"Ugh..." A groan escaped my lips as I arose from the bed.

Strange thoughts surfaced in my mind along with vague images, yet they vanished the moment I tried to recall them more clearly.

I felt as if I was talking to someone earlier, but I don't remember 'who' they were, 'what' the conversation was about, or 'why' it took place. I could also somewhat tell that it should've been just a 'dream'.

"Haah~ What the hell..." My frustration amalgamated into words without my consent.

After rushing back to the inn, I went to my designated room and immediately went to sleep, trying to forget that whole 'ghost cat' ordeal. Perhaps it worked, at least mostly anyways, but it seems like I was presented with a different problem.

To say I had a nightmare would be a bit of a stretch, although my impression of the dream was hazy, I didn't feel anything remotely 'horrific' in it. If anything, it actually felt more sad and depressing, almost as if 'someone' was grieving.

Or perhaps, was it 'me' who was grieving?

I couldn't even tell anymore.

It was definitely strange, it's not like I drank anything that would influence my mental state, not to mention I should be immune to status effects in the first place.

I can't even buff or debuff myself with my own spells, so someone or something causing this to me made little to no sense whatsoever.

"Whatever, let's just go." Since dwelling on it didn't solve anything, I just decided not to think about it.

Readying my things, as well as taking the Fox mask this time, I went out of the room, hoping to clear my mind.

 

Passing by her room, I didn't bother Elira, seeing as she was probably still sleeping. I'm even less entitled to bother Eckra and her group, so in the end, I have to go by myself again.

Man, just what is today.

Leaving the inn, I began searching for a good restaurant, while also avoiding the area where the previous cat incident took place.

I probably could've eaten at the inn itself, since they also served food, but considering their main products seem to be all sorts of alcoholic drinks, the food probably wouldn't taste good. That, and I didn't wanna eat near a bunch of loudmouth drunkards for the time being.

It didn't take me long to find one that seemed decent, before promptly entering it.

The restaurant had two floors, with most of the tables in the lower floor being filled by customers. Obviously, I took the second floor, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Ordering a simple meal from the waitress, I remained seated waiting for my lunch.

"Excuse me, are you by yourself? Mind if I share a table with you?" While I was still waiting, a young man came to my table and asked me.

Looking around, even the second floor seemed to have been unknowingly filled with customers. Man, I didn't think this restaurant was that popular.

Considering my table was relatively spacious and I was alone, he probably thought it was better to intrude on mine than on the others.

"Eh, sure I guess. I was alone to begin with, so it wouldn't hurt to have company." My answer prompted the guy to sit opposite of me.

And just in time too, the waitress brought me my meal. It was a steak with mashed potatoes and a few other vegetables on the side, together with a cup of fruit juice.

With the waitress here, the dude also began to order his own meal, which the other hurriedly began to write down.

After everything was done, the young man turned to me, observing me as I got ready to eat.

"Uh, are you not going to remove the mask?" He asked confusedly as I was cutting a part of the meat.

"Hmm? Mask?" I was a little inwardly surprised at his sudden question.

The mask that I was wearing was by no means an ordinary mask, but rather an artifact of sorts. It's pretty weak, since I've just recently turned it into one, but it should be difficult for ordinary people to see through.

Like most simple artifacts, the fox mask's abilities revolved around one simple trait, which, for this one, was none other than illusion. Its function was fairly standard, to give others the illusion that I have a face, even changing the 'impression' of my voice to match said face.

To other people, I would basically look like a bland looking totally normal person, instead of an overly conspicuous mask wearing douchebag.

Because it's an illusion, the face that appears is greatly determined by what the person viewing me considers 'bland looking'.

The kicker of it all is the fact that as long as I'm wearing it, even if I turn it to the side of my head, it's ability can still clearly function.

Or at least, that was my original plan when I came here to eat. Unfortunately, I definitely can't even fucking do that anymore with this guy being here.

"A mask? Where?" I curiously 'looked' around myself, trying to 'find' the mask he was speaking of.

"The mask that you're wearing, right on your face."

