1204/08/29 10:30
Crossbell City, Crossbell
The SSS, particularly Lloyd, Elie, and Randy, accompanied Heiyue's young master on a tour of Crossbell City. It was a sudden request from the Heiyue's Crossbell branch head, Cao Lee, and since it was made into an official request, the SSS had no choice but to accept it.
However, if Cao was late in delivering the documents, Lloyd would hound Heiyue until they finished it.
The young master, Xin, wanted to visit several places, and the Bracer Guild was one of them. So the three (with Noel and Wazy following from behind) entered the guild to see Michel standing at the receptionist counter.
"This is the Crossbell branch of the Bracer Guild..." Xin looked around before hiding behind Elie's legs.
"Why are you hiding, Xin?" Lloyd asked the eastern boy.
"Sh-Shut up! It's none of your business!" he said, blushing after being caught.
Lloyd wondered what he was scared of.
"My, oh, my. What are you doing with that cute little boy there? Don't just stand there in the entrance. Come on over here," Michel beckoned them to approach.
Once the four of them were on the counter, Michel continued. "So? Who's the rascal? He lost and looking for his parents?"
"N-Not quite..." Lloyd awkwardly replied. He didn't know how to break the news to Michel that they were doing a request from Heiyue to accompany the grandson of their elder.
"H-Hey! Hey, you! Is the Divine Blade of Wind here right now?!" Xin suddenly asked Michel. Arios? Oh! Lloyd realized. That was why Xin was afraid of entering the guild. He didn't want to meet Arios. But what relation did Arios have with Heiyue?
"Well, don't you have a mouth on you? Sorry, dumpling. Arios is out at the moment," Michel replied casually, dismissing Xin's demeanor. He then clapped his hands. "Oh, but his student is here."
Juna? He'd better greet her later.
Xin took a step back. "The Divine Blade of Wind's student!? How come I've never heard of this?!"
"Because he doesn't really broadcast that, silly," Michel chuckled before looking at Xin closely. "Hmm... His words, actions, and getup point to one thing... I get it. You're connected with Heiyue. I bet you're an elder's grandson, too."
"H-How do you know that?" Elie gasped.
"It's honestly easy to see if you observe him fully," Lloyd was the one who answered Elie.
"Yes. I tried doing a Juna and succeeded," he winked at the SSS, prompting Lloyd and Randy to laugh.
"Yeah, that was a top recreation of Juna pulling a Juna, alright."
"Why does he look and act like this? What a strange person... Are all people from the Bracer Guild this way?" Xin asked without any restraint, making Lloyd wince.
"Xin..." Elie said with a sigh. It was probably his upbringing that made him like this.
"You've been a rude little runt this entire time. I'm sure you'll make a fine member of the mighty Heiyue. I'm sure he'll only become worse, too," Michel also sighed.
Randy nodded, "No doubt he will."
"That aside, why are you so obsessed with Arios? It's not like we hold a grudge against Heiyue or anything."
"So you say. You've meddled in the elders' affairs many times," Xin huffed. "The Divine Blade of Wind and the Immovable have been nothing but problems for us."
"The Immovable...?" Lloyd muttered in confusion.
"Ah, he means Zin the Immovable. A Calvardian A-rank bracer and a master of the Taito school of martial arts. We don't see him often anymore, but he's helped this branch many times in the past," Michel explained.
"Didn't you go to Calvard after..." Elie trailed off, "The Immovable is from Calvard."
Lloyd just laughed sheepishly. "I may have lived there for a while, but don't ask me anything about Calvard because I was too focused on my ambition to join the police academy."
"Make sense," Randy nodded, which only made Elie sigh.
"Men. In any case, if I remember correctly, Lynn also practices Taito, doesn't she?"
"She sure does. Zin is one of her predecessors in the school. And it goes without saying that he's incredibly strong."
"Hmm, and he's an A-rank, huh... he must be really strong," Randy whistled, putting his hand in his pocket.
"That may be, but the real problem with your guild is your honor code. Maybe it's your ruleset or whatever, but that doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want in the name of civilian safety!" Xin whined loudly.
"Don't you know? Our code balances itself out. There are some things even we can't touch because of our noninterference pledge," countered Michel. "But hold the phone, little man. How do you know so much about that at your age?"
"Seriously... I'm impressed, Xin."
"Hah. Flattery will get you nowhere," Xin snorted. "Anyway, you bracers are-"
"I think that's enough moaning about the guild. You're still just a kid, after all. By the way, KeA and Shizuku are hanging out upstairs with Juna. You should go say hi to them," the receptionist cut off Xin's tirade.
