Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Day 1: Status Quo

“Wake up, asshole!” Edhas’s voice rang in Ryan’s head, jolting him awake. Ryan sat up, not caring to open his eyes. He moved the blankets aside as he yawned, covering his mouth with one arm.

Do you always have to do that? Ryan telepathically asked his other half, straining to open his eyes. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before standing up, cracking his back.

“No but waking you up two minutes before your ‘alarm’ never ceases to bring me joy,” Edhas replied. Ryan could almost see the finger quotes his alternate personality was projecting with his words. As Ryan cracked his back, the phone on his nightstand started to ring loudly, transmitting the sound of an alarm rather than that of a normal ringtone. “See?”

“Yeah, I see,” Ryan grumbled as he picked up the phone. Ryan was an 18-year-old man who recently started a job at a local KFP, or Kiara Fried Phoenix. KFP was your normal fast-food chain, but what Ryan got wrapped up in was the furthest thing you could get from normal. For starters, the only other person who works there is the CEO herself, Takanashi Kiara, who also happened to be a phoenix herself, hence the name. People like Calliope Mori, who was death’s apprentice, Gawr Gura, a magical shark who was thousands of years old, Amelia Watson, a time travelling detective with an itchy trigger finger, and Ninomae Ina’nis, the literal vessel for the old ones were the kind of people who would frequent the place. Ever since then, he’s be stalked, tracked, threatened, investigated, shot at with bullets and lasers, actually getting shot in the head twice, and obtaining an alternate personality based off memories that were forcibly repressed. Saying that Ryan had a rough month would be the understatement of the millennia.

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara’s signature call echoed through the speakers as Ryan answered the call. Kiara always had this thing where she’d call Ryan every morning at the crack of dawn to get him to come to work. Kiara had never been one for schedules, honestly, but Ryan was willing to deal with it.

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan said through the phone, a fond smile growing on his face.

“Hey, Ryan!” Kiara said through the phone excitedly. “Are you ready to come to work today?”

“Of course I’m ready,” Ryan said. “I’ll see you in five.”

Ryan hung up the phone and sighed. With the snap of his fingers, his clothes instantly changed from a T-shirt and boxers to a black hoodie and black sweats.

“Seriously Ryan, why can’t we just teleport over there?” Edhas complained.

Can it, numbnuts, Ryan snapped at his other half. You’re not the one walking so stop your bitching.

“But walking is so boring,” Edhas whined, dragging on the last word like a toddler. “Why walk when you could use badass magic?”

Because you need to take time to appreciate the smaller things in life, Ryan explained patiently.

“There you go again, spewing some cliché bullshit,” Edhas groaned. If Ryan could see him, he would have sworn that Edhas was rolling his eyes.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Ryan closed the door behind him. Cliché bullshit is my specialty.

“Why does this alley have to be so long?” Edhas complained.

You know damn well about the barrier here, Ryan signed. You need to stop complaining. You do this every day.

“Yeah, but things have been so boring since the whole fiasco in China,” Edhas whined. “I want to kick some ass.”

How about this, if Enma shows up, I’ll let you fight her, Ryan said, remembering the hot-headed manager. Just don’t mess with my body too much.

“You have my body, remember?” Edhas replied. “Nothing will get through this body.”

Except bullets, Ryan deadpanned, causing Edhas to gasp in disgust.

“Hey, I wasn’t there when you got shot so that’s your problem,” Edhas said cheekily, casually glossing over the fact that a bullet to the head was the catalyst for Edhas to appear in the first place. “Hey, we’re here.”

Ryan looked up and the corners of his mouth rose instantly. The KFP looked like a normal fast-food restaurant with an orange and white color palate with streaks of blue and yellow. “Honestly, I miss the tungsten plating,” Ryan chuckled to himself, remembering the first time Kiryu Coco, a giant purple dragon decided to stop by.

“Armored plating is for pussies,” Edhas said. “Just don’t get hit. It’s not that hard.”

I’m sorry that a building doesn’t have the same fighting prowess as an esteemed warrior like you, Ryan grumbled, rolling his eyes. He walked up to the doors and pushed the two glass doors open.

“KIKKERIKI~!!!” Kiara dashed from the back room, one leg bent behind her knee and her hand raised high in a cutsie kind of expression. Kiara had her other hand close to her chest, showing off her wedding ring, which she got not too long ago when she married Calliope Mori, otherwise known as Death’s Apprentice. The ring was beautiful, made of 24 karat gold with topaz encrusted wings, a cyan tinted diamond in the center. Kiara was an attractive woman. Ryan wasn’t blind. She wore her beret and chef’s hat over her fiery hair. She wore a special KFP uniform which she tailored into a skirt. Kiara opened her shining, amethyst eyes, her heart-melting smile only widening when she saw her employee. She held two gadgets, one on the chest area of her shirt and the other one on her belt, which Ryan found the hard way that they were a sword and shield that generated concentrated plasma. The weapons alone were enough to scare most men off, but the scary part of Kiara was her better half.

Speaking of which, Calli walked out of the break room, fixating her crimson eyes on Ryan. Calli’s long, pink hair was neatly flowed down her back. She wore a black dress with a torn, black cloak draping down her back. The thing that deterred most people was the gigantic scythe that easily exceeded two meters in length. “Oh, hey Ryan,” she said casually before walking over to Kiara. Calli openly flaunted her new wedding ring, a platinum skull with two rubies for eyes, a square engraved on either side of the skull.

“So, you’re just going to let Calliope-san into the break room now?” Ryan put his hands over his chest, faking a hurt expression. “I’m hurt.”

“I think we’ve known each other long enough for you to call me Calli,” Calli said, offering Ryan a small smile.

“What?! No fair!” Kiara pouted. “It took me 300,000 years to get that far with you!”

“So, what were you doing in the break room~?” Ryan waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“You just lost the right to call me Calli,” Calli glared daggers into Ryan.

“She doesn’t mean it,” Kiara strutted up to Calli and got on her tippy toes, pecking her wife on the cheek.

“Guess not,” Calli stared into her wife’s eyes lovingly. As the leaned in to kiss, Ryan cleared his throat.

“Get a room,” Ryan sighed. “Just not the one where I prefer to enjoy eating my Oreos in.”

“Whatever,” Calli grumbled. With a snap of his fingers, Ryan was in his KFP uniform. Ryan now wore brown shoes, blue jeans, and a white shirt covered by an orange vest.

“Oh! Your new nametag came in!” Kiara dug into her pocket (AN: The closest thing Kiara would get to getting out of the abyss left stage was order a dress with pockets) and pulled out a name tag, showing it to Ryan. It was a golden nametag that said “RYAN SHADE” in black letters. What was different was that there a second row that said “& EDHAS” on it.

“Thanks,” Ryan smiled, putting the nametag on the right side of his chest.

“Why did you have to add that?” Edhas complained. “Aren’t we supposed to be discreet with shit like this?”

What’s wrong? Ryan asked. Scared of meeting a bunch of girls?

“I can’t believe you’d stoop that low,” Edhas said, genuine disappointment in his tone. “We both know that ninety percent of the girls that walk in this joint are scarier than you.”

That’s not fair, Ryan said. You’ve seen what Hoshimachi-san is like.

“Fair enough,” Edhas said. A crash through the door interrupted his internal monologue.

“OOCHA!” A small girl in a shark hoodie kicked the doors, jumping in before landing, both arms extending upwards in a victory pose.

“Good morning, Gura-san,” Ryan said. Gura’s white bangs covered her forehead, partially covering her ocean blue eyes. Her shark hoodie was obviously at least two sizes larger than her. Her hoodie was originally smaller, but ever since she married Amelia Watson, the time-travelling detective started spoiling her with bigger hoodies and extra doughnuts. Gura waddled over to the one of the seats, jumping up to sit down on one of the stools on the counter. “Where’s your better half?”

“Ground pounding your mom,” Amelia said, walking into the restaurant.

“Heads up, you don’t have a mom,” Edhas said.

Then who was the one yelling at me over the phone when I was a NEET? Ryan asked.

“Beats me. I wasn’t there.”

“Edhas says I don’t have a mom,” Ryan reported.

“That’s a travesty!” Amelia gasped.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan waved his hand dismissively. “Just shut up and sit down.”

“Whatever you say,” Amelia chuckled as she walked over to sit down. Amelia wore a white dress shirt and a red tie, expertly using a sandy trench coat that was at least four sizes too big to hide her boing boings. She wore a detective’s hat, poorly concealing her messy, blonde hair. Ryan’s eyes drifted over to the watch she wore around her neck. If that watch didn’t exist, Ryan would be dead, but he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of resentment for the gadget. Amelia’s watch gives her the ability to travel through time. For some reason, he was able to keep his memories when she goes back in time. Unfortunately, he had to learn the hard way, after he was… well… shot in the head. People seemed to like to do that a lot.

“So, how have you been?” Ryan asked. “It’s been a while since you two stopped by.”

“Things could be better,” Amelia sighed, a teacup appearing in her hands out of thin air. “There’s no one to ground pound.”

“Hey!” Gura protested. “You can always ground pound me!”

“Oh, my sweet little apex predator,” Amelia picked up Gura, plopping the small shark on her lap, patting her head. “It feels wrong to ground pound someone as cute and innocent as you.”

“Humph,” Gura pouted, placing her fists on her knees while giving a sideways glance, puffing out her cheeks. “I’ll forgive you… just this once…”

“Hey Ryan!” Ryan’s face paled when the hot-headed manager Enma busted through the doors. Enma wore a wrinkled dress shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned. She had a hoodie tied to her waist and her katana sheathed safely at her side. “When are you going to stop pussying out of that fight?!”

“I’m sorry!” Ina ran in the restaurant, panting heavily. “I tried to stop her.”

“It’s fine, Ina,” Ryan sighed. Ina wore her hair/tentacle hybrid (in which Ryan really wanted to squish her bangs but refrained considering what happened last time) neatly down her back. She wore a sleeveless, purple dress. Luckily, she didn’t have her gigantic tentacles out or she would have destroyed the door completely. “My other half has been raring for a fight, recently.”

“Your other half?” Enma asked, curious. As of now, Kiara, Calli, Amelia, Gura, and Ina knew about Edhas, but Ryan didn’t really care if it was a secret or not. Right now, they were in a time of peace since the Magical International Liberation Foundation (MILF for short. Yes, I know.) was destroyed, so he didn’t really have any reason to hide it.

“You’ll find out soon,” Ryan smirked.

“Well, let’s go!” Enma unsheathed his sword. With a gust of wind, Ryan was behind Enma. He turned his head slightly, revealing that his eyes now glowed a purple shade.

“Let’s take this outside. Ryan would kill me if I destroyed the restaurant,” ‘Ryan’ chuckled. “Not that he can, of course.”

“So, your name is ‘Edhas’, huh?” Enma had a feral smile on her face as she drew her katana. “I hope you’ll entertain me.”

“Likewise, Enma-dono,” Edhas said, holding out his right hand. With a soft hue, a sword willed itself into existence in Ryan’s hand. The sword was pure white, the sun reflecting on the metal. Intricate sapphire vines were weaved throughout the blade, sprouting from the circular gem at the bottom of the hilt.

“Why don’t I get that kind of respect?” Ryan asked, as he was now the telepathic voice in Edhas’s head. How the tables have turned.

You’re not a warrior, Edhas and Enma stared at each other, examining each other’s posture, looking for flaws and trying to predict their opponent’s moves before they even started fighting. This woman is.

“Whatever,” Ryan groaned. “Have fun with the muscle-headed wife of your dreams. Speaking of which, I know just the person to introduce you to, considering your sister complex.”

Okay, shut up, I have to focus, Edhas thought. Enma noticed that he lowered his guard ever so slightly when he conversed with the person in his head and took the opportunity to strike. Enma dashed for Edhas, her arms crossed. Edhas wondered if Enma was used to wielding two swords, but that was a thought he could ponder on later. He dashed to the right, creating a small, invisible platform out of magic after a few inches and kicked on it, launching him behind her. He created another platform, kicking it to launch him towards his opponent. Enma reacted just in time, spinning around to barely catch the blade aimed at her neck with her own.

“Not bad,” Enma’s feral grin only grew.

“You’re not bad yourself,” Edhas smirked, though it was a lot more casual than Enma’s predatory smile. The two then clashed blades, slowly increasing in speed until the blades weren’t visible to the naked eye. Edhas’s smirk widened as he went for a feint technique he created, creating five after images of a blade each slashing in different directions to throw off the enemy. Surprisingly, Enma successfully clashed with the correct sword.

“Is that all you have?!” Enma shouted, her blood boiling. Edhas could feel the excitement radiating off of her as they continued to fight.

Fuck this, Edhas channeled a small amount of magic energy into his blade and arms, intending to end the fight. Enma obviously noticed this and matched his mana output. When their blades clashed, the force of the collision was enough to send them both back flying.

“How about we finish this?” Enma skidded to a halt a few meters away from the clash zone. She assumed a fighting stance, a trail of red flames flowing from her blade.

“It would be my honor,” Ryan twirled his blade, white fire following the blade before he assumed a battle stance of his own. The two let out a battle cry charging. The impending clash caused an explosion of dust and debris to fly all over the place.

“You know, you two shouldn’t be exerting so much magic at a place like this,” When the dust settled, A-Chan was revealed to be holding both of the blades with her bare hands. Enma was obviously straining, but Edhas didn’t seem to have any difficulties as he pried his blade from the general manager. “You might attract someone.”

“A-Chan!” Enma stumbled back as A-Chan let go of her blade. “I-I wasn’t keeping track of my mana output! I’m sorry!”

“Boo, you’re such a party pooper,” Edhas jeered, his sword vanishing in a white light as he let go of it. “It’s nice to see you haven’t changed, A-Chan.”

“As much as I would like to say the same, you are still far too reckless, Edhas,” A-Chan adjusted her glasses, shooting Ryan a glare before turning to Enma. “Enma-san, we’re leaving.”

“Y-yes, A-Chan!” Enma scurried to follow A-Chan as she turned and left via the alleyway.

A-Chan might be calm and collected, but she’s really scary when she’s angry, Edhas said as he relinquished his control, the purple glow fading from his eyes.

I’ll keep that in mind, Ryan tried to shake off the sores on his body to no avail before turning to the massive crater in the middle of the lot.

“I’m going to have to deal with this now, aren’t I?”

Fortunately, Ryan only had to use some earth magic to fix everything. He opened the door to his apartment, flopping on the bed. What do you want to do today, Edhas?

“Hey, Ryan,” Edhas’s voice sounded uncharacteristically serious. “Are you sure you’re content with this life? With the strength and skills at your disposal, you can do anything you want, say for taking over the world.”

You know, I’ve thought about it, Ryan said to his other half, a small smile on his face as he put his hand up, staring at the ceiling. It really isn’t about the pay or the fame. With the people I’m with, I don’t need all of that. I have my friends, and that’s all I need.

Chapter Text

Day 2: Taking Flight

In the HoloHQ, a portal opened. A woman stepped through, a small smile on her face. She tossed her silver hair behind her shoulder as the portal closed behind her. She fastened her winged hairpin and fastened her bracelets. "As much as I enjoyed my trip back, my true family resides here," Her high heels clacked along the floor as she walked towards the door, opening it. "I'm home."

Thankfully, Edhas had the sense to wait two minutes for Kiara to Call. The alarm rang, causing Ryan to bolt up. He looked around wildly before fixating on the phone. He grabbed the phone, answering it without looking.

"KIKKERIKII~!!!" Kiara exclaimed through the phone. "How has my little egg been~?"

"We've been over this," Ryan grumbled, getting out of bed. "Please stop calling me that."

"Never!" Kiara chirped, giggling. "I think it's endearing."

"I think it's cute," Edhas added helpfully.

Can it, asshole. You're one to talk, Ryan gave his other half a snappy remark, but he only offered his boss a defeated sigh.

