"Huaaaaa …. Mmmmm.. Damn, when did I go to sleep? ...Did I sleep a whole day away?"

Last I remember, it was evening and now it's just before noon.

'Must be because of the breakthrough, all that accumulated stress has crashed down on me like a fuck ton of bricks.' Getting out of bed, I stretch my well-rested body.

"Haaawawawa… Now. What do I need to do today? My timetable is already a mess and this day has already halfway through… Eh, exercise and kitchen work?"

It's as good of a plan as any. I use the gym, run a few laps outside and bathe. A very relaxing start. I get dressed and walk into the kitchen, just to find today's order list already waiting.

"Bravo Roger. You are the communications officer today? Heh, how low has the mighty black reaper fallen... ."

"C.A.W. cawCaw"

"Yeah, yeah, love you too… Alright already. Give me that order list, pigeon boy, hehe, so that I can get the ball rolling and you can get your payment."

I check the list of orders, glance at who will be coming over today, then get a bowl filled with food for the messenger bird. "Why haven't I asked them to make fucking reservations in advance way sooner? This is so much easier."

'If only cooking potions was as easy as this..`Sigh.' I get most of the prep work out if the way and get to baking. After such a long time I can do all this while being lost in thought or watching some videos. My hands and body move almost automatically without lowering the quality of the finished dishes.

"Ok, done. Hehehe, time to see what the actual fuck I've discovered here last time." Having done most of the work, I move on to the testing corner.

The old bonding solution gives me the conflicting feeling still, but now I have an idea of how to move forward.

Firstly, I repeat what I've done before. I chew and tear the slime bag before splashing the old solution on it. "Well… Not exactly what I should be doing, but I get the general idea behind it. Hmm… ."

I take a wooden hammer and a rolling pin. After tenderizing and stretching the slime, I soak it for 5 minutes. "Mm… This feels more correct, far from perfect but much better than before."

Somehow, the slime has absorbed a lot of the solution, and I can repeat the process a few more times. 'This vaguely feels like working with puff pastry, how odd.'

When I get a good feeling about the slime dough, I move to make it into a new bonding solution. It takes twice the time to properly melt the slime.

"Good, good, a somewhat successful batch. Perfecting this will take too much time right now, better move on to figuring out the next steps."

I get a few buckets of low grade healing water and mix my creation into them. A few dozen different proportions should give me a feel for the right direction. After placing all the bottles on the shelves, I clean up and check the time.

"Ok. I'll check on this later in the evening, before that I have a dinner to serve. Hahaha! I have a great feeling about my future! Surely, my streak of bad luck is finally over!"

millennium parade - U by Belle

POV Meiko

It's the week of term end exams and the only thing that I look forward to, is the increase in free time that follows it.

'I'm happy that Lady Mari is popular, but if too many girls ask for help studying it will just turn into a disorganized mess.'

I haven't been besieged by all the help seekers, so I have the freedom to check up on Mr Valentine today. 'Haaa… I should talk to him more. It's not healthy and definitely life threatening to do what he does.'

I am accompanied by Yumi and Kate today, the rest haven't got the time right now. Our little group gets a chance to appreciate the quiet scenery, away from the bustling academy.

"Meiko: Good evening, how are you today?"

"Valentine: Evening Ladies. Pretty fine actually, got lots of sleep today. Go, sit, I'll bring your orders out in a few minutes."

'Oh? He seems to be buzzing with excitement today, instead of the mmm… difficult look he was permanently stuck with. Maybe Hana has managed to get through to him yesterday?'

"Kate: My, finally! It was displeasing, seeing him behave like an abused animal in a cage."

"Meiko: ... That's practically what he is reduced to. There's no need to casually bring that up."

I can't help but quietly voice out my displeasure. Even if it's invisible, the cage is there and perhaps the abusers are always watching. I have enough prejudice against unreasonable torment that I take this comment personally.

"Kate: Fine, fine. I don't find the situation pleasant either, especially if those aliens decide to try something with us or our planet. Considering the technological gap, there isn't much anyone on Earth can do about it anyways."

We steer clear of the complex discussions for the rest of the dinner, no need to get anyone too down spirited. After a delicious meal we are presented with an update on the healing potions situation.

"Valentine: I've made quite a bit of progress, and I have a good feeling about the next step. Kuhum! This is the half perfected binding solution, it keeps the healing properties from dissipating for a good few hours! I've just started to test the third-floor ingredients to further increase its shelf life. My … Skills tell me that I can get the time limit up, all the way to a week or so, but only for low-level potions, say bellow 50 Mp. I've tried to go above, but my solution simply didn't bind with the water. … I need resources from lower floor levels to make anything better."

'… 50 Mp!? That is enough to repair organs and mangled flesh! It's not enough to regenerate missing body parts or save someone from certain death, but it's already close to a miracle!'

