Once we had finished up our drinks, everyone had split up to go their separate ways. Apparently they all had pretty busy schedules, but they made sure to make time for me just so I could be welcome into the group properly. That really made me feel bad, especially after I badmouthed everyone like I did. Ugh, why am I like this. This is all uncle Ed's fault, he was the one that told me the best way to nab a man would be to act like a cheeky brat. Now that I think about it, isn't he just talking about auntie Anna? Damned useless Saints...

"Shall we get going then too, Nelly?" Meil smiled at me as he got up.

"Right, the dorms..." I slumped forward, "They're divided into male and female, so I need to get assigned a roommate."

"Actually, that will not be necessary." He explained, "Seeing as I am to be your guardian, it would only make sense for you to live with me, no? Of course, if you find the notion uncomfortable, I will find you a separate..."

"NO!" I shouted, "A-Ah, I mean - That won't be necessary. Actually, I would like for us to live together as well."

"That is good." He sighed in relief, "Besides, getting a dorm room set up for you would be pretty difficult, since you're not even enrolled yet. It is strictly students-only."

"Right, I completely forgot about that!" I blushed from embarrassment, "Heh, you must be pretty happy that you get to share a dorm room with a cute girl like me."

"Dorm room? Haha, you are mistaken." He chuckled, taking out a pair of keys out of his pocket as we walked through the busy streets and dangling them in front of me, "The dorms are quite cramped, and they do not allow for male and female students to cohabit, hence why I bought a house near where Lemmy lives."

"Huh? Hold on, you bought a house!?" My suspicions grew off the charts, "I-I trust you, Meil, but please tell me if the money you used for that isn't from dad's tuition funds."

"It is not." He smiled, his Eyes closed so that I couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not, "Lune has gifted me with an incredible chance. It is one I will not waste, and I am forever grateful to have met such an incredible man in my life. Still, his kindness was extended to you as well, and I intend to repay him by looking after you until you properly get the education you deserve."

"Huh."

"What is the matter?"

"Oh nothing, it's just..." I thought about how to word it properly, "You and dad really were good friends, huh?"

"Of course we were, he taught me about a whole other side of this world we live in." He patted me on the head, "I still find it odd to look at you like this - all grown up. You were just four when we first met, and now you're almost up to my shoulders."

This somewhat nostalgic talk made my heart race. He really does have an enchanting voice, doesn't he? The quiet and mysterious type of voice which only knows how to soothe others around him. Just talking about that time, it really does bring back memories of... wait, what were we even doing in Abysuss Solis back then?

"Hey Meil, don't take offense to this or anything, but..." I gulped, afraid he would get insulted that I forgot all about the reason behind our first meeting, "Why did mom and dad go to the Mobius Awards again?"

He looked at me for a bit without making any sort of face before gently patting me on the head and regaling me with the full story. His tone was noticeably warmer, and he seemed really passionate about that time. Due to him converting to a fancy White Iro, it's usually hard to tell what goes on behind those windows, but this time I truly felt like I could see something akin to a glitter inside them.

"Of course you wouldn't remember all the details, you were still just a small child back then." He mimicked cradling my toddler self in his arms, "I used to put you on my shoulders, and we would walk around aimlessly looking for your father and mother, both of whom had a knack of seemingly disappearing at a moment's notice."

"Hehe, they really were adventurous, weren't they?" I giggled, "But I'd still like to know why and how you guys actually met."

"Ah, that is something you will have to ask Cecily..." His eyes darted away, "It is not my place to tell you of Lune's past endeavors."

"Ah, you're talking about Marina, right?" It finally clicked, making him visibly shook, "Don't worry, they told me about it already. I don't really understand what was going through dad's head at the time, but I'm sure he had his reasons. Besides, he came back to mom eventually, and it's not like I personally knew his other lover, so I don't really have an opinion on it."

"Is that so...?" He got lost in thought for a minute, "Well, then I suppose it is alright for me to talk about it. Your father used to work under a pseudonym - the Famed Inventor, Sol Pandora."

Whaaaat? Dad was like that? Bits and pieces of this information are tumbling around in my brain, but I can't quite recall for certain. Such an embarrassing name, was that really something he came up with? I would've chosen something way cooler, surely. But still, I've heard of the Famed Inventor. He created tons of amazing gadgets that are said to have pushed the world's technology by a good one thousand or so years, or at least that's how he advertised it. So wait, was dad really the guy who did all that... MY dad?

"I'm having trouble piecing it all together."

"Heh, he might not have wanted to pride himself on that chapter of his life." Meil patted me on the head as if to assure me it's nothing bad, "After his then wife died, he wanted to quit being the Famed Inventor, but he still had some loose ends to tie up."

"Hence why he applied for the Mobius Awards with you?" I asked as he stopped by a house the size of a mansion.

