Side Story: Everyone’s Morrow Part 2

◇Deep in a Forest◇

Hero Gold-Hair looked at the shovel in his right hand, his eyes large with awe. “This Drilldozer Shovel is something else!” he said. In front of him was a great hole, hot water gushing out with surprising force.

“I thought we were digging a well for drinking waaater...”

“Yeah, me too. I didn’t expect something like this to come out.” The two exchanged a glance as the hot water continued to issue forth.

It took half a day for the water to reach equilibrium. It had settled into something you might call a small pond with the hole Gold-Hair dug at its epicenter. Tsuya timidly stuck her hand in the water. “Hero Gold-Haaair,” she said, “this feels pretty good!”

“Yeah? Let me try!” Following her example, Hero Gold-Hair stuck his own hand in the hot water. “You’re right! It turned out quite nicely. Shall we take a bath?”

“Yeees!” Tsuya cheered. “Hooray!” Her clothes were already halfway off. She cast off her cloak and tossed her rather provocative undergarments aside until she stood entirely naked. She skittered off towards the pond.

“Y-You fool!” Hero Gold-Hair shouted, flustered. He picked up her abandoned clothes to shake off the mud and folded them neatly. “Who just gets naked with no hesitation like that?! It’s shameful!”

Gold-Hair’s words seemed to snap Tsuya back to reality. “O-Oh noooo?!” she cried. She blushed and began doing her best to cover her breasts and body with her hands as she got in the water.

Hero Gold-Hair sighed and walked behind a tree to take off his own clothing, which he folded and laid on a nearby boulder. “That woman... Should I just avert my eyes from her entirely?” He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out from behind the tree. “Well, it is what it is,” he said. He lowered himself into the water.

“Oh!” said Gold-Hair. “This is a good temperature.”

“Isn’t iiit?” Tsuya smoothly moved through the water, coming up close to him. While Hero Gold-Hair had been busy with his clothes, Tsuya had wrapped a towel around herself as well. However, a single towel was plainly too small to fit around her voluptuous chest. It was plain to see that the cloth was digging into her breasts, binding them tight.

Gold-Hair caught himself staring. I still can’t believe that chest of hers... he thought.

Suddenly, the towel, pulled taut around Tsuya’s breasts, launched off of her like a sling. “O-Oh? Oh, nooo!” Tsuya tried frantically to hide her chest with her arms.

Gold-Hair was overtaken by a sudden coughing fit. Given where he had been looking, he had just caught an entire eyeful of Tsuya’s naked chest. His cheeks red, he stared determinedly up at the sky.

“W-Well!” he declared. “It seems one towel won’t cut it. Here. Use mine.” Still staring up at the sky, he procured one of his own towels and held it out to her.

“Reaaally? Maaay I?”

“Of course, just put it on quickly! I want to have a calm, relaxing bath, and I can’t do it if you’re traipsing around like that!”

“O-Okaaay!” she said, and then she noticed something. “Oh?” There was something stiff and erect under the towel Hero Gold-Hair still had wrapped around his waist. The sight of Gold-Hair’s too-natural reaction to seeing her naked breasts made her freeze up for a second.

“Eeeek!” Tsuya shrieked, splashing water on his face. “H-Hero Gold-Haaair! Don’t be a peeervert!”

“Wait! Tsuya! You’ve got it wrong! Or...maybe not entirely, but—”

“Get away from me, you peeerv!”

“Imbecile!” Gold-Hair shouted back. “Who are you calling a pervert?! First of all, it’s all because of your ridiculous—”

As the evening sun shone from the crest of the mountains, Gold-Hair and Tsuya continued to shout at each other. Truly, Hero Gold-Hair was in some hot water.

◇Dark Citadel, Throne Room◇

The Dark One Yuigarde sat upon his throne, his feet twitching irritably. His expression looked like he had just swallowed a bug. “Hey Phufun.”

“What is it you wish, my master?” Phufun, who had been waiting to the side of his throne, pushed her fake glasses up the ridge of her nose and maneuvered around to the front of the Dark One.

