Laura had nothing against Major Lechter Arundel. Sure he was an Ironblood and closely affiliated with Chancellor Osborne, but his laid-back personality made him a hard person to hate. And Millium completely adored the man, which counted for something.

But a part of her couldn't help but dislike the man because whenever he showed up it was with orders for Rean.

"...It seems some top brass in the Calvardian army is having memory issues right now 'cause they've been making some aggressive movements on their side of the border lately. I'm hoping you might go visit Crossbell for a couple weeks, fly Valimar around for a bit, and remind the Republic of what happened the last time they tried to invade."

"...I see." As Rean stared thoughtfully at the orders being held out to him Laura did her best to keep her frustration from showing. She was only partly successful given the painful sensation of her nails digging into her palm, but it was the best she could manage. Rean was going to accept those orders and he'd be once again be sent to clean up the mess left by their government's aggressive expansion.

Surprisingly, Fie seemed to be completely at ease as she stood beside the Arseid. Sure the younger girl had always been good at keeping a stoic expression on her face, but Laura was confident that she was among the best in the world at reading her. As far as she could tell there was very little tension in Fie's body or expression.

...In fact to her eyes the silver-hair girl appeared more thoughtful than upset.

"Will I need to perform any more of your special missions while I'm over there?" Rean asked at last, drawing Laura's focus back to the ongoing conversation.

"Nah. I don't think so. There's nothing special going on in Crossbell at the moment so we've little interest in hindering the locals. Pretty sure the only ones who'll be over there will be you, Altina, and me, but don't expect me to leave the casino unless there's an emergency. Hell, if you want I can teach you some of my blackjack tricks. There was this one time I fought against a druggie in a really high stakes game and-"

Once again Lechter reminded Laura of just how hard the man was to hate as he regaled them with a frankly absurd but rather amusing story. It was a brief moment of levity that wouldn't last for long.

In fact she could pinpoint the exact moment when Rean's gaze hardened as he made his decision, "Very well. I'll accept the mission."

"Great! Would've sucked had I come all this way only for you to shoot me down. Alright, let's get this show on the road." The major coughed before straightening his posture, "Ashen Chevalier, Rean Schwarzer – The following orders are on behalf of the Imperial Government. Ensure that the Calvardian Army remains on their side of the border so that the Imperial Province of Crossbell can remain at peace."

"Understood." She watched helplessly as Rean took the orders into his hand, "I'll make my preparations at once."

"Sweet. I'll contact Claire and have her send a train right away." With his job complete Major Lechter gave a wave even as he walked out of their door.

Once he was gone Rean let out a forlorn sigh, "Well, alright. I suppose I should go check in with Valimar and make sure everything's ready."

"Need us to do anything for you?" Once again Laura was struck by just how nonchalant Fie sounded. That girl was planning something and it was her responsibility to get to the bottom of it lest things ended in chaos.

"Haha, thanks, but I think I'm all set. I'll be back soon."

Both girls watched as he left. Normally Laura would have said something to support him, but at the moment her mind was preoccupied elsewhere, "...Just what are you scheming?"

The accused let out a painfully fake gasp, "Scheming? I can't believe you'd say something like that!"

"Fie..."

"Alright, alright! Don't need to give me that scary face." ...Her face wasn't scary, was it? "I kinda had a feeling that something like this might happen. Rean's going to Crossbell, right?"

"Uh huh..."

The silver-haired girl gave a coy smile, "So how about we go to Crossbell too?"

Laura rolled her eyes. Of course Fie's plan would be something like that, "We can't just leave school for two weeks without a reason."

"Doesn't have to be two weeks. How about a weekend or something? And technically we've already both done enough to graduate thanks to those extra classes we took with the rest of Class VII, and that's before taking our recent high test scores into account."

Fie did make some good points, but she remained unconvinced, "Even so we can't just walk out of school like that. It'd be improper."

"Sure, sure." It annoyed her just how easily the other girl could wave off her concerns, "But what if I had something that'd convince you otherwise?"

"You don't."

"Wanna bet?" The look on Fie's face was unsettling. It reminded Laura of the look a feral cat would have once it cornered its prey with no chance of escape. And in this situation she was the helpless prey.

