Birthday Planning

The next day arrived and today was a special day. Today was Claire's birthday and I decided to work with everyone to plan a surprise birthday party for her. I stood outside with Inoka, going over the plans with her while helping her take care of the ranch and her Beasts.

"Okay...Since she evolved already, there's no point in going to the Sanctum of Flames anymore for the Mecha God and the other spirits...and she already has Vesta's Wings as well and Pyroc. This is actually pretty difficult to plan out," Inoka said, brushing Nebula's mane, thinking about what to get Claire today.

I leaned against the fence and stared at the sky, thinking about potential gifts I could give her. I closed my eyes and hummed thoughtfully, tilting my head. "I feel like I gave her an important present already last night...I mean we slept through the whole day yesterday. She did anyway.."

"Yeah I bet," Inoka giggled, turning her gaze to me. She looked at Cholra, watching him preen his feathers next to Phoenix. "Hey, Chol—"

"Denied," Cholra responded.

"Eh?! You don't even know what the heck I was going to ask from you! How are you just going to deny me?" Inoka exclaimed, crossing her arms and puffing one cheek.

"You're gonna ask me to produce Blazing Stars. One I can't just produce Blazing Stars upon command, and two your fiance destroyed half of my island. My temple where I can generate energy to produce them is destroyed. It's the only reason I'm on the surface with you Humans," Cholra said, glancing at Inoka.

"Would you rather have a destroyed island, or a dead kingdom?" I asked, opening one eye to glance at Cholra.

Cholra let out an annoyed groan, his piercing gaze meeting mine. "I would rather have a dead Emperor.."

Phoenix chirped, using her wing to smack the back of Cholra's head. Cholra grumbled softly and scoffed, turning away.

I chuckled softly then closed my eye again, letting out a soft sigh. Suddenly, I hatched an idea, one I knew would work well. "Hey, how old is the Crest Reader Claire has in her library?"

"It's pretty worn, only operating with the basic systems and such. It can't necessarily ready any high level Crests such as The Crest of Blaze or your Crest of Arcane," Inoka answered, sitting down on her stool, watching Nebula hurry off to go play with the other horses.

"I figured. I'm asking because I know Elisa is working on a new thing called the C-Gadget so I was thinking about having her update her Crest Reader and hopefully helping Elisa create the first C-Gadget for Claire," I said, opening my eyes and smiled.

"Hey, that's actually pretty nice! That way she can study more powerful Crests and even her own. She likes to study and learn a lot about our world outside of Pyroc. She's nearly always in the library during her free time so having something like that could really help her," Inoka said, smiling at the idea.

"With you doing that for her, that leaves me having to figure out what to do and the grumpy bird brain over there won't be helpful so I'll need to seek guidance elsewhere. And no, I'm not asking for your help Phoenix," Inoka added, her gaze meeting Phoenix.

Phoenix looked slightly offended, shrilling at Inoka, giving her defense on why she should help Inoka.

"No, last year you invited the entire kingdom knowing Claire doesn't do too well in large crowds especially when she doesn't need to be in a large one. This year, it's going to be a small birthday with just the important people in her life. Plus, there's no way you're convincing her to take a lava bath," Inoka concluded, not giving Phoenix any room for rebuttal.

Phoenix huffed, a small ember escaping her beak, similar to Cholra.

Tsuhori walked forward and stood beside me. "I hear you're planning a surprise for Lady Claire. I'm free to help."

Inoka and I looked at Tsuhori, both me and Inoka thinking it was a good idea for Tsuhori to get more involved now that she was permanently by my side. Inoka thought it was a great idea as it gave her a chance to learn more about Tsuhori.

"Perfect! I would be delighted if you assisted me in granting my sister a perfect birthday!~" Inoka said, clapping her hands together.

Tsuhori smiled at Inoka, nodding her head and her tail swayed from side to side. "I'd be happy to assist you, Lady Inoka."

I chuckled softly and got off the fence. "Well, looks like everything is settled. I'm off to find Elisa. If you need me, you know where I will be."

Inoka nodded, standing up then made her way toward me. She leaned into me, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Alright, Tsuhori and I will be in the city~ We shall return~"

I nodded and watched Inoka and Tsuhori hurry off. I began to make my way to the castle, my mind now occupied on how I want the Crest Reader to be upgraded.

------------------

I made my way inside a room where Elisa was, noticing red holographic displays around her accompanied by two other women. Once they heard the door opening, the three women turned their gazes toward me.

