POV Anna
"Anna: Can you believe that this is our last week of attending classes before graduation? The rest of it are exams, ceremonies and festivals. ...How did a whole year pass in a blink of an eye?"
"Yumi: Mm... good question."
"Tai: Yeah, compared to this one, the previous year was dragging on and on."
As tradition from many years ago, we have come together for a revision session before the final exams. Breaking that same tradition is the fact that we all have greatly improved memory, reasoning and problem solving ability. Superficially glancing over the study materials is more than enough to refresh our memories and get top marks. Inevitably, we closed the books and opened a box of cookies instead.
"Yumi: So...any news from the researchers?"
"Anna: Last I checked, there were critical sustainability issues with all of the flora that was kept in close proximity of one another. A great deal of samples were lost."
"Tai: You think it's because there isn't enough mana on Earth?"
"Anna: That would make a lot of sense. For one, the dungeon is an incredibly mana rich environment that saturates and then breaks down any foreign matter. Then there is the underground crops field that costs close to a hundred mana in daily upkeep."
"Yumi: I see. The plants suck up mana faster than it can naturally recover. Hm~ Mana drought?"
"Anna: That's the most likely culprit. At first, they grew as intended, but once the surrounding mana got depleted they wilted and decay set in. A unique type of mana rich fertilizer must be developed before any thoughts of large-scale trials are entertained."
"Tai: Do we have anyone interested in...well... hands on farming, I guess?"
'Do we? Hm??? I can't really say that we do...'
"Yumi: Is it even possible to scale up the production, considering our planet's low mana density? It might cause irreparable harm instead of doing any good."
'That's a good point. There are plenty of recent examples of ruining an ecosystem by introducing invasive species for one reason or another.'
"Anna: I'm not sure either, but humans have been cross-pollinating plants for half of millennium, possibly more. I'm sure that there will be a solution to this minor hiccup within the next year. Look on the bright side! Everything new, relatively limited in supply and well advertised can be sold with an insanely high markup and the profits will be reinvested into furthering the research."
Ears perked up and a glean flashed across their eyes. Thoughts are flying rapidly, trying to discern my intentions.
"Tai: My ninja senses are tingling. Are you planning something nefarious?"
Tai is good at recognising minute changes in my tone, from constantly being on the receiving end of my scoldings. I sometimes wonder whether she pulls a little prank just to be told off or simply because she forgets about my reprimands as soon as I finish talking.
I indeed happen to be looking into avenues that we could make use of to the benefit of our newfound group. However, calling it nefarious is too much, so I sound offended at that accusation.
"Anna: Goodness no. I'm simply saying that once we graduate, winning a couple of competitions, breaking a world record or two, and giving interviews are all well within our reach."
"Tai: It's all about the face! Young, beautiful and unbelievably promising women are bound to attract attention and massive fan following. ...Just between the three of us... someone from the sisterhood is looking to kick-start an idol career."
"Yumi: Is it you?!
"Tai: As a backup dancer at most! Can you imagine dealing with ten's of thousands of horny scum that are actively drooling while undressing you with their eyes? I get goosebumps just imagining being on stage in a skimpy outfit like that."
"Anna: There should be some people who are honestly respectable supporters of an idol's music and performances...10 to 15%? Give or take."
'Official competitions are bad enough despite the professional atmosphere, but willingly wearing scandalous outfits all the time in front of a massive crowd is too much. Some people have neither shame nor modesty.'
Any pretence of going back to studying is discarded. Tea and cake are served, and we switch to our usual banter and gossip. With so many girls joining our little club and spilling their hearts out, there is no small amount of information to dissect.
.. .
"Yumi: Hey, Anna? Do you think that Valentine is cool as a cucumber with all of us by now? He isn't holding a grudge over what happened, right?"
'Ah, shit. I was soo content to not think about that.'
I have to take a moment to formulate my response. It is a difficult question and there isn't a clear cut answer to be had, not really.