“Are we still waiting on a response from those western foxes? Well?!” he spat.

“W-We’ve sent three different emissaries to inquire about them, but we still don’t...”

Yuigarde clicked his tongue and shifted in his seat. “Hmph. Driven out of the hot springs, officers not talking, listening to every damned complaint any demon has...” Yuigarde sprung to his feet, suddenly shouting with a loud voice. “Am I not the Dark One?! The greatest of all demonkind?! How did things turn out so wrong?!” Spent, he slumped back into his throne and started tapping his foot on the floor in irritation.

He looked to his side, where the Infernals were meant to be waiting. There was no one. “And what are the Infernal Three doing?! Why aren’t they here?! Huh?!”

“Ahh... Those three said they were going to observe their assigned regions...”

“Idiot!” Yuigarde bellowed. He threw the crown on his head at Phufun, scoring a hit directly to her forehead. Trickles of fresh blood ran down her face. “‘Observe’?! They had underlings to do that when Ghozal was in charge! They just don’t want to talk to me!”

Yuigarde kept rambling as he sank into his seat. Time and time again he kept adjusting his position. It looked like he was rather uncomfortable sitting on his throne.

◇Klyrode Castle—Maiden Queen’s Chambers◇

The Maiden Queen lay on her bed resting on her stomach, moaning, her face red. A smaller girl was on top of her.

“Is that good, my sister the Queen?” the smaller girl asked.

“Ohhh, yes... There... Right there, Princess... Harder...”

“Here? Very well then.”

“Aaah, yes! Oh, I can feel it...”

The Maiden Queen’s teenage sister was perched on top of her, working her thumb and the ridge of her hand into the tense spots of her sister’s back as the Queen cried out in relief.

“My sister the Queen, your muscles are terribly stiff... I would not think you to be only thirty years of age.”

The Queen winced. “My sister the Third Princess... I am only twenty-nine years old.”

“I do not believe one year more or less should make much difference.”

“No, my sister the Third Princess, that one year is a woman’s pride.”

“That isn’t very persuasive, not with your back so tight and bunched up like an old woman’s.”

“Ohhh!” the Queen cried as her sister pushed on a pressure point. “Yes! Right there! It feels so good...”

The Third Princess sighed. “My sister the Queen, I’m afraid you have been working too hard. From dawn to midnight you’re in meetings, conducting interviews, or handling paperwork... You scarcely give yourself time to breathe!”

“It’s unavoidable, I’m afraid, my sister the Third Princess. We had to banish everyone the old King so much as breathed on, and now we simply don’t have enough people to govern the kingdom. Until we can find new people to fill out their ranks, I have to do this. I am the one who deemed it necessary to drive them out, after all.”

“I understand,” said the Third Princess, pushing harder on the pressure point in the middle of her sister’s back, “but even so, there’s no reason to push your body to such a— Huh?” Suddenly, she tilted her head, realizing something was wrong. Her sister had been so responsive to her touch until now, but this time she gave no response at all.

Frantic, the Princess took a look at the Queen’s face. She had fallen asleep, and was now snoring peacefully before her eyes. Her hair was ragged, her body was in shambles, and she had dark bags under her eyes. In order to cut costs, she had eliminated any budget for her own personal cosmetics or wardrobe, dedicating everything to hiring new staff from the castle town, putting her appearance a distant second to her duties. She had likewise eliminated any budget for massage therapy, which was why, when her body built up too much fatigue to function, it fell to her younger sister to massage her back.

“My sister’s so worn out...and it’s all because of that wicked old man...” the Princess wiped a tear from her eye. She had gotten so emotional that she couldn’t hold herself back from crying. “My wonderful, wonderful sister... At the very least, I can get rid of all your fatigue while you sleep!” She seized her sister’s leg and wrenched it, twisting it upwards as hard as she could. It bent back unnaturally.

There was a sickening crunch, and the Maiden Queen’s screams filled the chamber.

For the next few days, the Maiden Queen performed her official functions sitting in a wheelchair. And the one pushing the chair, with a very apologetic expression, was none other than the Third Princess.

