The cold morning air passed through the large camp. Many of the soldiers who stood and sat had brought large coats with them, allowing themselves to endure the harsh wind. Speaking with each other while breakfast was served, they continued to enjoy their time off duty.

One individual, however, sat by themselves. With a blanket curled over her shoulders and a cup of coffee in hand was Shiro Fuloreen, who kept her thoughtless eyes focused on the charred campfire. She continued to shiver, as even her blanket was not enough for her, and no extra clothes had been packed prior to her run.

The sounds of boots softly crushing grass were heard behind her, and not long after, another individual stood nearby.

Devi: [Would you like a coat, Shiro? We have many that can be provided. Surely one would fit you.]

Shiro: [Thanks, Vivi, but I’m fine. It’s a little cold, but we’ll be gone soon anyways.]

Devi: [Very well then. May I sit with you?]

Shiro: [Sure!]

Nodding thanks to Shiro, Devi slowly stepped over the log Shiro was seated on and planted herself close by. She turned to face Shiro, to see that her eyes had once again focused on the campfire in front of her.

Devi: [Is there something that is bothering you?]

Shiro: [A bunch of stuff, I guess. It’s not really the fault of anyone here, but I kinda miss seeing my people.]

Devi: [Your people?]

Shiro: [Yeah. My friends, my family, my two assistants at my office. All of them.]

Devi: [You need not worry. Many of your friends will meet with us at our rendezvous point.]

Shiro: [I know. But there’s always something special to just being able to talk with them from time to time. It’s been days now since I did so.]

Shiro closed her eyes, before opening them to meet Devi’s own.

Shiro: [...It might not be my place to ask, but…Do you have friends, Devi?]

Devi’s eyes widened in response, which prompted a worried display across Shiro’s entire body.

Shiro: [Ah! Forget I said that! I really can’t go a day without asking a bad question!]

Devi: [No, no. It’s fine, Shiro. It just…surprised me.]

Looking towards the sky, she thought to herself aloud.

Devi: [Friends…]

Shiro: [You have Tequi, right? She’s your friend! I don’t know about anyone else, but you have her!]

Devi: [Tequi and I often speak about matters of importance. There are times where she has spoken of her family, but I often corrected the conversation shortly after.]

Shiro: [Hmmmmm. Have the two of you done anything else?]

Devi: [When we would have these conversations, we would often drink tea and engage in a round of chess.]

Pointing her finger at the surprised Devi, Shiro energetically jumped up as she now stood in front of her.

Shiro: [See?! There you go! The two of you are friends!]

Devi: [Well, I don’t believe I would consider it that way. We merely spoke with each other.]

Shiro: [But that’s the thing! You two spoke with each other while enjoying some tea and playing chess, did you not?]

Devi: [Well, yes, but–]

Shiro: [Then there it is! Your proof that the two of you are friends! How often have you two done this?]

Devi: [Oh, well…I had not kept count, but I believe the last time Tequi kept track of such a thing was around the forty first time.]

Shiro: [Forty one times?! There’s no way that you two can’t be friends!]

Devi: [B-But friends do not just speak with each other, do they not?]

Ever so slightly, Devi’s tone grew more nervous. It was not as if she was trying to yell, but her voice had gained a similar sound to it while still remaining at a level where only the two of them could hear the words produced.

Shiro: [Of course they do! Me, Kōkatsu and Silvia do it all the time!]

Even further, Devi’s eyes grew.

Devi: [You…You often do that with your friends?]

Shiro: [Yup! We all meet up somewhere, have a snack and a drink, and we just chat the whole time! If anything, it kinda shows how much more you and Tequi do than us!]

Devi continued to stare at Shiro, who towered over her. Looking down at her own hands, she silently uttered a single word, “Friends…” before moving her view back to Shiro.

Devi: [Shiro…]

Shiro: [Yeah?]

Devi: [How do you…make friends?]

Shiro’s own crimson eyes now widened in response to the scarlet eyes glistening in front of her.

For the second time now, she had seen it.

When she had met Devi, she learned the exact type of person she had been.

A kind hearted, brave woman, who valued the same things as Shiro.

The perfect match for someone like her.

However, it now occurred once again.

A woman who had lived for sixty seven years.

A woman who had stood at the top of the world.