But her pride refused to allow her to back down, "Fine. Show me your so-called proof."

She watched as the other girl took off with all her prodigious speed, crossing the room in a second. After that Fie began digging through her belongings until with a triumphant cry she pulled out something that Laura couldn't quite make out. It wasn't until the former jaeger returned that she recognized it as a pamphlet of some kind.

With a smug smirk on her face Fie placed the item on the table for Laura to see.

It was a travel brochure celebrating the recent grand reopening of Mishelam Wonderland.

"Alright. I'd say that's enough for now, wouldn't you?"

"I believe so. You've successfully patrolled the entire route assigned to us."

With approval from his partner Rean turned Valimar around and began the short return trip to the Imperial Army outpost that had been serving as his staging area during his second campaign in Crossbell State. Once his Divine Knight was safe the student turned temporary military officer exited the machine, finding Altina already waiting for him, "Want to head back to the city and find some lunch? We can resume work after."

"That sounds acceptable." Despite her bland words Rean couldn't help but feel something was off with the Black Rabbit. The frown on her face had become a little more prominent the past couple days and her cool professionalism had been slipping ever so slightly. And he had an idea as to why that was.

She was growing bored.

Major Lechter had warned him that the mission would most likely be a glorified patrol and thus far it had been just that. A lot of traveling but absolutely no action. And while he was fine with that as he had no love for violence and it at least served to give him more time practicing in his Divine Knight, Altina meanwhile was forced to simply fly along atop Claiomh Solais day after day while serving as his unnecessary support.

So naturally he couldn't resist reaching his hand over and patting the young girl on the head, "Good work, Altina. I have a feeling they'll release us from his mission sooner rather then later at this rate and we can get back to our normal lives."

Altina didn't say anything in response, but he could feel the tension leave the girl's body with his hand. Either his words had calmed her or more likely she was starting to come to appreciate the simple affection of a good head pat. He'd have to keep rewarding her with them in the future.

An RMP soldier was on hand to give the two of them a ride to the city in her car. Upon stepping out he quickly took in the sights. While there was still an undeniable tension in the air Crossbell City seemed a lot livelier than it had been the last time he was there. People were going about their everyday lives and the presence of the Imperial Army had lessened significantly.

"Hmm... Want to try out that noodle stand in the Harbor District or maybe that fancy restaurant in the Central Square?"

"I want to eat at the bakery on West Street."

Rean couldn't help but sweatdrop, "...But we ate there yesterday?"

"So?" Altina replied with a flat stare, "Those pancakes were quite delicious."

He couldn't help but laugh. While he wasn't the type of person to enjoy the same meal over and over, that Altina had gained an interest in something – even something as trivial as pancakes – was a positive sign. Might as well nurture that feeling, "Alright, sounds good to-"

The ringing of his ARCUS put a halt to their conversation.

Curiously he answered the call, "Rean Schwarzer speaking."

"Hey, Rean." Came the voice of Major Lechter, "Glad you're finally back in Crossbell. Got something for ya."

Mentally he cataloged the fact that there were enough eyes on him that his handlers knew the very moment he was back in the city, but of greater interest were his words, "I thought you weren't going to have any special missions for me this time?"

Rean tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but he knew he probably failed. That unexpected mission into the Geofront still lived in his mind, after all.

"Ahah... Yeah. This one surprised the hell out of me, too. But I think you'll like it."

A mission he'd like? "What do you mean?"

"While you were on your patrol a pair of surprising guests found me and told me to pass on a message to you." Lechter didn't need to specify where he was as the sounds of a slot machine were quite clear, even to a casino novice like himself, "They want to meet with you."

"Meet with me...?" He echoed in his confusion, "Well, alright. But who I am meeting and where do I need to go?"

"They made me promise I'd keep their identities private. Funner this way, they said, and I definitely agree. As for the where, you'll need to take the ferry across the lake because they want to meet you at the Mishelam Resort."

Now he was even more confused. Even still, "Very well. I'll head over there as soon as possible."

"Great! I don't think we'll have any need of you for the rest of the night, so take your time. In fact if you wanna do me a little favor I'll make sure you're free tomorrow morning as well."