"Kate: We have this week filled with exams and council work. Focus on testing and improving the potions you can make, we will make a push to the next floor after that. Good work. This is truly of tremendous help."

'Heh, Kate is already running simulations in her head, trying to determine the best way to extract benefits from this. Yes, there are always people in need of a miracle cure, plenty of rich and influential people amongst them. And this cure will be the real deal.'

I shudder at the thought of the possible benefits one can acquire from this, if one is to monopolise the limited supply.

"Meiko: Congratulations, I'm sure that this will be of great benefit to all of us."

It's too big of an accomplishment to not give praise and we all can see the impact this will cause. We make sure to leave Mr Valentine in a good mood before going back for the night.

I had to wait for Lady Mari to shoo away some clingy girls overstaying their welcome. I don't waste a minute and report the discovery as soon as we were left alone in her room.

"Mari: Indeed, I imagine that when the mmh … magic healing potions are fully tested we will need to come to a consensus. Kate will definitely have some ideas for their use, and honestly, so do I. It will sound callous, but history has shown that such profitable innovations have flown from the aristocracy to the masses. 'Sigh. If it comes down to the worst possible situation, we will need all the support in the world, and having powerful individuals indebted to us can become crucial."

"Meiko: It is as you say Lady Mari. Perhaps a dozen or a hundred years in the future this sort of treatment will become the norm."

'It is true. If something unpredictable were to happen, we could use the additional support. I just hope this doesn't blow up in our faces.'

"Mari: I will call Miss Juliana and ask her to support Mr Valentine in his endeavour. I fear he might try to rush to the next floor in search of the ingredients as you've mentioned, and we can't exactly keep watch over him 24/7."

"Meiko: Thank you for taking my concerns to heart. Even if it was already promised that we will help as soon as possible, it would be great to have an extra pair of eyes on him."

There is a long pause, as Lady Mari seems to be lost in thought. I don't wish to disturb her, so I stay quiet.

"Mari: …Meiko … … did … How did … it all come to this? Working with Kate, relying on father's help, worrying about … a man, heh, actively sneaking out to meet with a young man! Haha ha ha..haa. It just all happened so fast and unexpected. It did, didn't it? High school feels like it was decades ago, not just merely a few months."

'Indeed. How come we've followed such a twisting path forward?'

"Meiko: At least, I can be at ease knowing that everything discovered will brighten the future, of that I'm certain. If it were someone else, who got their hands on Mr Valentine, I would be seriously worried about the world."

We haven't had the time to chat so openly in private for a long time. Tonight we could bare our worries and hopes without restraint.

-- -- -- --

"Hana: Fricking finally! I will have nightmares about this stupid biology exam! GAH!! I need to hit something to get rid of all the pent-up stress!"

"Meiko: There was a bit too much to memorize on every subject. I think that literature was more of a challenging exam."

'Well, for me at least. I'm not much of a word smith or a poet. Chemistry was pretty straight forward though.'

The exam week is finally over and we are very much looking forward to the month long vacation to come.

"Mari: We've gotten over the large hurdle, now we must make sure that we follow through on our council duties for another week. After that, I imagine we will ease into the vacation. … However, I suppose that our not so little group will be occupied with something other than relaxing under the sun."

"Meiko: Yes, Mr. Valentine has been very vocal about exterminating some kind of "disgusting" monster to get to the fourth floor. A much easier to understand report from Miss Juliana has described it as a "five meter high and twice the length, dinosaur thing" and proposed to acquire anti-tank missiles before trying anything."

"Mari: … It's not completely impossible to use money to get the weapons, but it will leave traces and may alert some people to start digging around. Have they made sure that there is no way around the problem? A distraction to lure it away? Any news from today's report?"

"Meiko: From Miss Juliana's latest report, the creature is confirmed to be mostly stationary, not leaving the area around a crevice leading farther in. The area itself is a big problem, preventing long-range fire and fast retreat. On the other hand, the thing is fast and deadly, if we use game terms it can be classified as a boss monster in a boss room. They have tested everything they could to try leading it away safely, but to no avail."

"Mari: I'll have a look at it later and give further instructions. If the risks of facing the creature are too high, we may need to risk moving the weapons here. 'Sigh. I'm guessing that the estimated number of weapons required isn't just one?"

"Meiko: The report states that due to limited information, 3-5 missiles will be preferable, IF the creature doesn't have any special powers."

"Mari: Haaaaaa… It's not feasible to move whole arsenals without anyone's notice in Japan. There is too much surveillance nowadays, and the newest weapons have plenty of electronics in them that can be traced. We will have special forces knocking down the gates within a few days."

"Hana: I say we push everyone to Lv 2 and further work on our powers. I can break bricks like crackers, barehanded! Who knows how far we can push ourselves before the vacation starts, we might not need any weapons by that time."

