1204/08/24 09:00
"Thank you for flying with us today. We will be arriving in Crossbell shortly. Please be aware that there may be turbulence while landing, so we ask that all passengers take their seats."
Agate Crosner opened his eyes, hearing the announcement. He looked aside to see Tita and Renne still talking.
"-give you a tour after we settled in. Oh? Agate has woken up?" Renne had her usual smirk when she noticed his state.
"Agate, good morning! Don't bother him too much, Renne. He was tired from yesterday's request." Tita, little sweet Tita, took his side. It was true that after returning from his request yesterday, Estelle suddenly asked him to escort the two to Crossbell and take care of them for one week. It was classified as an A-rank request from the guild. He didn't know why, but Aina gave him no choice.
Still, one week... wouldn't that mean their stay was close to the start of the West Zemuria Trade Conference?
"You don't need to mother me, Tita. I'm not that tired," Agate scoffed. When he saw Tita's eyes looking down in disappointment, though, he quickly added, "B-But thanks, anyway."
He heard a giggle from the purple-haired girl. "Aah~, Agate couldn't just be honest, huh?"
"H-Huh?! What the heck do you mean by that?!" He deflected in reflex. Seeing the smirk on her face was grating. He wondered how Joshua and Estelle endured that freaking teasing smirk every day. "Still, I don't get why we must take the first airship from Grancel to Crossbell. Aina didn't say anything, and the mission didn't specify."
"To make it short, we're racing against time," Renne answered. "We're doing a project, which must be finished before the conference. That is why I enlisted Tita's help. Aside from her getting experience, we need all the help we can get."
"You sounded eager... it's really unlike you," Agate mentioned off-handedly.
"That's because the one requesting Renne's help is someone she felt indebted to!" Tita answered his question, to which Renne looked away in embarrassment.
"Tita! I thought I confided in you! Traitor!"
"Ehehe... I can't help it. You just looked so cute when you acted like Agate to this person you're indebted to," Tita smiled at her friend.
A person she was indebted to in Crossbell... could it be one of the SSS or Juna Crawford? Estelle had many good things to say about them after her and Joshua's stay in Crossbell.
"W-What do you mean 'acted like Agate?' I never looked like him just now!" Renne continued denying Tita.
As he looked at the two girls bickering in fun, the airship had landed safely.
"Let's go, girls. It's time to get off the airship," he reminded them.
"Right!"
"Okay."
Disembarking from the airship, the three went to collect their baggage before finding an empty seat in the lobby.
"So, are we supposed to wait for someone?" Renne asked Agate since he was their chaperone.
Agate nodded. "Yeah, Aina said that somebody from the Crossbell branch would be waiting."
His eyes then looked around the lobby, trying to find any sign of a fellow Bracers looking for them.
No one actually stood out in the busy airport lobby. Well... at least, before a pink-haired girl came rushing in.
"Uwaaah! I'm late!" Her shout actually made other people avoid her. Maybe out of consideration for her words. However, instead of rushing to board the airship, the pink-haired girl stopped in the middle of the lobby and looked around.
Agate heard Renne clicking her tongue. "Of course, it had to be her."
"Hm?" Agate turned towards the newly adopted Bright family member and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Renne... could it be-"
"Ah! There you are!" Tita's words were cut off as the pink-haired girl ran towards them. "Renne! And you two are Agate Crosner and Tita Russell, then?"
"That's right," Agate answered. Pink-haired girl. Knew Renne. Knew them. So she must be from the guild. Ah...
"Nice to meet you! I'm Juna Crawford. I was tasked to bring the three of you to the guild. Sorry, I'm a little late. I had to escort my younger siblings to Sunday School first."
"Nice to meet you too, Juna. I'm Tita! I hope we can be friends!" Tita smiled at the newcomer.
"Hm?" She blinked at Tita before turning to Renne. "Renne, are you sure we should bring Tita here to the guild? If Aeolia sees her..." she shuddered.
Renne shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Ask Agate. He's the one taking care of Tita."
Juna turned to him.
"And Aeolia is?"
"A lover of cute things. She's gonna squeeze Tita to death. I've been there before, and I don't want my new friend to be subjected to the same horror I felt," Juna explained with a sage nod as if that explained everything.
Agate sort of got it, though. It seemed like Aeolia had the same quirk as Anelace back in Liberl, or even worse, if Juna didn't exaggerate.
"We kind of still had to," he told Juna. "Me chaperoning them is made into a mission for some reason. An A-rank mission, too. So I can't skimp on that."