Rean still had no idea what was going on, but Major Lechter was clearly pushing for him to spend a lot of time with this encounter, "...And what's the favor?"

"Take Altina with you. The request only asked for you, but I think she'll have a good time with you. Plus I'm not in the mood to play the role of babysitter tonight. Hard to be taken seriously at the blackjack table with a small kid at my side."

"Uh..." Rean focused his gaze on the girl in question. This was her decision after all.

Instead of an answer he was subjected to Altina's annoyed grumblings, "...Why does he think I need a babysitter? I am not Millium."

He stared blankly for a moment before giving a mental shrug. If she wanted to refuse she would have, right? "Very well, major. We'll head over there as soon as possible." Thankfully, by the time he ended the call Altina had regained herself, "Want to head over there right away?"

"...What about my pancakes?"

Rean laughed a little. It was minute, but there was just the tiniest hint of a whine in her question. That made the swordsman happy for reasons he couldn't fully explain. Instead he raised his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright! Pancakes first and then Mishelam?"

"Very well."

"Alright, he's definitely gonna be on this one."

"You've said that the past three times the ferry arrived."

Fie scowled at Laura's harsh reminder. In hindsight their plan to wait for Rean at the resort had some flaws. Even assuming Major Lechter passed on the message like he promised there was no way for them to know when Rean would finish with his patrol. Thus the two girls were forced to stop by the docks each time the ferry made its scheduled trip.

At least they'd gotten some good reconnaissance done. Although neither girl wanted to enter the theme park without Rean they'd had plenty of time to check out the resort, the mansions, and even the artificial beach. They'd visited a bunch of shops and even bought a few fun little souvenirs, including an adorable little Mishy cap that was now situated firmly on the blue-haired girl's head.

The place definitely lived up to its reputation for extravagance and Mishy-themed everything.

"Oh!" Fie was brought back to the present by her companion's cry, "I think that's Rean!"

Following Laura's gaze she was able to confirm that the black-haired boy getting off the boat was indeed their missing boyfriend. But right after him... "Altina, too?"

Well, it wasn't as if they'd specify Rean only with their request. And Fie had a feeling that taking their former enemy through the theme park might actually be kinda fun.

It was really easy to tell the exact moment when Rean's curious glancing around the place discovered them, as the swordsman stopped in his tracks completely. He almost took a nasty fall when an unsuspecting Altina walked right into his back, but even as he righted himself he refused to turn his wide-eyes anywhere except towards them.

Fie watched with amusement as the young man quickened his pace as he darted towards the two girls with a miffed Altina in tow. When they finally arrived she raised a hand in greeting, "Yo."

"Yo!? Is that all you're...? H-How are you...? Why!?" Haha. He was so flustered he couldn't even speak clearly.

"We thought it would be nice to take a weekend vacation and visit this resort." Laura answered even as she tried valiantly to keep her own laughter in check.

That answer didn't seem to mollify Rean very much, "B-But, what about school!?"

This time it was Fie who answered with a lazy shrug, "We can take a couple days off if you're taking weeks, right?"

"But that's not the same!"

"I don't disagree, but you know how hard it is to change Fie's mind when she..." Laura trailed off as she noticed everyone was staring at her blankly, "...What?"

"I find it difficult to believe your words when you are currently wearing a Mishy hat." Altina pointed out blandly, causing Laura to pout and Fie to snicker. She deserved that for trying to throw her under the bus like that!

But luckily for Laura, Fie was feeling merciful and decided to offer the girl a way out of the hole she had dug for herself, "Either way, we're already here so there's little you can do about it now. So either you come into the park with us or we'll just leave you behind."

Given the way Rean slumped down with a sigh he must've realized he was beaten, but the poorly-hidden smile on his face made it clear he wasn't too upset about his loss, "Alright, you win. Did you wish to join us, Altina?"

The outsider tilted her head briefly before giving a shrug, "As you wish."

The group of four passed through the resort en route to the theme park. The news that Major Lechter had given Rean the morning off was good as it meant they could get a room together in that fancy place for the night. The advertisements she saw claimed they had some of the best beds in all of Western Zemuria.

As the resident sleep expert she'd be the judge of that.

