Within the messy office space of a large building were the sounds of gleeful laughter. At times, the laughter would be coupled by either the crunches of teeth crushing down against food, or the light taps of a cup touching the plate beneath its destined position.

In that very room were two individuals. A woman of white radiance, and a woman of red and black elegance. They sat across from one another, enjoying the peaceful chat that transpired after a long period of absence.

Yoro: [...So, Nene had to fix the swing shortly after. But even though he tied the top of it as tightly as he could, the ropes snapped apart as soon as Varius took one massive swing!]

Shiro: [Hahaha! Yep! That sounds about right for a kid her age! Was she alright afterwards?]

Yoro: [Oh, she was more than alright. She got up shortly after and asked Nene to set it up again. It was as if she enjoyed the idea of it breaking as she flew more than the idea of just using it normally!]

Shiro: [Haha! Man, it kinda makes me jealous. I miss being that young and carefree.]

Yoro: [Please. We’re both still quite young at this very moment.]

Shiro: [I’d agree if I didn’t have to always hear the worst nickname I could be given.]

Yoro: [That certainly was quite the interesting choice of one, but perhaps it’s from a place of kindness.]

Shiro: [Some of it probably is, but I think it’s also partially from somewhere mischievous altogether, and I think I might just know the source.]

Yoro: [Oh, by the way, I was curious. This painting on the wall, where did you get it from?]

Yoro moved her eyes to the other side of the room. Along the wall was an incredibly large painting of a succubus on death’s door feeding a baby, all the while smiling with her eyes closed as she passed on. Shiro joined Yoro’s eyes, and prepared her explanation.

Shiro: [Oh, that? I had it custom made.]

Yoro: [Really? It’s quite incredible…]

Shiro: [I kinda wanted something to spruce up the office a bit, so I contacted a professional and requested it. I didn’t give them many details, since I wanted to be surprised by the result. I’m really happy with it though. It’s a beautiful piece.]

Yoro: [Indeed it is. Perhaps you could provide me with some contact info in regards to the artist? I think I might want something for the castle.]

Shiro: [I can hand it over, but you’ll sadly have to wait in line. Kō and Sil saw it when I brought it in and they immediately contacted the artist for the same thing only with their own original takes. So much for originality I guess.]

Yoro: [Hehe! Perhaps that just tells you how much they look up to you!]

Shiro: [I hope that’s the case…Oh right! Kō has been visiting you two often, hasn’t she?]

Yoro: [Yes! We see her at least once every two weeks. She comes by to have tea and chat, and every time, she attempts to say hi to Varius.]

Shiro: [She sure is kind with children, isn’t she?]

Yoro: [It’s astounding. She isn’t as brash as she once was when we were teenagers, but there’s still a significant difference when a child is around. She acts in her own way normally, but as soon as Varius arrives, she becomes incredibly kind and her voice completely softens.]

Shiro: [Heh. Yep. That’s Kō for you. And what does Varius think of her?]

Yoro: [She finds her to be quite scary.]

Shiro: [PFFFT–HA! I’M SORRY! I shouldn’t have done that but…wow. I just wasn’t ready for that answer.]

Yoro: [Rest assured, I had to hold in my laughter once she had given it to me. The relationship between Kōkatsu and I has changed very much since we were young, but even I found what my daughter had said to be quite funny. She likes to take peeks at Kōkatsu while I’m speaking with her. But as soon as Kōkatsu notices, she smiles and waves which leads to Varius running away. It’s been this way ever since Varius learned how to walk.]

Shiro: [I guess it’s unfortunate for her that she couldn’t exactly run when she was just a baby.]

Yoro: [Indeed. Kōkatsu was able to play peek-a-boo with her as much as she wanted. For Varius, that might be tragic news to hear.]

Shiro: [Speaking of your family, how has Nero been? I spoke to him earlier but things kinda drifted off from what I expected.]

Yoro: [He has been very well! I must say, while I do so quite often to begin with, I’ve found myself fawning over him more and more as time goes on. He manages to put the most effort into his duties, while also providing time and love for our family.]

Shiro: [He should watch out. There might be two little rascals to deal with at the rate he’s going.]

Yoro’s cup of tea abruptly struck down against her plate, causing a shocked jump from Shiro.

Yoro: [Shiro! You should know me well enough for something like that!]

Leaning across the table before checking the door, Yoro covered her mouth with one hand, speaking once again.

Yoro: [...I’m aiming for three.]

A devilish smile was formed across her face. In tandem with Yoro’s was a synchronized smile on Shiro’s own face that mimicked every detail.