"Yeah, we were about to go upstairs soon. Thanks for the reminder," Lloyd nodded.
"Why don't we introduce Xin to them?" Elie said with a clap of hands.
"Wh-What? Who's that?"
However, none of the adults answered Xin and instead pushed him to follow them to the second floor.
As they went upstairs, Lloyd heard Juna's voice saying something.
"...However, the masked man did not expect to see a knife lodged in his stomach. When he looked at the princess, there was none of the sweet smiles he had seen before. In its place was a wicked grin that sent a shiver down his spine."
When they set foot on the second floor, he saw Juna was telling a story to both KeA and Shizuku. However... Lloyd frowned. The content seemed to not be very safe for children.
KeA gasped while Shizuku sighed.
"No! Masked Man!"
"That's too cruel even for him..."
"The princess then revealed that she only chose the masked man to be the winner of the public contest because he wore a mask. That was it. It wasn't because he was the most impressive of the suitors. Nor was it because she was charmed by his effort. No. She chose him because he wore a mask!" Juna paused to see the two children's reaction.
"But why the mask?"
"Hmm..."
"As she finished talking, the masked man heard another footsteps before he felt a hand taking off his mask. 'Ugh, what an ugly sight. Sebastian, get him out of my sight, please.' At that moment, the former masked man saw with his own eyes the princess putting the mask he used on her butler's face. 'With this, nobody can stop our love, my dear butler,' said the princess to the butler. The last thing the former masked man saw was the princess kissing his mask on the butler's face. And then darkness. The masked man reached his ends, just like the old granny predicted."
"Noo! The princess is too cruel! She chose him because she can hide her real lover's face behind the mask!" KeA shouted in anger. "How can people do something that to someone else?!"
"Err, KeA. That's just a story," Shizuku tried to pacify her green-haired friend.
"I know! But that's just..."
Juna scratched her head. "Don't take it too seriously, KeA. I mean, I made her up to be the villainess of the story. Ah, the SSS! Hi guys!"
Now, everyone's attention was on them.
"Hey there, KeA, Shizuku, Juna. You guys seems to be having fun."
"Who are these kids? Do you know them?" Xin interrupted, asking Elie about these new people.
That, in turn, made KeA and Shizuku turned to him.
"Huh? Who's he?"
"A little boy...? "
"Wh-Who's little?! I'm Xin! The man slated to bear the burden of Heiyue's future as an elder's grandson!" Xin declared proudly, puffing his chest up.
"I-I apologize," Shizuku stammered.
"Wow. You're so tiny, yet you're an adult like Lloyd! You're a lot greater than your size lets on, huh?" KeA said with a smile.
"Stop it! Stop calling me small!"
Seeing the interactions, Randy couldn't help but laugh. "Haha. KeDo, destroyer of rude boys."
"Yeah, I was about to say what a precocious brat he is, but KeA destroyed him already," Juna joined in.
"Hehe, let me introduce you, Xin. These three are KeA, Shizuku, and Juna. I think they're a little older than you," Elie presented the two. Kea waved her hands, while Shizuku bowed a little when their name was called.
"And did we mention that Shizuku is Arios' daughter?" Lloyd couldn't help but add. He wanted to see his reaction.
"Th-That's the Divine Blade of Wind's...?!" Xin gasped before pointing his finger, "I-I bet you're a swordsman, too, aren't you?! You're the student I've never heard before! Your eyes have been closed this entire time. I bet you're using that Insight thingy!"
Before anybody reacted, Juna swung her wooden sword and hit Xin's arms.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
"Don't be rude to Shizuku! Actually, don't be rude to other people in general!" Juna raised her voice.
"Thank you, Juna. But I'm not offended. Actually, My eyes are closed because I'm unable to see. My hearing is better than most because of it, but I'm not nearly as cool as my father," Shizuku calmly explained her situation.
Xin bit his lips before looking down, "I'm terribly sorry! That was ungentlemanly of me. Please forgive me for my insolence."
"Heehee. It's okay."
"That's better," Juna put her wooden sword back on her hips.
"And who are you, huh? You do know that I'm the grandson of Heiyue's elders right?" Xin turned his attention to Juna, glaring at the older girl.
Before Juna could say anything to aggravate the little boy even more, Elie took the rein of the conversation and introduced Juna.
"Xin, this one here is Juna, as I said before. She is Arios' student."
"A-Arios' student!" As if struck, Xin hid behind Elie's leg once more. "W-Why do you have two swords?!" He pointed to Juna's waist.