"Wrong, he didn't apply." Meil then waltzed on up to the front door and put the keys he was spinning around his fingers in, "He got personally nominated for the Mobius Awards, and I only served as his apprentice so that he could go."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

***

H-Hold on now, this isn't making any sense! This whole mansion that's at least five times our house back in Cardina... THIS is Meil's property!? He said he didn't take any of our tuition funds, but even if he did, I doubt it would cover a house as big as this. Something smells super fishy, maybe a part time job? No, no one could afford this from just that.

"A-ha, I got it!" I then took his detective-looking cap from the coat hanger by the entrance and struck a pose, "You got this rich from the royalties your books produced!"

"...You know of my previous works?" He blushed, making my chest thump repeatedly, "Ohh, that is quite embarrassing. How did you find out?"

"Mom used to read me all of your fiction stories when I got too fussy over not seeing you." I proudly puffed my chest out, "Those books were always good, but there was something that always hit that uncanny valley about them. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it was like it was written by a robot-!"

"Shut...!" He slammed the palm of his hand on the wall right next to me, our faces now unbearably close to one another's, "A-Ahem, please do not refer to me as a robot."

"Ohhh~? And why's that~?" I started teasing just so I could hide how embarrassed I was.

"E-Even..." He turned his face away, his cheeks bright red as he muttered something that was just barely audible, "Even I get embarrassed when I think of how I acted back in my youth, you know?"

C...!!!

"Cuuuuuute!" I couldn't help but to squeal, "So even you have that side to you? Really, I'm surprised to see you make such a face."

"You know, I did not expect you to grow up to be such a tease, Nelly." He scurried away to the centerpiece located in the middle of the hall, "Then again, I guess it is good that you Grimhearts are so alike in that regard."

"Here's to hoping I don't stay a Grimheart for too long." I suggested, not expecting the horrified face of Meil to stare back at me.

"Y-You... a-are having family issues...?" He stuttered as he stumbled his way over to me, "D-Do I need to send a letter to Cecily?"

"N-No! I didn't meant it like that!" I shook away his incorrect assumptions.

"Then what did you mean by that!?" He shook me in place by the shoulders.

"I-I'd rather be Nelly D-!" I bit my tongue hard to stop myself from speaking another word more, "T-That wath clothe. I almoth thaid thomething weally embawwathing."

"Y-Your tongue!" He pried open my mouth, "Y-You're bleeding! We need to apply first aid, and then-!"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" I slapped his hands away before taking a bottle of water out from my suitcase, "Calm down! I'm fine, see?"

"Right..." He still darted his eyes around the room, looking for something I'm pretty sure even he doesn't know what, "O-Or maybe we should take you to the doctor, just in case?

Meil, he's being super paranoid. Hold on, he was with mom, dad and uncle in the war, so maybe he has some form of PTSD as well? No, I doubt someone as logical as him would actually fear a smaller wound like this. No, there's gotta be something else, something that happened only after he enrolled into Dimitri Uni. But what? What all has happened since he enrolled here that made him like this? And does it have anything to do with this house we're staying at? ...Hold on, what am I doing? This is my chance to abuse the situation! After all, the house is completely empty, safe from the two of us!

"O-Ow!" I acted like I was in pain as I stuck my bloody tongue out, "A-Actually, I might need you to help me clean up all the blood."

"I knew it! You really are wounded!" He inched closer, his pupils getting smaller and smaller as if showing his anxiety, "Let us go to the doctor's after all! If you get an infection in your mouth, it could be fatal, and if that happens, I will not be able to face myself anymore!"

Fatal, over a simple tongue bite? Is this guy serious? But still, this is good, because it means he's so scared out of his mind that he's willing to believe even the tiniest of probabilities. Which means I can probably get away with this!

"Y-Y'know, uncle Ed, who is a doctor mind you, told me about a home remedy for this." My heart started pounding as I stuck my tongue out towards him, "T-They thay the betht way to treat a bloody wound ith to lick away all the blood, y'know?"

"That is ridiculous, this is no time for jokes, Nelly!" He still held onto a bit of his remaining logic as he chewed me out, "Be serious here!"

"I am being theriouth!" I raised my voice as I looked him dead on, my tongue still sticking out, "I-I'm really thcared and my tongue ith in great pain, a-and if it'th to thave my life, I'd gladly let you do the honorth!"

"Nelly..." He sighed before firmly hugging me, "T-This might hurt a bit, so please do not yell."

"I-I know it will!" I was on the verge of tears as I thpo-I mean spoke, "Just stick it in already!"

"Where... is... it...!?" He desperately looked around the room as I puckered up my lips.

"Meil, I'm glad my first time is with you..." I then ran out of patience waiting for him to seal the deal before finally opening my right eye, "Oh come on, I won't wait all day! H-Huh, what the-!?"

"Sorry Nelly, I told you it would sting." He apologized as he doused my mouth with alcohol, "Thank Ouroboras I kept that first aid kit under the centerpiece just in case. You were acting all delusional from the blood loss, so I had to trick you into sterilizing the wound by proper means."

"Grr... You idiot!" I lashed out at him, "What the hell are you talking about!? If anyone's the delusional one, it's you, goddammit! O-Ow! Hic!"