Well, it's been about half a week since we started construction, and I must say it's way more work than we had originally expected. Obviously, I knew such a large scale project as this wouldn't be done in an instant, but I did expect us to at least be done with the exterior. Currently, we're only most of the way done with the bricks when it comes to the first floor. The second floor still hasn't even been started yet, and the roof is but a far off dream. Even still, since it's the three of us together, I can honestly say that our little daily get-togethers are more so something to look forward to than anything.
"Hey, this plank is kinda thin." Ed picked up one of the misMaterializations I summoned in, "Is it used for something?"
"Oh, no." I shook my head, "You can just toss that one in the trashbag."
"Aww, but the trashbag is all the way over there..." Ed whined before getting an idea, "Hey, 100 shils says I can toss it straight in from here."
"You're gonna break a window at best." Issei smirked, "And completely airball it at worst."
"Yeah, ain't no way you're making it in from here." I accepted the wager too, "But feel free to try."
"Alright, prepare to eat your words, bros~!" He lined up the shot before throwing the thin plank of wood like one would a javelin, "Hyup!"
Soaring through the sky, it zoomed on over towards the direction he pointed it to. We knew he was strong, or at least physically active, but I'm pretty sure that throwing it that far out is breaking at least some records. Flying through the air with pinpoint accuracy, the plank of wood had entered headfirst into the black trash bag, earning him a 200 shil reward for his troubles.
"Booyah!" He started gloating, "Haha! Pay up, suckas!"
"Nghh..." We both grit our teeth, "Fine, we'll admit that shot was pretty cool... We'll pay you when we go inside."
"Don't go forgetting now!" He smugly retorted.
And so, we continued on with our work until sundown, when we officially considered it to be the end of our shift for the day. Entering inside mine and Cecily's house, we all took a quick shower before eating the food the other tenants prepared for us. It's nice getting this form of treatment once in a while, and while I do understand it's something they feel obliged to do since we're helping build their housing for them, I can still appreciate them going out of their way to make it easier for us just as well.
"So, how was work today?" Cecily was the first to speak up after we all sat down to eat.
"I won a wager." Ed reclined in his seat all proud, "And these two suckers owe me 200 shils!"
"He's never gonna let that go, is he...?" I groaned before angrily reaching for my wallet, "There's your two hundo, dammit!"
"Ed, extortion isn't a good look for you." Eleanor mockingly jeered.
"Right? Wasn't he a goody two shoes in his younger days?" Aru added onto the mockery, "It's like the moment the war hit he just lost all that compassion. Sigh, such a tragedy..."
"Hrm..." Ed looked kinda disgruntled before sheepishly handing me my money back, "Here, sorry for being a dick..."
"Dick?" Cene parroted the unfamiliar word.
"A-Ah! Sorry about that!" Ed looked like he was scared shitless, obviously mistaking me for some sort of asshole.
"Hey now, you won this money fair and square." I insisted on him keeping it, "Next time I'll wager on something and win, so keep it tucked away until then, okay bud?"
"Huh?" He looked confused more than anything.
"Oh, and Cene." I smiled on over to him, "Keep this in mind. Dick is just a nickname for people named Richard. So if ever you run into someone named Richard, you're free to call him that, okay?"
"Mhm, okay!" He shrugged before happily wolfing down his food, "Mommy, seconds!"
Heh, did he even hear a word I said? Well, I don't really care as long as Ed isn't getting forced to feel bad about his victories. Yeah, something happened to him, I've noticed it as well. Ed used to only focus on helping the people around him. That's what gave him purpose in life, but now he's focusing on self-care, and the people who knew him before as this kind and helpful kid are now mistaking him for turning selfish. He may not realize it, but I think his family's tying him down a bit.
"Gee, really makes you wonder who the Saint here really is when I hear such words and thoughts from you, Lune Grimheart." Aru piped up with a wry smirk, "Are you guys sure you didn't get switched at birth or something?"
"Hearing that from an all-knowing deity like you is concerning, you know." Ed shivered, "Though it would explain a lot."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sigmund got mad.
"Hoo boy..." Camilla and Eleanor immediately knew what they were getting themselves into.
"Hey!" Cecily stood up, the chair behind her scraping against our poor wooden floor, "Keep that interfamilial turmoil to yourselves, why don'cha!? I don't care what you guys think of each other, but as long as you're under OUR roof, you'll at the very least try and remain amicable! Is that clear!?"
"Y-Yeah..." Sigmund was the first to nod, surprisingly, letting go of all his rage just like that.
"Yeah, c'mon guys, the food's getting cold." Ed quietly told everyone.
Hmm, the food got cold a while ago, what with all the blabbering we've been doing, but I think everyone already knew that. Their family... they never were on good terms with each other, even when we were kids, but I think we're finally experiencing the aftermath of this toxic relationship. I know it's rude to poke your nose into other people's business, but this is concerning my best friend, so I gotta do something at least.
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His parents, Sigmund and Camilla, they were always busy at work and almost never at home because of it. On one hand, you've got Ed who basically considered himself free of their bossy orders whenever they were away, and on the other hand you've got his sister Eleanor who always eagerly awaited their return. This led to Ed wanting a future where "his parents were never there", whereas his sister wanted the opposite. In a way, he's actively trying to cast himself away from the rest of his family, and now his family's ganging up on him to achieve the opposite, that is - To tie him down together with them. A naturally kind person like him can't and won't just toss them out of the house, surely, and his family is the type where they're taught to just live under the breadwinner's house, so they ain't leaving either.