◇Houghtow City—Flio’s House◇

Flio’s house stood outside the walls of Houghtow City. In front of it was a large sprawling garden and pasture. Recently, a small cabin had been set up to the side of the garden.

Two goblins stepped out, both stretching their arms wide as they began a set of physical exercises.

“Hmm... Good weather again,” said the larger goblin, Maunty.

“Indeed!” replied the smaller goblin, Hokh’hokton. The two continued their exercises, watching as the morning sun rose above the horizon.

“It’s another busy day, Hokh’hokton!”

“Yes! We must be of use to the noble Lady Blossom, to pay her back for this house.” As the two stretched, they could hear the clattering noise of a cart’s wheels. “Oh, is she already awake? How splendid!”

Now they could see Blossom coming from the direction of Flio’s house. Behind her, Sybe in psychobear form came pulling the cart. The two goblins stood at attention.

“Good morning, Lady Blossom, Esteemed Sybe!” said Maunty.

“It is, as always, an honor to serve you,” said Hokh’hokton.

“Nah, I told you guys, you’re the ones helping me out here! I should be thanking you, if anything.” Blossom grinned cheerfully and clapped both goblins on the shoulders. “Thanks to you, we’re breezing through the weeding, we’ve made the garden bigger, and we’re doin’ harvests way faster. It’s all good, as far as I’m concerned!” Blossom reached into her bag and took out two wrapped parcels. “Here, I brought you breakfast. Lady Rys wrapped it up for you.”

“Oh! How joyous!” cheered Maunty.

“Lady Rys’s cooking is all we need to work hard every day!” added Hokh’hokton.

The two goblins quickly unwrapped their parcels, and started to eat. “Are y’all really okay with this shack?” asked Blossom. “I’ve told you before, you’re allowed to come live inside Lord Flio’s house.”

“What are you saying, Lady Blossom?” said Maunty. “We are nothing but your humble servants!”

“Indeed!” said Hokh’hokton. “It is important for a servant to live like a servant— Sir Maunty! Those egg rolls are mine!”

“I’m only taking a little...and besides, you ate one too many rice balls!”

Blossom’s smile looked strained. She and Flio had both tried to persuade them otherwise, but the two goblins had insisted on their standing as servants and fervently rejected the offer to live together. In the end, Flio had built a small cabin off to the side of the garden for them to live in. It looked cramped from the outside, but it was actually a very comfortable little house, with private rooms for the two of them, a kitchen, and a bath.

“Oh, Lady Blossom,” said Maunty, “we’ve been expanding the garden quite a bit, haven’t we?”

Blossom grinned. “That’s right!” she said. “After all, from here on out, we’re gonna be growing and selling ’em like crazy!”

“Selling? Goodness!” exclaimed Hokh’hokton. “I know you have at times sold your vegetables to the wholesaler in the city. Do you intend to increase that number?”

“No, not quite!” said Blossom. “Lord Flio’s gonna be opening a shop! He said he’d be happy to sell the vegetables we grow.”

“Well, this is a surprise! Direct to market!”

“I guess we gotta put our backs into it!” The two goblins stood up sharply.

Blossom clenched her fist in determination. “Yeah,” she said. “From now on, customers will see and buy our vegetables directly from us. So let’s grow a harvest that won’t put our store to shame! Let’s make the Fli-o’-Rys General Store number one in Houghtow!”

“Yeah!” both cried at once.

After the two finished eating, they made haste for the garden. “Those two really are good workers,” muttered Blossom, looking back over her shoulder at the psychobear she had brought with her. “Sybe, we better not fall behind!”

“Gwor!” Sybe did a strongman pose with both arms.

Blossom grinned. “All right! You ready?”

“Gwowor!”

Blossom hefted her dragonscale hoe and headed off to the fields with Sybe following behind and pulling the wagon.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Wow, Blossom’s, like, really raring to go, huh?” Byleri smiled as she watched Blossom and Sybe psyche themselves up from her pasture. She was here bringing breakfast to the horse-type magic beasts Flio had bound with the spell Subjugation and entrusted to her to raise. As she stepped inside the stables, a chorus of happy whinnies greeted her.