"Oh wow... you're an A-rank Bracer?! That's amazing! You're the same rank as Arios!" For some reason, Juna had stars in her eyes.
"I know, it's unbelievable, right?" Renne joined with a sigh.
His eyes twitched. "Listen here, you brat."
Renne just giggled at hearing him try to hold back his emotion. It wasn't worth getting angry at her. She was just having fun at his expense.
Agate sighed.
"I regret this already."
"You sure aren't when Tita asked for your help," Renne winked.
"R-Renne!" Tita blushed in embarrassment.
Looking at the three of them, Juna nodded to herself. "Ah, I see..."
What? Agate narrowed his eyes. From the corner of his eyes, he also saw Renne stop being playful at Juna's words.
"Ugh, I forgot you have that uncanny ability to become as annoying as a certain clown-face," she grumbled before flicking her hair. "Well, whatever. Let's go, Tita."
"I don't understand? But shouldn't we follow Juna?" Tita tilted her head in confusion.
"I'm also familiar with Crossbell, remember?"
"O-Oh right..."
Agate looked at Juna, who was being ignored by the purple-haired girl. She frowned before looking around.
"Oh, Colin? What are you doing here?"
In an instant, Renne showed her capability as a fighter and quickly hid herself behind a chair.
"H-Huh? Renne?"
Tita looked around in confusion because her friend was suddenly gone.
What? What just happened?
"Juna Crawford! You! You really are as annoying as Campanella!"
Juna just blinked. "Who? Anyway, are you sure you wanna go without me? What if Sophia or Colin spotted their 'guardian angel?'" She smirked at Renne.
Renne gritted her teeth in frustration. "Fine! Do what you want!"
She grumbled, to Juna's delight.
He looked at Tita, who was as lost as him.
"Crossbellans are weird."
"Hey!" "Hey!"
Tita giggled at the reaction to his words.
After that, there was some sort of ceasefire between the two native Crossbellans as they made their way to the guild.
1204/08/24 09.30
"Oh, we're the same age!" Juna put a hand on Tita's shoulder, pushing herself closer to the blonde girl. "I just turned fifteen a few weeks ago! There was this one girl the same age as me, but she moved away to Remiferia a few years ago."
"Then that means you're not the same age. Are you stupid?" Renne fired a shot at Juna. From what Agate observed so far, Renne and Juna had a caustic relationship but respected each other. They teased and made scathing remarks, but ultimately, they knew what the other could take.
"Yeah, well, there's a certain period when both of us are fourteen! That means we're the same age!" Juna said smugly to the purple-haired girl.
"That's not how it works! The word the same age means you and the other person are of the same age, the same number!"
In fact, Agate suspected that they could easily quarrel and make peace in quick succession because they knew what buttons to tick and what to not tick.
Juna suddenly had a look of realization before she sent a playful smirk. "What? Are you jealous that you're not the same age as Tita?"
"No. Being the same age is not important as long as friends get along," Renne frowned. "And by your logic, there is a period where both Tita and I are thirteen, and thus, we're also the same age. So why should I be jealous?"
As the two continued bickering, Agate thought that somehow the two seemed closer to each other than Renne was with Tita.
'Do your best, Tita,' he silently mouthed towards the girl who looked like she wanted his intervention for being in the middle of the two bickering people.
Somehow, seeing the expression on Tita's face, Agate felt like he could hear Tita groaning, 'Agaaaate!' in his mind, asking for his help.
"We're wasting time, come on." In the end, he relented and intervened. For Tita's peace of mind, at least.
"Don't worry, we're close. See? That's the Bell of Crossbell. We just need to take the right intersection, and you'll see the guild's emblem."
Juna was correct. Not even three minutes later, they saw the guild building. She then slammed the door open.
"Michel! Agate's here with Renne and Tita! Is Aeolia here?!"
"Not even a greeting?" Agate muttered under her breath.
"Oh, good. Please enter. And no, Aeolia's on a mission." The voice from inside the building called them. The three then entered, seeing a... normal guild interior not dissimilar to other guild buildings.
"Good Morning. I'm Agate Crosner."
"The Heavy Blade, I've heard much of you from Estelle and Joshua," the receptionist, Michel, greeted him from behind the counter if what Juna said was correct. "And you must be Tita! It's also nice to meet you, darling. And for Renne, it's good to see that you're okay."
"Nice to meet you!" Tita answered excitedly, while Renne just waved her hands with a smile at the receptionist.
"Anyway, my job here is done. See you later!"