"Anna: ...Maybe. That's the most apt answer. I mean, he should understand that we weren't acting with ill intentions in mind. At least, he has cooled down enough to disable that cold shower surprise and even gave us chocolates on Valentine's Day. Just do your cheerful puppy thing, and we will be the best of friends in no time at all."
"Yumi: Hey! It's not a "puppy thing"! I'm a very cute, approachable and easy to get along with person by nature, thank you very much! And yeah, that cold shower bit was too obvious. All the utilities there are magic, so blaming it on anything other than intentional sabotage is pointless. Tai could have done a much better job."
I immediately turn to the worst possible outcomes that could have spelled out doom and once again feel relieved that it didn't come down to it.
'Yeah, a much better job. Like shutting down the gate and stranding us all on an alien planet with no way to get back home. Just one tap on the tablet would have been enough to permanently get rid of us all.'
We got lucky. Somehow, we didn't end up destroying everything in a downwards spiral of bad decisions.
"Tai: It's true. I would have set up distractions to confuse everyone as to the true nature of the malfunction and... ."
A whole lecture is given on how to set up better pranks and remain undetected. Contrary to a year before, plenty of them can easily be turned into lethal traps if one replaced the payload with something sharp, or sturdy, or poisonous enough. I mentally take a note to be extra vigilant and make sure to not let Tai run amok. It's best to give her a goal to focus on.
'Hmm...Tai has become extremely proficient with her hands. We could... ...send her out to win the domestic table tennis championship or something like that. Yeah, it would be a slaughter, and good for branding at the same time.'
We surf the net, looking for local tournaments and competitions to snatch a quick victory. Anything that requires months of traveling and competing is not that appealing to us, as we wouldn't be able to stock up on decent food and would definitely miss out on the happenings here.
Too much can change in mere minutes when the foundation is severely lacking in stability. None of us would feel at ease knowing that we wouldn't be able to react to an emergency in time.
.. .
`Growl~
"Yumi: Ehe~he~ it's dinner time."
"Tai: Oh! It's 5 p.m.! We can still catch little Kei if we hurry! I want to snuggle and be called big sis with that pleading voice of hers."
'Huh. Amateur. I get to build up a reliable older sister image by saving her from your clutches. I can even have her obediently sit on my lap.'
With unanimous agreement, we clean up and leave my room for the relaxation hub. No-one stopped us as we moved downstairs and passed the authorised entry only signs. Most students thinking that the private room farther in is our destination, a perk that we got for one reason or another. It sounds like a genuinely plausible explanation for anyone curious enough to ask around.
We reach an unremarkable broom closet door all the way at the back and I confidently walk into... an empty storage room.
"Anna: The portal is locked. Give me a second... ."
Walking back out and closing the door, I take out my tablet and go to the local portal settings. Despite being locked out of the interplanetary gate section, every registered user has free access to almost every other function.
'Hub to HQ unlocked... and... locked again.'
It's unlikely that anyone would enter an empty, out of the way broom closet, but the possibility is still there. So, I make sure to double check that it has returned to locked status before we exit the portal room. While I'm at it, I briefly activate quick travel to save us five minutes by bypassing the annoying walk upstairs from the bottom floor.
'It's about time we spend some mana to rearrange this expanding mess. We can surely afford to do so, with everyone contributing mana every day for the past month.'
We walk out of the portal room straight into the restaurant upstairs. The odd feeling of being bodily dragged causes only a second of discomfort. A small price to pay for the convenient shortcut.
Glancing around, I see three people having dinner. 'It looks like we have indeed arrived fairly late, or perhaps everyone else is busy studying.'
"Yumi: Kei! Hehe~ give me a taste of that!"
"Anna: Yumi, don't steal food from someone else's plate. We'll get our fill in a moment."
We take a seat at one of the empty tables and patiently wait for our turn. I make sure to give my friends a pointed look to keep them out of trouble... well, out of causing trouble that is.
