Reiki moved the spoon in his mouth using his hand, he gave Ketsueki a bright smile and said. "Just enjoying another peaceful day. Onee-chan, how about you? What did you think about the oxtail stew?" Ketsueki placed her right elbow on the table and rested her head on her palm, she said. "Your food is delicious as always." Reiki quickly finished the food on his plate as a small pile of oxtail bones remained. He let out a satisfied sigh and placed a hand on his stomach, Reiki said. "I'll take care of the bones." He thought. I'll feed them to Q.
Ketsueki watched her little brother intently as she noticed the shirt he was wearing had small signs of worn and torn on the edges. Ketsueki thought. My boy needs new clothes. Reiki was about to pick up the plate on the table when his older sister suddenly spoke, Ketsueki said. "Reiki, how about we go on a quick shopping trip?" He looked up to his older sister with a hint of confusion in his eyes, Reiki said. "Why-?" Shiro was suddenly near the table as she tiptoed to get her head above so they could see her, she got her eyes above the table and with her eyes shining like stars.
Shiro looked up to her older sister and excitedly said. "Onee-chan, we're going shopping?!" The two older siblings saw her poking her head from under the table, Ketsueki placed a hand on top of her little sister and said. "Yeah, Reiki needs a few shirts." Shiro stared at her older sister and spoke in a whisper. "Onii-chan?" She turned her head and noticed the slight worn-out on the edges of his shirt, Shiro continued. "Can I come? I want to pick out something for Onii-chan."
Ketsueki rubbed her little sister white hair making it into a slight mess which made Shiro pout, pudding her cheeks. Ketsueki let out a chuckle and said. "How about we-." Before she could finish, Reiki interrupted her and said. "Can I say something?" His two sisters turned their heads to look at him. Ketsueki moved her hand away from the top of her younger sister's head while Shiro looked at him oddly. Reiki smiled at them and continued. "It's fine, I don't need any new clothes." Ketsueki tapped on the table using her index finger while Shiro moved her gaze back to her older sister.
Ketsueki stopped tapping on the table and said. "Your reason?" Reiki scratched the side of his cheek, he said. "Your promotion in three months." Ketsueki's pupils slightly dilated while Shiro made her way toward her older sister. Shiro wrapped her arms around her older sister giving her a big hug while Ketsueki picked her up and placed Shiro on her lap. Shiro gave her older sister a big smile and said. "You're amazing, Onee-chan." Ketsueki's lips turned into a slightly stiff smile, she said. "I-It's nothing impressive." Ketsueki turned her head toward her little brother, she said. "Reiki, continue."
He gave his older sister a nod and said. "Instead of going to the mall just to buy me new clothes. How about you save some money and buy something for all three of us?" Shiro's eyes brightened while a pondering expression formed on Ketsueki's face, she thought. Maybe three months was a bit long… She looked down and saw Shiro looking up at her with her eyes full of hope, Ketsueki let out a chuckle and said. "Sure, why not?" Reiki let out a slow exhale, he thought. That was close, if she bought something big and expensive it would've ruined my plan.
He stood up from his seat and took out his tattered pouch from his pocket. Reiki took out a familiar wooden box which immediately caught the attention of both of his sisters, he said. "Here's my thanks for going along with my selfish request-." Before he could even finish Ketsueki had already swiped the box from him. Shiro playfully tried to get the box off her older sister's hands while Ketsueki gave him a big smile, she said. "How could I refuse such a simple request from my beloved boy?" Shiro pulled on the shirt her older sister was wearing and said. "Onee-chan."
Shiro gave Ketsueki the best set of puppy dog eyes she could make which got a wry smile from her older sister. Reiki picked up the plate that had a small pile of oxtail bones, he made his way to the kitchen and said. "I'll do the dishes." Ketsueki stood up from her seat while carrying Shiro with her left hand. Ketsueki said. "Take your time." Ketsueki made her way toward the couch by the living room while Shiro slightly opened the lid of the wooden box and took a peek inside. Ketsueki reprimanded her younger sister and said. "Shiro."