Juna interrupted before leaving the guild.
"Hahaha, please excuse Juna, everyone," Michel broke the silence after Juna left. "She looks like she's in a hurry because she has another appointment. I believe she's going to the hospital to keep Arios' daughter's company."
"Arios' daughter?" Tita asked in curiosity, but Michel shook their head.
"It's not my story to tell. Suffice to say, Juna helped Arios reconnect with his daughter. Now, the Foundation has given the guild enough funds to cover your stay for one week. Where do you want to stay? Long Lao is closer since it's located in this district, and it's a good inn, but you have the option to stay at Hotel Millenium. The downside is, of course, its location in the Entertainment District."
Agate let the two children decide. He had already decided to bunk in the guild as usual.
Tita and Renne whispered to each other before nodding. "We've decided to stay at Long Lao, Michel."
"Because Tita knew Agate would use the guild's room, and so she wanted to stay close to him," Renne unnecessarily added. This brat...
"R-Renne!"
Michel giggled.
"I see... Yes. Long Lao is the better option if you want to stay close to Agate. Oh, and their food is great. I think Estelle and Joshua made it a habit to go there once a week."
"Really?" Agate looked skeptical. He knew those two could cook good food. It was essential to know how to cook if you wanna be a good bracer. Hell, even he could. But for them to go there once a week...
"Yes."
"Alright. Seems like a good choice," Agate looked at Tita and Renne. "Time to go."
"Hmm, do you need an escort? I believe Wenzel will be back soon."
"No need," Renne answered. "I'm familiar with Crossbell, remember?"
"Alright. After you settle in, please come back here. I'll call the Foundation to pick you up," Michel nodded and picked up the telephone to call the Epstein Foundation.
"Wait here for a bit."
Agate then went upstairs to put his belongings on one of the unoccupied beds.
When he went down, it was to see a blushing Tita between the giggling Renne and Michel.
He let out a loud sigh to announce himself. "Seriously? Have you guys not had enough of teasing Tita?"
"Oh, I'm not teasing dear Tita, Agate. I'm simply recounting our experience in Liberl," Renne had a catlike grin on her face. She definitely was teasing her. Agate wasn't an airhead.
"Michel had Estelle and Joshua here for several months. The two could've told Michel about it. There's no need for you to embarrass Tita," Agate rebutted.
"Oh, but Michel told me that Estelle didn't tell him the details about how Tita stood in front of Loewe to-"
"Ah, shut it!" Agate unconsciously raised his voice as he threw his face aside. Of course, Renne had to say that part, not the others.
"Hehee," Renne just continued giggling at his and Tita's expense.
"In any case, let's go to your inn," Agate changed the topic.
"Y-Yes!" Tita joined in to escape from the purple menace.
"I've contacted Zhang Hui and reserved one room with two beds for Tita and Renne," Michel told him.
"Thank you, Michel," Agate nodded in gratitude.
"Come on, Tita." Renne dragged the blonde girl outside, with Agate monitoring from behind.
1204/08/24 10:00
The three of them returned back to the guild to see Michel talking with a middle-aged man in a white lab coat.
"Ah, Chief Roberts. Here they are," Michel turned his head once he heard the door being opened.
Agate saw Roberts looking around before his eyes settled on Renne and Tita.
"Good morning, Chief Roberts. I am Renne Bright," the purple-haired girl curtsied at the scientist. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, I am Tita Russell. I hope I can help," Tita bowed nervously.
Roberts gasped. "We have two more Tio?! Goddess!"
Renne giggled at that, and Agate noticed.
Nonetheless, Roberts quickly regained his composure. He quickly grabbed Renne's hand and shook it.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Roberts from the Epstein Foundation. We've been waiting for you. You too, Tita," Roberts turned to Tita. "Did you say, Russell? So you're a granddaughter of Professor Russell, then?"
"A-Ah, yes," Tita nervously nodded.
"Marvelous! Let's not waste any time, so let's go to the lab! Michel, thank you for getting them here."
Roberts then quickly ran outside. Tita and Renne looked at each other before Tita turned to Agate.
"I'll be right behind you."
With a smile, Tita nodded. "Thanks, Agate. Come on, Renne."
Before he followed them, Agate turned to the receptionist. "We'll be here for one week. Please take care of us."
"Estelle was correct," Michel said with a smile.
"Huh?"
"She said your gruff exterior hides a soft heart within. Well, not exactly a direct quote since it's Estelle..." Michel trailed off, to which Agate nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, she can't be that poetic."