“Good morning! I brought you breakfast!” Byleri smiled as she took a large quantity of hay in her arms and went to fill the feed boxes in front of the fence.

The magic beasts stuck their heads out and began to eat greedily. “I, like, brought plenty for everyone! Eat your fill, okay?” said Byleri, cheerfully handing out more and more hay. “Like, we’re gonna have people signing up to borrow you at Lord Flio’s shop, right? Up until now it’s just been word of mouth, y’know? There’s probably gonna be waaay more people... Like, I’m counting on you, okay?” The horses neighed loudly. Byleri smiled, gladdened by their response.

Before long, all the hay had been transferred from the cart to the feed boxes. “Phew!” Byleri sighed. “Like, finally!” She washed her arms at a nearby bucket of water and made sure to wring every bit of moisture out of the towel when she had finished. “Hee hee hee... And that means it’s time for the thing I’ve been, like, looking forward to!”

Giggling through tightly shut lips, Byleri went into a small room at the end of the stable. This room had originally been meant to be used as storage for Byleri’s tools. Byleri sat down on a chair in the middle of the room, and pulled up one of the floorboards.

“Hee hee hee... Hiya, like, found my secret book under the bed, right? But there’s no way they’ll ever think to look here, y’know?”

Inside the space underneath the floorboard was absolutely nothing.

“Huh?” Her eyes blinked open. But no matter how hard she looked, there really was nothing. “N-No way! Like, it was here! This is where I hid the book I bought the other day: The Splendid Art of Lovemaking: A Collection of True Stories. It had pictures, and it was so, like, detailed...”

Byleri stuck her face up into the space under the floorboards and opened the drawers, searching everywhere for the book, but it was nowhere to be found.

◇ ◇ ◇

While Byleri was frantically searching the stable for her book, Hiya was inside their own mindscape. With them was the Grand Magus of Midnight, Damalynas, whose soul Hiya had bound to this world. Hiya was sitting on their knees in the middle of the pure white expanse, a book open on their lap. Damalynas was reading over their shoulder. Both seemed deeply absorbed in the material.

“Your Divinity... This book, The Splendid Art of Lovemaking: A Collection of True Stories... It’s quite detailed, isn’t it?” Damalynas’s cheeks were red as she stared at an illustration of a man and woman engaged in sexual intercourse. It was evidently drawn with painstaking care. Something about it made Damalynas swallow nervously.

Beside her, Hiya wore an awed expression. “Well, well...Ser Byleri has a real eye for quality. I have yet to be disappointed by one of her books. This is stimulating my intellectual curiosity to no end!” Hiya had been watching using their surveillance magic as Byleri hid her latest purchase. It was a simple matter to sneak in when Byleri was away and take her book for their own purposes.

As they read, Damalynas started to squirm.

“Y-Your Divinity...?”

“Yes, Damalynas, what is it?”

Damalynas leaned up against Hiya. “Um...I don’t know how much longer I can bear just looking...”

Hiya’s lips curled up in a smile. “I see,” they said. “Then you wish to resume our...training.” They took Damalynas gently in their arms and leaned in for a kiss.

Damalynas softly closed her eyes, when...

“Mx. Hiya?” A woman’s voice echoed throughout Hiya’s mindscape. “...Mx. Hiya?”

Damalynas’s eyes shot open. “Who dares?!” she spat, furious. “Who dares to interrupt my training with my god?!”

“Hmm...” Hiya tilted their head and stood up. “Well, it seems to be Ser Belano. I wonder what she wants.”

Damalynas looked up at Hiya with a thoroughly pitiable expression, blinking dejectedly. “But, Your Divinity, if we stop here, I’ll...”

Hiya smiled down at her. “Don’t worry. I will return as soon as this matter is dealt with. Be a good girl and wait for me.” They leaned down to kiss Damalynas on the lips, their tongue wrapping around hers. Damalynas’s eyes glazed over, intoxicated with the sensation. “I will see you later.”