Shiro flinched as she gave her older sister a wry smile and said. "O-Onii-chan won't mind us having a head start, Onee-chan." Ketsueki sat on the couch and placed the wooden box on the coffee table and sat Shiro down beside her. Ketsueki reached for the remote on the cushion as she turned the tv on, she said. "The answer is no, Shiro." Shiro tugged on her older sister's shirt and started throwing a small tantrum, she said. "Why!!"
In the kitchen was a medium-sized pile of oxtail bones gathered onto one plate. Reiki was washing dishes using a sponge. He thought. Q, eat up.
[System: Queen has used Devour.]
On Reiki's back from the inside of his shirt, four black tendrils quickly grew in size. The tendrils were five inches thick and two of them were able to reach the floor as it continued to grow. They looked alive as they squirmed and gently touched the floor and wall. One of the tendrils managed to reach the ceiling as it started to fill the small space, like a snake the tendril coiled around itself as the last tendril suddenly aimed at the pile of oxtail bones.
The tendril pierced through the bones like it was made out of tofu, dozens of spines instantly grew out of the tendrils and punctured the pile of oxtail bones. All four tendrils immediately stopped as the tendril that had spines all over it suddenly lifted off the bones on the plate and made its way back to the inside of his shirt. It had enough force to slightly push Reiki forward as he adjusted his footing to prevent himself from dropping the plate he was washing. Reiki thought. If my guess is right… I should know what Queen is.
One Of The Many Rooms Of A Large Building
There were dozens of people wearing dresses and suits of all kinds of brands and designs. They were waiters and waitresses holding trays with them filled with all sorts of drinks, a long rectangular table with dozens of food complete with a chocolate fountain. A good majority of the adults had a drink in their hands with the most common one being a glass of either wine or champagne as they mingled with each other. In one of the half of dozen tables that had a thick red cloth draped over surrounded by a few chairs was Mio sitting down. She was wearing a simple black dress that had long long sleeves that almost reached her wrist. The length of the skirt was about four inches past her knees as she had a grey belt around her stomach.
Mio had some food on her plate as she used a fork to move around, she thought. Fifteen minutes… And I can go home… She sliced off a piece of asparagus and elegantly ate it while pretending to be ignorant of the side glances the adults were giving her. A woman wearing a flashy red dress made her way toward her while Mio wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up from her seat. The woman stood near her as Mio gave her a polite bow and said. "To what I owe the pleasure, Himari-san." Himari gave her a perfect business smile and returned Mio's bow. Himari said. "I just wanted to catch up with you since it's been so long."
Mio faked a smile, she let out a chuckle and said. "I would be more than willing to take you up on your offer if not for my age, we would have more topics to discuss." Himari felt the double meaning of her words as she covered her lips with a hand, she forced out a charming laugh and said. "You don't need to worry about that, we can always converse about your studies." Himari moved her hand away from her mouth and placed it on her slightly below-average-sized chest, she continued. "Although I may not be able to help, I hope to at least share my experience." Mio thought. With Reiki's inscription, I can barely put down my pen.
Mio pretended to think as she placed a hand on her chin. Himari seeing this was stunned for a moment before the smile on her lips curved into a smirk before turning into a smile again. A waiter was making his way through the crowd as Himari raised her hand as he made his way toward her. The waiter moved the tray closer to her showing a variety of drinks as Himari picked up a tequila sunrise with a small wedge on the rim and a cherry inside. Himari gave the waiter a nod as she took a sip while hearing the whispers among the others around her.
The waiter made his way in a different direction while Mio moved her hand away from her mouth and looked up at Himari. Mio said. "My parents have given me the task of adjusting a one-time use fire inscription. I'm only able to reduce the mana consumption by two percent and negligibly increase the size giving it a slight increase of its area of effect." The smile on Himari's lips stiffened, she said. "As expected of the Nakamura household, although it may seem harsh for me to say this. I think it would've been better if you could have also increased its damage."