Hearing him, I 'touched' my 'face', as if confused at his words.

"I'm not wearing a mask though?"

"Huh?"

While the guy was still trying to process my words, the waitress, bringing the food he ordered, came to our table and began to set the plates down.

"There you go, sir."

"Uh, wait! I have a question."

"Yes?"

Upon getting stopped by the man, the waitress looked confusedly at him.

"That girl is wearing a mask, right?" He said, pointing at me.

"...Um... No, not really. Are you okay, sir?" The waitress's expression quickly turned strange, as she began to look at him like he was a mentally deranged person.

"N-no, I'm fine! Really! I was just joking earlier, haha..."

Although he quickly tried to gloss things over, he began to look at me with eyes full of suspicion once the waitress left. Of course, since I had taken things this far, I intended to fully commit through it.

Even though it was clearly way overkill for such a stupid prank, not wanting to do things half-assedly, I began to pull a strand of energy from the surreal force resting within my heart.

After imbuing it within my fork, I continued what I was doing, eating my food with relish.

"W-what?!"

"Hey, this actually tastes pretty good! No wonder this restaurant is crowded."

But to his perspective, it probably looks like the stake and the fork holding it phased through my mask like it was a hologram.

"What about you? Are you not gonna eat yours?"

"Y-yes, s-sorry I bothered you."

He began to silently eat his food, keeping his eyes away from me. Poor guy was probably starting to question his life, reviewing his memories and wondering what was even real anymore.

He was very clearly visibly shaken, and seeing as he was eating his food quickly, he probably didn't want to stay here for too long.

As expected, compared to me, who was in no hurry, he was quick to finish his plate and immediately left after saying a perfunctory goodbye.

On the other hand, seeing how disturbed the guy was made me particularly happy, which made the meal I was eating even more sumptuous. A successful prank was, after all, hard to come by, especially on strangers who would leave little to no repercussions.

Now, once I finished my meal, I called the waitress, intending to pay and leave, but unfortunately, to my surprise...

"What do you mean he didn't pay for his meal?! Shouldn't you have gone after him then?!"

"Wasn't he with you, Ma'am?"

"What the fuck? No, he wasn't! I don't even know him at all! He just sat on my table since your restaurant was full!"

…I was forced to pay for his meal...

"That Motherfucker—"

 

◊◊◊

 

Now, you're probably wondering what that weird power I keep pulling from my heart was.

But truthfully, even now, I myself am not completely sure what it really was either.

Around my tenth birthday, a peculiar force, one that I knew had been silently germinating inside my heart, finally woke up. And even stranger yet, the peculiar force, although newly born, held such immense power that even I, its bearer, could scarcely fathom it.

But funnily enough, for all the absurd weight that it carried, it was incredibly gentle, placing not even the tiniest burden on me. In fact, its presence, even while inactive, was somewhat comforting, as if its existence alone allowed me to be in harmony with the world.

Frustratingly though, even in my Celestial Form, I could only utilize a small stream of it. I can't even tell just how significant that 'small stream' really was compared to its source, since I couldn't really see through its depths, or if it even had such a thing.

Like borrowing a lake from an ocean, if you factor the lake on its own, then perhaps it would seem large or even enormous, but when comparing it to what seemed to be an endless sea, of which the bottom of you couldn't even comprehend, then even the lake would seem measly and trivial.

Moreover, as you can probably expect, I could use even less of it in my normal form, currently only barely a strand.

Yet this strand, just by itself, can do many wonders. From amplifying physical stats, mana, and spells, to turning ordinary objects to weak, but definitive artifacts. It can even allow me to freely cast 7 Circle Spells, something that only people who've reached Elemental Manifestation can do.

With my great naming sense, as well as certain considerations, I officially referred to it as Celestial Force, or Celestial Power. I actually wanted to refer to it as Divine or Holy Power, but apparently, those were already taken by another type of power that exists, go figure.

Of course, since I didn't really have anyone to teach me about it, and records about my kind were scarce and unhelpful, I just assumed this was part of my powerset as a Hero.

But, well, as weird as this may sound...

