This chapter is brought to you in part by my new laptop.

Because my old one's screen started freaking out, so I had to get a new one.

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"You know this is going to make your chest look smaller, right?" I stared at the woman with an incredulous look on my face.

"Isn't that the point of a binder?" I couldn't keep my sarcasm from coming through. Normally, I could keep a better hold of myself, but that was the whole point of binders. Sure, the reasons might vary, but it ultimately resulted in the same end. I figured it was better safe than sorry, just in case the leather chestguard I'd found proved insufficient protection.

And let's face it, that probably wouldn't. The best it could offer is keeping my chest out of the way. I'd rather look flat than be painfully forced to be such.

Plus, keeping them out of the way wouldn't exactly be bad, either. They were, well, nowhere near Vert's or anything, but then again, I doubted all but very few could reach the point where they could rival that. But they were still fairly big, and I'd like to cross my arms over my chest. Because right now, the only place I could put them was underneath, and that didn't feel comfortable.

Of course, that didn't stop the odds looks I got when I asked for one. Was this just a cultural thing?

Oh, whatever, it wasn't going to affect me all that much. Plus it wasn't like she knew I was making use of a giant bow. I wasn't going to start waving that thing around just simply because a random person questioned my choices.

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"Your boobs look smaller," Vert's words made my eyebrow twitch. An actual twitch, probably complete with the vein running along my head. Really? Was that the first place people were going to go?

"I decided to pick up a bow. It's for my safety," I huffed, crossing my arms. Oh, it feels so nice to be able to do that without my chest getting in the way.

"Really?" Vert looked over to Chika, who simply nodded. She'd grown a bit quieter since we arrived back at the Basilicom. Which was a shame. She hadn't been all that talkative in the first place. Chika didn't seem shy, so I don't think that was the issue at play here.

It had to be something else.

"Can I see it?" Vert turned back towards me, her eyes wide, almost like she was begging.

"Sure," I held out my hand, and focused, the weapon teleporting into my hand. Vert seemed surprised at the massive weapon, which was taller than even I was. It was taller than Vert, now that I think about it.

"Interesting," Vert looked the weapon over. She gazed up and down, before taking a step back. "Very interesting. I've never seen a bow quite like that before. How exactly does it fire?"

"It anchors into the ground. It helps hold the arrow steady," I said, even though I didn't demonstrate. I didn't want to put a hole in the floor for no reason. Repair work likely wasn't cheap. Vert tilted her head to the side as if to imagine the process. Intense calculations seemed to flash behind her eyes as if calculating something about the weapon.

"What about the arrows?" humoring her, I manifested the quiver that came with the weapon. Like the arrows themselves, it was massive, running across my back at a shallow angle. Not shallow enough that they'd fall out in a stiff breeze, but enough so I could pull one out without breaking it in half.

"It's pretty much the size of one beach umbrella," I joked, forgetting for a brief moment that the Pruld probably didn't exist here, much less Dark Souls, meaning the joke probably flew past everyone's heads. Better than taking off someone's knee, and I'm still going along with the joke, damnit.

"Or a spear," Vert seemed to say absentmindedly, inspecting the projectile for a brief moment, before her eyes widened. "I would highly request you don't use any of my spears as projectiles. Or Chika's for that matter."

Part of me paused. She wasn't wrong about a spear being about the same size but, no. Stop. That is a terrible idea, even without factoring in the destruction of property.

"Using spears as arrows sounds like a bad idea. They aren't built for it and the aerodynamics would probably be messed up anyway," I said. Sure, I was certainly no engineer, but firing a weapon that wasn't made for it didn't seem wise or effective. "Plus I'm not Emiya, so I doubt that would work anyway."

"Who is that?" Chika spoke up, entering the conversation a last.

"He's a fictional character. He can duplicate and modify weapons he's seen before," I shrugged. "He did have a unique trick where he copied a magical sword, turned it into an arrow, and fired it from a bow."