The two shared a laugh before Agate excused himself to follow his charges to the lab.
1204/08/24 10.15
After Roberts introduced Renne and Tita to the Epstein Foundation branch team in the IBC building, Agate bid them farewell and returned to the guild. The team was comprised of six people (including Roberts.) They introduced themselves one by one. Clay, David, Mark, Ashton, and Peter. A small branch overall, but the five had been a team together since Leman.
Once Agate left, Tita observed while Renne took the lead.
"So, Chief Roberts, what's the progress, and how can we help?"
"Good point. Mark, what have you found out from your preliminary research about the feasibility of the project?" Roberts turned towards one of the scientists.
Mark nodded, acknowledging the question. "I contacted one of our colleagues, and it turned out that the Reinford Group, in collaboration with some of our scientists, managed to make exactly what the project wanted. However, when I asked for details, he said that it was classified by NDA, so he couldn't talk about it."
"Reinford group is... the one from Erebonia, right?" Tita asked Renne for confirmation.
"Yes. A weapon manufacturer company that branched out to cover technology, too. I did remember them asking for collaboration with our foundation, but I didn't know that they're making exactly what the project wanted," Roberts let out a small laugh.
"If that's the case, then we have two options to choose from." Renne moved towards the terminal and typed something to show everyone. "Either we follow their way to connect multiple phone calls by trial and error, or we use the specification that we discussed yesterday, Chief."
On the monitor, Renne typed two lines of options that the foundation could choose.
REINFORD
ORBALNET
"So, what will you choose? Using a normal phone line like the Reinford group or trying something new with the OrbalNet?"
The ease with which Renne took over the conversation showed how far behind Tita was compared to her. But Tita didn't lose heart. Renne brought her here to gain experience, and she wouldn't waste the chance.
Roberts and the others looked at each other before nodding. "Since we're a foundation focusing on technology, finding out that one of ours had found the way to do it via a normal phone line is good. It is something to be celebrated. However, that means that our only path is clear..."
"We have to discover a way to do it with the OrbalNet," Clay finished.
Renne smiled. "That's what I liked to hear. Then, if we split the problems into several steps we can take to solve the problem..."
She continued typing before showing some more lines.
"This is..." Roberts gasped when he looked at the monitor.
"Chief... when you said we got two more Tio, I couldn't believe it. But I think I'm starting to believe it."
Here they were. Letting a girl of Tio's age lead the meeting. And she even managed to break down the problem into several smaller, solvable ones.
On the monitor, Renne's diagram showed the steps they needed to finish the project.
1. Create some OrbalNet wave emitter
2. Create a connector so Enigma can capture the Orbal wave from the emitter and connect it to OrbalNet wirelessly.
3. Create the program to connect to multiple calls using OrbalNet as the medium to exchange data.
"We have to do this in one week. Chief Roberts, you can split the team into three so we can cut the time needed. Any disagreements?"
None of the scientists from the foundation disagreed. In fact, they were excited by the project. After all, when the first and second points were done, they could do more than just make multiple calls with the Enigma connected to OrbalNet.
Such as Pom Pom Party on Enigma! Who wouldn't want Pom Pom Party on Enigma?
"Let's go, everyone! Any volunteer?!" Roberts raised his hand in excitement.
"Um..." Tita raised her hand. Everyone turned to her, which made her a little nervous.
"Yes, Tita?" Roberts responded.
"I think I can do the first step. But I need someone who understands the OrbalNet to help me understand it. Grandpa made an emitter device to counter the Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon two years ago, and I have the schematics on my note," Tita revealed to the group.
"Then let me help you, Tita," David said.
"Then I'll take the second step," Clay quickly said after his colleague.
"I'll take the third," Peter followed.
"Second for me," Mark answered.
"Same. I've been involved with Pom Pom Party development. I want to try something new," Ashton shrugged.
The one left without an assignment was Renne.
"I'll take third. Once we finish that, I'll help the first team," Renne said confidently, to everyone's slight surprise. She only grinned at their reaction. "Oh, don't worry. Creating an Enigma application is easy."
"If you say so..." Mark trailed off.
"Alright. We've got one week to finish this. Worry not, as I said, not finishing this is okay, so do your best, everyone!" Roberts encouraged.
"Heh, since when do we become a team that buckles under the pressure of time?" Ashton said confidently.
"Yeah, whether we succeeded or not, we'll do it until the last second!" Clay followed up with his own words of encouragement.
"Let's go!"
The scientists went to their workstation, leaving Tita and Renne.