I never really liked it all that much.

Despite all the things that it enabled me to do, some part of me rejected it. Of course, it's not because it hides some sort of hidden danger to me, no not at all.

It was just that, from the day it awakened, I already knew it will never truly belong to me.

There's a strange sense of distance between it and I. It was infinitesimally small, yet my instincts foretold it to be an eternally unbridgeable gap.

It's funny, it was germinated and sprouted inside of me, even continuing to reside in my body as of now, yet it never really integrated with me and likely never will.

Like it was merely lending itself to me.

I really disliked it, all for the simple fact that it will leave me one day.

 

◊◊◊

 

Having soured my mood from the earlier shenanigan, I quickly left the perimeter of the restaurant.

I somewhat wanted to look for the dine n dash guy, maybe beat his ass a little as revenge, but I really couldn't be bothered to be involved with him anymore.

At this point, I'll just consider it karma for pranking him.

Wanting to clear my head a little, I headed towards the Adventurer's Guild to obtain the payment for the escort and maybe even take a few commissions for myself. Even though I didn't really need the money, it's still (Probably?) fun to do quests and whatnot.

Otherwise, what was the point of becoming an adventurer?

As it wasn't too far from my location, it didn't take long for me to reach it.

Inside the guild, I curiously looked over the quest board, hoping to see if there were any tasks that could interest me.

When I couldn't find anything compelling enough, I just headed straight to the receptionist, both to obtain the escort payment and to see if there are other missions outside of the quest board.

The receptionist this time was a pretty lady with brunette hair and brown eyes.

"Hi, miss. How can I help you?" And apparently, it looks like she has a nice voice too.

"I'm here for the remuneration on an escort task." I told her, giving her my adventurer's card.

Upon seeing my card, the lady raised a brow, before immediately returning to her job.

Damn it Serra, even if you wanted to give me some special privileges, couldn't you have given me a second, more normal card I can use so I don't stand out?

Then again, I guess I could've requested it while I was still there. At the time, I just wanted to not be in the same room as her as quickly as possible, so I didn't even think about asking for one.

Whatever, no use crying over it now.

After scanning my card, she took out a parchment, wrote something on it, before giving me five silver coins.

On a side note, copper coins are the lowest currency, a silver coin is worth a hundred copper coins and a gold coin is worth a hundred silver coins.

The payment left me a little surprised, it seems like the boss was a lot more generous than I thought. He directly gave five times more than the original intended commission.

While a silver coin doesn't sound like much, remember, I am currently a D-Class Adventurer, not to mention this comes with what's basically a free bus ride. Getting paid when you're hitching a ride, nowhere is that not a positive.

Looks like the man was a pretty cool dude after all.

"By the way, do you have any other tasks outside of those on the board?" I asked the lady.

"Hmm? Well, there are quite a few quests that weren't posted, I can show you if you wish."

"Sure, I'd like to see them, please."

"Okay, then..." Pulling out a drawer divided in sections, she took a few documents from an organized pile before passing them to me. "Due to your special credentials, you can receive up to a C - Grade task, though you can only take one of them at a time."

"Right, thanks for the heads up." I said, before browsing through the files.

Rather than saying 'a few', there were actually a lot of tasks in the file. Enough that if they were all posted on the board, they'd be crowding each other, which was probably why it wasn't.

Ranging from the standard tasks like hunting, exploring, gathering, protection and escort tasks, even miscellaneous tasks that involve helping someone clean a place or transport luggage (Which were typically for the F to E - Ranks), there were a lot of varieties of jobs that an Adventurer can choose from.

There were even a few... lets just say, more unsavory tasks involving one's body, which I'd rather not discuss too in-depth. Yeah, there's a little too much variety if you ask me.

In the end, I decided on only one task. I could probably take more, but most of the others didn't really interest me. I didn't want to go monster hunting on my own, and escort missions are an even bigger no, since I'd have to follow someone around for a period of time.

And so, the quest I took was in the miscellaneous category, yet despite this, it received a rank as high as D - Grade.

"Are you sure you want to take this?" The receptionist lady asked me in a rather speculative manner.