Technically, that was Archer, but honestly, Nasuverse lore was a long, convoluted mess that probably requires a Ph.D. and a recreational drug habit to comprehend. And something that shouldn't be attempted to explain to people who had absolutely no idea who Nasu even was.

"I see," Chika scratched her chin. "I thought someone like that would be some type of hero or something."

Right, I'd explained the generalities of the situation at hand, but I didn't say much about what home was actually, like.

"Earth doesn't have things like this," I gestured. "We don't have monsters, well, ones that aren't wearing human skins, at any rate."

That got me a few odd looks.

"What about that thing you called a wolf?" Vert asked. "You seemed very concerned about that."

"It's a wild animal. Yes, a lot of people did think wolves were some type of monster. There's a whole horror genre monster that's the whole thing is that it's a human that turns into a wolf," I shrugged. "Sure, one or several can mess you up, but a lot of wild animals can do that. Most wolves are quiet frankly, scared of people, and for good reason."

"If there are no monsters, then what roles do the Goddesses serve?" Chika's question brought me off guard.

I paused. Religion on Earth is, complicated. Understatement of the millennium, certainly, but I don't think we have a polite term for it in the English language besides complicated. Even among the same faiths, you have numerous different subsects and factions. And that was just in monotheistic faiths. Though my knowledge was even scanter on resurgent polytheism, where numerous gods and goddesses were worshiped as part of the same general pantheon.

And that's not touching on all the other complicated matters.

"Faith on Earth is complicated," I shrugged, at last, trying to figure out how to put it in a way that didn't sound offensive to anyway. "There's a whole lot of faiths, and within those faiths, a whole lot of different denominations. And they're all insisting they're the ones that a right, sometimes coming to blows over the matter, even when they worship the same person. Plus, if they exist, which some people say yes, others say no, they seem to all, not be particularly hands-on. Though I'm guessing it's not the same here?"

Chika sent Vert a look as if she wanted her to tell me something. Vert, however, was hiding her mouth behind her hand. I'm not sure what that was all about. Was it a laugh, or a grin? Or was she frowning?

"I suppose you could say that," Vert finally spoke, a faint twitch on her lips. "You've met her before, believe it or not."

I had? Who exactly would that be? Cave? No, who exactly would put a divine figure on the front lines? She was the only person besides Chika and Vert I'd met who worked at the Basilicom, which was a government building. And as amusing as a goddess working at a clothing store or as a guild agent would be, I doubted that was the case.

Chika was out. Oracle, while a title with divine associations back on Earth, wasn't a divine being themselves. Though that was working under the assumption that Oracle held even a similar meeting. But Vert seemed to be higher up on the chain than Chika was, so there was that to consider. You don't exactly have a Goddess go shopping with a total stranger. Especially without a guard, but there could have been I wouldn't have been any wiser.

Vert was, somewhere on the chain, above Chika most likely, but that's all I really could gleam. But if I'd already met her.

"She's the lady with the green hair?" I asked. Flight, some type of power armor, as scantly applied as it was, used a spear, the same weapon that Chika and Vert used. Protected people from monsters?

I didn't exactly have all the pieces, but I had enough to make a decent outline.

"Lady Green Heart, yes," Vert nodded, a slight grin on her face. An interesting title, but she saved my life, so she could call herself whatever she wanted.

Plus she's a goddess, my input probably doesn't matter a whole lot.

"Please pass along a thank you then," I said. Vert, once again, for a brief moment, covered her mouth.

"I'll be sure to pass that along," she stopped only a few seconds later, her lips still twitching. "Now, I'm sure you've both had a long day, so I've decided to make you a surprise."

Chika seemed to perk up almost immediately at Vert's words.

"Thank you," I nodded. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to put away my clothes first."

"Of course, of course," Vert smiled back. "We'll be waiting for you in the dining room!"

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"Vert, darling, I don't think this constitutes a healthy meal," I didn't want to say it, as that would be rude, but Chika was right on the money. Everything smelled good and looked like it tasted even better. But.

It was all sweets. All of it. Sugar and chocolate, frosting, and treats. Not a single part of a well-balanced meal. I'm not even sure how Vert had the time to make some of this stuff unless she was far less busy than I originally had been led to believe.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Or just really good at multitasking.