"These?" Juna grinned. "One is to fight monsters. And the other is to discipline rude brats like you."
"Hyah!" Xin latched onto Elie's legs in fear.
"But seriously. You said you're going to lead Heiyue, right? You can start by not being rude to people you don't know," Juna changed her tone to be softer than before. She then approached Xin and patted his head. "What if in the future, Heiyue failed to get partnerships with another group because you, the leader, were being rude to the other group's representative? Instead of allies, you get new enemies aiming for your back."
"...Right..." Xin said in defeat.
"Good boy," Juna smiled before standing up.
Randy whistled. "Whew, she literally tamed Xin in just one interaction."
"That's our Juna," Lloyd chuckled. Only Juna could thwack Heiyue's elder's grandson and teach him life lessons.
"Anyway, what are you guys doing here?" Juna turned to him.
"We're accompanying Xin on a tour. He wanted to sightsee Crossbell," Lloyd answered.
"I see, I see. Well, don't let us stop you."
"Um..." Xin suddenly interrupted. "Miss Juna..."
'Miss' Juna? Lloyd noticed the specific way Xin called out.
Juna blinked. "Yes?"
"Aagh! Elie, come here!" the boy pulled Elie's arm down in a hurry. Once Elie crouched down, Xin whispered something to her before Elie giggled.
"I see... Of course, Xin," Elie nodded with a smile before turning to Juna. "Juna, Xin here wanted you to join us."
"...Huh?"
"Um, M-Miss Juna. I would very much like it if you could join me on the tour. ...Please?" Xin asked her nervously.
Wow. Lloyd had no words. He turned around to see Juna closing her eyes and thinking before she sighed.
"Fine, but..." Juna raised her index finger while the other hand perched on her hips. She then leaned her torso forward. "You have to be a good boy, okay?"
Slowly, Xin's nervousness turned into a big smile. "Yes! I will, Miss Juna!"
"You know what? That was masterfully done, Juna. I had nothing else to say," Randy clapped.
"Yeah... thank Aidios for Juna here," Elie smiled at the scene.
"By the way, Xin, you're not from around here, huh? How much longer are you gonna be in Crossbell?" KeA suddenly asked the boy.
"I'll be here for about two more days, if you must know," Xin replied concisely.
"Does that mean you're gonna check out the tower unveiling tomorrow We're gonna watch it from Times' rooftop. You wanna join us?" the green-haired girl smiled. Her tendency to quickly make friends reared its head again. Still, it'd be good for KeA and Xin both if they become friends.
"A-Are you sure?"
"Yeah, why not! Ryu, Anri, and the other kids are all gonna be there, too. It'll be plenty of fun!"
Xin turned to Juna. "W-Will you be there tomorrow, Miss Juna?"
"Unfortunately, no. I have somewhere else to be," Juna sighed before patting Xin's head. "But I think it'd be good for you to join them."
"R-Right..." Xin looked down, face reddening.
"And besides," Juna crouched down again and whispered in Xin's ears. "It'd soothe my heart if you were there to keep watch over Shizuku and my little siblings."
Xin's mouth opened in surprise before he turned to KeA. "I will come! The unveiling is tomorrow at 11AM, is it not? I will come!"
"Yep! We'll see you there!" KeA grinned.
"..." Randy's jaw dropped seeing Juna's act.
"I know that Juna is good with children, but not how good she is," Lloyd whispered to no one in particular.
"Lloyd, my brother. That ain't the level of 'good' anymore," Randy said after shaking his head. "I think we should keep this a secret from Wazy."
"Huh? Why?" Lloyd turned to the red-haired man in confusion.
"That guy will make Juna even more dangerous!"
"What are you two talking about? Let's continue! I only have limited time with Miss Juna!" Xin whined at Lloyd and Randy.
"Alright, alright," Randy sighed.
The four of them, plus Juna, went downstairs to continue giving Xin the tour. Juna said something to Michel, probably asking for permission before they left the building.
From the corner of his eyes, Lloyd saw Michel picking up the telephone before Xin took his attention away.
"Come on!"
"...Alright."
1204/08/29 10:40
Legram, Erebonia
The next morning, Group A of Class VII from Thors Military Academy started their second day of Field Study in Legram. After gazing at the reflective Lake Ebel in the morning, Rean and his friends walked towards the guild.
Inside the guild, Toval greeted them with a wave of his hand. "Hey, I heard the big news!"
He turned to Rean. "Did you seriously duel the Radiant Blademaster?"
