The days were slowly grinding on and on. Things were a madhouse, to put it mildly, but I was managing to keep the ship afloat. Sure, the economy was on a gradual downward tilt, but we'd managed to counterbalance things enough that the impact would, if not a graceful landing, would be considerably softer than it could have been. Frankly, a lot of the worst impact was coming from the external market, for numerous reasons.

Part of it was out of my hands. The other three nations were getting hit hard economically, and that was always going to have some degree of blowback, no matter how one spun it. The rest was me leveraging bureaucracy as much as I could, no small task given the circumstances. We'd managed a decapitating blow, or damn near close enough to one, against the ASIC in Leanbox, cutting their production. So they were trying to compensate for the lack of goods by bringing them in from other countries.

There was always going to be a demand for such goods, no matter how much I liked it, but I could cut both pirated games, and those transporting them, at the border. I wasn't able to catch everything or everyone, but the outright flood had been slowed considerably.

I'd love nothing more than to help the other nations, but things were complicated. Black Sister didn't return my calls in the slightest, but then again, she seemed to be actively trying to handle the situation herself. Part of the problem was that Lastation's businesses were generally fairly corrupt. Black Heart had been able to keep things in line, but without her, they were falling back into old habits, and that included several siding with the ASIC, even if they didn't do so publicly.

While I knew Leanbox's businesses weren't exactly squeaky clean, either, and a few where working with the ASIC from the shadows, there were enough that were reasonably loyal to their profits that they were at least willing to not sign up with the ASIC. Some seek opportunities to demolish and consume their rivals, to actual genuine loyalty of sorts. The ASIC hurt a lot of companies and their bottom line, so why not back the least harmful option?

I was planning ways to clean the house myself and maneuver things in such a way that it'd be an easy win in the court of public opinion. Better yet, make it so I wouldn't need to fire a single shot.

The White Sisters, and yes, they were apparently twins, weren't having as much luck, but once again, weren't returning any attempt at contacting them either.

It hadn't been until I got in touch with Planeptune's Oracle, Histoire, that I actually got any insight into this behavior.

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"It's not that I don't think your intentions aren't benign or, at the very least, mutually beneficial. It's just that in the current situation, the Candidates feel like they have to solve these problems themselves, to prove themselves to their people. A failure to do so, and having to lean on others, might cost them shares. Especially since they suspect the one offering them a hand might be seeking them out as a means to bolster their shares," I watched the small, fairy-like girl as she sat on a book. What looked like a book, anyway. That alone was enough to throw me for a bit of a loop.

It would have been nice to have that piece of information beforehand. But I had not, thus, I had to make the most of all I got. Not that Histoire was trying to take advantage of that surprise. She was just being, helpful. No strings attached. Which was, nice.

"But that's, counterproductive," I could see the angle. Everyone was losing shares. Even I was. Shares were a Goddess's power. So if we were losing shares, then we were losing power. That power would typically be going towards other nations, but now the ASIC was at the table, and it was getting its slice of the pie. And it wanted more and more. Shares were a finite resource. There was only so much of it to go around. That was a double edge sword, as while nations competed against one another, shares were in a healthy state of flux. The ASIC changed how things worked, as it was a ravenous eater.

With shares dropping, there were two ways to get more. To bolster one's strength. Fight the ASIC for them, which was what I was doing. Not exactly the most straightforward, as they weren't exactly just a punchable problem. That combined with my lower level made that something I was going to have to address, no matter how much I would prefer not to.

The second way was to take them from another Goddess or Candidate. I wasn't exactly sure how difficult this might be, but I didn't think it was a good idea. Yes, adding to one's strength was something I could see the appeal of, don't get me wrong, but was it the smart thing?

I'd played more than a fair share of grand strategy games. While map painting could be quite fun and entertaining, going it by yourself wasn't always the smartest idea. It was usually better to have allies at your side that you could rely upon. So you could spend your strength against actual threats instead of petty squabbles. Frankly, a unified front would have served us better long term.

"I do not disagree with such an assessment," Histoire said. "I don't think you're trying to take any of Planeptune, or any other nation's shares, for that matter. If simply due to your sense of pragmatism. However, that may very well be a consequence of your actions, even if it is not your intention. Plus, for the other Candidates, it is also a matter of pride. If your nation was doing worse compared to another, how would you feel that another had to solve your problems for you?"

I scowled at her point. I wanted to refute her, saying that I'd be able to swallow my pride and ask for help if it was needed. But would I really? Or would I take the offer of help as an insult and stubbornly double down? I had no problem asking for help if I thought it was needed, but that was internal. Kept inside Leanbox itself, using the advice I had available to me.

But an external one? As far as I was concerned, the well-being of Leanbox's people should come first and foremost. But there was a difference between saying that from my present position, and doing so. Especially as Histoire had a good point. Even if it wasn't my intention, it could still happen anyway. Leaks did happen, and while I had no problem letting the Candidate in question take the credit, the truth could be revealed, either just by accident or by the ASIC. And nobody wanted to be losing shares right now.