The woman to the left of Elisa was a highly intelligent and tech-savvy individual, likely a scientist, researcher, or engineer. Her attire combined futuristic elements with a scholarly aesthetic, featuring a white lab coat adorned with gold and blue accents, a dark skirt, and sophisticated, modern accessories. She wore blue rimmed glasses, emphasizing her analytical and intellectual nature.

She was surrounded by holographic screens displaying various data, charts, and graphs, indicating her proficiency in data analysis and technology. She held a high-tech device in her hand, seemingly scanning through a set of information.

The other woman appeared to be a vibrant and energetic individual with a focus on technology and data. Her green hair and matching green-themed outfit suggested a lively and dynamic personality. She was dressed in a futuristic ensemble that blends elements of a researcher and technician, featuring a white and green lab coat, black skirt, and high-tech accessories.

She was interacting with the holographic screens, indicating her proficiency in handling advanced technology and data analysis. She also held a high-tech device and was surrounded by digital interfaces displaying various information and charts, further emphasizing her role in a technologically advanced environment.

"Uhm...Elisa, who is this man?" The woman left to Elisa asked, pushing up her glasses in a skeptical and analytical manner.

"Lord Ryoma! I wasn't expecting you to visit me. If you're looking for Milcham, he's out training with the new recruits," Elisa said, flashing a bright smile at me then looked at the women beside her. "Lyna, Sera, this is Emperor Ryoma. Lord Ryoma, these are my sisters, Lyna and Sera."

"E-Emperor Ryoma?!" The green haired woman asked in disbelief, her cheeks flushing into a crimson hue. "THE Emperor Ryoma?! The same Ryoma who singlehandedly conquered Eyica?!"

Sera glanced at Lyna, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you so surprised? I thought this was common knowledge? I mean he's literally made it into the newest history books and he's still alive."

"How can you NOT be excited to see such a prestige Emperor in the flesh?! Like he's the strongest Emperor in history! We haven't seen such strength since Ascea and that's saying something!" Lyna gushed, her tone a mix of bubbling excitement and enthusiasm.

Sera and Elisa glanced at each other then glanced at Lyna again, watching her hurry toward me. I watched her approach me as well, a warm smile stretching cross my face.

Lyna held my hand, smiling up at me. "Hi, my name is Lyna Merylla~ It's so nice to see you in the flesh~"

I chuckled softly then brought her hand closer, planting a soft kiss upon her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lyna."

Lyna melted at my gesture and sighed happily, glad to be accepted by me. "And you're even more charming in person..~"

"Alright, that's enough. Back off him," Sera said, walking toward Lyna and pulling her away from me.

"S-Sorry about her," Elisa giggled, scratching the side of her cheek. "Uh...she's a huge fan of yours...like a huge fan. I've never seen her so excited before though.."

"It's quite alright, honestly. I'd be a huge fan of myself as well~" I said jokingly, a soft chuckle escaping my lips.

"Yep, that's truly Ryoma," Sera said, holding Lyna back.

I smiled at the three of them, noticing each of their distinct personalities and similarities. It seemed that Sera was the oldest of the sisters based on her calm personality while Elisa was the youngest and Lyna, she was most obviously the middle child. I enjoyed seeing their sibling dynamics, reminding me of old memories with my late younger brothers and sisters.

After the excitement calmed, I stepped forward and held the obi of my kimono. "Alright, I guess I can tell you all why I'm here now. It's about the Crest Reader and the upcoming C-Gadget project you all are working on."

"How did you hear about it? We never told anyone about that," Sera questioned, placing a hand on her hip.

Elisa nervously giggled and held her hands behind her back, twisting from side to side. "Uhm...My boyfriend might've told him in one of their many conversations..."

Sera sighed and lowered her head. Her gaze returned to me, her arms crossed and gaze analytical. "You haven't told anyone else about it right?"

"You want the truth or do you want me to tell you what you wish to hear?" I asked, tilting my head.

"The truth please. I can live without your charms unlike my sister here.." Sera answered, her tone dry and stoic.

"Truth be told, I only told my other fiance. You see, today is Claire's birthday and I wanted to do something for her today. I wanted to see if you could help me update her Crest Reader and see if I can help you all with the development of the C-Gadget to gift Claire," I said, my gaze shifting between the three sisters.

Lyna, Sera, and Elisa glanced at each other then their gazes returned to me.

"Of course!~ We'd love the help...since someone dropped the Communicator Parts we needed for the C-Gadget," Elisa said, teasing Lyna.

"I told you I'm sorry..! I was being chased by a Rare Beast and a Sacred Beast getting here! Like why is the outskirts of your kingdom so dangerous?" Lyna whined, her expression feigning embarrassment.

