Night.
Well, how should I put it.
We ended up staying in this tower.
Herode's repairs were finished, and the showdown with Agaro and the Sangosei was also settled... no, it wasn't.
Apparently it wasn't. Agaro and Baltazar drew.
The women's side couldn't care less about any of that, and they'd somehow all gotten buddy-buddy.
The old man apparently didn't show up, so when we went looking, he was somehow together with a pink sphere.
That pink. Horror movie, maybe?
Dinner was a grand affair with everyone participating.
First, soup dumplings. Then stir-fried pork with peppers. And fried rice.
Shrimp and crab fried rice at that. Plus dumplings. Steak. Gnocchi. Stir-fried greens.
Meatballs. Stir-fried shredded beef. They even had Peking duck. Stir-fried seafood. Shumai.
Bang bang chicken. Mapo tofu. Mouthwatering chicken. Chili shrimp. Stir-fried liver with leek. Five-treasure spring rolls.
Stir-fried egg and spinach. Karaage. Tenshindon. They even had Dongpo pork.
This is Chinese food.
Wait, why Chinese? And why are there steak and gnocchi?
Well, it's delicious... I mean, it really is delicious.
Even Dorusumakina eats the same stuff as living beings for energy intake, which honestly surprised me.
Before the meal.
I told them how I'd gotten the sacred eggs of elixir from the Master and handed them over.
Being thanked so warmly by Herode and the rest of the Three Guardian Stars was honestly a little embarrassing.
Right away, Agaro and Balthazar of the Three Guardian Stars launched into a drinking contest.
The women watched them with thoroughly unamused expressions.
"What on earth are those two doing?"
Hiyarn said with exasperation, biting into a hamburger steak.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Normally you'd bet on Balthazar from Dorusumakina."
"Yeah, I guess so."
They're machines, so they can't get drunk.
Hm? Wait — is Balthazar actually drunk?
"Dorusumakina can get drunk?!"
"Seems that way."
"..."
"It's like Anstanshiru or Anna-kroitsen getting drunk."
"Can Minosdor get drunk too?"
"Yeah. One time, when it got drunk, someone hung it up for some reason."
That's basically a living creature at that point.
Oh — Herode is drinking wine too.
She's savoring it alongside cheese and tomatoes. How elegant.
"How is it? Are you enjoying yourself?"
MASTER wandered over casually.
"Yes. The food is delicious."
"I'm glad. It's not much, though."
"Not at all."
Seriously, the spread of dishes was incredible.
The flavors were flawless. The one thing missing, of course, was butter rice.
I hadn't had it in a while. Once I got back, I'd head to the Cider Hall.
"You sure? Not gonna go mingle with them over there?"
When Haiyarn glanced over at the women's group and said that, MASTER looked down.
"I don't really understand talks about romance."
"Ah..."
"Mm."
They love it, don't they? The women's group. Romance talk.
I stole a glance over at them — and that pink sphere was participating too.
Why... what even was that sphere?
"Anyway, I ended up borrowing a book from Pakira later."
"Oh. That's nice."
A romance one, no doubt about it.
MASTER turned back toward me.
"By the way, about the sacred egg of the elixir — sorry, but extraction is going to take some time."
"I'll lend it to you until it hatches."
"Sorry about that. I'd like to offer something as thanks — any preferences?"
"In that case, could you tell me where the scrapyard is? The one where the Etrangé's sister ship was dumped."
"Wait. That barely even qualifies as thanks!?"
"Wof. What are you planning to do at a place like that?"
I felt like both of them were ganging up on me.
First, I answered Haiyahn.
"I was thinking that with the Etrangé's sister ship, I might be able to find some parts."
"I see. That is certainly possible."
"Though if it's still armed, that'd be a problem."
Even so, I wanted those parts.
I was curious to see how the Etrangé would change.
Besides, Nekia was also deeply interested in parts.
Incidentally, she was currently at the witch's house. Not aboard the Etrangé.
I'd had her disembark last time because I didn't know what might happen.
I'd braced for a fight, but she got off without any fuss — which was actually a bit anticlimactic.
"Woof woof, woof woof, woooof!"
I thought, "What's with the dog?" but it turned out Juicy was stuffing her face with meat, one piece after another.
She was the unsung hero of this whole affair.
She single-handedly took down the black, white, and gray jointed puppet monsters one after another.
And she'd only just gotten back.
Apparently she'd gotten a bit carried away, wandered too far, and gotten a little lost.
The upshot was that she'd managed to find her way back thanks to our worried guidance.
She said she'd used the Pseudo-Divine Relic, Fenrir.
"Um, um, that — it's been so long since I got to really go all out! Woof!"
The way she had that satisfied look on her face, she really was just like a family dog.
Well, not literally a family dog, but still.
Even so, she eats as much as Mineha.
I could understand her being hungry after running around and taking monsters down all day.
But there was nothing of a duke's daughter in the way she chomped into meat like something out of a manga.
It was endearing, though.
"That's right. Hyayn!"
"What?"
"I'm sorry for using you as a shield and as bait today."
I did feel at least a twinge of remorse for how I'd treated her this time, even if it had been a spur-of-the-moment thing.
"..."
"Hyayn?"
"Ah, no, it's just — you've gotten so used to being treated carelessly, but you really should be angry about it, huh."
"Well, if it were me, I'd be furious."
But getting used to it is just... well. I guess I should be a little kinder from now on.
"Yeah, you're right."
Hyayn softly drooped his rabbit ears, then raised his head again.
His eyes started sparkling. What now.
"I am not a masochist."
"Huh?"
"I'm not a masochist, but... when a woman treats me roughly, or looks at me with cold eyes, or berates me, I somehow... feel happy."
"............"
"A sense of bliss. Especially since, you know, the people around you are all beautiful women and girls, right?"
"..."
"They treat me roughly, and it sends shivers down my spine."
"..."
"Though, being treated roughly by you specifically is a little different, I suppose."
"..."
"You are a woman after all. Being treated roughly and berated by a woman — that's what feels good."
"..."
This guy. Can I kill him?
Next morning.
Something ridiculous happened.