The next morning, Trixie woke up to the smell of coffee and the sounds of shuffling feet around her. She stretched her body before sitting up to see Uni working the coffeemaker and Esther fixing the beds. Stephanie was pouring sugar in small cups for the coffee, an eager smile on her face. Piper was also up, sitting cross-legged on the bed, sitting at the table while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. She had a small smile on her face, watching as everyone started their day.

Uni looked up and caught Trixie's gaze. "Mornin'." She said, offering a cup. "Just in time. The coffee's fresh.”

"Good timing," Piper mumbled, stretching her arms. "I really needed some caffeine." She accepted the coffee from Uni.

Esther had just finished making the beds and was now assisting Stephanie with the sugar. She looked up and gave a nod of acknowledgment to the others.

Meanwhile, Stephanie was diligently distributing the sugar into each cup, her expression bright and cheerful despite the early morning.

"Woah, hold on," Uni said with a curious tone. "Aren't you an android, Piper? How can you drink coffee, or anything for that matter?”

Piper chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee. "I'm not your typical android, Uni. I've been modified with a few...let's call them 'upgrades' to better blend in with humans.”

Uni raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Upgrades, huh? What kind of upgrades are we talking about?"

Piper smirked, enjoying the intrigued look on Uni's face. "Well, for starters, I can eat. It's not like I'll die of hunger, but I'm capable of consuming food and beverages for social purposes. It's a little something my creators added for 'immersion and realism.' “

"Fascinating," Uni said, looking at Piper with a mix of wonder and a bit of envy. The ability to enjoy food, even if not a need for Piper, sounded like a luxury.

“So does that mean you can drink alcohol if you want to? Or have a good meal just for the taste?”

Piper chuckled. "Yep, pretty much. I can handle alcohol just fine. I don't get drunk or anything, but I can taste and process it just like any human."

She took another sip of coffee before adding, "And about the food, yeah, I can taste it and enjoy the flavors. It's one of those things where my creators went all out to make me as human-like as possible.”

"No way," Uni exclaimed. "You can eat and drink like us and not get affected. That's like having the best of both worlds."

"Damn, talk about being superhuman," Trixie added, sipping her coffee. "Wish I could do that. No hangovers, no health issues, just pure partying and indulgence. Lucky you.”

"Though it does raise the question," Uni began, her intrigue spiking. "Now this may be a little TMI here, but I gotta know this. Since you can eat and drink, can you go number one and number two?”

The question seemed to take Piper by surprise, and she let out a short, surprised laugh. "Uh, yeah," she admitted, grinning a bit. "Although, it's a bit different for me. I can eat and drink, but my waste is more like an...organic fuel that my systems recycle. It's not quite the same, but it serves the same purpose.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"So, it's more like you digest it and use it to power yourself?" Uni tried to make sense of it, while Trixie's grin widened at the topic.

"Sounds pretty convenient in all honesty," Trixie said. "No bathroom breaks, just pure efficiency.”

"Yeah, basically." Piper confirmed with a chuckle. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the gist. No bathroom breaks, no embarrassing surprises, just efficient fuel conversion.

Trixie let out a low whistle. "That's the dream, honestly. Who wants to deal with bathroom stuff when you can just be a machine and not have to worry about it? I'm jealous.”

"It has its perks, I guess." Piper said, a bit amused by their reactions. "No need for toilet paper, no embarrassing moments in public, no uncomfortable situations."

Stephanie put the coffee cups on the table, a cheeky smile on her face as she looked at the others. "Done~!”

"Good job, Stephanie," Trixie said, giving her a warm smile. "You're a big help, you know that?"

Uni nodded in agreement. "Definitely. That coffee's going to hit the spot." She said, taking a long sip…and immediately spitting it out all over the table, her face scrunched up in repulsion.

Trixie gasped, “Yeesh, Uni! What's wrong?”

“W-way too much sugar!”

“Lemme see,” Trixie replied before taking a small sip. Her reaction was similar to Uni's, her face wrinkling as she picked up a napkin and spat out the coffee into it, balling it up and tossing it into the trash. “Gee wiz, you're right!”

Meanwhile, Stephanie was gulping down her cup of coffee as if it were her 100th cup of the same old, unbothered by the absurd sugar content.

Uni had a look of pure disgust on her face, her tongue still tasting the excessively sweet coffee. "Why is this so sweet?!"

Trixie wiped her tongue with her napkin while Stephanie, sipping calmly, smiled. When she noticed the look on her friends' faces, she tilted her head in confusion. "What? I think it's perfect."

The contrast between the others' reactions and Stephanie's contentment was glaringly obvious.

"How in the world do you find this acceptable?" Uni asked incredulously, shuddering at the taste of the coffee.

"Yeah," Trixie agreed, reaching for a cup of plain water to rinse her mouth out. "That's more sugar than coffee. I think my blood sugar just spiked from one sip.”

Stephanie just shrugged, blissfully unaware of the sugar overload. "I just like things that are a little sweet~." She said with a smile, taking another sip without a care in the world.

Meanwhile, Uni and Trixie were still recovering from their sugar shock, sharing a look of disbelief at Stephanie's sugar tolerance.

And then, it hit them: Dolores' presentation about the Aranaki.

As the realization hit them like a truck, Uni and Trixie shared a look of realization. "Wait a minute…" Uni murmured under her breath.

"You don't think…" Trixie trailed off, her eyes widening.

It was then that they looked at Stephanie, who was cheerfully sipping her sweet coffee without a care in the world. A chilling feeling crept up their spines.

The thought that their sweet, innocent little friend might be harboring a dark being in her body was a disturbing one. Uni couldn't bring herself to believe it, but the facts were increasingly pointing towards that conclusion.

Stephanie's excessive sweetness compared to her calculated articulate speech from last night...could it be that she was indeed an Aranak, consuming sugar for otherworldly power?

Unsettled by the horrifying possibility, Uni bit her lip. She looked over at Stephanie, trying to keep a neutral expression, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes.

“Stephanie…” she began slowly, her voice careful. “Can I ask you something?”

Stephanie looked up from her cup, her cheerful demeanor intact. "Mmhmm~?" She hummed, her wide, innocent eyes locking onto Uni’s.

Uni hesitated for a moment, the words lodged in her throat. But she forced herself to speak, her voice steady but laced with a hint of unease. "It's just… I've noticed you have a pretty intense sweet tooth."

Trixie watched from the sidelines, her heart pounding as she waited for Stephanie's response.

Stephanie nodded happily, completely unfazed by the observation. "Oh, yeah! I loooove sweets. They make me feel all warm inside." She said with a cheerful smile, taking another sip of her overly-sweet coffee.

Uni swallowed, forcing a slight smile. "Yeah, I figured as much…"

Trixie felt her stomach drop. It was too much of a coincidence. Stephanie's love for sweets, her odd behavior from last night, her performance against the RISHA guards…

The pieces were slowly falling into place, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for Uni and Trixie to ignore the glaring red flags.

Uni took a deep breath, trying to keep her cool. "And…how much sugar is a normal amount for you?”

A simple question, but one that held so much weight. If Stephanie's answer confirmed their fears, it would change everything.

Stephanie thought for a moment, her head tilted to the side. "I dunno...a lot, I guess? Like, a looooot-lot," she said, giggling at the amount of times she said 'lot'.

Uni had to restrain herself from gasping out loud at Stephanie's answer. A lot-lot. That was a concerning amount of sugar, to say the least. It only served to further confirm their fears.

Trixie looked pale, the color gone from her face. This was it. There was no denying it anymore. Dolores was right. They were dealing with an Aranak.