My Band Girls - BanG Dream x Male! OC x Female! OCs

Chapter 40: A Much Needed Rest

Author's Notes

Finally here's Chapter 40, I intended to release this around Christmas but I wasn't feeling well and still kinda am. At least I got this out before New Years, so consider this a late Christmas gift from us.

Anyways, I won't delay anymore. Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone. We hope you enjoy this chapter.

This chapter is 37.4k words long.

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???

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"Wake up..."

"Wake up..."

"You've rested long enough... It's time to wake up."

Sora-senpai...?

"Please wake up..."

Wake up... I need to wake up...

I feel air in my lungs, my heart beating in my chest, and... warmth pressed against my cold body...

I slowly open my eyes... and my vision is hazy, but I can make out light... I take a deep breath as my eyes slowly adjust and my vision clears up to see... a ceiling...

I try to move but some things are restricting my movement. I look down to see...

Sora-senpai clinging to me tightly with her tail wrapped around me... her face clearly stained with tears...

Dear kneeling next to bed, holding my hand and her head lowered... seemingly praying for me like when I had that fever...

Kamui is clinging to my other side and her tail is gently wrapped around one of my legs...

They're right there...

This place... This is the infirmary... at the Corridors of Time...

I'm home...

My heart is beating... my lungs are breathing... I'm still alive...

Land End...

The Blight...

The White Priestesses...

Was... it all just a dream...?

Was all that pain and suffering just a nightmare...?

'One could only pray such pain was...' An unfamiliar but comforting voice sounds in my head.

'It was real...? Lands End? The Blight? Hecate? Rosemary and Callalily?' I ask in my head.

'Your wings and tail still stand bare, do they not?' The voice asks as I suddenly realize that my dragon parts are indeed still there... I've grown accustomed to them... I didn't question the additional sensations I felt...

'If that was all real... then...' I think to myself before I feel something warm and soft right on top of me...

I look down my chest and see...

Rosemary...

I gaze at the little white priestess sleeping on top of me... I feel my emotions welling up when I notice... her skin is pure white... and so is her hair... the blight that corroded her... is gone...?

Did... we... succeed...?

We're in the Corridors of Time... on Earth...

We made it home... from Lands End...

We... succeeded... in rescuing her....

But if Rosemary is here... and purified of her blight... where is Callalily?

I slowly lift my head up and look around the infirmary, the others are also here... everyone who set foot on Lands End is here... resting and recovering...

I see Pastel Palettes gathered around Eve and holding her hands. Roselia is gathered around Rinko, and Lisa with Katria while Ako is in between Rinko and Tomoe who is also surrounded by Afterglow.

"Where's Callalily...?" I quietly ask as I can't find the White Priestess of the Fount and a feeling of dread builds up inside me.

Please... don't tell me... that she... that we...

"She's currently being looked after by Primeria, Kuna, and Karato in the intensive care section of the infirmary alongside Leif." I turn to see grandma walking towards me.

"Is she okay...?" I ask grandma.

"... We don't know... All energy in her body had completely withered away by the time they were able to take a look at her... They're doing everything they can to revive her." Grandma says in a lamenting tone.

"How did we get home...? What happened after I passed out...? Last thing I remember... is shielding Callalily... from the blighted fog... erupting from the Blighted Lord..." I ask grandma as that's the last thing I have memory of on Lands End.

"The Blighted Lord's form was ripped apart and unleashed immense blight upon us, seemingly in a desperate attempt to split between all of you. In response, Lady Callalily and Rosemary performed a massive purification rite to save all of you from becoming his puppets, leaving the lord fragmented between the two priestesses wielding their Aegis Curios." Fabian appears standing next to the bed.

"Though they succeeded, the pain borne by both was immense. However, Lady Callalily seemed to have been one step ahead of us the entire time... Even when things didn't go her way... as it turned... She had seeked out the depths of the Abyss in search of a relic told throughout old White Priestess folklore. A relic that could suppress the blight of one at an immense cost that would normally take the life of one by ripping all the energy out of their body to suppress the blight they have accrued... It seems that Lady Callalily bared enough strength to barely survive the ordeal of sealing away Rosemary's blight... but it clearly took its toll on her body." Fabian explains with a heavy sigh.

"The care provided by those geniuses however... truly something to marvel at." Fabian says in clear admiration for those who are caring for Lief and Callalily.

I lean back into the bed as my body still feels incredibly weak...

We barely made it...

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...

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First... Aph ambushed us on Lands End and we almost got overwhelmed by the blight on our first encounter with them, it could've all been over had Rosemary not found us...

Then... I died by Miriam's hands and I only lived because Serena bore the cost of that fatal strike due to the blessing of the Heart of the World Tree she gave me...

Finally... we almost became pawns of Hecate...

We... weren't ready...

We could've failed and died there...

But if we didn't come to Lands End...

...

I couldn't ignore it... I needed to save Rosemary...

... Would it... have been better if...?

...

What's done is done...

No point in regrets...

But... from here on... we have to be more careful...

Especially when meddling in the affairs of other worlds...

Next time... we might not be so lucky... We were barely lucky this time...

A door suddenly slams open, startling everyone and I quickly turn to see Kuna-senpai walking out of the intensive care section, clearly exhausted with her head leaning down and wiping sweat off her brow as she, Primeria, and Karato all walk out of the infirmary together.

"How's Lady Callalily?" Rinko asks, worried as she tries to sit up but Sayo and Yukina stop her.

"It's a difficult battle... it's really testing our treatments... We won't lose her... but it's gonna take a lot to wake her back up..." Kuna-senpai says as she breathes heavily and everyone looks very worried for Callalily.

Kuna-senpai then turns in my direction and notices that I'm awake, her expression of surprise then turns to clear displeasure as she furrows her eyebrows.

"Speaking of taking a lot to wake back up..." Kuna-senpai says, gritting her teeth in frustration as she marches over to me, each clacking step of her heels sounding like a death toll.

"YOU!!!" Kuna-senpai yells at the top of her lungs in absolute anger, startling the three snuggled up to me awake except for Dear as I flinch under her intense gaze.

"WHO THE FUCK LET YOU GO TO LANDS END?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! DO YOU WANT TO SUFFER FOR ETERNITY?! DO YOU EVEN THINK?! DO YOU HAVE A BRAIN, YOU IDIOT?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW IMPORTANT YOU ARE?! DO YOU CARE ABOUT WORRYING US?! DO YOU EVEN CARE HOW I FEEL?! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT LOSING YOU MEANS?! Do you even... care how I feel...?" Kuna-senpai's strength slowly leaves her voice and her body as she gently hugs me and cries.

"I don't want to lose you... I can't bear the thought... of losing you..." Kuna-senpai cries as she holds me tighter and I'm overcome by immense guilt for worrying her so much. She's done so much for me and everyone... and I repay her by going on a suicide mission and gravely worrying her...

"I'm sorry for worrying you so much, Kuna-senpai..." I say as I hug her back tightly.

Kuna-senpai remains silent as she seems frozen in place as she continues to hold me. I hold her closer as I push my tail out of the blanket and place it comfortingly around my Lunid-senpai while gently stroking her hair. Kuna-senpai continues to embrace me for several minutes before she stands back up and wipes away her tears.

"I know my words aren't enough... but... I'm really sorry, Kuna-senpai... I... I just... I couldn't leave Rosemary alone... Please forgive this reckless and foolish kouhai of yours..." I apologize to Kuna-senpai as I bow my head in apology.

"You really are a reckless and foolish kouhai... putting yourself at risk... just to save someone from the dark..." Kuna-senpai tells me before her eyes gaze over to Rosemary and Sora-senpai then back at me before I feel her hand gently petting my head.

"... But you're my reckless and foolish kouhai... I'm just happy... to see you back home... safe and sound..." Kuna-senpai says as she pets my head.

"Don't worry me like that ever again." Kuna-senpai tells me.

"I can't promise not putting myself in danger, but I can promise that I'll always come back home, no matter how long it takes. Nothing will stop me from returning home, to you and everyone." I tell Kuna-senpai as I wrap my tail around her arm affectionately and she sighs deeply before smiling.

"I know I can't stop you. That's why, from now on, I'm going to keep track of where you are and your condition at all times. So I always know that you're safe and whenever you're in trouble." Kuna-senpai says with a thin amused smile.

"Okay, but... are you going to chip me?" I jokingly ask.

"I was going to rely on Artemis and the AOWs, but if I have your consent..." Kuna-senpai replies with a smirk.

"Seriously... You and Jack... I love both of you, but you both also piss me off with how reckless you both are." Kuna-senpai says with a sigh before smiling.

"Thank you for everything, Kuna-senpai. I really appreciate you and everything you've done for us." I say as my tail's hold on her arm tightens a bit more.

Suddenly, I hear a whining puppy and turn to Sora-senpai looking at me as her tail is still wrapped around me.

"Sora-senpai... I-" I'm cut off by Sora-senpai suddenly lunging at me and holding me tight as she cries.

"You're back home... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you... I was so afraid... of losing you... the pain was unbearable... The thought of never seeing you again... of you dying... The darkness... it was envel-" Sora-senpai says, trembling in fear before I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight.

"It's okay, Sora-senpai, you don't have to be afraid. I'm here, I'm still here." I gently whisper to her and she cries more.

"I always knew... you'd come back... I'm so happy... to have you back home..." Sora-senpai says as she nuzzles into me more.

"I'm home, Sora-senpai." I say as I rest my head on top of hers and hold her closer.

"Welcome home..." Sora-senpai replies as she holds me tighter and the end of her tail wraps around my neck affectionately as the tip brushes against my face.

I really worried my puppy-senpai as well...

While holding Sora-senpai, a question pops into my head.

"Did... the cursed relic inside Sora-senpai react while I was gone?" I ask as I hug Sora-senpai.

"A few times... A dark aura was surrounding her but we were able to calm her down and reassure her, preventing the relic from doing anything so it wasn't anything serious." Karato explains.

"Though... it was very stressful... between that and the thought of you dying..." Karato says as her coyote ears and tail droop down in sorrow.

"I helped calm her down some too." I turn around as almost everyone jumps as the haunting image of Blighted Sora-senpai suddenly shows herself.

Everyone in the room stares at the haunting image in shock and disbelief.

"What... the... FUCK?!!" Kuna-senpai exclaims.

"Isn't Sora-senpai right there...?" Aya asks as she shakily points at Sora-senpai.

"Thank you for helping keep her calm, Sora-senpai." I tell Blighted Sora-senpai.

"Wan~." Blighted Sora-senpai barks, smiling and wagging her tail while Sora-senpai stares at her blighted counterpart.

"So you were that voice I heard?" Sora-senpai asks her counterpart.

"Our love for him is unbound, I couldn't leave you to worry like that." Blighted Sora-senpai replies sweetly.

"What a curious development..." Kamui says, her tail wagging curiously.

"What exactly happened on that planet...?" Maya asks as her eyes dart between Sora-senpai and Blighted Sora-senpai before the door to the infirmary opens and K'lis-senpai walks in.

"Hey, how's every... one... AGGHHHHH!!!" K'lis-senpai screams at the top of her lungs when she sees Blighted Sora-senpai.

"It's you! What are you doing here?!!" K'lis-senpai asks Blighted Sora-senpai as she backs into a wall, trembling in fear.

"You very well know the answer, K'lis-chan." Blighted Sora-senpai replies with a smile as her tail wraps around me and- Oh my god...

The fluff... it's too much...

It's so fluffy... I'm gonna die...

"Someone looks like they're in heaven~." Lisa comments with an amused smirk as I do feel like I'm in heaven.

K'lis-senpai continues to panic and hyperventilate when Blighted Sora-senpai floats over to her, making her back into the wall more in fear.

"There's no need to be afraid, K'lis-chan." Blighted Sora-senpai gently tells K'lis-senpai in a reassuring tone.

"Just what are you...? H-How do you have so much divine energy? What happened to you?" K'lis-senpai asks in between breaths as she tries to calm herself down.

"Life moves, things change, and tragedy never ceases, but nothing can stop me from returning to James." Blighted Sora-senpai says as tears fall down her face and everyone falls silent, even K'lis-senpai is taken aback.

"That's why... I saw you..." K'lis-senpai says as she looks at the floor.

"I was looking for James. To be by his side, is all I ever wanted. The you I knew recognized that, and in her last moments, as I wept holding her, she gave me her power." Blighted Sora-senpai tells her.

"And you used it to cross into a universe where James was still alive." Primeria says and Blighted Sora-senpai nods.

"In the end, everyone I loved gave their souls to me, and I in turn, kept their souls and powers sheltered within me, so we may never be apart." Blighted Sora-senpai explains.

"How... are you able... to do that...?" Rinko asks her.

"As the Deep Dark can corrupt and control and do as the blight, the souls of 8 young white priestesses gave themselves to allow me their power, and such, reversing the flow of the corruption and blight, letting me claim their powers for myself, rather than control those who have that power." Blight Sora-senpai explains, shocking everyone as Rosemary looks down at hearing the counterparts of her sisters had to sacrifice themselves.

Suddenly, Kuna-senpai gasps and widens her eyes, as if realizing something.

"Wait... the power of the white priestesses can affect corrupted energy?" Kuna-senpai asks.

"It is very potent at suppressing it, my agony stems from the blight, the corruption feels like an afterthought." Blighted Sora-senpai explains.

"Wait... The dark aura surrounding Sora disappeared as soon as she got close to James... Was it because of her presence?" Karato says as she motions to Rosemary.

"That would be correct, like I said, the aura of a white priestess is a powerful suppressant." Blighted Sora-senpai reiterates.

"So the power of the white priestess can be used against the Deep Dark..." Primeria says as she takes notes.

"No!" I exclaim as I use my dragon tail to pull Rosemary over to me and hold her.

"I am not allowing her to suffer any more after what she's been through already. She's done enough." I firmly say as I hold Rosemary protectively and everyone who has been present on Lands End remains silent as I can feel my muscles tense and my senses numb while immense fear wells up just from thinking about it.

"James is right! We can't ask her to fight the Deep Dark, her fight is over! We saved Lady Callalily, she should be allowed to live peacefully after everything she's dealt with alongside her mother!" Kazuki quickly exclaims.

"We were there for two fucking days and look at us... The kid was there longer and Callalily for the Lady knows how much longer... They've both earned the reprieve." Tana says as she slowly sits up.

"Let's not forget the spirits... who fought to and beyond their dying breaths as well... They deserve rest too..." Rinko says weakly.

"The Deep Dark is our problem, we'll handle it." I say determinedly as I hold Rosemary.

"Understood." Primaria nods in understanding.

"Rosemary and Callalily have sacrificed so much, they earned their peace. I would also refuse getting them involved with the Deep Dark; as James said, that's our problem." Grandma says.

"No complaints here." Kuna-senpai says as Karato nods in agreement.

"You don't have to fight anymore, okay?" I tell Rosemary and she turns to me. "You're free to live your life the way you want to."

"And... I'm so happy to see you safe and sound, Rosemary." I say with a smile as tears well up in my eyes. Rosemary looks at me before hugging me and nuzzling up to me.

"Does it still hurt?" I ask her and she shakes her head sideways in decline. "That's good to know."

"Welcome to your new home, Rosemary." I say as I hug her and gently stroke her hair.

"I would ask if you need a room, but that won't be necessary." K'lis-senpai tells Blighted Sora-senpai, seemingly getting over her fear of her.

"Wan~." Blighted Sora-senpai barks as the tip of her tail wags and brushes against my face.

"Great, there's two James-obsessed shameless puppies now..." K'lis-senpai says with a sigh and a smile.

"Wan~!" Both Sora-senpai and Blighted Sora-senpai bark joyfully in perfect sync, making everyone chuckle.

I motion for Blighted Sora-senpai to come over to me and she floats over.

"Yes?" Blighted Sora-senpai asks me with a smile. Despite the corruption and the blight inside of her, she is definitely still the Sora-senpai who loves me dearly.

I smile at her before I pull her close and hug her tight.

"You're a good girl, senpai." I softly tell her as I gently stroke her hair.

"Wan-Wan~." Blighted Sora-senpai barks cheerfully as she hugs me back. I look to the side and see Sora-senpai smiling, happy for her blighted counterpart.

"I met a puppy." We all jump from the sudden intrusion of the deep voice of the fierce warrior Valen.

"Which one?" Sayo asks him.

"The one sleeping in the garden. If anyone needs me, I will be looking after her." Valen says before he becomes a red orb and flies off.

"It's nice to see the big guy making new friends." Tomoe says with a smile.

"It's good that Yuki's making friends too." I say with a smile of my own.

"They didn't say a word to each other..." We hear Artemis say as her projection appears from Rinko's watch.

"... What...?" I ask, confused.

"They just... stared at each other for 5 minutes... saying nothing before Yuki just assumed her regular sleeping position... and then Valen just sat by her side... keeping watch for an entire hour before it seemed to dawn on him... just now to tell everyone where he was." Artemis explains as she shows camera footage of the two just staring at each other...

"... It's like an old war wolf establishing a bond with an unrelated pup without a word..." I say looking at this odd and interesting development.

"Pretty much. I can't say I didn't get this weird connection with him too, like I knew exactly what he was thinking." Iris says as I recall a few times where Iris and Valen just seemed to know what the other was thinking during battle.

"Interestingly enough, Valen actually meant wolf in the old tongue." We all turn to see Emily reading a book.

"How fitting." Joe says with an amused smile.

"I think you mean 'fleeting'." I say jokingly before lightly chuckling.

"Please don't..." Chisato says in exasperation.

I stop chuckling before my eyes look at the door and see...

"Alisa..." I softly call out to my best friend, however it's clear that she's been... stressed out... Her hair is a mess and there's signs of tears on her face.

"You're still alive..." Alisa says as tears fall down her face before she slowly walks towards me. She kneels next to me and holds my cheek.

"You're still here..." Alisa says.

"Yeah, I'm still here." I say before she lunges at me and hugs me tight.

"I couldn't sleep... All I could think about was you... I was so afraid... that I'd lose you too..." Alisa says as she buries her face into my chest, her tears dampening my shirt. "Thank the Lady... that you're still alive..."

"The charm you gave me protected me. I'm so sorry for worrying you, Alisa." I say as I hug my best friend.

"Please don't leave me again... I can't bear to lose anyone I hold dear again... I don't want to be alone... not again..." Alisa says as her hold on me tightens and she cries more.

"I won't ever leave you alone, Alisa, you're my best friend." I gently tell her as I stroke her hair as she nuzzles into me.

"You're back..." I look behind Alisa to see El.

"I'm back, El." I greet her with a smile before someone jumps on my stomach and hugs me.

"Hey, Lucy." I greet the shark girl clinging to me.

"Carreg Ku Mach." Lucy says as her shark tail wags.

"What did she say?" Ako asks Ingrid for a translation.

"'I'm happy you're safe.'" Ingrid translates as I pet the shark girl.

After a while, Alisa calms down and dries her tears.

"Welcome back." Alisa tells me with a small smile.

"I'm back." I greet her back with a smile.

"Your hair's a mess, want me to brush it for you?" I ask her.

"Thanks, but you should rest. The last thing I want is you to strain yourself." Alisa tells me.

"Nice to see some honesty from you, sis." Hayasaka comments.

"I would strangle you right now for worrying me too if you weren't resting, Hayasaka." Alisa replies.

"Why do I get the harsh treatment?" Hayasaka asks playfully.

"Because that's how sisters are." Alisa replies.

"James, you're awake!" I turn to see Kasumi running towards me along with more of the girls.

"Hey, hey, don't crowd around! He's still resting!" Kuna-senpai says as she tries to keep things in order.

"No order, only chaos!" Bae exclaims as she phases in from the ceiling.

"The whole place was... void of chaos when you weren't around. It's nice to see chaos back with you, babe." Bae says as she hangs upside down on her tail in front of me.

"Love you too, Bae." I say with a smile as I pet her rat ears.

"Love you too, Babe." Bae replies with a surprisingly warm smile.

Everyone was worried about my condition since I was out cold the longest.

"Nice pun." Ingrid randomly says with a thumbs up.

"What did I say about reading my mind?" I say with a pout and Ingrid just giggles.

'Is my mind that easy to read, Aki?' I mentally ask my Oni wife.

'To your wives, your thoughts are almost an open book.' Aki mentally replies as she smiles from her bed.

"James, I have a few words for you..." I turn to see Sayo standing next to me with an upset expression.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Sayo yells at me.

Well... I am in trouble...

After reassuring everyone that I'm fine and learning that my younger sisters all went out before we returned home to get their mind off of worrying, Karato gave me a report on my condition. My body's temperature has gone cold due to my excessive use of grandma's channeler despite my eyes back to their normal dark green color. My dragon wings and tail have taken a silver color, seemingly being their normal color when I don't have a channeler active. Meanwhile Kamui is clearly... more attracted by my dragon features...

Things seem to be alright, but... I'm concerned by Alisa right now... She's clearly troubled right now... She stepped away when the others showed up to check on me.

Just as I'm about to call out to my best friend, someone enters the infirmary.

"James is awake?!" We all turn to see... Misaki...?

"Misaki, what are you do-" I ask before she rushes over to me.

"The Universe is ending, that's what I'm doing here." Misaki tells me with a sense of urgency.

"What...?" I ask her, confused.

"I tried to contact Kokoro yesterday, but she never responded, and when I came here after I learned she was here, I witnessed the unspeakable... She was scared... shivering on her bed... and she didn't even realize I was there, or everyone else in HaroHapi when I called them out here for an emergency." Misaki explains.

"Kokoro... wasn't... smiling...?" I slowly ask in disbelief.

"I thought it was impossible... but... Kokoro wasn't smiling..." Misaki says.

"Where is she right now?" I say as I get up from the bed.

"Hey, hey, hey! You still need to rest." Kuna-senpai tells me.

"My family is troubled! A good husband can't rest knowing his family is troubled!" I immediately exclaim, not even waiting for an answer to where Kokoro is and try to find where she is from her energy signature. It should be easier since she also wields divine energy now.

"She's in your room. She hasn't left since we learned you went off to save that little girl." I turn around to see Alisa followed me out.

"Alisa, are you-" I try to ask her but she cuts me off.

"I'm okay. Kokoro needs you right now... more than... I do..." Alisa says before she turns around and quickly walks away before I can say anything.

"Alisa..." I softly say, conflicted about whether to chase after my best friend or to check on Kokoro.

"That lying fox." I'm startled to hear Lokuna-senpai's voice before she suddenly appears right next to me.

"Lokuna-senpai..." I call out to her as she looks... clearly upset...

"Don't worry, James, it's not your fault." Lokuna-senpai assures me as she places her hand on my shoulder.

"You're doing your best as a husband, it's just Alisa being so stubborn and immature." Lokuna-senpai says and I'm caught off guard by her harsh tone.

"And I have had enough of it." Lokuna-senpai says in a frustrated tone.

"Go take care of Kokoro-chan, I'll handle Alisa." Lokuna-senpai tells me before she walks towards Alisa's direction.

"As her Lokuna-nee, it's time I gave her a firm talking to and set her straight. I can't fail her again." Lokuna-senpai says in a determined tone.