"I would hope. But I can understand at least part of the reason," I didn't like it, but I did understand it. They couldn't afford to lose shares to anyone, ASIC, or even other Candidates. So they would naturally try to keep ahold of what they had, over anything else.

"I do thank you for that," Histoire nodded. "I know more about your present state thanks to Chika."

I couldn't stop myself from wincing at the mention of her name.

"I take it Chika has not been taking things well?" Histoire picked up on my reaction instantly, a slight frown of worry on her face.

"That would be an understatement," my frown matching hers. Chika had taken Vert's capture about as well as a drunk skunk flying a passenger aircraft. In short?

Not great.

I'd tried to help, I really did, but I was reaching my wits end on the matter. I tried to get her to talk, made sure she was eating alright and made sure her room didn't become an unhealthy mess. More unhealthy than Chika's mental health already was.

But Chika didn't want help. She wanted Vert back. And at the moment it was sadly the one thing I wouldn't be able to get her.

"She's still pretty much locked up in her room," I admitted. "And I'm trying to help, but at this point, I don't know what to do."

One could almost consider the position of Oracle as a much more powerful secretary, in a way. They helped with several important duties, helped keep things running smoothly, and ultimately acted as a plan C when it came to leadership.

And Chika was very good at her job, despite, or maybe in spite of, her eccentricities. Chika had done a lot of the Heavy lifting that was now being done by me.

Yes, me. There weren't a whole lot of options. Cave was already overworked, and even if she could fill in the postion. She could leave her old job to take the position, but she'd have to be quite good at her current job. Losing that experience and skill to a desk job would be a disaster of its own.

I could temporarily fill the position if I asked someone to. But everyone else was just as busy as I was. No, most of the bureaucrats were also working overtime. And frankly, nobody knew more about the position than Chika did. She was, by all rights, the expert. Right now? Such experts were desperately needed. But until she was healthy enough to take on such a workload, I had to carry on in her place.

But the work was adding up. All of it was, and there were only so many hours in the day, and I wasn't willing to cut any more sleep out of my schedule. Having a good night's rest allowed me to do more work, and prevented me from developing a coffee addiction which wouldn't help matters.

I needed to delegate, to clear a bit more time for other things. But to do that effectively, I needed Chika, and well, as much as I tried, there weren't enough hours in the day. I tried to help, but there wasn't a whole lot in which I could do. Between the literal mountains of paperwork, press meetings, planning operations of various sorts, to meeting with business leaders. I was, swamped, practically drowning in work.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I needed Chika's help, but Chika shouldn't be helping me until she was well enough to help me.

I just didn't know how to make her feel better. Well, there was one way. It was just, impossible, right now. Returning Vert was simply beyond my abilities. It was a recipe for getting captured myself, and that wouldn't do Leanbox or Chika any good.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Histoire spoke mournfully. "I knew she wouldn't take Vert's capture well, even more so than the other Oracles with their respective Goddesses, but I did not expect her to be this despondent."

She paused for a moment, seemingly conflicted.

"I think I might have a way to help," Histoire said. "Though I must request that you keep this between yourself and Chika. I'm not sure how likely it is to work, and it will take a few years to implement regardless."

I raised my eyebrow. That was, promising. Histoire had some type of plan in the works? One that could break Chika out of her funk? What exactly? No, that was a dumb question. What else could it be?

"You're working on a way to free the Goddesses?" I asked it anyway, but it was the most logical solution. A freed Vert would be the only way to cheer Chika up. The problem is, Histoire said this would take a few years. Why? Did it take some type of item? Or was she building up a charge for something?

"That is correct. I can't go into details, on the off chance that communications aren't as secure as we think they are, and on the off chance it doesn't work, I wouldn't want to get your hopes up," Histoire brought up a few fairly valid points for her secrecy, even if I didn't like it.

"I don't exactly disagree. But I think having more information would if nothing else, make it easier to talk with Chika," I said. I didn't want to push matters. But on the other hand, how much choice did I have? "Otherwise, she might take what I'm saying as nothing more than vague promises she doesn't have to listen to."

Satisfying my curiosity about what Histoire had up her sleeve was, admittedly, a solid side benefit. It wouldn't exactly surprise me if Histoire was the only Oracle that could pull something like whatever she was planning off, either. Unless that was what Chika was working on in her room. But I doubt it.

"Very well. Though I request that what information I am about to give you stays between yourself and Chika," a simple request, and it was one I had no problem following. A move that would free Vert and the others is worth keeping concealed until the moment it was sprung.

"My lips are sealed," I nodded in agreement, making a gesture of a zipper along my mouth.

"I'm currently working on making a Sharicite crystal. This process will take time, however. Once it is complete, I will send two trusted agents into the Gamindustri Graveyard. With the Sharicite crystal, they should be able to awaken all four Goddesses, and Purple Sister, before making their escape so we can plan our next move from there," Histoire spoke, giving me far more detail than I expected.