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"Ah, so I was wrong about you after all." Aru suddenly startled me from behind as I hid myself away to the side to think of a proper plan, "I called you a saint earlier, but to think you just wanted to separate a seemingly happy family. How devious~!"
"Do I have like a naturally attractive quality that gets the Gods riled up?" I smirked, "Because there's no way both you and Auros took a liking to my scheming that easily."
"Well, I was tasked by Selzion recently to monitor your every move, so can ya' blame me?" She shrugged, "Anyways, what's the plan? Cene's asleep, so I could do with some mischievous fun until he's back."
"Hey now, I don't just recruit people for free." I rubbed my fingers together in a gesture that signaled I wanted a reward for my future troubles, "If you want in on the job, you're gonna have to put in a few good words about me to Cene."
"Huh? Is that all?" She looked surprised, "Well, I guess that does seem to be your primary goal for now, so I won't question it. Well then, mortal, consider it done!"
With a firm handshake, the pact was signed, and a new dynamic duo was born... not. Honestly, I'm fresh out of ideas myself for this one, so I can appreciate any and all additional supporters, no questions asked. And hey, if it'll help me win over Cene's affection quicker, then that's doubly great!
"So, I heard rumors of the Great Water Goddess possessing a power that lets her see into the future?" I whispered into her ear.
"Indeed, all Gods possess that quality. It is only natural." She smiled back.
"Then how do I get to a future that makes everyone truly happy?" I kept my question direct and concise.
"This Universe Cycle will not stray from its original intended timeline, so nothing you do will change the outcome." She replied.
"So Marina's and Carter's death was inescapable?" I asked.
"Yes." She replied.
"And me cheating on Cecily with Marina?"
"T-That too." She stammered a bit.
"And me reviving after everyone went to Mount Ivrys?"
"W-Well..."
"Then it isn't a set timeline at all!" I angrily shouted, "Gah, don't scare me like that... I almost thought there was nothing I could do, but thankfully you were just pulling my leg."
"W-Wait! While it's true that fate did change during those events, it still doesn't mean YOU were the one who changed it, Lune Grimheart!"
"Oh?" I witnessed her continue to dig herself into a corner even more, "Well, I guess that makes sense. The person that originally convinced me to cheat on Cecily was Issei, and come to think of it, he said he was on that trip to Mount Ivrys as well..."
Glancing over to her every so often, I couldn't help but crack a smile once I saw that tiny little terrified expression on her. Yep, I was right on the money with that one! Haha, so it is Issei after all. Yeah, as the only person that wasn't born in this world, it only makes sense that he's the reason Aru's still crashing here. Yeah, a Goddess has no business lounging around with a bunch of humans and babysitting their kid, but if it's to monitor the one guy that constantly keeps throwing wrenches in their preordained plans, then it's a no-brainer!
"Dammit, I forgot how smart you actually are..." She smirked defeatedly, "But don't think that that damned foreigner is the only reason I'm here. Cene's fun to be around, and your wife is a surprisingly good cook. As an immortal God, you usually tend to forget this warm feeling of being around people whose company you enjoy."
"And now you're getting sentimental after I totally outsmarted you?" I mocked, "What a sore loser~!"
"...Yeah, that I am." She acted like she wasn't at all fazed by my remarks before following me to Issei, "So what, you're gonna make the foreigner do the job for you?"
"I'll be there with him, don't worry." I chuckled, "But from what you've told me, as long as he's there, I can change fate to whatever I want, right?"
"...You're a clever guy, Lune Grimheart." She then muttered something under her breath, "Clever enough to make a mess up there as well..."
"What was that?" I glanced back.
"Nothing!" She shot back, "Come on, guess there's no avoiding it, so out of my own kindness and generosity, I'll allow you to meddle in that dysfunctional family's affairs. Just this once, though!"
Haha, or so she says, but her tone gave her away a while ago. She's a kind Goddess, I can see it in her Eyes. Ed told me about it as well, how she personally fought Selzion after I got revived and got him off my case for me. She also helped them go up the damned mountain in the first place, though I must wonder just how much that actually did for my revival. Fragments of my time in Heaven keep appearing in my dreams, but everything is so abstract that I immediately forget it all the moment I wake up. Maybe it's for the best that I don't know, I shouldn't test my luck.
Talking it over with Issei, he was more than willing to hear me out and help us fix Ed's relationship with his family, though he was pretty confused as to why we asked him in particular. Our plan was to convince his unreasonable parents first and then Ed, so we told them what their family looked like from an outsider's perspective. Camilla was brought to tears after realizing what they had done to their son, while Sigmund was still as grumpy as before, though his brows looked like they started quivering halfway through. I'm not sure if this is just another facade they're putting up, nor if they're gonna even remember what we told them just now, but it's a step in the right direction nonetheless. As for Ed's side...
"Personally, I wanted to ask for a third house separate from mine and Anna's..." He kind of awkwardly revealed, "It's been really difficult getting it on with her ever since my folks moved in. She gets quite loud, heh, you guys know how it is."
"No, we most certainly do not." Issei and I cocked our heads in disgust, "Cecily/Othelia aren't loud-HEY! Just what are you making us say!?"