"Am I sensing a bias?" Edhas exclaimed, faux offense coating his words.

Yes, so can it, Ryan grumbled.

"Are you listening to me?" Kiara asked, catching Ryan off guard. He was still getting used to listening to people while having telepathic conversations with Edhas.

"Sorry, I spaced out," Ryan said, pushing back his habit to sigh. "What were you saying?"

"Oh, nothing!" Kiara said excitedly. "I was just excited to start work today!"

"Me too, Tenchou," Ryan smiled. "I'll see you soon."

"So, who are we fighting today? I had a lot of fun yesterday," Edhas said, causing a tick mark to appear on Ryan's head.

We're not fighting anyone, Ryan's sigh was full of irritation as he turned the corner.

"Excuse me?" Ryan turned around to see a woman standing behind him. She wore a blue and white sleeveless dress with wing shaped patterns at the end of it. Though she had a curious and innocent look on her face, she seemed to assume royalty.

"Be careful with this one," Edhas's voice warned. "Even though she's hiding her magical aura, I can tell she can be a potential threat."

"Yes?" Ryan asked, sending Edhas a mental sign that he'll be cautious. "Is there something you need?"

"I apologize for bothering you," the woman gave a polite bow. "I was told to meet up at a KFP in this location, but I can't seem to find it. Would you happen to know where it is?"

If she wants to go to the KFP, she must know Tenchou, Ryan thought. Plus, if she has malicious intent, she wouldn't get past the barrier anyways.

"Ah, I actually happened to be heading there myself," Ryan said. "My name is Ryan Shade. I work at that KFP. Would you like to walk with me?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the woman bowed her head politely. "My name is Pavolia Reine and I would love to walk with you."

Ryan had to will the tick from appearing from his forehead as Reine appeared to be taller than him with his heels. Being only 172 centimeters, Ryan wasn't the tallest guy in the world, but for some reason, Reine being taller than him just unsettled him.

"You know, I wonder what it would feel like for her to look down on me," Edhas said in a weird (Read: Pervy) manner.

You disgust me, Ryan thought, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, someone's got to appeal to the masses," Edhas said defensively.

What masses? Ryan thought curiously.

"You wouldn't get it," Edhas grumbled.

"So, who are you?" Reine stopped, causing to stop and look at her. Ryan shuddered, but kept his ground.

"That's some intense killer intent," Edhas said. "Her aura's rising. Any human mage would be heaving on the floor pissing their pants. You might want to switch out."

I'll take your word for it, Ryan though, his eyes glowing purple.

"Okay, lady, I don't know who you are, but there are kinder ways to ask people questions," Edhas tensed up. Ryan was grateful he didn't summon any weapons yet. Maybe there was a chance to resolve this peacefully.

"Last time checked, you weren't a part of Hololive or any of our allies," Reine's eyes narrowed. "Plus, you lead me to an alleyway. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"I didn't design this place. Cut me some slack," Edhas sighed, offering the woman a shrug. "Honestly, my other half doesn't want to fight. As much as I would enjoy fighting someone as powerful as you, I really have to get Ryan to work."

"Wait!" Kiara's voice was heard as she flew down between Ryan and Reine. "He's my employee!"

"See, I wasn't lying," Ryan said as the purple glow faded, giving him back control of his body.

"Tch," Edhas scoffed. "Would've wiped the floor with her anyways. Wouldn't mind if she kicked the crap out of me, though."

You're using my body, you know, Ryan grumbled in his head.

"I'm apologize for my actions," Reine bowed respectfully to Kiara and Ryan. "I can never be too safe in these times."

"Actually, we're in a time of peace now," Kiara replied, a patient smile on her face. "All thanks to Ryan, I may add."

"Really?" Reine looked at Ryan.

"Don't look at me," Ryan put his hands up. "All I did was get shot in the head... twice..."

"Anyways, we should get going," Kiara smiled, ignoring Ryan's comment. "We can catch up when we're in the restaurant."

"It's been so long!" As soon as they entered the joint, Kiara tackled Reine into a hug. "I'd never thought I'd see you again!"

"It's nice to see you too, Kiara-senpai," Reine smiled softly, returning the hug. "After spending a few months back at the Peafowl, I realized that I found my real home here."

"I'm so happy," Kiara pulled away, tearing up.

"By the way, where did you get the ring? It's beautiful!" Reine grabbed Kiara's hand, admiring her wedding ring.

"Calli gave it to me!" Kiara chirped, her cheeks flushing slightly. "We got married not too long ago!"

"Married?!" Reine gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "I'm so happy for you! You should have sent me an invite!"

"I'm sorry! There wasn't any way to get in contact with you!" Kiara said.

"Anyways, you still have to introduce me to your employee," Reine looked at Ryan, the skepticism still lingering in her eyes.

"You know, I love it when she looks at us like that," Edhas swooned.

The joke is getting old, Ryan thought.

"This is Ryan Shade," Kiara said. "I met him not too long ago. He actually didn't get his magic until it took a laser to the shoulder for me."

"Don't remind me," Ryan grumbled.

"You were such a pussy back then," Edhas chuckled. "I mean your ass kicked by some normies."

I didn't have magic at all. Cut me some slack, Ryan grumbled in his head. Edhas only scoffed.

"I'm surprised," Reine's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Ryan again. "For you to cultivate your magic in such a short time. From what I gauged, you're stronger than the top generals at Peafowl."

"Peafowl? I remember that place!" Edhas said. "They have great blacksmiths there, despite all of them being birds. I liked the place so much I made the royal family a weapon. That was a long time ago, though."

How old are you, exactly? Ryan asked.

"I was born 18 years ago, but remember, I was in the same group as the guy who made Ame's clock," Edhas said. Ryan remembered Jack's parting words. At this rate, he might have to take up his offer for a drink.

So you're older than 18, Ryan stated.

"Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?" Edhas commented followed by the sound of fingers snapping.

Go die, Ryan grumbled. Edhas said something, but Ryan didn't care enough to listen.

"That's thanks to my other half," Ryan said. "I'm a bit of a special case."

"Kiara-chan!, I'm here like you a-," Subaru crashed through the doors, exclaiming loudly but cut herself off when she saw Reine. She jumped up in the air, pointing at her. "OMAEEEEEEEE!"

"Hello, Subaru-senpai," Reine spread her arms. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too!" Subaru tackled Reine into a hug. "The birb three are finally back together!"

"So, I heard we're in a time of peace now," Reine said. "Can someone tell me what happened?"

"Well, I guess we're going to go over my perpetual story of embarrassment," Ryan grumbled.

"Come on!" Kiara slapped Ryan's back. "It's not that bad!"

"Being shot in the head isn't something you should be embarrassed about," Reine offered Ryan a soft smile. "Most people wouldn't have even shown up to the battlefield."

"I know, I just could have handled the situation a bit better," Ryan sighed, placing a plate of turkey and mashed potatoes in front of Reine.

"I know the same thing would have happened to me in that situation," Subaru said, munching on a sesame seed muffin. "Except the coming back to life part."

"Yeah, I'm not too sure how that happened actually," Ryan said. "According to Edhas, he's 'just too stubborn to die', but I'm not sure about the authenticity of his claims."

"Shut up," Edhas snapped.

"How was everything back at Peafowl?" Kiara asked.

"It was good, but my departure caused... some problems?" Reine looked down at the untouched plate of turkey.

"What happened?" Subaru asked, giving her friend a worried look.

"My father and I got into an argument," Reine said. "When I wanted to leave, he protested vehemently. he wanted me to rule and told me how I felt didn't matter. After a long argument, my father forced me to return the family treasure and banished me from the kingdom, claiming he'll just 'make another heir'."

"How far Peafowl has fallen," Edhas scoffed. "I expected better from such a nice kingdom."

Remember when you were the bad guy? Ryan asked. What happened to that?

"Just because I hate everything in this world doesn't mean I don't know right from wrong," Edhas said. "And for the record, a lot of things in this world are wrong."

"That's terrible," Kiara placed a hand on Reine's, who's hands were on the table.

"It's fine... I don't regret my choice," Reine sighed. "But Hiraitamon (TL: Opened Gate) was my partner. I don't know what I'll do without it..."

"Hiraitamon? What a coincidence," Edhas sighed.

Don't tell me...

"Yup."

Seriously, you need to tell me who the hell you were, Ryan sighed aloud.

"Someday," If Edhas was there, Ryan swore he would have winked at him. "You know what? How about we pay Peafowl a visit? The weather is nice, and I'd like a vacation. Might as well do a favor for a cute girl while I'm at it."

You're hopeless, Ryan thought, disappointment oozing through is brain.

"You alright?" Kiara turned to Ryan. "You've been awfully quiet this entire time."

"It seems like my other half wants to go to Peafowl," Ryan said. "Says he wants to 'go on a short vacation' or some bullshit like that."

"I apologize, but that's impossible," Reine shook her head. "Though I appreciate the sentiment, only one person in the world is currently capable of transporting through dimensions so freely."

"And who would that be?" Ryan asked.

"YAGOO," Reine answered simply.

"Well, we can always ask him," Ryan shot back.

"No need," Edhas said in his mind. "Interdimensional travel is one of my specialties."

"My other half claims he can travel through dimensions," Ryan said.

"Are you sure? Interdimensional travel is a dangerous and meticulous form of magic," Reine narrowed her eyes slightly. "One mishap and you'll be tumbling in the void for all of eternity."

"Let me take control," Edhas said. "It's easier for me to just explain it. Plus, I have to go and whip that old man's ass anyways."

Fine, but only because I don't like Reine's dad. He seems like a prick, Ryan thought as his eyes started to glow purple. Reine and Subaru tensed up slightly, but Edhas put a hand up.

"Relax, my eyes just change whenever I switch," he said. "But yes, I can travel through dimensions. Plus, if we end up in the void, I have some connections that could get us out."

"Connections?" Kiara asked.

"That's not important," Edhas stepped around the counted and held his hand forward. With a swift burst of energy, a swirling portal appeared. "The real question is: who wants to tag along?"

Edhas, Subaru, Kiara, and Reine walked through the portal, revealing themselves to be at the foot of a giant castle that was blue and white in color. Between them was a large gate and two guards wearing shiny blue armor, white wings jutting out of their backs. When the two guards saw Reine, they jumped into a fighting stance, spears pointed at her.

"I apologize for this, Reine-sama, but the king has ordered us to attack you on sight," One of the guards said, his voice uncertain.

"What a prick," Ryan said.

"Actually, I'm the one who brought her here," Edhas held his hand out and a small, grey badge appeared in his hand. He then held his hand out, showing them the badge. "I do hope I have the credentials to see the king."

Both of the guards visibly gasped when they saw the badge. "O-of course, esteemed guest! If you brought Reine-sama here with you, then it must have been for a good reason," the other guard said. "Let me open the gates for you."

As the guards ran over to open the gates, Reine gave Edhas a look. "What was that?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Edhas winked at Reine. "For now, let's go."

"Your highness! May I point out how ridiculous you are being?!" Ahiru exclaimed.

"Yeah! Just because she had dreams of her own doesn't mean she deserves to be banished!" Hino protested.

"Reine-sama has always been kind to us," Hane clutched her broom so tight her knuckles turned white. "She didn't do anything to deserve this!"

(AN: Ahiru, Hino, and Hane are characters from my "A Fortunate Mistake" fic. Might upload that fic sometime soon. Stay tuned. What you need to know for now is that Ahiru and Hino are the alternate dimensional versions of Kiara and Subaru whole Hane is Reine's old maid.)

"Silence!" The king, Pavolia Peafowl VII shouted. "Even if you are the two magic division generals, I will not tolerate your insolence! Reine was a failure and nothing else! Her role was to rule the kingdom and she failed to do so!"

As Hane opened her mouth to disagree, the doors slammed open. "Your highness!" Matthew, one of the gate guards rushed to the king, bowing before his presence.

"You dare interrupt me?!" Peafowl shouted. "What is so important that you must barge into my throne room?!"

"My apologies, your majesty!" Matthew bowed his head. "The princess has returned with a grandmaster blacksmith!"

The room fell silent at once. A grandmaster blacksmith hasn't shown up in Peafowl since the Fifth Mask 300 years ago. "Well?" Peafowl demanded. "Bring him in!"

"The king will see you now," the guard said, leading them to the throne room. Edhas noted that there were three other people there. One of them looked exactly like Kiara if she decided to wear a blue navy uniform and another looked exactly like Subaru. The third was a brown-haired maid clutching on a broom.

Subaru and the clone looked at each other before pointing at each other with an exaggerated face. "OMAEEEEE/KONOOOOO!" They shouted at each other. "You look just like me!"

The Kiara clone walked up to Kiara. "Are you a phoenix?!"

Kiara gasped. "I thought I was the last one!"

"Reine-sama!" The maid cast aside her broom, tackling Reine in a hug. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Ahiru! Hino! Hane! Control yourselves!" The king shouted before lowering his voice, so it was projected, but not shouting. "Greetings to all of you. My name is Pavolia Peafowl VII. May I ask who this supposed grandmaster is?"

"That would be me," Edhas stepped up and stared at the king.

"Ryan!" Reine whispered sharply. "You're supposed to bow to him."

"My name's Edhas," Edhas shot Reine a look before staring back at the king. "I will not bow to you, for you haven't earned my respect."

"You-," The king's face turned red, but he stopped himself. "State your purpose of visiting."

"I want my rapier back," Edhas stated simply. All heads turned to Edhas. What kind of rapier constituted Edhas to talk to the king of a kingdom in an alternate dimension?

"I apologize," Peafowl shook his head. "I don't follow."

"Hiraitamon," Edhas replied. "I want it back."

"You want our family heirloom?!" Peafowl slammed the armrest of his throne, positively fuming. "Who the hell do you think you are to walk into my kingdom and my castle, demanding my family heirloom?!"

"It's not yours, considering you married in," Edhas commented, directing his focus to the king's brown hair and eyes. The silver hair and blue eyes of the Pavolia family was a dominant trait and the tradition was that Hiraitamon went to that of the Pavolia gene. "It should belong to Reine-chan here, but someone decided to break tradition."

"Even if that were the case, I am the king! You are a nobody!" Peafowl exclaimed. "Guards!"

Edhas sighed. "You know, I really didn't want to take this out, but whatever." Edhas held out his hand and the mask that Shade gave to Ryan appeared in his hand. He put it on, his hand obstructing the number. When he revealed it, everyone, say for Kiara, Subaru, and Edhas himself gasped in shock. "I've always hated this mask, but if I have to use it, then I have to use it. Do you recognize me now?"

"Y-you're the Fifth Mask!" Peafowl exclaimed. The Fifth Maskwas a legendary blacksmith and swordsman among the kingdom of Peafowl. 300 years ago, he fought in the War of the Vultures against the Vulture Kingdom alongside King Peafowl I. After they won the war, the Dai Go No Kamen along with the Third Mask forged a legendary sword named Hiraitamon and gifted it to the king before vanishing off the face of the earth (AN: This story will eventually be covered. Unfortunately, my plans for where the fic was going have changed since I wrote this chapter, so context will have to wait for now). "But that's impossible! He vanished 300 years ago! He's dead!"

"Who said I was dead?" Edhas said, growing irritated. "Now, do I need to leave this kingdom without a ruler, or are you going to be getting me my blade?"

The king blanched. "Y-yes! I will get your blade immediately!" He ran off to a door to the right of Edhas.

"Y-you're the Fifth Mask?" Reine looked at Edhas, who took off the mask, releasing it to go back into his magical storage. "I grew up on stories about you."

"Me too!" The Subaru clone piped up. "I've always wanted to become an awesome warrior like you!"

"I guess you could say that I am, but I honestly hate that title," Edhas sighed. "I have nothing to do with the masked mages anymore. I am my own person now. Well... half a person."

The king ran up to Edhas with a rapier with a golden hilt and a blue sheathe. "Here you are, Fifth Mask-sama..."