A woman with this much to her name…did not know how to make friends.

Though she had lived for so long now, she was the same as the once clueless Shiro during her teenage years, before she had met several of her closest companions.

Closing her eyes, and allowing a delightful smile to form on her face, Shiro gave Devi the answer she was searching for.

Shiro: [That’s easy! You can make them just by being you! If you want, I’ll be your friend!]

Devi: [Y-You…will?]

Shiro: [Of course! I’d be happy to!]

Casting her head down, Devi thought to herself for a moment without a visible expression. Following this, she quickly moved her head up to speak with Shiro again.

Devi: [Sh–]

Before she could speak, a loud shout was produced from another energetic individual in the distance.

Tequi: [Oiiiiiiiiiii! Roro! Can you come over here for a bit? I wanna test something!]

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Shiro: [Sure! I’ll be there in just a minute!]

Shiro then moved her head down to look at Devi, who’s blood red bangs covered her eyes from being seen.

Shiro: [Was there something you were gonna ask, Vivi?]

Devi: [...No. It is alright, Shiro.]

Shiro: [Alright. As long as you’re a hundred percent about that, then I’ll be on my way.]

Stepping over the log, Shiro quickly ran towards Tequi’s location in a nearby forest.

Replacing the spot Shiro had once stood in, was Night.

Night: [Lady Devi, if you would like, we could go view the test that was requested. I believe it might lean to your interests.]

Devi: [...Very well, Night. Lead the way.]

Providing a hand for Devi to use, Night picked up the woman he had served from off of the log, receiving a nod after doing so. He marched past the log, with Devi following behind, before a question was released from her lips.

Devi: [Night, is it going to rain?]

Turning his body to the opposite way, he looked towards his puzzled lady, who was gazing at the clouds above. Following her eyes, Night moved a hand out to test if the rain would fall again.

Night: [No. I don’t believe it will, Lady Devi.]

Devi: [How odd. For just a moment there, I felt what seemed like a drop hitting my chest.]

A shrug was released from Night’s shoulders, and the two continued to walk.

The origin of the raindrop was unknown, even to Devi, who had created it.

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼

Within an open forest stood a beautifully dressed, succubus of white. Along with her was another, with the only difference being her mauve colored hair and eyes. While the white succubus scratched her cheek in confusion, the mauve one who had stood across from her now held out a bow.

Shiro: [So, let me get this straight. You want me to dodge your arrows…as quickly as I can?]

Tequi: [Bingo! Now, don’t worry about the danger of it. I’ll stop them just before they connect! I just wanna see how fast you are after everything that Devi told me! I wanna gauge all of our strengths and weaknesses so we know how to team up, just in case we have to!]

Shiro started to nod her head in silence, and soon after, began stretching her legs from side to side.

Tequi: [...Is that a yes….or…]

Shiro: [Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah, we can try that. I just don’t know how I feel about it.]

Tequi: [You don’t know how you feel about it?]

Shiro: [Please, please, PLEASE don’t take this as me trying to offend you or anything, but it’s kind of a boring test to me.]

Rather than resulting in an eruption from Tequi, a devilish smile formed across her face.

Tequi: [Well, now I’m even more curious. How about we raise the arrows up to ten?]

Shiro: [Ten, twenty, a hundred, it’s all the same to me.]

Shiro continued to stretch as the very same stretching occurred with the smile on Tequi’s lips.

Tequi: [Oh, I haven’t had this much fun in a LONG time, and we’re only just getting started!]

Adjusting her wrists, Shiro looked towards Tequi without a single expression being formed.

Shiro: [Whenever you’re ready.]

Nearby stood two spectators, a woman covered in red and black with azure skin, and an incredibly tall man with pink hair, a black sweater with running shoes of the same, and blue jeans.

Night: [Don’t you think she’s acting a little too cocky for this, Lady Devi?]

Devi: [She has shown that she is capable in battle, but I believe she is severely underestimating Tequi.]

Night: [Hm. Yeah. Guess we’ll see what happens. All I can really say is that it doesn't look pretty for her.]

From thin air came ten pink, matōki arrows, which Tequi placed into her bow of the same make and color, drawing it back.

Tequi: [Alright, here we go, Roro!]