Mio gave her a polite smile and said. "I did try my hand at it, but it resulted in the inscription becoming unstable. When I attempted to improve the damage it also increased the mana it needed to activate." Mio completely ignored the hint of awkwardness in Himari's expression. Mio continued. "I eventually settled for reducing the mana consumption. If one were to use multiple at once it won't be as demanding." Himari forced herself to smile and said. "Excellent choice, others would have chosen by improving everything. But instead of being blinded by power, you settled for efficiency."
Mio let out a soft chuckle, she said. "Thank you for your compliment." Himari took a sip of her drink and pretended to clear her throat, she said. "I know this may sound rude but…" Mio faked a look of interest and thought. You think you haven't been rude this entire time by having ulterior motives? Himari gave her an apologetic smile and continued. "How is the small request I asked you?" Mio had a wry smile on her face, she said. "I did remind my parents of your offer but as you may know, they are busy people. As of now even at the gathering, they hosted themselves. Mother and father are still busy with the meetings on another floor."
Himari gave Mio an apologetic smile and said. "I know how hard it is for you to talk about this with them. How about I give you a small gift in exchange for helping me?" Mio raised her hand in refusal, she said. "It's not, all I have to do is remind them when I get a chance to talk at dinner. I don't see how a present is required for such a small thing." Himari gave her a slight bow and said. "It was nice catching up with you." Mio returned the bow while Himari continued. "I still have a few acquaintances to meet, so if you'll excuse me." Himari walked toward a group mingling with each other while Mio sat back down on her seat and resumed her meal.
A woman wearing a beige dress said. "This officially makes it the twelfth time." A man wearing a blue suit and a red tie while holding onto a glass of champagne. He said. "Why does she even attend?" It was followed by soft sighs and even more comments.
"Should we even bother? It's the same every time."
"She could at least return the gifts she received."
"This girl… Why can't she just be normal?"
"She didn't even offer to grab a seat."
Mio ate with perfect manners as she forced herself to eat the food on her plate, she thought. … I can't taste it...
Inside A Large Modern House
In the center of it was a U-shaped couch with a large flat screen tv embedded in the wall complete with speakers for a surround sound. The walls were painted white and on the corner was a kitchen bar that had five stools and all the latest equipment. A corner of the walls was rectangular-shaped windows that were set vertically letting more than enough sunlight in brightening up the living room. There was a small hallway near the kitchen leading to a staircase going up and a door that you'll reach before the stairs.
The front door opened revealing Yuki as she made her way inside and closed it, she said. "... I'm back…" Yuki squatted down as she adjusted the grey backpack on her back and undid her shoelaces as she took them off. On the right side of the floor was a pair of sleek white shoes that were nowhere near her size and on the left side were a dozen pairs of indoor slippers in various sizes. Yuki neatly placed her shoes beside the white sports shoes and put on a pair of indoor slippers as she made her way inside and looked around the large room.
Yuki took a couple of steps forward but suddenly stopped as she looked at the top of her head and removed her backward blue baseball cap. She quickly made her way to the second floor with both her hands in her pockets and stood in a hallway. On the left side were two doors that had distance between them, the closest door to the staircase had an intercom on the side. The space between the two doors on the left was a door on the right, and on the edge of the hallway was another door.
Yuki walked to the door closest to the staircase and knocked, she said. "Aniki, since we have some time before mom and dad arrive. Instead of tag, how about a game of catch instead?..." A moment went by as she stared at the intercom beside the door, from the intercom a male voice spoke. "Can you wait until next week? I'm planning on increasing my training." Yuki maintained a straight face while she spoke in a cheery voice. "Sure!" She made her way down the hallway and thought. You told me that last week… Why do I even try anymore?...
Yuki opened the door on the left and went inside the room, closing the door behind her. Inside it was a large bed on the far-most left corner on the opposite side of the bed was an L-shaped workbench with all sorts of items on top. Just above the workbench were windows illuminating the room, on the left side of the room that was closest to the door was a small brown couch with three large pillows. The couch was facing a forty-two-inch flatscreen tv that was on a long wooden drawer that looked like it was made out of one piece.