“Y-Yes, Your Divinity,” Damalynas squeaked out. “I’ll be a good girl and wait for you...”

Hiya favored her with another smile and vanished.

◇Flio’s House—Living Room◇

Hiya opened their eyes to see Belano in front of them. “Oh, good...” she said, sighing with relief. “You weren’t moving. I was worried...”

Hiya smiled. “I was simply deep in thought. Did you wish something of me, Ser Belano?”

Belano nodded her head and took a number of magic gems out of her bag. She lined them up on the table. “I tried enchanting some magic gems, but I don’t think I did it right...”

“I see. Let me take a look.” Hiya held out their hand above the magic gems on the table. Their expression went dark. “Ser Belano, this won’t do at all. There is hardly any magic power in these gems.”

“So I did mess up...”

“You did.” Hiya took one of the gems and placed it on the palm of their hand. They performed a short incantation, and a magic circle appeared, slowly enveloping the gem. “Hm... I believe your error was in trying to enchant too many magic gems at once.” Belano pursed up her lips, frustrated. Hiya sighed when they noticed her expression.

“I suppose you are eager to enchant gems for sale, as was asked of you by the Exalted One,” they continued, “but your magic power still needs training, Ser Belano. Start enchanting gems one at a time, making certain to properly infuse them with magic. Then move on to creating many at a time once you have mastered that. I am certain that the Exalted One, too, wishes for you to take your development one step at a time.”

Belano nodded, her expression downcast. Hiya placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a practiced smile. “Ser Belano, there is no need to be in such a hurry. Though I am hardly worthy, I have been tasked with your instruction, as well as to create magic gems myself. We will both give this our best effort, will we not?” Hiya pressed down lightly on Belano’s shoulder and began to move towards the stairs to the second floor. “Now, let us see you try again to enchant a magic gem. This time, I will assist you.”

“Okay...” Belano nodded and followed Hiya to her room, where she usually did her work. She clutched her failed magic gems tightly in her hand. Lord Flio, she thought. I’ll do my best.

◇ ◇ ◇

Rys was on her way to the kitchen when she saw Hiya and Belano go up the stairs. She smiled. “Well, it seems like things are going well with those two,” she said as she stepped up to the counter where a pile of freshly packed lunches was waiting. “Blossom, Sybe, and Byleri are hard at work too. But I’m not going to let them show me up!”

Rys pumped her fists in front of her, working up her fighting spirit, and began to put the lunches into her bag. Since it was of the Bottomless variety, the inside of the bag was dozens of times more spacious than it looked. The pile of lunches fit inside easily. They were gone in a flash.

“Now I must take these to my lord husband.” Rys took the Bottomless Bag by her teeth and began to transform into a great wolf. The white dress she was wearing shone with light, and vanished. Now naked, beautiful silver fur appeared all over her body as she finished changing her shape.

Rys left through the front door, which she opened using magic, and darted outside. Without missing a beat, she bolted off somewhere at full speed, too fast for the human eye to follow.

◇ ◇ ◇

“All right, mew lot, let’s keep it up!”

The intelligence specialists—formerly known as the Silent Listeners—cheered in response to Uliminas’s words. All thirty of them were milling about in the wagon staging area behind a shop. Out front, there was a brand new sign indicating the building’s name: Fli-o’-Rys General Store.

“Greanyl, meow are things purroceeding?”

“Oh! Excuse me, just a moment...” the shadow demon said. She looked through her papers three more times just to be sure of giving an accurate answer, tracing the words with her finger. “Yes, I’ve finished organizing wagon teams bound for Klyrode Castle and the cities Sojieya and Kralsiki. We are prepared to set out at any time.”

“Mew got enough wagons?” asked Uliminas.

“Yes, the ones we availed ourselves to when we left the Dark Citadel should be enough for now.”

Uliminas leaned in close to whisper in Greanyl’s ear. “And don’t furrget,” she said, “your meowrders are to get whatever information mew can from our suppliers, no matter how trivial it sounds. What stuff’s been selling out, any rumeowrs about market trends, or what the humans or the Dark Army are up to... I want every detail!”