Understandable, I mean you probably wouldn't expect a VIP-like person to do miscellaneous type tasks.

"Yep." I didn't even hesitate, answering her bravely.

"Just to make this clear, you are able to paint exceptionally well, right? The client will test you on this."

"That's fine by me."

"Okay, then miss. Please wait for a bit."

She rummaged through her desk before giving me a copy of the task form, which I was told to give to the task issuer. Of course, since I wasn't too familiar with the place, I asked for directions.

Seeming used to it, she handily gave me a map, marking the spot I was supposed to go to. 

 

After exchanging for a brief longer with the receptionist lady, I left the Guild and immediately headed for the marked location.

The map was fairly detailed and the landmarks were obvious enough that it would actually be harder to lose my way, and it wasn't like I had a horrible sense of direction either.

On the way, I leisurely observed the surroundings, somewhat getting a better gauge of the city's condition. It was certainly prosperous, which was a given since it was so close to the central capital.

The sightseeing was short-lived though, as I soon reached my destination.

Before me was a rather large house, decorated with a well maintained flower garden on the front. Within that garden, a middle-aged woman, dressed in typical gardening wear, was tending to the plants.

"Hello~" I waved to the woman, attempting to get her attention.

"Hmm?"

Perhaps she already noticed my presence, but she immediately stopped what she's doing and steadily made her way towards me.

"Hello, what can I help you with?"

Wow~, taking a closer look at her now, she was quite the beautiful woman. Although age seemed to have slowly caught up to her, it only gave her a mature charm due to her well maintained body and skin.

She's definitely a high end tier among the Milfs.

"*Cough* I mean, I'm here to undertake this task, will you please give this to the issuer?" I said while handing her the form.

Once she received it, she carefully inspected it before raising a brow.

"I see, about this, I was the one that issued it."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, since you wish to receive it, then follow me."

Opening the gate, she led me into the house. The inside was as spacious as you can expect from the outside, having quite a few luxurious looking decors.

There were also plenty of servants here and there tending to the place, each of them bowing in courtesy whenever they saw the woman walking ahead of me.

It was clear she was pretty well off, just from the looks of things.

Leading me further in, I was taken into a large studio-like room filled with various paintings, most of which were unfinished, as well as painting equipment.

"Um—" 

"I'd like you to paint something first, it can be anything you wish to. Though it's preferable if it's a person."

"A test?"

"Yes, you’re free to do it at your pace."

"Well, okay then."

Quickly grabbing the necessary equipment, I sat in front of an empty canvas. Thinking about who I should paint, I ran through countless images in my head of all the people I knew, both in the current and past lives.

I thought I would've been more indecisive and hesitant on who to choose, but strangely, for some reason, that person's image seems to grow ever more prominent the further I reminisce.

In the end, indulging in the impulse, I picked up the brush and the palette, beginning my work.

Not minding the person observing not far beside me, I started with a simple outline.

I didn't intend to take days on this particular piece, so the end result may not be as detailed or well made, but I still wanted to work on it earnestly.

Placing my complete concentration to the canvas and the image I envisioned, I nearly forgot about my surroundings. After some time, the intended portrayal that I wanted to depict was becoming more and more clearly reflected in the canvas.

It was an image of a young man bearing a calm yet solemn face, he wore a typical adventurer's wear, with his gloved hands placed on the pommel of a bastard sword stabbed to the ground.

His black hair, reminiscent of the night, seemed to flow across the wind, forming a stark contrast with the dawn of a rising or setting sun placed behind him.

A pair of dark eyes gazed indifferently, piercing through the canvas and into the real world. Yet for all the detachment those eyes hold, if one were to stare at them more closely, one could mistakenly see a veiled warmth hidden beneath the surface.

 

◊◊◊

 

It wasn't until Luna completed her work that she finally relaxed and carefully observed the results.

Having placed such intense focus on the painting allowed for a rather spectacular outcome, even when compared amongst the other works that she spent days worth of effort upon.

Yet strangely, when she closely discerns the piece, she could feel that something was off about it, like a part of it was done incorrectly.