Edhas grabbed the blade and examined it. "Its quality has deteriorated since, but I can't blame you. We'll be taking our leave now."

"Wait!" Edhas was about to turn but was stopped by the maid. "I want to go with you."

"Hane?!" Reine looked at the maid in surprise.

"I've served under you since you were born, Reine-sama," The maid, Mentori smiled at the princess. "You have been the kindest member of the royal family I know, except for maybe your mother. I want to continue serving you wherever you go."

"I want to go too!" The Kiara clone piped up. "Life isn't really complete with just me and Ahiru over here. We three need to stick together."

"Hino is right," Ahiru said. "Life just isn't as fun without you, Reine-chan! If we're able to go, then there's no place I'd rather be!"

Reine turned to Edhas. "Are they allowed to come with us?"

Edhas smiled, the purple glow in his eyes fading, signifying that Ryan has taken over once more. "That's up to them, but we should get going," he said. "I don't want to be late for work tomorrow."

Omake: Portals

"Thank you again for doing this, Brianna," YAGOO said as Brianna opened the portal where Reine would cross only minutes later. "I could never get the hang of portals as much as you could."

"Don't worry about it," Brianna smiled, looking to the portal. "Edhas used to tell me about Peafowl. I heard it was a nice place."

"Shade would say the same things," YAGOO said. "If Reine is anything to go by, then Peafowl must be a fun place to be."

"Maybe you could go once you pull the reigns on your... entertainment company," Brianna giggled, offering the middle-aged man a wink.

"Don't remind me," YAGOO said with a depressed look on his face. "Let's go."

With that, the two exited the room, closing the door.

Chapter Text

Day 3: Silver and Gold

“Thank you for coming!” Amatsuka Uto’s English was rapidly improving thanks to her livestreams. Work at heaven was nice, but boring. Livestreaming was one of her few hobbies, considering that she didn’t have that much free time. She smiled as she turned off the stream. “Ah, that was fun!”

As she stood up to crack her back, her phone rang. It was odd, considering that people in Heaven barely called people on the phone, as they preferred to fly over there and meet people in person. She curiously picked up her phone, her smile only growing as she saw who was calling her.

“Ame-tan!” Uto answered the call, answering happily. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good!” Amelia exclaimed through the phone. “How are things in Heaven?”

“Things have really started to look up since Mamatsuri gave me this job,” Uto said. She was falling on hard times before Mamatsuri came along. She saw Uto’s potential and hired her as a model to advertise things like pillows and plushies. Mamatsuri never made Uto do something she didn’t want to do and all of the things she advertised were adorable, so it was a no-brainer for Uto to take.

“Do you have anything lined up for tomorrow?” Amelia asked.

“No, why?” Uto asked, putting a finger on her chin and tilting her head.

“Oh, nothing,” Amelia giggled. “I just wanted to have some sister-on-sister bonding time.”

“Fuck!” Ryan was jolted awake when Edhas screamed in his head, obviously sounding distressed.

What happened?! Ryan’s eyes darted around his room wildly, his adrenaline pumping.

“Sorry. I didn’t know it was possible for me to still have nightmares and flashbacks,” Edhas said. “Someone opened a gate from Heaven not too far from here. I have rather… bad experiences with the place.”

Should I be worried? Ryan asked, standing up.

“Not really. All the angels should be back to normal by now,” Edhas said.

What do you mean by ‘back to normal’?” Ryan asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” Edhas said. Ryan sighed. Edhas was obviously uncomfortable, and even though Edhas could be annoying sometimes, Ryan didn’t hate him enough to push further.

Alright, but I’m here if you need to talk. I’ll even introduce you to a couple ladies, Ryan joked in hopes of cheering his alternate personality up.

“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that sometime,” Edhas chuckled. Ryan wasn’’t sure whether or not he was referring about the talking or the ladies. He’d better gain favors from some of his previous customers, though Ryan wasn’t responsible if Edhas gets smacked upside the head.

 As Ryan put on his hoodie, the phone rang. “KIKKIRIKIII~!!!” Kiara exclaimed through the phone. “I placed a special order, so I’m going to be a little late. Can you open up for me?”

“I don’t have a key,” Ryan reminded her.

“Just use magic or something. I don’t really care,” Kiara said. “I have to go now. I’ll see you in a few.”

Ryan sighed as he appeared inside the KFP. “About time you actually teleported here,” Edhas said.

But what if an angel decided to show up on my walk there? Ryan asked.

“Depends on the angel,” Edhas said. “I’d either run or kill them.”

Jeez, what is your thing with angels? Ryan asked.

“Man, I really thought we would be here,” Amelia sighed.

“Who are you talking about?” Uto asked, her little wings flapping up and down.

“You remember the best man at my wedding?” Amelia asked. “I wanted to meet up with him on his way here.”

“He seemed interesting,” Uto gave Amelia a smile. “I would love to talk to him more.”

“He doesn’t seem to be here,” Amelia sighed in defeat. “Let’s go to the restaurant.”

“You’re thinking of… 9?” Edhas asked.

Stop reading my mind, damn it! Ryan snapped, sighing. He had opened up already and changed and was just waiting for something to happen.

“Where were you?” Ryan looked up as Amelia opened the door, followed by her stepsister. Ryan vaguely remembered Amatsuka Uto as the flower girl of Amelia’s wedding. “We were waiting for you to walk down the alley way so we can meet you.”

Told you! Ryan exclaimed in victory.

“Sorry, I had to open up today. Tenchou had something important to do or something,” Ryan said. “It’s nice to see you again, Amatsuka-san.”

“Please, call me Uto,” Uto’s smile warmed the cold winter restaurant. “You’ve done so much for Ame-tan. Thank you.”

“You know, this one’s alright,” Edhas said.

Are you seriously perving on one of my best friend’s sister? Ryan asked.

“No, even I wouldn’t perv on such a pure being,” Edhas said matter-of-factly.

“Ame has been such a good friend to me,” Ryan smiled. “I don’t need thanks. She would have done the same for me.”

“I don’t know,” Ame said. “Getting shot in the head twice might not be possible for me to do.”

“You got shot?!” Uto gasped, her expression contorting into one of genuine worry. “Are you okay?!”

“Yeah, the first time that happened, time was reversed and the second time, I got a second personality who healed me,” Ryan said.

“Alternate personality?” Uto put a finger on her chin and tilted her head sideways.

Want to meet her? Ryan asked.

“That might not be the best idea,” Edhas said.

“He’s kinda shy, I guess,” Ryan replied.

“That’s okay! If he ever wants to talk, I’m here!” Uto smiled brightly at Ryan.

-100 critical hit! Ryan heard the sounds of stumbling in his head.

“I’ll be fine,” Edhas groaned as if he fell over on something.

You’ll get used to it, Ryan said.

“So how have things been?” Ryan asked.

“Things have been good,” Amelia smiled at Ryan. “Gura said she wanted to visit her friend today, so I decided to have a little bit of a family reunion.”

“I see,” Ryan offered a smile of his own. “So, how are you liking Earth, Uto-san?”

“It’s nice,” Uto said. “I really like these video game things you have.”

“They are fun,” Ryan admitted.

“KIKKERIKIII~” Kiara burst through the doors carrying a box. “I’m here!”

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan said, his smile growing. “What did you get?”

“Ah, Mamatsuri told me Uto-chan was coming today, so I decided to get some cloud puffs!” Kiara held up the bag she was holding, a triumphant expression on her face.

“Kiara-san, you didn’t have to!” Uto exclaimed. “You could have told me to get some!”

“It’s fine!” Kiara chirped, walking around to her the counter, placing the bag on the counter. “I had some business in heaven, so I decided to get some on the way out.”

“So, you went all the way to heaven to get these?” Ryan asked.

“Essentially,” Kiara said She took out a tray that was full of what looked like small, circular clouds.

“Oh, I love these!” Amelia took a cloud and took a bite, relishing the taste.

“Cloud Puffs are my favorite dessert in Heaven,” Uto took her own cloud, taking a bite of it.

“You should try it, Ryan!” Kiara offered Ryan a cloud puff.

“Thank you,” Ryan smiled. Not wanting to be disrespectful, he took a bite. The cloud puff was easily the sweetest thing Ryan ever tasted. Imagine cotton candy, but ten times sweeter while being a pastry instead of just sug

ared air. The texture was light and fluffy like cotton candy, but still full of substance like a cake.

“Is there a way to replicate these these?” Ryan asked, causing everyone to start laugh.

“Unfortunately not, which is why buying these was such a big deal,” Kiara said.

“Damn, might as well enjoy this while it last,” Ryan said, taking another bite.

“I sense you have magic now,” Uto said. “Though I sense… something else as well.”

“That’s probably my other half,” Ryan replied. “For some reason, we have different magic proficiencies and mana pools. He’s much stronger than me.”

“That’s amazing. I could barely sense his power,” Uto smiled. “You’re really talented, Ryan.”

“T-thanks,” Ryan directed his eyes off of the angel, his cheeks tinting red in embarrassment.

“You’re welcome,” Uto said, covering a giggle with her hand.

-999 hp! Super effective! It took all of Ryan’s willpower not to humiliate himself by passing out from the cuteness overload.

You okay, buddy? Ryan asked.

“You’ll have… to go on… without me…” Edhas managed.

You still hate angels?

“I can make an exception,” Edhas sighed.

Do you want to talk to her now? Ryan asked.

“Fine, give me control,” Edhas grumbled. Ryan closed his eyes. When he opened them, there was a purple hue glowing in his eyes. When his eyes focused on Uto, she flinched.

“I see you recognize me,” Edhas sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Man, this is awkward.”

“What’s going on?” Amelia asked.

“I imagine Jack kept you hidden when this happened, but there was a war between the Masked Mages and Heaven,” Edhas explained. (AN: Will definitely be covered in the prequel)

“Yeah…” Uto looked down. “Look… I-,”

Edhas held up his hand, cutting off the angel. “Look, that’s all in the past. The fact that you’re willing to apologize for something you couldn’t control means you’re already better than the arrogant assholes that were in charge back then.”

“Thank you,” Uto heaved a sigh.

“You know, these cloud puffs are something else,” Edhas said, desperately trying to change the subject. Unfortunately, the environment continued to stay tense.

I knew this was a bad idea, Edhas shot at Ryan.

“Fine, you win.”

“Hey Ryan, can I borrow your body for a sec?”  Edhas asked. “There’s something I need to do.”

Sure, what’s up? Ryan said.

“Nothing dangerous, I promise,” Edhas replied, his tone somber. “I just need to visit someone.”

Edhas sighed as he crossed a portal into an unknown location in America. He looked at the setting sun before turning to a grave with an onyx knife placed before it. “I guess Calli beat me to it, huh?” He sat down by the grave.

Rest in Peace

Stoj Grimm

XXXX-201X

Brother, mentor, friend, protector

“Death is never the end.”

“Why is the birth year crossed out?” Ryan asked.

Because that’s when he was born, Edhas answered cryptically. Ryan let out a mental groan.

“Hey Stoj,” Edhas smiled sadly, looking at the grave. “Sorry I’m late. I made a couple mistakes and got held up. Just ran into an angel today, can you believe that? I can’t believe we’re in a time of peace. I remember how much you used to bitch about work. I miss you, though. I just wanted to stop by to remind you that you’re a hero, no matter what people think. Nothing will ever change that.”

Edhas held out a hand and a mask formed itself with a small hue. It was a numbered mask, with a giant number 2 across the face. “I believe this is yours,” he placed it on top of the onyx knife. “Get some rest. You deserve it.”

With that, Edhas turned around and left, entering a portal.

As the clock struck twelve, a black fire started to burn in the graveyard. The fire started to grow in height until fire dissipated, revealing a tall man. His skin was pale and his short, black hair was combed back, which was probably the cleanest thing about him. His black robe was tattered and torn, his body and face were gashed and scarred, a gaping hole through his stomach, black fire burning in the inside instead of organs showing. His scythe was rusted and worn; the long end broken in half. His crimson eyes fixated on the grave with the mask and the onyx knife. He walked over and knelt down at the grave, reading it. “It never is the end, is it?” He muttered to himself, picking up the knife and the mask. As quickly as he arrived, he was gone with a flash of black fire, leaving only the wind and the moonlight.

Chapter Text

Day 4: The Azure Hunter

“Thanks for having me over!” Gura chirped, cracking her back. She was underwater in Atlantis, hanging out with her best friend.

“Hey Gura,” Her friend stopped her. “Is it possible for me to meet your wife? We actually have a lot in common, though I don’t know why you married a gamer.”

“Sure, why don’t just come along with me?” Gura asked. “I know a place where we could all hang out and eat! Kiara’s going to be there too!”

“Ah, I’ve always wanted to meet Kiara,” Her friend smiled. “Thanks, Gura. I’d love to join you.”

“No problem, Arty.”

Was that really necessary? Ryan sighed. Apparently, Edhas learned how to create loud noises is Ryan’s head like banging and ringing bells.

“When you’re nothing but a figment of your brain that’s literally unable to sleep, entertainment comes scarce,” Edhas said. “Now get out of bed before I get you out of bed.”

Ryan sighed as he got up, picking up his phone. As he did, the phone conveniently started ringing. “Morning Ten-,”

“KIKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara exclaimed through the phone. “Good morning, Ryan!”

Why do I even try anymore? Ryan inwardly asked before speaking aloud. “Morning, Tenchou. How are things?”

“Things are going good,” Ryan replied. “I mean, I haven’t died yet.”

Thanks to me, Edhas said smugly.

You know, if I was a normal person, I probably would have lived a better life, Ryan though, sighing deeply.

“Probably,” Nyar said. “Now get your dumb ass to work before you get into trouble. That phoenix scares me.”

Wow, someone actually scares you? Ryan asked.

“Have you met a hostile phoenix?”

Fair enough.

Ryan ran into the restaurant, soaking wet. The forecast said that today would be sunny, but it was pouring rain. Edhas insisted on using magic, but even though these were peaceful times, using magic wasn’t any more accepted, so he settled for running.

“Morning, Ryan!” Kiara walked from the back, exuding an abnormal amount of heat, vapor coming from her body.

“Didn’t expect the rain either, huh?” Ryan asked, sighing as he used a spell to create a similar effect that Kiara did, drying himself off.

“Yeah,” Kiara sighed. “That means one of two things.”

“What are those two things?” Ryan asked.

“Either the forecast was completely off,” Kiara then paused, her expression showing a mixture of dread and excitement (somehow), “Or Atlantis’s strongest water mage has resurfaced.”

-

“C’mon, this way!” Gura opened the door excitedly, gesturing someone in. Then, a woman with pale skin and baggy clothes walked in with Amelia. The first thing that Ryan noticed was the fins on her head. The way she moved was also kind of weird. The way she swayed as she walked, it was almost if she was flowing in water.

“You know, for a gamer, you seem pretty alright,” The woman said, turning her head slightly to look at the detective walking next to her.

“Despite all the shit talking about gamers, you seem to be one yourself,” Amelia shot back with a smug smirk.

“A,” The woman opened her mouth, revealing two rows of sharp, white teeth. “I’m not a gamer! You are mistaken.”

“Artemis-chan!” Kiara called. “It’s been too long!”

“Oh, it’s you,” Despite the slightly condescending tone of her voice, the smile on her face only widened. She then looked over to Ryan. “Ah, what’s this? You find your own bottom feeder?”

“I guess you could say that,” Ryan grumbled.

“Don’t say that, my Little Egg,” Kiara slapped Ryan on the back, causing him to flinch. “He’s an employee here!”

“You know, if you’re an egg, then wouldn’t Kiara have to-,”

Don’t you dare finish that thought, Ryan shot back threateningly.

“My name’s Ryan Shade,” Ryan introduced himself politely.

“My name is Artemis of the Blue, but that’s just a title,” Artemis said. “Just Artemis is fine.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Ryan said as the three sat down.