“Yes, ma’am! And then I’ll double-check whether I should share the information.”

Uliminas nodded. “Failure is not purrmitted. Flio hired us when nobody else in the human world would give us the time of day! It would shame the Silent Listeners if we can’t pay him back for taking us meown!”

Greanyl nodded once, emphatically.

“Oh, Uliminas! I didn’t realize you were here.” Flio stepped out to the staging area, Rys following along behind him.

“Flio! Speak of the devil,” said Uliminas. No sooner had the name left her lips than Silent Listeners stopped their work and hurried behind Uliminas, lining up in rows.

“Sorry to get in the way of your work,” said Flio, a contrite smile on his face. “Rys made lunch for everyone, so I thought I’d come see if you’d like to take a break.” The words seemed to cause a bit of commotion among the ranks of the Listeners.

“Wait. L-Lady Rys is Lady Fenrys, isn’t she?” one called out.

“This is the Lady Fenrys, the Infernal Fengaryl’s number two, and she’s making lunch? For us?” said another.

“No way. I simply refuse to believe it,” said a third.

Demon society was strictly hierarchical, even down to what tasks a demon would perform. Food preparation was accordingly considered menial work suitable for an underling. Never in a million years would a high-ranking demon prepare food for those beneath her.

Rys stepped out in front of the noisy crowd, smiling cheerily. “There’s no need to pay that sort of thing any mind,” she said. “I am helping you, who are all helping my lord husband. Therefore, preparing food for you is very appropriate work for a wife.” Without further ado, she began to take the lunches out from her Bottomless Bag.

Lupine demons like Rys had a strong sense of pack loyalty. Instinctively, she regarded not only her husband Flio but everyone who worked with him as fellow pack-mates. The Silent Listeners, however, remembered Rys from her days in the Dark Army, drunk on her own power and contemptuous towards those she regarded as beneath her—which was more or less everyone. To them, this development seemed like the height of absurdity.

“Lady Rys!” Balirossa rushed onto the scene, running up to Rys, who was getting ready to try to hand her lunches to the Silent Listeners, who were now actively shrinking away. “Please, leave this task to me!”

Rys turned her smiling face towards Balirossa. “Balirossa, aren’t you busy preparing the store for customers? Please, let me handle this.”

“But!”

“It’s all right! I’ll come help you once I’ve handed out all these lunches.” She handed one of her lunches to Balirossa.

“You shall? Very well. I will take you at your word and return to my tasks.”

“Thank you,” said Rys. “I hesitate to imagine what we’d find if we left Ghozal to set up the shop on his own.”

“That’s quite the thing to say behind someone’s back!” Ghozal, who had come out of the shop at some point, laughed heartily as he walked up to Rys and Balirossa. Even Rys smiled at his attitude.

“And you’re going to be a porter and guard at my lord husband’s shop, so that makes you part of this. I expect good work from you!”

“Hrm,” said Ghozal, “I’ve never done such lowly work before. It seems fun! I’m excited to get started.” Rys chuckled and Ghozal joined in with a mighty, “Ha ha ha!”

Greanyl and the rest of the Silent Listeners’ eyes were wide. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Ghozal was once the Dark One, and he was still a member of the demon royal family. And here he was, laughing, enthusiastic to work as a porter and guard.

“The Dark One...is going to carry luggage?” Greanyl spoke as though the words were being wrung out of her.

“This general store is shaping up to be quite a peculiar operation,” mused Balirossa. “Is it not, Lord Flio?”

“Hm? How so?” Flio looked genuinely perplexed.

“Well, to begin with, you have the former Dark One as well as his former soldiers in the Dark Army working like commoners.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s anything to worry about.”

“What?” Balirossa was shocked.

But Flio just smiled and continued. “It’ll be all right as long as we keep doing honest work, I think. As long as we do, I don’t expect anyone to particularly care about our backgrounds. The more good merchants, the better it is for everyone.” He paused. “You know, in the world I came from, demihumans faced terrible persecution, but I knew a kijin named Kuro who did good, honest work for years—maybe decades. It was slow, but eventually some humans started treating him like they would anyone else.”

