“It’s beautiful…”

Hibiki’s eyes traced the ornately carved stone that decorated the window frames as they made their way towards the steps. Even in winter, the neatly trimmed garden hedges were a vibrant green, and in the distance, they could see housekeepers diligently working on the grounds. It was difficult to get a true grasp of just how big the estate was, as it seemed to continue with no end in sight until it disappeared into the distant treelines.

Yuuji followed behind Claire silently, trying to grasp her feelings. She clearly wasn’t happy, but he didn’t feel any fear from her expression - though there was some angst that warped her soft features.

Leona, who had been acting unlike herself the entire trip, had somewhat returned to lucidity but was looking around warily. With the situation as it was, Yuuji knew there wasn’t much else he could do but play along for now and see where this path would take them.

The giant double doors to the château swung open grandly without making even the slightest sound. The sight beyond seemed to be glimmering as the beautiful chandelier spun dazzling trails of light onto the marble entryway, and a luxurious blue carpet beckoned the students inside.

In movies, there would be rows of butlers and maids lining the sides of the room ready to welcome them as they entered, but instead, it was simply the man who had acted as their escort and chauffeur, who gave another courteous bow before leading the group off towards a doorway to the side. Despite the building being immaculately maintained, it seemed eerily quiet, and even as Yuuji strained his ears he couldn’t hear the sound of any conversation or even housework being done beyond the closed doors they passed.

“In here please, mademoiselle, dear guests.”
“...”
“...Thank you.”
“Umm, thank you!”
“...”

Claire hardly batted an eyelid as she walked past the man before trudging into the room before them. Yuuji and Hibiki followed next, Leona lagging behind, and once they entered the room a strange scene lay in front of them.

It was a large lounge, fitted with decadent sitting chairs and a roaring fireplace. Beautiful antique wooden furniture lined the walls; each more magnificently decorated than the last with ornate vases filled with gorgeous flowers of every colour… Though even with such lavish décor, their eyes were all drawn to the centre of the room.

Sat on one of the fine chairs that faced towards the door was a woman. Though her age was beginning to show, her strawberry blonde hair was still luscious and full, and the navy blue sequin dress she wore stole the gaze of any onlooker. She pursed her velvet red lips as the group entered, though as she watched the door close behind them, she revealed a well-practised smile.

“Claire, it’s so lovely to see you. Come please, you and your associates take a seat and get comfortable… Guillaume?”
“As you wish, Madame.”

The man who had acted as their guide, Guillaume, swiftly strode over to the nearest chair and held it for Claire to be seated. The moment she had sat down, he repeated the same action for the others in turn, darting to and fro without batting an eyelid.

“Ah, umm…”

Hibiki seemed a little uncomfortable with the unnecessary attention, but as she looked towards Yuuji for help, he gave a reluctant nod. Though it certainly wasn’t needed, if the host was prepared to show such hospitality, making a fuss and refusing it would only complicate matters more. Once he was finished, the man gave a bow to the lady and left the room.

“Now tell me, why must I use the Dupond name to arrange for my daughter to meet me? You have neither visited nor written in nearly a year.”
“I’m… sorry, mother.”
“It was only by chance that word reached me that the academy would be operating nearby. It’s a good thing we were able to organise this so quickly.”
“...”
“I arranged to manage the affairs of your team in place of the church while you are operating in France. Frankly, it has caused considerable delays in the proceedings of our other work, so in future, you must learn to stop being so selfish and schedule properly.”

Even while keeping the smile on her face, she began to interrogate Claire almost immediately, as the girl kept her head down and rested her hands on her lap.

“Claire, look at me.”
“Yes, mother.”
“...I knew it. Your outfit and your silly hair dye were embarrassing enough, but you still keep insisting on wearing those absurd contacts as well? Stop acting so childish, and take them out immediately.”
“Yes, mother.”