“So according to the queen, the overworld is now in a state of peace,” Artemis put an arm on the counter as she leaned it.

“I told you not to call me that!” Gura pouted.

“You’re a queen?” Ryan and Amelia asked at the same time.

“In name only,” Gura sighed. “My parents were the king and queen of Atlantis, but ever since… well, then, I’ve been the only heir, even though I’ve denounced the role.”

“Yeah, the place would be a disaster if we ran it,” Amelia chuckled.

“Anyways,” Artemis ignored the couple’s antics. “Want to tell me about it?”

Artemis’s face expression changed only slightly throughout the story. One thing Ryan learned is that she would smile the same smile, even if she was angry or agitated. The thing that changed the most about her was the tone of her voice, which got very aggressive when Amelia told her about how Gura was killed the first time around to the point where Gura herself looked at her with worry. Ryan swore for a second he saw the same murderous lack of light in her eyes that Rushia or Suisei would have when some poor sod pissed her off.

“Don’t worry, we killed all of them off,” Ryan said hastily. “Plus, all of them ceased to be as soon as Ame travelled back in time.”

“That’s good,” Artemis’s tone shifted back to her normal voice as Ryan continued his story, Kiara and Amelia helping out by sharing their perspectives.

“Man, I really wanted to go to the wedding,” Artemis sighed as Ryan finished his story. “Too bad Atlantis has been on high alert since… then. We’ve only lifted up lockdown once we got word that MILF was destroyed.”

“Why would-,” Ryan started, but his mind flashed back to when Polka, Botan, Nene, and Lamy told Aloe’s story the first time around. “Oh.”

“Yeah, not one of our proudest moments, but we had to do what we had to do to keep our citizens safe. As one of the stronger mages in Atlantis, I was forced to stay to keep everyone safe,” Artemis explained. “It’s a real pain, so I took up livestreaming as a hobby.”

“That sounds fun,” Ryan said. “I would love to do something like that, but I don’t really have the time. Tenchou works me sixteen hours a day.”

“I do not!” Kiara pouted. “You earned all those hours of overtime!”

“Talking back shouldn’t translate to two extra hours of overtime,” Ryan grumbled.

“That’s two hours of overtime for you!” Kiara cheered, causing Ryan to facepalm.

“You know, overtime shouldn’t be mandatory,” Amelia pointed out. “Hey Ryan, can you be a dear and make me some tea?”

“Sure,” Ryan sighed as he went to the back, pouring some water into a kettle and putting it above the stove before walking back. “The water’s boiling.”

“Wait!” Gura pouted. “Ame, I should be your only dear!”

“You are, I’m just trying to piss Ryan off,” Amelia pinched Gura’s cheeks as both of them smiled.

“You better stop that lovey-dovey shit before I shove my tongue down your mouth,” Artemis threatened(?).

“Let’s not here,” Ryan shook his head disapprovingly. At that moment, the sound of a kettle going off was heard in the back room.

“That was quick,” Ryan said. “I got it.”

As he walked to the back expecting a kettle with steam coming out of it, he wasn’t prepared for the sight before him. When he turned to get the boiling water, he saw a small, blonde girl staring back at him with blank eyes and her mouth open in a smile. She had green eyes and wore a headband with a little antenna sticking out of it. As steam wasn’t coming out of the kettle, the sound must have been coming from her.

“What the fuck?!” Ryan jumped back, utterly shocked. Out of instinct, he summoned a sword, assuming a battle stance.

“Relax!” The girl stopped her kettle noise, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’m Pikamee, the family-friendly shark mage!”

“What’s taking so long-,” Kiara turned to see the scene unfold, and her smile only widened. “Ah, Pikamee!”

“Kiara!” Pikamee barreled past Ryan to tackle Kiara in a hug. “I haven’t seen you in so long!”

“What are you doing here?!” Kiara asked, smiling down at the small girl. “I haven’t heard from you in ages!”

“The kettle summoned me,” Pikamee replied.

“Ah, I see,” Kiara nodded as if that made sense before Pikamee turned to Ryan.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from the grapevine,” Pikamee smiled at Ryan. “You’re quite the bada- butt you know.”

“I guess,” Ryan sighed. “I guess people are already gossiping about me now?”

“Are you kidding?! You’re practically a celebrity!” Pikamee beamed. “You even have your own fan club!”

“Really,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head, flustered. “Maybe I should go check it out sometime.”

“How are things going?” Sabrina asked, stacking a piece of paper as Brianna walked into the room.

“Japan has set up a location for the Ryan Shade Fan Club (RSFC),” Brianna smiled.

“Great!” Sabrina set down the stack of papers. “We will make that the main headquarters.”

“I actually stopped by the location in The Philippines,” Pikamee said. “It’s really cool! They made fan merchandise and are waiting for your approval to sell it. They haven’t found a way to contact you yet.”

Ryan sighed. He might have to apply for a verified tick on Instapound, since he opted for using the username “KFPisnotacult” rather than his actual name (AN: KFP is not a cult. Stop saying it. If I hear anyone in the comments saying it, I will personally donate you to Tenchou to be used for a Calli summoning ritual).

“Where’s my tea?!” Amelia shouted. Ryan knew she wouldn’t be this demanding if Ryan wasn’t the person serving her.

“Shut up, gamer!” Artemis said, spitting out the last word. Ryan had no idea why Artemis had something against gamers, since she was one herself, but Ryan sighed. At that point, the water was actually boiling.

Ryan added some tea leaves into a teapot and brought it out, getting a teacup from underneath the cupboard. “Now, say ‘ahhh’,” Amelia was holding a doughnut hole close to Gura.

“A,” Gura opened her mouth as Amelia fed her the treat. “Yummy!”

“You two should get a room,” Artemis sighed.

“Not the break room,” Ryan inched closer to the room to the break room, as if to defend it. “There’s been enough ground pounding in there.”

“By the way, Calli is totally a bottom,” Kiara smirked, waggling her eyebrows at Ryan.

“You know, I did not need to know that,” Ryan said sternly.

“Damn, what a waste,” Edhas said, noticeable disappointment in his voice.

That’s enough about of you, Ryan grumbled. He honestly wasn't paid enough for this crap.

“EEEE!” A girl with a white tail and small horns was sitting in the new RSCF, squealing at the screen, showing recordings of the war against MILF. Ryan Shade was weaving through soldiers with practiced ease, leaving only severed limbs, dead bodies, and the afterglow from his deep purple eyes. As an explosion went off behind him, the girl saw a familiar looking succubus carrying a blonde girl through the air. She audibly gasped as she saw the woman fly by.

“Aloe’s alive?!” She said, tears forming in her eyes. She had to find her friend, now.

After a couple hours of searching, she didn’t find anything about Aloe’s whereabouts, but did find something interesting. Apparently, Aloe’s friends, Botan, Nene, Lamy, and Polka liked to hang out at a certain KFP. Of course, this information wouldn’t be available to the net, but such things didn’t escape the magical net.

“Oh, so you’re going to the KFP, huh?” A voice startled the girl. She jumped and turned to see a familiar brown-haired girl wearing a pink hoodie with a white number 4 on it and skinny jeans.

“Godson-kaichou!” The girl shot up, bowing deeply at the chairman of the RSFC. “Thank you for letting me stay here!” Ever since the girl's productivity in hell had decreased, she had been kicked out, being forced to live in the human world. Luckily for her, her streaming career kept her afloat. When she reacted (read: simped) to some of the clips of Ryan Shade on stream, Sabrina and Vice Chairman Brianna approached her and asked if she wanted to be sponsored by the RSFC. The girl gratefully accepted and now lived at the HQ and was able to stream full time with better equipment.

“None of that,” Sabrina waved her hand dismissively. “If you’re heading to the KFP, I guess I’ll come with you. It’s been a while since I went to see that daft idiot.”

Chapter Text

Day 5: Simping over the MC is NOT okay!

“You know, I have a very bad feeling about today,” Edhas said as Ryan crawled out of bed. “You better prepare yourself, kid.”

I’m eighteen years of age, thank you very much, Ryan said. I’ll prepare myself, though. I’ll trust that you can handle it if things go too south, though.

“Who the hell do you think I am?” Edhas said, his ego showing once again.

You’re two mechs too early to say shit like that, Ryan deadpanned. Thankfully, the phone rang before Edhas had the opportunity to blow an airhorn in his head.

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara exclaimed. “Today’s a very important day!”

“What’s up?” Ryan asked groggily, thankful that Edhas didn’t pull anything while Ryan was talking to his boss. After all, an angry phoenix was a dangerous phoenix.

“I invited the chairman of the RSFC!” Kiara chirped.

“You WHAT?!” Ryan shouted.

“You said you wanted to check it out,” Kiara said innocently.

“Does she even know I’m there?!” Ryan asked.

“Of course! She always did!” Kiara said. “Apparently someone she knows has some business here and wanted to come. She doesn’t know you work here, though.”

“Whatever,” Ryan sighed. “What do you want me to do?”

“Keep your chastity.”

“Keep my what?”

“I know what I said.”

“Actually, I’m not a-,”

Yeah, like I’ll ever believe that.

Aloe was doing the same as she always did, eating a bento box and watching the events of the real world through the screen of a TV. “Hey Storm!” She called out, summoning the man. The man appeared behind her without a sound or a flash of light. His hair had grown out into a ponytail which was rested over his right shoulder and he had his mask off, revealing sharp, grey eyes and a deep scowl. “Am I able to go to the real world for today?”

Storm looked at her, his expression unchanging. A couple seconds of silence passed before Storm opened his mouth. “The void permits it,” he said. “You shall depart soon.”

Aloe turned, smiling at the man. “Thank you, Storm.”

“I love it when Tenchou is all foreboding and stuff,” Ryan grumbled as he walked into the restaurant.

“Good morning, Ryan!” Kiara chirped. “You’re just in time!”

“Just in time for what?” Ryan asked.

“Ryan!” A familiar voice was heard as he felt a force tackle his back.

“Gah!” Ryan shouted in shock as he stumbled forward. “Sabrina?! I thought you were going to college!”

“Well, I won’t need to anymore!” Sabrina chirped. “Brianna and I got normal, high paying jobs!”

“Really?!” Ryan turned around and returned Sabrina’s hug. “Congratulations!”

“Actually, someone also decided to come with me today!” Sabrina smiled. “I hope you’re excited to meet my co-worker!”

“It would be my honor,” Ryan said. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the devilish smirk Kiara was making, as he was focused on Sabrina, who was tapping away on her phone. Suddenly, a puff of pink smoke and a small girl appeared. The girl had small, white horns and a tail. She had pink hair with purple streaks and magenta eyes.

“Hello! My name is-,” she stopped when she saw Ryan. Instantly, her eyes started to sparkle, and her tail shot up until it was completely straight. “OH MY GOD ARE YOU THE RYAN SHADE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”

“Ah, you know me?” Ryan asked, rubbing the back of his head, his face flushing slightly in embarrassment. “I’m flattered.”

“Of course I know you! You’re famous!” The girl squealed. “And the way you swing your swords! It’s so manly!”

You know, manly is the last thing I would use to describe me, Ryan thought internally, causing Edhas to chuckle.

“Agreed,” Edhas said.

That doesn’t mean you can agree, Ryan said.

“So, are you the leader of the RSFC I’ve heard of?” Ryan turned to the girl.

“No, I would never!” The girl held her hands up, shaking her head. “Godson-kaichou is!”

“I told you to just call me Sabrina,” Sabrina sighed.

“How can I, after all you’ve done for me!” The girl insisted, pouting.

“Is that the job you’re talking about?” Ryan asked.

“We just need your approval for the merch,” Sabrina said.

“Whatever, I want some of the money though,” Ryan said.

“Not a problem,” Sabrina said. “Now, are you going to take our orders or not?”

“Wait,” the girl stopped her pouting and swooning to stare at Ryan. “You work here?”

“Always have,” Ryan said as the girl put a silver bell on her choker. “I actually didn’t know I was famous until yesterday.”

“Really?! I thought you were some sort of millionaire or something!” The girl gasped. “Why are you working in a dump like this?!”

“Kid, defuse the situation now,” Edhas said. He didn’t need to tell Ryan twice. He could feel the murderous intent from Kiara, even with his lack of experience in the magical world.

“Uh, you haven’t told me your name yet,” Ryan said nervously.

“Oh! My name is Ironmouse! It’s nice to meet you!” The girl said.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ironmouse-san,” Ryan smiled kindly and offered his hand. Even if she was a bit… unhinged, that was no reason for Ryan to not be polite.

“It’s an honor to meet you too!” Ironmouse squealed, shaking his hand vigorously before looking at her hand in awe. “I’m never washing my hands again.”

“Uh, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” Ryan said.

“Mousey, you still need to explain to the manager why you’re here,” Sabrina said.

“Oh! Of course!” Ironmouse said. “We were looking for four girls by the name of Polka, Nene, Lamy, and Botan. Would you happen to know where they are?”

“I don’t know their exact location,” Ryan rubbed his chin. “Why do you need them?”

“We’re looking for one of my friends, Mano Aloe,” Ironmouse explained. “I thought she died three years ago, but after… reviewing some of the clips of the war, I saw her face more than once. I’m looking for them so I can get some answers.”

“Ah, well there’s no need for that,” Ryan said. “I already know where she is. Please, take a seat.”

“Really?! I thought I couldn’t love you more!” Ironmouse exclaimed as she dashed over to a seat, Sabrina calmly following her.

“Uh, I’m not sure that’s healthy,” Ryan said as he walked behind the counter.

“Do you have any pink starbursts?” Ironmouse asked.

“Actually, we do,” Kiara said. “You should talk to them, Ryan. I got this.”

“Alright, Tenchou,” Ryan said as he turned to the two girls as Kiara walked over to the back. “So, what do you want to know?”

“Is she alive? If so, where is she? If not, how was she in the clips?” Ironmouse asked in rapid succession, looking at him with expectant eyes. Ryan sighed as he thought about the answers.

How do I explain this? He asked his Edhas. You know more about this than I do, right?

Fortunately, he didn’t have to resort to whatever his other half replied with when the doors busted open. “Allow me to answer that,” Ryan looked up to see Aloe walk in the store.

“Nice to see you again, Mano-san,” Ryan smiled at the succubus. “I can’t believe Storm let you out of that place. Last time I checked he was quite the asshole.”

“ALOE!” Ironmouse instantly turned around and dashed, tackling the succubus into a hug. “I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! I COULDN’T EVEN FIND YOU IN THE UNDERWHE- UNDERWORLD!”

“It’s nice to see you again, you Mad Loli,” Aloe returned the pint-sized demon’s hug, a small smile on her face. “As for the dead part, that’s a bit complicated. Let’s take a seat, okay?”

As they sat down, Aloe looked at Ryan. “I see you’ve been handling Edhas well.”

“We’ve learned to tolerate each other,” Ryan said begrudgingly. Though they still bickered, at least Edhas stopped his incessant swearing. “Well, at least I think we are.”

“Damn straight,” Edhas sighed. “Not that I like it.”

“So where have you been all this time?” Ironmouse turned to her friend.

“Well, I’m kind of in a state of near-death permanently,” Aloe explained. “As my soul was about to be taken to the afterlife, I was extracted and placed into the void. Apparently, I had a role in whatever the void willed. It’s not like I have a choice but to follow. How’s Froot doing?”

“Froot’s doing alright!” Ironmouse chirped. “She would have loved to see you, though.”

“I’m not sure when I’ll be allowed to come to the living world again, but when I do, I’ll be sure to send you a sign,” Aloe smiled.

“I still can’t get over the fact that the Ryan Shade is here!” Ironmouse swooned. “You know, I think I love you so much that you have to die.”

“Uh oh,” Ryan and Edhas said at the same time. Without thinking, Ryan instantly relinquished control as Ironmouse went to grab the bell on her choker.