"Over a hundred years old and she's still acting like a child." Lokuna-senpai says, confusing me.

"Wait, Lokuna-senpai, what do you m-" I call out to her when I'm cut off.

"I would normally criticize your unwillingness to take action at that time, but I am aware, thanks to Mama, of your own pain." I turn to see Embla appear out of nowhere.

"Could you help me with her, Embla-san? I know you missed her as well and it pains you that she doesn't remember you or Askr." Lokuna-senpai asks Embla, shocking me.

"I owe her family for my happiest moments with my brother. It would disappoint Mama if I didn't." Embla replies and Lokuna-senpai smiles at her.

"Let's go find Masana-chan, she'll want to help us talk to Alisa-chan too." Lokuna-senpai says and Embla nods.

"Senpai, what's going with Alisa?" I ask, completely confused by what's going on.

"James." Lokuna-senpai turns to me.

"We'll take care of Alisa-chan, Kokoro-chan needs you right now. Trust us, please." Lokuna-senpai tells me with a determined expression as she looks into my eyes and I can see the intense resolve in them, more than I've seen from her before.

I don't know what's going on with Alisa or their relationship with her... but...

Lokuna-senpai, Embla and Masana... I have noticed they seem to... greatly care for Alisa. I've caught all three of them keeping a close eye on Alisa before, I just couldn't tell why...

"Lokuna-senpai, Embla... I trust you, please take care of my best friend. Tell Masana I'm trusting her as well. I'll return the smile to my bright sunshine's face." I tell them and Lokuna-senpai smiles.

"Leave her to us." Embla tells me before she and Lokuna-senpai walk off.

I take a deep breath before running towards my room where Alisa said Kokoro is. I can sense her energy in that direction, so Alisa was telling the truth.

I open the door to my room and look at my bed.

"Kokoro..." I say as I slowly approach her. Her face is stained by tears and her face is an expression of sorrow. The bed is also covered with snow as cold air surrounds her while she occasionally shivers.

My heart aches seeing Kokoro like this...

I can only imagine what she was feeling while I was on Lands End...

"She's been asleep for about 15 hours now..." I turn around to see that Misaki followed me.

"15 hours...?" I ask, surprised.

"When your grandma and the others were going to help you... Kokoro wanted to come along but everyone told her to stay because it was too dangerous. We and the suits had to hold her back when she suddenly froze the entire room and the hallway." Misaki tells me, surprising me.

"She used the channeler?" I ask as I kneel next to the bed covered in snow, watching Kokoro.

"Yeah, we were shocked. Kokoro nearly froze me solid." Misaki says, shivering from how cold the room is.

"You've become very important to Kokoro. Ever since we met you at the orphanage, she kept bringing you up, saying your meeting was destiny and fate. I thought she was crazy... but boy was I wrong..." Misaki says as she kneels down next to me.

"Also... did something happen to you over there?" Misaki asks me.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"There were times when... Kokoro would suddenly feel pain or be in agony... describing it like her skin was burning... It's like she felt what you were feeling..." Misaki explains.

"Last night... she suddenly let out an agonized scream and her eyes... looked lifeless... She just... lied down and cried... She didn't respond to anything... I was worried... She just... kept calling your name before falling asleep... never waking ever since..." Misaki tells me as she looks at Kokoro worried.

"Did... something happen to you?" Misaki asks me.

It sounds exactly like Kokoro could feel what was happening to me...

And it sounds like Kokoro felt... when I was killed by Miriam...

"... I died..." I quietly say.

"Wh-What?" Misaki says in shock and disbelief.

"I got overconfident and something managed to kill me, Misaki... I died and the only reason I'm alive is because of Serena's blessing... She took the burden of that fatal blow and I was brought back to life..." I tell Misaki as her eyes widen in fear.

"You got killed?!" Misaki exclaims in shock.

"Yes... and that must be what Kokoro felt..." I say as Kokoro shivers in her sleep.

"[... Dammit...]" Misaki silently curses in english.

"I'm sorry..." I softly say and Misaki closes her eyes and takes deep breaths to calm down.

"You know what you have to do, right?" Misaki asks me.

"I do." I reply as I turn to her.

"Make Kokoro smile again, and you owe me big time, not just for watching Kokoro, but for worrying me as well, especially hearing that you actually died." Misaki tells me.

"I will, and thank you for taking care of Kokoro, Misaki. I really owe you." I tell her.

Misaki smiles before she leans forward and kisses my cheek.

"You can make it up to me by making Kokoro smile like the unrelenting force of joy that she is again. I leave her to you." Misaki tells me with a smile before leaving the room.

I take a deep breath and turn back to Kokoro when I get an idea.

I get on the bed and lean over Kokoro.

In fairytales, one way to wake a princess from her eternal slumber is a kiss from her prince, right?

"It's time to wake up, Kokoro." I softly say as I lean down and gently kiss her lips. I continue to kiss her when I feel her lips begin to reciprocate. Suddenly, her arms grab me and pull me closer as she deepens the kiss and I respond in kind.

After a good minute, Kokoro and I pull away from our kiss and I look to see Kokoro wide awake.

"James... you're back..." Kokoro says as tears well up in her eyes.

"I'm back, Kokoro." I say as I wipe the tears in her eyes.

"I'm so happy your back..." Kokoro says as she quickly sits up and hugs me.

"I'm so sorry for worrying you, Kokoro." I gently tell her as I hug her back.

"When you were away... I could feel when you were hurting... It hurt so much... I was afraid... I-" Kokoro says as tears fall down her face before I stop her from reliving those painful moments.

"Shhh... It's okay, Kokoro, it's okay. It's over now, I'm back, you don't have to worry. Everything is okay." I softly tell her as I stroke her hair, comforting her.

"But your soul... it's still hurting... I can feel it..." Kokoro tells me as I feel her trembling.

"I know..." I say as I wonder just how much of my soul Kokoro can feel.

"How do I make it stop hurting...?" Kokoro asks me and I pull back to look at her.

"Well... I don't think it'll ever stop... but..." I trail off, not wanting to go into detail with Kokoro about the trauma I'll be carrying for the rest of my life.

"The pain can be alleviated." I say.

"How?" Kokoro asks eager to help.

"First, can you smile for me? I want to see your smile, I missed it so much, it makes me feel warm and happy when I see your smile, like a warm ray of sunshine telling me everything will be okay." I ask her with a small smile.

Kokoro is first surprised by my request before she shakes her head, closes her eyes and slaps both her cheeks to try to psyche herself up. She then tries to smile, but minutes pass and we come to the frightening realization... She... can't smile...

Kokoro slowly starts hyperventilating as she tries harder and harder to smile before tears start streaming from her eyes as she tries harder and harder but fails to.

"I can't... smile... Why is it so hard...? W-Why...?" Kokoro says as she hyperventilates so I hold her close again.

"Shhh... It's okay, you don't have to right now... It was selfish of me to ask... Here... about I do something for you...? Something that might help you smile again?" I ask, comforting her before she gently hugs me and I proceed to pick her up in a princess carry.

Perhaps this is becoming too natural for me... but I think I know what I should do.

"Why don't we go see the chickens?" I ask Kokoro as she looks at me surprised before she gently nods before nuzzling into my shoulder.

I walk out of the room with Kokoro in my arms when someone blocks our path.

"Hold it." Grandma says as she appears in front of us.

"If you're heading outside, take these." Grandma tells me as she hands Kokoro something. A new OD green trench coat of a slightly different style to the first one.

"Your body temperature is cold now after using my channeler so much so this coat will help regulate it so you don't freeze yourself." Grandma tells me as she pats the coat Kokoro is holding before she pulls out a fluffy silver scarf with thin pink line patterns.

"And this scarf... is special." Grandma says as she holds up the scarf.

"You overused the channeler a whole lot and you experienced the consequences of that, this is meant to prevent that. This scarf limits how much divine energy you can use, keeping it to safe levels. Think of it as a power governor or limiter so you don't hurt yourself when using the channelers you have access to." Grandma says as she teleports behind me and wraps the scarf around my neck. I immediately feel it lowering the divine energy I'm radiating and... it feels so fluffy and comforting, putting me at ease...

"I made this from threads given to me by the Lady. She foresaw that this would happen, she warned me that I would need this to keep someone safe from the power they wielded, until they can control it properly. Also, the pink thread was made from her own tail fur." Grandma tells me.

Lady... She's always looking out for me...

'Thank you for always keeping me safe, Lady.' I mentally say.

'You're welcome, your safety is important to me.' Lady replies.

'I'll be sure to visit you soon.' I tell her.

'I look forward to it.' Lady replies.

"Thank you, grandma." I say with a small smile.

"Kuna is against you heading outside in your condition, but I'm not gonna stop you. Just be careful out there." Grandma tells me as she pets my head before disappearing in a swirl of ice and snow.

"We will." I say and we continue on our way.

----------

45 minutes later

We're out in the city heading towards the orphanage. Walking through a city full of life... I'm more appreciative of the sounds and sights of it after the constant rain and lifeless silence of Lands End...

Of course, Kokoro and I are attracting attention as I'm carrying her in my arms and wearing a trench coat and scarf in the middle of summer plus a shark girl is clinging to my back and nibbling on my neck. Thankfully Kamui was able to teach me how to hide my wings and tail before we left so I don't have to worry about drawing even more attention.

"El, Katria, Soreka, Rosemary, stay close." I call out to the four girls tailing behind me. Rosemary was adamant about coming with me and the other three wanted to come as well.

"Hai, papa." Katria replies cheerfully while carrying El in her arms as they keep up. It's gonna take a little getting used to having an elf daughter who now looks my age.

Rosemary curiously looks all around her, the sights and sounds of the city being completely new to her and amazed by everything she sees.

"Cookie?" Soreka asks Rosemary, offering her a cookie from the jar in her arms. Rosemary nods and accepts the cookie, she then takes a bite and smiles at the taste.

"Lady Frost... makes great cookies..." Soreka says as she munches on another cookie.

"Today is so peaceful." I say, taking a deep breath.

"It is." Kokoro says as she nuzzles into me.

"Hey, aren't you that guy all over the news lately?" I stop in my tracks and turn to the side to see a girl my age. "The one with the massive harem?"

"Yes, I am." I casually answer as Lucy seems to be cautiously observing the girl.

"You're actually pretty handsome in person~. What do you say to adding me as a wife~?" The girl asks flirtatiously and I can only see red flags from her.

"No, thank you." I calmly reply.

"Awww, why not? I'm as cute as the blondie you're carrying~." The girl says.

"But she's actually my wife." I say as I hold Kokoro closer.

"Your heart belongs to someone else... You may not know him... but your heart belongs elsewhere... I suggest you wait till you meet him. I'm sure you'll know when you do." Kokoro says while staring at the girl and leaning closer to me as I can feel some cold radiating from her body. The girl stares back but she slowly loses her nerve and backs away.

"I-I'll keep that in mind..." The girl says before hastily retreating. Smart move.

I look at Kokoro as she watches the girl leave, the cold from her body slowly dying down as the girl disappears from sight.

Well... this confirms Kokoro has accessed the ice channeler.

"She's not on the list... I know she's not... She didn't... feel... like one of us..." Kokoro gently says to me.

"You could feel it?" I ask Kokoro and she nods.

"It's like... she was an outsider... Everyone I've ever met that was part of the list... I just... knew..." Kokoro gently tells me as I reflect, especially on my recent meeting with a certain 'Raven' and how despite having no seeming incentive to, I approached her like it was second nature... as if I subconsciously knew she was one of us.

"Love is a powerful thing, huh?" I say with a smile.

"She is." Kokoro nods.

"Let's continue on." I say and we resume our walk to the orphanage.

On our journey, I couldn't help but notice Kokoro seemingly being observant of any female that gets too close to me and she nuzzles closer to me each time. Is she being jealous or protective?

We soon reach the orphanage and enter the building.

"How can I- YOU!" Cassandra greets us before she recognizes us.

"Hey, dad. I'm here to bring my daughter home." I greet Cassandra and everyone waves at her in greeting too.

"You have a lot of nerve to-" Cassandra starts before I shut her mouth by forcefully bringing her to my level and kissing her, stunning her silent.

"Another time, Cassandra. I'm here to bring my daughter home, where is she?" I ask not wanting to bring any more attention to what happened on Lands End, the memory is too painful to keep bringing up. It still lingers like a scar on my soul. It won't help Kokoro either.

Cassandra stutters and blushes for a few moments before she seems to regain her composure.

"You're getting too comfortable with being our husband..." Cassandra says, bashfully while hiding her face.

"Papa?" I hear Houseki's voice and immediately summon and extend out my tail and pull her towards me where I hold her closely while shielding her with my wings, startling everyone.

"It's time to go home, Houseki, meet your sisters. Rosemary, Soreka, Katria, El, and Lucy." I say, introducing Houseki to her sisters as she looks at all of them.

"Sisters?" Houseki asks as she tilts her head up to me.

"Yes, they're your sisters." I say as I pet her head and Houseki looks back at her sisters, silently gazing at them for a while.

"Mm. Sisters." Houseki says.

"Sister." El, Soreka, and Katria say while Lucy clumsily tries to copy speaking the word. Rosemary slowly walks up to Houseki and holds her hand out to her, of which Houseki responds by placing her hand against Rosemary's.

"Nya." Houseki meows and Rosemary smiles.

"The pup has awoken, she now trains within the Dojo." We all slightly startled as Valen once again injects himself into the conversation out of nowhere.

"Who the fuuuu..." Cassandra exclaims, startled by Valen before stopping herself from cursing in the presence of children who start to crowd around the 'Mad Knight'.

"Wow, he has such cool long hair." One of the kids says.

"He's dressed like a knight, so cool!"

"He was so sneaky too, is he part ninja?"

Several children gather around Valen as he looks at all of them, as if unsure what to do now that he's injected himself into the conversation.

"He's a brave knight from another world who fought against endless waves of monsters, protecting the flower garden his friend loved to the very end. Don't worry, he's just not used to talking to people, so let him sort his thoughts out first." I tell the kids who look in awe from hearing Valen's story.

"I did what I must for my kingdom... and... for she who taught me the value of life." Valen says as Rosemary walks up to him and gently hugs him. He looks down at Rosemary and then gently picks her up and puts her on her back.

"Can I ride on your back too, mister knight?"

"That looks fun, let me, let me!"

The children gather around Valen as he seems to contemplate their request before he carefully reaches his arms out to the children while blunting his claws so they don't get hurt as they start climbing on him since his armor has various points that are easy to grab onto with their small hands.

"Just to be safe." I say as I cover some pointy ends on Valen's armor with ice to prevent accidents. Valen nods in thanks as he continues to let the children climb all over him.

"I never knew how to talk to people... but... this... is enjoyable..." Valen slowly says, making us smile.

"Mister snowman." I feel a child tug at my coat.

"Yes?" I turn to the little boy.

"You're a dragon too?" He asks me as some of the children look at my dragon wings and tail curiously.

"I'm a snow dragon, I fought alongside Valen then awoke and evolved into a snow dragon." I say with a smile.

"Like a pokemon?!" A child excitedly asks.

"Kinda." I say with a chuckle as I pet his head with my tail.

"You never stop with the surprises, huh?" Cassandra asks me with an amused smile.

"Even I'm surprised by what I can do." I reply playfully.

"Kokoro-chan, let's play!" A little girl asks as several children walk up to her and she turns to me.

"Let's put some smiles on their faces, shall we?" I tell Kokoro with a smile. Kokoro silently looks at me before a small smile forms on her lips.

"Hai." Kokoro says, smiling.

"Let's go play!" Kokoro tells the children who cheer and pull her along.

"Why are you hiding there?" I hear a child ask and I look down to see her lifting my coat to reveal Dear.

"It's comfy... and I feel safe here..." Dear replies as she leans against my leg. Lucy looks at Dear curiously and the little girl looks at Dear before she decides to occupy the other side of my coat.

"How is it?" I ask the little girl.

"Comfy..." She replies as she nuzzles against me and I chuckle at her relaxed expression.

"Doesn't it hurt that she's biting you?" A little boy asks me as he points at Lucy nibbling on my neck.

"Not at all, it's actually comforting to me." I say as I pet Lucy, making her wag her shark tail with enough force to sway my balance off a little.

"Now, who wants story time?" I ask the children.

"Nya!" Houseki meows excitedly as her tail sways in excitement.

"I do!"

"Me, me!"

"Story time!"

"The snowman is reading to us again!"

The children voice their desire for story time.

"The kids here really love you." Cassandra says with a smile.

"The smiles of children are worth every drop of sweat and blood to protect." I say as I hold Houseki close.

"These children like stories?" Everyone turns and we all gaze upon the blighted witch prodigy as she holds the diary of one of the greatest kings the universe has ever known.

"Just how many of them are there?" Cassandra asks, looking up at Emily.

"Nine." I say.

"She's floating..." A little girl says.

"Are you a witch?" A little boy asks Emily.

"She's the good kind." I say.

"Come on, let's head into the room for story time." I say and the children follow me.

"He can already control them." Cassandra says.

"Everyone here... likes papa. Nya." Houseki says with a smile.

"And you'll finally live with your papa." Cassandra tells Houseki while petting her head.

"Nya." Houseki meows happily.

A smile forms on my lips, seeing the joy on these children's faces along with Kokoro and the others, it helps alleviate the eternal burden now carried by my soul.

This... is worth fighting for...

This... is worth living for...

Being surrounded by love, and loving in return.

I can't imagine my life any other way anymore.

----------

[3rd Person POV]

A lonely pink fox, wandering aimlessly, feeling sorrow and regret finds herself in an empty shrine.

"Taikoyama Shrine...? Isn't this... where James prayed for our performances...?" Alisa asks herself as she walks around the empty shrine void of life.

'Why... am I such a coward...? Just a weak lying fox...' Alisa thinks to herself as she stares at the ground.

'A lying fox who can't stand having the man she loves get taken... yet does nothing to stop it... Instead, running and hiding away like a coward... afraid to take action...' Alisa thinks to herself before sighing deeply.

'Why... can't I stop...? Despite knowing how much this hurts... me... and him... Why can't I be honest? Why is it so hard? What's wrong with me...?' Alisa asks herself as a piercing pain stabs her heart.

'All the lies I've told him... The facade I've put on in front of him... Do I... really love him?' Alisa asks herself as she stares at her reflection in a puddle, yet all she sees is a liar as her best friend's voice echoes in her mind.

"And I thought our relationship was based on the fact that when you lied, I always knew what you needed. We've known each other that long, I can see right through you."

"No matter how many times you lie, I'll forgive you, because I know one absolute truth that no amount of lies or denials can ever cover up."

"I love you, Alisa."

"Is this love even real? Why can't it be perfect?" Alisa asks herself as she looks up to the sky and takes a deep breath.

['Lie' by Circus-P feat. Megurine Luka]

Alisa falls silent as the pain in her heart only grows, slowly becoming unbearable.

"It hurts so much..." Alisa quietly says as tears well up in her eyes and her hand clutches her heart in great pain.

"End your stupidity, you impudent child." Alisa turns around in shock to see the Goddess of the Void standing behind her with a very displeased expression.

"Lo-L- Lo-kuna-senpai...?" Alisa stutters, startled by both Lokuna's sudden appearance and the anger on her face.

Lokuna remains silent and slowly raises her hand, pointing towards Alisa's head, confusing the lying fox before suddenly, a lock is released and memories unleashed from the void return to their original place within Alisa's memories. Alisa clutches her head as immense pain washes over her while almost a century's worth of memories flood into her mind all at once, and assaults her all of her senses and overwhelms her.

"Agh! AGGGH!!! AAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!" The pink fox screams from the overwhelming pain and falls to her knees as the Goddess of the Void merely stares at her blankly.

"It hurts! It hurts so much! Make it stop! Please!!!" Alisa desperately cries out but her pleas fall upon deaf ears and the memories continue to flood her mind before it all stops as one memory plays vividly in her mind.

"I can't do this anymore... I can't uphold my duty any longer... Lokuna-nee, please... make me forget everything..." A pink nine-tailed fox asks with tears in her eyes.

"Please... your mother... Mae... wouldn't want this, Alisa-chan..." Lokuna desperately pleads with her dear friend who she's known since she was born.

"Mother is dead... why does that matter...?" Alisa asks with tears streaming down her eyes even more knowing the coldness of her question.

"Just please... let me remember my mother's face and her name... I don't want to forget her..." Alisa adds and Lokuna falls silent as conflicting emotions well up inside her, torn between wanting to grant Alisa's wish to be free of her duties and her pain, and wanting to keep her promise to Mae.

"Okay..." Lokuna says as tears fall down her face.

"I failed Mae-chan... So if this is what you desire..." Lokuna says as she looks Alisa in the eyes.

"... I won't fail you as well, Alisa-chan..." Lokuna says as she shakily raises her hand towards Alisa's head.

"Goodbye... Alisa-chan..." Lokuna says before she seals her dear friend's memories into the void.

...

Alisa falls to the ground, breathing heavily, her mind and body exhausted by the return of all her memories... memories she asked Lokuna to seal away... so she could forget all of the pain from her past...

Alisa weakly props herself up from the ground when she looks into the puddle in front of her... Her eyes are purple as... a pair of pink fox ears stand atop her ahead and nine large pink fox tails are behind her.

Alisa cries as she remembers who and what she is.

Tears fall down her face as she rests on her knees and looks at her old friend who helped raise her decades ago, the one who she saw as her older sister.

"Lokuna-nee..." Alisa calls out while crying.

"What will you do now?" Lokuna asks her, maintaining her blank expression looking at Alisa, asking what her next move is.

"There's no need to answer that." Alisa turns to see her old angel friend Masana descend from the sky.

"We already know you too well." Alisa's attention then turns to the Goddess of Closing making her entrance.

"..." Alisa remains silent, unable to say anything due to the immense guilt and regret welling up inside of her, knowing what she's done and the pain she's caused them.

"Now, no matter what, I don't care if you follow, I don't care if you stay here, I don't care if you run, with how you are now, I know, deep in my bones, you fear loneliness. Your Fate is sealed, and I await to see you on the other side, ready to accept James into your True Heart and not the fake one you've used this whole time." Lokuna says as she turns away from Alisa alongside Masana and Embla before all 3 disappear before her eyes.

Seeing all three of them leave her, it felt like her heart was stabbed thrice and left to bleed out...

Alisa falls onto her back and she stares up at the sky as Lokuna's words loop inside her mind over and over again, like needles, they pierce her heart, making her bleed even faster.

'I... deserve to be left alone... by everyone... for lying to them... and being selfish...' Alisa thinks to herself as she closes her eyes, accepting her fate to be alone... before her mind goes back to all the memories she had with her... best friend...

All of them... made her happy... made her feel alive... made her world vibrant and colorful... from the black and white that coated it when she left the shrine...

Her heart was broken... but James... saved her heart... just by being her best friend...

She... loves him... so much...

She can't lie to herself about it...

No amount of lies can convince her otherwise...

She didn't want to lose him too... like she lost her mother... and all her old friends...

She didn't want him to leave her too...

"But would he accept me...? After all the lies I told him? The facade I've put up? After all my running and cowardice? Would he still love me... for the lying fox that I am?" Alisa asks to the sky as she reaches her hand out to it, hoping it would answer her.

