As I made my way back to the campgrounds, the sky had deepened into a tapestry of navy and black, with the moon climbing higher and bathing the clearing in its soft, silver glow. The distant crackle of the campfire reached my ears, accompanied by the quiet murmur of conversation.
Approaching the camp, Nanik’s voice broke the stillness. “Where were you?” he asked, his tone calm but carrying a note of curiosity.
“I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to take a walk to clear my thoughts,” I replied evenly.
He studied me briefly, then nodded. “Alright. Go get some sleep.”
“Yeah.”
Strolling toward the tents, I caught sight of Otome seated on a log, a cloth in one hand and her shotgun in the other. She was focused, inspecting the weapon with the familiarity of someone who had done this a thousand times before. As I approached, she glanced up, her purple hair catching the faint light.
“Ready to hit the sack?” she asked casually, gesturing toward the far-left tent. “You’ll be sharing that one with me and Victoria.”
“Alright,” I said, pausing briefly. “When do you plan to get some rest? The lady who healed you said you still shouldn’t strain yourself and need to take it easy.”
Otome smirked faintly, returning her attention to her shotgun. “Fine, fine. Let me finish up here, and I’ll head in soon. You can go inside first.”
With a small nod, I turned toward the tent, the quiet sounds of the night settling around me as I stepped inside.
We didn’t have sleeping bags or anything of the sort, so we ended up using our bags as makeshift pillows and had to sleep on them. I didn’t realize it, but I must have been more tired than I felt because I fell asleep as soon as I rested my head of my bag.
----------------------------------------
The next morning, the first thing I registered was the sound of Farthington’s unmistakable grumbling. Groggy, I blinked awake and glanced around the tent. Otome and Victoria were already gone, leaving the tent empty.
Dragging myself upright, I stepped outside into the crisp morning air. Farthington’s rant grew clearer as I approached the extinguished campfire.
“—Do you know how bad that was for my back? Me! Of all people! Had to sleep on the ground! I deserve a bonus for this, some kind of compensation!”
I couldn’t help but smirk slightly at his indignation. That was Farthington to the letter—dramatic, exasperated, and completely unapologetic about it.
Stretching my stiff shoulders, I let my gaze drift over the camp. The others were beginning to stir, some quietly packing up their belongings while others milled about.
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‘Right,’ I thought, recalling our plans. ‘We were supposed to discuss our next steps as a group today. With Otome’s mercenary group in trouble, this might be the perfect chance to have her join us. It would be nice to keep her around. We only just met, and I want to get to know my sister better.’
The idea lingered in my mind as I walked toward the others, the morning light filtering through the trees and casting the camp in a golden hue.
Nanik and Farthington were the closest, so I strolled over to them.
“Nanik, do you think we could have a word?” I asked.
“Sure,” he replied, his expression calm as always.
Farthington, still grumbling as he adjusted his coat, interjected, “Make sure I get some extra Aero for all of my troubles!”
Ignoring him, Nanik walked closer, his orange eyes catching the morning light. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“I was wondering if we could recruit Otome’s mercenaries for Shadow Phoenix,” I said, keeping my tone steady.
Nanik tilted his head slightly, considering my words. “I suppose we could…” he said after a moment of thought. His gaze flicked briefly to the side before returning to me. “I’m fine with recruiting them if they’re willing. But could you confirm one thing for me first?”
“What do you need me to do?”
“You probably haven’t checked yet, so could you take a look at Otome using your data vision and see what shows up?”
I hesitated, my brow furrowing. “I can, but why do you want me to?”
“...I’ll tell you later,” Nanik said, his voice low but firm.
His answer left a nagging curiosity in the back of my mind, but I nodded. “Alright…”
As Nanik walked off, his cryptic behavior lingered in my thoughts. What’s he up to? I wondered. Still, the idea of Otome staying around, along with her mercenaries, brought a small spark of hope.
Pushing my curiosity aside, I made my way toward Otome and Victoria, who were chatting near the edge of the camp. Otome noticed me first and waved, her shotgun slung over her shoulder. “You sure seem chipper this morning,” she said with a teasing grin.
“Me? Really?” I asked, blinking in surprise.
“Yeah, I haven’t seen you look happy like this before,” she said, tilting her head. “It suits you.”
I paused, caught off guard by her observation, but a faint warmth crept into my expression. “Thanks, I guess,” I murmured, unsure how else to respond. “Anyway, what do you plan to do now?”
“Hmm, that’s what Victoria and I were just talking about,” Otome replied, her expression dimming slightly. “Now that my mercenaries have been split up, I don’t think we’ll be going back to Cielmouth. I still hope everyone else made it out of there safely.”
Her words carried a weight that I could feel. Despite her composed demeanor, the uncertainty of her situation clearly lingered beneath the surface.
While she spoke, I activated my [Developer’s Eye], recalling Nanik’s unusual request. As I focused on Otome, her code appeared before me, and my breath caught. It was orange.
Orange.
I blinked rapidly, disengaging the Developer’s Eye as the meaning of what I’d seen sank in. That color— It was the same as Kaelith’s and Farthington’s.
Otome’s an anomaly? But why?
The thought unsettled me, a dozen questions tumbling through my mind, each more urgent than the last. I barely registered Nanik approaching until his voice broke through my haze of confusion.
“Miss Otome,” Nanik began, his tone formal, “I was wondering if you and your mercenaries would consider joining my special operations unit, Shadow Phoenix.”
Otome straightened slightly, her expression sharpening. “What would the terms be?” she asked, her voice calm but wary.
Her words blurred into the background as my thoughts spiraled. What does this mean? Is it connected to her being my sister? Or something else entirely?
“…that seems fair, then shall we say you’re part of the team now?” Nanik’s words broke through, his tone final.
“Sure,” Otome replied, nodding decisively.
I stood there, the weight of what I’d learned settling heavily on my shoulders, the world around me momentarily distant.