Mini Me: You will be able to see yourself as a little fairy! But, for some reason, they're opposing each other.

Rain could be the comfiest weather to sleep for some people. The sound of a water drop falling rapidly was somehow relaxing. But no matter what the weather was, Ciel was still waking up early to prepare breakfast for everyone.

"Oh, come on, a little more sleep is fine!"

"What? We can't let Lu wake up without food!"

Ciel glanced at the small version of himself on his right and left side. One looked like a devil, as if he was completely consumed by Lu's demonic energy. The other looked like an angel, something he could've never imagined ever since he made a pact with Lu. Both of them were trying to make him do something either good or bad.

It was just another day of hearing something that wasn't as horrible as Lu's voice in his head.

So he ignored them, going straight to the kitchen and started preparing stuff. As soon as he made his decision, the little selves disappeared like it never existed.

Oddly enough, Elesis also woke up early. She walked toward Ciel while trying her best to not wake up people in the living room.

"Let's just turn on the lights! Wake them up!"

"Hey, that's bad! Let them be."

"Don't be naughty," Elesis whispered to her little selves. They disappeared as she got closer to Ciel. "Did you see my little fairies or was it just me?" she asked. She could hear them bickering at each other with her own voice, and it made her feel so awkward. It's like hearing her own recording.

Ciel shook his head. "I didn't see yours. I know what you mean, though–"

Ciel glanced at the living room. He sensed something was moving. In curiosity, Elesis also glanced in the same direction. She walked toward the living room, looking at two people that weren't sleeping anymore.

"I-I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to the bad one," Noah apologized–not to Elesis, but to the person next to him.

"Don't worry about it. We heard nothing important anyway," Chung said as he faced Elesis. "Good morning."

"Did we wake you up? Sorry," Elesis smiled wryly and apologized. She didn't want to wake anyone, but it seemed impossible.

So they went to the kitchen, since there was nowhere else to go. It was still early, even the sky was still dark. Ciel and Elesis prepared breakfast together while Noah was eating the fruits from the fridge. Chung just sat next to him, watching him devour every edible food.

"Chung, I have a question," Ciel said with a troubled look. He even stopped working and looked at Chung for this. "Do you love Lu?"

"No, we don't!"

"Yes, we do!"

Instead of answering, Chung gave a smile. "Is that a challenge?"

"Wait–N-No…" Ciel sighed heavily. He almost shouted in surprise until he remembered almost everyone was still asleep. "Did you not learn your lesson?"

Chung thought about his life decision for a while. First, he memed about dating Aisha and got heartbroken for months. Second, he flirted at Bloody Queen for a joke, and he almost got r-ped. "Are you actually afraid that I'm taking Lu away from you?" Chung asked back instead.

"No, but…" Ciel sighed once more, trying to focus on his work. "Forget what I said. This conversation never happened."

Chung raised his one eyebrow, looking at the certain half demon that acted weird for about 3 minutes. "It did happen. I got it the other way around. You're afraid Lu will be alone if you're going to be with Elesis."

"What do you mean?!" Elesis shouted with a flushed face. The words caught her off guard. She cut the vegetables wrong because of it.

"I mean nothing. I'm just saying nonsense," Chung smiled as he looked at the fridge. He grabbed the last strawberry milk before Noah drank it.

"Hehehe, empty the fridge! Grab the last orange!"

"Leave some for the group!"

"I want everything," Noah grabbed the last orange and closed the empty fridge. Fresh oranges in the early morning would be so refreshing. It was fortunate that it turned out sweet.

Ciel looked at Noah. If the fridge was closed, there would be nothing there anymore. "Did you just eat our entire food supply?"

"I-I'm so sorry. I'm hungry…" Noah apologized with a sad look… and still ate the orange. His entire snack was already gone, and he couldn't go out to buy more food because of the flood outside.

At least there was still something left in the freezer.

"What a jerk! Just because he's a kid, doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants!"

"Let's forgive him. We all know he has a major unending eating problem."

"Don't be rude!" Elesis yelled at her own little selves. It was awkward for the others, and she noticed they're staring at her confusedly. With a forced laughter, she tried to continue with what they're talking about. "Don't worry, Noah! We'll manage."

Add opened the portal to Henir. He got curious with how long it took to create the apocalypse, but so far, the portal had caused nothing. It was just there since midnight. Maybe Henir wasn't really a dangerous place like people said.

A brown haired woman stepped out of the portal. She wasn't a stranger to Add, though. "Oh, welcome. This is our house," Add said as he stared at the surprise guest, Lithia.

"The only portal to Henir is in Feita, but the place is flooding, so I can't get anywhere else. I need your help," Lithia said with a slightly pleading tone. It really contrasted with her behavior a few days ago. "I need water and food. Just water is okay."

"Cast her aside! She's just wasting our resources."

"Be nice! We got accepted as an outsider too!"