But in the end, she knows, only she can find the answer, all that is left is will she take that chance?

----------

2 hours later [James' POV]

After playing with the children at the orphanage, I decided going home wouldn't be the right move to make right now... now with the abundance of chaos and disorder that tends to be over there... so, I instead went to a place where peace governs the atmosphere and now I'm at CiRCLE to wait for any of the band girls to show up. I also haven't been there in a while with how much everything else has been taking up my time.

"Hello!" Kokoro cheerfully exclaims as we enter CiRCLE.

"Kokoro-chan, James, El-chan, and-." Marina warmly greets us with a smile before she spots a certain someone.

"Huh? Who is this? She looks like Katria-chan..." Marina says, looking at Katria.

"It is me, Marina! It's Katria! I just grew up!" Katria cheerfully tells Marina, surprising her.

"Katria-chan?! How?! You were only this tall last I saw you! And that was last week! Now you look the same age as Lisa-chan!" Marina asks her in shock.

"Elves grow with their power... Please don't ask..." I say with a deep sigh, remembering that despite it being absolute desecration, Katria risked herself multiple times on Lands End. I then notice that I instinctively summoned my tail and wings, and pulled Katria close to me and am holding her with my wings.

"And those?" Marina points at my wings and tail.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now... It's too heavy..." I tell Marina as I look away.

Marina looks at me with great concern before she sighs deeply then she walks out of the front counter and over to me. I look at her as she stands in front of me with great concern before she suddenly hugs me, catching me off guard.

"It looks like it is pretty heavy, I can tell. You've had a lot on your plate these past few months and it's been testing your strength and your will. If you don't want to talk about it right now, I won't pry." Marina gently tells me as she pets my head, and I instantly feel at ease and my worries slowly melt away. "It's okay James, everything will be okay. I'm here for you."

Suddenly, Marina's warmth sparks a memory within me...

A memory...

Of Mama Marina...

"O Kawaii Koto~." Mama Marina says as I continue to run around and do various acrobatic moves clumsily, trying to show off.

"How did I do, Mama Marina?" I ask Mama Marina, my babysitter, as she holds my sleeping baby sister Jeanne.

"You did great, you're really growing James~." Mama Marina says with a smile.

"Yeah!" I cheer and jump up, but I mess up my landing and fall on my back.

"Oww..." I groan as I rub my back as Mama Marina laughs.

"Ahahahaha~. Don't worry James, you'll grow out of it, I know you will." Mama Marina says with a smile after laughing.

"I'm gonna be a soldier like my dad and granddad someday, but I have to grow strong first..." I say as I slowly stand back up, holding back the tears from how painful my landing was. "I don't want to be weak..."

"It's okay James, everything will be okay. You'll grow up big and strong, and I'll be here for you." Mama Marina gently tells me as she pets my head while smiling.

"... You really did keep your promise... Mama Marina..." I gently say as I nuzzle into her more as my tail wraps around her and I feel her heartbeat skip a few beats as it seems I likely surprised her by saying that.

"You finally remembered, your old babysitter?" Marina asks me.

"Mm. I just did." I nod affirmatively.

"Ahahaha~. Took you long enough, then again, Jane always had the better memory between you two." Marina teasingly says.

"I've been a very busy boy, but... I'm glad fate brought us back together again." I say as I nuzzle against Marina a little more.

"You could imagine my surprise when you first walked in here. I thought you looked familiar, but when you said your name, I knew that this boy applying to CiRCLE, was the same little boy I watched over years ago." Marina says with a smile as I recall that moment.

"You've grown up so much from when I last saw you years ago, and you've grown even more since you started here at CiRCLE. You've become such a wonderful young man, I'm so proud of you." Marina tells me as she hugs me more.

"So you knew Marina too, Darling?" Kokoro asks me.

"Yeah, she used to help my great aunt Thea take care of me and my sisters." I tell Kokoro.

"He used to be an energetic little boy full of life." Marina says with a smile as she ruffles up my hair.

"And now he's a young man with over a hundred wives. I always knew you were gonna grow up to be handsome with girls all over him~." Marina says as she playfully pinches my cheeks.

"And one of those wives is you, Mama Marina." I remind her with a smirk.

"Don't think I'll be easy now, young man~." Marina replies as she pokes my nose.

"Should I be concerned?" We turn to see Rita ask that jokingly.

"Not at all, I wasn't a shotacon if that's what you're thinking." Marina tells Rita.

"Uhhh... I wasn't asking that though..." Rita replies and Marina pauses, falling into silence.

"Anyways." Marina quickly says and clears her throat to change the subject.

"Who are these four little ladies?" Marina asks as she looks at Soreka, Rosemary, Lucy, and Houseki.

"This is Soreka, Rosemary, Lucy, and Houseki, like El and Katria, they are my daughters too." I introduce them to Marina.

Soreka greets Marina, and Rosemary and Lucy wave to her while Houseki quickly hides under my coat next to Dear.

"Why is Friend hiding there?" Marina asks, seeing Dear in my coat.

"I like it here... It's so warm... and it makes me feel safe..." Dear replies as Houseki hides behind her.

"I see... and Houseki-chan must be quite shy." Marina says.

"Houseki... was an orphan who was abandoned by an abusive mother." I say. Elimine did some digging and was able to uncover how Houseki got to the orphanage. Now Elimine is locating this... mother of Houseki's... for a chat.

I assure you, Elimine and I just wanna talk to her.

"Which led to her developing a fear of women, especially 'mothers'." I say as I use my tail to pick up Houseki into my arms and cuddle her as she snuggles into me.

"The poor child..." Marina says. She reaches over to pet Houseki but Houseki flinches and backs away from her while shivering. "The poor girl..."

"Just what the hell did her mother do to cause that kind of reaction?" Rita asks, concerned for Houseki.

"Years of abuse no doubt." I give a theory of the likely reality Houseki faced as I hold her against me and gently pet her to keep her calm.

"She s-said... me-mean t-hings..." Houseki fearfully says as her ears lie flat against her head as she grabs her shaking tail.

I'm gonna converse with that woman...

"It's okay Houseki, everything will be okay. You'll be with papa from now on and I won't let anyone hurt you. You're papa's precious little gem." I gently tell Houseki as I hold her tight and she starts to calm down.

"Nya." Houseki meows as she rubs her face against my chest.

"She's truly precious like her name." Marina says with a smile.

"Houseki is always... James' precious little gem..." Dear says as she pokes her head out of my coat adorably.

"So your family is going to adopt her?" Rita asks me.

"I am." I immediately reply.

"Ummm... you're still too young to-" Rita points out a fact.

"I am." I repeat

"How?" Rita asks.

"Grandma or Tsurumaki." I say and both Rita and Marina instantly understand.

"I think papa might like Houseki!" Kokoro says with a smile as she pets Houseki who doesn't back away from her. As I learned earlier, Houseki isn't afraid of Kokoro and Hello, Happy World because of how often they visit the orphanage.

"I can confirm that..." Dear says.

----------

10 minutes later

"Can I keep her?" I ask grandma, who I called over, as I hold Houseki in my arms.

"What?" Grandma asks in confusion.

"She's my daughter." I say.

"Nya." Houseki meows.

"I'll take care of her." I say.

"Nya." Houseki meows.

"I'll destroy anything that dares to harm her." I say.

"Nya." Houseki meows.

"Hold on..." Grandma says.

"Please?" I plead with her.

"Nya." Houseki meows.

"Wait." Grandma says.

"Please?" I plead again.

"Nya." Houseki meows again.

"Wait." Grandma says again.

"Please, grandma." Kokoro pleads as she clasps her hands together.

"Please, Lady Frost." Soreka pleads as she floats up to her.

"Please..." El pleads as she pulls on grandma's coat.

"Pleeeease, mama Frost." Katria pleads as she bounces on her feet.

Rosemary claps her hands together as she silently looks up to grandma with a pleading look.

Lucy does the same as Rosemary as she's still getting used to speaking human languages while wagging her shark tail very energetically.

"Please?" Artemis' projection shows up, doing the same as Rosemary.

"Please let James adopt his daughter, Ms. Frost." Marina pleads as Rita nods in agreement.

"Please..." Dear pleads, poking her head out of my coat.

"Wait just a second..." Grandma says.

"Please, Frost?" Elimine says as she suddenly appears.

"Elimine?" Grandma says, startled by her sudden appearance.

Valen suddenly appears, startling Marina and Rita as he simply stares at grandma.

"Mama, let the boy keep his cat daughter!" K'lis-senpai's head suddenly pops out of a glyph.

"I agree with the Klock. It would be in our best interest to let James have his daughters close, especially his kitten daughter." Dream says as his head pops up next to K'lis-senpai.

"Koneko?" Yukina's head pops up in between Dream and K'lis-senpai. She looks around then sees Houseki and her eyes sparkle.

"Please." Yukina pleads with grandma.

Grandma, faced with overwhelming pleading force, looks like she's crumbling.

"Please grandma." I plead once more.

"Nya." Houseki meows pleadingly as grandma looks like she's about to give in.

"Okay, okay, alright! I'll get the paperwork sorted." Grandma says, relenting to my request.

"Yay!" We cheer in joy.

"Nya!" Houseki meows in joy.

"Thanks, grandma." I say with a smile.

"Just take good care of her." Grandma tells me as she pats my head.

"I will." I nod affirmatively.

"Your father is something." Grandma tells Houseki as she reaches her hand out and... Houseki... lets her pet her, even leaning towards her and purring.

"Hmm... It seems that 'grandmothers' falls outside of what Houseki is afraid of." Elimine points out as Houseki accepts grandma's affection willingly.

"You'll be alright now, Houseki." Grandma says with a smile.

"Nya." Houseki meows with a smile.

"Good girl. Alright, time to get those papers sorted." Grandma says before she walks over to K'lis-senpai's glyph.

"Let's go." Grandma says as she pushes K'lis-senpai, Dream and Yukina back inside the glyph.

"Just so you know, I'll be recognized as her legal guardian until you're of age to act as such." Grandma tells me before she enters the glyph and disappears.

"Of course." I reply late with a smile.

"I'm just happy to have my daughters close." I say as I hold Houseki in my arms and use my wings and tail to pull Katria, El, Soreka, Lucy, and Rosemary close and hold them.

"He'll truly be a great father~." Marina says with a smile.

"My parents think so too!" Kokoro proudly says with a bright smile.

"Oh yeah, that's the stuff~." You-know-who says while painting in the corner.

----------

30 minutes later

"Aren't we here to practice...?" Arisa asks me while blushing.

"Just a few more minutes... You're all so warm~." I say as I hug all of Poppin'Party close to me with my arms, wings, and tail.

"This is nice~." Tie says as she snuggles up to me more when suddenly we hear an acoustic guitar being played and turn to see Dear sitting on the floor playing a gentle and comforting tune.

"I'm not surprised, you know how to play instruments, Dear." I say with a smile.

"Have you not been teaching me since the beginning...?" Dear asks as she keeps playing.

"How many instruments can you play, Friend-san?" Rimi asks her.

"Many... from many different worlds... Every time I play... it reminds me... of when James would do so for us... to let us sleep..." Dear says with a small smile as memories begin flashing back to me...

Memories of my first counterpart playing various different instruments for the girls in order to calm them down, or help them feel better after tough battles, and though the instruments had long fallen out of maintenance and clearly were not in peak condition, he still found a way to make music that set the SKY Sisters at ease.

"I'll do that for you again someday, Dear." I tell her.

"I look forward to it..." Dear replies as she continues playing.

"How about singing, have you tried that before, Friend-san?" Kasumi asks Dear excitedly.

"No, I haven't... but... I sang Lullabies to Soreka whenever she couldn't sleep... similar to James for me and my sisters..." Dear softly replies.

"How many sisters did you have?" Tie asks her curiously.

"... Thousands... but... less than thirty of us... lived to the end..." Dear says and Poppin'Party falls silent.

"It must've been difficult... to lose so many..." Saaya says as she clutches my wing tightly, clearly affected by Dear's situation in her original universe.

"It was... but... the most painful... not just for me, but for all of us... was James' death..." Dear says before she grabs her dove from her head and stares at it.

I suddenly feel a searing pain as flashing images of... bloodied claws...piercing through my chest... appear...

I feel my heartbeat and breathing slowly rising and I instantly hold Poppin'Party closer to me, almost afraid to let go.

"Are you okay?" Saaya asks me with a concerned look.

"As long as I can feel my wives... I will be..." I say as I hold Poppin'Party tighter while trying to remain composed.

"Then feel us as much as you want." Tie says as she hugs me back and nuzzles into me.

"Yeah." Kasumi says, hugging my tail and rubbing her face against it.

"We're here for you, Onii-chan." Rimi tells me as she nuzzles into me.

"I don't know what you went through... but remember we're here." Arisa tells me as she leans on me.

"We take care of you, as you take care of us; love is a two-way street." Saaya says as she nuzzles her face on my wing.

Their warmth immediately makes the pain go away as my heart and breathing calm down before I feel someone lean on my back.

"You'll be okay..." Dear says as I feel her nuzzle against my back and I take a deep breath.

"I'll be okay..." I say as the fear and tension leaves my body.

----------

3 hours later

After what was basically me ambushing the band girls who entered CiRCLE and hugging them before I let them practice, Kagaya-senpai informed me that all of the bands will be taking part in the next concert.

"Sounds like it's gonna be one big show before the final one." I say as I have my tail wrapped around Kagaya-senpai.

"Kasumi-chan approached me with the idea and I thought it would be great to show off their talents~." Kagaya-senpai says as she pets my tail.

"We'll get to play with so many cuties~." Hinako-senpai says in delight, meanwhile Houseki is hiding behind Dear. Hinako-senpai suddenly hugged Houseki which caused her to panic and hide, much to senpai's sorrow.

"You'll be playing with me too, you know?" I playfully remind Hinako-senpai.

"A small price to pay." Hinako-senpai says while pouting.

"Love you too, Hinako-senpai~." I teasingly say with a smile, making her growl at me.

"I can't wait to perform with my precious little brother~." Onee-chan says as she hugs me while pressing my head against her chest and I nuzzle into her.

"You've really turned up the skinship, haven't you, James-kun?" I look up to see Rii-senpai placing Debeko on my head and voicing her.

"What can I say, it feels really nice and everyone is so warm." I reply as I look up at the purple demon plush.

"You don't go around holding random girls now, do you?" Na-chan jokingly asks me.

"I only go around randomly hugging my wives, Na-chan." I reply in mock seriousness.

"James-kun is such a good boy." Debeko says as she pets my head with her little arms.

"Yeah, only those on the list have that special privilege from Darling." Kokoro says with a slight hint of possessiveness, albeit easily missable.

"We're gonna make sure of that with the song, Aya, Kasumi and I are preparing." Kokoro declares determinedly.

"Yeah!" Aya cheers as she raises her hand.

"It'll be so sparkling and heart-pounding to sing together." Kasumi says excitedly while smiling.

"... S-Should I be concerned...?" Michelle nervously asks.

"Let's just be thankful that Kokoro isn't a yandere, Michelle." I say, making her shiver at the thought.

"I'm terrified by that thought you just placed in my head..." Michelle says, visibly shaking.

"You don't have to be afraid, Michelle, you're on the list too!" Kokoro tells her with a smile.

"If I didn't know what the list was... that would've sounded terrifying..." Ran says.

"Hasa-chan, are you there?" I call out to my spy wife.

"You called?" Hayasaka says as she reveals herself. For the most part, everyone has been cleared and declared healthy, although Kuna-senpai wanted us to rest, she was overturned much to her annoyance.

I hope Callalily wakes up soon...

I use my tail to grab Hayasaka and pull her towards me before wrapping my arms and wings around her.

"I just wanted to hold you." I say as I hold her close. Hayasaka leans into me as she smiles and I feel her heartbeat gently against me as she enjoys the contact.

Seeing my wives and my daughters enjoying themselves and feeling their warmth, I wish things were only moments like this.

I look over to see Sora-senpai talking to Rinko and Jamie which reminds me of someone. I wonder where Blighted Sora-senpai i-

"You called?" I feel an extremely fluffy tail wrap around me and a warm touch enveloping me.

"You were-" I start but get cut off immediately.

"Always by your side." Blighted Sora-senpai says as she nuzzles her face against mine affectionately.

"IS THAT ANOTHER SORA?!!" Hinako-senpai exclaims as everyone who hasn't met Blighted Sora-senpai yet looks in shock.

"Wan." Blighted Sora-senpai barks.

"So... what's the story w-" Na-chan starts asking before getting cut off.

"I wanted to be with James." Blighted Sora-senpai says, not elaborating.

"And that's basically all you need to know about Sora. Her whole existence may very well revolve around him." Jamie says as Rinko nods in agreement with her.

"And that's fact." K'lis-senpai pops in for a moment to say that before disappearing just as soon.

"Wan-Wan!" Both Sora-senpais bark and wag their tails in perfect sync.

"Hmmm..." I hum in thought.

"What is it?" Hayasaka asks as she tilts her head up to look at me.

"I think-" I start and immediately get cut off.

"Let's make this easy, why don't you just call me 'Onee-chan'~?" Blighted Onee- Sora-senpai tells me with a smile as her tail wags.

"Onee-chan?" I say.

"Yes, dear?" Blighted Onee- Sora-senpai replies with a sweet smile as her tail wags more.

"Wait! I'm James' Onee-chan!" Yuri- Onee-chan exclaims in complaint. My mind is already getting jumbled up...

"Yuri-chan..."

Onee-chan turns to her side to see Sora-senpai holding her shoulder.

"You will always be James Onee-chan as well, but you'll have to settle with being called 'Yuri-nee-chan' instead, ne?" Sora-senpai tells her with a sweet smile.

"But..." Yuri-nee-chan complains before Sora-senpai's smile becomes... chilling...

"Ne?" Sora-senpai asks again as an oppressive aura radiates from her that sends chills down everyone's spines, even Hayasaka is visibly shaking.

"Hai." Yuri-nee-chan relents to the overwhelming will of Sora-senpai.

"Wonderful~." Sora-senpai says as she claps her hands together and tilts her head while smiling cheerfully.

"And with that I'm your Onee-chan now~." Onee-chan says as she stares into my eyes with an entrancing gaze. "And as your Onee-chan, you can come to me for anything~, Absolutely, Anything~."

"Hai." I reply, as if placed under her spell, making Onee-chan smile in an intoxicating mix of love and lust.

"Sora-senpai... is the most dangerous opponent for Darling's attention..." Himari says in a mix of awe and worry.

"The theory that Yume-san's entire world revolves around James... becomes more and more true with each passing day..." Sayo says as she earns many nods of agreement.

"Wan-wan!" Sora-senpai and Onee-chan bark in perfect unison, likely confirming it like the shameless and submissive puppies that they are.

Wow... did I just really think that last part...?

I have really fallen off the deep end haven't I?

"Should I-" I start and Onee-chan replies instantly.

"Wan!" Onee-chan barks as her tail wags.

"Okay, Onee-chan, I'll get you a collar too." I say as I pet her head.

"Uhhhh... Sora's too powerful..." Yuri-nee-chan groans in defeat at the loss of her title.

I walk over to Yuri-nee and hold her with my arms, wings, and tail.

"I know it's hard for you, Yuri-nee-chan, but you're still my Onee-chan and you always will be, that won't change." I say as I snuggle her closely and she hugs me back, burying her face into my chest. "I will always love my beloved Yuri-nee-chan."

"Then give your beloved Yuri-nee-chan a kiss." Yuri-nee-chan tells me as she looks up at me.

"If that's what my Yuri-nee-chan wants~." I say before suddenly locking my lips with hers, catching her off guard and earning some shocked gasps. Yuri-nee-chan moans incoherently before she quickly melts into the kiss and grabs the back of my head to deepen the kiss, so I respond in kind vigorously.

The room goes silent with only the sounds of me and Yuri-nee-chan passionately making out ringing out before we pull away as our breaths run out. Yuri-nee-chan breathes heavily before her legs wobble and she falls into my arms.

"Hehehe~. I finally made out with my little brother~." Yuri-nee-chan says, blushing, dazed and happy as she snuggles into me.

"Wawawawa..." Rimi stutters, blushing hard as steam rises from her ears.

"I'm starting to wonder if Yuri was a..." Na-chan trails off and several of the girls catch on and blush at the implication.

"Ehehehe~. You knew him back then too, Nanana-chan... You should know the temptation~..." Yuri-nee-chan tells her, making Na-chan blushes and looks away.

"Decency!" Sayo cries out, trying to keep things PG.

"Decency here... died a long time ago, Hikawa-san." Rinko of all people tells Sayo while smiling.

"Hell yeah! Only chaos here baby!" Bae exclaims as she phases through the ceiling.

"Chaos!" Ako cheers, raising both hands into the air.

"Maybe we should check if his saliva has an aphrodisiac effect on his wives." Jamie says her hand on her chin in thought.

"I volunteer as tribute!" Himari exclaims eagerly with sparkling eyes.

"Too late." Bae says as Rinko already has her lips locked with mine and is passionately kissing me.

"I can't say anything about his saliva, but I can confirm his scent is very enticing~." Kamui says in her small dragon form before her sniffing onslaught continues while Rinko's tongue invades my mouth.

----------

1 hour later [Aiz's POV]

"Kokoro has really taken to him, hasn't she?" My husband, Dimitri, says after receiving a report from Hayasaka-chan.

"I'm glad she did, he seems quite dependable." Dimitri says with a smile.

"And he's proving to be able to take care of our lovely Kokoro." I say, smiling back.

Our daughter Kokoro was affected pretty badly when she heard that her husband James and some of her fellow wives went to a dangerous planet to rescue a little girl. It was a terrifying sight, to see our beloved daughter, who is always a bright ray of smiles and sunshine, not smiling... It's a painful memory for us to witness. Thankfully James was able to restore Kokoro's smile. I guess this event just goes to show how much Kokoro loves him, and gives us an insight on his strength and the bounds of his kindness, which seems to run in his family.

"The Matthews family are quite an interesting bunch, aren't they?" I ask my husband.

"Indeed, they are a very interesting family. A decorated history of military service whose lineage cannot be traced past the birth of the United States of America. A literal goddess is part of their family whose power flows through them, and it would seem so, 'otherworldly' friends from beyond our own universe." Dimitri replies as I giggle at his observation.

"Not to mention they are the true royal lineage of the Fallen Kingdom of the Old World, by blood as they directly descended from the king's unknown daughter." I add.

We have yet to meet the King of the Old World and from what we've heard, he seems to want to atone for his sins at the end of his reign and the eventual fall of his kingdom. And Elimine, his daughter and the Matthews family's ancestor, sounds like an absolutely lovely woman, known as the 'All-Mother' who loved and cherished all children, she established the very first orphanage in history. I am quite well-versed in her legends.

"Onii-chan is also the Key of Salvation." Dimitri and I turn around, and we're surprised to see what looks to be a young girl in a heavily torn up black hoodie looking up at the dusk sky. Her eyes are a deep purple and her hair is oddly rainbow colored and silver, but at close inspection, one can make the distinction that it isn't a cosmetic shift, and her sheer presence... speaks to being an 'otherworldly being' that Dimitri described earlier.