Either way, Vert pouted, an adorable expression, but it did little to change that this was an unhealthy meal.

"We could snack on it over time," I offered, though looking at the veritable mountain, it would take a while to chew our way through all of it. Even I, for all my sweet tooth, would end up getting sick of it at some point, and that is not something I would say lightly.

Chika sighed, shaking her head.

"I'll see if I can make something real quick," Chika stood up, heading towards the cabinets, likely to see if there was anything left over from Vert's baking rampage. How much sugar and flour had been needed to make all this?

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I offered, getting up out of my seat as well. Sure, I wasn't exactly an expert, but it wasn't like I wasn't going to try and help, either. Chika had been on her feet all day, and she had been so because she was helping me out. The least I could do was return the favor.

"I," Chika seemed to be taken by surprise at my offer. "If you could check the fridge, that would be nice."

I hurried my way over to the fridge, and opened the door, before wincing. That was, not great. Flour and sugar I had expected to be devastated, but I forgot just how important eggs were as a cooking ingredient, as well as butter. Both were pretty much gone. That already left my recipe knowledge on a much more limited basis, and even that wasn't broad, to begin with.

Otherwise, there was a smattering of food items scattered about. Not much in the way of fruits and vegetables, either. I wasn't a big health nut, but apples, carrots, and raisins made for good earnings as a snack. Especially if popcorn wasn't on the table.

Hoping for a miracle, I pulled open the fridge. That was a sizable amount of ice cream. Do people just not need to watch what they eat here? Sure I could make a few milkshakes, several, actually, but that did nothing to address the sweets problem. Honestly, it'd just make it worse.

Again, words I never thought I'd have to say.

There had to be something here for us to use.

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"So, how did it go?" Vert sat across from Chika. Hinum had gone to bed by this point, and as far as either of them could tell, was already asleep. It was nice of her to help Chika with dinner, but Vert could tell the girl was still tired.

"Well, I don't think she's a plant or anything, like I initially feared," Chika admitted. "She's too ignorant of how Gamindustri works to be one of those, and I don't think she's a particularly good liar."

Her story did seem crazy, and yet, Vert didn't think she was lying, either. For a good cover story, she would expect something rational out of Hinum. Like how she had come from another country. That would be the story of a good, professional plant.

Which Hinum didn't do. Instead, she painted a picture of a world with no Goddesses, at least, not as she was, and one that completely lacked monsters. There was no doubt in Vert's mind she wasn't telling the full story, but then again, a whole world would have a lot of information that would be difficult to explain, but wouldn't exactly be needed.

"I still think she's omitting things, though," Chika admitted.

"About her home?" Vert asked, unsure of what Chika was getting at.

"About herself," Chika's statement made her raise an eyebrow. "It's just a feeling. She's reluctant to talk about herself. She acts like she doesn't care about her image a whole lot, before turning around and trying to make sure she fits an image of herself inside her head. I don't even think she mentioned her age until we had the ID card made for her at the guild. She's nice otherwise. She tries to stay out of the way, and offers to help when she thinks she can help."

Vert nodded. She hadn't been around Hinum for most of the day, so she would have to take Chika's word. Hinum did come across as, shy? No, that wasn't wholly it. Uncertain? Perhaps even, uncomfortable? It could simply be the stress of ending up in another world without warning.

She hoped it was the latter. It would be the most understanding, and would hopefully pass with time. Though Hinum would likely start getting homesick at some point.

"Do you think you can help her out with hunting monsters, show her the ropes a little tomorrow?" Vert asked. Today seemed to have made good progress on her plan. A solid sign.

"Well, someone is going to have to run out and get more food anyway," Chika sent her a pointed look as Vert rubbed the back of her head. She hadn't intended for things to get as out of hand as they did. She could probably pass along some of the more durable and longer-lasting sweets as donations to local charities and orphanages if it came down to it.