Shiro: [I’m glad we think alike.]

Readjusting herself and patting down her dress, Yoro adjusting her throat before speaking again.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Yoro: [Right. Anyways, Nene has been fantastic. I’ve never seen anyone work nearly as hard as he has…..and….]

Noticing the downcasting of Yoro’s eyes, Shiro adjusted her posture as she spoke.

Shiro: [I spoke with him earlier. I won’t pry into your lives, but he seemed a bit different than usual.]

Yoro: [...]

As silence filled the room, a deep regret began to fill Shiro’s chest.

Shiro: [I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have said anything—]

Yoro: [No. It’s alright…]

Yoro moved her face up in order to reveal the nervous smile that was attached.

Yoro: [You’re the closest friend out of all for me. Even if I haven’t spoken to you in quite some time, our connection is something I cherish. This is a matter I should have discussed with you a long time ago…]

Shiro: [You don’t need to speak about it if it’s that painful.]

Yoro: [No, I should. I must ask, perhaps it is selfish but…would it be possible for the contents of this subject to be known by just the two of us? It’s not exactly something that should be made public or known by any authorities…]

Shiro began to sweat as she heard the question. Clearing her throat, she readied herself for what would come next.

Shiro: [There’s something to be said about upholding justice, and how any crack between the lines could cause much larger holes to be formed. Thus, there should be no exceptions with topics that pertain to something far greater.]

Yoro: [I see. Perhaps you are right then. We should not discuss–]

Accepting the fact that her chat would not be allowed, Yoro closed her eyes and prepared herself to leave. However, just before she could finish talking, Shiro interrupted her with kindness lingering in her voice.

Shiro: [...However, the two of you are my friends. Though it wouldn’t exactly look good on me for having a conversation like this, I’m more than sure that there’s a reason behind whatever it is. Please, speak with me about what has happened.]

Yoro began to smile back at Shiro as her tears started to well up by the corners of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she moved her eyes down once again.

Yoro: [...I’m not sure what it was, or why it happened, but there was a point in time where Nero had changed.]

Shiro raised her head in confusion.

Shiro: [Changed? I only spoke with him briefly, but he didn’t seem that different to me. Well, he had some odd questions, but we all have those from time to time.]

Yoro: [It wasn’t necessarily anything permanent. In fact, it faded as soon as it came. But…around the time that I had returned home after our long journey, that was where it had occurred. I was going to secure the castle for me and Nero to live in, and check in on Corti and Forti.]

Shiro: [I know well enough that the castle you were headed towards isn’t the same as the one you’re now living in.]

Yoro: [Correct. This was one that was much closer to the Onigashima District, rather than being closer to here. The journey to said castle took an extra day past the point where we had separated. I was prepared to be greeted by my enthusiastic guards, and instead…]

From her downcasted head came droplets of tears that attacked both the table, along with her cup of tea. Shiro had wanted to comfort her, but she knew that Yoro would have chosen to continue talking rather than accepting it. Feeling the pain of being unable to help within herself, she could only say one thing.

Shiro: [Yoro…]

Yoro: [...They were dead…They had been killed by a mob of humans…I understood where their anger had come from..but Corti and Forti did not deserve this…They were human…just like them…]

Shiro: [Humans…?! Do you mean that they were focused on hunting you down?! How did they even know where you were located?!]

Yoro: [I’m not sure…I was never able to get the full details…I couldn’t after all…I promised many things to Nero, but a promise I had made with myself was that I would change for him…I wouldn’t kill anymore…I wouldn’t cause harm to others…I wouldn’t do anything…]

Shiro: [I don’t mean to make an assumption, but if you did nothing, and you’re still here after encountering this mob, then that means the person who did something was…]

Yoro hesitantly nodded as she continued to cry.

Yoro: [Before I almost had my life taken from me, Nero came to the castle and eviscerated them…]

Shiro’s eyes widened as the expectation she had was much with a far more horrific result.

Shiro: [Nero…killed them…?]

Yoro: [It was not something he wanted to do! Please, Shiro! You must believe me! He is the kindest person I have ever met! Even if he questions his morals sometimes, he’s still haunted by everything! He often has pains throughout the day, and at times, he wakes up screaming in the middle of the night from it! This isn’t a choice he wanted to make at all! He wouldn’t do something like thi–]

As Yoro began to shout her cries to Shiro, a hand was raised in front of her as if asking her to remain calm.

Shiro: [I’ve known Nero for a long time now, only about a month longer than you have. I’m well aware that this is not something he would normally do. Perhaps it is not a kind outlook to have but…I can understand where he might have been coming from.]