"And you might be?" I ask, knowing with her ability to sneak up on us and yet not taking a chance to cause us harm, she is likely a friend.

"The only important part to you would be... I'm one of Onii-chan's to-be wives... I guess." The mysterious girl says as her gaze remains locked to the sky, sparking our curiosity.

"Is that so? What's your name? Why do you call him Onii-chan when his main little sisters are Jane, Rose, and Jeanne?" I ask with a smile as my husband, not one to leave things to chance, keeps a watchful eye on our 'guest'.

"If you seek to find my name on that list of yours... you won't find it... My existence is outside of Her domain. Why do I call him Onii-chan...? He's my big brother..." The mysterious girl catches onto my scheme as I am once again given further evidence of her 'un-nativeness' to our world. Dimitri and I exchange looks as I see his interest is clearly piqued.

"Hmm... May I have your name to put it on the list?" I ask, pressing further and deciding to drop the 'Onii-chan' part as her unfamiliarity in our information suggests she might have been James' sister in another universe, or perhaps an adopted sibling like Noel due to her having no resemblance to the young man.

"It won't be necessary to put my name on it. I will introduce myself to Onii-chan in due time, but for now, I will at least leave you my name: Suguha." Suguha introduces herself.

"A name of Japanese origin, did you choose it yourself?" I ask curiously. Japan truly lends itself as the land of divinity, especially now with how many Divine Beings are present here.

"No... I didn't... it was given to me by my father... and agreed upon by my mother..." Suguha answers.

"A child of another universe?" I ask Suguha who nods to my question.

"I... was saved... but that's not important, fate is upon itself, and Mama... you have an old friend to meet tonight. Don't keep him waiting, he's a busy general after all." Suguha says before she suddenly disappears.

Mama...?

Though I am curious to dig into her denoting me as 'Mama', another part of what she said piques my interest.

"An old friend...? General...? Could it be?" I ask curious but fully knowing there's a viable reason He would be on land right now considering that shark child I met 3 days prior.

The door to the room opens and one of the Suits walks in.

"Aiz-sama, Dimitri-sama, I have received information of a squid-like man who has been seen moving through the city at night time for the last three days now." Mizuro reports to us.

"A squidlike man? Could he be an Atlantean?" Dimitri asks and I smile.

"She was right on cue, she must've planned this. I think Suguha can see the future." I say with a smile while closing my eyes. "Worry not about him dear, I have an old friend to see. If you wish to accompany me though, I am your wife."

"I have no reason not to, and every reason to do so." Dimitri replies before he turns to Mizuro. "Mizuro, where is he?"

"He rose out of the waters about 30 minutes ago, he's still near the harbor. Various others, likely fellow Atlanteans, are also moving through the city. They seem to be looking for that little shark girl named Lucy." Mizuro reports as I smile and nod to him before reaching my hand out to Dimitri of which he takes and we slowly make our way out to be driven out to meet my old friend.

----------

35 minutes later

After arriving near the harbor I slowly exit the car and look around to see if I can find my old friend before I overhear a silent conversation nearby.

"[What are Atlanteans doing on land? Trouble?]"

"[I hope not. Command just wants us to keep an eye on 'em and see what they're up to.]"

Two men, likely Americans, quietly speak to each other while trying to be covert.

"[Where did the squid man in the pirate's coat go?]" I ask in English and the two men turn to me in shock before they seem to receive a message from their earpiece.

"[Squid man in a pirate's coat. He went due north a few minutes ago, Ms. Tsurumaki.]" One of the men tells me. They're likely members of MAGES and I'm guessing Artemis-chan spoke to them just now.

"[My sincerest thanks.]" I say and they nod before they return to their duties and I walk away with Dimitri.

"Artemis-chan, can you see him?" I ask with my phone in hand. In a near instant, the map application opens to a place nearby with a moving marker tracking someone.

"Target located and marked." Artemis-chan's voice comes through my phone.

"You work fast." Dimitri tells Artemis, impressed.

"Artemis has received... some new upgrades recently... from the Lunids..." Artemis-chan says excitedly.

"But Kagaya might still be faster at finding places..." Artemis-chan says, confusing us before we recall Hayasaka-chan telling us that Kagaya Hikara was informally granted the title 'Goddess of Navigation' by the Divine Beings.

We follow Artemis-chan's instructions and minutes later, night has fallen and we find ourselves in an old playground that seems to not be used as much nowadays. We look around and my eyes spot a familiar figure that I last saw when I was spending my days as a part-time Marine Biologist.

"[Jones.]" I call out and the figure stops in his tracks.

"[Aiz, is that you lass?]" Jones asks with an amused chuckle, keeping his back to us.

"[Heart be the sea, the Lady calls unto thee.]" I reply in amusement.

Jones lets out a hearty chuckle before he turns around to face us.

"[It's good to see ya again, lass. How long has it been?]" Jones says with a smile.

"[Long enough that I'm disappointed you missed my wedding and the birth of my first daughter.]" I say with a giggle.

"[Aye... I do regret missing such important moments in yer life. This be the one ye heart be pillaged?]" Jones asks me, motioning to Dimitri with his massive left-hand crab claw.

"[That would be correct, and I find it quite endearing you learned more english since we last met.]" I say, commenting on how difficult communication was between us when we first met.

"[It's amazing what one can find sunk to the ocean floor, and yer lessons made learning easier. Haha!]" Jones says with a chuckle.

"[A pleasure to meet an old friend of my wife. I am Dimitri Tsurumaki.]" Dimitri introduces himself with a slight bow.

"[I hope ye be treating Aiz here well.]" Jones tells Dimitri as he points at him with his crab claw.

"[If taking over a massive portion of the economy of the country we live in to assure our children can marry who they please counts, then yes, I have been.]" Dimitri replies with a smile before he gently kisses me for a moment.

"[Hmm... He seems like a man who can act upon his words.]" Jones says, nodding approvingly.

"[Oh he is, if he wants something done, he will get it done.]" I say with a smile, praising my husband's ability to get what he wants. I mean, that's how he courted me and made me his wife.

"[And so, where are yer youngins?"] Jones asks me, looking eager to meet them.

"[One is with her husband at a music place, and one is right here.]" I say as I put my hand over my belly which briefly surprises the Atlantean general.

"[Ahahaha! The oven is on before me eyes, Ye be a mother for sure.]" Jones says cheerfully.

"[This is be?]" Jones asks as he performs a circle motion with his crab claw.

"[Our second daughter.]" I say with a smile as I gently pat my belly.

"[Ye birth another princess, and count I arrange to be present to welcome her heart to the world. I promise I won't miss this one.]" Jones assures me as he takes a knee.

"[I'd appreciate that very much, and I'm sure Kokoro, our first, would love to meet you as well.]" I tell him with a smile

"[Be I find the spell in my search for our missing princess, I will gladly meet your first blood.]" Jones replies.

"[Would she happen to be a shark girl named Lucy?]" Dimitri asks Jones.

"[Confirm me suspicions I see, though we all certainly believed it be Lucy who returned not to the sea as Seraphina leans to her royalty after the loss of that land soldier she dearly cared for. I take it you know where she is?]" Jones asks questioningly as he slightly turns his head to the side.

"[We do, and I assure you, Lucy is safe and cared for.] I tell Jones.

"[I see, though I must confirm for his highness, may I at least see her?]" Jones asks.

"[Artemis?]" Dimitri calls out as he holds his phone up, showing Artemis to Jones.

"[Master and Lucy are... on their way home with everyone right now. I will inform the house of a visitor...]" Artemis-chan says.

"[Such needn't be necessary little one, I need only confirm the status of the princess before making a hasty return to the sea before the sun rises.]" Jones assures Artemis, seemingly not surprised by her nature as an AI.

"[Is video footage enough?] Artemis-chan asks him as she brings up footage from an overheard drone, showing James, Kokoro, and his large group of wives walking home together while Lucy is clinging to James' back and seems to be nibbling on him.

"[Her teething habits be familiar... though if I may at least see her with my own eyes, I would also deem it necessary to leave one of me royal guards with her, if I may.]" Jones asks.

"[That is agreeable.]" Artemis-chan nods.

"[Come, we'll take you to them. We were planning on visiting them later.]" I tell Jones while smiling.

"[Then I'll take ye up on that offer.]" Jones replies with a smile.

----------

30 minutes later [James' POV]

We return home and head into the living room, but as soon as I step foot inside.

"ONII-CHAN!!!"

I'm toppled over by a tidal wave of imoutos.

I fall to the floor with Jane, Scarlet, Noel, and Anastasia on top of me, clinging onto me, afraid to let go.

"Onii-chan! I knew something happened when my heart and my entire body stopped for a whole second... I can't believe you died... I was so scared!"

"Do you have any idea how terrified we were?! Please don't go off to other planets again, Onii-chan! Don't die on us!"

"Please don't die, Onii-chan! Who killed you Onii-chan?! I'll murder them for killing you!"

"I won't lose my big brother again... I won't fail again... Who dared lay their hands on you?! I will erase their very being from existence!"

Jane, Scarlet, Noel, and Anastasia yell frantically while crying and clinging tighter to me as they continue expressing their worry. I look up behind them to see Jeanne trying to maintain her composure but it's clear she was worried for me like her Onee-chans.

I really made them worried...

"Don't die, Onii-chan... I can't live without you!" Jane cries out as she looks into my eyes, showing the utter despair and fear she felt.

"Yeah... We need you, Onii-chan... You know how much we rely on you..." Jeanne tells me, with a sorrowful expression as she fights back her tears.

My heart aches at the thought of how close I was to leaving my little sisters behind, and immense regret washes over me...

Jane is far too attached and relies heavily on me to ever consider leaving my side and I've long accepted my fate of always being together with her for the rest of our lives. I know that losing me... will affect her the most...

Scarlet, being a little sister to me, feels so natural to me and she feels the same way, losing me all of a sudden... will hurt her like it would Jane...

Noel, like Jane, is very attached to me and often needs me to interact with people and socialize, and like Jane... losing me would greatly affect her...

Anastasia lost her original big brother and family when her world betrayed her... I can't imagine the immense pain and sorrow if she had to lose her big brother again...

Jeanne is quite mature for her age, but she still has her childish traits, like refusing to answer the door to strangers so she always calls me for that and when she is looking for a merch, I have to hunt it down for her.

My younger sisters still need me, their older brother...

I sit up with all my might and summon my dragon parts then wrap my arms and wings around my little sisters, I grab Jeanne with my tail, surprising her as I pull towards me and hold her close.

"I'm sorry for worrying you all... I'm back... and I promise... I will never leave all of you again... I swear it... as your big brother." I tell them as I hold them tight.

"Onii-chan!" Jane, Scarlet, Noelle, and Anastasia all exclaim in tears as they hug me as tightly as they can.

"Onii-chan... please- *sob* D-Don't die... I'm not... re-ready to lose you... *sob* I... I..." Jeanne says in between sobs as her tears begin to overflow.

"I don't want to lose my Onii-chan!" Jeanne yells as her tears finally break free and she clings to me.

"Please don't leave me, Onii-chan! Please stay!" Jeanne pleads as she finally cries... for the first time in years...

"It's okay, I won't leave you, Jeanne... Onii-chan won't leave his precious little sisters behind." I softly tell Jeanne as the end of my tail gently strokes her head.

I hug and comfort my little sisters as they let out all their emotions, as a proper big brother should.

"It looks like Jeanne was holding back a lot..." Asuka says as she looks at Jeanne in concern.

"She has... She's never cried in years... She believed that crying won't solve anything and bottled up all her emotions... Where most people her age would cry, she would just lie in bed and blankly stare at the ceiling... and wait until the feelings die out... trying to be stoic..." Aunt Julia reveals with a deep sigh, worrying the girls of how Jeanne handles her emotions.

"Yeah... Imagine my shock when a 5th grader said, 'Why should I cry? It's not gonna solve my problems'." Shiori says and some of the girls turn to her in surprise.

"Why would Jeanne-chan bottle her emotions up? Isn't that... bad for you in the long run?" Aya says with tears in her eyes, concerned for Jeanne.

"I can understand her not wanting to show emotion... it feels unnecessary, I know all too well the feeling of 'reaching for the conclusion with disregard to myself.' That's the perfect description of my dating life, but, Jeanne-chan, if there's one lesson this hopeless woman believes she can teach you, it's that even for the little things, it's not the destination, it's the journey. If you believe emotions to be unnecessary, then one day, you will grow cold to them, exactly as I did, and your only question when you're older will be... 'has life always been this gray?'." We turn to see Nina approach and impart a piece of wisdom to Jeanne, clearly speaking from her own experience.

Experience...

Trained to think a certain way...

Color... draining from life...

Dear...

Yuki...

Scarlet...

Middle of summer... and yet...

The city runs cold today.

A piece... missing from her life...

Many... pieces...

And hoping... to find them...

I look down and see Dear in my coat, leaning against me with her eyes closed, her expression blank, yet relaxed when something soft and warm gently nuzzles up behind me.

"Yuki?" I call out, recognizing the sensation.

"Wan." Yuki barks as she hugs me from behind.

"I'm happy... that Master is back... safe and sound..." Yuki tells me as she holds onto me tighter.

"Good girl, Yuki." I softly say as I pet her with my tail.

"Wan." Yuki barks as I sense her tail wagging.

I look at my little sisters and all my wives...

They're the pieces that fill the empty spaces in my soul...

As I am a piece that fills theirs...

And as they are a piece that fills each other...

We're a family, one big loving family

"You're a mature little lady, but you still have a lot of growing up to do. It's okay that you're crying now, you missed your dear big brother after all." Nina tells Jeanne who nods to her as she wipes her tears.

"I did..." Jeanne says and Nina smiles as she pets her head.

We feel complete...

"... When we find the pieces..." I softly say as I close my eyes.

----------

1 hour later

After my little sisters have calmed down, I decided to take a little walk around the house until dinner. Esteria and the others are cooking up a feast for our safe return and to welcome our new guests. We just wish Callalily could be awake for it...

"Do you like it here so far?" I ask Rosemary as I carry her in my arms. Rosemary looks up at me and smiles while nodding. Houseki is over with grandma right now to go over some paperwork.

"Glad to hear it." I reply with a smile.

"Master." I look up and see one of Artemis' utility drones carrying a box flying over to me.

"A package from Irina Reznov." Artemis tells me as she drops the package in Rosemary's arms.

"Thanks, Artemis." I thank her and she uses the drone to gently nuzzle against my face before flying off.

"Ms. Reznov's been sending me quite a few packages recently." I say, finding her recent packages to me curious.

A red orb flies up to us which suddenly turns into Fabian who looks like he has something to say.

"There you are Rosemary. Emily, are you with her?" Fabian asks before Emily materializes in front of us.

"What is it?" Emily asks neutrally.

"We require your presence in the infirmary, as soon as possible." Fabian says before he turns back into a red orb and flies away before Emily sighs.

"Fenrir, Julian, James, I count on you to keep her safe." Emily says as she transforms into a red orb and follows after Fabian.

Gilbert has taken a liking to becoming familiar with the layout of the Corridors so he understands the entire estate, Odin is searching for the best vantage points and easiest places to launch surprise attacks in event of an invasion, and Samantha and Sara are fully enjoying Earth's cooking appliances and tools, and... it's completely unnecessary to say where Valen is. We all know where the old war wolf is.

And yes, Eqtor is also here, that horse came home with us. The Lunids were concerned about having a blighted creature on Earth, but it seems grandma and Kuna-senpai convinced them after showing proof that he can't spread the blight... or... I guess he can, but he's one of the several blighted creatures whose souls were so heavily turned against violence that not even the blight could convince them it was worthwhile to hurt people.

He seems quite content being here and interacting with the other animals. Eddy yet again, showing why he's the alpha of the pack. However to say their interactions are unique would be an understatement as Eqtor and Eddy both seem to respect each other, but Eqtor also likes giving Eddy breaks by giving him rides on his carriage for getting to and from places faster. I really do wonder... What horse training was like on Lands End to get horses to be that driven to their training? That even a mentally rotting affliction couldn't stop Eqtor from wanting to take people places.

"Once Callalily wakes up, it'll be a happy ending for everyone from this chapter." I say as I pet Rosemary's head with my tail, much to her delight.

I then use my tail to open the package as Rosemary holds it to see what's inside.

Inside are...

Lily seeds...

A happy ending for everyone...

...

Chrysanthemum...

Dandelion...

Daisy...

Carnation...

Camellia...

Sunny...

Basil...

Angelica...

...

I slowly carry Rosemary and the lily seeds back to my room.

"Are you okay, James?" I stop in front of the door and turn to see Lokuna-senpai.

"I'm okay... I just want to do something... for remembrance..." I say and Lokuna-senpai walks up to me then pets my head.

"Everything will be okay." Lokuna-senpai tells me with a smile.

"Senpai... Did... anything happened with Alisa? She texted me that she's gonna stay with her dad tonight..." I ask her. Alisa's message half an hour ago has been silently nagging at me.

"It's all up to her now. You've done what you could and we've done what we could. She needs to get her thoughts and feelings sorted and come to a decision." Lokuna-senpai tells me.

"I do-" I start but Lokuna-senpai presses her finger to my lips to silence me.

"No matter how much you do, you can't help someone when that someone doesn't want to help themselves. You've done what you could, you let her know how much you love her, it's up to her to respond." Lokuna-senpai softly tells me before she pulls her finger back.

"Senpai, about earlier... is Al-" I try to ask but Lokuna-senpai gently pinches my cheek.

"Do you genuinely love her and believe in her?" Lokuna asks me.

"I do, Alisa is my best friend and my wife." I immediately reply and Lokuna-senpai smiles.

"Then there is nothing to worry about." Lokuna-senpai smiles before she lets go of my cheek and plants a kiss on it.

"Focus on what's in front of you for now, okay?" Lokuna-senpai tells me with a smile before she disappears.

I have so many questions, but... Lokuna-senpai is right, I can't do anything about it now. I've shown Alisa how much I love her, it's all up to her now.

'I'll wait for you, Alisa, no matter how long it takes, and I'll forgive you, no matter how much you've lied, because no amount of lies and deceit can ever cover up the truth. You're my best friend and I love you, Alisa.' I silently vow.

Until Alisa is ready, I should focus on what's in front of me, on what I can do.

I enter the room and Rosemary sits on the bed, clutching the lily seeds in her arms.

"With this... I hope that all 8 of you... can rest peacefully now..." I gently say as I look up at the night sky through the window.

I pull on the scarf around my neck that limits how much divine energy I can wield for my own safety. I take a deep breath and resolve myself before removing the scarf and placing it on the bed. I need access to all of my power for this.

I take another deep breath and begin to channel divine energy. I look at the mirror on the desk and see that my eyes have turned bright red.

I access Lady's channeler and create a table near the window where the sunlight can reach. I take another deep breath before focusing more and creating 8 vases with unique patterns, each one pertaining to one of the little white priestesses with their names engraved onto them. I slowly fill them with fertile soil before I slowly look back at Rosemary holding the seeds.

Rosemary walks up to me and holds up the bag of lily seeds. I smile and pet her head before I take 8 lily seeds.

"I will remember all of you. White lilies, purity and innocence, the little white priestesses." I say before planting one seed in each vase.

"I will care for these lilies, as I wish I could've for you all..." I say as I encase the outside of the vase in a thin layer of ice that can withstand great force to protect them, yet still show the unique patterns of each one like a mirror.

Rosemary kneels in front of the vases then clasps her hands together and lowers her head in prayer. I then join Rosemary in praying for the peaceful rest of her sisters.

"These poor children... lacked the love of the spirit of their own world... the least I could do... is let them feel the love of the spirit of their new world..." I turn around to see Yuna here who is also caught in the sentiment as she holds her hand over the vases. Golden sparkles of light fall from her hand and into the soil. The seeds begin to slowly grow into fully-grown blooming lilies as they are enveloped in a glowing protective aura.

"These lilies have my blessing, they will not wilt and will last forever... but they will still need love and care to thrive and be happy." Yuna tells me.

"And I will give it to them. Thank you, Yuna." I tell her with a smile.

"I know you will." Yuna tells me before planting a kiss on my cheek.

Rosemary walks up to Yuna and hugs her while nuzzling into her, showing her gratitude to Mother Nature, the Spirit of her new home.

"Earth has adopted you, Rosemary and I am your mother. I will give you the love that Hecate denied you. You are a child of Earth now, as you always should have been." Yuna tells Rosemary in a gentle and comforting tone as she hugs her.

"Dinner is almost ready..." We turn to the door to see Rinko.

"They cooked up a big feast... with plenty of delicious food. I hope you're hungry, Rosemary-chan." Rinko says with a smile before two red orbs fly in and materialize.

"We gave it our best for this feast."

"We hope you all enjoy it."

Sara and Samantha say while smiling and Rosemary's expression brightens up.

"Let's go, Rosemary." I say and Rosemary nods happily.

----------

7 minutes later

On our way to the dining hall, we hear a knock on the front door. We head over to answer it when K'lis-senpai gets to the door first. She opens the door and I'm surprised to see Mr. and Ms. Tsurumaki at the door. Before I can walk over, I feel someone climb onto me and plop their head on top of mine, judging from the long blonde hair I can see from both sides, it's probably Kokoro who seems to be happy to see her parents.

But Before I can move to bring the eccentric blonde closer to her parents, I feel someone grab my left leg and peek behind me to see an energetic shark tail wagging from my adorable little shark daughter who seems curious about our visitors as well.

K'lis-senpai and the Tsurumakis have a small discussion before she urges them to come inside before K'lis-senpai looks off to the side. I follow her gaze when Lucy suddenly takes off and runs out the front door. I peer outside to see Lucy run over to a tall figure wearing a trench coat with several ocean creature features, a crab claw hand, a semi-human, semi-squid face with tentacles acting like a beard, and one foot wearing a boot and the other a crab peg-like leg.

"Hi Mama, Hi Papa!" Kokoro excitedly calls out to her approaching parents as they both smile and wave to her.

"How's our precious little ball of sunshine doing with her husband finally back?" Mr. Tsurumaki asks happily before reaching to pet Kokoro's head.

"Here Kokoro, talk with your parents, I'll be right back. I'm gonna go see what Lucy's up to." I say and Kokoro nods to me then climbs off my back.

"Artemis, I'm gonna need a translator." I ask.

"You won't need to worry about that dear, he already speaks your language." Ms. Tsurumaki tells me, surprising me before Artemis' projection appears and nods in confirmation.

Wait...

"You know him?" I ask Ms Tsurumaki in surprise.

"Where do you think I learned to speak the language?" Ms. Tsurumaki asks playfully before she picks up Kokoro and carries her before they head into the dining room. I steel myself and walk outside towards the Atlanteans as the tall Atlantean man gazes at me.

"[... Ye eyes speak of witnessing great horror, but it seems the princess is concerned for ye's well being, and enjoys your company, 'parently gave 'er a little family too.]" The tall squid man says, looking at me with hardened eyes one often sees in a soldier who's seen his fair share of violence.