"Kei: Good evening. I'm on cooking duty today, so our repertoire is limited to this temporary menu."
The proffered menu has plenty enough choices. A lot of prep work must have been done and she is mostly responsible for doing the finishing touches.
"Yumi: I'm starving, so I'd like a large portion of grilled crocodile meat, brown rice and that lemon flavoured sauce. Oh, and green salad!"
"Tai: Frog katsudon for me."
"Anna: I'll have the fish soup with extra vegetables, please. A portion of chips to share for later?"
"Yes!" "Make it two."
"Kei: Understood. Your individual orders will be done in under 5 minutes. Please excuse me."
After placing the orders, we make a stop at the ladies room and gather around the drinks corner. The multitude of choices keeping us entertained for long enough to have the food served before we finalize our choices.
"Yumi: Anyone knows what this "berry juice" is made out of? For the life of me, it tastes like a mix of mango, citrus and something else."
"Tai: Half of them are labelled as berry juice and half as fruit juice. Choosing something new and unknown is part of the fun."
"Anna: Think it's because some berries and fruits are of a unique variety from somewhere in the dungeon? We must have come across three or four that looked nothing like we have on Earth."
None of us bothered giving proper names to every new discovery, so the general terms stuck. Everything here tastes quite good anyway, so taste tasting has gradually become a fun part of the experience.
"You know what we could do? Design templates for easy to use labels and stickers, so that he can just insert a picture, add a few descriptive words and press print. I think that everyone working in the kitchen would appreciate our helping hand with this."
"Good idea." "I'm in."
Without further ado, we dig in. The food isn't lacking in taste, and the presentation is decent. I wouldn't have believed that a little girl has cooked these dishes, if I haven't seen her doing exactly that several times before.
"Yumi: Mm~ everyone needs a little sister like Kei. Can we adopt her?"
"Tai: Can we please keep her? I'll be responsible, promise!"
I'm tempted to agree with them. Such a cute and hardworking younger sister would be a welcome addition to anyone's family. Of course, neither of them are serious...?
"Anna: Behave. You'll scare her away if you keep at it."
The generous portions were devoured with gusto, and a three-front war for the fresh potato chips has begun. Dippings were seized and exchanged for ransom. Complex maneuvers and blatant backstabbings were utilised to gain an advantage regardless of the fallout. When all else failed, skills and mana manipulation were thrown into the mix. I ended up batting away Tai's clone with my conjured wings while shielding my eyes from Yumi's blinding light.
"Kei: ...We have enough potatoes in stock to feed a hundred people... ."
"Tai: It's not about the food. We are training and strengthening our bonds. Plus, it's fun to find new ways to outsmart one another."
"Anna: I have to wholeheartedly agree on the training part. Fully controlling my wings was a nightmare and a half when I wanted them to do anything other than propelling me forward. Now, they are as flexible than my own arms."
To demonstrate my point, I stretch out my left wing and selectively bend portions of the feathers to gently pat her head. They aren't as soft as real feathers, but have a distinct roughness and sturdiness to them. Not to mention that keeping them active for long is prohibitively mana draining and mentally taxing.
Seeing as our group is the last one to leave, I gently scoop up the girl and deposit her on my lap. This serves to keep the others from going overboard and opens up new topics for conversation to include all four of us.
With this, the potato chips war is over. The spoils are shared freely, and dinner is coming to a close as we reminisce about our own time in middle school.
POV Valentine
I have a sneaking suspicion that I have forgotten the most important thing for a human being.
How. To Have. FUN.
I've done extra prep work to last for three days: meat marinated, cakes frozen, veg. stocked, bouillon refrigerated and two more fridges worth of other foodstuff. My official excuse is that I'm providing Kei with important life experience, but I mostly left the HQ in search of a distraction from it all.
However...
