Both of us went back into the apartment.

"-see how those clouds change every moment-" both Filo and Melty were dancing along to a song together- while it was understandable that the dance came naturally to Filo, what was surprising was how naturally Melty seemed to copy the movements. They were moving nearly in perfect synch with each other- Melty had clearly practiced this dance routine many times (in private inside her room, most likely). Behind me, Eclair had taken out her phone and was recording the scene (though to my disappointment she was recording with her phone held vertically).

Still, it was quite a cute scene, I guessed. Probably why Eclair was recording it so that she could share it with her parents.

Come to think of it, it was probably a good idea to ask for a copy of that video for possible future blackmail uses. Perhaps I could 'convince' her to do the rest of my homework for the rest of the year in exchange for not showing the video to anyone...

That would be a plan for later. Currently, however, I could focus on only one thing.

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO STOP JUMPING UP AND DOWN ON THE SOFA!"

Things had settled down somewhat, with Melty and Filo deciding to watch old episodes of Magical Girl Kiiroi when the bell rang.

I opened it and Rapthalia stepped in, dressed in a floral cardigan and pink skirt- she was carrying a duffel bag around with her though as I went to go reach for it, she noticed everyone else in the room- first Filo of course, then Melty, and Eclair (who was shooting her a confused but hostile look).

"Um, Mister Naofumi, who are all of these other people?" she asked.

"Papa brought Filo a sister!" Filo yelled out, pointing at Melty, who promptly blushed at what Filo was saying.

"M-Me? Y-Your sister... but... uh..."

Rapthalia wasn't paying attention to Melty's stammering, rather, she first looked at Melty, then Eclair, then me, and obviously had reached some incorrect conclusion given how red her face was getting.

Ah right, I hadn't told Eclair Rapthalia was coming over and I hadn't told Raphtalia about Eclair either.

Whoops.

"Ah, so that's the long and short of it," I told everyone.

By this point, Filo and Melty had completely lost interest in what we were doing and had gotten back to watching episodes starring Filo.

"See, Mel-chan, this is the time when Blacky planted a bomb under the Ferris Wheel, and I had to solve the puzzle in under a minute to stop it from exploding!" Filo explained.

"Right! I've seen this episode like eighteen times already! This is my favorite bit!" Melty squealed.

Wait, from the way that Filo was describing the show... did she really believe the things happening in the show were happening in real life? She couldn't possibly be that deluded could she- or was this like the case of that movie with the dog who thought that he really had superpowers and the director aimed to keep the delusion up for realism?

Regardless, I instead took the time to whisper in Raphtalia's ear- "Ah, sorry I didn't tell you about Eclair and Melty coming over sooner- with all that was going on- but... you don't need to stay over anymore if Eclair is going to be here."

Rapthalia looked hurt by what I had said- clearly she was mad that I hadn't told her earlier, wasn't she? "Um... Mister Naofumi about that... would it really be that much of a problem if I stayed over?"

I was a bit taken aback by that question. "I mean, I might have to arrange for a few more futons but no... any reason why..."

Raphtalia looked at me with an expression that I couldn't read. "Um... it made me wonder... Mister Naofumi, I know that we usually don't stream today but..." she looked towards Filo. "Could having Filo on stream help us?"

"How so?"

She pulled out a magazine from her duffel bag. "I thought Filo was familiar and I did some digging when I got home. I saw this..." She flipped it open to a page.

"Wait- they're making a live-action remake of Princess Mononoke? Do these guys have no creativity whatsoever? None of these live-action remakes are good. When will it stop?"

"Ah-no, not that article, Mister Naofumi, below that!"

I saw an advertisement for Kentucky Fried Chicken and in the corner of the ad was a girl who was unmistakably Filo, dressed up in a chicken outfit and eating a burger.

"She's been featured in several KFC ads," Raphtalia said. "Before she was in Magical Girl Kiiroi, do you know that she's been in three different movies and five musicals? She is quite famous."

It was a bit odd that I had never heard or seen her- but I had been out of the social media loop for a while. "Yeah, looks like it."

"So... would it not draw a lot of viewers if she was on stream?" Raphtalia asked.

"Um... maybe? I doubt that the same audience who watches her also plays Eryuentiu Online though I guess it could never hurt. Putting that aside though there's a more pressing matter namely..."

"What?"

"I'm surprised that you of all people came up with the idea of exploiting a child for fame and fortune," I told her.

Rapthalia blushed, though this time she looked furious rather than embarrassed. "H-Hey! That's not at all what I mean-"

"Don't get me wrong, I approve," I told her, not letting her finish her sentence and instead giving her an approving nod and thumbs up. "I mean, the mainstream entertainment industry is already exploiting her, so what's it going to hurt her to be exploited a bit more? If anything I'm mad that I didn't think of it before you did."

Was I really going to take advantage of this girl who had run away from home for money and clout on the Internet?

...

Yes, yes I was.

And hey, after all the grief she was giving me, I needed to get something in return, didn't I?