"[I'm not gonna talk about the first part... but Lucy has been great company.]" I say as I pet Lucy's head, making her wag her tail.

"[She'll come around to ye's language eventually, even if Sera doesn't return their minds together.]" The squid man says.

"[That's good to know. And about Seraphina... I've been told she doesn't like us humans, especially after uncle Charles died.]" I say, taking a deep breath. The whole situation with Lucy and Seraphina is still confusing to me, they can only exist independently in the ocean, but only one can exist on land.

"[Ah, so ye related to the man who cared for them in brief moments some 2 years past. Give the girl some time, her heart was fragmented heavily at his loss, he saved her life after all. This is likely her best chance to heal her heart, just give her time. She's a stubborn one, due time be passed, but a kindred heart will heal another, and judging you knew he who befriended her before, I have faith with ye and Lucy's words, Sera's heart will heal.]" The squid man says with a smile before he pats my head.

"[I'll see what I can do, hopefully Seraphina doesn't bite.]" I say in a lightly joking manner.

"[She will certainly bite, but it'll depend on how hard she does whether she trusts ye or not. She is still yet but a pup amongst her people.]" He tells me. Mei did tell me the Atlantean stages of growth are far different to humans, a thousand year old Atalantean is still a child to them.

"[Understood. Umm... Ingrid told me about their... unique situation... so I can only meet Seraphina if Lucy gives control over to her here on land?]" I ask him.

"[She's well versed in other magics, you may yet meet 'er before such happens, watch the water.]" The man says before he turns to face the night sky.

"[Watch the water... I'll keep that in mind.]" I say.

"[I leave the pup in your care, it will be good for Sera too. Though, I will also assign one of the royal guards to keep an eye on her as well. Be prepared, ye will likely meet her in the morning. I must depart now, gifts for the birth of Aiz's second babe will take significant preparation.]" The squid man says before he starts walking away.

"[We'll take care of them.]" I assure the squid man as he leaves while Lucy waves him goodbye.

"[That's right... Kokoro is gonna be a big sister.]" I say, remembering when Hayasaka told me that some time ago.

"Come on, Lucy, time for dinner." I say as I pick the shark girl up.

My responsibilities keep piling up.

"Nothing ever slows down, and I wouldn't have it any other way." I say with a chuckle.

I turn back to go inside with Lucy when I see...

Emily pushing a wheelchair with Callalily in it... She seems to be asleep though, but the others, Fabian, Primeria, Kuna-senpai, and Karato are all following behind the no longer blighted witch.

"Please wake up soon, Callalily." I say as we continue on our way.

As we reach the dinner table, I see Emily gently shake Callalily's shoulder as almost everyone's eyes are fixed on the heavily blighted Priestess of the Fount before, to all of our surprise, her eyes slowly open as her body still remains completely motionless.

"... Where...?" Callalily gently asks as her pupils shift left and right, clearly wondering where she is.

"Our new home, the Corridors of Time, on Earth." Emily tells her while smiling.

"... Emiliy...?" Callalily asks as Emily gently hugs her.

"Yes, it's me... Everything is going to be okay... Let me take care of you... just like before..." Emily gently asks before she cuts off a piece of steak for Callalily and brings it to her mouth.

"Just like... before..." Callalily silently says before she takes a bite from the food from Emily and she slowly chews it. Several of us breathe a sigh of relief that she can still eat.

"Everything will be okay." I say as I hold off on giving Callalily that hug while she's recovering. However someone else seems starved of her mother's attention... and Rosemary slowly occupies Callalily's lap.

"Rosemary... thank goodness... you're okay..." Callalily gently says as Rosemary snuggles against her mother.

"Callalily." Emily says as she brings another bite of food to Callalily's mouth of which she slowly chews and swallows it before we see her start weakly petting Rosemary, but then slowly fall asleep while doing so.

"Callalily?" Emily asks questioningly as she gently nudges Callaily's shoulder causing her to slowly wake up again.

"Emily...? Ah... and Rosemary too..." Callalily gently says before she slowly looks around again. "Where...?"

"Here, I'll answer that later. You're hungry, have a bite to eat." Emily gently tells Callalily before raising another bite of food that she slowly eats...

This process... continues for the next several minutes...

The atmosphere is too heavy here... I can't...

I slowly get up and leave the table as I fight the tears welling in my eyes as several painful memories start overwhelming me.

----------

2 hours later

Dinner was eventful... Callalily was able to join us, but... a lingering pain remains at how Callalily fought to maintain consciousness still weighs on all of our hearts though... The similarities to aunt Thea were... frightening to say the least... It was overwhelming... It was too much to bear... I really hope Callalily gets better...

I look out the window into the garden to see Callalily, who is still in a wheelchair with Rosemary, Emily, and Valen watching the flowers with Yuki, Ran, and Yuna. I smile at the scene before I resume my walk around the hallways, hoping Callalily is finding even a moment's respite in such activities.

I try to clear my mind to enjoy a quiet and peaceful time... to myself...

I suddenly stop dead in my tracks as a chill runs throughout my body... My vision slowly grows dark and my mind feels fuzzy... My heart rate and breathing are slowly increasing.

"Too late..."

"Why... couldn't you come sooner...?"

"You could've... saved them..."

Why was I too late...? I could've... saved them...

"James." A clear voice calls out to me and everything suddenly returns to normal.

"James." Something warm and soft wraps around my neck and I turn around to see...

"Onee-chan..." I say, seeing Onee-chan right behind me with her tail wrapped around my neck.

"You weren't too late. Don't let those thoughts blind you." Onee-chan gently tells me as she nuzzles up to me, her warmth instantly putting me at ease as I lean against her.

I have to be careful... my mental state isn't well... It feels like each thing that doesn't seem right causes my mind to slip further and further...

After helping me calm down, Onee-chan joins me in my walk around the house. We just quietly walk around, occasionally hearing the sound of the others spending their time when we hear music, gentle music.

"Piano?" I wonder out loud. Getting curious, I follow the sound, which eventually leads us to the stairs leading up to the attic.

"Who's playing?" I ask before we head up to the attic.

Onee-chan and I reach the piano in the attic to see Rinko and Sora-senpai... watching Jamie playing the piano...

I'm surprised to see my counterpart playing the piano, and from the looks of things and the music she's making, she seems very skilled at it. Sora-senpai notices us and waves at us with a smile, which alerts Rinko to our presence as well.

"Did I catch your attention?" Jamie asks me after she finishes playing.

"Yeah, and I honestly wasn't expecting it to be you, Jamie." I say and Jamie giggles.

"I remember it was my humming that caught your attention in the spaces between. It's hard to believe it's only been close to a month since then." Jamie says with a nostalgic look on her face.

"And a lot has happened in that time." Jamie adds.

"Nothing ever slows down here." I say.

"And one of those moments was you two making love to each other." Rinko reminds us while smiling as Jamie and I just chuckle.

"Indeed." Jamie says with a smile.

"Playing the piano helps put my heart and mind at ease, music soothes the soul. Take a seat, I can see that your soul needs soothing, both our souls do." Jamie tells me and there's no denying her statement.

She can see my soul is in pain, and I can see hers is too. Lands End took a heavy toll on us all. Not helped by seeing Callalily's condition earlier...

"Thanks." I say before Onee-chan and I sit next to Rinko and Sora-senpai.

Jamie takes a deep breath as she begins playing on the piano once more. Over the course of several minutes, Jamie plays several relaxing and peaceful melodies that puts our hearts and minds at ease. My soul being soothed and comforted by the music of the piano.

Scratch she seems very skilled at piano, she IS very skilled at piano.

"Where'd you learn to play piano?" I ask Jamie after she finishes a piece.

"From my best friend..." Jamie says as she pulls out a silver locket from her shirt and looks at it nostalgically.

"Everything I know about piano, I learned from her." Jamie says with a smile as she caresses the locket.

"She must be very good judging by how well you play." I say with a smile.

"She was the best." Jamie says, smiling more and a thought pops into my head.

"Hmm... Do you think I could learn to play the piano too?" I ask, surprising her and Rinko while Sora-senpai and Onee-chan's dog ears perk up.

"Watching you play, I suddenly got interested in giving it a try, like my soul was yearning to." I say.

"I'd be happy to teach you, James." Rinko tells with a smile.

"We could learn together!" Sora-senpai cheerfully says as her tail wraps around me and wags in excitement.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks, just as excited as her counterpart.

"Then why don't we start tonight?" Jamie suggests.

"Jamie-san is right... we should strike while the iron's hot..." Rinko nods, looking eager and excited at the idea.

"Wan-wan!" Sora-senpai and Onee-chan bark in agreement.

"In that case, let's do it." I say with a smile and they smile back at me.

----------

3 hours later

Learning the basics of piano from Rinko, Jamie, and Sora-senpai, I soon found playing the piano welcoming? Natural? Comforting? I seem to have a talent for it as I picked up what I was being taught quite quickly, which Dear, who showed up the moment I played my first note, said that piano was the instrument her first husband favored to lull the SKYs to sleep. Learning that only fueled my desire to learn to play the piano.

Calling it for the night, I head over to my room to call it for some sleep. Jeanne's birthday is tomorrow after all.

I open the door to my room...

My room is in normal order other than... one glaring detail...

Dragon wings and a dragon tail, with plenty of skin showing as Kamui turns towards me.

Before I can say anything she slowly flies up to me and starts caressing me with her tail as she uses one of her hands to bring mine over her bare chest before she places her other hand over mine.

It seems she's noticed... I still don't feel as I used to before... Her motions, the contact, and the gentleness... it seems she seeks to comfort me...

I slowly follow her lead as she brings me to the bed before she lays down first and pulls me on top of her before nuzzling against me.

I know what she wants... or... I guess... I know what she seeks to do...

She wants to comfort me... her body language communicates as much... with that... we slowly embrace each other...

----------

The next day

My eyes open as I'm stirred awake and something immediately becomes apparent. Someone is sniffing me, which is normal for Kamui, but... she's still asleep in my arms...

The sound of sniffing continues and I look over behind to see...

A girl with black hair and blue eyes sniffing me very eagerly, but the most notable thing about her... is her thick orca tail that's wagging vigorously, thumping against the bed.

I look at the girl but she's too preoccupied with sniffing me to notice.

"Hello." I call out to the orca girl and she stops to look at me momentarily.

"Good morning." The orca girl greets me with a smile before she resumes sniffing me.

"Are you the royal guard Jones sent to protect Lucy?" I ask her as she's clearly Atlantean and it's the most likely theory.

"That I would be, but... you smell interesting... You have a smell of pure power about you... I designate you my pack leader." The orca girl declares and I blink my eyes at her declaration.

"I see... And your name is?" I ask her as I remind myself to read up more on Atlanteans and their culture.

"Lily." Lily introduces herself.

"Nice to meet you, Lily, I'm James." I greet her.

"I know, Jones told me a bit about you, and Lucy told me more when I arrived." Lily tells me with a smile.

"I see." I nod in reply as Lily keeps sniffing me.

"Can I get up and get dressed first?" I ask the orca.

After getting up from bed and getting dressed, all while having an orca sniffing me, then dressing Kamui up, I carry Kamui in my arms towards the dining hall while Lily clings to my back as both orca and dragon are sniffing me like crazy.

"A question to all the canines here, do I smell peculiar to you?" I ask as I enter the dining hall where some of the girls are eating breakfast. Yuki walks over to me and starts sniffing me with her face practically buried against me.

"Your scent... is very comforting... I like it." Yuki says as she nuzzles up to me and keeps sniffing me.

"I agree with Yuki-chan, when I smell your scent, it puts me at ease." Sora-senpai says as her tail wags as Onee-chan appears and nods in agreement with her counterpart.

"It's the same for me." I look to my side to see Iris also burying her face in me and sniffing me, seemingly in bliss.

"Master smells like salvation." I turn to see Edelweiss say that.

"Yeah!" Aloe follows up as I'm buried in more nose functions.

"What a sight to see in the morning~." Lisa says as Katria nods in agreement right next to her.

"Careful, Lisa, or I'll turn you into the next sight for this morning~." I playfully tell her.

"Oh, will you now~?" Lisa flirts back.

"Too early..." Sayo says as she eats her breakfast with Arthur on her lap before I receive a message on my phone.

"Here, master." Edel grabs my phone from my pocket and holds it up to me as Artemis opens the message.

"Oh, the turtle's visiting." I say after reading the message.

"A what?" Ran asks as she and everyone are confused.

----------

10 minutes later [Kagaya's POV]

I'm walking with my Hunkle just for a casual walk outside to make sure I'm not completely locked up and it's easier for me to adapt to normal life when I finally retire. Right now we're near the airport and I watch as a plane descends.

"It's so rare for me to see the city these days. I look forward to this being a more regular occurrence." I say happily before I lean against my uncle, enjoying the safety he provides for me. I wonder if we'll ever end up doing something like Kingsworth Island again? I just hope if it does, he doesn't bear a majority of the burden again.

"Indeed, perhaps you can spend a day with your husband sometime? From what I heard, he could use a peaceful and relaxing day." Hunkle tells me and I remember James and the other girls ordeals on another planet to save Rosemary-chan and Callalily-san.

"Let's head to the Corridors then when we're done. I already have a present for Jeanne-chan." I say to Hunkle as he nods to me before he sweeps our surroundings again. I chuckle at his protective nature before he sees everything is all clear and we resume our walk.

----------

15 minutes later [James' POV]

"Are we sure Lily is a royal guard? She doesn't look like one." Hina wonders as she looks at the orca girl.

"Thinking like that can be fatal. The most dangerous are the ones who often appear the opposite." Iris tells Hina.

"Take Yuki here, she looks like a cuddly puppy but she has a mean kick." I say as I pet Yuki's head.

"Wan." Yuki barks, wagging her tail when suddenly we hear footsteps and we all watch as Nath walks by with Johnny, her shark plushie, on her head.

"..." We all go silent for a moment wondering if the universe has a sense of humor.

"So you snuck into James' room last night, Lily?" Ingrid asks her.

"My duty is to keep an eye on the princess, therefore such was required." Lily says with a salute before returning to normal.

"Happy to have a friend here, Lucy?" I ask the shark girl.

"Khari Ma Chei Steu?" Artemis translates for me.

"Khari Khari." Lucy says with a smile, showing off her rows of sharp teeth as her shark tail wags.

"It's nice to see Lucy making friends on land." Lily says with a smile.

"Hopefully Seraphina learns to as well." Lily adds.

"In your dreams!" We're all startled as we hear a voice appear out of nowhere. It sounded like Lucy, just... bossy? haughty?

"Where'd that come from...?" Sayo asks as everyone looks around before I remember what Jones told me last night.

"[... watch the water...]"

I look at the glasses of water on the table before I zero in on the pitcher of water in front of Lucy... I look at Lucy's reflection on the pitcher and...

"Grrrr..."

It's growling and baring its sharp teeth at me... I also notice that instead of blue eyes and streaks in her hair, the reflection has red ones.

"Seraphina?" I ask the reflection as I move the pitcher a little closer to me but still allowing it to reflect Lucy.

"Do not refer to me so casually you peasant." Seraphina says in absolute disdain before growling again.

"Are you talking to a pitcher of water, James?" Hina asks me.

"No, I'm talking to Lucy's sister Seraphina. Look." I say and everyone looks over to see her.

"Hey, Lucy's red instead of blue!" Hina points out and Sayo gives her a look of 'seriously, Hina?'.

"Fool! I am Seraphina, not Lucy! Do not confuse me for her, peasant!" Seraphina yells in frustration and growls louder.

"I'm not Aloe, I'm Edelweiss!"

"And I'm not Edelweiss, I'm Aloe!"

"Bau-bau!"

Edelweiss and Aloe randomly cheer before barking together and wagging their tails. That was adorable.

"I can already tell she's gonna be a handful..." I say as I watch Seraphina growling at everyone.

"Oh, you bet. She'll bite you the first chance she gets." Ingrid tells me and for whatever reason, I test it out by placing my finger on the pitcher and...

*Chomp*

"Feisty one, isn't she?" Lisa says after Seraphina did indeed try to bite my finger, but she couldn't as she's only a reflection right now.

"You can't make friends like that, Seraphina." I tell her, which just annoys her.

"Do not act so casually with me, peasant! Know your place! And I will never be friends with land-dwellers!" Seraphia exclaims in anger as Lucy shrinks in her seat.

"We'll see about that, Sera. We'll show you we're nothing like the syndicate who killed uncle Charles." I tell her as I lean on the table and she simply continues to growl at us.

"You'll have your work cut out for you." Ingrid tells me as one of her tentacles pats my back.

"I know James can make Seraphina-chan change her mind." Sora-senpai says with a smile.

"Master is good at convincing people."

"Yeah!"

Edel and Aloe say with smiles.

"You two have grown rather fond of James." Sayo tells the twin assassin pups.

"They're puppies, what did you expect? Just look at the Soras." K'lis-senpai says as she continues eating her cereal.

"Wan-wan." Sora-senpai and Onee-chan bark proudly.

"Bau-bau!" The twin pups bark in perfect sync.

"I'm not some weak-minded land dog! I am a proud shark and princess of Atlantis." Seraphina boasts.

"Aren't sharks like the puppies of the ocean?" Hina brings up as she tilts her head.

"I did hear about that..." Sayo says as she hugs Arthur.

"We are not!" Seraphina vehemently denies.

"Lucy proves otherwise." I say as I pet Lucy, making her wag her shark tail exactly like a puppy.

"Lucy!" Seraphina growls in frustration but Lucy is too busy focusing on the affection to listen to her.

"Don't be so against it, Seraphina. Land could be fun too!" Lily excitedly tells her, wagging her thick orca tail.

"You're an Atlantean royal guard! Act like it and bring Lucy back home RIGHT NOW!" Seraphina demands Lily.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Jones ordered me to protect you both on land and to only bring you home should a danger arise that requires as such. You may be the princess, but Jones is a general and he's the one who I answer to. Also Lucy's will balances out yours." Lily formally informs Seraphina.

"Why that squid-faced-!" Seraphina growls in fury and starts throwing a tantrum.

"Now, now, sharks don't throw tantrums." I say, wagging my finger at her.

"Shut up, human! Do not treat me like some child!" Seraphina yells at me as she glares and growls at me in anger.

"In Atlantean years... aren't you technically still a child, Sera?" I ask her and her eyes twitch before she lets out a loud roar, enough to shake the pitcher.

"An infant. I'm a teenager, and I've been alive for 2,000 years." Lily explains. "If we are being honest though, she's a grown woman, we were all humans once... well... our ancestors were."

"Right before Atlantis was sunk..." I say and Lily nods affirmatively as I remember that it was Hoshikami who sank Atlantis after they imprisoned Kuna. Their hubris led to their downfall.

"That maybe, but we are the superior ones!" Seraphina boasts.

"Now, now, sharks don't compare themselves to others." I say, annoying Seraphina.

"You seem to be handling Seraphina quite well." Ingrid tells me in amusement.

"After everything I've been through, she's just like a child being stubborn and throwing tantrums. I think I can handle that." I say with a smile.

"I am not a child!" Seraphina yells.

"Now, now, sharks don't complain to their caretakers." I say, annoying Seraphina again.

"You seem to be having fun..." Lisa says.

"I have to admit... I kinda am." I say with a small smile as Seraphina growls at me.

"Don't you love it when he's being dominant?" Kamui says with a smile as her tail swishes around.

"And mama really likes it when papa pushes her against a wall when they make out." Katria says innocently, flustering Lisa.

"I just like how you express yourself, you eliminated one of my fears with being the husband of over a hundred women." I say now realizing that my dragon traits are helpful in more contexts than just combat and energy amplification.

Dragon biology... I should ask if Karato has done any research on it? I might learn something interesting about myself and Kamui, and likely Alear by extension.

But for now...

"We gotta prepare for the celebration later." I say.

----------

11:20

"Happy birthday, Jeanne!" We greet Jeanne.

"Thanks, everyone." Jeanne says with a smile, looking a little overwhelmed by the number of people greeting her. Being introverted like her older siblings, she's only used to being greeted by a handful of people.

"I'm happy enough with the food, the decorations aren't really necessary..." Jeanne says. She only wanted a simple celebration with food, but Kokoro being Kokoro and Tora being the spirit of celebration decided otherwise.

"It's your birthday! Why wouldn't we put up decorations for the party?" Kokoro says with a smile.

"It's an important milestone in your life." Tora says, nodding in agreement.

"I'm not a big fan of the whole 'party' thing... Just having my friends and family... This big family here, and food, is enough for me." Jeanne says with a smile.

"Haha! You three are definitely siblings." Tomoe says with a grin as she pets Jeanne's head.

"She's my adorable little sister." I say as I hug Jeanne.

"Onii-chan..." Jeanne says, blushing in embarrassment at the affection.

Our little celebration for Jeanne's birthday starts. It's simple and not as extravagant as Hayasaka's, but that's how Jeanne likes it.

"Thank you so much! I'll treasure it forever!" Jeanne exclaims with a huge smile while hugging a limited edition copy of Pastel Palettes' newest single that all of the members signed.

"We knew you'd like it, Jeanne-chan." Aya says with a smile.

"We're glad that you love it." Chisato says, smiling.

"You're a big fan of us, afterall." Hina says with a giggle.

"You even support our individual works. Huhehe." Maya says with her signature laugh.

"Mm-hmm. Thank you for supporting us, Jeanne-san." Eve says with a smile.

"I'll continue supporting PasuPare!" Jeanne says, brightly smiling at her favorite idol group. Being a huge PasuPare fan, their gift really brightened up her day.

"Jeanne-chan, here... Ja-nee-chan told me you were looking for a copy..." Rushia says as she hands Jeanne an album of Heart AI's songs.

"You got a hold of one, Rushia-nee?! They always get sold out!" Jeanne says in awe, recently becoming a fan of Heart AI.

"I have my ways..." Rushia says with a smile.

"Thank you, Rushia-nee!" Jeanne says while smiling.

"And I got you this since you said you enjoyed my songs~." Kagaya-senpai says, giving Jeanne a copy of her album and autographed it.

"Thank you, Kagaya-san!" Jeanne says with a smile.

"You can call me Kagaya-nee, we're sister-in-laws after all~." Kagaya-senpai says kindly to Jeanne while petting her.

"Okay, Kagaya-nee." Jeanne says with a smile.

"It's so nice to be called that by such an adorable little sister~." Kagaya-senpai says cheerfully as she hugs Jeanne.

Jeanne's phone buzzes and she pulls it out.

"What is it?" Noel asks Jeanne.

"It's Alisa-nee-chan, she greeted me 'happy birthday' and said that she's sorry for not being here because of some personal matters." Jeanne says with a worried look on her face.

"I hope Alisa-nee-chan is okay..." Jeanne says. Alisa is practically another older sister for Jeanne and both of them love idols so it's easy to see how close she is to her.

"Alisa will be fine, Jeanne, don't worry." I assure Jeanne as I pet her head.

"Mm..." Jeanne nods.

"It's time that Alisa-nee-chan took time to sort herself out... I hope the best for her." Jeanne says with a smile.

"It's been a loooong time coming." Hayasaka says as she leans on her mother.