As Ironmouse pulled the bell off, Edhas transported them to an empty void. Without the bell, Ironmouse’s magic energy skyrocketed. She charged a pink laser in her hand, causing Edhas to jump out. Ironmouse shot the laser as Edhas summoned his two swords preparing to block the giant attack.

“The void should only be used for important fights and not petty crushes,” a man appeared in between the two, holding out his hand. As the laser touched his hand, it started to vanish until all of it was gone.

“Thanks for the save, Storm,” Edhas smirked at the man, who just turned and glared at him, his mask now on.

“You shouldn’t be here right now,” Storm said. “You two should go back.”

“I was planning on doing tha-,” Edhas was cut off when Storm snapped his fingers, warping the two away.

Edhas relinquished control as he appeared back in the KFP. He looked around, but Ironmouse was nowhere to be seen. Kiara walked back into the room and sighed, holding a bowl of pink starburst.

“It took me a long time to pick out all the pink ones,” Kiara said, looking dejected.

“I’ll take them,” Ryan raised his hand. Kiara gasped happily, giving Ryan the starburst.

“Where did Mousey go?” Sabrina asked.

“Storm sent her off somewhere else,” Ryan answered, popping a piece of candy in his mouth. Sabrina sighed.

“I should have expected that,” she said. “Anyways, now that she’s gone, I’ll take my leave.”

“Sure, but don’t be a stranger, okay?” Ryan said. “Also, don’t forget to send me a cut of the merch.”

“Will do,” Sabrina said with a smile as she turned around and walked off. Ryan turned back to Aloe just in time to see her wince as a dark energy started to seep out of her.

“I guess the void wants me to come back,” she gave Ryan a small smile before turning to Kiara, handing her four bento boxes, colored gray, light blue, yellow, and orange respectively. “I’ll trust you to give them this?”

“Of course,” Kiara smiled softly as she took the boxes.

“Until next time,” Aloe closed her eyes, the smile never fading as she was reduced to black mist and fading away. Ryan and Kiara looked at each other.

“Hey, they’re mine,” Ryan brought the bowl closer to him.

Chapter Text

Day 6: Petrified

“Ah, I’m hungry,” an abnormally pale girl was plucking on the strings of her acoustic guitar. “I don’t want to cook.”

She put the guitar on the stand beside her and rolled her chair over to her computer, which wasn’t all too far. She typed in something on the computer and looked at the results. “Ahh, there are too many people in these areas,” she said in a monotone voice. “Maybe the magical places have less people.”

After switching tabs to the magical web, she typed in something and scrolled down, stopping in front of an image of an orange and white building. “A magical KFP?” She asked aloud, followed by a hissing noise. Chicken doesn’t sound too bad.

Ryan sighed as he cracked his back. His morning routines were starting to get repetitive and boring.

“So can we teleport now?” Edhas asked, his tone brightening with excitement.

You wish, Ryan sighed, looking at his phone. Maybe we should go early. Maybe we’ll see something interesting.

“Whatever,” Edhas sighed as Ryan got up.

“Excuse me?” A woman’s voice caught Ryan’s attention as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Ryan turned around to see a girl with short green hair. Ryan was surprised when he saw the four horns and the crown on her head. The girl was absolutely adorable, but something about her unnerved him.

“Holy shit that’s a lich!” Edhas shouted. “Be careful!”

Ryan gave the lich a blank stare before snapping from his stupor. “May I help you?”

“I sense a dark aura in you,” the lich said, somehow smiling off brightly while being extremely unsettling. “My name is BSApricot, also known as Froot, and if you don’t watch yourself, I’ll personally claim your soul, understand?”

“Okay, time to teleport now!” Edhas forced control of Ryan’s body, warping out of the area instantly.

“Hold on,” Froot put a finger on her chin. “He kind of looked like that dude that Mousey started simping over. Weird.”

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan was leaning on the entrance to the KFP as Kiara flew down with her wings of fire.

“Ryan! You’re early!” Kiara put her phone in her pocket. “I was about to call you!”

“I know,” Ryan said. “I got bored, so I left early.”

“Ah, excuse me?” Both Ryan and Kiara turned to see an abnormally pale woman. Her black hair flowed into her thick, black jacket that contrasted with the white dress that she was wearing. The woman’s voice was monotone, as if she wasn’t fully awake. Her voice reminded Ryan of an anime Kuudere. “Do you work here?”

“Ah, yes!” Kiara smiled brightly to the woman. “My name is Takanashi Kiara! Nice to meet you!”

“My name is Ririsya,” The woman smiled, though the tone of her voice didn’t change. “Are you open?”

“My name is Ryan Shade,” Ryan smiled warmly at the woman. “We were just getting ready to open up. Would you like to come in?”

“That would be nice,” Ririsya tilted her head ever so slightly as she put her hands together in front of her.

-100! Critical Hit! Ryan winced as he opened the door, turning on the lights. “So, what would you like to eat, Ririsiya-san?” He asked, turning around as he walked around the counter with Kiara.

“May I please have a tub of Birb Mild Chicken Legs?” Ririsya asked. She then hit her palm with her fist. “Ooh! May I have some chocolate ice cream too?”

“Of course,” Ryan smiled as he went to the back. As he turned, he saw a bit of black mist from the corner of his eye. He knew what that meant. Well, he’s cooking, so it wasn’t his problem. He hummed to himself as he stuck the chicken legs into the deep fryer, watching the chicken cook. When he walked out, he instantly felt a tense aura as Calli and Ririsya sat next to each other, both of them looking down at the table.

“Uh, did something happen?” Ryan asked, looking to Kiara and point to Calli. “Aren’t you two supposed to be making out or some shit?”

“W-we don’t make out!” Calli’s face turned red as she slammed the table. “We… passionately kiss.”

Ryan smiled as he at least succeeded in returning the smile in Ririsya’s face. “So, what’s with this tense atmosphere?” Ryan looked back and forth between the Shinigami and the pale woman.

“Well… I’m an undead,” Ririsya said, followed by a hissing sound as the smile faded from her face.

“Your boy being here kind of… awkward,” Calli sighed.

“Bah, none of that!” Ryan grabbled a wine bottle and two wine glasses. “After a couple glasses of this, you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Shade-san,” Ririsiya gave Ryan a sweet smile as he poured her a glass, causing Ryan to wince in another cuteness overload.

“Damn, all these cute girls are going to be the death of me,” Edhas said, sounding visibly pained. Since he didn’t have a physical body, cuteness overloads affected his entire being.

“Please, just Ryan,” Ryan smiled. He had to resist the urge to give the pale woman pats. Well, that was just a daily life at KFP.

“Thanks Ryan,” Calli offered Ryan a smile when he poured her a class. Of course, Ryan didn’t want to give her pats because her and Kiara would kill him, and it would not be quick.

“So, what kind of undead are you?” Ryan asked, turning to Ririsya.

“I’m actually the soul of a basilisk possessing a human body,” Ririsya replied. (AN: This is NOT canon. This is just my way of tying together the whole undead and snake thing.)

“Not the strangest thing I’ve seen, but that’s pretty neat,” Ryan said.

“You really think so?” Ririsya’s tone and facial expression didn’t change much, but her body language made up for it.

“Yeah, just have some stupid alternate personality,” Ryan sighed.

“Alternate personality?” Ririsya asked, interested.

Care to introduce yourself? Ryan asked his other (not better) half.

“I’d… uh, rather not,” Edhas said, sounding nervous.

C’mon, aren’t cute girls like your thing? Ryan asked.

“I mean, I guess. I’m just pointing things out for you since you’re dense to these things most of the time,” Edhas pointed out.

Feeling called out, Ryan decided it was time to stop his inner dialogue. “He’s a bit shy,” he said. “But he’s the part of me that has all of my magic. I’m able to utilize magic on my own, but I can’t use nearly as much as he can.”

“I see,” Ririsya said. “Considering the mana output you’re displaying right now, your magical side must be very powerful.”

“Yeah, Edhas is quite something, even if he’s quite a prick,” Ryan admitted.

“Thank you,” Edhas said smugly.

“You said his name was Edhas?” Ririsya stiffened slightly, but if anyone other than Ryan noticed, Ryan couldn’t determine it.

Are you really that famous? Ryan asked.

“Well, let’s just say I have quite the past,” Edhas replied, chucking nervously.

“I see,” Ririsya said, pronouncing the second word with a prolonged hiss.

“Now that I think about it, you two are like Fubuki-senpai and Kurokami,” Kiara put a finger on her chin, looking up at the ceiling in thought.

“Actually, you’re right,” Ryan said. “That’s interesting.”

“So, how are you enjoying the living world, Ririsya-dono?” Calli sipped on her wine. “It’s been a couple hundred years since I’ve seen you last. Your cover of my song was pretty nice, though.”

“I’m honored,” Ririsya dipped her head lightly at the Shinigami, smiling slightly. “Things have been nice. I’ve found my own place and am making a stable income livestreaming. My fanbase can be a bit… enthusiastic, though.”

“I totally get you,” Calli sighed, but the corners of her lips rose. “It’s fun, though. I know they mean the best.”

“How’s the food?” Ryan asked as he noticed the chicken was already almost gone.

“Ah, I haven’t tried it yet,” Ririsya said blankly.

“Tenchou,” Ryan turned to glare at his boss, who only gave him a blank stare, throwing away a chicken bone.

“Yes? Did you need something, Ryan?” Kiara asked, a suspiciously innocent look on her face.

“Whatever,” Ryan sighed as he turned around. “I apologize for my boss, Ririsya-san. I’ll go make you another bucket.”

As Artemis returned to Atlantis, she swam through the city, weaving and turning through the crowded and complex streets until she reached a tube. She sighed, swimming through the tube. When she emerged on the other side, she was face to face with a gigantic whale, several times bigger than an average whale.

“Ah, Artemis,” The whale opened its mouth and the ground shook from the sheer volume of her voice. Despite the volume, the voice gentle and soft. “Welcome back. I take it that your trip to the overworld was productive.”

“Yes, there have been some interesting developments, kami-sama,” Artemis said the last word playfully, her lips twitching upwards.

“Arty, how many times have I told you not to call me that?” The whale said. Artemis knew that she was pouting, even though she didn’t show any physical changes. “What interesting developments are you talking about?”

“Whatever,” Artemis shrugged. “The Masked Mages have come back to life. All of them except the second one, of course. The fifth works in a fast-food restaurant”

“I see,” The whale started to glow, shrinking in size until a blue haired woman in a dress took her place. “Summon Makuro-chan. It’s time I pay the overworld a visit again.”

“What did you want?” Coco was in her dragon form in a secluded mountain range, confronted by a dragon that was a few feet meters tall from her. The dragon was completely mechanical, blue electricity crackling from its red cybernetic eyes.

“I heard there was this new place in Japan to eat,” Despite its robotic appearance, the dragon’s voice was that of a human female. “What did you think of it?”

“Oh, that’s what you summoned me here for? You could just look online,” Since Coco was on all fours, she couldn’t facepalm, as much as she wanted to. “It’s pretty good. I guess you could say I’m considered one of the regulars, I guess. I’ve been there a couple times.”

“One of my friends joined the RSFC recently,” The robotic dragon replied. “Do you know if he’s a threat?”

“Just don’t anger him,” Coco said. “To be fair, I don’t know if even you could survive his wrath. Other than that, he’s a really nice person.”

“I see,” the electricity crackling in the dragon’s eyes intensified, some of the sparks hitting the mountains around them. “Maybe I’ll go check it out.”

As the robotic dragon flew off, Coco sighed. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Hey, Ryan, you got mail today,” Ryan’s landlord said. Usually, the two just don’t talk to each other much, just leaving each other alone since Ryan pays his bills on time, but Ryan getting mail is weird. No one cares about Ryan enough to send mail, most of the time, so Ryan doesn’t even check his mailbox most of the time.

“Thanks, man,” Ryan said, going to his mailbox. “You’re a lifesaver.”

The landlord gave Ryan a nod before walking off. Who would possibly want to mail me?

As Ryan closed the door to his apartment, he opened the letter.

I only sent you five percent of the funds for the first two days of sale. As time goes on, I’ll send you more money. Once it sells better, I’ll start sending you 30 percent!

Love,

Sabrina <3

“Damn, I can’t believe she’s cheating me out of money just because it isn’t selling well,” Ryan grumbled. He put the letter down and looked at the check. His eyed widened as he stared at it.

“How many fucking zeros are on here?!” Ryan shouted. He slammed the check on the table, splitting the table in half, sighing. “I really have some simps, huh?”

“At least you have enough money to replace that table now,” Edhas chuckled.

“Huh?” Ryan looked at the destroyed table in front of him. “Fuck.”

Meanwhile, Ironmouse was wearing a Ryan Shade T-Shirt, swinging around the limited-edition Ryan Shade Swords of Light and Darkness. “EEEEEE!”

Sabrina looked at the scene before her, holding in her laugh as she recorded this scene. She then sent the video she recorded to Ryan, unable to hold her laugh anymore. Ryan’s going to get a kick out of this.

Chapter Text

Day 7: An Odd Combination

“Writer-sama?” I look up from my laptop to see a familiar cat girl with pink hair standing by my door.

“If it isn’t the bane of my existence,” I muttered, sighing as I continued typing chapter one of KFP: The Rise of Edhas, which has been something that I’ve been developing, though I’ve since hit a writer’s block. “What’s up, Nyanners?”

“I was going to ask if I can join the-,”

“NO!” I cut her off with a shout, slamming the laptop shut. The mere thought of Nyanners being a part of KFP: Double Back sent shudders down my spine. If Nyanners even made a cameo, I feared that I might have to change the rating tag to “Explicit”, and my fics are SEISO. SEI! SO!

“Please?” Nyanners gave me little kitty eyes. “I won’t talk about feet, I promise…”

“Are you going to talk about pee?” I asked.

“Maybe…” Nyanners admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. She didn’t even look sorry about it.

“Fine,” I sighed in defeat, massaging my temples. Since I was introducing VShojo into this fic and it wouldn’t be fair to not include the demonic cat. “If you even think about of threatening my precious T rating, I’ll write you out, though. Give me some time to consider it, though. I already have a few people lined up.”

“Yay! Thank you!” Nyanners cheered, running off.

“No problem,” I said, sighing again. “Wait, how did she get in my house?”

Ryan sighed as he cracked his neck. “Guess I’m leaving early again,” he said as he got up, cracking his back.

“Be wary of that lich,” Edhas said. “I mean, I’m sure I can take one on, but things might get dicey. Unless you destroy the world, then you won’t be able to escape punishment if I accidentally killing someone.”

Jeez, you really need to shut up about that shit, Ryan sighed. It’s getting stale.

“Too bad, asshole,” Edhas chuckled. “Now get your ass to work before I get your ass to work.”

As Ryan turned to the alley, he saw a small little unicorn with wings trotting from one side to the other, its eyes close. “Oh my god, that’s so cute!” Ryan squealed, picking up the little horse.

“Ryan, what the hell are you doing?!” Edhas shouted in his head. “Put that thing down!”

Put it down? It’s just an adorable little horse, Ryan shot back, patting the small, plush-sized unicorn.

“Oh my god!” Ryan snapped to attention when he saw a girl about his size with little wings and a horn running up to him. “I’m so sorry about Jam!”

“Is this little fella yours?” Ryan asked, offering the unicorn to her. The unicorn flapped its little wings and flew over to the girl’s arms. “I’m sorry about that. I just found him on my way to work.”

“Thank you for taking care of him,” The girl offered a soft smile as she cradled her partner. “I’ll be sure to pay you back someday.”

“There’s no need,” Ryan said, turning to walk towards his job. “I was just passing by. I didn’t really do anything.”

“Some people still would have shot a tiny horse with a horn,” The girl said, causing Ryan to stop, giving the girl a glare. The news angered him, but he wasn’t angry at the girl.

“Then he’s not the real monster in this world,” Ryan turned his head, so he was facing the depths of the alley and started to walk away. “They are.”

