When the two arrived at their cottage, the sun was about to set. Hiroku slept alone in Loter's room with his notebook spread open and his head lying on it sideways.

His posture was perfect and still. He neither snored nor tossed. It was as if he were a statue. He did not shift a finger despite Loter yelling "we're back" at the top of his lungs while thrusting the door open.

Loter quickly turned to stealth mode and whispered to warn Ramiron, who was just far away enough not to hear him. Curious, she teleported onto the veranda, standing beside Loter. Simultaneously, she gave Loter a loud "What?" before looking into the cottage.

"Oops," she whispered with a hand before her mouth. Fortunately, she did not seem to have waken Hiroku either.

The two sneaked toward Hiroku with only the tips of their feet touching the floor. Halfway, Ramiron realized the door was open and turned back to close it. Of course, the door chirped.

Loter was startled to the ground, and Ramiron immediately slowed her action, only making the sharp noise slightly quieter and lasting much longer. She told Loter she was sorry through lip movement and caught up as Loter got back on his feet.

They walked to the two sides of Hiroku, looking at him from above. Ramiron completely silently asked, "Should we wake him?"

Loter, certainly not noticing Ramiron, stooped down and pointed at Hiroku's closed lips. He said without a voice, "His not drooling on his notebook. Whenever I sleep on my notebook, I always drip my saliva on it."

Finally accepting the fact they could not communicate without making a sound, Ramiron pulled Loter back up and pointed toward the door.

Loter did not get what she meant. He glanced at the door and back at Hiroku.

"Uh!" He started and slumped to the ground when he saw Hiroku's open eyes. His hips landed on the tatami heavily.

"Ha, so you're awake this whole time." Surprised, Ramiron chuckled while watching Hiroku standing up.

"Yes, it is hard not to when Loter is screeching into a closed room." Hiroku tittered a bit and gave Loter a hand to get up.

"You totally fooled me, Hiro," Loter said, rubbing his butts.

"Not a hard thing to do." Hiroku gave the light jab with a grin. Then, his delight turned into a momentary shock when Loter pounced onto him, hugging him with arms on his shoulders.

Ramiron stepped away, giggling and sitting down beside the table.

Loter swayed while hanging onto Hiroku. He snarled like a Large-size dog.

"Are you three?" Hiroku rolled his eyes, smiling, amused.

Eventually, Loter let go of the grip. He sat across the table from Ramiron, letting Hiroku occupy the side of the table in between theirs. The notebook was before Hiroku.

"You seem happy today, Hiro. What happened?" Ramiron asked as soon as Hiroku settled down.

"I've figured out all the spells Boruka knows and already have a counter for all of them."

"Yay! We are going to crush him and leave this place in one piece!" Loter raised his fist high in the air.

"Actually, three pieces," Ramiron said.

"What?"

"We have three people, so 'three pieces.'"

"Oh! Yeah!"

Hiroku decided to stay silent, not correcting either of them. He then expressed his strong desire to get back to the plan. However, Loter also exhibited his even-stronger desire to eat dinner first.

The latter proposal met no resistance and instantly became their official next step. Hiroku wanted to order sukiyaki again, but Ramiron said she wanted to grill, so Hiroku asked for the grilling device and meat instead.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

For the complete experience of barbeque, they did it in the area right outside their cottages.

Overall, grilling and the sunset were a great pair. However, Hiroku had to warn Loter about voice volume two to three times.

After the dinner, Hiroku dragged Loter back in for the strategy while Ramiron stayed outside. She told them she wanted to stroll around a bit. The night sky of Cho-san Island was much more starry than the ones of metropolises.

The glinting dots of stars adorned and embellished the faintly blue sky lighted by unpolluted airglow. Yet, the beautiful view was not why Ramiron chose not to go in.

She turned around, staring straight at a small bush in the courtyard in front of her. "Come out before I force you to."

Ramiron crossed her arms as she spoke. After several seconds, the bush shook a bit, and a juvenile fox jumped out. It immediately transformed back into a human with a puff of smoke.