"Agreed." Aya, Chisato, Lisa, Rinko, Rushia, Amelia, Lokuna-senpai, Masana, Embla, Jane, Scarlet, Iris, Mei, Noelle-senpai, Sora-senpai and Kagaya-senpai say in unison.

"Alisa Khari Saru Kaeed." Lucy says.

"'Alisa deserves to be happy too.'" Ingrid translates.

"Mama Alisa... should be happy too..." El says with a dejected expression, clearly missing her.

"She does, El, she does." Ingrid says as she pets El's head with one of her tentacles.

"Hopefully Alisa gets herself straightened out. She needs to realize just how much she means to many people." Lisa says before she turns to me. "This must really be heavy for you."

"It is, she's my best friend." I say.

"Hopefully the Klubnika can get her act together." Iris says.

"Frenemies." Joe says with a grin before Iris lightly kicks his leg. "Ow..."

"I hope Alisa-chan comes to a decision soon..." Sora-senpai says, her dog ears drooped down.

"It's all up to her now." Lokuna-senpai says and I nod.

Everyone soon goes back to enjoying themselves which then leads to a 2-vs-2 tennis video game tournament as that's Jeanne's favorite sport.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it." I say as I head to the door as Jeanne and Asuka go against Ako and Rinko in a match.

I head to the front door and open it to see a familiar short American girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes wearing an oversized dark green hoodie.

"[Wow, you look like you've seen hell...]" She tells me, her eyes widening when she looks into mine.

"[I did...]" I say monotonously.

"[Shit... It was that bad?]" She asks.

"[Worse than words could describe.]" I reply as some memories flash in my head and an aching pain starts.

"[Hey, hey! Snap out of it.]" She says as she snaps her fingers in front of my face, snapping me back.

"[If it's worse than what MC told me, then you're either strong or lucky to still be sane. Polished Dagger already messed you up pretty bad.]" She tells me with a deep sigh.

"[Yeah...]" I say.

"[I came here to see if it was all true, and I can see that it is... Damn... How are you holding up psychologically?]" She asks me with a worried look on her face.

"[Not so good... Like every little thing that's off triggers me...]" I tell her, worrying her more.

She then starts looking through her bags as I recall that she did mention she was gonna stay over for a while.

"[Here, put Tamara on your head.]" She tells me as she holds up a turtle plushie to me.

I smile at her before I grab Tamara and put her on top of my head, the sensation of a plushie on my head putting me at ease.

"[There, you look better already.]" She says with a smile.

"[Thanks, Mary.]" I thank her with a smile.

"Oh my, who's this?" I turn around to see Kagaya-senpai.

"Oh, hey senpai." I say, using Tamara's flipper to wave at her.

"What's with the turtle?" Kagaya-senpai asks me with an amused smile.

"This is Tamara, Tabatha's sister." I say, using Tamara's flippers for emphasis.

"Oh, that turtle plushie you have on your bed?" Kagaya-senpai asks and I nod affirmatively.

"Putting plushies on my head is relaxing." I say as I play around with Tamara's flippers.

"I agree..." Dear's voice rings out.

"[Where did...?]" Mary starts asking when Dear pokes her head out of my coat and I gently hug her.

"[Is she... the 'first wife'? And is that a dove on her head?]" Mary asks, pointing at Dear.

"[Yes and yes.]" I answer.

"James... gave me this dove... I will protect it with my life..." Dear says as she nuzzles up to me.

Mary looks at Dear in the eyes but flinches and instantly looks away.

"[What the fuck... I thought the abyss was staring back at me...]" Mary says, distressed as she shakes her head to regain her bearings.

"[Dear has seen a lot...]" I say as I hold Dear closer.

"[Give me Tamara!]" Mary says as she jumps up several times before she's finally able to jump high enough to grab Tamara from the top of my head.

"[Ahhh~. Much better~.]" Mary says as she puts Tamara on her head and instantly relaxes, making Kagaya-senpai giggle in amusement.

"Who is this adorable little girl? A relative? Another secret little sister?" Kagaya-senpai asks.

"[Hey!] I ain't his little sister, I'm his older cousin! I'm 18 and my name's Mary Matthews." Mary puffs out her chest and crosses her arms as she introduces herself to Kagaya-senpai in perfect Japanese.

"Oh, that makes you a year older than me. Nice to meet you, Mary-chan, I'm Kagaya Hikari, one of James' wives." Kagaya-senpai introduces herself then looks at Mary.

"[W-What are you lookin' at?]" Mary says as Kagaya-senpai silently stares at her.

"Kawaii~!" Kagaya-senpai squeals as she suddenly pinches Mary's cheeks.

"Oi!" Mary complains while blushing in embarrassment.

"You look like an adorable little doll, and the way you act all tough is so cute~." Kagaya-senpai says, fawning over Mary who is getting overwhelmed by the adoration.

"Stop it!" Mary complains but Kagaya-senpai doesn't stop.

"You're so cute~." Kagaya-senpai continues to adore Mary, much to the latter's embarrassment.

"Ahhh! [Taking too much fire! Withdrawing into cover!]" Mary exclaims before she quickly lifts her hood over her head, couches down and tucks her legs inside her hoodie, and withdraws her hands inside her sleeves in a span of 7 seconds. She warily peers up at Kagaya-senpai who looks at her in silence.

"... IT'S AN ADORABLE LITTLE TURTLE~!" Kagaya-senpai exclaims in joy before she suddenly picks up Mary and starts carrying her away.

"[I'm not a turtle!]" Mary complains as Kagaya-senpai carries her inside. "[James, help me!]"

"Now, now~, turtles don't scream for help~." Kagaya-senpai gently says as she continues to walk away with Mary.

"D-Did Kagaya-senpai just adopt Mary...?" I slowly ask.

"She did... Kagaya... always grows instantly attached... to Mary... when they meet..." Dear tells me.

"Huh... So it's fate that Kagaya-senpai adopted the turtle." I say.

"[I'M NOT A TURTLE!]" Mary yells from across the room, showing her incredible sense of knowing when family members are calling her a turtle.

"Now, now~, turtles don't scream at their cousins~." Kagaya-senpai's voice rings out in a sing-song voice, continuing in her adoption of my cousin.

"Accept your fate, Mary!" I call out and Mary responds with a roar of defiance.

"Now, now~, Turtles don't growl~." Kagaya-senpai says cheerily.

There's something slightly alarming though...

The way Kagaya-senpai is carrying Mary... that's exactly how one forcefully takes a hostage...

...

"Well... Let's bring Mary's bags in." I say as I go over and bring Mary's bags inside as I try to ignore the implication that Kagaya-senpai might have formal combat training...

She does have a Hunkle... who killed nearly 78,000 reanimated corpses on his own...

"Mary has no hope of escape, even if she uses a tank." I say and Dear nods in agreement as I accept that my cousin has been 'forcibly adopted' by my masterful musical senpai.

I follow after the new duo and we return to the living room where everyone is.

"Oh, who's the social recluse in the hoodie, Kagaya-senpai?" Hina asks with her usual lack of tact and making Sayo sigh in annoyance.

"She's my pet turtle~." Kagaya-senpai says happily while pulling an embarrassed Mary closer to her.

"What...?" Ran lets out, confused.

"[Hahahaha! Even Kagaya-senpai thinks you're a turtle, Mary!]" Jane laughs out loud, annoying Mary. "[And she made you her pet!]"

"[AGHHH! Shut the hell up you incestous bitch!]" Mary yells at Jane while blushing in embarrassment.

"Now, now~, turtles don't use harsh language~." Kagaya-senpai says.

"Uhhh... What's going on?" Maya asks, confused.

"Everyone, this turtle is our cousin Mary, she's gonna be staying with us for a while." I introduce Mary to everyone.

"Stop calling me a turtle! I'm not a turtle!" Mary complains.

"Mary, you're withdrawn in your hoodie like a turtle withdrawn into its shell when threatened..." I point out.

"And it's so cuteeeee~." Kagaya-senpai squeals as she hugs Mary more who is blushing red in embarrassment.

"I shall place Mary's bags in a guest room." Giselle says as she picks up Mary's bags.

"Oh, please put Mary-chan's bags in my room~, Giselle-san." Kagaya-senpai says with a smile.

"Understood." Giselle nods before walking away to do just that.

"[What?!] Why your room?!" Mary exclaims in shock before a loud thud is heard as Hunk drops next to Kagaya-senpai and Mary. Noel takes up a fighting stance out of instinct before she realizes it, then blushes in embarrassment and shyly sits back down.

"I'll assist you in those endeavors." Hunk tells Giselle as he walks up to her. Giselle nods in thanks and the two walk away.

"Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm~. My cute little turtle~." Kagaya-senpai sings as she brushes her face against Mary's, who is groaning in embarrassment from the physical affection.

"[This is gonna be hell...]" Mary says in defeat.

"Now, now, turtles don't fear hell~." Kagaya-senpai says.

"Nothing ever slows down..." Sayo says with a deep sigh and Arthur barks, as if agreeing with her.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." I say with a smile.

"Welcome to the family, turtle. The most important rule to remember here is that chaos rules here baby!" Bae tells Mary as she swings upside down and grins, showing off her sharp teeth.

"Chaos!" Ako cheers as she raises something in her hand.

"Wait, who gave Udagawa-san a Glock?!" Sayo yells in panic, seeing that Ako is in fact, holding a Glock pistol.

"Chaos!" Bae cheers.

"MC was right... This place is a nut house..." Mary says as she watches the chaos starting to unfold.

"Don't worry, Mary-chan~, I'll protect you from the chaos, just come to my room~." Kagaya-senpai says playfully as she carries a groaning Mary away towards the entrance.

And thus, my cousin Mary has become Kagaya-senpai's favorite pet turtle.

----------

Nighttime

After our little celebration for her birthday, Jeanne was content playing video games with others while the rest of us practiced for the upcoming concert this sunday, except for Kagaya-senpai who was busy playing with her new pet turtle.

I look out the window and see Valen and Yuki tending to the flowers with Callalily in her wheelchair near them, trying to stay awake but her consciousness gives out and she falls asleep... Just like aunt Thea during her final weeks...

I suddenly feel my mind fogging up and I start to grow dizzy...

Shit... My mental state is slipping again...

"Nya." I hear a meow and look in front of me to see my cat daughter holding the silver fox pup.

"Houseki... Hoshi..." I call out to them and Hoshi yips before she jumps from Houseki's arms and lands on my shoulder before comfortably wrapping herself around me and falling asleep.

"Nya." Houseki meows as she walks over and hugs me.

"Are you okay, papa?" Houseki asks me with a worried look on her face.

"Papa's mind is... just feeling weak right now..." I say as I pick up Houseki and hold her in my arms.

"Can I help papa?" Houseki asks me.

"Just holding you is helping papa." I say as I hug her more, her presence putting me at ease.

"Nya." Houseki meows as she nuzzles into me, her cat tail swaying side to side.

I then feel a tug at my coat and I turn to see Rosemary next to me.

"Rosemary, do you need something?" I ask the little priestess who responds by hugging me and looks up at me with a concerned expression.

"You're worried about me too?" I ask her and she nods affirmatively before Fenrir appears behind her.

"She is worried for you as she is for her mother. She can see the toll Lands End has taken on your mind and your soul... she's seen it for everyone... She may have been sitting on her mothers lap... but she did that as a demonstration of her intelligence... All the attention was on her mother... so she could keep track of everyone while being with her mother during dinner time... She really is a clever girl..." Fenrir tells me before the guardian sisters appear next to him.

"You have all endured great pain and paid a heavy price... just to save her and her mother... She wishes to repay that kindness in any way she can." Sara says.

"We too owe you and everyone here a debt of gratitude for what you've done for us; had it not been for you all, regardless of whether or not we could have defeated the blight lord... Lady Callalily's survival would not have been guaranteed... and even then... there would be nothing for us on Lands End..." Samantha says as her sister and Fenrir nod in agreement.

"I'm just happy that we could save Rosemary and Callalily, and give them hope for a new life, a new chance free from the blight. Despite Callalily's frail condition... I say the price we paid was worth it." I say as I pick up and hold Rosemary in one arm with Houseki in the other.

"We are truly grateful." Fenrir says as he and the guardian sisters bow their heads in gratitude before turning back into red orbs.

I walk with two of my daughters in my arms and the silver fox pup around my neck when a loud boom suddenly rings out and the ground shakes for a moment, startling Houseki, Rosemary and Hoshi.

"OH, COME ON!!! YOU BROKE THE WALL AGAIN?!!" I hear K'lis-senpai yell from a distance.

'Did you and Julius break another wall, Aki?' I ask through our connection.

'... Maybe...' Aki silently replies and I sigh as I hear K'lis-senpai continue her rants.

'You're lucky you're so cute that not even K'lis-senpai can get mad at you.' I playfully tell Aki, making her giggle adorably.

'Also... You know that I can sense when your mind is... being enveloped by darkness... So please, do not hesitate to come to me or any of us for comfort, even my Onee-chans will willingly help you.' Aki tells me.

'I know that all of you are here for me as I'm here for you all. Thank you Aki.' I reply.

'And I am always with you~.' Onee-chan's voice cuts in on our conversation.

'I'm still getting used to having our connection open to others.' Aki says with a giggle.

'We all share him after all~.' Onee-chan tells Aki.

'That you all do.' I say with a smile.

----------

1 hour later

I'm currently in the second floor living room where all my daughters are watching classic Disney animated movies with my mom and Elimine, the former's last song syndrome constantly kicking in. Right now they're watching 'The Little Mermaid' which is of great interest to Lucy.

"A movie that perfectly encapsulates Lucy's desire to go on land... how wonderful..." Seraphina says mockingly, rolling her eyes as her reflection appears on a clear vase of water next to Lucy.

"Now, now~, sharks don't complain about great classic animated movies~." I say in a sing-song voice to Seraphina who groans at my interjection.

"What's so great about land anyways?! It's dry!" Seraphina complains.

"What's so great about the sea anyways? It's just a bunch of water." I rhetorically ask her back.

"No, it's not! It's home to a wonderful ecosystem and filled with beautiful sights!" Seraphina replies.

"And land is the same. Sure, the ocean holds many mysteries within its deepest depths that humanity struggles to explore, but so does the earth, many things just waiting to be uncovered. Both the land and sea belong to the Earth and Yuna is everyone's mother, for both land-dwellers or sea-dwellers." I tell Seraphina.

"Indeed, all life on this wonderful planet we call home are my children~." Yuna's voice comes from some irises and zinnias in a vase. Seraphina remains silent, as if she can't argue with that statement.

"Well you land-dwellers ruin land with your wars!" Seraphina exclaims, as if proud of that counterargument.

"Need I remind you of Atlantis' own record of expansionism and supremist attitude in the Old World before it was sunk by an angry spirit?" Kamina says as she leans on the couch behind me and plants her head on top of mine. Seraphina opens her mouth to argue when Kamina speaks again.

"I never forget a single moment, I remember all that occurs beneath my light. The moon reflects my light, so even in the night I can see all, and I can even see into the oceans, as deep as my light can reach." Kamina tells Seraphina, as if warning her not to bend history. Seraphina slowly closes her mouth and groans at her inability to argue against the sun.

Now that I think about it... Kamina would be the best citation and source checker for history books. She knows ALL of Earth's history in perfect detail, no one could fool her.

Praise the sun indeed.

"Now, be a good same-chan and watch some movies with your sisters." I tell Seraphina as I pat the vase her reflection is on. She once again tries to bite my hand despite only being a reflection at the moment.

"Lucy is my sister, but not those land-dwellers." Seraphina says with a huff.

"You are... our sister too..." El tells Seraphina from her place on Katria's lap.

"I am not!" Serphina exclaims in defiance.

"Now, now~, sharks don't disown their sisters~." I say as I poke the vase where her cheek is while she growls at me.

"Such an adorable little shark~." I say with a smile, annoying Seraphina more before Lucy looks at me expectantly.

"Lucy is an adorable little shark too~." I say as I pet Lucy's head, making her smile and wag her giant tail.

----------

1 hour and 35 minutes later

I'm walking down the hall with Hoshimachi around my neck as my daughters continue watching movies when I come across Kasumi.

"Ah, Ja-kun, there you are!" Kasumi cheers as she walks over to me.

"And Hoshi-chan too." Kasumi greets the fox pup who yips back in greeting before Kasumi hugs me.

"The Star Beat sounds so clear when you're close to me~." Kasumi says as she rubs her face on my chest and I smile as I pet her head.

"How's that song you're gonna sing with Kokoro and Aya going?" I ask her.

"It's going great!" Kasumi exclaims with a smile.

"Oh yeah, there's something I want to ask you!" Kasumi says..

"Shoot." I urge her to ask.

"PoPiPa is going to the summer festival tomorrow night to watch the fireworks and we want you to come with us, Ja-kun! It'll be all sparkling and heart-pounding~." Kasumi tells me with sparkling eyes.

"Artemis, what's my schedule tomorrow?" I ask.

"All clear." Artemis appears with a smile before disappearing.

"Then I'm all Poppin'Party's tomorrow night." I tell Kasumi with a smile.

"Yay!" Kasumi cheers as she jumps in joy.

"Thank you, Ja-kun!" Kasumi says and then gives me a quick kiss on the lips before running off happily.

"Such a bright shining star she is." I say with a smile and Hoshi yips in agreement before my phone chimes. I pull it out and see a message from...

"Alisa..." I softly say as I stare at the message from my best friend. I take a deep breath to steel myself before opening it.

James... I'm sorry for suddenly disappearing... I needed to be alone for a while to look at myself... and come to terms with... everything...

I know I hurt you a lot with how I've acted these past couple of months... and...

Can I see you tomorrow?

I want to talk to you.

Please...

Alisa...

I take a deep breath before typing a response

James: Where and when? Also, I have a schedule with Poppin'Party at night for the summer festival.

I wait for a minute before a reply arrives that surprises me a little.

Alisa: That's honestly perfect.

Alisa: Can we meet before the festival starts?

James: Yeah, sure thing. I'll see you tomorrow. You should join us at the festival too.

Alisa: Alright... and... I'd like that.

Alisa: You were on my mind the whole day, James...

Alisa: Goodnight.

James: Goodnight.

"Artemis, remind me please." I say.

"Understood." Artemis replies.

I let out a breath then lean against the wall. I grab Hoshi from my shoulders and hug her in my arms.

"It seems like she has made up her mind." I look to the side to see Elysia.

"If she's anything like me, her answer should be obvious." Elysia says as she pets Hoshi who wags her tail at the affection. Elsyia smiles before she walks away.

"It is." I say with a small smile.

"She is your best friend..." I look down to see Dear poking her head out of my coat.

"When she was my sister...she was the closest to you after me... Despite her initial attitude... she trusted you the most..." Dear says and my mind suddenly aches as several images flash in my mind... Images of my first counterpart with... a SKY with pink hair... Handling reports and bantering with each other, both seemingly enjoying the other's company...

Alisa... was one of Dear's sisters...

"She has nothing to fear now... she has no reason... to hide her feelings..." Dear tells me.

"You're right Dear, she has nothing to fear. No matter how many times she lies, I'll forgive her, because I love her, that's one truth that no amount of lies and denials can ever cover up." I say as I pet Dear's head and Hoshi yips in agreement.

"Mm... When she was my sister, lies and deceit were her forte... as per her model's purpose as a spy..." Dear says leaning against my leg.

"So she's always been a liar from the start." I say jokingly with a chuckle.

"A great liar... except when it came to you... She was an open book... she couldn't hide her true feelings... We easily saw right through her..." Dear says as she nuzzles against my leg.

"Sounds like Alisa alright." I say with a smile and Dear and Hoshi both voice their agreement.

"No, we're not dating. We're best friends."

"Our relationship is purely platonic."

Enough of those lies, I'm tired of them.

Because our relationship was never platonic.

----------

[Iris' POV]

My wolf ears twitch as I pick up on the conversation between James and Friend around the corner.

Sounds like the Klubnika has made up her mind...

If she makes the right choice, I know for certain she'll be a lot more 'dangerous' opponent... I refuse to fall behind her.

It's odd... I could make a move now... I could push James down right now and start making love to him... but...

It would feel so disingenuous...

She may be my bitter rival... but... doing something like that just to get a one-up on her...

"We are not competing with each other, we're all fighting to help each other get to the finish line together." The sentiments ascribed to the list echo in my head...

Play your cards right Klubnika... please...

Hmm... I guess this list has made me soft...

Still... if she makes the wrong choice... I'll force her to be truthful.

And... once we make it through this special kind of nightmare together... our rivalry can continue...

I'm more honest than her...

So I can't deny... she is part of the reason I was driven to make it this far...

Keep your friends close...

And your enemies closer...

And...

Your rivals the closest...

"Do your best... Alisa." I softly say, hoping for the best outcome before I sense someone behind me. I quickly turn around to see the two sister assassin pups I may have instinctively adopted... and the snow pup.

"You did not hear me speak the Klubnika's name." I firmly tell them. I have never verbally referred to the Klubnika by name and I prefer to keep it that way.

"Bau-Bau!" The twin sisters bark.

"Wan." The snow pup follows up.

"It would seem... our greatest battle in love approaches." We all turn to see the War Wolf looking over us. "Rest will likely be mandatory for the incoming battle... Go ahead, I will guard all of you."

"Spasibo." I thank the War Wolf with a smile before I walk off as he and the three puppies follow behind me.

There's much I can learn from him... I wonder how I should go about it...?

----------

??? [James' POV]

I take a deep breath as I recollect the previous events that led to here.

I made plans with Poppin'Party and Alisa tomorrow, practiced some more with everyone and then went to bed.

...

And now I'm here again...

The same place I met Dear, Jamie, and Anastasia...

The space between universes.

At this point, I think I have an idea of why I'm here.

"Who am I meeting now?" I ask myself as I look around the void.

I suddenly hear some clicking and clacking noises as I look over in the distance to see... a table... with a game of chess set up on it... and a girl whose features are hard to make out from this distance.

I take a quick breath before walking over to the girl.

I stand a few feet from her as she seems unaware of my presence, listlessly placing the pieces on the board.

I notice a pile of hoodies that are all worn out or torn up next to the table, and now that I get a closer look at her, the one she's wearing is in no better condition. She has purple eyes and her hair... is 'rainbow-colored' with a few noticeable distinct patches of silver in it, almost like various colors of paint were thrown at a silver base.

She looks so... monotonous, like Dear or Yuki.

"Hello." I softly call out to her so as to not suddenly startle her.

"Greetings, Onii-chan. Want to play chess?" The girl asks as she looks up at me blankly with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

She just called me Onii-chan... With how things often go, I don't think it's just an informal manner of address...

"Sure." I say as I sit across from her at the opposite end of the board. I look at the girl as she just silently stares at me.

"White moves first." The girl says before moving one of her pawns and I respond with moving one of my own, starting the game. I've played chess a couple of times before with my sisters and friends, I'm no pro but I think I'm not a slouch either.

"What's your name?" I ask her as she makes her move.

"Suguha." She answers almost immediately.

"Suguha, what are you doing here in the space between?" I ask her as I make my move.