'That… Could actually be the case. I already am able to cleave through thin trees like cardboard, if I Lv up and perfect my skills it won't be out of the realm of possibilities. `Sigh, the never-ending winter is still a major inconvenience to us all, unless we wait until nightfall to hunt monsters for exp.'

"Mari: You are right Hana. We may need some time to improve ourselves before facing danger. I'll ask Miss Juliana to keep a closer eye on things to prevent any reckless actions."

'She has done a wonderful job of getting things under control. The information is flowing and Mr Valentine is being kept in check, even his mental and physical health has improved! Truly, she has become a supporting pillar for us.'

The help we have received is already of great importance. I am secretly glad to have such a competent person bound to Lady Mari.

There is still work to be done, after a short break we dive into it once again. The faster we get things done, the sooner we can relax and switch our focus to the upcoming battle.

POV Juliana

The past weeks have been like a dream. That day, I've returned under the cover of night and soon had to move out in secret.

Obviously my magical recovery could not be announced, so Juliana has died due to health complications and her daughters were adopted by a relative. To be fair, I do look like a new person, so it's not completely false.

I've spent two weeks playing with my children, getting back into shape and just enjoying life without physical restrictions.

I've even contemplated making a small shrine dedicated to the Kurihara family! Silly idea.

Soon enough, I've got a request for assistance from boss Mari. Apparently the crazy guy is going completely mental and they need someone to keep an eye on him.

I was granted enough money and house workers to not need to lift a finger, so I don't have to worry about the house while I'm out working the night shift.

Getting into the academy undetected is a piece of cake, more so when it's dark outside. My walk in the forest is refreshing, and I come out without stumbling once.

'Hm, I'll have a warm welcome it seems.' It's only 3 a.m. but boss Mari is already waiting for me with a cup of coffee.

"Juliana: Morning boss!"

"Mari: Good morning Miss Juliana . . . Fine,…TJ. But only because we are in private."

I give her my best disapproving mom look when she starts speaking all formal. 'Yup, no need for all the formalities with this old woman.'

I am given a full briefing for over two hours. Some sciency things go over my head and are not really necessary for me to know. The coffee helps to keep me awake through that part.

The short of it is: keep crazy guy alive, make daily reports and kill monsters to get stronger.

I feared that his condition was as bad as boss Mari had described previously, but when he brought sandwiches and registered me with the system, he looked not too bad. Apparently he just had a breakthrough in preserving the healing water for longer periods of time and got some decent sleep afterwards.

When a notice popped up announcing me the 10th and final registered member until some kind of system upgrade is performed to increase the limit, the mood took a dive for the worse.

According to the whispers of: "half a year, fucking 5 more months!", I conclude that I'm a lucky girl indeed!

Boss Mari adds an explanation that to upgrade the system either a lot of work and time needs to be put in, or we must willingly beg the aliens for help by performing something interesting on camera, for them to laugh or study us.

I have no fucking idea what this is all about, but I don't have a good impression of them after hearing about the crazy guy's circumstances. We shift the conversation back to the latest developments here and on the other side.

'Fucking magical healing potions. You can make a fortune from this and have sway over powerful figures all over the world.'

The long briefing was followed by a short tour around the actual alien planet! There is one question that I have to ask no matter what.

"Juliana: Boss Mari, is… is speaking with birds also an ability that everyone gains?"

'This is now the second person having a conversation with the crows, and boss Mari doesn't look all that crazy. Is this the new normal? How do I eat chicken meat if one suddenly starts having a full conversation with me? I don't want to go full vegan!'

"Mari: Mm, perhaps it's a question of aptitude? I've had a connection with them for a very long time now. Give it a try when you have some down time here, I'll tell a couple of the warrior crows to keep you company."

'Fuck! My common sense is being stomped into the ground.'

Today I've mostly been given a little tour around the facility and the other side. 'The armoury is very lacking for my tastes, though give the mysterious Lv ups and special powers I'm not sure how to judge things here. I need a couple of days to get all this shit mentally sorted.'

We part ways early in the morning. Boss has classes to attend and I have to make a stop at the big Man's place. The crazy guy is calm for the moment, engrossed in further improving the healing potions, so I was given more free time for the next couple of days.

.. .. ..

The big Man is looking quite down in the dumps, a bit of prodding reveals that he is being disciplined by his daughters. 'Yikes, better shower my own daughters with love and affection even more. Definitely not looking forward to the day I'm that kind of a situation.'

I'm led to a little office room converter into an impromptu armoury.

"Juliana: M m m mm. Nice little collection, I'm guessing private security?" I run my fingers over a selection of small arms, take inventory and try to approximate their usefulness.

"A.K: Correct. Private security and personal collections. Everything that is legally owned … and documented. Miss Juliana … has my daughter passed any … messages?"

