August 6th in the early morning, Cirrus has turned 15 three months ago and currently it’s near the end of summer.

“Mmm…” Cirrus looks out his window from the Eastern section of Orario, his new home.

Since getting his own place Lenoa suggest he move out. At first he was hesitant but seeing how he is a grown “Adult” he needs his own space, so he left his home and lived in the workshop he won from Hephaestus. Circe still stays with Lenoa to make sure everything is alright while Nox went with him.

The building itself underwent some more extensions for Nox and after a while it really did feel like a second home.

“It morning already?” said Ai sprawled out.

“Yup, time to get up.” Cirrus gets up and goes downstairs and starts the bath.

Once it’s warm enough Cirrus gets in and washes the morning grime off, soon enough Ai gets in as well still a bit sleepy.

“Ahh~ nothing beats a warm bath early in the morning!” she said leaning against Cirrus in the tub.

“Hmm… makes the day more bearable.” Cirrus wraps his hands around her and rests his head against Ai's.

“Say aren’t you enjoying baths a bit too much these days?” she asked him.

“Your damn fault for getting me into them Ai.”

“Hey why didn’t you wake me up!” Nox turned into a bird and dove in.

Ai began to wash Nox, and Cirrus helped wash Ai, their dynamic was something Cirrus never expected but considering he already had something similar with Nox during his time in the desert and Circe on the island this isn’t too far off from his comfort zone.

 ‘…Huh? When did I find this to be okay or normal?’

“I’m getting out first, you two enjoy yourselves.” Cirrus gets out and gets himself ready.

"Okay!" Ai nodded.

Cirrus by now has started to simply wear lighter gear that protects his chest, legs, and arms. He still has Brilliant Nightmare as he grew attached to it after so long of use and since it has the Unbreakable quality to it making it last through several of Cirrus’s reckless attacks.

 

After getting dressed he set out on patrol which is him simply walking through the streets both on high and low ground.

“Hm♪ Hm♪ Hm♪”

While on his patrol he walks into an alleyway where a figure lay on the ground covered in dirty rags.

“Lili did you get any new information?”

Lili gets up and cleans herself off.

“Nothing, sorry Sora but it’s been quiet for months.”

“Hmm…very well, here for your work.” Cirrus hands her a bag of Valis. “You did good today.”

“Thank you! Will I see you at Mia’s?”

“Probably if it’s anything like the pass days of petty theft.”

“Well I gotta get going! These clothes stink!”

“Remember to keep your guard up!”

“Will do!”

She then left the alley changing her appearance.

“What a useful magic for infiltration and info gathering.”

Cirrus then resumes his patrol when he comes across some old friends.

“Hm? is that you Zephyr!” said Lydia and next to her is Asfi.

“O-oh hello Cirrus sir!” she said prim and proper.

‘Seems she still holds the quality of royalty.’

“It’s nice to see you two as well, is Lord Hermes nearby?”

“No were just here to buy some stuff!” Lydia said.

“Ah I see, sorry I haven’t been around I wanted to come by but well…”

“No worries.” Asfi said shaking her head. “You have a busy schedule.”

“I do even after Evilus has gone underground for now I still need to keep an eye out.”

“Always one for business huh! oh hey Asfi show him the upgrade you made!”

“Upgrade? To the bomb I made?”

“Y-yes!” she said embarrassed. “But I wouldn’t call it an upgrade…”

She rummages through her stuff and hands Cirrus one of her bombs.

“Hmm…very well made, I can see the work you put into them, but you are partially right these modifications aren’t enough to qualify for an upgrade, but they work far better than before so you can be proud of that.”

He could see her face lite up a bit.

“Thank you! I’ll be sure to improve them more! Oh um I did destroy the blueprints you left me!”

“Very good, well I need to get going. It was nice to see you two again.”

“See ya Zephy! Come by and drink with us alright!”

"Haha! Only if you don't try to use me to pick up girls!"

He walks away waving goodbye.

 

Looking up at the sky Cirrus sits on a bench eating some snakes he bought from a vendor when Nox arrived.

‘Took me a while to find you! Why didn’t you tell me where you were?’

“Sorry I was simply staring off into space is all.”

‘Hmm…is that so, any particular reason why?’

“Well I thought about it and…I think I’m…content?”

‘Content?’

“Yeah I mean…I have more than what I had in the beginning. At first all I had was Fels and Lenoa in that shop…reading books on the world, it’s history, geography, plants, animals, anything you can think of and well you seen the room with the books right?”