Emerging out the other side... "Wow."

At first glance Mishelam Wonderland certainly lived up to its reputation. The sounds of excited people, the massive Ferris wheel and castle in the distance, the colorful banners and confetti, and the poor sap in a Mishy costume at the main entrance. Fie had never been to a theme park before, but everything in front of her was about all she could've hoped for.

Despite having been caught off guard by their surprise visit Rean was quick to take charge and purchase four tickets. Luckily for them the place still hadn't quite gotten back to pre-annexation levels so everything was still fairly cheap and the afternoon crowds weren't unmanageable. With Mishy's greetings at their back the four of them finally entered the place.

"Wow...!" Laura was practically star-struck as she took in the sights, "So much Mishy!"

"I don't understand." Altina muttered, "What is it about Mishy that attracts so much attention?"

Her words caused the Arseid to let out a gasp of shock before tilting her head in thought, "Honestly... I'm not sure. The only thing I know is that Mishy is surprisingly adorable, don't you think?" Before the rabbit could answer her question she perked up, "But I fully intend to learn everything I can about Mishy while we're here! According to the brochure we read there should be a play taking place in the park fairly soon that'll explain the Mishy Universe in great detail. Do you want to come with me?"

"I suppose that gathering intelligence would be the most prudent course of action." Despite her acceptance Altina seemed very hesitant with her decision.

"Great!" Laura meanwhile was all smiles as she turned towards Fie and Rean, "How about you two?"

Seeing Rean about to speak prompted Fie to grab hold of him, "Nah. We're good. As... fun as I'm sure that'd be I wanna walk around and take in the sights first. Me and Rean will catch up with you guys later."

Normally the Arseid would've been more suspicious of her words, but right now the only thing on the tall girl's mind was a certain adorably ugly cat mascot, "Very well. Come, Altina. Let us begin our journey to enlightenment together."

Instead of replying directly the young girl turned to Rean, silently asking him for his opinion. The swordsman let out a laugh, "Why not go with her?" And to provide further encouragement he reached out his hand and lowered it onto her head-

What. The. Hell.

Fie barely noticed when Laura and Altina finally left, so great was her shock. Had Rean just... with another girl?

"Want to go with them?" His question was enough to break her thoughts away from that terrible scene, but not enough to prevent her from glaring daggers at him for his error, "U-Uh... D-Did I do something wrong?"

"No. You've spent too much time with Altina lately, clearly. I don't wanna think about her or Laura or anyone else anymore."

"Uh..."

"You're spending today with me and we're gonna go around and we're gonna have that date you promised."

Her words caused Rean to frown, "Are you sure? Wouldn't you rather have a proper date?"

"Nah. I got a feeling this will be funner. Plus, Laura and the others would probably force me into a dress, makeup, and heels if I went on a normal date with you."

"Well, that's a shame. I was looking forward to seeing you dressed up nicely"

Despite herself Fie couldn't help but feel a little bashful after his remark. Guy could be dangerously smooth without even trying, "W-Well... I guess I wouldn't mind wearing something for you later..." She muttered quietly as she glanced away to hide her blush.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing!" Luckily for her she was quick to recover from that moment of meekness, "So how about those rides?"

What ride at the theme park was most appropriate for two young adults in love?

"To your right! Blast 'em!"

...The horror coaster, of course.

"Three bats coming from above!" Normally Fie wasn't the kind of person to be a backseat commander, but given she'd made the now regrettable decision to give Rean the ride's gunner position she didn't really have much else to do.

Maybe a normal person would sit back and enjoy the ride and the spooky atmosphere, but Fie? She was a warrior, born and raised on the battlefield. Even if the 'monsters' they were facing were fake and comical looking, they were the enemies before her and thus enemies to be crushed, "The necromancers are fading! Prioritize them!"

She watched in mild annoyance as Rean kept firing the gun. He probably wasn't doing bad by most standards, but the agile gunner of Class VII couldn't help but gnash her teeth impotently each time an enemy survived its encounter with the two of them. She was almost relieved when the ride finally came to its end and their score was posted.

"I'd say we did all right. What should we do next?"