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan grumbled as he walked in. If being a sour mood wasn’t good enough, Edhas had to chew him out, informing him the little adorable bean he picked up and pet was an alicorn with the magical capabilities of blowing up Jupiter in one go. “How is everything?”

“Things are good!” Kiara said, turning to Ryan. “Since you decided to start coming early, I decided to show up early as well!”

“How did you know I would decide to start showing up early from now on?” Ryan asked.

“I didn’t! If you weren’t here, I would have called you earlier,” Kiara gave Ryan a smile.

“Fine, fine,” Ryan said, sighed as he walked around the counted.

“So, what is January going to be?” A squirrel girl walked in with Moona and a girl with white hair and what seemed to be pain splotches on her hair and outfit. Ryan vaguely remembered the squirrel girl as Ayunda Risu, the girl who gave him a doughnut back at Gura and Amelia’s wedding. “Juice and Jam January?”

“Risu, I think you’ve been watching too many Sonic cartoons,” Moona said. “What do you think, Iofi-chan?”

“There’s nothing wrong with Sonic cartoons!” The girl cheered. “Sonic is amazing! I need to get around to drawing him.”

“Moona-senpai! Tupaisen! Iofi-senpai!” Kiara called over. “Welcome!”

Moona shot Kiara a glare but said nothing. “Kiara-chan!” Risu hopped over to the phoenix, an inquisitive look in her eyes. “What do you think about Juice and Jam January?”

“That sounds great!” Kiara chirped. Risu then turned to Ryan.

“What about you, Ryan?” Risu’s eyes bore deep into Ryan’s soul, the light scurrying out of them in abject fear.

“That… uh… sounds like a wonderful idea…?” Ryan shuffled nervously. His eyes darted to Kiara, pleading for help. The manager just offered Ryan a simple shrug as if to say, ‘just roll with it’.

“Really?” Risu’s eyes shot up. “Thank you, Ryan!”

“Sorry about Risu,” the white-haired girl walked next to Risu, putting a hand on her head. “My name is Airani Iofifteen, but you can just call me Iofi.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ryan shook the girl’s hand, but froze when he felt a murderous gaze on him.

“Don’t touch my wife,” Moona growled at him.

“Wait,” Ryan let go of Iofi’s hand and held both his hands up in surrender. “If Iofi-san here is your wife, then who is Usada-san to you?”

“Sanchou is…” Moona put a finger on her chin, looking for the right word. “A friend”

“Bullshit!” Everyone, even Iofi shouted.

“We’re not married yet, actually,” Iofi then leaned over to whisper into Ryan’s ear. “But I plan on changing that very soon.”

“What did she say?” Moona asked as Iofi pulled away, offering Ryan to wink. As Ryan opened his mouth, Iofi offered a murderous smile, leagues scarier than Moona’s glare.

“Nothing,” Ryan took a step back, holding his hands up again. “Absolutely nothing. Just about Juice and Jam January! It’s a great idea, right? Actually, let me get you all some toast and orange juice! I’ll even get some strawberry jam!”

Everyone looked at each other as Ryan ran off. “Well…” Kiara looked at the three one at a time. “That was something.”

Ryan was relieved when he walked back with three plates of toast and three glasses of orange juice to see that no one had been slaughtered in his absence. “Here’s your food,” He said, placing a glass and a plate in front of each of the three customers.

“Are you enjoying this time of peace?” Iofi asked. “It’s quite amazing that we’re on one, honestly. I never thought you humans could pull it off.”

“The humans didn’t pull it off, though,” Ryan replied. “We did.”

“You were a human when you fought in the war,” Moona said. “At least, the first half of the war.”

“War? Looked like a massacre to me,” Ryan grumbled. “I mean, I was the only casualty on my side.”

“It would have been better if you stayed dead,” Moona muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough for Ryan to hear.

“What was that?” Kiara gave Moona a menacing smile as she cracked her knuckles, her eye twitching as fire flared from her nostrils.

“I said it’s great that you’re not dead!” Moona corrected, obviously distressed. With how much these two are at odds, Ryan was surprised for Moona to back off for once.

“That sounds better,” Kiara’s smiled brightened.

“Whatever,” Moona grumbled before wrapping her arms around Iofi’s arm and pulling herself close to the painter.

“Iofi, Kiara’s bullying me,” Moona whined, giving her “wife” puppy dog eyes. “Comfort me please.”

“There, there,” Iofi stroked Moona’s hair, giving her a soft smile as she pulled Moona closer, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“Get a room, you two,” Risu sighed. Ryan saw a similar glint in her eyes as she made an all too familiar expression.

“So, you’re a loner, too,” Ryan said to Risu.

“Ryan, you know that there are girls after you,” Risu replied. “You have an international fan club for Matsuri’s sake. Open your eyes.”

“I never noticed this,” Ryan said, giving Risu a blank expression.

“You literally had stalkers,” Edhas said. “How didn’t you see this? You’re so daft.”

I’m sorry that this world is weird, Ryan said.

“Man, are you gay or something? You’re surrounded by cute girls!” Edhas said.

I’m not gay*! Ryan shouted in his head, refusing the urge to physically hit his head.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone someday,” Kiara patted Ryan’s back.

“Honestly, I hope so,” Ryan said. “I’m not sure if I’m looking for that now, but the thought of living with someone happily for the rest of my life sounds appealing.”

“Yeah,” Risu looked down at her uneaten toast. “Having someone would be nice.

Ryan sighed as he walked into his apartment, flopping on the bed. The rest of the day just devolved into an awkward silence after that conversation, so the three decided to leave. What do I want in life? In a partner? Ryan asked himself.

“I mean, I had a girlfriend before I died,” Edhas said. “I really miss her.”

What was her name? Ryan asked, genuinely curious.

“Sabrina,” Edhas answered simply.

I don’t believe you, Ryan grabbed his phone, dialing Sabrina’s number. I don’t believe you.

“Hello?” Sabrina asked through the phone. "What do you need, Ryan?”

“Was Edhas really your boyfriend?” Ryan asked, still in disbelief.

“I…” Sabrina faltered. “Yes, he was. I really miss him.”

Ryan stiffened as he noticed that Sabrina’s voice sound noticeably sadder as she talked. “I’m sorry…” he said, realizing his mistake. “That was rude of me.”

“It’s okay…” Sabrina’s voice broke. “I just need a minute.”

Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but Sabrina had already cut the line. Ryan flopped on the bed, putting his arm over his eyes as he closed them.

“Smooth,” Edhas said.

Shut up, Ryan grumbled. Maybe it was time for bed.

“Storm,” A tall, rugged man with red eyes and a tattered cloth confronted Storm in the endless void the man resided in, giving him a warm smile as he held his broken scythe and onyx knife.

“Grimm,” Storm took off his mask as he walked up to Grimm, giving him a big hug. “I’m so glad the void decided to let you join us.”

“I’m so glad that I can join you, brother,” Grimm returned the hug before pulling away, crimson eyes staring at grey eyes.

“What’s the occasion?” Storm asked. “Is the universe in danger?”

“Not yet,” Grimm offered a hearty chuckle. “I was just granted more abilities to interact with the real world, so the void thought that I would be more fit in this realm than my last one.”

“What about Phoenix Dimension?” Storm asked, referring to the space where phoenixes go when they die to be relocated.

“I still run it,” Grimm said, looking at his broken scythe. “I now only have to be there when a phoenix dies, and since phoenixes are almost extinct, I’ll have a lot more time to interact with you and the real world. How is Edhas doing?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard about his situation,” Storm said.

“Actually, I haven’t,” Grimm said.

“Well,” Storm looked shocked, but his face quickly regained composure. “I guess I have quite the story to tell you.”

“Great! I love stories!” With a snap of Grimm’s fingers, two chairs appeared. “I’m so excited to hear all of your stories.”

“A lot has happened,” Storm spent a couple hours filling Grimm in on the events of the original KFP, Grimm smiling throughout it.

“So, Ryan and Edhas are friends with Calliope?” Grimm asked, leaning forward.

“Apparently,” Storm said. “I don’t really take interest in their personal lives. Maybe if I was still alive, but ever since become the herald of the void, I can’t care for things such as the emotions of others.”

“I’m very happy that this happened,” Grimm’s smile softened as he looked up into the infinite blackness. “My students… I will see you soon, and that’s a promise.”

Chapter Text

Day 8: Goddess of the Sea

“Oribana Makuro*,” The giant whale confronted a killer whale.

“Yes, Bao-sama,” The killer whale replied with a girl’s voice. “Is there something you need?”

“We’re going to be going to the overworld today,” the whale replied. “How is your human form?”
“I can handle one day, Bao-sama,” the whale replied. “Where will we be going?”

“None of this Bao-sama stuff,” Bao said, its huge lips curving upward. “We’re going to be going to KFP.”

“Heads up, Ryan,” Edhas said, putting Ryan on edge. “I’m sensing diving magic coming this way.”

Divine magic?! Ryan gasped aloud. As in a god type of divine magic?

“Exactly,” Edhas said. “Most of the evil gods died a few years ago, so they shouldn’t be aggressive. Be cautious, of course.”

Got you, Ryan thought as someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around to see a girl with long, blue hair and a seashell dress and a short girl with a fin on her head.

“Excuse me?” The blue-haired girl asked. “I was looking for a… particular KFP. Would you happen to know where it is?”

“Just our luck,” Edhas sighed. “Luckily, it’s just Bao-chan. Don’t call her that, though. She is a goddess.”

“Of course, Bao-sama,” Ryan said instinctively, bowing low. “I happen to work at that KFP. Let me lead you there.”

“Idiot, you’re not supposed to know her name!” Edhas shouted.

Oops, Ryan said as the finned girl entered a fighting stance and Bao narrowed her eyes.

“How do you know my name?” Water started to form around Bao’s hand as she started to tense. “Are you one of those religious zealots?”

“Wait!” Ryan jumped back, holding his hands up in surrender. “I… the little voice in my head said that you were a deity, so I thought that I was obligated to treat you with respect.”

“Wow, way to throw me under the bus man,” Edhas grumbled. Bao closed her eyes and concentrated before opening them again, her lips curving upwards.

“I do sense a second reserve of magic in you,” she said. “I believe you. No need me to call me Bao-sama though. All these honorifics are suffocating.”

“Whatever you say, Bao-san,” Ryan said before turning to the girl with the fin. “What’s your name? My name is Ryan Shade.”

“O-Oribana Makuro…” The girl said shyly before slightly bowing. “I’m sorry for misplacing my aggression. It’s just last time Bao-sama and I went to the overworld…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryan offered her a smile, realizing how uncomfortable she felt. “Something bad must have happened.”

“You said you worked at this magical KFP?” Bao asked. “Can you lead the way?”

“Of course,” Ryan’s smile only grew. Today was going to be an interesting day.

“Welcome!” Kiara chirped as the three entered the KFP. “Hey, Ryan! Who are these two?”

“Wow, someone entering the store who you don’t know?” Ryan gasped, his eyes widening in shock.

“Hey!” Kiara pouted.

“This is Bao-san and Oribana-san,” Ryan said. “Bao-san, Oribana-san, this is my boss, Takanashi Kiara.”

“Ah, a phoenix,” Bao smiled. “I haven’t seen one of your kind in millennia.”

“Unfortunately, I’m the last of my kind,” Kiara’s face slumped, her tone sad. “At least until that one girl from Reine-chan’s dimension showed up.”

“I see,” Bao sat down, giving Kiara an understanding look. “I understand how you feel. I too am the last of my species. The evil gods wiped my kind out a couple weeks before the War in Heaven.”

“Now that I think of it, I think I’ve heard your name before,” Kiara said, looking upwards to the ceiling in thought. “I think Gura said you name a couple times.”

“Gura’s here?!” Bao exclaimed, her face rising and her eyes sparkling. “I haven’t seen her in ages! Where is she?”

“If you want, I can call her while Tenchou makes your food,” Ryan offered. “Maybe you’ll meet her wife too.”

“She has a wife?!” Bao squealed, turning to Ryan, stars in her eyes. “Oh, I’m so proud of my little shark!”

“Er… I’ll go outside to call her,” Ryan said, hastily leaving before Bao could go off on him about her “little apex predator”.

Ryan dialed Amelia’s number and put the phone to his ear.

“Oh, Ryan! Thank god!” Amelia immediately answered the phone, heavily panting. “Help me convince Gura that I shouldn’t be ground pounding her!”

“C’mon, Watson!” Gura shouted in the distance. “We’re married! Ground pounding is what married couples do!”

“You’re still too pure!” Watson shot back. “Gah!”

“Put me on speaker,” Ryan grumbled as he heard the sound of two bodies thud.

“Alright, you’re o- gah! Get off, Gura!” Amelia said before the sound of glass shattering could be heard from the other side of the phone.

“Gura, this lady named Bao-san is looking for you,” Ryan said. “Come to the KFP.”

“Bao-sensei’s here?!” Gura squealed. “Amelia let’s go! My sensei* is here!”

“What- gah!” Ryan could only assume that Amelia was being dragged away. “Ryan! Help!”

“Sorry, but you’re on your own,” Ryan snickered as she continued to shout in protest.

“I’ll get you for-,” Amelia was cut off when Ryan hung up the phone.

“Oh, I’m getting hell for this,” Ryan said, a huge smile in his face before walking back into the restaurant.

“RYAN!” Amelia stormed into the restaurant a few minutes after Ryan hung up the phone. She stomped down and pointed at him, much to the confusion of others. “You abandoned me!”

“Hey, maybe if you screwed your wife, then you would have less problems,” Ryan offered her a shrug.

“You…” Amelia clenched her fist, a tick mark appearing on her forehead.

“Bao-sensei!” Gura ran past Amelia, tackling the deity into a hug.

“Gura!” Bao squeezed the small shark, a genuine smile on her face. “Your magic has grown a lot! Your height, though…”

“Hey!” Gura pouted.

“I would make a joke, but it would have come up short,” Bao shrugged, causing Gura to groan.

“Oh god they’re two of them,” Ryan groaned in defeat.

“Sensei…” Gura whined, giving her sensei baby shark eyes. “You’re so mean.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your special someone?” Bao wagged her eyebrows at Gura.

“Ah!” Gura jumped off and ran to Amelia, pushing her towards her sensei with an enthusiastic look. “Ame, this is Bao-sensei! She taught me back when I was a baby shark!”

“Thank you for teaching my little Apex Predator to be such an adorable bean.” Amelia politely smiled to the whale deity.

“You better be treating her well,” Bao gave Amelia a menacing smile.

“Ame treats me really well!” Gura smiled, shooting her arms up excitedly. “Except for the fact that she won’t ground pound me.”

“Ah, how my little shark has grown up,” Bao pat her head before looking to Amelia.

“Do you think I can ground pound this bean?” She pointed at Gura.

“I guess you have a point,” Bao sighed.

“It’s nice to see you again, Gura-sama,” Makuro offered Gura a sweet smile. Gura then tackled the killer whale in a huge hug.

“Makuro-chan!” Gura cheered, looking at the girl who was roughly her size. “I’ve missed you so much! Also, I’ve told you not to call me that! We’re friends!”

“Whatever you say, Gura-sama,” Makuro chuckled lightly as Gura pouted. “I’ve missed you.”

“Who’s this?” Amelia walked over, putting a hand on Gura’s head.

“Ah, Makuro-chan was my classmate!” Gura smiled. “We’re besties!”

“Mou, Gura-sama,” Makuro’s face blushed as Gura wrapped her arm around the killer whale. “You’re embarrassing me in front of you wife!”

“Eh, it’s fine!” Amelia waved her hand dismissively, her smile only widening. “Gura only looks cuter this way, so it’s fine.”

“Amelia-san!” Makuro squirmed in Gura’s grasp.

“Bao-sensei! Let me show you around the city!” Gura ran over and grabbed Bao’s arm, tugging on it.

“Whatever you want,” Bao smiled softly as she let the shark drag her out of the restaurant.

