Chapter 56 - Plans

During the night, five small messenger birds were seen flying through the village. They all perched at a carved out circle just big enough for one of these birds to deposit letters; each household in Endolis possessed one of these.

When the sun rose the next day, Aiko, Ichika, Luna, Misao and Takumi woke up to a letter.

~I need to see each of you urgently. This matter presents a chance we cannot let escape.~

The short length of the letter, along with the rather cheerful tone in the words prompted each of them to gather in the main building.

***

On the road to the main building, all of them met up. Luna was being carried on top of Aiko's shoulders while smiling from ear to ear in a rather ridiculous looking way. Takumi turned around to see if he could find his beloved Ichika but no such luck.

*zoooom!~*

A cloud of dust whipped past them, headed straight for the main building. Looking carefully, one could see that it was Ichika in her cat form running on all fours.

"Hey, wait up!" The rowdy voice of Misao echoed as she also zipped past them in hot pursuit.

Takumi froze in shock before laughing lightly, Aiko and Luna managed to catch up to him as he felt a pair of hands grab his cheeks, followed by Aiko planting her lips planting against his.

"Guess what! Guess what!" Luna shouted out before jumping from Aiko's shoulders to Takumi's

He cocked an eyebrow while Aiko giggled, he felt as if he had forgotten something important.

*bonk!~*

"Tomorrow is my birthday!" She yelled like a hyperactive child after knocking him on the head, she then met his eyes upside down before she kissed him.

Today must be Kiss Takumi Day… He thought.

A single drop of sweat ran down the side of his head as he chuckled, apologizing for his forgetfulness. He was just about to question her plans when the main building seemed to be right in front of them, they put off the talk for now before heading to Lancelot's room.

He could be seen pacing around the room with a somewhat joyous expression on his face, something that had become quite rare ever since his dear Aegis had been re-captured. As the rest of the crew walked in, he stopped walking as he clasped his hands.

"So what's up?" Misao asked after glaring at Cat-Ichika who stuck out her tongue in a taunt.

"Alright," Lancelot began after taking a breath to calm down, "Daichi has given me some wonderful news, Urusla seems to be planning to break Aegis' spirit so she may transfer the spirit of Kotsukuo who resides in the dagger which you informed me about after your visit to the Gaikotsu Clan."

Every member of the group looked quite confused as Lancelot paused for a bit, chucking under his breath. That's good news? they thought.

"Well, it seems the incompetence of her subjects had brought us a great stroke of luck; the dagger is not yet in her possession," he continued, his face becoming just a bit more serious, "She is planning to visit her home town where the dagger lies in a month's time, and that is when you, Takumi and Misao, will stop her, completely foiling her plans!"

Seeing Lancelot in such a mood bred from pure hope of seeing his daughter once more and to put this matter which had been going on for a long time behind them, the group felt a sense of great responsibility. Of course, Misao and Takumi were the exceptions, with their respective personalities giving them a sense of not needing to care about the weight on their shoulders.

"It seems like our little group is getting quite important," Luna joked as she finally hopped down from Takumi's shoulders.

"We should totally give ourselves a name!" Aiko said, her eyes sparkling.

"How about 'Takumi's Harem'?" Takumi said, it being unknown whether he was joking or not.

Ichika blushed from ear to ear, Misao rolled her eyes and pretended to vomit while Aiko and Luna thought it was a good name. They all laughed heartily at the fun that sprouted from this little conversation.

***

Across the village, in the house of Kirika and Meril, a heated conversation was taking place.

Kirika has just completed another day of training and was showing solid steps, now being able to smoothly control a majority of plants; this meant she was halfway through to becoming a true dryad.

"Why won't you tell me?!" Meril shouted as she chases Kirika in a speedy walk around the living room.

"Because it's embarrassing!" Kirika responded angrily, get cheeks puffed up giving her a cute demeanor accentuated by her chubby body.

Ever since Kirika had unlocked her powers completely, she had become way more emotional that usual. Meril took this opportunity to tease her about what occurred with Takumi that eventful night; she genuinely wanted insight as she was contemplating whether to lay with him herself, the realization of her age making her want a child.

"Please tell me!" Meril put on an innocent expression as she hugged Kirika's legs.

"Fine!" She replied, getting sick of the constant pestering.

So, she spilled her guts. Going over every single detail of what happened that night, she almost exploded with all the blood rushing to her head which contributed to her face turning red in every area; her embarrassment reached it's peak when she recalled how she lost control of her powers and destroyed his house, which made Meril laugh.

"Hmmmmmm!!" Kirika puffed her cheeks while growling, she was truly embarrassed.

Meril was having a ball, tears leaked from her eye as she had a pretty good laugh at Kirika's expense. I remember my first time, a whole flock of birds came in! She thought in laughter.

"If you're enjoying it so much, maybe you should do it with him too! See how you handle it!" Kirika had finally had enough, she stormed out of the house as the heat in her face produces fumes.

*Slam!~*

That last comment ceased Meril's laughter, she didn't bother going after Kirika as she knew it was just her raging emotions getting the best of her. She put a finger on her chin as her eyes widened in thought.

"Hmmmm, Maybe I will."