"My universe perished 46 billion eternities ago, so I have nowhere else to go... While I searched... and seeked... Desiring to understand... why my heart burned so heavily that whole time... It was because... I missed my Onii-chan... as if a part of me I'm unfamiliar with... yearns for your love." Suguha explains as she makes her next move.

"So you are my little sister from another universe?" I ask her as I plan my next move. I've heard about universes perishing so much that I've become strangely accustomed to it, not to say that it's no longer depressing or terrifying to hear about... my own universe is still at risk after all...

"One long past... and apparently... one your first wife intervened in... for my sake..." Suguha says as I'm surprised she knows Dear, though I'm not really too surprised. If she's been around at least 46 billion universes, the chances she wouldn't meet Dear seem practically impossible. But I do wonder... Why did Dear descend into Suguha's universe? Was it another 'Fallen Timeline'?

"Why did she intervene?" I ask her as I make my move.

"... She said my existence... was the first step towards the recreation of her world... So after my re-birth... she killed everyone associated whose intentions would lead to... 'the end of times' as she described..." Suguha gently says, making another move as I lean back in my chair, processing what she said.

It was a world that was going to lead to similar events in the 'First' timeline, so Dear intervened and put an end to it before it got off the ground.

"You were a prototype for something similar to the SKYs?" I ask as I make my next move.

"SKYs?" Suguha asks, tilting her head curiously while making her next move.

"Specialized Knight (Y)units, human weapons, it's what Dear is. I assume the first step to the recreation of her world would be the creation of something similar to her and her sisters. The horrors behind it would explain why she would shut it down as quickly as she could." I explain as I make my next move.

"I see... the circumstances of my birth suggested I was sabotaged by Mama Aiz... giving me part of my humanity and hard programming it into me so that they'd have to scrap me... which she knew they wouldn't do because of how expensive it was... The circumstances of my birth... was to make contact with the divine." Suguha explains as she makes another move.

"Make contact with the divine?" I ask as I make my next move.

"They succeeded in giving me the power to do it... and I have... but I don't understand why they were so driven to do so... The divine... seem... quite normal... other than their extraordinary power... they speak and act as humans do." Suguha explains making her next move.

"Yeah, they are surprisingly quite similar to humans." I say with a chuckle before making my next move.

"Oh, not those divinity, the divinity you know... were the basis for the theory of 'the true divine'... and that's what I was meant to confirm." Suguha says, making her next move.

"You were meant to contact the Higher Beings?" I ask her as I make my next move.

"Correct." Suguha nods affirmatively before putting me into a check.

"Then that is very interesting." I say as I look around the board from an escape from her check.

"Do you remember anything else from your original life? Before you were converted?" I ask her as I make my move to avoid her check, but she quickly makes her next move, forcing me to move my king away from danger.

"These were your hoodies... we played board games together... and you were the kindest big brother I know." Suguha says as she makes her next move, further endangering my king.

"Did anything happen to me?" I ask as I move my king away from her pieces but she presses on.

"One day... you died... I'm not sure how... but I felt a sharp pain in my heart... and then... I seeked out something to comfort me... and I found your hoodies... and the games we played together... I managed to save them... when my universe finally met its fate..." Suguha silently says as she gets me into a checkmate, ending the game with her victory.

"And after that... you found yourself here and spent 46 billion eternities seeking out why this brought you comfort?" I ask her as I look at the hoodies and board games next to the table and Suguha hums affirmatively with a nod.

"Did you visit any other universes?" I ask her.

"No... I only just remembered recently... that you are my brother." Suguha gently answers and I lean back with a heavy sigh then close my eyes as I process her situation.

This girl spent 46 billion eternities in this void with her brother's hoodies and the board games they played, not knowing why they brought her comfort until just recently. Just like Dear, I'm amazed at how she hasn't gone completely insane.

Suddenly I feel a small weight on my lap and I open my eyes to see Suguha now occupying it and leaning against me while sleeping.

This poor girl... My poor little sister...

"I'll try to visit and play with you as much as I can, okay?" I gently say as I hold the sleeping Suguha close to me and she snuggles up to me more.

"James...? What is... he doing here...?" I hear an odd voice and I look around but find no source to it.

"Huh... I haven't... heard her voice in a while..." Suguha says in mild surprise as she seems to have been woken up but doesn't elaborate any further as she continues to snuggle up to me.

Nothing ever slows down.

----------

The next day

"There." I say after I finish tying Anastasia's hair into a braid.

"You're getting better at this, big brother." Anastasia says with a smile as she places her braided hair over her shoulder as she often does.

"You ask me to do this everyday." I say as I pet her hair.

"And Anastasia-chan looked so relaxed while you were brushing her hair." Aya says, brushing her own hair.

"How about I brush yours, Aya?" I offer to her.

"Sure~." Aya nods with a smile.

I walk over to Aya and take her brush before walking behind her and holding her soft pink hair in my hands.

"Wow, your hair's soft and fluffy like Alisa's." I say as I run my ungloved hands through her hair.

"Ehehe~. I'm an idol after all~, I have to take care of my hair and my skin so I'm always looking my best for a photo." Aya proudly says with a smile.

"Sounds like a lot of work." I say and Aya giggles as I start combing her hair.

Aya does use many hair and skin products, I also overheard Chisato lecturing Maya and Hina on maintaining their hair and skin as idols, then there's Eve who diligently performs hair and skin care routines daily as she's both an idol and a model. Idols have it rough to always look good. I used to not groom myself very much until Sora-senpai always made sure I'm groomed when I head out, then there's Alear who shows up out of nowhere to fix my appearance when it gets a little off.

"You called?" I turn to Alear who immediately starts grooming me as per routine at this point.

"You never get tired of doing this every time I get a tiny bit messy?" I ask the Ascendant Dragon.

"I'm in an especially good mood today though~." Alear says happily as she continues her pampering of her 'descendant'. I chuckle as I do find Alear's grooming relaxing.

"Haaaaaa~." Aya sighs in content as I continue to brush her hair. "You really know what you're doing. I'm happy you're my husband~."

"Thanks, I have plenty of practice. Whenever you want me to brush your hair, just ask." I tell Aya with a smile and she hums affirmatively, chipper about the idea.

"Alear-san, why are you in a good mood today?" Aya asks, also curious of what Alear meant by that.

"It's part of the reason I'm grooming my beautiful husband better than usual today, two of my sisters descended earlier today and I want James to be as presentable as possible for them~." Alear explains as she continues her handiwork.

"Nothing ever slows down." I say playfully with a sigh and make a mental note as Anastasia giggles. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"The same as always~." Anastasia says with a smile.

"That's Ran-chan's line." Aya says with a giggle.

"People take other peoples lines all the time." I remind Aya when we hear loud footsteps out in the hallway.

"DEVIL!!!" Anata yells as she runs by.

"One of us! One of us!" Masana and Nene chant, the two angels chasing after the Ascendant Devil whose title is constantly brought into question.

"It's really hard to think of Anata-chan as a devil... Hahaha..." Aya says, laughing nervously.

"Her attempts always backfire on her, even when they succeed." Anastasia says with a chuckle.

I continue brushing Aya's hair as Alear brushes mine when I notice Aya's posture is very much relaxed.

"I could fall asleep to this~." Aya says, clearly relaxed.

"That's an opposite reaction to what I get from my most frequent customer." I say with a light chuckle.

"Hm?" Aya lets out questioningly.

"Alisa ends up blushing and squirming when I brush her hair." I say, chuckling at that memory.

"Hehehe~. Sounds like Alisa-chan really enjoys it~." Aya says mischievously.

"And done." I say as I finish brushing Aya's hair.

"Same here~." Alear says with a smile and I check on my hair to see that she's down a great job as usual.

"Wow, I think you might be better at this than I am. I'm a little jealous." Aya says as she checks her hair on the mirror and I chuckle from her praise.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Hmm, now I'm curious how each of you girls would react to me brushing your hair." I say when I notice a group of colorful long and medium length hair walk past the open door.

"Roselia!" I call out to them.

"Yes, Sweetie?" Lisa says as she and her bandmates peek into the room.

"There's something I wanna test out. Can I brush your hair?" I ask them with a smile.

"Brush our hair?" Yukina asks, blinking in confusion.

"It feels really nice when big brother brushes your hair. It's so calming and relaxing~." Anastasia says with a smile.

"Mm. It's so relaxing you could fall asleep." Aya nods in agreement.

"Is that so?" Sayo says as she crosses her arms.

"Yeah, Onii-chan used to brush mine and Onee-chan's hair! But Onee-chan used to act weird when Onii-chan brushes her hair..." Ako says and I remember that Tomoe was 'ticklish' whenever I brushed her hair back then. Rinko and Lisa think about what Ako means before they seem to get it, the former sooner than the latter.

"I used to brush your hair too, remember, Ri-ri?" I ask her and Rinko nods with a smile.

"If it's that good and our husband is offering, how could we say no~?" Lisa says, intrigued by it.

"I'm getting the distinct feeling you in particular are gonna regret that statement." I say playfully.

"Is that a challenge~?" Lisa says with a smug look on her face.

"Call it a hunch." I say with a shrug.

"Then I'll go first~. Let's see how good it feels when you brush my hair~." Lisa says flirtatiously as she sits on a chair and I grab a comb.

"And thus Imai-san tempted fate... and fate said: '[Bet]'..." Rinko quietly comments to the side as I prepare to brush Lisa's hair.

'Wan~.' I hear Lady bark in my head as I begin to brush Lisa's hair.

----------

25 minutes later

"Finally someone normal." I say as I finish brushing Rinko's long raven hair and we look on at the rest of Roselia besides Ako who look like a complete mess after I got done with them. Rinko seems to be the 'normal' one among them.

"Why... does it... feel so good~?" Lisa says in a mix of confusion and bliss as she pants heavily while lying on the floor with Sayo and Yukina in similar states.

"Thank you, James." Rinko thanks me with a smile as she holds some strands of her recently brushed hair.

"No, no, thank you. Your hair feels really nice, Ri-ri." I say with a smile.

"Is it my turn Onii-chan?" Ako asks excitedly.

"The Best for last for my sweet chuunimouto." I say playfully as Ako quickly sits in front of me while cheering before she undoes her pigtails and lets her hair flow down. Wow, it's longer than I expected, and I'm kind of excited to do this. I admittedly like the long hair of girls, it feels so nice to brush and hold in my hands.

... That did not sound creepy at all...

'That's because it reminds you of tails~. Hehehe.~' Aki teases me through our connection as I brush Ako's hair.

'Once I'm done here I'm gonna hunt you down and brush that hair of yours. Let's see how strong that Oni discipline of yours is.' I reply to Aki, making her giggle.

Brushing Ako's hair brings back memories and gives me a nostalgic feeling as she hums cheerfully, enjoying the moment.

"Your hair is curly, so it takes a lot of work to style it." I say as I straighten out Ako's hair.

"And that means Onii-chan spends more time brushing Ako's hair~." Ako says with a wide grin.

"Indeed." I say with a smile as I continue brushing her hair.

A few minutes later, I finish brushing and tie Ako's pigtails back up.

"There we go." I say as Ako holds her pigtails.

"Wow! My hair looks so nice and soft now. Thanks, Onii-chan!" Ako exclaims before jumping up to hug me and I hug her back.

"How long are you three gonna be jelly?" Anastasia teasingly asks Lisa, Sayo, and Yukina.

"I still... can't feel my legs..." Lisa says.

"Told you you'd regret it." I tell Lisa.

"On the contrary... It felt so good... I don't regret it~." Lisa says with a flirty yet droopy smile.

"It's just hair brushing... How did it end like this?" Sayo asks while Yukina just groans, seemingly unable to form words.

"James is just that good~. Hehe~" Ingrid says in the corner of the room, painting.

"Speaking of, I wanna brush that squishy hair of yours, Ingrid, get over here." I tell her.

"Sure, but after the Soras." Ingrid says as she keeps painting.

"Soras?" I ask.

"Wan-wan!" I look to my side to see Sora-senpai and Onee-chan wagging their tails.

"Okay, senpai, Onee-chan, let's get your hair and tails brushed." I say with a smile as I go to retrieve the tail brush.

"Wan-wan!" Sora-senpai and Onee-chan bark in joy as their tails wag even more.

"It's gonna take a lot of time to brush their very long tails." Ako says.

"And I'm gonna enjoy every minute of it." I say as I hold up the tail brush, making the two big puppies smile and wag their tails even faster.

"Submissive and breedable." Rinko comments under her breath.

----------

16:30

"Looks like that aged brain of yours can still keep up." Kuna-senpai says with a playful grin.

"Ha! I don't wanna hear that from you of all people." Granddad replies playfully as he and Kuna-senpai are locked in a game of chess. Kuna-senpai has been dominating but granddad has been putting up a valiant effort to make her earn her victories.

"They really are good friends, huh?" Aya says as we watch their chess match.

"They truly are." I nod in agreement.

Ever since granddad arrived, Kuna-senpai has often spent her free time with him, talking and playing games like this. If granddad was still young, this would be like two best friends going at each other.

Though... watching them play chess... reminds me that when I woke up today, Suguha wasn't there.

I guess I became far too used to the people I meet in the Space Between following me into my world that I didn't necessarily consider the possibility that it wouldn't always happen. She did seem very shy and introverted, it's just that I'm her brother so I'm an exception to her shyness. Her body language was VERY telling though...

Wait...

"Dear?" I call out to my first wife before she snuggly emerges from my coat.

"Yes?" Dear asks, facing me.

"Thank you for interfering in Suguha's universe." I say as I pet her.

"Oh... Suguha... You met her...?" Dear asks me curiously.

"Last night, I found myself in the space between again and played board games with her." I tell her.

"Oh... I see... so she finally remembered... who her brother is..." Dear gently says as she nuzzles against me.

"I'd ask what happened in her universe, but... something tells me it won't be pretty..." I say with a sigh.

"It's not in my place to say... I grow sick thinking of what that poor girl went through..." Dear gently says.

"You saw someone again?" Aya asks me and I nod.

"A lot of tragic universes in existence..." I say and Dear nods.

"Yeah... So much tragedy..." Aya says with a downcast expression.

"Come inside James' coat... it'll make you feel better..." Dear tells Aya.

"Huh?" Aya lets out, confused.

"Rinko already figured it out." Dear points ou- what?

Suddenly I notice Rinko pop her head out of my coat before looking at me and blushing a bit before facing away from me.

"How do I not notice when you girls enter my coat?" I ask, very much curious. Is it one of the special properties coats grandma makes for me?

"You're always in protector mode now... you subconsciously know we're there and as such your own mind feels no need to take note of your wives seeking safety." Dear explains.

"Fair point..." I say, seeing her logic. It's kind of like how I don't mind Lucy teething on my shoulder or Alear grooming me, it doesn't get in the way of what I'm doing and it's so 'the usual' that I don't actively register it happening.

"You should try, Aya..." Dear tells Aya.

"Is there even enough space? You and Rinko-chan are already there..." Aya asks.

"Yes..." Dear simply answers and refuses to elaborate.

Aya seems to think about it before she crouches down and enters my coat. Rinko and Dear make room and are somehow able to make three people hiding inside comfortable. Is my coat a pocket dimension?

"It's so cozy, and your cool temperature helps with the summer heat~." I hear Aya say once she's settled and she leans against my leg.

"And it feels so safe here..." Rinko says as I feel her brushing her face on my leg.

"My coat is a security space for my wives." I say with a chuckle as Dear nods in agreement.

"And it's a great source of adorable paintings~." Ingrid says off in the corner.

"Just you wait eldritch painter, one day I'll get YOU in this coat." I say semi-threateningly causing Ingrid to giggle.

"Oh, shut it!" We turn to Kuna-senpai who throws a chess piece at granddad who's chuckling, likely because he teased her about something.

"I will force that anti-aging serum down your throat if I have to!" Kuna-senpai exclaims with a growl.

"I thought it was a shot?" Granddad asks with a smirk.

"You get the damn point, asshole!" Kuna-senpai says before making her next move as the two old best friends continue their match.

Best friends...

Alisa...

I close my eyes and breath deeply for a moment to calm myself.

"Everything will be okay." I hear Lokuna-senpai's voice but I don't see her. She must be invisible right now.

"Ta-da! We're done changing!" I hear Kasumi exclaim and I turn around to see her and Poppin'Party walking towards me wearing kimonos. Kasumi's is orange, Tie's is blue, Rimi's is pink, Saaya's is yellow, and Arisa's is lilac.

"How do we look, Ja-kun?" Kasumi asks me with a smile and I look at each of them.

"All of you look very pretty." I say with a smile.

"We made sure they're also easy to take off for when-" Tie starts before Rimi and Saaya blush red, and Arisa yells.

"Ahhhh! Shut up, O-Tae!!" Arisa yells at her while blushing red the most.

I take a deep sigh now knowing full well what these girls intentions are after the festival.

"Have fun later~." Aya tells them as Rinko nods in agreement.

"Wait... Aya-senpai? Rinko-senpai? What are you two doing there?!" Arisa exclaims, surprised to see her senpais in my coat.

"Three." Dear says as she pokes her head out as well.

"Wha- Friend-san?! What are you all doing in his coat?!" Arisa yells.

"Maybe-" Tie says before Saaya places her hand over Tie's mouth, fearing what she might say.

"It's cozy~."

"It's safe~."

"It's relaxing..."

Aya, Rinko, and Dear say.

"Really?" Kasumi asks curiously and the three nod affirmatively.

"Let me try." Tie says as she approaches me.

"How will you even fit?!" Arisa exclaims as Tie enters my coat and the three scooch over to make room and somehow succeed to fit four people.

Well, now the question of whether it's a pocket dimension or not has been answered. Just what kind of material did grandma make this coat with?

"It's so nice here~. It's like a rabbit den~." Tie says, looking nice and cozy with only her head visible from my coat. Arisa, Saaya, and Rimi look in disbelief at my coat's ability to fit four people in

"Let me try too!" Kasumi excitedly yells as she dives into my coat and somehow fits in comfortably...

"It must be hard to walk like that..." Saaya tells me.

"Oh, no actually. I don't even register when Dear is in here, and I wasn't aware that Ri-ri was also here." I answer, confusing Saaya, Rimi, and Arisa.

"How do you not know when someone's in your coat?!" Arisa asks me.

"Arisa... a lot of shenanigans related to me and you girls, my wives, cannot be answered, we must accept that. Continuing to question every single thing will only lead to insanity." I blankly tell her.

"He's right." Kuna-senpai speaks up and everyone turns to her as she continues her chess match with granddad. "While my species' drive is to study and search for answers to questions, we do believe that some questions are best left unanswered."

"Spacial Dilation." Dear randomly says.

"I guess there's your answer." Granddad says.

"Spacial Dilation? How?" Kuna-senpai asks curiously as she looks up from the board and turns to Dear.

"More so Spacial Convergence, it's something I learned through my lifetime." Dear explains.

"Spacial convergence, so infinitely replicating the same point in space. How curious, show me." Kuna-senpai asks Dear.

"James, shoot a crystal at me." Dear says as she teleports a small distance in front from me.

I blink at her request before I comply and craft a small ice crystal. I then launch it at Dear around the velocity of a bullet from a rifle.

The crystal seemingly stops in its tracks moving towards Dear at one point before it falls to the ground, clearly from the influence of gravity as it loses all momentum while Kuna-senpai is holding a scanner.

"Yup, she's right." Kuna-senpai says as she walks up to me and shows what she scanned. From the 'spacial monitor' it looked exactly as Kuna-senpai described it, 'An individual point in space infinitely replacing itself' until the crystal lost momentum and fell.

"Hmm... several singular atoms lengths were used for all of those convergences... I wonder how many it took to make it slow down to a crawl?" Kuna-senpai asks before she takes a step back. "Final speed was just above one and a half micrometers, so it slowed down 29 times before it 'breached' the convergence, how many times can you do that?"

"I can make it happen well over a trillion times... The entire point isn't an inflection of power, it's intended to stop anything from getting through... until no threat remains." Dear says.

"And that's how James doesn't feel us when we're in his coat?" Aya asks, looking a little confused by all the 'scientifics'.

"It's kind of a reverse principle to me stopping a bullet... Instead of 'condensing infinity' into a singular point... I can expand out a singular point infinitely, so I do so ... and such 'nonexistent space' forms within his coat." Dear explains.

"I see, Zeno's paradox." Rinko nods, seemingly understanding while the others are lost.

"So... you could make all of us fit inside Onii-chan's coat?" Rimi asks and Dear nods affirmatively.

"You are really something." Kuna-senpai tells Dear, impressed.

"She's the honored one." I say as I pet Dear which brings the widest smile I've seen from her yet.

"She really is." We look to the side to see Iris approaching and... she's wearing a pure white kimono and has her hair tied up into a bun.

"Iris..." I call out to her, surprised and in awe of seeing her wearing a kimono. Completely honestly, it matches her so well.

"I've never worn a kimono before so it was hard to put on and it's hard for me to move in this..." Iris says as she moves around a bit.

"Well, I think you look great in it, Iris. It matches your slender figure surprisingly well." I tell Iris.

"Woof." Iris barks, clearly happy as she smiles and wags her wolf tail.

"Oh yeah, I also went looking with your beloved puppy senpai... but the only good one I could find for her didn't have sleeves." Iris says and we all turn to suddenly see Sora-senpai in a beautiful blue and red kimono that... has no sleeves...

"This is not helping my teenage brain..." I embarrassedly point out while blushing.

"Wan~." Sora-senpai barks happily as her tail wags.

"Submissive and breedable." Rinko says with a small smile.

"You're the same." I tell Rinko and her smile just widens as Saaya, Rimi, and Arisa blush red.

"Rinko-chan... is something..." Aya says, aware of that part of Rinko.

"Can we just get going to the festival?!" Arisa exclaims, wanting to move away from the subject. "You still have to meet with Alisa-san too!"

"Yeah." I say before taking a deep breath.

"It may sound strange coming from me of all people, but... I don't think the Klubnika's that good of a liar to fully convince herself that she doesn't love you... It's impossible." Iris tells me, her eyes holding no form of mockery for Alisa, but rather genuine belief.

I suddenly notice a tall shadow right behind me and quickly turn to see...

"Embla?" I ask as she's wearing a mostly red Kimono with fluffy shoulder puffs and several golden triangle trimmings at the bottom of her sleeves and the dress.

"I will be... accompanying you as well... per Mama's orders... and my own desires..." Embla gently says before she looks off in the distance when I notice that Masana is right next to her in a white top blue skirted kimono with long white leggings to cover the rest of her legs and her hair combed down to appear less wild than it normally is, she also has a golden star hair ornament.

"May we join as well?" I turn back around to see Lokuna-senpai who is always dressed in a kimono.

"Of course! It's more fun with more people!" Kasumi cheers from her place in my coat.

"I agree with Kasumi, you're all welcome to join us." I say with a smile as I pet Kasumi's head.

"Then let us depart." Iris says.

"You two be good while I'm out." Iris tells Edel, and Aloe who is... playing with the damn Gnome again...

"Bau-bau!" The twin pups bark and Iris pets their heads, making them wag their tails.

"Should I consider you taking to them like you did with Rushia?" I ask Iris.