"Why the fuck is there nothing immediately fun around here? ...What did I use to do for fun anyway?"
I visited the few museums that were within my reach. It was... normal, a bit meh to be honest. I lack the sophisticated tastes to enjoy art for more than an hour or two. The last quarter of the exhibits got only a tired glance and a generic evaluation of being OK from me.
Too much art in a single sitting is tiring, so I wandered the city for something different.
'This is preposterous. Free time should be like sweet honey, not bitter medicine. Art was a miss this time, exploring a different genre could be a possible solution. Yes, I should have gone to a concert instead. Music is easier to enjoy than fancy art.'
I muse about the meanings of life and art as my hands tap on buttons and manipulate levers. The buff character on screen performed a high kick and I swiftly stun-lock my opponent with a barrage of combos.
"K.O.! This mofo got SKILLS! Ha~ha~ha~ha."
'Fuck you all who looked weirdly at me. I'm having fun and don't give a flying fuck.'
The damn AI kicked my ass three levels later and I moved to another game, this time, shooting aliens in space. ...It wasn't as fun as expected.
`Sigh 'I'm not in the mood for killing monsters today.'
Avoiding monster killing games, I pass the time with racing games for a bit longer. Strangely enough, these games ate away at my coins much more quickly than fighting games, leaving a bad aftertaste in my mouth.
'Fine, damn it! I'll admit my defeat here! The controls are trash and fuck me over at every turn!'
"Tch, late dinner and... I could hit up that hostess club. ...Unless they have me blacklisted."
I'm out of ideas for what to do in the city. Wandering around hasn't provided me with sudden enlightenment. On the contrary, it's so horribly infested with people and noise that I want to escape back to my quiet room with all due haste, or at least move off the busy streets.
'Am I spending too much of my time with animals, monsters and the same five people every single day? Rubbing shoulders with all these strangers feels hella unpleasant for some reason.'
It is getting late in the evening, and the sea of people is seemingly unending. Rushing, talking, taking up space, I feel like a marinated sardine in a can. Scrapping my plans of walking around to do some window-shopping, I escape into a nearby taxi to take me to my next destination. The cool air-conditioning is a pleasant change of pace.
'Well... Fingers crossed.'
A step inside the hostess club was all that it took for them to react.
"Muscle: Sir. We don't want any dealings with crazy Yakuza. Take your business elsewhere. ...Between you and me, just lay down by the woman's feet and don't cause any more scenes."
'I can literally END you with my bare hands.'
The fucker is giving me a look of sympathy, thinking that I'm some bottom bitch that has run away from an abusive household. I'm sorely tempted to "massage" him one right in the liver. One good tenderizing touch would be enough to have him convulsing on the floor in agony. Unfortunately, if I were in their shoes, I would have permanently kicked them all out for causing trouble in my establishment too.
"Valentine: You know what? I'll do that. I'm a reasonable person, so do me a solid and pass on a note to Kiyo."
I scribble down: BBQ at that Ryokan, after your shift, invite friends. -Chief Valentine; and send the note bearer away. The big guy has good legs for running, as not a minute later I get a reply back and return into the waiting cab.
"Thanks for waiting. One more stop at a Ryokan and then drop me off at the nearest shopping centre. I need some supplies for a party."
'Time to money slap my way out of boredom. Oh, but I'll get booze from the HQ rather than buying the mediocre stuff.'
Upon arriving at the old-fashioned Ryokan, I politely and humbly request a small favour. Explaining the situation and promising not to make too much noise, got the final approval and I was off to do some shopping.
It also happens that money is truly mightier than the pen. A small stack of banknotes that coincidentally happen to be on the negotiation table convinced the proprietress to open up the backyard for an impromptu celebration. The old couple aren't exactly running a highly profitable family business, and the "historical" building has seen better days. A bit of extra cash isn't an eyesore for sure.
'Meat, booze, girls and the whole night to party. Now this, this should be some proper fun.'