Rean wanted to curl up and die. The news spread that fast?! Aidios... His friends beside him laughed (or snorted in Jusis' case) (except Emma, bless her kind soul) at his expression before Rean gathered his composure and replied. "Well, he was kind enough to give me the chance to test my skill against him. The gap between him and me is so wide that calling it a 'duel' is being generous."
"Nah, don't sell yourself short. It takes some real guts to even think of trying to duel the viscount," Toval reached towards his right shoulder to pat it twice. "I know you've battled Sara, and her strength is pretty intense, but he's on a whole different level. I can see you didn't achieve beginner rank in the Eight Leaves One Blade school for nothing."
Rean sweatdropped.
"Y-You're surprisingly well informed..."
"That's a bracer for you," Millium whistled.
Toval shrugged. "Well, the guild has pretty close ties with the Eight Leaves One Blade school, after all."
"Cassius Bright, right?" Rean tried to remember the name of his senior, whom Master Ka-fai had mentioned before. Nobody in Erebonia did not know the name Cassius Bright. The general who turned the table on the Hundred Days War. However, Master Ka-fai mentioned that after the war, Cassius Bright retired from the military and became a Bracer.
"And Arios MacLaine since a few years ago," Toval added. "Anyway, let me get you those tasks for today."
Rean received the envelope containing the list of tasks for the Field Study. It was exterminating the monster in Ebel Highway from Toval and material gathering for Sister Theramis in Legram Chapel. Considering her help in gathering the children yesterday, Rean felt like they had to do their best to fulfill her request.
"Oh... I was expecting there to be...more, I guess." Emma muttered once she saw the tasks.
"I AM rather curious about this monster extermination request," Laura pointed out. The request was rather short and not informative, saying that it came from Toval and the details were unknown.
"I didn't want to overload you since I'm planning on giving you an extra task this afternoon. It sounds like today will be your last full day in Legram, so I want to get the most out of you while I've got you here. Anyway, get on out there and do what you do. I'll be waiting for the good result," Toval winked playfully.
"No sense in waiting to get started, then."
"Well, at least it shouldn't take long."
"Okay, let's roll on out!"
Gaius, Jusis, and Millium remarked. However, Rean had one last thing to do.
"Ah, Toval. Can I talk with the Crossbell Branch Bracer Guild again?"
Raising his eyebrow, Toval answered. "Sure... but why?"
"There's something I want to talk about to the informant," Rean revealed to Toval.
"Rean?" Laura questioned him.
"This is the first time I heard about it," Jusis commented. That was true. This wasn't something that he talked about with everyone. But he felt like he had to do this.
"It's something I decided before I went to bed last night, so I haven't got the time to talk to you guys," he answered Jusis.
"Alright. I'll ring them up for you."
Toval picked up the orbal telephone and pressed some buttons. "Hello. Ah, Michel. It's me, Toval. Yeah. I'm good, I'm good. Yeah, I heard. I wish you and the whole of Crossbell City the best. Right, listen. Somebody wants to talk to the SSS Informant again. ...Heh, you almost blurted out her name, be careful there."
Toval had a grin on his face before it quickly turned into a frown. "She's not there? Aww... thanks for the info, Michel. Hmm? ... Right, let me get my pen first."
Toval picked up a pen and paper before he was back with the phone. "Hmm... alright. Done. Thank you, Michel."
Toval put the phone handle down and turned to the group. "Sorry, it seems that the SSS informant is not in the guild. But Michel does give her Enigma number."
"Enigma?" Rean asked in curiosity.
"Is it like Arcus?" Gaius continued.
"Correct. It is a combat orbment developed by the foundation in Crossbell," Toval nodded at the questions.
Jusis frowned at the explanation. "If it's from different manufacturers, can our Arcus even call those Enigmas?"
"It should, since they used the same protocol for orbal telephone. ...or so I heard. Why don't you try calling her later?" Toval handed Rean the paper containing the SSS Informant's number. After taking a small glance at the paper, Rean pocketed it and nodded at Toval.
"Thank you, Toval. Come on, guys. Let's finish today's request."
"Of course."
"Yes."
"We're with you."
"Let's gooo!"
1204/08/29 12:40
Crossbell City, Crossbell
Atop the Times Department store roof, Lloyd, Elie, and Randy, accompanied by Juna, showed Xin the rooftop view. It was a prime place to see the Orchis Tower and the place where KeA and Shizuku would go tomorrow at the unveiling of the tower.
After a while, Lloyd asked the child. "So, Xin. Were you satisfied with the view from the roof?"