Fie let out a laugh. It was dark and hollow and made Rean take a step back in fright, "Next? Next we're getting back in line and we're gonna do the ride right."

"Huh?"

"I know where all the spawns are now. I bet I'll do a lot better than you did. And we aren't leaving here until we've gotten the high score."

"Huh!?"

"Get up Mishy! You can do it!" Altina bemusedly watched as Laura cheered alongside the rest of the sparse audience as the Mishy show they were watching reached what she assumed to be the climactic battle at the end.

Truth be told she still wasn't sure how or why she'd ended up in this spot. Days spent assisting Rean Schwarzer were always anything but usual, but never in her wildest imagination could she have imagined herself sitting in a theme park watching a show about an ugly cat mascot alongside one of his lovers.

"Quick! Mishy needs all our support!" She blinked upon realizing Laura was glancing at her. Did she really think the verbal support of the audience in any way affected the outcome of the staged performance in front of them?

Still, she deduced it would be better to humor the other woman if for no other reason than to shift her attention back to the spectacle in front of them, "Fight."

Luckily her bland support seemed to be enough for the Arseid as she resumed cheering for Mishy. Despite knowing how unimportant the cheering was Altina couldn't help but notice how Mishy didn't begin recovering until just after her encouragement. A coincidence, certainly, but one that made the stoic girl feel a little better about the whole situation.

With slightly renewed interest Altina watched as the play began to progress once again. Perhaps this day wouldn't be a total waste after all?

"Hah! I knew we could do it! High score is ours!"

While Fie exulted in their success Rean seemed to have little life in his eyes, "I can't believe you cheated on a ride..."

"I didn't cheat." Fie reassured him, "I made sure to check – Didn't see any rule against doing what we did."

What they did, in this instance, was a brilliant plan that she herself had concocted. After a few attempts at trying and failing to achieve the high score she'd graciously allowed Rean the gun after forcing him onto the ride yet again. The unknowing swordsman accepted that responsibility with resigned tiredness, and the coaster began it's trek around the track.

What he hadn't been expecting was for Fie to whip out her gunswords and begin blasting the few monsters he missed.

"B-But that's probably because nobody would expect someone to do something like that!" He insisted hotly, "I saw a few of your shots put holes into the wall! Shouldn't you at least report that?"

She made a show of thinking about his words, "Hmm... I guess I could. They might not take too well to that, though. Might even ban me from the park." The mischievous girl grabbed hold of one of Rean's hands with her own, "It's a good thing you're here with me! I should be able to take my punishment knowing we're together in this. After all isn't that what couples do for each other...?"

"Urk." Class VII's brave and noble leader looked as if he'd just swallowed a lemon, "M-Maybe we should just leave it be? I think a few random bullet holes will add to the spooky atmosphere, don't you?" Her beloved coward coughed awkwardly before righting himself, "A-Anyway! I think we're done here, don't you? Where should we go next?"

"How about the castle?" Truth be told Fie didn't really have much preference, but like Rean she was more than happy to get away from the scene of her crime.

They had to retrace their steps back to the central plaza before they could reach the massive castle, but it only took the two of them a few minutes. She hadn't realized the passage of time until she noticed the crowds were a lot larger than they had been initially and the sun was a little lower in the sky. Oh well, still plenty of time to check out the rest of the park before the day ended.

"Gotta admit, I'm pretty curious about this place, myself." Rean admitted as the two of them were allowed into the Castle of Mirrors, "I was reading through the Intelligence Division files about the incident last year and apparently this castle played a pivotal role in it."

"Wait, really?" Fie asked, the surprise on her face visible thanks to the many mirrors lining the walls, "How did that happen?"

Rean regaled her with one hell of a story as the two ascended the fortress. According to him there was an entirely hidden part of this place that was created to harness the elements of the region to empower a small child. With that power the girl was responsible for the destruction of Garrelia Fortress, that barrier they saw at the start of the war, and that giant tree that appeared near the end.

As crazy as that story was, there was one part that really stuck out in her mind, "...Wanna go find that sealed off area?"

Like the bore he was Rean shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Aww, c'mon! You gotta be just as curious as I am!"