The plan seemed fairly sound. Sneak in, awaken, and free everyone, then get the hell out of Dodge before anyone knows you're there. Of course, plans tended to only last a few seconds of contact with the enemy before they exploded. I'd been lucky thus far to have so little go wrong with mine.

"I'm guessing this process requires shares?" That seemed like a question with an obvious answer, but it would be best to double-check.

"Indeed it does," Histoire confirmed, nodding her head. A crease grew on my face. That made sense. That wasn't what I was frowning about. Why exactly was the nation that was the worst off creating such a thing? I had far more shares to spare on such a project. I'd lost about six to seven percent of my shares thus far, and the bleeding had stopped by now. Planeptune, meanwhile, had lost close to twelve percent and was still crawling lower.

"Are you sure? Planeptune needs as many shares as possible right now," I said, voicing my concern. This didn't sound like a good idea.

"Frankly, it doesn't. Not as much as you think. Planeptune doesn't have a Goddess,or a Candidate to empower at the moment. There is very little else we can use share power for at the moment. It isn't worth the risks of leaving a Candidate temporarily depowered. Not at the moment," Histoire's words sunk in. Depowered? It took that much share energy to make one of these crystals?

"I see. Regardless, please let me know if you need any amount of assistance in the future. I'll do everything in my power to help you if it is needed," I offered.

"I will try to keep in touch, as well," Histoire responded in kind. "I wish you the best of luck with Chika. Hopefully, she takes the news of the plan well."

The program closed, leaving me staring at a blank screen. I hope I had good luck too.

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It had taken more time than I'd care to admit before I could finally have a free hour. And it took a lot of work to even get to that point, too. Delegation was a skill I needed to learn a bit more about. Old habits from college weren't exactly easy to break.

But if there was a time, it was now. I felt my power well up inside me before I pushed it back down. I'd, been using that power to cheat enough in such matters. I didn't need to become reliant on Green Sister and the confidence the form gave me to solve all of my issues. This was something I needed to do as myself.

I knocked softly at the door, opening it, when I heard a soft confirmation from Chika.

The room was dark, and a mess. Despite my best efforts to at least keep it somewhat clean for Chika, various food wrappers and soft drink cans littered the room. It wasn't healthy for her to live like this, but at least it hadn't gotten to the point where insects were being attracted. That would probably be the moment I'd be forced to put my foot down on the matter. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

I, was never the best at this sort of thing. I'd tried talking with her before, but Chika didn't listen to what I had to say. I tried to be there for her, when she was good and ready. But at this point, would taking the bandage off be the better option?

I sat down next to her, where she was still curled up on the bed.

"I talked with Histoire today," I lead with, a somewhat neutral topic. All I got was a grunt, clearly uninterested in such matters. "She has a plan to get Vert back."

That got a reaction. Chika bolted upright, nearly rocketing out of her bed.

"She wants to make a Sharicite crystal, and sneak it into the graveyard," I continued.

"A, Sharicite cyrstal? Chika's voice was faint, as if I were speaking to a ghost. "That would take too long." I resisted the urge to scowl. Vert was tough. I knew she was. She could last the few years it would take for Histoire's plan to bear fruit.

We just needed to hold out that long here.

"Chika, Vert's strong. Histoire's plan will work. We just need to hold out until then," I said, but I could already tell I was losing her interest. "I need your help to hold out that long."

Chika let out a soft gasp.

"But, you've been doing fine. Cave says you're doing a good job," so Cave has been by to talk with her. That's good, at the very least. It was good for Chika to have someone else to talk too.

"I think I'm doing, okay," I admitted, and that kind of scared me. I didn't have any leadership experience in the real world. Not like this. I was flying by the seat of my pants, more or less, and a lot of my plans were mostly combinations of advice and stuff from world history. "But I think I could be doing better, too. I'm getting overworked. There is too much to do, and not enough hours in the day to do it in. I'm overstretching myself, and its only going to get worse as time goes on."

"Then just replace me. A fat lot of good I was able to do," I pulled Chika into a hug before she could say anything else.

"Chika, you are the person with the most experience with the job. You know more about being an Oracle than anyone in Leanbox. You are in every sense of the term, irreplaceable," I said. That was scarcely the only reason. Replacing an Oracle during a time of crisis wouldn't be a good look, either, nor would having someone completely lacking experience in the position be good during a time of crisis.

Chika was the only option on the table. And I needed her. I needed her to know that.

"Chika, I don't think I can do this without your help," I said, holding her tightly. "We need to hold Leanbox together. So Vert has a nation to come back to."

Chika's body quaked, as she began to sob in my arms. I clung to her tightly, as hard as I could, until her crying slowly began to stop.

"Okay. I, can do that," Chika's words were still soft, but they felt like they had strength behind them, for the first time in a long time. I squeezed her even harder, a weight lifting off my shoulders. A burden was still there, but it was, less, than what it had once been.

We could do this.