"It was pleasantly adequate, yes," Xin answered with a nod without tearing his eyes away from the horizon. "The rest of the city tour wasn't too shabby, either. I must admit... I think this little outing will be one to remember."
"Really, now? Well, I'm glad you feel that way. Isn't that right, everyone?"
Xin turned away and paid attention to everyone. He really was taken by Elie and Juna, huh? Lloyd couldn't help but sighed internally.
"Yes," Elie answered Lloyd with a smile to the Heiyue's young master. "We're happy that you feel that way about Crossbell."
Juna puffed up her chest. "Hehe... this city is our pride and joy. We're happy that you're enjoying yourself."
Ah, of course, Xin's eyes wouldn't move from Juna's puffed-up chest.
"This little guy is very precocious," Randy whispered to him, noticing the recipient of Xin's gaze.
"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that."
Xin then turned away and sighed. "I plan to return to Calvard in two days' time. After which, I'll once again be surrounded by stuffy adults, forced to endure an endless torrent of studying. Such is the fate of a man who will one day command those of others."
"Xin..." Elie put her hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Got it tough, eh, kiddo?" Randy grinned, trying to lift up the mood.
"By the way, Xin. Are you enrolled in Sunday School?" Lloyd changed the subject, also trying to lift up the mood for Xin.
"Yes. As a means of broadening my horizons. Everyone fears the adults guarding me, though, so they don't dare approach," Xin nodded.
"No wonder your manners are a little rough," Juna remarked. "Listen, Xin. If you want to be respected, don't forget to respect others. It's sad to see that an institution as big as Heiyue in Calvard couldn't teach you that."
"Yes. Thank you for giving me a chance, Miss Juna. KeA and Shizuku, too. Even after I was being rude, they still invited me. I'm grateful for the experience and invitation."
"Haha. It's a good thing we ran into them, then."
Xin shook his head. "Pardon me. I'm not one to usually engage in useless small talk. At any rate, I've had enough of a tour. Escort me back to the office at once."
"Huh? But we haven't explored everything yet," Juna questioned.
"Ah, we didn't tell you? The tour won't cover every inch, just the ones that Xin wanted to visit. And he already visited everything," Lloyd scratched his cheek. "Sorry, Juna."
"Aww... if that's the case, then you can escort Xin back to Heiyue, I have to go somewhere first. Wait for me there!"
Juna immediately ran towards the rooftop exit.
"Miss Juna..."
"Don't worry, Xin. You'll see her quite soon." Knowing Juna, she was doing something for Xin. "Now, let's go."
1204/08/29 12:50
Crossbell City, Crossbell
The SSS and Xin arrived in front of Heiyue. Lau, Cao's right-hand man, was waiting there for them and opened the door. However, Xin didn't move.
"Young Master?"
"I'm waiting for someone," Xin answered.
Not even a minute later, loud footsteps could be heard as Juna's figure entered their sight. However, Juna did not come empty-handed as she held a paper bag in her arms.
"Sorry for ditching you like that, Xin. But I thought I had the chance to guide you to West Street. Turns out that you didn't want to, so I thought I could give you something to remember us, to remember Crossbell by."
She then presented the paper bag. "Tadaa! It's assorted bread from Morges Bakery, my favorite bakery in the whole world!"
Lau was about to open his mouth, but Xin beat him to it. "Thank you, Miss Juna!"
Juna crossed her arms and nodded. "Yes. I'm sure you will not forget the taste of Morges bread. Oh, but I know that you probably had a lot of assassination attempts, so I don't really mind if you people poison test it or whatever. But know this!" Pointing her finger upwards, Juna declared with confidence. "Morges bakery is made by professional baker! To taint their dough mixture with poison is heresy! I swear upon Aidios name that those are not laced with poison or anything."
...That really sounded over the top, but well, that was how Juna was, so Lloyd only smiled at the pink-haired girl's antics. However, contrary to his expectations, Lau took Juna's words seriously.
"The bakers at Morges are respectable people. However, there was a window of time between it being taken out of Morges shelves and brought here. It might be laced with poisons at those times. Unfortunately, we still have to check it for anything malicious."
"Hey, did you just imply I'm the one mixing poisons for my gift to Xin?!" Juna raised her voice in anger, but Lau ignored him.
"Young Master, Special Support Section. Master Cao is waiting for you."
"Very well. Miss Juna will join me," Xin said without any room for negotiation.
"...That's fine."
And thus, everyone entered Heiyue's headquarters, with Juna following last. Once they were on the second floor, the SSS and Xin debriefed Cao on what places they visited and Xin's opinion of them.