‘Ah I see…it’s weird I don’t know much about your past Cirrus?’

“I can say the same for you Nox.”

‘Touché. Nevertheless I trust you full heartedly!’

“I can say the same to you and Circe. Having been through so much I trust you both without knowing much about of your pasts."

‘So are you…are you thinking of leaving Orario one day?’

He did think about it rarely but recently he has been thinking on it much more as of late. When he thinks of leaving Orario he finds it hard to believe. The city has this pull to it that just always sucks him in, why wouldn’t it? The city has everything, why would he even leave?

“…I-“

“Cirrus.”

Cirrus turned his head to see the child of wind, the rising star of Orario, Ais Wallenstein, the Sword Princess.

“Ais…what brings you here in the North-East of Orario?”

“I saw Nox flying overhead and I wanted to see you both again.” She looked at him with an intense stare.

‘Her eyes…sharp like a knife.’

“I see so you still want to fight me as a level 2?”

“No…I know I will not win.”

Cirrus could hear the frustration and loathing in her voice when she said that.

“So why did you follow Nox?”

“…I asked my Guild advisor about you.”

“And what? She gave you the Guilds records on me?”

“It said you were a level 3 when you arrived in Orario, how did you get to be this strong?”

Her eyes were even sharper as she waits for an answer.

“Ah that’s old information I should have it updated.”

“So it’s wrong?”

“Somewhat but…Do you really wanna know how I grew so strong?”

Her eyes sharpened even more; Cirrus could feel daggers stabbing him by how intently she was looking.

“Yes.” A young voice filled with desperation and curiosity.

“…Come sit, I don’t want just anyone to hear me.”

She calmly walks over and sits near Cirrus.

“So what’s your secret.”

Cirrus whispers over.

“I fight really weak monster.”

“!!”

Her eyes quickly grew angry.

“Your lying!” she said in a stern yet very aggressive tone. “I know you fought great monsters when you my age! Loki told me the deeds you did!”

“Of course I lied, why would I tell a child how to go kill herself?”

“!?” her face stiffened.

“Tell me…why should I give you what is effectively a death sentence?”

She struggled to say into words, but Cirrus could see how hard she is trying find the strength or simply courage to say them.

“..If I remember correctly it has something to do with a certain one-eyed monster.”

He could see her grip tighten on her clothes and she quietly nods making a dark expression no child should ever make.

“Ah…did it take someone important to you to make such a expression?”

“******”

She murmured a bit.

“Say again?”

“It…” her voice was beginning to be filled with pain just saying these words. “Took my mother.” She felt utter pain as if a knife was twisting in her stomach.

“…” Cirrus extends his arms on the bench and looks up at the sky. “Do you wanna know something personal? Something that Nox here hasn’t heard?”

“…” her eyes fell on him. “What?”

He looks back down and looks her in her golden eyes with eyes of empathy.

“My mother was also taken or shall we say killed by it.”

“!!”

Ais’s expression slightly changed; it was if she had found a long-lost friend after years of separation.

‘Oi Cirrus are you for real! That dam blasted black calamity killed your mom!’

“Really!?” Ais said with a curiosity in her voice.

“Yeah…she was a strong adventure and well…she died fighting it…”

“I’m…I’m sorry.” She said calming her expression.

“No need to be sorry, when she left I was placed in good hands and from what I seen your in pretty good hands as well."

Cirrus could tell she needed some levity in her life to smooth out some of the edges she had.

“…Then will you really not tell me?”

“No, from what I see miss Record Holder you’re doing plenty of fine for yourself.”

Cirrus gets up from the bench and hands her the rest of his snack.

“What’s this?” she said holding it.

“It’s called Jagamarukun, their like 30 valis, a hell of a bargain of you ask me!” he said with a smile.

“Jaga…marukun?” she said looking at it.

“That’s the snack, I hope you like it.” Cirrus begins to walk away. “If you want a rematch you have to at least be level 6 you hear!”

"Hmph! Okay!"

Cirrus leaves with Nox pecking at his head wanting to know more while Ais sat on the bench.

She would look, touch, and smell the potato snack before tasting it.

“…Nom! Nom! Swallow…” she reached into her bag and found 200 valis. Her stomached growled and her eyes lighten a bit as drool began to come down the side of her mouth. “30 valis and I have 200…I can get 6 more.”

And it was so on this day that Ais's addiction to potato snacks was kicked off.