Sera pushed her glasses up then turned around to look at the large holographic screen. "Using our Tracer and scanning Lyna's erratic steps. She crossed four locations before reaching Pyroc. Locations on the outskirts of the Three Kingdoms. The four locations are: Blacken Forest, Exotic Springs, Scorching Plains, and finally Mt. Pyro."

"For us to retrieve the four Communicator Parts, we need to start at Mt. Pyro then end at Blacken Forest. Luckily she never entered a cave in Mt. Pyro so we don't need to do much exploring. She's at least competent enough to not completely lose our parts," Sera continued, glancing back at me.

"Geez, Sera, thanks for the moral support. I feel very competent now," Lyna said, her tone sarcastic.

I smiled and looked at the table they were using to build the C-Gadgets. "Seems you all were working in bulks. There are six of them here."

"Mhm!~ The first three are for us as beta testing and the last three are used once we figure out where we want to go from here, but since it's Lady Claire's birthday, we can offer up two of these for you and the Queen!" Elisa said, happy to help out in any capacity she could for Claire's birthday.

I nodded, turning my gaze to the holographic screen. "Alright, shall I go out there to gather these parts?"

"It would be a great help, but you definitely won't find them without us. We'll be joining you and that way we can get them much faster. We already have the route mapped out so whenever you're ready we can head out!" Elisa said, smiling happily at me.

I nodded, returning her smile. "I'm ready. Good way to at least stretch my legs after lazing around yesterday. Plus it'll be good training if we happen to run into anything."

Elisa nodded then closed her holographic screen then grabbed her high-tech device from the charger. "Alright, I'll meet you all at the city entrance. I've gotta let Milcham know I'll be out."

"Alright, don't leave us waiting too long," I said, teasing her as I left the room.

Elisa smiled at me, shaking her head with a soft giggle. "I won't!~"

With that, Lyna, Sera, and I exited the room, making our way out of the castle and to the city. Elisa hurried out of the room to go to the training grounds to inform Milcham that she would be out for a moment.

-------------------

A few moments go by, the three of us waiting for Elisa to show up. Soon, Elisa hurried toward us and called out to us, holding her beret atop of her head. After a long time of waiting, it was finally time to head out and search for the Communicator Parts.

"Alright, let's head out to Mt. Pyro first! That's where our first communicator part is located," Elisa said, walking forward and leading the ground to our first destination.

We followed Elisa, traversing along a path that would take us to Mt. Pyro the quickest. As we traversed, I noticed Sera working on her device, tilting my head.

"What are you working on, Sera?" I asked, falling behind to walk beside her.

Sera glanced at me then looked back at the screen of her device. "I'm setting a trail for us in case we get lost out there while we are backtracking. I'm using a feature on my C-Device called Backtrack. It's very useful for exploration, a feature Lyna uses the most apparently when looking at the usage stats."

"That's because I do way more exploring in Therris than you and Elisa have done like ever!" Lyna retorted, raising her head.

"That's because you're the most reckless and inattentive one out of the three of us. You loll around the most, you're the most clumsy, and you're nearly always late signing into your Investigation Shifts. We have a quota to meet. We don't have the time to be bumming around," Sera replied, her tone still as dry as ever.

"Bumming around is a bit harsh don't you think?" Elisa asked, glancing at Sera with a concerned smile.

"It's tough love. We are the Merylla Sisters, the most prestigious, technologically advanced family in all of Uthea. We were given a job to fill our Uthean Compendium in a timely manner. We are the ones creating the Index. There's only three of us. We can't cover a huge amount of ground if we're too busy having fun," Sera said.

Lyna crossed her arms and scoffed. "Well maybe you're too serious about your job. You don't know what fun is if it hit you in the face! Unlike you, Melted Ice Queen, I can actually enjoy myself out there instead of worrying too much about a job that you assigned to us."

Sera's eye twitched in annoyance then she let out a sigh, pushing up her glasses. "We don't have time to be arguing. I'm not going to argue with someone who put our project into jeopardy because they're too clumsy to keep track of things even in the heat of the moment."

"You obviously don't have time for anything, and you don't have to be a prick about everything!" Lyna retorted, grunting softly as I separated the two of them.

"Enough," I said, halting in my tracks. I glanced between Sera and Lyna, giving them both soft smiles. "Listen, you two have your obvious differences and clashing personalities...but there is no need for the two of you to be at each other's throats."

"I understand siblings fight. I fought with my current brother a lot since I was very close to him. We fought day in and day out when we were younger, but we still loved each other at the end of the day. I want you two to be the same way.." I continued, my tone firm, yet compassionate.