For the briefest of moments he froze, "...I can't deny that." Yes! "But my answer is still no." Boo. "I'm sure the government has that area on high surveillance and I doubt even my title could get us out of that mess." With his piece said Rean began climbing the castle again.

"I've snuck into worse..." Despite her protests the former jaeger was quick to follow Rean. She'd listen to him... for now.

One day she'd definitely find a chance to check out that super secret ritual area. This she vowed.

"Gotta admit, I'm a little surprised." She announced as the two neared the top, "That story seems like some top secret info. It's the stuff I'd expect Millium to slip, not you."

"It is." Rean agreed without looking at her, "But it's the kind of info that might end up helping us in the future. There are quite a few things I want to share with you and the rest of Class VII once it's safe."

Huh. Using his position as a temporary military officer and national hero to gather what dirt he could from the Intelligence Division? Not bad. Fie could respect that level of sneakiness.

Even if they probably could've just asked Millium for the details.

Finally, after climbing many flights of stairs and passing hundreds of copies of themselves thanks to all the mirrors they reached the top of the castle. And what was there to greet them?

"...There's nothing here."

Rean ignored her observation for a moment as he read a sign posted on the door, "Seems like there's supposed to be a fortune teller here, but she quit without warning and they're still looking for a replacement."

"Well that's lame." She complained before having an epiphany, "Do we just go back down the way we came?"

"I guess so?"

Fie groaned, "Are you sure you don't wanna find that secret section?"

"That show was amazing!"

Altina blinked at hearing the sheer exuberance of her current... Honestly she still hadn't decided how to classify Laura S. Arseid. Something that held true for Fie Claussell and the rest of Class VII save for Rean and Millium. They weren't her allies, nor were they her coworkers. They had been her adversaries in the past, but that conflict had long since ended. But given their closeness to Rean she'd undoubtedly be encountering them in the future, perhaps even as allies.

Mutual acquaintances, perhaps?

Regardless, Laura's statement warranted a response, "I was not expecting Mishy to have such a... unique backstory." And it was true. Despite being a silly cat mascot someone had gone through a lot of work establishing a coherent and comprehensive plot for him. Despite herself Altina couldn't help but find herself mulling over the fantastical story she had just experienced.

"Right!? Mishy is such a tragic figure!" The blue-haired woman gushed, "And the tease at the end about a potential long-lost sibling? I can't wait to learn more!"

"Me neither." Altina almost couldn't believe that she just admitted to that. Thankfully as the two of them neared the center of the park a flash of pink caught her eye, enabling her to pivot the conversation away from her slip, "Is that Mishette hiding behind that rock?"

"It is!" Laura gasped in delight, "Let's go greet her!"

The two of them approached the sister mascot to Mishy. Said cat seemed to perk up at their approach, "Ah! You found me! Meeheehee. I just love playing hide and seek! How about it? Want to play with me? There's a prize involved if you manage to find me five times before the day ends!"

A game of hide and seek against Mishette? That seemed illogical to Altina. There was no possible way someone in a jarring pink costume could remain hidden from them, barring the same kind of stealth technology that Claiomh Solais possessed. Still, the idea of a reward was intriguing...

She glanced at Laura. The two girls held a silent conversation. Eventually the Arseid nodded decisively, "Very well. We would be more than happy to play with you, Mishette."

"Meeheehee. Let the games begin!

Fie hummed thoughtfully as the two stepped off their most recent ride, "While the view was nice I gotta admit I was expecting a little more from the Ferris wheel. Couldn't they make it go faster or something?"

Rean's sweatdrop was visible to her, "Uh. I think that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? Isn't it supposed to be a nice scenic ride."

"I guess." She conceded the point easily enough, "Still would be a lot funner."

"We could always come back tonight?" Rean asked, "I heard it's supposed to be a lot prettier in the evening."

Fie had heard that too. A nice romantic ride sounded pretty good, but personally... "Nah. I'm good, I think. Wanna go to the park and relax for a bit?"

"Sure." He agreed without complaint.

The walk from the Ferris wheel to the park was an odd one as for some reason a speeding Mishette passed them by just before they reached the center of the theme park. Still, strange pink cats aside the two made good time and were soon relaxing at one of the tables with ice cream purchased from a nearby vendor.