“Wait!” Makuro ran off, following the two out of the restaurant.

“I guess I’ll go follow them,” Amelia sighed, turning to Ryan. “I guess it was nice seeing you again. Now if you excuse me, I think I need to make sure the love of my life doesn’t spend half of our joined savings in one day.”

Ryan waved as Amelia walked off. “Now what?” Ryan asked.

“Hmmm… maybe we’ll find you a girlfriend,” Kiara said. “We were talking about it yesterday, huh?”

“Absolutely not,” Ryan grumbled.

“Why?” Kiara asked innocently. “Do you want a boyfriend?”

“It’s not that!” Ryan slammed the counter softly in a pout. “Just… isn’t it kind of awkward for my boss to be my wingman…?”

“Absolutely not!” Kiara said, slapping Ryan’s back. “I’ll let you off for today, but it’ll happen one day.”

“Great,” Ryan grumbled. This was going to be the death of him.

“So, when are you going to go down there?” Storm asked, standing next to Grimm. “They think you’re dead, you know.”

“I know,” Grimm nodded, sighing. “Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the day after. I honestly have no idea. I really want to see them. They’re my students. But… I’m not sure if I’m truly ready to see them.”

“I understand,” Storm put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, offering him a knowing smile. “Ryan thinks I’m a complete ass. I know Edhas knows better, but it still hurts, you know? I know I’m not supposed to have emotions as the herald, but I still do.”

“Yeah, I guess we weren’t dealt the best hand, but we still have to play,” Grimm chuckled dryly. “Still, I can’t wait to see how much they’ve grown.”

“They’ve grown a lot, I promise you that,” Storm said, looking at the infinite blackness before them. “Edhas was... damaged by what happened, but he’s healing. I feel that Ryan and Kiara are helping him grow a lot.”

“I see Kiara’s been really helping Ryan out,” Grimm smiled. “I have to thank her properly when I come to the real world. She’s been a blessing.”

“That she has been,” Storm smiled.

Fubuki walked through a snowy forest, humming her original song. Suddenly, she stepped into a pothole, falling into it. “Hey!” She yelped, looking up at the hole.

“Oh my gosh!” A wolf girl with snow white hair and ears popped her head from the top of the hole. “Fubuki-san, is that you?!”

“Lumi-chan!” Fubuki cheered. “I was looking for you!”

“Why were you looking for me-awoo?” Lumi asked as Fubuki floated up from the pothole, white jets firing from her feet, melting the snow around her feet as she landed.

“My friend opened up a restaurant and I wanted you to come with me!” Fubuki cheered.

“I would love to-awoo!” Lumi cheered, giving her cat fox a big hug. “Let me call Merry! I’m sure he’d love to come!”

Merryweather took his navy hat off as he entered his bunker, letting his dog ears twitch, letting them stretch a bit. Having his ears hidden was really a pain. Even if the world was in a time of peace, he still liked to keep his true identity hidden, just in case. He put the hat next to his phone, which suddenly started ringing, showing a picture of his cousin, Lumi posing with him.

“Hello?” Merry asked. It was odd for Lumi to call him, since she lives in the forest. She would have to exit the forest to call anyone.

“Merry! Fubuki-san and I are going to be going to a restaurant! Do you want to come-awoo?” Lumi cheered excitedly.

“I mean, if it got you out of the forest, then I would love to come,” Merry smiled softly.

“Hey!” Lumi pouted. “Whatever. Anyways, it’ll take us a few days to get to Japan, but I’ll call you again when we get there.”

“Alright. I’ll see you soon,” Merry said as he hung up the phone, smiling. Maybe it finally was time for a break.

Somewhere, in the deep depths of the planet, the earth shook. A dark and menacing aura flowed through the cave as two evil eyes opened. An ancient beast has awoken, and she wants you to have a nice day.

Chapter Text

Day 9: Canning Stereotypes

Inugami Korone was a very carefree person. She did what she want, when she wanted, and she got whatever she wanted. Yubis? She got them. Soap? Absolutely not. This very well may be the first time that Korone has been worried in her life. She laid in her bed, looking at the onigiri shaped box, sweat beading down her face. “Today is the day,” she said to herself, trying her best to give a determined look. Unfortunately, she only succeeded in looking like an angry puppy. She doesn’t need to know that. “Today is the day.”

She sat up, giving the box one last look before pocketing it in her yellow jacket. She sighed as she beaded the sweat from her face. She needed to relax. Something to do. Something to mentally prepare herself before she made the most important decision of her life.

“Ah, I know! I should talk to Kiara-chan!” Korone chirped. Since she was recently married, she could ask her what she did. “To KFP!”

As she stood up, the phone rang. Korone picked up her phone, putting it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Koro-san,” At the sound of Okayu’s voice, Korone blanched. Usually, Korone would jump for joy, but right now, Okayu was the last person who Korone wanted to see. “I was headed to KFP today to check up on Ryan. I haven’t seen him since he got shot in the head, and I thought it would be rude not to check on him. Would you like to come?”

“O-of course, Okayu!” Korone tried to hide the nervousness in her voice but failed considerably. She didn’t want to see Okayu at that moment, but she never turned down Okayu. She would get suspicious. Plus, who wouldn’t want to hang out with Okayu?

“Are you okay, Koro-san?” Okayu obviously noticed Korone’s distressed, as they have known each other and have been dating for years. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s fine!” Korone assured her. “I’ll see you there soon!”

Korone hung up the phone, panting heavily. Can I do this? She asked herself. No, I can’t ask myself that question. I have to do this. For me. For us.

Korone stood up, the angry/determined puppy look back on her face. It was time to go. It was now or never.

Okayu looked at her phone as Korone hung up on her. Something was obviously wrong. Korone never acted like this. Thoughts flew through her head. Was she cheating? No, Korone’s a dog girl. She’s the most loyal girl ever. Okayu paled as the thoughts in her head got progressively worse. Was she abused? Manipulated? Taken advantage of? A bead of sweat dripped down Okayu’s forehead. I will get to the bottom of this, whatever this is, Determination flared in Okayu’s eyes as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. For me. For us.

Korone walked into the KFP and saw Kiara and Ryan casually chatting. “No, Tenchou,” Ryan said. “I will not go to a ‘Get Ryan a Girlfriend’ event on Saturday. That’s just ridiculous.”

“But Ryan,” Kiara whined. “It’ll be fun… and you’ll get a girlfriend!”

As Korone knew both of them didn’t realize she was there, she decided to get their attention. “Yubi Yubi!” She exclaimed, catching both of them off guard. Ryan’s face immediately paled. Korone never knew why Ryan was so scared of her, but it made sense, considering her finger stealing record.

“Morning Inugami-san,” Ryan said, his face slowly returning to normal.

“Korone-senpai!” Kiara cheered. “How are things? It’s been a while! How are things going with Okayu-senpai?”

“Uh, I actually wanted to talk to you about that,” Korone shuffled uncomfortably as she sat down. Both Ryan and Kiara’s face instantly contorted with worry. Everyone thought that nothing could get Korone down or even nervous, but to see her like this proved that myth wrong. She took out her onigiri box.

“Oh my god!” Kiara squealed. “I can’t believe you’re doing that!”

“Doing what?” Korone jumped, shoving the box into her pocket as she heard Okayu’s voice. She turned around, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“Morning, Okayu!” Korone cheered, trying very hard to stay calm, which she could not do at the moment.

“Did I make you wait?” Okayu walked over, giving Korone a hug.

“No, you’re fine,” Korone replied. Okayu pulled away and gave Korone a worried look, which only succeeded in causing Korone to panic more.

“Koro-san, you’re shaking,” Okayu said, her voice dripping with concern. “Are you really okay? You were acting weird on the phone.”

“Was I?” Korone was freaking out at this point. She rubbed the back of her head, laughing nervously. “I don’t remember.”

“Koro-san, you can talk to me,” Tears were forming in Okayu’s eyes as she gripped Korone’s shoulders with her hands as she looked her lover in the eye. “Please talk to me, Koro-san.”

Korone wanted nothing more than to burst into tears and hug Okayu, telling her that nothing was wrong. She felt horrible making Okayu worry over something that was really positive. “Senpai?” Both Korone and Okayu turned when they heard Kiara’s voice. Kiara didn’t say anything. All she did was give Korone an affirming not.

“Koro-san, does Kiara know something?” Okayu asked, a hint of betrayal of her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s because this has to do with you,” Korone said. This wasn’t exactly the ideal place to do what she wanted to do, but it was now or never, considering the circumstances. “I need to ask you a very important question.”

“You can ask me anything, Koro-san,” Okayu said, too worried to infer what Korone was going to ask. “You know this.”

Korone took in a shaky breath and lowered herself down onto one knee as she dug her hand in her jacket pocket. She took out her onigiri box and opened it, revealing a silver onigiri ring. The seaweed was represented by a beautiful onyx gem and the rice was represented by a bunch of little diamonds that sparkled in the light. “Okayu, will you marry me?”

What. The. Fuck, Ryan thought. Out of ALL the places that you can propose to someone, Korone decided to propose in a KFP? Really?

“Man, that needs to be you someday,” Edhas said.

Shut up. This is an emotional moment, Ryan said as he watched the scene unfold. Okayu gasped with her hands over her mouth. Instead of wiping the tears in her eyes, they started to flow down her cheeks.

“Koro-san…” Okayu managed, holding back sobs. “Are you sure about this? This is a huge decision.”

“I’m very sure,” Ryan knew that Korone was trying her hardest not to cry. “I love you so much, Okayu. More than anything in the world. I love you more than I love yubis.”

“Then of course I will marry you,” Okayu said, unable to hold back her sobs.

“Okayu!” Korone jumped up, tackling her new fiancée in a hug, now openly sobbing. “I love you!”

“I love you too, Koro-san,” Okayu hugged her back, the normally laid-back cat girl crying tears of joy. “I’m so happy that you asked me.”

“Me too, Okayu,” Korone said, sniffling. “Me too.”

It took a while for the two to calm down, which Ryan understood. Ryan and Kiara gave them tissues and head pats in hopes to help comfort them. “I’m so happy!” Korone exclaimed, hugging her new fiancée. Okayu had her arm outstretched, admiring the new onigiri ring on her finger.

“I want to eat it,” Okayu said, drooling slightly with sparkles in her eyes.

“Actually, I prepared some celebratory onigiri for you!” Kiara said, presenting a huge plate of onigiri.

“Really?!” Okayu sat down in front of the big plate, shoveling down the rice balls like a starved lion or Marine consuming doujinshu.

“And some yubis for you!” Kiara put a plate of similar size to Okayu’s with friend human fingers.

“Yubi yubi!” Korone cheered, plopping down and wolfing down the fingers just as fast, if not faster than Okayu eating the rice balls.

“Koro-san, we need to get you a ring!” Okayu said, stuffing the last rice ball into her mouth.

“You’re right!” Korone jumped up, a finger sticking out of her mouth. “Let’s go Okayu!”

The two ran off, their mouths still full. “You know,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head, a huge smile on his face. “I would complain about them not paying, but I’ll let them go. Just this once.”

“Moona?” Iofi walked along the surface of the moon, looking back and forth. “Where are you?”

“Iofi?” Moona appeared a few feet behind her, a befuddled expression on her face. “You never come visit me here. You could have just called me, you know.”

“I know, but I wanted this to be special, so I decided to come here,” Iofi smiled at her lover*. “We really need to talk.”

“What do you need?” Moona asked, hiding her worry. In reality, Iofi could want to talk about anything. Was her affection towards Pekora causing Iofi distress? Moona loved Iofi but didn’t want to give up her best friend and CEO.

“Hoshinova Moona,” Iofi walked towards Moona until she was only a few inches away from Moona. She then slowly dropped to one knee, splotches of paint gently floating off of her overalls. The balls of paint started to fuse together, creating a small light. Moona looked away as the light intensified, shielding her eyes with her hands. As the light dimmed, Moona looked back and audibly gasped when she saw a beautiful golden ring, small diamonds forming the shape of a crescent moon. “Will you marry me?”

Kiara sighed as she watched Ryan left the building. “What am I going to do with that boy?” She asked herself, massaging her temples. She walked over to the break room and pressed a hidden button in one of the cupboards. With a hiss, a notebook revealed itself in the hidden compartment. Kiara took out the notebook and started reading it. It had the names of all the hololive and holostars idols, as well as anyone else who has walked into the restaurant with check marks and ‘x’es marked next to their name. She took out her phone and dialed a number.

“Moshi moshi~?” Marine’s voice was heard on the other side of the phone. “What do you need, Kiara-chan?”

“Senchou!” Kiara cheered. “You see, I’m trying to hook Ryan up, and I really need your help.”

Ryan sighed as he flopped on his bed. He still felt really bad about what happened with Sabrina, but he didn’t know if it was the right time to talk to her.

“I don’t think you should, Ryan,” Edhas said as Ryan sighed. “When Sabrina wants to talk to you, she’ll come to you herself.”

Whatever you say, Ryan said, sighing as he closed his eyes. Maybe a nap would clear his head.

“Maybe Kiara is on to something,” Edhas pondered. “You should probably go get a girlfriend.”

You’re an idiot, Ryan grumbled as he slowly let himself drift off into sleep.

“Are you ready to go?” Storm asked, looking at Grimm, who was washed up with a new, black robe and a new scythe, its outline black and orange and the blade made of a green plasma, not unlike Kiara’s sword and shield.

“Yeah,” Grimm said, cracking his neck, opening a portal. “I’ll see you soon.”

Storm waved as Grimm walked into the portal. “Good luck, big bro.”

Grimm walked out of the portal, instantly deducing that he was in a very familiar alley in Japan: the alley that Ryan and Edhas walk through every day to go to work. “My students,” Grimm started, the corner of his lip curving upwards in a smirk. “I have returned.”

Chapter Text

Day 10: Till Death Brings Us Together

“No way this is happening,” Edhas said in Ryan’s head, his voice full of genuine disbelief.

No way what’s happening? Ryan asked as he exited his apartment complex. He immediately tensed up. If a whale deity didn’t faze him, then something that did was definitely scary.

“Nothing,” Edhas said, his voice shaking. “I’m probably just feeling things. I have to be feeling things.”

You know you can talk to me, Ryan said. He and Edhas have become somewhat closer to the point where Ryan would consider his other half a friend. Whether or not Edhas felt the same was up for debate though.

“Well…” Edhas faltered, the shake in his voice not fading. “I thought I felt the presence of my sensei.”

“I love you too, Calli,” Kiara said, giving her wife a kiss on the lips.

“Tenchou, what have I said about making out on the clock?” Ryan said as he entered the building.

“What the fuck?!” Calli spun around, swinging her scythe at him, blade of darkness launching itself towards the “peeper”.

“Calliope-san,” Ryan sighed, dismissing the blade by cutting through it with his hand. “Please stop trying to kill people while you’re in here.”

“Ryan,” Kiara whined, crossing her arms in a pout. “We’ve been over barging in on our make out sessions.”

“That only applies when the restaurant is closed,” Ryan said.

“So, how have things been back at home?” Calli asked. “I haven’t been keeping track of you since you’ve apparently cheated death twice.”

“Wow, I feel so special,” Ryan muttered under his breath as he used his magic to change his uniform. “Things have been going good. Sabrina’s here in Japan now, along with some demon named Ironmouse.”

“Oh, I remember her,” Calli shuddered. “She chased me around for a good couple hundred years back in the underworld. Let’s just hope she doesn’t see me again.”

“Apparently, she’s moved on to me,” Ryan grumbled, a shiver creeping up his spine.

“No one will take my little egg’s chastity away!” Kiara declared, holding up a chicken leg as if it were a weapon.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that?” Ryan sighed.

“You really shouldn’t,” A man burst through the doors with a black and orange scythe, its blade green like Kiara’s plasma sword. “He’s my little egg.”