"Sure. Come with me," Add walked out of the lab and went straight to the kitchen. Ciel and Elesis were still cooking, Noah was eating ice cream on the floor, and Chung was reading a book next to him. "Can you make more for this woman, Ciel?"

"Of course–" Ciel stopped his words when he looked at the unfamiliar person. "How did you get in?"

"Through the Henir portal," Lithia answered, which confused him even more.

"Lithia!" Noah shouted with a smile and waved his hand. He opened up the freezer to get another ice cream and gave it to her. "Are you living with us too?"

"L-Live…?" Lithia muttered as she looked around the house. It was so big, she could even stay in the backyard and she wouldn't mind that.

Elesis smiled, despite not knowing who the guest was. "You can stay here if you have nowhere to go."

"You guys really just accept anyone, huh?" Add sighed, not knowing what to do anymore. They're about to build an entire dorm in the future if this keeps going endlessly. He grabbed two glasses and filled them with water. "Anyway, here's the water."

Lithia introduced herself to everyone during breakfast time. She felt awkward to sit on the same table as everyone else as an outsider, but Noah helped her a lot to make her feel welcomed. He had been talking to her since the early morning, so the group was convinced that she was a friend of Noah.

"Why are you so interested in Henir Order, aside from Titania?" Lithia asked. She had never seen someone being curious with Henir when they're not even involved in anything.

"I heard my brother was involved," Noah answered before he munched his last portion of his breakfast. This would be the only time Noah talked about his past, so everyone was trying to listen. "He was killed by them. I want to know what he did to be targeted."

Lithia stared at Noah, from top to bottom. At first glance, there was nothing wrong with him. His hands were crystallized, but it could be caused by a lot of factors. But his eyes–a pair of crescent moon pupils–could indicate something specific.

But she remembered someone else had unique pupils too. She glanced at Chung, who was talking to Lu. He didn't seem to pay attention to their conversation unlike the others, but then again, he's a natural eavesdropper.

"His name is Harque Ebalon. Do you know him?" Noah asked with pleading eyes. He went through repeated timelines, so his memory may be too hazy to remember anything correctly.

"No, I haven't lived that long," Lithia answered, which brought disappointment for Noah. Since she was helped by getting free food and drink, she wanted to provide some information in return. "But I saw something in Henir realm. They were scenes of a person impersonating Ebalon."

"She must be lying!"

"No, she's not! Trust is important to make friends."

"She's not lying, I think!" Noah's eyes sparkled, as if he found a glimpse of hope.

Seeing the excitement in the kid's eyes, Lithia continued, "Whoever he was, he tried to take over El Masters with Henir. Unfortunately, he failed because one of them snitched. He got killed."

"Who was it? Do you know the name?" Noah asked in curiosity, even though it's more like desperation. He wanted his nightmare to end. He wanted to know the truth. What happened after his brother was killed?

"Lithia, do you like music?" Chung asked out of nowhere. Even Lu got confused when they were talking about something entirely different just now.

"Huh? Yeah, I do. I go to the diner in my free time," Lithia answered with the same confusion as Lu. She knew Chung would eavesdrop them the whole time, but she didn't expect an interruption.

"Should we play something? She might mock us, though."

"It's fine, let's play something for her!"

Nisha smiled proudly at that response. "Then you need to hear me play melodica!" She said as she rushed to the bedroom to grab her instrument.

Add found this… very odd. Why would Chung change the subject all of a sudden? None of them ever interrupted Noah whenever he talked about something important, especially about himself. He looked at the kid, feeling sad that the answer wasn't spoken. "I'm going to the supermarket in Ruben. That place won't flood. Are you coming?" Add asked.

"What was he doing? Let's ask Lithia for more!"

"Don't be rude. We can ask nicely."

"We can ask later," Noah said as the light came back right away in his eyes. "Yes, please! I need more food and snacks."

On the empty spot on the second floor, Nisha played her melodica to show off her skill. Although it was horrible, Lithia could see how much passion Nisha put into this. It was amazing in a lot of ways. People tended to just give up whenever they didn't improve, but not Nisha. In the end, Lithia clapped her hands.

Nisha smiled at that, even Laby was happy about it. She put her melodica aside, staring at Chung with a serious look. "Why did you interrupt them?"

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking," Chung apologized with a distorted look. He felt uneasy after connecting Lithia's story with what he read in the book and Noah's nightmare. He was hoping his logic was wrong, but it didn't seem to be the case.

"Fill me in. Who is this Noah person?" Lithia asked as she looked at both Chung and Nisha. What did she just involve herself into anyway?

"She's a predator. Don't tell her."

"Oh, come on. She's just asking a simple question."

"Predator? She's just a person," Nisha sighed heavily before she looked at Lithia to give her answer. "Noah Ebalon," she said his full name, and in that moment, Lithia also came into realization. "I think he should know. Let's not hide it from him."