She couldn't understand where this idea stems from, since as far as she's concerned, every bit of it was made based on what she recalled of him.

Although she added a more fantasy-like setting to his attire in order to fit with the world she currently lived in, it didn't take away from the fact that it was a complete image of him.

Nonetheless, it bothered her immensely, so much so that she couldn't help but glare in frustration at the canvas.

'Should I add a scar on his cheek then?' She couldn't help but think, before immediately dismissing it.

Back then, that person's wounds healed strangely quickly, though he rarely got injured in the first place.

Simple cuts that would take others several days to mend would only take him a day, while heavier injuries that would normally take over a month only needed around a week for him.

Similarly, his scars, even the most intensive ones, also slowly faded over the years. Even before she died, around half the scars that riddled his body, including of course the one on his face, had already long disappeared.

So that couldn't have been what bothered Luna. But if so, then what else could it have been? 

No matter how much Luna gazed at her work, attempting to envision different versions of the image, the irritating feeling never dissipated.

She understood that it wasn't the painting itself that was causing her annoyance, but rather something more internal, originating from her innermost feelings.

Simply put, she was severely frustrated.

Because she remembered him wrong.

'Why though? I don't really understand.' Knowing that thinking deeper about it wouldn't help her, she simply gave up.

So what if she remembered him wrongly? So what if she drew him with some mistakes? Why in the world should that even matter?

It's been over a decade since she last saw him, moreover she had died back then. It's possible that dying might've messed with her memories of that life. Although her memories from her past life were fairly clear, it was impossible for her to remember every tiny detail of it.

She no longer cared whatever part of her subconscious is causing all that ruckus, so she instead chose to ignore it thoroughly.

"That's a rather well done piece, little lady." The woman's voice finally took Luna out of her stupor.

"Oh, thanks, I guess. Were you waiting for me the whole time?"

"Not quite, I took a break every now and then."

Once the woman told Luna of this fact, she finally realized that the woman was no longer wearing gardening attire.

"Wait, how long was I doing this?"

"Hmm, I'd say about five or six hours."

"What?! That long?!"

Luna immediately got up and surveyed the outside through the window. The sun, which had previously been within the window's peripherals, was already long out of sight.

"Since you were so absorbed in your work, I couldn't bear to distract you." From behind her, the lady answered her doubt even before she could ask.

"Ahem, right..." Although she was greatly surprised at her own lengthy bout of concentration, Luna instantly suppressed her own confusion. "So, can this be considered a pass?"

"With flying colors, you can say." The woman added.

From the overawed eyes alone, it was clear that the woman was quite appreciative of Luna.

"I am Norea Dalroc, it's a pleasure to meet you. Apologies, it was rude of me not to introduce myself earlier."

"No no, it's fine. It didn't bother me too much. I'm Luna, an adventurer, it was also a pleasure for me to meet you."

Although it was strange for an introduction to take place so late in the meeting, it hardly concerned Luna. In the first place, she never sensed any form of malice from the woman.

"Now then, madam. Who exactly would you have me paint?" Striking while the iron was hot, Luna finally asked about the commission.

 

"Hmm..." Sitting within a guest room, Luna appeared slightly troubled while pondering over her task.

The job she was given, while not of the excessive or unreasonable sort, was still something Luna found difficult. By now, she had realized why it was considered a D - Class Quest, despite being among the miscellaneous category.

She was tasked with drawing the commissioner, Norea's, late daughter.

On its own, that wouldn't have been difficult. But the problem is, there was hardly any frame of reference regarding the image of said daughter.

There was an existing portrait of her when she was a child, but what Norea wanted was a portrait of the girl in her adult years.

Although Luna could try to make one based on the verbal context given by Norea and the servants, there were several problems with this.

For one, while Luna was very capable when it came to drawing an image, even from memory alone, she was considerably less competent when it came to envisioning an image purely based on the words of others.

Secondly, it's been several years since the girl's passing, meaning everyone's memories regarding her detailed appearance might not be as clear as before.