"It pleases me to know you enjoyed yourself," Cao said with a smile after the debrief was over.
"I'll admit that it exceeded my expectations. It would seem there is more to Crossbell than Arc en Ciel and the theme park. Now I understand why a shrewd businessman like yourself is so taken by it, Cao," Xin replied in a restrained excitement.
"You flatter me, Master Xin." He then turned towards the SSS. "Thank you, Lloyd, Elie, and the rest of the SSS. I never could have imagined that a simple tour would please Master Xin so much. I am in your debt."
Lloyd knew what this man was trying to do. But he had to at least act cordial to him. "Don't mention it, Cao."
"We had a fun time, as well," Elie continued.
"At the very least, we would like for you to have this. It may not be much, but please accept it," Lau prepared a case.
There it was. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. We are members of the CPD, after all."
"Heh. I thought you might say that, which is why I refrained from having mira arranged for you. Consider this a token of friendship with Master Xin, or with me, if you'd like," Cao smiled in triumph. This man was really getting on his nerves.
"Well..."
"Most excellent idea, Cao. Can you also give something to Miss Juna?"
Cao nodded. "A little unexpected addition, but we have more. Lau?"
"At once," Lau went to the side room for a minute before coming back with another case. He then presented both cases to him and Juna. Inside it was a beautiful, moon-colored gem.
"Beautiful... thank you so much, Xin!" Juna hugged the box to her chest.
"A-Ah..." Xin blushed and looked away. "It's the least I can do for your gift."
Cao looked interested in the exchange. Lloyd immediately intervened. "I think we should be going now. We'll see you around, Xin."
"Heehee. Until next time."
"I'll be looking forward to it, Elie!"
"Don't forget tomorrow, Xin! I'm counting on you!"
"Yes, Miss Juna!"
And then they left Heiyue's headquarters.
Outside, the SSS took a break at the bench in the Harbor District. The first one who broke the silence was Juna. "Man, now I understand when you said Cao Lee is dangerous."
"Junie?" Randy asked.
"Yes," Lloyd answered. "His martial prowess wasn't what we meant."
"I mean, he did manipulate the situation so that you'd receive his gift. That takes skills," Wazy pointed out.
"But really, I didn't expect you to be that good with Xin," Noel commented.
"Ehehe..." Juna scratched her head. "It was a gamble, actually. His tone and mannerisms show that he's spoiled, so I just do what I usually do with my little siblings."
"And that is to become a strict big sis? Fufufu... I'm sure Xin would be glad to have a big sis like you from his glances." Wazy grinned.
Juna just shrugged, implying that she knew that Xin had a crush on her. "Well, as long as he's in line..."
"Do you want a further lesson in seduction? Next time, you don't need to stop at young boys," The green-haired former delinquent offered with a playful smirk.
"Wazy..." Elie sighed. "In any case, Juna. Will that be alright? It was cute when Xin tried to get my attention. But with you..."
Indeed. While Xin had tried so hard to get Elie's attention, what he did with Juna was different. Xin had none of his previous bluster and gloat after Juna joined them. With Elie, Xin tried to show how mature he was to her by mentioning Heiyue's business. However, with Juna, Xin fell back in line and became the little boy he was. It didn't help that Juna was generous with head pats and shoulder rubs. Xin was easily pacified by Juna's sisterly nature.
"It's okay! Xin's still just a little boy, after all. Anyway, what will you guys be doing after this?"
It was a clear attempt to change the subject, but since Juna assured them that it was okay... "We'll continue doing support requests for the day. What about you?"
In response to Juna's question, she grinned and showed them her Enigma. "Tadaa! I've equipped my Enigma with some quartzes, and I'd like to train with it after this. It's still a new setup with some low-level quartzes, though, since my sepith savings aren't great."
Lloyd took a closer look at Juna's Enigma setup. It was a 3-2-1 line with the Master Quartz slot and the last 1 slot being left empty. Juna had Attack 1, Defense 1, and HP 1 in the first line, while the second line had Action 1 and Evade 1.
Looking at his compatriots, they nodded to him. Ah, so they understood. He was glad to be able to call them as his comrades.
"Juna, would you accept another gift from us?"
"Huh?" Juna tilted her head.
"The Master Quartz slot and the last slot are still empty, right? We have spares lying around in our bag. We feel like giving it to you would serve more purpose than just letting them stay there," he explained.
"That's..." Juna was rendered speechless.
"Take it, Junie. If anyone deserves it, it's you."
