

"Good. Mitsugoshi is very important. Giving perfect service to the princesses is vital. Now, we need to have an excellent meal ready for them. Let's get that ready." The best part of all this was that he would eat on Alexia's zeny. Cid froze. "Do you have any fresh fish?" He hasn't had a chance to try making sushi. This would be fun. Also, delicious.

Today was almost perfect. As much as Alexia liked how her sister wanted to spend more time with her, it's better and worse with Pooch joining them. It was annoying not calling him Pooch, but she didn't want to explain her pet name. Cid was also spiteful enough to give her a fake pet name just to annoy her in front of Iris, best not to give him an excuse. She knew her friend well, he was absolutely that petty.

Mitsugoshi on the other hand was magnificent. She was skeptical at first. How great could any store be? It had everything she could ever want. She would ensure that she had truffles wherever she went and figure out what exactly coffee was. She just knew it as a hot drink with a magnificent flavor, she needed to know how to make it.

It was, however, unbelievably annoying how Pooch and Iris tainted the coffee with milk and sugar.

"C-can we move past fashion." Iris muttered, her face bright red. She was still shaken by the G-strings Alexia purchased. Alexia would never let her know that she only pushed so hard on getting them to annoy her. She could have easily bought them later without Iris there. It was fun and they looked great on her. Also, having no visible panty lines would be nice.

"I don't know, I'd like to test a few dresses with my new G-strings." Alexia smirked.

"Of course!" Luna snapped her fingers, and her assistants rushed forward with dozens of dresses.

Alexia was torn when it came to the shapely and dark haired elf. She was incredibly polite and helpful. Truly a model of how to provide good service. She made sure they had anything they asked for. But when she fell into Cid, Alexia saw the look on her face. How flushed she was after that, how slow she was to disentangle herself from them. Luna was practically grinding up against him! Absolutely uncouth and inappropriate behavior.

Still, as good as Luna looked, she obviously couldn't compete with Alexia. She was a Princess.

"Is there anything you would like to emphasize?" Luna asked.

"I'm confident about the shape of my butt."

"Stop saying that!" Iris shouted, scandalized. Alexia had emphasized her butt a few times while looking at the G-string

"But it's true?" Alexia smirked.

"Let's move past fashion. NO more fashion."

"But-"

"At least do it without me!"

Alexia rolled her eyes, there goes her fun. "Fine, but what should we do now?"

"We have a meal prepared, Lord Kagenou should be waiting for you." Luna said as the doors were opened, waiting to escort them to their next destination.

"Well we can't leave him waiting?" Alexia said.

"With everything else we've had I can't wait to try out what they've prepared for us." Iris sighed, likely glad to no longer be scandalized by the G-strings.

Now they were escorted past the crowds to a private dining area. A magnificent private hall with a long table with a massive array of foods. With that impeccable display, what drew her attention was Pooch. He was eating something pink. "Po-Cid, what is that?" She almost slipped up again.

"Sushi." Cid dipped one in a dark sauce and tossed it up and into his waiting mouth. Then with his mouth full he said, "Ith good."

Iris grabbed one, it was red on rice. She popped it in and her eyes widened. "This is delightful!"

Alexia grabbed the orange one. It was also on rice. She took a bite out of it. It was pleasant, mild flavor. She found it to have a calming taste. "What is this?"

"That was… I think it was salmon and rice." A brown haired Mitsugoshi employee chimed in.

"That was fish?" Alexia was shocked.

"Is it safe to eat?" Iris asked.

"It is perfectly safe." Luna said, gazing at Cid. The way she was gazing soured the food. Alexia grabbed a red sushi this time. It was probably a different fish. She ate it, and was subsequently annoyed that it was so good. At the very least Cid didn't notice how smitten Luna was with him.

Luna started walking around the table, trying to get closer to Cid. "As always, if there's any-" She tripped and fell on her face. Alexia held back a vindictive little smile, she needed to behave properly when public facing. Then she had a reason to frown, Cid went to her side and helped her up. "-anything you need everyone here at Mitsugoshi is ready to help!"

"You're bleeding." Alexia and Cid said together. The brown haired employee rushed to her side and provided a handkerchief.

Alexia was certain that Luna was doing this on purpose to draw Pooch toward her. She would drag him back. "Pooch, come back. Luna will be alright."

"Pooch?" Iris asked. Alexia's eyes widened. Cid gave a wide smile, that was a bad sign.

"That's just a little pet name, isn't that right Kitten?"

"Kitten?" Iris sounded far too happy at that pet name.

"Lets not use those names here." Alexia growled out.

"Of course, Kitten." Iris chuckled.

Pooch was going to suffer for this.

Today was a difficult day. She had hoped to spend some more time with Lord Shadow, unfortunately they were stuck with the Princesses all day. She understood why they had to focus on the royal family, but Lord Shadow never came by! She wanted to display everything that Mitsugoshi had built. She wanted him to know she used his Shadow Wisdom to full effect.

"Lady Gamma, all of the Princesses' purchases have been delivered." Nu was back.

"Excellent. Do we have everything ready for tomorrow?" Business didn't stop, and while some employees were distracted by Lord Shadow and resources had to be diverted to properly serve royalty it wouldn't do to have a fall in quality for the common consumer.

"Everything is fully stocked, we've removed the expired goods. We've also started experimenting with Lord Shadow's 'sushi.'"

Gamma smiled, Shadow's newest gift. She would have never imagined raw fish as a proper food for a restaurant, but she could already see a new restaurant serving this new dish. It would need to be high-end, she wanted it to be the freshest tuna and salmon. She needed to ask Lord Shadow more about this sushi.

"Nu, give me a rundown of the figures for today." Gamma ordered as they walked to the throne room her office was close to it, so as to best serve Lord Shadow when he deigned to visit. She really wanted to surprise Lord Shadow with his throne, hall and the service Mitsugoshi could provide. Instead she could only provide the service

Unfortunately she had to serve the Princess who severely annoyed Lord Shadow. She felt bad for Princess Alexia. She clearly liked Lord Shadow, how could she not adore someone so perfect, and Lord Shadow didn't like her. It made it a bit easier to be nice to her, if only out of pity.

Overall, Mitsugoshi did great today. While it was a bit difficult to accommodate the Princesses it attracted more customers, and many seemed to have stayed longer and bought more products. As usual the chocolate sold magnificently, and coffee sales were mounting. Coffee didn't start as popular as chocolate, but it was growing in popularity a bit faster. Gamma knew she couldn't start her day without two mugs, and she was sure that given time everyone in the castle would be just as addicted to the drink as she was.

They opened the doors to the great hall, and laying back on the throne was perfection dressed in black. "You did an excellent job today, Gamma."

AN: Not the most satisfied with how this chapter came out, but I can't let perfect be the enemy of good. If I did that then I would never get anything done. I've had stories fall away because I kept telling myself that I could make it better. I want to actually get things out.

I'll try to at least get one chapter out each month, preferably more. In fact I'll say now that I'll get two chapters out in April. Do I have any reason to think I would be capable of this? No. But I'll try!

Thanks for reading, and leave a comment!