And last but not least, Norea's daughter was said to be a free spirited person, often moving around place to place. Even though she went home somewhat frequently, her stays ranged from a few days to a month at best.

Even when she was still alive, some of the long-time servants might've only met her a handful of times a year, making their impression of her much more vague.

No matter how good a person's drawing skills may be, it's basically uncalled for to ask them to accurately paint a person they've never even seen before.

Which pretty much left Luna to her current dilemma.

"Ugh, how do I even start here?" As of right now, she felt somewhat embarrassed.

When she accepted the quest, she didn't really take it seriously.

At that time, she didn't have much drive to do monster subjugation, since C - Rank monsters and below would only leave her bored. As such, seeing a painting task, which she believed was well within her capabilities, she handily accepted it without much thought.

Now, she couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Although she could easily quit the task without any consequences, her pride wouldn't accept giving up a mission she took so easily. Moreover, a part of her didn't want to disappoint the beautiful Norea, making her more reluctant to just simply resign.

"Ah, fuck it. This isn't helping shit." Lightly tapping her cheeks, she simply relaxed herself, deeply leaning into the couch she was sitting on.

Internally, she complained ceaselessly. Thinking about how strange today was, she couldn't help but turn towards the painting that she made, which Norea allowed her to keep.

 'Weird... It's definitely weird.'

Back in her previous life, Luna often drew 2D characters as a hobby of sorts. After reincarnation, courtesy to one of her brother's guidance, she began learning to make all kinds of proper detailed paintings.

As such, she had some confidence in herself when it comes to artistry.

But not to this degree.

The canvas that she made was extremely detailed and lifelike, from each blade of grass in the ground, every strand of the person's hair, to even the sun and the clouds, it was practically enough to give an HD picture a run for its money.

Through it, she could even infer such fervent spirit that it didn't even feel like a mere image anymore. 

She was fairly certain not even her brother, who taught her, could do something of this quality. And she was even more sure that this was absolutely not something she should’ve been capable of.

Even if you give her a year's worth of trial and error, this couldn't have been something she can remotely imitate, much less create within a few hours.

…At least, it shouldn't have been... 

"...Fuck..." She suddenly felt a chill crawl up her spine.

Swiftly getting up, she impatiently left the guestroom and entered the previous art studio, just two rooms away. Perhaps Norea appreciated her skill a little too well that she basically allowed her to enter and use it freely.

Luna wanted to try and paint something again, though just a little more casually this time, hoping to ascertain something she was suspicious about.

Once again taking the basic tools upon another empty canvas, she started yet another work, one that was much more simpler.

"...Yep, yep, something's definitely fuckin wrong here." Within less than 20 minutes, she stopped.

Looking at the work in front of her, a simple landscape filled with bountiful trees, it could definitely be considered praise worthy. Problem is, it was too well done, even for something created in such a short notice.

It wasn't something someone of her skill level should originally be capable of.

"The hell happened to me?" This sense of dissonance was beginning to scare her a little.

While thinking deeply over the matter, she suddenly caught notice of someone silently attempting to sneak inside the room through the window.

"Hmm?"

Focusing her senses, she realized the intruder was a little twerp. Since the room itself was on the first floor, it wasn't difficult for even a child to attempt a window entrance, and seeing how cautiously the kid was looking around, she probably didn't realize Luna was in the room.

Despite never meeting the kid prior, judging by her appearance alone, Luna could somewhat guess who she was.

'Norea's little granddaughter. Interesting...'

That's right, Norea wasn't just a mere Milf, she was a true bonafide Gilf.

With Luna still thinking of silly thoughts, the little girl finally rose to the window, accidentally locking eyes with Luna.

"...!!!"

"Pfft—"

Within that instance, the poor girl froze at the sudden abrupt meeting, leaving Luna to somewhat snicker internally.

 

 

---

 

 

[Extra: It's not my problem]

 

Lunas, carrying a bag, nervously stood in front of a house right beside Niel.

Currently, hesitation, worry, and fear was written all over his face. Occasionally, he flashed hopeful gaze towards the companion beside him, only for the other to slightly turn his face aside.