"Yes. It'd also make you stronger and, thus, safer when you're fighting monsters," Elie continued Randy's attempt to make Juna accept.
"Everyone..." Juna trailed off, but she silently nodded while avoiding eye contact with all of them.
"Haha..." Now, what to give her? He had lots of spare quartzes and two free Master Quartzes. Everyone had been equipped with the most optimal quartz setup, so adjusting anything was unnecessary. Everything inside the bag was available for Juna.
In the end, he decided on one quartz and one Master Quartz.
"Here," Lloyd gave Juna the quartzes he decided.
"This is..." Juna looked at the black quartz and the golden Master Quartz. "It's Impede 1, isn't it? What's the Master Quartz? I don't recognize it."
"It's Platinum, a Space Master Quartz. Lloyd bought it in case we need it, but it turns out that we're comfortable with our own Master Quartz, so it went unused," Elie elaborated.
Juna still couldn't move her eyes from the Platinum Master Quartz. "...Are you sure I can have this? Not the other Master Quartz?"
"Yes," Lloyd nodded.
"Alright," Juna finally nodded. She then put the Platinum inside the Master Quartz slot in the middle before switching the Evade 1 quartz to the 1-line slot and putting the new Impede 1 into the empty 2-line slot. "Thank you so much, everyone!"
Seeing Juna bowing at them, Lloyd just chuckled. "You're welcome, Juna. Keep up with your training."
"Of course!" Juna replied before going away.
As they saw her walk away to the East Street, Lloyd declared. "Well then, let's continue our support requests."
"Yeah."
1204/08/29 17:00
Legram, Erebonia
Inside the Legram Bracer Guild Branch building, Rean and the group had just finished all their Field Study tasks for the day. Toval had something to do, so they were alone inside. The four of them, excluding the sleeping Millium, were debating about the importance of the guild for Erebonia.
"The guild is an organization, first and foremost, and one based far too much on idealism and far too little on practicality. Donations and public funding can only go so far in covering its operating costs. 'It's no stretch at all to say that with the Empire as it is now, the guild's removal was inevitable.' That's what my brother once said when we discussed this:" Jusis gave his mind to the others.
"...I suppose that's another way to look at it," Gaius nodded.
"I have to admit, it sounds rather cold and dismissive. But it does carry more weight coming from Rufus Albarea," Laura nodded to herself.
Something stuck in Rean's mind at that. "Maybe those ideals are what made the government drive off the bracers in the first place, and Prince Olivert is trying to show that Erebonia still needs an organization like the guild in their day-to-day life with us, Class VII, and the Field Studies."
"Make sense... After all, Imperial or Provincial Soldiers might be too prideful to be asked to change the orbal lamps or gather some materials," Emma agreed with him.
"So, a possible solution is to establish a new organization under government control that deals with helping people in their daily lives," Gaius concluded.
"Mmm... Emma...they're so big... Eheehee... And soft..." Millium grasped air in her sleep.
A red-faced Emma couldn't help but exclaim, "M-Millium...?!"
Had Millium touched Emma's... well, Millium was a fellow girl, so it wouldn't be strange, would it? Not like the incident between him and Alisa
"Look at that. She doesn't even have to be awake to be an irritant," Jusis scoffed, but Rean detected some fondness in his tone.
Rean faked a cough to get everyone's attention. "Aaaaaanyway... I think it's time to try to contact the SSS's Informant again."
"Right. You wanted to do that this morning."
"Why do you want to contact that girl again?" Jusis hummed.
Rean's eyes flashed towards the sleeping Millium. "Last night, Millium said she told her superior about the informant. I feel like I have to warn our informant that Millium's superior is onto her trail. Mostly because she did say that she used an alias with us because people are trying to protect her."
"I see..." Laura nodded. "That is the honorable thing to do, indeed."
"Should we wake Millium up?" Emma raised a question. That was certainly true. It would feel like they did it behind Millium's back.
"Hmph. I don't see why. Even if she's awake, she'd just go, 'Oh, alright!' or other things," Jusis retorted.
"Yes. Knowing Millium, she might even laugh sheepishly and say sorry to the SSS Informant," Gaius continued, making everyone smile.
"That sounds like Millium, alright," Emma sighed.
"Alright, then." Rean picked up the paper Toval gave him this morning from his pocket. It contained the number for the SSS Informant's Enigma, which was apparently a different version of ARCUS developed in Crossbell. He didn't know if ARCUS could connect to Enigma, but Toval said that it should and that there was no harm in trying.