In less than a second, the arrows were released. They ripped through the sky, causing a roar in the wind as they moved. A dark pink light flashed throughout each of them, which led Shiro to believe this was likely the activation of Tequi’s ability.

However, this did not matter to her at the moment. In fact, the first course of action Shiro had taken was to–

Shiro: [Right. I should probably move my hair out of the way. Don’t want it getting in my face while I’m flying.]

Moving her hair past her shoulders, Shiro pushed her hair back. At the very same moment, the wind began to pick up, causing the hair to flow along with it.

Nearby stood the same two spectators as before, both surprised for different reasons.

Night: [Is she seriously taking this test as a joke?!]

Devi: [I’m curious to see what she shall do from here.]

The arrows drew close, but before they could even make contact, Shiro looked towards them with a glare.

Within all three minds that stood to witness her, a single thought emerged after what had happened.

Tequi, Night and Devi: [She’s gone?!]

In less time than their minds could register, Shiro disappeared. The three began to search the area, but much like before, they had all received the next action at the same moment.

Shiro: [Wow. That really is quite the ability. I don’t know how well it’ll work on me, sadly.]

Shiro had now returned, with her arm resting on Tequi’s shoulder.

In a single moment, she disappeared, and reappeared right beside Tequi who had previously stood before her.

Lightly tapping Tequi’s shoulder, Shiro provided a smirk.

Shiro: [Don’t worry. I’ll follow through with your test.]

The arrows were already on their way back as per the instructions Tequi provided to them. In the midst of this, however, Shiro charged straight forward to meet them in the middle.

As each arrow attempted to meet her, she dodged without a single worry in her mind.

She was merely dodging, and yet, the way in which she dodged displayed multiple beautiful poses for the three to view.

The arrows did not bend to the same form that regular arrows had done.

They did not need to move in a single line.

They did not snap.

Despite the perfect form of the matōki arrows, they could not reach Shiro no matter how hard Tequi tried.

She still did not want to harm Shiro, but what was being performed for her viewing pleasure was a guarantee.

A guarantee that Shiro would not be hurt.

Shiro began to smile as she looked towards the awe stricken faces around her.

Shiro: [Let me show you a real special trick then.]

Flying directly up into the air, Shiro did not stop until she reached the clouds.

Upon doing so, she halted her wings and allowed gravity to take over.

Slowly, she flipped from an upward position into a downward missile.

A movement that would be considered suicide against arrows such as these.

A sharp worry stung the three who stood on the ground floor.

Tequi: [Shiro, you big dummy! I can’t stop them in time at that angle!]

Night: [Damn! This is bad!]

Devi: [She’ll be skewered!]

She could not hear their voices, but their faces were visible even from the height she was at.

The grin on Shiro’s face still remained as she spoke to the wind.

Shiro: [What’s with the worrying? This was a test of my speed, was it not?]

Each of the ten arrows formed a circle that would soon enter Shiro's position.

For many, this would likely be less than a second before they would be met with their end.

Before they could hit Shiro however, she moved past them at incredible speed, disappearing like she had done before.

This fact had been confirmed by Tequi Tensetsu, who not only witnessed the disappearance, but was now laying back on one of Shiro’s knees and being held in her arms.

Shiro: [Ah! Sorry about that! I lost a bit of control towards the end so I kinda tipped you over! I made sure to catch you though! Are you alright?]

Tequi: [That…was…INCREDIBLE!]

Tequi turned her surprised expression to face Shiro’s face directly above her. As she spoke, her expression turned back to the joyous face she was often seen with.

Shiro: [Really? I was kinda worried I made it too short…]

Tequi: [Not at all! You moved faster than I could keep up with! That was crazy! If you weren’t a goddess, I would ABSOLUTELY ask for you to become my right hand lady!]

While the two exchanged words of kindness, the spectators provided their comments to each other.

Night: [Lady Devi…]

Devi: [She wasn’t like this when we fought.]

Night: [If I recall correctly, she was much slower until those two specific occasions, correct? The moment in which she stopped you from parrying her attacks, and the moment at the very end, where she disappeared just like she did now.]

Devi: [...It’s a difficult matter to decipher, but I believe I might have an answer.]

Night: [You do?]