On the right corner of the room was a large treadmill aligned with the wall and was near a large wooden closet. Yuki stared at the room and made her way to the bed, she placed her backpack on the couch along with her blue cap. Yuki jumped on the bed facing down as the indoor slippers she wore slipped off her feet and scattered around the room. She turned around on the bed and stared at the ceiling, something glowed in her pocket as she took out a talisman and held it with her right hand. Yuki stared at it and said. "Since it's a celebration what time are-..."
She was interrupted by the other person on the talisman while her mouth slowly formed into a frown, Yuki forced out a chuckle and said. "It's fine, mom. I understand how important both your and dad's jobs are…" The faint glow on the talisman slowly faded as she placed it back in her pocket. Yuki sat up straight from the bed and saw one of her indoor slippers was on the treadmill and the other landed by the closet.
She stood up from the bed and made her way to the couch and sat beside her grey backpack. Yuki turned the tv on with the remote she picked up on the couch as the sound of it filled the silence of the room. She grabbed the pillow on her left as she curled up into a ball on the couch and tightly hugged it, she thought. … I hate this place…
Ketsueki's House By The Living Room
Shiro and her older sister were sitting on the couch with Reiki standing behind it, as he massaged both of their backs with one hand each. Ketsueki ate a piece of elven chocolate while watching tv, she glanced at her little sister who looked like she could fall asleep at any moment. Shiro felt her eyelids turn heavy as she leaned on her older sister's shoulder and closed her eyes.
Reiki let out a chuckle and said. "Looks like Shiro lost again." Ketsueki playfully pinched her younger sister's cheek, she let out a short laugh and said. "Reiki, how about you eat some chocolate first?" He moved his other hand onto his older sister's back and said. "So you want me to stop?" Ketsueki raised her left hand as a piece of chocolate flew into her palm, she said. "On second thought, I remembered you don't have a sweet tooth." She took a bite of the chocolate in her hands and glanced at the tv, Ketsueki thought. Our shows here are terrible.
Ketsueki ate the rest of the chocolate in one go as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the massage. Reiki slowly stopped and moved his hands away from her back, Ketsueki kept her eyes closed and said. "And the reason is?" Reiki stretched his hands around, he said. "I'm going to rest in my room for a moment." Ketsueki turned her head sideways and opened her left eye, she said. "Oh… You were being serious." She saw the expression on Reiki's face and turned her head to face the tv. Ketsueki continued. "Make sure you don't accidentally fall asleep on your bed."
She closed her eyes and made herself comfortable while making sure Shiro didn't sleep in a weird position. Reiki quickly made his way to the second floor without his footsteps making a sound. Ketsueki half-opened her right eye as she saw her little brother make his way to the second floor, she thought. Was he always light on his feet? She closed her right eye and let out a long relaxed sigh.
Reiki's Room
He sat on the edge of the bed and took off the white indoor slippers he was wearing and laid down. Reiki placed his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, he made himself comfortable and took out his tattered pouch from his pocket. He took out a talisman as it faintly glowed, from the talisman a shy female voice spoke. Enora said. "R-Reiki… Y-You there?..." A look of surprise appeared on Reiki's face for a brief moment before turning into understanding, he thought. Elora's scared of telling her daughter she's sleeping with Melanor.
Reiki let go of the talisman as it floated mid-air a few inches above him, he said. "Hey, popsicle." He faintly heard the sound of another elf who spoke in the background, Elora spoke with a hint of confusion. "Popsicle?" Enora let out a soft yelp and exaggerated a cough, she said. "S-Sorry about that, tea went into the wrong windpipe." It was followed by Elora who said. "Your teacup is empty-." Enora spoke with a hint of panic in her voice, she said. "Mom!" Reiki stared at the talisman with a smile on his face, he heard Elora's voice. "Dear, you don't need to be so loud."
He heard a long sigh coming from the talisman, Reiki said. "Can you get Mora-?" Before he could finish the sound of ceramic breaking in half came from the talisman.