"Fie! Rean!" Or so she had thought until a loud voice broke her from her relaxation. The taciturn girl looked up to spot a frantic looking Laura rapidly approaching their position, with Altina trailing just behind. The smaller girl was a lot more neutral in her expression, but as a master of neutral expressions Fie could tell Altina was just as agitated as Laura for some reason that she assumed was about to be explained, "Have either of you seen Mishette recently!?"

Huh?

Fie glanced at Rean. Had she heard that right? The confusion on his face provided the answer, "Uh... We just saw her headed towards the Ferris wheel."

"Thanks!" And with that Laura was off again.

Fortunately for her curiosity Altina was more forthcoming with an explanation, "...We need to find Mishette one more time for a prize." Unfortunately the explanation given didn't actually answer any of her questions, but neither she nor Rean could get a word in as their former enemy turned and hurried after Laura.

"...What just happened?"

To Rean's question she shrugged, "The kids are being weird again."

"Laura is two years your senior." Fie shrugged again, "...And I'm not sure I'd classify Altina as a kid." A third shrug.

With their interruption gone they seemed poised to lapse back into a comfortable silence, but that brief exchanged had brought a question to the forefront of her mind and she decided to roll with it, "Speaking of kids, do you want some?"

It was a good thing Rean was only eating ice cream and not something harder as the swordsman might have choked to death in that moment. Instead she simply waited a few seconds as he coughed repeatedly to clear his throat of the treat, "W-What!?"

The silver-haired girl rolled her eyes, "I didn't mean right now, dummy, but down the line. I know I asked a while back, but you didn't really have an answer and I was curious if that had changed."

"O-Oh..." The swordsman became contemplative for a moment, "I think I would like that, but not until things have settled down a bit. Both with me and in Erebonia as a whole."

"So no kids until after we've somehow managed to fix all the problems in the continent and found the answers to all your mysteries? Shouldn't be too hard, I guess."

They both laughed at her little joke. In all seriousness his answer – while not unexpected – was a daunting one. But Fie didn't mind. It was already the course she, Rean, Laura, Sara, and the rest of Class VII had charted for themselves. Now she simply had a little extra motivation to see things through.

"Think they managed to find Mishette?" He asked at last.

Fie tilted her head in thought, "It's a giant pink mascot. There's no way it'd be able to hide from them... right?"

"...Maybe we should go help them."

Altina Orion groaned as her bed once again vibrated unnaturally. This was not at all how she expected her night to go.

Rean's offer of renting her a room at the Mishelam resort had initially been a good one. She was exhausted after a long day at the theme park, and with no missions scheduled she was free to recover her energy in bed. Thus she had accepted without second thought.

A terrible mistake on her part.

Because her three companions were in the room next door, and it seemed they took the thickness of the walls as a personal challenge.

While Altina had a basic understanding of what was going on in the room next door, the cacophony of muffled noises were quite unsettling to the little girl. She'd need to make use of the Intelligence Division's database to acquire a further understanding later, but for now she could do nothing but try her hardest to tune out the awful noises assaulting her ears.

Her original assessment that Rean Schwarzer was a degenerate was now confirmed correct, but she hadn't expected that label to apply to his closest companions as well.

The Black Rabbit let out a miserable groan. There was no way she'd be able to fall asleep until they were finished. This was the worst day ever.

Well... maybe not the worst.

The white-haired girl couldn't help but smile the tiniest bit as she squeezed the giant Mishy plushy she was sharing the bed with. That had been their reward for finding Mishette, and since Laura claimed to already have a Mishy at home she graciously offered it to Altina. Even though she still believed the Crossbellian mascot to be an ugly little creature she couldn't deny it held some charm to it. Just a tiny bit, of course. She wasn't the kind of person to obsess over a silly little cat with an over-sized head and an adorably wide mouth.

She smiled a little as she gave Mishy a tighter squeeze. Maybe not the worst day ever.

That good mood lasted until a loud thump broke her from her Reverie. To her ears it sounded like someone had just been shoved up against the wall connecting their rooms. But why would that happen unless-

...Maybe not the worst day ever, but it definitely ranked up there.