"No, they're more like little sisters than children that need looking after." Iris says.

"We're little sisters."

"Uhn. Imoutos, yes."

Edel and Aloe say while smiling and wagging their tails.

----------

1 hour later

The sun is setting in the sky and night approaches as the festival is beginning and people are arriving. There's gonna be a fireworks display later at night and that's what Kasumi is excited to see.

As you would expect from a festival, there are plenty of food stalls and game stalls, and I also spotted a familiar pair of rabbit ears going around and checking on things.

"This is my first time attending a festival here." Iris says as she looks around while drawing looks from people with how beautiful she is in a kimono and her wolf features. Iris' often overlooked lady-like aura shines more right now.

"You should've seen when Jane and I went as kids along with Ri-ri, it was quite fun back then. I wonder if Rinko still has Edgar?" I ask curiously as the thought of when I won a Raven plushie for Ri-ri comes to mind.

"A lot of people are looking at us..." Rimi says as she hides behind me. People are indeed looking at us as we do stand out among the crowd like a sore thumb.

"This guy is famous, remember?" Arisa brings up as she points her thumb at me.

"Any trouble and I'll make my move." I look down to Dear in my coat.

"I know." I say as I pet her head.

"No one will ruin this evening for us." Iris says as she glares at some guys glaring at me, making them go away.

"Mama Iris!" We look to the side to see Rushia running up to Iris.

"Shchenok, you're here too?" Iris asks as Rushia hugs her.

"I saw there was a festival and came to check it out... then I heard your voice." Rushia says as her ahoge wags in joy before she steps back.

"Wow... You look very beautiful in a kimono, mama Iris!" Rushia says with a bright smile.

"Thank you, Shchenok." Iris says with a gentle smile.

"Umm... Can I join everyone?" Rushia asks us.

"Of course, you can." I say with a smile and everyone nods in agreement.

"You're one of us, after all." Tie says.

"One of us, one of- Oops... Wrong bit..." Masana says as she blushes and shyly looks away.

"The cute little devil needs to accept she's really an angel." I say and I can hear Anata yelling 'Devil, not angel!' in my head as Masana nods in agreement.

Suddenly my phone chimes and I pull it out to see Artemis on the screen.

"Alisa is ready... Artemis will lead master to her..." Artemis tells me.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to ready myself before looking back at Artemis.

"Okay." I nod to her before looking back at everyone.

"I'll go meet Alisa now, all of you wait for m- For us to return." I tell them.

"Okay, Ja-kun!" Kasumi nods with a smile as Poppin'Party nods.

"We'll wait for you and Alisa-chan." Sora-senpai says with a gentle smile.

"Please bring her back to us." Lokuna-senpai tells me with a hopeful look on her, Embla and Masana's faces.

"Make an honest woman out of that lying fox." Iris tells me.

"I will." I say with a smile.

"Alright, Arty, lead me to my best friend." I tell her and Artemis salutes with an adorably determined expression.

----------

10 minutes later

I walk up the stairs to the empty shrine at the top of the hill where the festival is taking place at the base of. The view of the warm, brightly-lit festival down there contrasts the cold, dimly-lit shrine up here.

I calmly pass through the torii gate and enter the dark grounds of the shrine illuminated only by the moonlight.

As I slowly continue down the path, a massive flash of pink enters my vision as I see...

"A nine-tailed Kitsune...?" I say curiously when the tails twitch before they shift to the side and I am immediately caught off guard as the face attached to those tails...

Is that of my best friend...

She's wearing a pink kimono with purple highlights and the fox features on her I recognize as the same ones from when she performs on stage.

"Alisa..." I call out to her. She remains silent and takes a deep breath, as if preparing herself.

"James..." Alisa calls out to me, looking into my eyes.

Alisa slowly approaches me as her tails gently sway back and forth as she walks, my eyes drawn to them before she nuzzles up against me and starts smothering me in her tails that look and feel absolutely real...

I guess the talk of them being prosthetics was a lie; she really has fox tails...

Not a word is spoken as I feel a dampness on my chest where Alisa's head is pressed against it.

She's gently hugging me...

And trying to show as much affection as possible...

But I can feel it...

Her arms...

Her tails...

Her entire body...

It's all gently trembling...

There's no need for words...

Her actions speak volumes...

'Please... don't leave me... I'm sorry... for everything...'

That's what she's telling me.

I firmly bring my arms around my best friend's waist as I heavily hold her against me, causing her to quietly squeak in surprise as we continue to hold each other.

Alisa then lifts her face up and looks up at me as tears fall down her blue eyes.

I don't even remove my arms from her sides as I call upon my dragon tail to gently brush her tears away before spreading my wings and using them to bring us closer together.

Our faces are now both heavily red as they're the closest they've ever been since...

Since we shared our first kiss...

Words aren't needed...

Our faces lean inches closer and our lips touch into a gentle kiss that slowly grows deep and passionate as time seemingly freezes around us as all the love we've held for each other and denied for so long is finally released.

Everything we've been through...

All the times she put up with her weak husband...

All the pain she felt as she believed I'd be ripped away from her...

All the pain she felt fighting her own desires...

All the sorrow she held for lying...

All the fear she had for the consequences of following her dreams against her desires from them being incompatible...

And the pain we both felt... for what we did to Jewel Mist...

Because we were stupid...

Because we were childish...

Because we were clueless...

Because we were fools...

Because...

We didn't...

Believe in Fate...

Every pain... every regret... every fear... every sorrow... Everything...

Can finally be given... a proper burial...

We can finally be honest to each other.

There is no more need for lies between us.

I wish... there's no end... to our time together.

She is my best friend... forever... for eternity...

And thanks to my wives... I've finally found a purpose that belongs to me, only.

As the last of our bottled up emotions are released, our lips part as we breathe heavily, gasping for air from our passionate lock.

"I love you... not platonically... but romantically..." Alisa tells me.

"I love you... we're best friends... but also lovers..." I reply with a gentle smile and she smiles back.

As we hold each other closely suddenly we are surprised to hear something... gentle... singing... from an unfamiliar yet powerful voice.

"I am still my insufferable self, setting my hair on fire, giving you warmth, hoping you realize, I want you hear, by my side, thought that I would be satisfied, seeing you, content at the other side, but somehow I thought, these crazy that I deserve to be loved, I deserve to know love, we deserve to live in love, I wish there's no end, I wish there's no end, to our time together."

Alisa seems especially taken aback by those lyrics when we both turn to see...

"... Rosemary...?" I call out in silent shock to the little white priestess who... tailed us all the way here...

"Did she just...?" Alisa gently asks as if asking for confirmation that Rosemary was in fact singing there.

"It wasn't Lady, so I think... Rosemary did..." I say.

Rosemary slowly walks up to us with a piece of paper in her hands and she hands it to us. I look at it and immediately recognize the words are the same ones she just sang... and... they're in Alisa's handwriting...

"How did you... find this...?" Alisa slowly asks Rosemary but Rosemary doesn't speak as she usually doesn't, instead she runs up and hugs Alisa's legs.

"She found it poking out from under your pillow the night you weren't home." Emily says as she appears. "Those words hold an oddly powerful energy... it seems she was able to use that in order to speak. I'm sure you felt it too?"

"I did..." I say as I did feel an energy radiating from Rosemary when she sang.

This energy...

I've... felt it before...

"The Song Crystals..." Alisa gently says in a surprised tone as it suddenly occurs to me... I've always been surrounded by that energy... with Kagaya-senpai... and the band girls... the performances... the joy they generate...

Could it be... that energy... is generated from lyrics... that this powerful energy is integrated into?

"You have a beautiful voice, Rosemary." I say with a smile as I pet her head and she smiles happily.

"Who knew songs could hold such power..." Emily says, intrigued by the concept.

"You understood the pain and sorrow I felt...?" Alisa asks Rosemary who's still hugging her.

"I think she knows our pain and sorrow better than anyone... it's all she knew before this... Right Rosemary?" I ask and Rosemary nods to me as she keeps hugging Alisa who is now affectionately brushing Rosemary with her tails.

"But now... we can all finally put that pain and sorrow behind us... and look forward with hope... for what fate has for us." Alisa says with a smile and Rosemary nods with a smile.

"And there is one more truth I must reveal..." Alisa says solemnly before she pats Rosemary who lets her go and she walks to the center of the shrine's courtyard.

"James, the day we met, I reached out to you because you looked lonely and something inside me wanted to guide you out of that darkness.... But I never imagined... that I would be saved as well..." Alisa tells me.

"You saw through my smile, you saw the loneliness and sorrow that hid behind... and then... you made me feel happy and loved... You returned color to my gray life... I no longer had to smile to lie, I could smile from my honest emotions. You saved my heart." Alisa says with a beautiful smile, a genuine smile full of joy.

"And let Fate be known that the universe sings that you two can now commemorate your love together." We both turn as a gleaming light appears in the corner of our eyes as we witness Lady gazing up at the night sky. "Dearest Alisa... welcome home..."

With that line, Lady disappears, likely returning back to the Dwelling of Fate, as her voice echoes with those final words.

"My only regret... is that I couldn't have you and James be born closer together... I apologize... for the painful 100 years from your birth to the meeting of James... and... I'm sorry... that I failed your mother..."

Emily, Rosemary, and I stand in confusion before I realize what Lady means and slowly turn to Alisa.

"No, Lady of Fate, thank you for always watching over me despite my failure to serve you." Alisa says, bowing her head where Lady was moments ago. Alisa then waves her hand and a familiar object materializes in her hand. The round hand mirror that she always carries with her... a precious heirloom passed down her family...

But now...

Seeing it again...

Something truly remarkable stands out about it...

Engraved on the back of the mirror...

Is the Insignia of the Following of Fate...

The mirror suddenly glows with energy then Alisa releases it and it floats in front of her as its shape changes, growing larger and turning into a blue large round mirror with gold ornate engravings as the Insignia remains.

Alisa stares at her reflection in the mirror and closes her eyes as a blinding flash of light envelops her entire body. The light dies down and when I look at Alisa again... she appears more mature... just like...

I slowly pull out my phone and look into a certain file in the image gallery...

And it's filled... with several pictures...

Of me with the girls... and especially Alisa... in her more mature appearance... and in all those pictures... her eyes...

Alisa slowly opens her eyes and they are now purple, similar to... Lady Yae's... Alisa with her fox tails and ears... I could see a strong resemblance...

"I think... you and I both have a lot to thank Hinata for... And I can see that you already pieced together my true identity." Alisa says.

"Please allow me to properly introduce myself... I am Alisa Yae, the Fourth Head Miko of Fate." Alisa declares as purple electricity sparks all around her, causing the lights around the shrine to light up.

"The coward... who ran away from her duties..." Alisa adds with a dejected tone and a look of shame and regret as her fox ears and tails droop down. I suddenly remember Lady Yae's quiet lament.

"If only you were around all those years ago... then maybe... my granddaughter wouldn't have run away..."

"And who asked the one she saw as her older sister to seal her memories of it so she could forget the pain... and hurt her friends because of her weakness..." Alisa says in lament before I cut in.

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Alisa." I say, surprising Alisa.

"Lady Yae, your grandmother... told me what happened." I say and Alisa looks at me nervously.

"... And she regrets forcing you to take your mother's place before you were ready, especially so soon after your mother disappeared." I say and Alisa looks at me in surprise. "She regrets forcing such a heavy burden onto you... and she misses you, Alisa."

"Grandmother... she's... not upset with me...?" Alisa asks me.

"Upset with you? No, she's upset with herself, she wants to see her granddaughter again. She misses you so much, Alisa." I tell her as I remember Lady Yae's final words after she told me the story of her granddaughter's disappearance.

"Should Fate ever ordain that your and my granddaughter's paths would cross... Please... tell her that I miss her dearly... all of us here miss her... I want to see her again... That I regret... placing such heavy expectations onto her before she was ready to be the Head Miko of Fate... and to have done so so soon after her Mae's disappearance... Please tell her... that I'm sorry... Please tell her... to return home..."

"Grandmother... I'm so sorry for hurting you and everyone..." Alisa says in clear remorse.

"And just so you know, this doesn't change anything." I tell Alisa and she looks back at me.

"You're a century old nine-tailed kitsune, you're the Fourth Head Miko of Fate and you ran away, you lied a lot..." I firmly say and Alisa's ears droop down in sorrow. "... But you're still my best friend and my wife."

"And I'll be with you when you're ready to face your past and make amends. I'll always be by your side as your best friend and your husband." I softly tell Alisa with a smile as I caress her cheek.

Alisa looks back at me before she smiles and tears fall down her face as she nuzzles her face on my hand and some of her tails wrap around my arm affectionately.

"Then I have nothing to fear... and I can face both my past and our future together with courage, my husband." Alisa tells me in a loving manner.

Suddenly, we hear some sniffling and turn to see Emily wiping her eyes.

"My apologies, I was simply touched by such a beautiful relationship." Emily admits as Rosemary giggles.

"You and your story... remind me a bit of myself, Kitsune Miko." Emily tells Alisa with a thin smile.

"Come on, let's go join everyone at the festival." I say as I pick up Rosemary in my arm before turning back and holding my other hand out to my best friend. Alisa smiles and gently holds my hand as we leave the shrine to join our family waiting for us at the festival.

----------

10 minutes later

"Ja-kun and Alisa-san are here!" Kasumi exclaims as we reach the spot where everyone is waiting for us.

"It looks like it was a success." Saaya says with a smile.

"You really were a lying fox, huh? But it looks like you were finally honest for once in your life, Klubnika." Iris tells Alisa with a thin smile with malice absent in her tone.

"Yes, and now that I don't have to lie and can be honest, expect me to be an even more dangerous rival, you frigid wolf." Alisa replies with a thin smile back, also lacking malice as the two rivals stare at each other.

"I look forward to it." Iris replies, her smile widening a little more.

"Don't be overwhelmed now, I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve~." Alisa says teasingly.

"Aww. They do care for each other." Tie says with a smile as Rosemary and Rushia nod in agreement.

Alisa's gaze then shifts over to the side where Lokuna-senpai, Embla, and Masana are standing and looking at her silently. I gently nudge Alisa with my shoulder and Inod to her when she looks at me. Alisa nods back at me before she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

Alisa walks over to her three old friends and faces them as they silently look at her.

"Lokuna-nee, Embla, Masana, thank you for forcing me to remember... and to see the truth... And... I hurt all of you... because I was a selfish and immature child who only thought of herself... I know my words may not mean much... but..." Alisa tells them before bowing down deeply in apology.

"Please forgive me, I want to make amends for my mistakes... I don't want... to lose you all as well... Please don't le-" Alisa pleads with them as she keeps her head down when Lokuna-senpai interrupts her by hugging her and holding her closely as she cries before Masana and Embla join in.

"I'm so happy to have you back, Aly-chan..." Lokuna-senpai softly says as she hugs Alisa tighter.

"I missed you so much, Alisa!" Masana wails as tears fall down her face.

"When they told me you left, I tried to track you down! I searched all over the world for decades! And then those evil people found me and damaged my wings... so it was hard for me to look for you! Then I fell out of the sky and met James, and then I finally found you! I finally found my friend after all these years! But you didn't remember me... s-so I thought you were someone else... But my heart knew it was you! And it was! I'm so happy to have you back!" Masana pours her heart out to Alisa as she cries into her.

"When I first found myself here weeks ago... I didn't believe it was you at first... especially after you said you didn't know who Askr was... But... like Masana, my heart told me that it was you..." Embla says in a soft tone.

"Then Lokuna told us what happened, that you wanted to forget everything and ran away... It hurt that you wanted to forget us... but... I could understand why... I understand why one would want to forget such painful memories and to cut ties with your past... I couldn't blame you... after all... I did the same... after I lost my eye..." Embla says as she looks off into the distance, making her eyepatch stand out even more when there's a sudden strike of lightning off in the distance that surprises the girls.

"I have several beatdowns to redeem on that bitch for everything she's done... But trust me, if I get my hands on her, she'll suffer dearly on account of killing Askr-nii-chan and gouging your eye in addition to harming my husband." Alisa says with pure anger in her eyes and purple electricity radiating from her body.

Askr-nii-chan?

If I am to make a bold assumption based on his character, he likely told her to call him that as a gesture of friendliness based on what Grandma has told me about him as well as records of what he used to be like that were documented or things I've pieced together from the few times that Embla has mentioned him. He sounds like a friendly and good guy who enjoys making friends and adores humans. I'm certain I would've gotten along with him if Aph didn't kill him...

"Lokuna-nee, Masana, Embla... I promise, I'm no longer that weak cowardly fox from before, I won't run away ever again." Alisa promises them as she hugs all three of them with her tails, wrapping all of them in a fluffy pink fur blanket.

"Like I told you last time, you can run as far as you want, but I know you'll come back, because I know you better than anyone, and I know there's nothing you fear more than being alone." Lokuna-senpai gently says as they all hold each other and the rest of us smile at the heartwarming scene.

"A reunion between friends... This is so beautiful..." Saaya says with a smile.

"It is." Rimi says as she wipes some tears from her eyes and Rushia nods in agreement.

"Alisa-san's tails look very fluffy." Tie says.

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" Arisa asks Tie.

"Rabbits and guitar." Tie quickly replies and Arisa groans in frustration.

"Well Tie-chan~, I have a question." I say, somewhat flirtatiously looking at her.

"Yes, Darling?" Tie asks in her usual airheaded way.

"Do you take being my wife seriously~?" I ask and Tie takes up a thinking position.

"I guess it's time I start taking that seriously." Tie says as I chuckle a bit.

"Good to know, so, as my wife, let's all head back there and have some fun okay?" I ask and everyone cheers.

----------

3 hours and 30 minutes later

Our group is going around the festival and having a great time together, chatting, playing stall games, and eating snacks.

"My God... It's like she's done a complete 180..." Iris says in disbelief as she carries her small white pup in her arms while staring at her rival.

"No, she just went back to who she really is~." Lokuna-senpai says cheerfully with a bright smile and Masana and Embla nod in agreement with her.

"Say 'Ahh'~." Alisa sweetly tells me as all her nine tails wag while feeding me some takoyaki.

Alisa is being very honest and open with her feelings right now and I'm honestly surprised by the sheer amount of love and affection she's giving me.

It's honestly much more preferable compared to her lying fox phase.

"I don't know which is more surprising... that or that she's really a 116-year old head priestess of an ancient religion?" Iris says.

"I was not expecting Alisa-san to have such a huge secret like that..." Arisa says.

"It seems in line with everything that goes around Darling though." Tie says with a smile.

"Yeah! Ja-kun's life is full of heart-pounding and sparkling moments!" Kasumi cheers.

"But it's nice... that Alisa can be honest about herself and her feelings..." Rushia says with a smile.

"I'll admit that much..." Iris says, making Rushia giggle.

"And Alisa-chan is so much happier now, so I'm happy too." Sora-senpai says as Lokuna-senpai nods in agreement.

"Careful, it's still hot." Saaya tells Rosemary who burned her tongue from eating hot takoyaki.

"Is it good, Rosemary-chan?" Rimi asks Rosemary who nods affirmatively to her.

"Could you watch my Shchenok for me? This fox is gaining too much of a lead..." Iris says as she passes Rushia to Lokuna-senpai.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Klubnika." Iris says as she wraps her arms around one of mine.

"I'm just making up for lost time because of my dishonesty. I have a lot to amend as a wife~." Alisa replies in a tone laced with smugness which annoys Iris.

"I'm caught between a fox and a wolf." I say with a nervous chuckle.

"Wan-wan!" Sora-senpai barks with her tail wagging.

"Don't you mean 'between a soft and a hard place' because the wolf is flat." Alisa says with a smug look on her face, pressing a touchy subject for Iris.

"You did not just go there!" Iris yells, growling in anger.

"Am I wrong though?" Alisa retorts as she presses her chest against me to 'emphasize' her point and annoy Iris more.

"She's really a sly fox..." Arisa says, watching the fox and wolf going at each other.

"Don't make me re-enact the surrender of 1945!" Iris says with a growl

"I was there, I can tell you the motherland showed up after America did all the work." Alisa retorts.

"Heel!" I yell out commandingly.

"Kon!"

"Woof!"

"Wan!"

Alisa, Iris and Sora-senpai bark as they behave.

"Not you, senpai, just these two... You were a good girl." I tell Sora-senpai as I pet her head.

"Wan!" Sora-senpai barks, wagging her tail as she sticks her tongue out like a dog.

"She's still the most powerful one..."

"Submissive and breedable..."

Alisa and Iris say as they look at Sora-senpai.

"Bunnies are pretty breedable too." Tie says.

"Shut up, O-Tae!" Arisa yells while blushing in embarrassment.

"What a lovely evening~." Lokuna-senpai says with a smile.

"Ah! The fireworks are gonna start soon! We have to find a good spot to watch them! Come on!" Kasumi exclaims excitedly.

----------

6 hours later

"I find it odd... you were there both with us at the beach... and now you were with us here... and yet... you're the only one who didn't get involved... Why?" I turn to Sora-senpai as Kasumi, Arisa, Tie, Rimi, Saaya, Embla, Masana, Lokuna, Alisa, and Iris are all resting, scattered across the floor of PoPiPa's practice place in the old storage room at Ryuuseido where I also first learned to play the guitar. Rosemary and Rushia were brought home by Dear who was in my coat the whole time.

"I figured I'd simply wait for you to make the move when you were ready for it, I can still see there's a part of you clinging to a part of me that you believe is more important than being your lover." Sora-senpai says as she smiles at me, no inclination of making a move, and I not having the strength or the will to throw her down and forcefully claim her as mine right now despite definitely still having the energy to do so.

"I'm sorry Sora-senpai... for making you wait this long... I don't know when I'll be ready..." I say as I look away knowing full well that Sora-senpai is anticipating when she can finally commence her love to me.

"I'll wait as long as it's needed, I'll simply take it as a sign. After all, you may be a good and strong man, but I can tell you still feel vulnerable, that you believe you still need me to guide you, and so long as that's the case, I'll be here to be your shameless, submissive, and breedable guiding puppy-senpai. Because after all, having as many wives as you have comes with the necessity of being a good and strong man, and I believe I've come to realize that my role is to make you into the man you want to be. So when you feel like you're ready to shoulder the weight of your responsibility to this world, I'll know, and I anticipate when it will finally happen, until then, I'll be here to guide you." Sora-senpai tells me happily while smiling.

"... Senpai...?" I ask, looking at her and she smiles, nodding for me to go ahead and ask my question. I simply once again choose to act, words aren't needed here.

I slowly approach Sora-senpai, almost completely naked as I summon out my wings and tail before I reach my hand out to hers and gently pull her up before gently starting to remove almost all of her clothing, making her gently blush as she continues to affectionately cuddle me with her fluffy tail before her and I are wearing the bare minimum. I then pick her up and hold her next to me before using my tail and pulling all the other girls together towards the center before channeling the Lady's power and forming a large blanket over all of us as we rest and cuddle together in the center of the room.

"One day, senpai... one day... I will make you my wife too... Please... I only ask... that you wait for me..." I whisper to Sora-senpai as she falls asleep in my arms as we all drift off into the embrace of sleep.