"Lunas."

"Yeah?"

"There's a lot of things I'm willing to help you with. Clearing a level? Happily so. Homework? sure, I can work with that. I'm even fine helping you deal with a project you intentionally procrastinated till last minute."

"..."

"But this? This is not one of them."

"Why?!"

"Because I don't want to die just yet."

"Dude, she's not gonna kill you!"

"Since that's the case, it shouldn't be difficult for you to do it yourself."

"Fuck, you traitor! You're just gonna abandon me like this?!"

"Last I checked, this is entirely your fault so it's not my problem."

Lunas stares intensely at Niel, only to realize he's never going to budge. Gritting his teeth, he finally resolved himself to enter the house, though he also noted this 'betrayal' down in his heart, vowing vengeance sooner or later.

Taking steps forward, Lunas stopped midway to look back, only to see Niel signaling him to 'hurry up', which he naturally returned with a middle finger.

Once in front of the door, he steeled himself one last time, before unlocking it and entering.

 

◊◊◊

 

Now, to understand the current dilemma, one must first understand the start of the problem.

A few days back, Lunas and Niel joined an annual anime convention. At the time, Lunas was crossdressing as a somewhat popular character, wearing a costume that his sister Erna had created.

That itself wouldn't have been a problem, at least until the two had a group picture with another band of people.

Back then, an idiot wearing a full on pirate getup, complete with a hook arm, just happened to be right next to Lunas in the groupings. Once everyone began to separate, the hook, which was accidentally intertwined with Lunas's dress, caused a rip in the clothing.

While the tear itself wasn't excessive, Lunas knew he was in deep trouble.

If there was one thing Erna absolutely abhorred, it was the careless handling of her creations. She'd scold him for so much as losing a ribbon in a clothing set, much less an outright tear.

Simply put, the moment the rip occurred, Lunas knew, 

He was absolutely fucked.

 

◊◊◊

 

"So how was it?"

 Looking at the haggard Lunas, who's soul seems to be halfway leaving his body, Niel casually asked.

"...The fuck do you think, asshole." Lunas growled back.

"..."

"Now I have to come back here everyday and do stupid chores for the entire month. I can't even refuse, or she'll post pictures of me crossdressing in our friend group."

Although Lunas had a strange hobby of occasionally crossdressing (Which couldn't be helped since he'd been constantly forced to do so at a young age), he kept it secret enough that outside of his family, only Niel knew of it.

Considering this year alone, he's been asked out by several strangers at school who mistook him for a tomboyish girl, he was absolutely against revealing said hobby.

The problem was, earlier Erna managed to forcefully join the group chat through him. Adding in Erna's blackmail materials on him, he had to obey her whether he likes it or not.

"Cheer up, it's only a month. Besides, it's a good change of pace for you, instead of you just lazing around my home."

"What do you mean laze around? I do chores too you kn—"

"Whenever you feel like it, you mean? Half the time I'm the one cleaning up the mess you make."

Niel corrected Lunas mid sentence, pointing out the biggest flaw in his statement.

"I cook, though. You can't deny that."

 "That's just for your own sake, since no one else will. Besides, if I really want something to eat, any premade food I grab in the convenience store on my way home will do."

"Are you fucking kidding? Since when have you bought proper food? I've literally seen you outright eat raw ingredients, you fucking animal. And don't give me that shit about my food being replaceable, everyone who's tried it can guarantee you it's delicious, it isn't my fault you cant fucking taste for shit."

"So what if I eat things raw? Unlike you, I can properly digest it. Also, since you already knew taste is irrelevant to me, why even bring it up? It certainly didn't add to your case."

"Just because you think lightly of it, doesn't mean my skills are dismissible. In fact, isn't it your problem that you can't distinguish my greatness?"

"Careful, your narcissism is riling up again."

"What'd you say? Say that again!"

"———"

"———!"

The two continued their argument while making their way back.

Throughout the quarrel, Lunas seemed to forget his original dilemma. Though whether that was intentional on Niel's part or not remains to be seen.