Lithia darted her eyes away, looking at the sunshine coming in from the sky. "Are you sure?"

"Let's tell him! I want to see the despair in his eyes!"

"Let's not! We can't let him know what he's dreaming the whole time."

Chung fell to silence. No matter what the reason was, he couldn't imagine how Noah would react. Would it be better or worse?

But then again, maybe Noah wanted to hear it, no matter how bad it was. "Let's tell him when he's back. I'm sorry," Chung apologized again.

"I get why you reacted that way, though. No need to apologize," Lithia sighed, realizing her words filled the gap from mystery to bad news. Now that she's involved, might as well get to know Noah's close friends… At least she thought that they're his close friends. "Who are you guys again? I don't remember 10 names in one go."

"Chung."

"Nisha."

"And this is Laby."

It was such a short introduction that Lithia was left speechless. Where should she go from here? "What do you guys do? I remember Chung works as a waiter at that cafe."

"That's all I do aside from reading books," Chung said with a straight face. His life couldn't get any more boring, but he enjoyed it so far. Reading a book was like going on an adventure.

"I'm just a street performer," Nisha said while she patted her mirror. She picked up her melodica, ready to play another song. "I'm going to practice."

"Go ahead. I won't disturb you," Lithia stood up and looked around the house, trying to spot someone else. Chung just sat next to Nisha and read a book. Surprisingly to her, Chung actually kept his promise to not reveal her identity as a writer. She didn't expect that at all.

Lithia walked toward Ara and Ain, who were cleaning and browsing the bookshelf. "Do you guys like reading too?" Lithia asked in curiosity.

"Why is this b-tch disturbing us? Shoo!"

"Let's be friends with her!"

"I'm sure she's just bored," Ara said with a smile to her little selves. She moved a bit so Lithia could see everything in the bookshelf. "I don't, but we never check what Chung is actually reading this whole time. We've been getting curious recently."

"This is mostly nonsense," Ain said as he looked at the animal yoga series. Why is it even a book in the first place?

But Lithia noticed something really familiar. Every book that she published was on the shelf, even the ones that weren't popular. "Some of Aisha's books are here too, but I think you're looking at Chung's down there," Ara smiled as she grabbed one of the books for Lithia. "Would you like to read something?"

"I'll pass," Lithia said as she walked toward the hallway.

A bedroom was open, and there were 2 people reading books inside it. Since they were reading, Lithia didn't want to disturb them.

"She's peeking at us! Yell at her!"

"Maybe she just needs someone to talk to."

"Why are you guys so skeptical? Anyway, are you bored, Lithia?"

Lithia looked back at them–Raven and Aisha–since Raven called her. "Not at all. This is so much different than just staring at Henir's realm," Lithia answered, but she hesitated to enter the bedroom. After all, the bedrooms were a private place. "Do people like to read here?"

"Nope. I haven't finished this book. It's been days," Raven said as he showed the thickness of the book he was reading, which was something that could be finished in around 2 hours.

"I'll leave you to that," Lithia waved her hands.

She climbed down the stairs, finding Rena, Elesis, and the duo demons working on a costume.

Upon her arrival, Lu stopped her work and approached her. "Do you like this place so far?"

Lithia nodded her head. "It's quite comfy, I would say. It's really crowded, though."

"You can stay here if you want," Lu smiled when she heard the answer. "We do accept people with blind trust."

"That's concerning," Lithia commented. Now she was wondering if anyone ever used each other for their own benefits. That seemed to be the case–in her eyes, at least. "Well… Since most of you seem to like to talk to yourself… I guess you accept spirits too?"

"No, no! That's just a potion effect. We'll explain later at night," Lu laughed at that, since it was true. The group was made based on blind trust. "Noah seemed to like you. That's my whole reason."

"He doesn't like me. I just happen to have some information he needed," Lithia spilled the truth within their whole conversation so far. She didn't sense friendliness. Just trading information.

"Ooh, really?" Lu narrowed her eyes on the guest. "What kind of info do you have that Chung went so far to interrupt you? Come on, tell me!"

"I know something about his deceased older brother, that's about it," Lithia shrugged it off. She told the same thing she said to Noah; about someone in Henir realm trying to impersonate Harque, but they failed and got killed.

It took a while, but Lu's complexion went bad after hearing that. "Oh… Okay… Now I understand why Chung did that," Lu said with a serious look, pulling Lithia away from the living room to tell the truth she just found out.

Lithia's eyes widened in surprise. "Really, now? That's f-cked up."

"Are we really going to tell him, though? You said it to him, but he didn't seem to notice it yet," Lu sighed, feeling concerned about what was going to happen. But then she smiled, as if nothing happened. "Anyway, wanna try on our costumes? We're still stuck in this house until that sun dries out all the water."

"Have fun with that," Lithia said as she left the living room.

Special thanks to ukiyo for the potion idea!

Although I didn't use it for a good use here because my brain thought of something else