The wrath of a black cat!
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"Do you want to go to the beach?" Silver asked as he looked at the shelves full of wine bottles and the hanging sausages on the ceiling
These girls are always working all the time, since this is going to be a one-time thing, might as well invite a few more.
As they say, the more the merrier, aye?
"Eh?"
'When Syr processed his words, her expression went completely red as her thoughts went into overdrive.'
"!"
'Meanwhile, Ryuu was shocked, being taken aback by his bold statement before she got into a frown, thinking about what to do next.'
"Nya?!"
A direct hit!
'At the same time, Anya who heard his statement from afar had her tail snap up as she jumped in surprise, especially as she noticed Syr's expression.'
"..."
Well... This is certainly a reaction.
'Despite all of this, Silver remained stoic.'
Given the circumstances, I imagine they would blatantly refuse, but from her face, I think there's some leeway for a conversation.
All those days visiting them and trying to get closer to them are finally showing themselves here, I'm glad...
Because otherwise, they would've kicked me out of the Pub by now haha...
"Oh my… Are you inviting me on a Date?~..." Syr asked after she established her expression, trying to remain calm amidst her flushed expression
"I…"
There are about an extra 100 people going, so it's hard to call that a date...
"Syr, table number six is asking for the bill, can you go give it to them?" Ryuu suddenly said as she approached them from behind
"..."
/Pout!/
'Turning to Ryuu, Syr gave her the biggest pout she was capable of producing before snapping to the side, going to the table as she walked by Ryuu in heavy steps.'
'Her displeasure was so evident even the adventurers by the table got flustered by it, being fearful of speaking too much, so they just paid their bill and ran away!'
""...""
'This left both Silver and Ryuu in awkward silence.'
"... Would you like to go to the beach too?" He asked he looked at her eyes
"???"
'His words sent another wave of shock across the onlookers, with some of the nearby adventurers silently sipping their drinks as they all thought:'
'Damn! This guy has some balls!'
/STARE!/
"?!"
'To the adventurers that were eavesdropping on their conversation, Ryuu gave them all the killer gaze, causing a chill to run through all of their spines as their bodies involuntarily shivered.'
"I-I think I had enough for today... Drank too much already..."
"Y-Yeah... Can we have the bill over here? P-Please..."
"Us too... Q-Quickly!"
"Okay... Where are you all going, NYA?!"
'Before Anya and the others even had the time to go give them the bill, they all quickly dropped gold bags on the table before running away, their tails hidden beneath their feet.'
"Nyahum? I didn't even give them their bills…" Anya said as she scratched her head as she saw the adventurers flee
Guess we're getting a bonus today.
"As always, Ryuu is the best at getting tips, Nyahaha." Chloe said on the side as she threw one of the coin bags in the air, weighing it down with a cheeky expression as her tail wagged from side to side
It's a chunky one, he definitely dropped the wrong bag hihihi!
No refunds...
"You… I thought you were inviting Syr?" She asked with a heavy expression, ignoring what was going on in the Pub
"Neither of you let me finish..." Silver said as he turned to look at Syr on the side
I better make this clear before they misunderstand me... More...
'As he said that, the girls who now had nothing to do all sat around him, seemingly very interested in what he was about to say, much to Silver's confusion.'
Are they that bored?
Go do
"Well, it's nothing big."
"I'm taking a time off from adventuring after everything that happened to visit my family outside of Orario." He said as he turned to them
"As such, I decided to go all the way and play a little while I could, shake off the weight of the Dungeon a little. So I'm trying to set up a trip to Melen."
I'm telling this to them because I trust them, but at the same time, I can't phrase this in a way that implies I have business in Melen.
It's better if that only exists between me, the Guild, and Hermes.
""...""
"... If you're thinking I'm trying to play you all then don't, I'll be bringing people from my Familia as well, including my Goddess." Silver scoffed as he shook his head
"There will be a lot of barbecue and other delicious foods, made by me of course."
"Are you girls interested?... Just to be clear, I'll be paying, looking at you, stingy cat."
"Blegh!" Chloe replied as she stuck her tongue out
"Hum… It's honestly a good idea." Syr added after she put in some thought, though her own thoughts were a mystery…
'She seemed less upset than before, maybe even more relaxed.'
'Perhaps... Relieved might be the word. Which was a weird thing to think about, what would Syr be relieved of?'
"Syr? Don't tell me you're thinking of going?!" Ryuu added as her eyes opened in surprise, almost slamming her hands on the counter only to remember what Mia was going to do to her if she did so
'As she said that, Ryuu tried to think about the trip but no matter how many times she thought about it, she didn't think it was proper, that was why she intervened... Right?'