Yoro: [You…can…?]

Shiro: [I’m not entirely sure if I could or would perform something similar, but if someone had threatened the lives of those I cared about, I would most likely take action at that very moment. Honestly, now that I’m thinking about it, I kinda did something like that when we had fought Daroma after you put your life on the line for the rest of us.]

Yoro: [...]

Extending her hand in kindness, Shiro spoke to her friend once more.

Shiro: [Please, continue.]

Yoro: [...Right. Nero had removed the mob, and alongside him was his sister, Mena. Technically speaking, it had been the very first time I had met her. But I was distracted. I had begun to hold Nero, and shortly after, he lost consciousness….]

Shiro: [Was he alright?]

Yoro: [...He had overexerted himself with his matōki usage, is what the doctors had told Mena. I could not reveal anything regarding myself, so I had to remain as a visitor outside of the room. She did speak to me later however, and mentioned some things. She spoke about how the two of them had returned home to their adoptive mother who had been killed. The same result supposedly happened there, and in a hurry, he used his matōki to dash to my aid…He put his very life on the line to save me…]

Shiro could not help but cast her own gaze downwards as she tried to digest the hardened words provided. It was not a topic that she could very easily take in its entirety at a singular moment.

Shiro: [From the very beginning, we made connections in regards to the engagement and wedding to avoid your previous faults. It’s possible that this alone was us turning a blind eye to our very own practices, but to think it ran this far.]

Yoro: [I’m very sorry, Shiro! I’ve done nothing but cause problems for you and everyone else! I should have just di–]

Shiro: [YORO!]

As she once again cried her heart out to Shiro, a loud yell was produced by the woman in white. Yoro jumped back at the sound of the roar ringing in her ears.

Shiro: [That is the only thing you have said that has angered me. There is no reason to be sorry, there is no reason to believe you have only caused problems for us, and there is certainly no reason for you to speak what you were about to say! You are our friend. I would sooner forfeit my role than to say otherwise.]

Yoro: [Shiro…]

Shiro: [If you do not mind, I would like to look into this when I get the chance. I will not receive any assistance from anyone who may ask. It will be only me. If possible, I’d like to find a plausible workaround for this that will be accepted, should this incident be found out about. Neither of you should receive a punishment of any kind for your actions, given the now good history for yourself, along with Nero’s slight outburst. It might be a flimsy way to look at things, but I believe there is proper truth behind it.]

Yoro: [I would be alright with that…Yes…Thank you so much, Shiro…!]

Shiro: [There’s no need to thank me. As I said, you’re my friend.]

The two smiled at each as they both moved off their seats. A kind hug was exchanged, and Shiro escorted Yoro to the door.

Yoro: [Before I forget, did Nero tell you about tomorrow?]

Shiro: [He sure did. I’m gonna grab something before I head home for the day and then we’ll join you two tomorrow. I’m really hoping to meet the little rascal herself once we do!]

Laughing as she wiped her remaining tears away, Yoro spoke again.

Yoro: [I’ve told her many stories about you. I’m sure she is looking forward to it!]

Exchanging one last hug, Yoro exited the building after a follow bow.

Moving towards one of the windows, Shiro watched as her friend departed.

Shiro: [Alrighty. Time to get all cleaned up here, buy a gift, and then do some informing regarding the birthday.]

Stretching her arms and back, Shiro prepared herself for the long night ahead and the early morning that would soon arrive.

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From a distance, the two figures watched as the woman of black and red left the nearby office space. Staying within the shadows so that they would go unnoticed, they examined the details in appearance.

???: [There’s definitely some age difference, but if the photos provided were anything to tell, it seems like a good ninety four percent that it’s her.]

???: [Yahoo! So then, shall we confront her?]

???: [Calm down. That wasn’t in any of the orders we were given. We were merely told to observe surrounding areas and see if they matched the look. I wasn’t sure when she entered, so I wanted to at least wait before moving. Now that we have our near perfect confirmation, we’ll just report back and that’ll be that.]

???: [Awww! But it’s far less fun this way!]

???: [I know you don’t necessarily want to fight this time, but even talking right now could be bad. We need to gather things together first, and from there we can discuss our concerns with them.]

Moving the photos back into a sweater pocket on their chest, the towering figure gave a quick command to the slouching, crouched beauty.

Night: [Come on, Sol. We need to report back to Lady Devi.]

Sol: [Alrighty! I shall stand! Let’s go!]

Night: [And a little bit more quietly, please.]

After examining their target, the two left the dense bushes and trees they had hid in between.

An unknown investigation had secretly been started right under the noses of all.

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