Claire slowly reached towards her face and gently removed two red disks from her eyes before looking forward once more. As she blinked from the uncomfortable change, Yuuji was surprised to see her large hazel irises that matched those of the woman across from her. He had only known Claire to have her signature ruby-red eyes that seemed to give off an unsettling glow in the darkness, but seeing her now, she seemed far more subdued.

“Haa… It can be exhausting being a parent sometimes. I’m so sorry for her behaviour, and that I wasn’t able to provide you with a true Dupond welcome. It’s a busy time for our business, you see.”
“Ah! I-It’s no problem… at all?”

The woman turned her sights on the others, and unfortunately, Hibiki seemed to draw the short straw. All four of them were in their battle gear and didn’t seem suited to the environment, but with Hibiki’s exotic horns and her mesmerising lilac eyes, she garnered the most attention.

Though her voice trailed off strangely at the end, Yuuji was impressed that she hadn’t responded with an ‘Eep!’ as she so often would when they first met. Her confidence could still do with some work, but for someone who had very little social interactions for the first decade and a half of her life, she was making outstanding progress.

“You are the girl from Japan, yes?”
“T-That’s rig-, umm, that’s correct.”
"Hoho, no need to be so nervous. As the Dupond family are key investors in Phoenix, we naturally are aware of the ins and outs of what is going on… Though it would be far more helpful to receive the reports we requested.”

At first, the woman gave a restrained chuckle as she covered her mouth with her hand, but it was hard not to miss the sharp glare she pointed at Claire while mentioning her ‘reports’. The girl herself looked down once again, and Yuuji’s hands began to squeeze together as he resisted the urge to click his tongue in annoyance.

“I have also heard reports of you, young miss - you are Leona Bianchi, are you not?”
“...Yes.”
“Hoho, thank you for looking after my youngest daughter. Flawed as she may be, I hope you continue to put up with her… and if you keep her out of trouble for me, I’ll be sure to put in a good word with the church.”
“I..! Thank you…”

Leona bit her tongue and bowed in place, but Yuuji could see that her nails were beginning to dig into the side of her leg as she pinched herself tightly. Of all people he hadn’t expected her to show restraint, but it seemed there were circumstances that even the hot-headed fighter needed to be mindful of.

“And lastly… I apologise young man, but I don’t believe I’m aware of your name. You aren’t the Sundaresan Sahni boy, are you?”
“No, my name is Ishitake Yuuji.”
“Ishitake..?”

The woman inhaled sharply for a moment before she leaned forwards as her eyes lit up.

“Oh my! The Director kept that one quiet! Yes… I can see it now. Guillaume? Hurry up with the refreshments!”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Of course, no refreshments it is then. Hoho, even back then you were much the same, and I must say you were quite the stoic child!”

Yuuji’s eyes sharpened slightly as he looked at her. That she was making efforts to please him after learning his background was frustrating enough, but it was somewhat expected - however if she was making up some story about knowing his past, that would be crossing the line.

“Forgive me, what do you mean by that?”
“It isn’t too surprising you don’t remember, but your grandfather brought you along to one of our acclaimed galas when you were young. He was quite the sly fox, managing to procure funding for Heliopolis through in-person networking alone.”

She chuckled once more, but her eyes were focused on him, and she watched his expression closely.

“You couldn’t have been any more than 5 years old, but you were certainly dashing in your little suit. You have grown up so nicely, tell me - won’t you take my Claire’s hand in marriage?”
“-!?”
“-Awa!?”
“...I respectfully decline.”

Though she didn’t speak out, Claire jolted in place, and by his side, Hibiki made a cute exclamation too. Perhaps in his daily life these days he would be flustered by this sort of obnoxiously abrupt question, but his grandfather had trained him well; he knew when to hold steadfast, and speak plainly.

“I have another daughter as well. She’s far less uncouth, but a little olde-”
“I refuse. Claire is a good friend to me, and has been an exceptional companion during my time at Phoenix. Even so, not only am I already in a relationship I have no intention of disrupting, but Claire deserves to choose her own future.”
“Excuse me!?”