Sera stared at me for a moment then glanced at Lyna, meeting her gaze. She looked down and held her device close to her chest. Narrowing her eyes, she took a deep breath then exhaled. "I'm sorry...Lyna..I didn't mean to speak so harshly toward you...I guess I should loosen up a little."

"I'm sorry as well...I should take my job more seriously. From here on out, I'm giving this my A-Game! I'm gonna start pulling my own weight!" Lyna said, her gaze determined.

I smiled at the two then noticed Elisa's gentle smile, noticing how easily I calmed the storm before it got too bad. Elisa nodded at me and I nodded back. With the bickering quelled, we all continued forward to our first destination.

Upon arriving at Mt. Pyro, Lyna's device beeped, detecting the communicator part. Lyna looked around, noticing a sparkle on the ground. "Over there!~"

Elisa watched Lyna hurry to the Communicator Part then gasped, noticing a beast rushing toward Lyna. "Lyna! Watch out!"

Lyna looked back, her eyes noticing a bipedal beast rushing toward her. She didn't have enough time to swap to her Battle Mode as the beast attacked, flinching in the process. Suddenly, she heard the beast's pained roar as it was blasted away by Sera's pulse of water from her holographic cannon.

Lyna opened her eyes, noticing she was unharmed then looked at her sisters. She smiled at Sera, rubbing the back of her head. "Thank you, Sera..~"

Sera nodded, lowering her arm then looked at the Beast, using her device to take a picture of it. The device scanned the picture of the beast, giving her the information. "A Rare Beast. The Ruby Werebeast. They mostly roam around these areas and are known to be very aggressive toward humans. We should be careful in case more shows up."

Lyna picked up the communicator piece, placing it into her bag. "Right... Well that's one down, three more to go."

The four of us continued forward, heading to our next destination, the Scorching Plains. As we traversed to the next area, I decided to get to know Lyna and Sera a bit more.

"So, Lyna. You say you traverse around Therris correct? I'm on a conquest around Uthea at the moment. Care to share some facts about the Kingdom?" I asked, glancing down at Lyna.

Lyna nodded happily, beaming a smile at me. "Of course! So during my stay at Therris, the rules there are much more different than other kingdoms in other parts of Uthea. They actually have a rule of No Men Allowed. I don't know how you're planning on getting in there with such a rule, but based on my investigations, it's a pretty peaceful kingdom."

I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, thinking about the information she gave me. "Hmm...I see. No men allowed huh? I wonder what happened there for such a rule to be endorsed.."

"However, there is a way to bypass the rule. If you make it through Ixia Village, your reward for surviving is free access in and out of their kingdom. You can do that, or have a woman recommend you as an honorable guest within the kingdom," Lyna added, her tone informative and steady.

"I see...What about you Sera?" I asked, glancing at Sera.

"I've mainly been in Rivule during my investigations. Surprisingly, the Queen there talks about you a lot. And I mean a lot.." Sera answered, continuing to place digital trails behind us using Backtrack.

"She does huh? Who is she?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"Queen Tsuna," Sera answered.

My eyes flashed with recognition of the name, even my Crest of Manami flashed upon hearing her name. 'Tsuna? The same Tsuna I used to date before my five year conquest..?'

"Does she happen to have silverish hair, striking blue eyes, dons blue lipstick upon her luscious lips, has a Sigil in her left eye, keeps her hourglass figure in shape, speaks in a slightly husked, attractive voice, and a Crest upon her left leg?" I asked.

It was silent, Sera blinking a few times at how accurately I described Tsuna. She glanced up at me and fixed her glasses. "Y-Yes...that's...that's exactly correct. How do you know?"

I let out a soft chuckle and held my obi as I walked forward. "Well Tsuna is a native where I'm from. She's from Yesha, and she and I have a very long history. We used to date...and were very active. Surprised I didn't have any children with her."

Lyna blushed wildly at my comment, slightly covering her mouth. "Really..? You and Lady Tsuna...no way.."

"No wonder she talks about you so much. It makes so much more sense now..." Sera said, unable to prevent her cheeks from flushing into a soft red.

I chuckled softly and glanced between the two. "Just wait until you hear all of the great stories we used to have. Man, I remember it like it was yesterday.."

As I began to tell one of my many tales of my love life five years ago, Sera, Lyna, and Elisa listened with open ears, eager to hear about my relationships and parts of my coming up as Emperor. It was a nice way to pass the time as we traversed the long path to our other destinations.