It took him only a little while before the call was picked up.
"Hello. Who is this?"
That was the same voice he heard yesterday. "Ah, hello. SSS Informant? This is Rean Schwarzer."
"Oh! Right, Michel said you called for me this morning. Sorry, I was preoccupied with something else," the apologetic tone coming from her made Rean unconsciously smile.
"No, no, it's okay. It's nothing important in the first place."
"Hmm... now you made me curious. What do you want to talk about?"
Rean took a breath to prepare himself.
"Listen, you're hiding from the Erebonian Intelligence Division, am I correct? Then please forgive us, but you might be compromised. One of our class members is affiliated with the Intelligence Division, and she might have told her superior that you had predicted something would happen in Garrelia Fortress," he explained. If the informant didn't warn them, her identity wouldn't be compromised. That was the primary reason why Rean felt bad about the whole thing and wanted to apologize to the informant. "I... kind of don't want us to be on the wrong foot, so I'm warning you to be more vigilant. Millium said her superior might want to recruit you."
"...Lechter Arundel?"
"That was the name that Millium said, yes," Rean confirmed.
"Alright. I'll try to be more careful. For your sake, at least." Rean let out a breath of relief at that. "But really? An intelligence agent in your class? What's next? Your class also has magicians and mad scientists?"
"Haha... I hope none of my classmates would be that extreme. I'm happy with them," Rean replied with a chuckle at the incredulous tone coming from the other side.
"I know, I know. I was joking. So, is there anything else?"
"No, there shouldn't be. I just wanted to-"
Rean's words were cut off as someone opened the door.
"E-excuse me! Is anyone here?!"
Rean wasn't familiar with her, but seeing as Laura stepped up, Rean turned his attention back to the call.
"What was that?" The informant asked because Rean paused.
"No. It was just a local girl entering the guild in a hurry." She probably had a request for Toval, but Toval wasn't here at the moment.
The line went silent for a few seconds before the informant continued, "...Hey, Rean. Has somebody gone missing in that castle you mentioned yesterday?"
Huh? Nobody had gone missing. Especially after they gathered everyone at the chapel and warned them not to go there.
"Nobody-"
"Th-They haven't come home... Julian and Karno still haven't come back home!"
That instantly caught Rean's attention.
"Wait. You don't mean...?"
"Are those two missing?!" Laura couldn't hide the agitation in her tone. Legram was her responsibility. To hear about two children going missing would make anyone restless.
Instantly, his mind went back to the question the informant had just asked him.
"Is it possible that those two went to Lohengrin Castle?" Rean voiced out his theory.
"But we've warned them..." Emma whimpered as if she couldn't believe what was happening.
"It is one of the possibilities, yes. However, let's just search the town first," Jusis offered.
"Yes. In the meantime, I'll ask Klaus to provide a boat for us to search around the lake," Laura continued.
"Alright, Class VII. Toval isn't here, so it is up to us to help Chloe find Julian and Karno!" Rean declared before going back to his ARCUS. "Sorry, we got a situation here."
"...Does my prediction come true?" The informant said after a few seconds. To his silent surprise, however, it didn't sound like the informant was happy that she was correct.
"Yes. Anyway, is it alright to end the call here? I'm about to go with my friends."
"..."
The other end of the line was silent.
"Informant?"
"They're at the castle. There's no doubt about it. You haven't gone to the castle yet in your Field Studies, have you?" Rean frowned at the question. He wanted to end the call fast, not answer one of her questions.
"No, I haven't. I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry here!"
Everyone had already moved out of the guild except Emma, who was waking Millium up from her sleep.
"Then they're definitely at the castle. I can't explain how I know, but I just know it."
"I'll take your advice under consideration," Rean said semi-politely before he ended the call.
"Rean?" Emma asked after she successfully woke Millium.
"I heard the situation from Emma. Let's go find those kids!" Millium said, full of vigor.
"Right."
1204/08/29 17:05
Crossbell City, Crossbell
"Hello. Rean Schwarzer? Hey," Juna said to her Enigma. After a few more seconds of silence, Juna finally realized what happened. "Did he hang up on me? Even after I tried to help him?"
She sighed. "Freaking protagonists and their savior complexes. I haven't even told him to check the castle's top or basement yet. Oh well... I'm sure he's gonna be fine. ...Right?"
A/N: *Coming out of his Football Manager cave* Hey guys, long time no see. How are- what the hell, it's October?! Haha, yeah, blame Football Manager 24 being free on Epic Games for the delay. See you later *Went back to his Football Manager cave*