"Juliana: Don't worry, the girl is mature enough to understand. You just need to play your part. I'd say that she has already forgiven you, but continues to put up a front out of principle. Give her another week and make sure to reflect."

"A.K: … Thank you for saying that. Mari is a … strong woman… . I'm still worried when she tries to take on too much… of a burden. Considering what she already is involved in, haaa…, how I wish I could go back in time… ."

'Yeah, me too … me too.'

"Juliana: Anyway! From the way you have spoken about the armoury, I imagine there is another location for the less … official side of things?"

"A.K: Umu. It is not easy to move those things without leaving any traces, right now secrecy is essential. I've never really needed such … destructive tools for myself. The few personal connections I have called upon were very suspicious of me. Hehe, slapping people around with cash has reminded me of my younger days. … My bodyguard will drive you to the place, take what you need and please, let me know what I can do to protect my daughter better."

I give a feral smile in return. Pulverising monsters with heavy firepower carries a different weight than killing people. This, this feels like preparing for target practice.

'Sophisticated targets that try to kill you, but mindless, soulless targets, nonetheless.'

We chatted for a bit more, mostly about my day with boss Mari, since we've kept in touch after my healing was done and had plenty of time to discuss other things.

The silent bodyguard has taken me for a ride out of town, where sparsely populated vacation homes were built. There is basically an underground vault behind three high security doors, and l can't help exclaiming in surprise.

"Fucking hell!! There's enough firepower here to level a few streets. How am I expected to carry this shit in the open?! I'll have the fucking marines knocking on my ass within minutes!"

There is nothing here that spits out anything less than death and destruction, with grenade launchers aplenty. 'Shiiit. Did he buy out the local Triad or something? I can't fucking walk around while carrying a rocket launcher!'

It is good to know that there is a surplus of equipment, I can fully respect his commitment. For now, I make double sure to file the inventory into my memory for future reference.

'From what I've been told and personally seen in there, I'll need punching power over anything else. Anti-material? Hmm… Not quite that good in close quarters and I'll be seeing shit with all that snow. Maybe an AW?'

I could provide good support with a Barrett if I position on high ground, but it's not really needed.

"AA-12 shotgun, I see that you have fucking mini missiles as ammo available. You'll do great things to those clusters of monsters I've been told about. Come to Mama."

This should be sturdy and explosives enough to kill and disorient small crowds of the bug creatures boss Mari has warned me about.

"AR500? rifle. Mm.. yeah, those are some heavy rounds for taking down beasts with deadly precision. Hehehe… just you wait, I'll get that Lv up and decimate those big ass monsters one handed!"

If I can really increase my strength by 40% with a single Lv up, I'll easily be able to wield these beasts of weapons, barely noticing the weight and recoil. I'll need a bit of time to test everything out as there is no margin for error here.

Two hours are spent inside the vault: configuring the weapons to my tastes, looking up maintenance instructions on parts I'm not familiar with and simply getting a feel on what is most comfortable for me.

I pack plenty of ammo, enough to fill two large crates and take the two beasts for now. I'll need to ask for a bit of assistance in getting everything over the fence. Luckily the silent guy was given orders to help me out.

The equipment set aside totals to roughly 150 kg and will be delivered tonight. I give boss Mari a quick heads up and ask her to send the crazy guy out for assistance. The quicker we get this load over the fence the better.

It is only noon by the time I'm home and the weather outside is a lovely summer day. I'm in a very good mood and decide to give the big Man a helping hand as thanks for the excess equipment.

"Juliana: Heya Boss! … Yes, the stuff is top quality. I'm sure that it will be of help. … Yup, everything is arranged. Anyway! Are you busy for the next couple of hours? No? Good, get me little Chiyo on the phone and you'll be a happy father taking his daughter out on a picnic. … Yes, it will soften her up a bit, and I'll introduce my little girls to her. You'll see, she will melt like ice cream and look at her dad with admiration, promise. Besides, a few happy photos to share with Mari are something you need right now, if you want to quickly get into her good grace."

'It is a bit underhanded to do this, but he started it first, so my conscience is clear and my girls will have someone to lean on, if things go badly on the other side.' This time I'm already an experienced old woman. There will be zero chances that I leave by babies with an uncertain future ahead of them. Regardless of whether I return alive or not, they will have a stable, happy life.

"Last time, I was young and stupid. No more, no compromise."

Little Chiyo is surprised by my invitation but can't refuse. 'Eh, a break from all the studying and boring exams will do her some good. Fresh air and exercise!'

.. .. ..

I introduce my girls to little Chiyo, and they thank her for helping me get better, you can see as she is melting under all this pressure.

'Naive! You never stood a chance against my little balls of childish energy!'

A few hours of playing around and finishing a picnic basket leaves us satisfied and tired. After getting a lift home, I take the chance to get some sleep before my night shift starts.