"We of the Astraea Familia can't fall behind on this kind of thing. And besides... there probably aren't many of these to go around, so if we show up late..."
At that, Alise threw out her chest, lifted her chin, and gave her own sadly flat chest a hearty pat, brimming with energy:
"Heh heh! Leave it to us, Lady Astraea!"
"Kaguya, let's go!"
But Kaguya's expression was hesitant. The thought of having to face that man again sent a knot twisting through her chest...
Noticing the subtle look on her face, Lyra narrowed her eyes and teased:
"Kaguya, if you don't want to go, then maybe..."
"Wh-who, who who who who said I didn't want to go!"
Provoked, Kaguya shot up like a cat with its fur bristling.
"Hee hee, she's flustered, she's totally flustered!"
"Kaguyaaaaaaa~~~~~~"
"Oh my, is somebody missing a certain man...?"
"Hee hee, Kaguya's reached that age too, hasn't she..."
"Right, right, and if I remember correctly, back in Kaguya's homeland, a girl her age would already be..."
Listening to her companions' teasing and grinning faces, Kaguya flushed crimson to the tips of her ears. She jabbed a finger at this gang of troublemakers who lived to stir the pot and stammered:
"Y-you... you all...!"
"All right, stop teasing Kaguya." Astraea cut in gently. "Alise, Kaguya, it's getting late, so go quickly and come straight back. Orario at night these days... isn't exactly peaceful."
"Yes."
"Hmph..."
...
The little neighborhood alley outside Leon's house lay steeped in the quiet of a winter night.
As far as the eye could see, beneath the dim yellow glow of the streetlamps, the snow-covered cobblestone path stretched out in soft, pure white. Tilting one's head up, you could faintly make out snowflakes drifting down through the columns of light, silently moistening the dark.
"Crunch..."
Scattered footsteps in the snow came almost at the same instant, from several directions at the mouth of the alley.
And then several figures emerged one after another from around the corners, only to freeze in their tracks the moment they caught sight of one another.
Silence spread through the snow-laden air. The groups stared meaningfully at each other for a long moment, all at a loss for words.
Hedin & Heith Velvet: "..."
Finn & Riveria: "..."
"Oh my...!"
A bright voice abruptly shattered the stillness. Alise poked her head out from beside Kaguya, eyes glittering as though she'd found front-row seats to a show:
"If it isn't Sir 'Hildrsleif,' along with Lord Braver and Lady Nine Hell! What ill wind blew tonight to deliver all three of you to Leon's doorstep at once?"
Heith Velvet: "..."
Alise & Kaguya: grinning ear to ear.
As if fate were determined to play a joke...
Guard against it all they liked, take every precaution they could think of, in the end all three parties had still run smack into each other in this snowy alley, at the very same moment.
Still, everyone present was a seasoned old hand, so naturally none of them let their true feelings show on their faces.
Finn looked at Hedin, his usual easy smile on his lips:
"So you're the one they call the 'Golden Witch,' the Vana Mardoll... Miss Heith Velvet, I take it?"
"Quite enviable. The Freya Familia, with so many excellent healers like yourself to back them up. If I'm not mistaken, your healer team is called the Andhrímnir?"
His tone was as casual as if he were chatting about what to have for dinner, but the next second he changed course:
"Miss Heith Velvet, have you ever considered transferring to our Loki Familia? We're in urgent need of talent like yours. You must know a thing or two about our internal atmosphere... we don't have the kind of culture that runs through the Freya Familia. Quite the opposite, we're very united."
"As for compensation... everything's negotiable."
Before he'd even finished, Hedin's face darkened in an instant:
"Finn, are you pretending I'm not standing right here? Poaching from our familia right in front of me..."
"Are you trying to start a war!"
Heith Velvet raised a hand and gently caught the bristling, hissing Hedin, then stepped forward, expressionless, and adjusted her hood:
"Lord Braver jests. My body and soul have long belonged to Goddess Freya. As for transferring... please don't bring it up again."
"Besides, from what I hear, the Loki Familia also boasts an elite unit made up entirely of elf Mages... and one led personally by Lady Riveria, no less."
"Very well. It seems the time isn't right for us."
Finn clearly had no intention of pressing the matter. He turned to Hedin once more:
"Hedin, since we've both shown up here at the same time, there's no need to beat around the bush."
"Let's lay our cards on the table."
Hedin kept his face stony.
Finn paid it no mind and went on:
"You came running because you'd heard about the 'Wild Mixture' too, didn't you? In that case... why not join forces?"
Hedin's brow arched. After only a second's thought, he nodded in agreement:
"Fine."
Beside them, watching the two reach a consensus so quickly, Alise cut in with a beaming smile:
"Well~ since Sir 'Hildrsleif' and Lord Braver have it all worked out, then of course we'll just tag along with everyone~"
Finn smiled and waved a hand:
"You of the Astraea Familia are a different story. Who in all of Orario doesn't know how friendly you are with the Demeter Familia? It's not just the bond between your two goddesses, either. Going by the close relationship between this Miss Yamato Rindou and Leon, the Shadow of Sorcery, alone, you've already got a natural head start on the rest of us..."
Feeling the teasing looks Finn and Riveria sent her way, Kaguya kept the same cold expression on her face, but the toes tucked inside her white tabi were curling with such embarrassment they could have carved out a whole "Stardust Garden."
Th-this kind of thing! Has it already... already spread through the whole city!?
Aaaaaah, no, please no!
"Ahem..."
Just then, the courtyard gate of Leon's house was pushed open from the inside.
Leon, wrapped in a cloak, poked his head out through the gate with a grin:
"My guests, it's nighttime and snowing besides, so why stand around out there in the cold? Why not come in, warm yourselves by the fireplace, and have a nice hot cup of tea to take the chill off?"
Catching the look Leon shot her, Kaguya felt a tingling numbness wash over her whole body. Her legs went weak and her mind went completely blank...
It's over... he definitely heard every word of that just now!
"Haha, then we won't refuse the kind offer."
Finn stepped forward, shaking Leon's hand first, then walked calmly into the courtyard.
Right behind him came the royal elf, as coolly elegant as ever, radiating that noble air without pause.
Leon turned to the elf royalty beside him, lightly brushed his right hand to his chest, performed a textbook elven salute, and then opened his mouth in a flowery, aria-like tone:
"Honored Lady Riveria, allow me to offer my most heartfelt admiration. Your grace tonight remains as the eternal forest beneath the silver moon, elegant and dazzling; your presence, like the elven sacred spring flowing in early spring, crisp and noble. To share a single roof with you is truly an honor for one such as I."
Everyone: "..."
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