"It'd be better to pick everything up after such an excursion," Chika paused for a moment, and Vert wondered if Chika had figured out her plan. "Are you sure you're able to handle everything by yourself for two days in a row, darling?"

Vert bite back a sigh of relief, dodging that minor problem. Now if the rest of them were so easy to avoid.

"I can manage," Vert nodded. Chika raised an eyebrow, as if not entirely believing her, but still, she stood up.

"Then I will go to bed early as well. It sounds like everyone is going to have another long day ahead of them," Chika turned to leave, then stopped, as if remembering something. "I remember meeting Cave down at the lobby before Hinum and I left. She was on her way to meet you about something. Can I ask what she wanted to talk to you about?"

"ASIC movements. I'm working on collaborating reports with the other nations, but even I can tell they're gearing up for something," Vert scowled. Things were starting to get concerning. All nations were slowly bleeding shares now, and if something wasn't done, the situation would only get worse. Worst of all, they still didn't have a centralized command structure to hit, at least, not yet. Not that they knew of, anyway.

Though Vert had a feeling that wouldn't be the case much longer.

"Any idea what, darling?" Chika asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Some of the shipments that Cave intercepted weren't just pirated contraband. They were monsters," Vert let her words speak for them. Chika's face had the same expression Vert knew she had when Cave told her the news.

Vert felt bad that Hinum had to arrive at such a chaotic time. Normally, Leanbox and the rest of the Gameindustria were quite pleasant.

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"That's quite a distance," Chika stood off to the side. Her spear was in hand, but her grip was loose. She was mostly there to keep me from getting in over my head. Which was appreciated, as I had no idea what I would do if I ran into a veritable tide of flowers. Again.

"It's a bow," I pointed out. What was I going to do? Bonk it over the head? Then again, given its size, mass, and metal composition, that might work, provided I didn't make it a habit. I pulled the arrow back, watching as the monster appeared to be unaware of my presence, pacing back and forth.

It stopped for a moment, and I took that opportunity to fire. Releasing the bowstring sounded like a whip combined with thunder. Dirt erupted from the impact, and when it finally settled the monster was no longer there.

Did these things know dig, or had I just killed it already?

"Not bad," Chika complimented. "Though a flower isn't worth a whole lot of experience."

I pulled up my stat sheet again, noticing the tiny increase in EXP down toward the bottom. Alright, level grinding was going to stink. Maybe guild missions also rewarded EXP as quests did?

It better, or attempting to level up was going to be a long and painful experience.

"Try using your skills next, if you already haven't," Chika said, looking amused. Skills? There were skills? That just, poofed into existence?

Great, I should probably look those over before I get into a fight. Let's see, where even was that list? There had to be a way to check, right?

Okay, under abilities, and there it is. Alright, they were divided between Rush and Power skills.

Wait, this is a great bow. How is this thing capable of doing any Rush attacks? These were not built with speed in mind!

I looked at the list, surprised to find one, but two skills under that tab. Rapid shot and Multishot? Oh, this I had to see. I had no clue how you fired multiple arrows at once from a bow this size. I mean, there were instances, but in all of those, blatant magic was involved.

So, for Multishot, I'd have to load multiple arrows into the bow at once. I grabbed two, which was an awkward fit as I pulled the string back. Both arrows flew forward as I released them, the monstrous flower looking up only to notice the twin arrows that slammed into the thing. This time, the arrows hit behind it, allowing me to see the monster fade away in a shower of digital-looking sparks.

I took another quick look at my stats, ignoring the EXP for the time being. What did I have for Power skills? It didn't surprise me that Rush appeared a bit low. It was more of a surprise that I had any of those at all. Power attacks were more great bow's thing.

Oh, oh wow. I had five? Power Shot, Piercing Shot, and Heavy Shot all seemed like standard, high-damage attacks. But the other two were the most interesting. Flaming Strike and Earthshaker? Those sounded dope!

The latter even sounded like that one weapon art from Dark Souls Three, from the first DLC. The one that caused arrows to explode, and was really good a knocking people off cliffs?

I was going to have to experiment with this.