The human was a girl about the height of Loter and Hiroku, which meant about a head shorter than Ramiron. She wore a jordy blue kimono with orange eyes, blunt bangs, and the rest of her short black hair aligned at a level slightly below her jaw.

"Wait, do not tell anyone. I am Loter's friend," the girl said in English. Her hands were placed behind her hips.

"What are you hiding?" Ramiron asked, pointing at her hidden hands.

"Nothing." she held both of her hands up and spread.

Ramiron suddenly teleported before her, startling her to the ground. She almost slumped into the bush.

"I am really Loter's friend. You have to believe me." With her eyes shut and head lowered, Tori propped a hand on the ground and raised the other over her head.

"What's your name?" Ramiron inquired without any showcase of friendliness in her firm words.

"Tori," the girl stuttered, "Tori Kayama."

"Tori Tori Kayama?"

"Tori Kayama. Only one 'Tori.'"

"So Loter will recognize this name when I tell him I saw Tori Kayama watching us behind a bush?"

"Please do not do that… Do not mention me before him."

"So Loter is your friend, but you don't want him to hear your name?"

"It is complicated. You have to believe me."

Ramiron took a few seconds to decide what she would do and eventually reached out a hand to the girl on the ground. She sighed and said, "Come on, get up."

"Hm?" Tori fearfully peeked up, gradually put down her blocking arm, and opened her eyes entirely.

The moment she held Ramiron's hand, she was tugged straight up, back on her feet. She let out a sharp squeak in the process.

Although not shivering, Tori had her hands behind her hips and eyes locked to the ground. She glanced up and shifted her vision down again.

Stepping back, Ramiron gave Tori some personal space for her mental comfort. "Hiroku told me women in Tribe Kayama aren't allowed to learn magic. Why can you turn into a fox?"

"I, I, learned some tricks secretly."

"And you can speak English."

"My English teacher taught me English."

"Is it mandatory or elective?"

"Uh, I, I don't know the two words you just used."

Ramiron scratched her head a bit and asked again, "Is English what everyone needs to study, or did you choose to learn English?"

"Neither… My father decided I should study English."

Ramiron remained silent for several seconds to the point that Tori glanced up at her, seeing the faint furrow.

"I'm sorry," Ramiron said.

"It is fine. You do not need to be. I am actually quite happy that I learned English. It made me capable of talking to Loter," Tori replied, blushing. Her hands swayed to the front and held together before her lower belly.

Ramiron nodded lightly and spotted the redness on Tori's face. She changed the topic. "How did you and Loter meet?"

"I was trying to see the visitors, and Loter came out when I knocked on the door. We, we," she stuttered a bit while her cheeks turned into a deeper red, "we touched noses. Then, he came to see me the next day. He used his invisibility, so we both turned invisible."

"I see," Ramiron said before Tori could carry on. "Are you here for Loter?"

"Yes, I want to know what he is doing." Tori finally looked up at Ramiron as the tension in the atmosphere faded.

"But you don't want him to know you're here."

"It is complicated. You can ask Hiroku about it."

"Does this have anything to do with the duel?" Ramiron instantly realized the ambiguity in her words. "No. Does this have anything to do with Loter's duel?"

"Yes, but you do not need to worry. I am on your side." Tori had her hands placed on her chest, leaning forward and nodding.

"I will ask Hiroku later."

"That is fine. Can you just tell me do you think Loter will win? I am worried that he might lose the fight. Boruka is strong. He is stronger and eviler than Zayio. He might appear to be gentle, but he is bad."

"I think I'm the one least informed here." Ramiron shot her a bitter grin. "Since you know so much about Boruka, why don't you help Hiroku with the strategy?"

"I have told Hiroku all I know."

Ramiron took a second to think. Her eyes lingered downward at her own body and swayed away. She looked back at Tori and said, "I think Loter will win. He's doing great."

Tori nodded while sighing in relief. She took a soft step back. "That is all I need to know."

As the sentence ended, the girl with orange irises vanished in a plume of smoke. A juvenile fox jumped into the bush of the courtyard, scurrying away.