Yuuji exhaled through his nose as he stared the woman directly in the eyes with a steely glare.

“Her life is not yours to control.”
“What!? Such disrespect! I’ll be notifying the Director of this immediately!”
“Tell him. Do you think he’s the kind of man to bow down for such a fickle reason?”

Her fake smile was replaced with shock as she looked at him, and the two remained locked in silence until a voice came from the side.

“Umm..! Mrs Dupond, I don’t really understand what’s happening... but thank you for doing what you do to help out Phoenix. Still, I don’t want you to insult my friend, and whether she is your daughter or not, Claire is someone very dear to me.”
“...”
“...Hmph.”

The woman broke off her glare with a scowl, and her eyes locked onto her next target.

“You, Bianchi - you feel the same?”
“I…”

Leona, who hadn’t spoken since she was last talked to, bit her lip as she avoided eye contact. An uncomfortable quiet fell over the room, but as the woman finally decided she’d had enough, she rose from her chair and stormed out of the door without another word.

“Umm… Yuuji, are we gonna be alright?”
“...It’ll work out, somehow or other. Sorry, Claire. I spoke out of turn without asking you how you felt.”

As he looked over at her apologetically, she finally raised her head once again. Her large hazel eyes were misty from tears forming, but as she sniffled loudly, a wide smile formed on her face.

“No… Thank you for speaking out for me!”
“I…Uhh…You’re welcome…”
“Yeah! You’re our friend, Claire!”

Her sudden honest outburst caught him off guard, as it was a far cry from her usual overly exaggerated persona. Compiled with her adorable petite stature, it was a one-two charm combo that he hadn’t expected, and he had to look away for a moment to regain his composure. Thankfully, his girlfriend’s cheery response helped cover for him, and he furiously reminded himself not to get carried away.

“*sniffle* Thank you… Really…”

As she wiped her eyes, she gave a pure smile from the bottom of her heart. Yuuji didn’t know how much she had to deal with this kind of pressure while growing up, but his own experience was bad enough, and he couldn’t bear seeing someone else go through the same.

“Claire… I…”

Leona kept her head bowed as she spoke with a quivering voice.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”

Even while they were at each other’s throats, the two were nearly inseparable. Though he wasn’t exactly sure how they met or why they first ended up hanging out together, Yuuji could tell their friendship was deep enough that Leona must have some reason for her silence.

“*sniffle* ...Kuku… Were you merely afraid of mine power? *sniffle* ...Us ‘Ancients’ exude strength from our very bones, you know?”
“Claire…”

Leona looked at her friend briefly, before hanging her head down once more.

“What’s that about…? Damn devil worshipper…”
“*sniffle* Hah! Now you’re sounding like yourself again, beast woman!”

Hibiki laughed quietly to herself, while Yuuji gave a small grin at the girls before him. He could only admire the strength of their friendship, as he caught a glimpse of how much they truly cared for one another.

“...Ahem. Excuse me.”

The door behind them swung gently open once more to reveal the steward, Guillaume. His expression was as professional as ever, though he had surely been left with the herculean task of cleaning up the mess left behind by the lady of the house.

“I apologise for the delay. Madame is feeling somewhat fatigued currently, and has asked if I could show you to your rooms.”

Yuuji smiled wryly back at him, as the charade was purely to save face, but he was just as much a cause of the situation as the woman who had stormed out. It was impossible to tell the man’s true feelings on the matter, but if he was maintaining his demeanour, there was no reason to involve him unfairly.

“Mademoiselle. I have been requested to take you to one of the guest rooms instead of your own.”
“...I understand. Thank you, Guillaume.”
“..!”

For the first time since they had first seen him, his expression changed into one of surprise, though it quickly set back into his steadfast look, and he bowed his head. He held the door open once again, and gestured for them to follow.

“Right this way.”

For better or worse, it seems they would be staying at Château Dupond a while longer.