"They're a good team," Renne commented.
"Reminds me of some of the ZCF workers," Tita said with a smile before she turned to Renne. "Let's go, Renne. You don't want to disappoint, Juna, do you?"
"Hmph. Don't bring her name out of nowhere."
The two then went to their assigned teams to start the development.
1204/08/24 10:15
Once Agate left the IBC building after Tita safely arrived there, he returned to the guild to settle his things. He only put his trunk on one of the beds, not knowing whether that room was used by someone or not.
He arrived at the guild with nobody but Michel still there. "Yo," he greeted the receptionist.
"Done escorting them?" Michel asked with a nod.
"Yeah. Oh, I forgot to ask, but does somebody also use the spare rooms? I saw no personal things, so I just assumed the room I put my things in was empty," Agate asked Michel for confirmation.
"All the room's empty," Michel confirmed. "It's rare for other bracers to visit, and everyone assigned here usually has their own place."
"I see," Agate nodded. "Well, I'm gonna unpack my things. Thanks for the information."
"Don't worry."
"After that, may I know the reason why this is classified as an A-rank mission?"
The question caught Michel off-guard. Michel chuckled.
"Of course, somebody as experienced as you would notice. Alright, I'll answer after you come back down," Michel reassured him.
"Tch, of course, I would." There were too many suspicious things behind his assignment to accompany Tita and Renne to Crossbell, and there was no way he wouldn't pick them up.
Agate quickly unpacked in just ten minutes before he returned to Michel.
"Alright, seems like you've settled down nicely," Michel winked before turning serious. "Then I'll brief you on why it was classified as an A-rank mission."
And so Michel explained that a trusted source deduced that the West Zemuria Trade Conference would be attacked by terrorists from the Empire. The CPD, CGF, and the guild cooperated to defend the conference and minimize the effect of the possible attack on the civilians.
"That still doesn't explain why just chaperoning Renne and Tita for one week is classified as A-rank," Agate muttered. "Oh, unless helping to defend the civilians if the terrorist attacked is part of the mission."
"Exactly!" Michel grinned. "If the information is leaked, there might be severe repercussions, so as much as we hate it, we have to bring experienced figures to Crossbell without raising eyebrows. And it turns out that Renne needs to come here this morning! So, I collaborated with Aina to put together a quick mission and classify it as an A-rank. Thank Aidios, it's you."
Ending the explanation with a huff, Michel turned to him. "Sorry for the whole secrecy, but it is needed. The only guild members outside of Crossbell who knew about the possible attack were Miles from Erebonia and the higher-ups in Leman HQ, and I suppose Estelle and Joshua, too, because we needed to let Renne know of the situation yesterday."
"Not even Aina knows?" Agate raised his eyebrow in skepticism.
"I only told her I need an A-rank bracer to chaperone Renne and Tita," Michel revealed.
Agate sighed. "It's for the conference, right? Seeing that Olivier would be one of the guests, why not Scherazard?"
"To be honest, I trust Aina's decision since she's the one familiar with Liberl's bracers. But maybe you're just the first A-rank she met?" Michel shrugged, offering an answer. "But why do you want Silver Streak to be here instead of you?"
"Nah, nothing," Agate shook his head. "I was just wondering. Maybe you're right that I'm the first A-rank Aina met."
It wouldn't help Schera and Olivier if he revealed that he knew they were seeing each other. It would just bother them. In fact, everyone in the Phantasma gang knew about it, even though the two didn't notice it. Sort of like Estelle and Joshua's situation again.
"Anyway, I think Renne and Tita wouldn't be back until the evening. What are you going to do until then? I can offer you some requests," Michel winked.
Agate let out a snort. It had not even been an hour, and Michel had already tried to pawn some works his way. Was the Crossbell branch that understaffed? They had five people for one area.
"Maybe tomorrow. For now, I'm going to explore the city. It's not every day you get to visit Crossbell."
"Hahaha, very well. See you later, Agate."
"Later," Agate waved as he walked to the exit.
A/N: Ideas... give me ideas on what to fill the gap before the conference. Though, I think it should be fun interactions that moves the story forward. I had wanted to write Agate meeting the SSS and Ries and whatever but decided not to. It's not that I don't think it's interesting, but it doesn't move the story forward to the conclusion that is the conference. The rest of this chapter, in contrast to a potential Agate meeting the SSS and Ries, moves the story forward by following up the previous chapter + setting up Agate's presence in the story. If there is nothing else I might have to use my last resort and timeskip to Azure chapter 2...