"I've never been to Melen myself, it'll be fun to see the ocean for a change… Though we would have to plan that out properly, you know, given as to how I have no swimsuit of my own." She said with a teasing smirk as she tapped her cheeks
"Maybe we can go choose one for me? Just kidding..." She added as she winked her right eye
"Don't forget your work." Mia added from within the Kitchen
"And that too."
"Syr…"
Once Syr gets her head on something, it's impossible to change it...
From the moment he mentioned the beach, her eyes remained the same, sparkling.
'With that out of her mind, Ryuu understood that there were two outcomes. That she would either accompany her or not.'
'But she couldn't imagine Syr alone with this... Guy!'
"How many boys will be going? My Ryuu can't stand them you know." Syr teased as she looked at Silver
"SYR!" Ryuu added with a slight flush as she tugged at her shirt
"Well, if we count everyone… Less than 15? Things could change though, albeit I have no intention of inviting more."
It would be too much of a privilege to bring guys from other Familias into this...
"As for the rest... A bit over 150 girls, and my Goddess… Maybe more than one?" Silver asked as he scratched his chin
"More… Then one?" Syr asked with a dangerous look
"Yup, Hestia said she wanted to invite some of her friends but that's about it."
"The numbers could be a bit wrong though... Well, I plan to make this well, so you won't be overwhelmed if that's your concern."
""...""
'He then turned to the other girls who were still thinking about it.'
"If you're worried about traveling expenses, then don't, I'll be transporting all of us directly to Melen, if you wish so of course."
"So the cost of both time and money is zero… Aside from the Mind potions I'll have to drink to make that possible, but that's on me."
"Wait wait wait! You're saying you can drag us from here all the way to Melen?" Chloe asked as she raised an eyebrow
He's pretty much saying he can be anywhere within Orario anytime he wishes… How convenient…
I mean, dangerous... I'm envious.
"Not a problem, would you like to go now by the way? They say the ocean is quite pretty at night, that the reflection of the moon upon the ocean is something to behold." Silver said with a chuckle as he tapped the table
A little lie, I should be able to arrive at Melen with several successive 'short' teleportations, but since I've never been there I can't create a door leading there.
But they don't know about this limitation, and I would prefer if it remained as such.
Nonetheless, since I'll be visiting Melen before this, this problem won't be there for them to notice.
"I… I'll pass, I wouldn't refuse the beach part, but I'm not a fan of Melen itself, it smells too fishy for me…" Chloe said after she put some thought into it
"How strange, I thought cat people loved fish?" Silver asked as he rested his head on his hand
"How rude! I'm elegant and actually dislike fish..."
"But you ate an entire bass we cooked last time..."
"SHHH! Not now Anya!" Chloe replied snarkily as she looked at the small cat girl, snapping her lips at her and causing her to flinch as she jumped behind Lunoire
"I could say the same, it's not that I can't stand fish but I'm really not a fan of it."
"But I wouldn't refuse the chance to see the ocean for once." Lunoire added as she cleaned a table nearby
I can't believe I'm actually considering going to the beach with a guy... Is this what they call sheep mentality?
"If you guys go then I'll go too!" Anya added as she started to clean a table on the side
"Everyone… Urg…" Ryuu said as a small dark cloud seemed to float above her head
"Come on, it won't be that bad give it a try for once, I'll help you choose a pretty one." Syr said as she touched Ryuu's shoulders
"..."
The beach... Bikini... NO! I CAN'T!
I-It's too much!
'While Ryuu debated over Syr's words, Silver turned to the Kitchen.'
"... You're all rather silent over there, you can come too if you wish, I'm inviting everyone, even you Mia, let's enjoy the beach for once, they say drinking Soju by the beach is quite refreshing."
"HA! You're bold!" She replied as she stepped out of the door
'She had been staying there from the beginning, listening to their conversation, yet she played as if she wasn't.'
'Typical Mia.'
"The only time I can close the shop for a day is on the weekend, either then or never."
"Would closing the shop even be necessary? I was planning on going early and returning around lunch, you guys open way later no?"
"You're surely blabbering quite a bit for someone who was just giving us an invite." She said with a smirk as she turned around
"Now, who would work after going to the beach? I don't want sand all over my Pub."
""...""
'The girls looked at Silver and the latter shrugged.'
"Alright, you got me." He said as he raised his arms
"You can't blame me for wanting to see you all on the beach, I gave it a shot, I yield."