Balirossa had listened to Flio’s story with great interest. “I see. I had no idea... But Lord Flio, we are sure to have rivals, are we not? If even one of them were to look into Sir Ghozal and the others and discover who they are...”

Flio took in a sharp breath before adopting his practiced calm smile. “If that happens, well...I’ll take care of it, one way or another. If Rys and I can accept each other for what we are, and if you and Ghozal can be as close as you’ve gotten, I’m sure the rest will come around eventually.”

“Wha—?! Lord Flio, excuse me for a moment! I-I...” she sputtered. “Yes, Ghozal and I both reside at your estate, and now we are both workers for the Fli-o’-Rys General Store, but I wouldn’t say we are especially close, not on a personal level...”

“Really? Didn’t you go out together the other day?” Flio tilted his head, studying Balirossa curiously as the knight tried to cover up her reddening face with her hands.

“N-No! That was— I mean, it wasn’t...”

As Balirossa was stammering out her response, Uliminas ran up to them, death in her eyes. “Balirossa! Mew expect me to purrtend I didn’t hear what Flio said just meow?! We purromised not to go behind each other’s backs!”

“Ah! Ser Uliminas, you misunderstand!”

“What’s wrong, Balirossa?” Ghozal interjected. “Is there something wrong with us going out to eat together?”

“See?!” mewled Uliminas. “Mew have been going behind my back!”

“Sir Ghozal! I-I asked you to keep that a secret!”

Suddenly, Flio found himself surrounded by Gholl, Balirossa, and Uliminas, all clamoring to be heard over each other. Uliminas subjected them to an incredible tirade while Balirossa stammered out excuses and Ghozal just kept laughing in that loud voice of his.

Flio’s smile was strained when Rys walked up to him. She had just finished handing out her homemade lunches. “What do you think you’re doing in front of my lord husband?” she chided them, her arms both transforming into lupine form, complete with deadly claws. “Would you kindly settle down?”

Flio rushed to stop her. “There’s no need for that,” he said. “I’m sure everyone will calm down in a minute.”

“You are? Well, if my husband says so...” Rys looked strangely reluctant to turn her arms back into a human’s, but Flio breathed a sigh of relief when she finally did. “Forgive my impertinence,” Rys said, turning to face her husband, “but in times such as this, is it not important to assert your dominance, my lord husband?”

“Well, maybe...” Flio lowered his head apologetically. This didn’t seem at all to satisfy Rys.

“Honestly, you really are too gentle...”

“I’ll take care to reign that in,” Flio said. “From now on, I’m going to be responsible for a shop, after all.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes, I promise.” Flio nodded, once again wearing his calm smile. Rys drew close to him and wrapped her arms around one of his.

“Um... That all aside,” she said, suddenly shy. She fidgeted with her hands as her eyes studied the pavement. “I have a favor to ask, if I may...”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Well...I was wondering if we might stock up on...l-lembons.”

“Huh?” The light seemed to go out of Flio’s eyes. He slumped over dramatically. “Rys,” he said, “don’t we already have thirty crates full of lembons?”

“My lord husband, a lupine demon’s pregnancy is very short. Once it happens, it won’t be but a month until I give birth...”

“Th-Then you shouldn’t need to stock up so much, should you?”

“On the contrary!” Rys launched into a lecture, gesticulating with both hands. “What if I end up pregnant again shortly after our first child? And what if I keep getting pregnant, again and again and again?! I want to take every precaution now, so that when it happens, there is no need to panic...” Flio was helpless in the face of Rys’s verbal onslaught.

“So, my lord husband,” Rys continued, wrapping her arms around Flio’s torso and pressing her reddened cheek against his chest, “make sure you take care of me properly... We wouldn’t want the lembons to go to waste, after all...”

Flio held Rys tight, a wry smile on his face. Gods help me, he thought, I’m going to end up buying more lembons, aren’t I...? They stayed like that for a while, locked in a tender embrace.

They all stayed at the Fli-o’-Rys General Store until late that day, chattering merrily as they worked.