Devi: [When I had met Shiro, she was rather aggressive towards me for what had happened to Yoro Kobi, along with what occurred to Nero Virtuoso. At that time, her attacks were subpar, and did not provide the speed nor might they required. However, as you had mentioned, there were two situations in which this changed.]

Night: [So would you say that it was anger that changed how she fought, which is why she was doing worse?]

Devi: [No. In fact, I would argue the opposite. Her attack that had almost taken my head was caused due to my own attempt to aggravate her. Prior to that, she had a disdain towards me for what she believed I had done. But here, her mind was calm, and she dodged the arrows that Tequi fired at her. If I were to split this idea into different pieces, it would lead to the answer that I have created.]

Crossing his arms, Night looked towards the chatting Shiro.

Night: [If her mind is calm, she can fight without a single worry, and will likely outspeed anyone she’s up against. If she’s worried, or perhaps does not understand something that she would like to know, her attacks become sloppy.]

Devi: [...And if she is enraged, while the attack may be a simple one, it is highly unlikely you will be able to dodge it. Depending on the subject, she may even increase in speed in comparison to her calm state.]

Night: [If that’s the cast, what exactly tipped her off that one time, Lady Devi?]

Devi: [I had spoken about Yoro Kobi, but that did not result in the same reaction I received shortly after. I made a comment about taking action towards her family, and her expression changed completely. Perhaps I should not say this, but upon seeing that single vein across her face, I had stopped breathing until Sol moved.]

Night uncrossed his arms as he grew worried over what Devi had spoken.

Night: [Lady Devi, don’t tell me…]

Devi: [...That woman. For the first time…I felt fear. I’ve never felt the fear of losing my life, nor failing in battle. And yet, against her, I was able to feel that very emotion.]

The two stared off towards the woman of white.

Night: [You don’t think it’s because of…]

Devi: [I cannot say for certain, but I believe she would know that if it were to happen, safety would be ensured from the beginning. We’re speaking of quite the powerful warrior, after all.]

Night: [...Meaning there’s something else.]

Closing her eyes, Devi released a long sigh from her lips.

Devi: [...I should not pry into this. However…Night, I would like to make a request.]

Night: [Yes, Lady Devi?]

Devi: [Look into her family for me. I would like updated reports on who she is associated with. Perhaps it’s harsh of me, she had told me otherwise after all, but I would like to ensure the safety of whoever may be close to her.]

Taking a knee and resting his fist on the ground, Night closed his eyes to the woman he served.

Night: [Of course, Lady Devi. I will start immediately.]

Thus, Night stood up, and quickly moved back to the camp.

Devi continued to gaze at Shiro, without a word being produced from her mouth.

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼

The sun had finally risen, and the group was now preparing to depart once more.

Outside of the carriage for three, Shiro was assisting in moving supplies back to their original positions.

Beside her came another succubus, who was also assisting with the task at hand despite her status.

Devi: [Shiro, may I ask something?]

Shiro: [Sure! Lay it on me!]

Hesitating to speak, or even look at Shiro, Devi's quiet voice was released.

Devi: [What…What do friends talk about?]

Though it was a simple question, Shiro understood why it had been asked. With a smile on her face, she gleefully looked towards Devi’s eyes.

Shiro: [That’s the best part! Anything!]

Devi: [Anything, you say?]

Shiro: [Yup! We can talk about all sorts of stuff! For example…Oh! Since I just did that test not too long ago, our abilities! Mine is called Tempest, and it morphs my sword into something much sharper that uses my electricity to its advantage.]

Devi: [Oh, an enhancement ability, much like my own.]

Shiro’s eyes widened upon hearing another similarity between the two of them.

Shiro: [Your ability is like that too?!]

Devi: [Yes. I crafted my ability to hone the flames of my element into my blade.]

Shiro: [Wow! See? Me and you are perfectly good friends!]

A period of silence occurred, only for the two women to start giggling at the sentence Shiro provided.

Due to Devi’s often bold and elegant appearance, she moved her hand to cover her mouth to avoid making a fool of herself. Shiro’s own hand stopped Devi, allowing the two to continue laughing for all to see.

They continued to chat about different topics that popped into their head as they moved their items into the carriage.

Though Devi Bloodfire did not understand friendship.

Though she did not understand how to create new friends.

Within her mind and Shiro’s own, a new friendship was beginning to bloom.

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