"But don't resent me for wishing to see you all in something other than your uniforms for once, you deserve more than that." He said with a smile as he looked at them
"I knew it! We can't trust this guy, Syr!" Ryuu said as she turned around with a flustered expression
"He's playing with you Ryuu, don't fall for his exaggerated words…" Syr added with a chuckle as she turned to him
"... We'll go, but you'll have to give us a few days to prepare first. And don't go giving us a heads-up one day before either okay?"
"That wasn't in my plans." Silver said as he pulled his coin bag, placing it on the table
This went rather smoothly, well, this is great, the more the merrier in this kind of event.
Should I brag about this to Loki? If she hears I managed to convince the waitresses she'll throw a fit to Mia... Or me to join...
Should I invite her too... No, that won't be a good idea.
Bringing Loki to an event full of girls in Bikinis is several folds more risky than bringing in a hormonal teen to a girls' Pajama party...
/Approach.../
"Just giving you a quick warning, if you played me just to see me in a bikini you'll know what'll happen right?" Chloe added as she looked at Silver dead in the eye, her fangs showing for a moment as she gave him a threatening glare
"I think you would look great in one though."
"Don't try to smooth talk me!"
"What are you afraid of? You have a great body, there's nothing to fear unless you fear attention." Silver added with a warm smile as he looked at her
"You... I'm starting to regret this..."
'Chloe was taken aback by his bluntness, causing her to take a step back with a weak flush before she stared back at him fiercely.'
""...""
'The other girls looked at Silver in silence.'
"Ah, come on, don't look at me like that..."
"If I really wanted to see any of you in a Bikini then I would just make it a reality instead." Silver retorted as he raised his left hand, pointing it at the ground
/Crunk.../
"Nya?!"
He... Says the most absurd things...
/CRACK!/
'Before she had the chance to retort, the ground Silver pointed at started to transform and twist, as if something was stretching it from below.'
'And as the seconds passed, the faint image of a girl started to take shape…'
"Oi… You can't be serious…" Chloe said as her eyes started to twitch
"Black or gray?" Silver asked as he looked at the girls
"Black." Syr said as she put her hand in front of her lips, smirking from ear to ear
"SYR!"
/Creak…/
'With a few twists and turns, the wood finally finished its transformation, becoming a full-size statue of Chloe in a dark Bikini as she jumped in the air with a happy expression.'
'It was joyfully and youthfully, a beautiful statue. If not for the massive embarrassment it caused its look-alike.'
"You… Undo it, immediately." She ordered with a heavy expression as she clenched her fists in anger
I take it back, I won't be going!
"Here… About three thousand Valis, keep the change." Silver said with a yawn as he placed a few coins on the counter
Another matter closed, time to dip.
"Oh! Would you look at the time, I'm late for my daily meeting with my bed." He added as he completely ignored Chloe's outburst
"See you all later, enjoy your night girls." He said as he waved his hand at them
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
/Poof!/
'Before Chloe even had the time to react, Silver turned into a puff of thin smoke, vanishing into who knew where while her hands clawed into emptiness.'
"#!!!"
That sly bastard…
I'll make it back somehow... Someday.
'This left Chloe holding her fist in anger as she looked at the now empty seat.'
"Sigh... Let's just clean up for today and..."
/Creak…/
"Hum?..."
'It was then that her ears perked up as she heard the sound of the floorboards creak behind her.'
'So she turned to see who it was…'
"Nya!"
"?!?!?!?!?!"
/NYA!!/
/Laughs!/
'Chloe turned her head to see her own statue looking at her with a sly expression, causing her to jump to the ceiling due to the scare she received, making everyone laugh loudly.'
'Even the girls from the kitchen were now looking at her as they held their laughs while Mia shook her head from one side to the other.'
"..."
'Still holding onto the ceiling, Chloe's eyes turned dark as she looked at her look alike.'
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Notes
Anyway, this was a very light chapter and it can be taken as background for the next side Chapter, albeit I have no plans for when it'll drop.
It will certainly be only after the Melen Arc is over.
In a sense, it can be taken as the first Filler chapter I ever tried to do, the classic beach episode, but in a sense, I'm using this to make many characters that would usually never meet each other interact with something they didn't do in the original series, excluding special game events that aren't canon.
In fact I'm studying those events right now for these chapters.
Nonetheless, these chapters serve to strengthen the bond between all characters and somehow explain future interactions.
After all, I can't make an entire Book about the perspective of a single group of characters, so I have to try my best and tie everyone together in a way that is believable and interesting.
In any case, I'm done here, for now, I'll be preparing Zero Fate's chapter to try and release it on Sunday the 24th.
Talk about a miracle of Christmas...