“Sensei/Sensei?!” Calli and Edhas exclaimed at once, despite not being able to hear each other. Calli jumped up, twirling her scythe until she was pointing the scythe at the tall man. The man fixated his crimson eyes at Calli’s scythe before he moved them to meet Calli’s crimson eyes.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Calli shouted, twirling her scythe to slice the man in half, but the man stopped it, letting the scythe clash with his index finger, black energy emanating from the clash.

“You know who I am, Callope Mori,” The man gave Calli a small smile.

“Give me control,” Ryan didn’t even have time to react to Edhas’s command before Edhas pulled his consciousness to the back burner.

“Grimm!” Edhas roared as he vaulted over the counted faster than anyone’s eyes can see. With a gust of wind, Edhas was next to the man, his signature onyx blade at his throat.

“It’s nice to see you’re alive, Edhas,” the man, Grimm looked at Edhas, a soft smile on his face, despite the scythe inches from his skull and the sword one slice away from killing the man.

“Why did you leave me the way you did?” Edhas’s voice broke as tears formed from his eyes. “You left me alone”

“You know I didn’t want to leave you like that,” Grimm said softly as Calli retracted her scythe, thoroughly confused with the whole situation. “But I’m back now.”

Edhas dropped the sword, letting it fade into mist as he tackled Grimm into a hug, burying his face in his shoulders. “I missed you, Grimm.”

“I missed you too, Edhas,” Grimm replied as he wrapped his arms around his student. “It’s been too long.”

“So, you know Death-sensei?” Calli asked. It took a few minutes, but eventually Edhas found himself on the other side of the counter. Ryan was graceful enough to let Edhas continue to borrow his body so he could talk with this his teacher.

“Edhas here was my combat student back in my masked mages days,” Grimm replied, munching on a chicken leg. “Man, this is pretty good. I never thought you would never learn how to cook.”

“You were in the masked mages?!” Calli exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table.

“It was actually my other half that cooked these things,” Edhas said. “He’s shit at fighting, but he’s good for doing chores.”

“Hey!” Ryan shouted in Edhas’s head.

“Sensei*, what’s with the cool new scythe?” Kiara asked.

“Since I now technically reside in the phoenix dimension, my scythe is now tied to it instead of the underworld,” Grimm said, looking at his scythe.

“Stop ignoring me!” Calli demanded, shooting everyone a glare.

“So, I see you two got married,” Grimm noticed the ring. “Congratulations. I wish I could have been there.”

“You would have been the best man for sure,” Kiara laughed. “Calli was talking about you the day of. Said she missed you so much~,”

“Shut up, Kusotori-,” Calli stopped herself when Kiara gave her a glare. “I mean my beautiful fire bird…”

“That’s better,” Kiara smiled sweetly as she tossed a chicken leg up, catching it before taking a bite.

“Some things never change I guess,” Grimm chuckled to himself.

“You never told me you had another student, though,” Calli shot Grimm a glare, her arms crossed in a pout. “Bet I can kick his ass.”

“Doubt it,” Edhas chuckled. “You’re welcome to try, though.”

“No fighting in this establishment,” Ryan said, shooting a wave of pain into Edhas’s head, causing him to keep over.

Killjoy, Edhas grumbled.

“You alright?” Grimm asked, his face written with worry.

“Yeah,” Edhas sighed, waving his hand dismissively. “My other half says that he doesn’t want us to fight in here.”

“Ryan’s no fun,” Calli pouted.

“At least I can rely on him not to let the restaurant explode,” Kiara smiled sheepishly.

“Because someone is incapable of doing that herself,” Ryan said.

You know what? You can stop your bitching, Edhas grumbled, forcing his outward smile.

“I thought you were trapped in the phoenix dimension,” Kiara said, putting a finger on her chin. “How were you able to get out?”

“I don’t exactly know, but I’m a resident of the void now. My ‘soul’ is still tied to the phoenix dimension, but I don’t reside there anymore,” Grimm said, scratching his head. “I now hang out in the void with Aloe and Storm.”

“Oh yeah,” Something clicked in Edhas’s head. “Aloe mentioned some Froot person. Apparently, she’s a lich or something. Can you talk to Storm and see if they can meet or something?”

“Sure, but why?” Grimm asked. “It’s not like you to do favors for strangers.”

“I don’t know,” Edhas admitted. “Honestly, I just want to get her off my back. I mean, she threatened to eradicate me the first time we met, so I guess I can save myself the hassle if I end up doing her a favor.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Grimm said. “I’ll probably be dropping by a lot more, but my time here is limited.”

“I see,” Calli stood up with Grimm, looking each other in the eyes. Calli then pulled the man into a hug. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, little reaper,” Grimm smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I told you not to call me that!” Calli pushed him away, her face beet red.

“A lot of things may have changed since I’ve seen you last, but that won’t,” Grimm said as a black fire enveloped him. “That’s a promise.”

With that, the black fire completely enveloped him. When the black fire subsided, Grimm was gone.

“Can I have my body back now?” Ryan asked rudely.

Whatever, Edhas grumbled as he relinquished control of the body.

“Hey bro,” Grimm said as he crossed back into the void.

“What’s up, Grimm?” Storm asked, putting his mask on.

“Is it possible for Aloe to go to the living world tomorrow?” Grimm twirled his scythe around casually, looking off into the distance.

“I heard my name?” With a flash of light, Aloe appeared next to the two mages.

“I’m asking Storm if you can go see Froot tomorrow,” Grimm said. “Edhas wanted me to do it so Froot would get off his back.”

“Ah, I see,” Aloe smiled. “It would be nice to see her again.”

“Let me consult the void first,” Storm concentrated for a second. He concentrated, standing still in silence before turning to Aloe. “The void permits your visit.”

“Yes!” Aloe cheered, shooting her hand in the air. “Can I meet her at the KFP?”

“I’ll arrange for that to be so,” Grimm said. With a torrent of black flames, he was gone.

“I’m not a succubus,” Froot reminded herself as she drew a summoning circle. She was, in fact, not a succubus. “I’m not a succubus.”

She decided that she was actually going to summon succubus to bring on stream to prove that she was not, in fact, a succubus. Plus, a little bit of succubus thighs couldn’t hurt, right? She started to chant as the souls she had collected through twitch subscriptions started to flow out of the amulet on her chest and into the circle. She shielded her eyes as the light the magic circle started to emanate intensified.

“Ah, that was convenient,” Froot was startled when she heard a man’s voice instead of a woman’s voice. Did she draw the wrong circle? The summoning circle to summon an incubus was not all too different for one that summoned a succubus. She turned to see a man easily over six feet tall with a black robe covering most of his body. His hair was neatly combed back and his eyes flashed crimson. He held a black and orange scythe, but the blade was made of something not unlike green concentrated plasma. “Ah, sorry for hijacking you summoning ritual.”

“You’re not the succubus I ordered!” Froot shouted, pointing at the man. “That cost fifty souls you asshole!”

“Ah, your succubus was delayed,” The man said. “Go to the magical KFP tomorrow and you’ll see her.”

“What do you mean delayed?!” A soul flowed into her arm as she shot out a beam of concentrated soul magic. “That’s not how this stuff works!”

“Well, that’s how my summoning rituals work,” The man swatted the beam aside as if it were nothing but a glowing fly. “Just take my word for it, okay?”

“It’s not like I have much choice,” Froot grumbled. “What magic KFP?”

“Now you’re getting it!” The man clasped his hands together, a bright smile on his face. “There is only one magical KFP.” With a torrent of black flames, he was gone.

“What was that?” Froot asked herself.

Chapter Text

Day 11: Back from the Dead

“Oh, it’s you again,” Ryan grumbled as Froot walked up to him.

“Ryan Shade,” Froot stopped in front of him. Ryan was fixated on her fang. Do humans have fangs like that? He’s seen them a couple times, but never with a human. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m walking to work,” Ryan sighed. “Look, you don’t have to be so defensive. What are you doing here?”

“I was told to go to the magical KFP to meet my… contract,” Froot shuffled nervously, not wanting to talk about the nature of her summoning contract.

“Eh, that’s where I work,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “Do you want to walk with me?”

“You work there?” Froot asked.

I thought someone with an aura like that would be an aspiring warlord or something, Froot pondered. Ryan’s aura was like a strong gate with a monster behind it. Ryan’s aura was strong, no doubt, but she could sense the monster behind it. Whenever she pried under the veil behind Ryan’s aura, she saw the beast behind it. It was something that Froot had never seen before, even in the eldritch horror known as Nyatasha Nyanners.

“Well, how else am I supposed to earn money?” Ryan chuckled. “It’s not like I’m going to take the world or something.”

“Fine, whatever,” Froot sighs.

“Do you need me to lead the way?” Ryan offered. Froot didn’t know how he was still so patient with her considering she threatened his life the first time she met him, but she might as well make good on his kindness.

“Fine,” Froot says as she follows Ryan down an alleyway.

“Froot!” Hearing Aloe’s voice certainly surprised Froot when she walked in. The succubus-in-training tackled the lich in a hug faster than she could react.

“Aloe?!” Froot exclaimed in disbelief. She was dead, right? Mousey said that she saw her, but that couldn’t be right. No matter how many souls she pumped into a ritual, her old friend wouldn’t come back to life. “Is that really you?”

“Yep!” Aloe pulled away, her hands on Froot’s shoulders and smiled brightly, looking the lich girl up and down. “You’ve gotten so strong! I’m so proud of you!”

“Wait,” Froot pushed away Aloe’s hands, looking confused. “Where were you all this time? I thought you were dead.”

“Ah, it’s a long story,” Aloe rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, adjusting her headphones. “I’m technically dead, but my soul was claimed by another force before my soul could transfer to the afterlife. A friend called in a favor so I can see you again. I already saw Mousey, but I really wanted to see you as well.”

“Who is this friend of yours?” Froot asked. “I want to thank them.”

“Right here,” Froot turned when Ryan raised his hand casually, his eyes glowing purple. The dark aura permeated from his being, but it was heavily restrained, though if Froot was to try to identify this person from magic power alone, she would have guessed that this person was a different person from Ryan altogether.

“Ryan?” Froot jumped back, her muscles tense. He may be suppressing his magic power, but if he decided to go all out, they would probably have a fight on their hands.

“Name’s Edhas,” The man said. “I’m currently borrowing Ryan’s body right now, since you asked who called in the favor.”

“Are you the thing I keep feeling under Ryan’s aura?” Froot asked, still tense.

“Yeah,” Edhas said. “I’m kind of like an alternate personality or something. For some reason, our magic is split up, but that’s whatever. I’m not planning on doing something evil, though. Ryan would kick the shit out of me.”

“Alright,” Froot started to relax.

“What did I miss?” Kiara walked out of the break room, pulling Calli along with her. Kiara was all bright and cheery, but Calli was blushing profusely, sweat pouring down her face.

Froot shuddered as the purple glint in Edhas’s eyes faded, returning to normal, but the murderous aura increased tenfold. “Tenchou…” Ryan growled, causing Kiara to stiffen.

“Y-yes, my little egg…?” Kiara stepped back. “What do you need…?”

“What did I tell you about ground pounding in the break room…?” Ryan cracked his knuckles, causing the manager to stiffen.

“Is this normal?” Froot turned to Aloe as Kiara ran, Ryan sprinting after her.

“Yep,” Aloe and Calli said at the same time.

You know, it’s polite to ask before stealing one’s body, Ryan grumbled as he made his way back to the counter.

“Hey, she asked,” Edhas defended. To be fair, she did.

Whatever, Ryan grumbled, looking to a beaten and bloodied Kiara behind him.

“Get over it,” Ryan said coldly. “That’s what you get for ground pounding in the break room.”

“Yes, Ryan,” Kiara whimpered, looking like a wounded puppy.

“What would you two like to have?” Ryan asked the lich and the succubus, who were chatting casually. Calli had long since left. A lich, an undead succubus didn’t make the best company for the incarnation of death itself.

“Do you have that bento box recipe that Storm gave you a while back?” Aloe asked, which Ryan nodded. “I’ll have one of those, please.”

“I’ll have one too!” Froot raised her hand, smiling cutely. “Can I have some tea as well?”

-100 critical hit! Ryan forced a smile, nodding before heading to the back. He got the notebook from the break room before heading to the back.

“Who knew the lich could be that cute?” Edhas asked. “You should hook up with her.”

Absolutely not, Ryan said.

“How can a dolt like you be blessed with such cute girls?” Edhas sighed. “Man, I totally wish the roles were reversed right now.”

I refuse to let you flirt with my friends, Ryan said as he wrapped seaweed around little balls of rice. They’re too pure for you.

“Says you,” Edhas grumbled as Ryan grabbed a bento box to organize the food.

Do you know the meaning of an emotional connection? Ryan asked as he closed the bento box and got started on the next one.

“I mean, yeah, but look at them,” Edhas flashed images of all the people Ryan had met since he got hired at KFP. “Their personalities are just as cute as their appearances.”

Sure, but you’re not convincing me, Ryan said as he finished the second bento box. He walked out, a smile on his face as he placed the two boxes in front of his customers. As Aloe liked to do, he color-coded his bento boxes. He gave Froot a minty-green bento box, the color matching her green hair and Aloe a dark pink bento box, almost purple.

“Enjoy your meals,” Ryan offered a sweet smile as he placed his arms in front of him in a polite expression.

“Wow, you did surprisingly well on this,” Aloe said as she opened the box. “Almost as good as I would have made them.”

“I’m honored by your words,” Ryan said. He’s heard Kiara talk about Aloe’s cooking enough to know that she’s a top-grade chief.

 “Wow!” Froot stuffed an onigiri into her mouth, her eyes sparkling. “This is so good!”

“I’m glad you’re satisfied by my cooking,” Ryan said, smiling.

“Hey, where’s mine?!” Kiara pouted.

“I’ll make you one after work,” Ryan promised. He noticed Kiara was fully healed. He shrugged it off. He felt bad kicking the crap out of his boss, but she needed to learn that there was a time and place for everything, and the break room wasn’t the time to be ground pounding her wife, especially while she was on the clock. “For now, you’re on the clock.”

“Fine,” Kiara pouted. “I’ll allow it, just this once.”

“Whatever you say, Tenchou,” Ryan said, smiling softly.

“I guess the void is calling me back” Aloe sighed. “I got lucky, but I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“I’m just happy that I got to see you again,” Froot said. “Well worth the fifty souls I used for the summoning ritual.”

“You know, since you technically summoned Grimm with those souls, you basically wasted them,” Aloe said. “I would have been here either way.”

“What?!” Froot exclaimed, but by the time she registered what happened, Aloe was gone, blown away in a black mist.

“I mean, you summoned death itself to send a message,” Ryan said. “That must check out for something.”

“That man was death?!” Froot exclaimed.

“Well, he was death,” Ryan said. “At least, I think. He’s doing other things now, I guess.”

“I…” Froot grabbed her forehead. “I think I need a minute.”

“Feel free to come back whenever you feel,” Ryan smiled softly. Froot nodded, forcing a smile before walking out in a daze.

“Now, where’s my bento box?” Kiara asked, pouting at her employee.

“Coming right up, Tenchou…” Ryan mumbled, sighing as he made his way to the back.

“Ah, Senchou!” Kiara chirped as the pirate captain walked in. It’s been a good half-hour since Ryan had left, and Kiara was preparing something special for her employee.

“Ohayo, Kiara-chan!” Marine sat at the counter as Kiara placed a notebook on the counter. Marine picked up the notebook and started to flip through it. “You’re pretty good at this.”

“What can I say?” Kiara asked. “This is for the good of my employee.”

“I’m sure he would have something to say about that if he was here,” Marine said, closing the notebook.

“He’ll come around eventually,” Kiara smiled. “So, what do you think?”

“Give him a couple more days,” Marine said. “We still need to prepare everything.”

“That’s alright,” Kiara said. “Thank you, Senchou. You’re a lifesaver.”

“No problem, Kiara-chan,” Marine smiled at her kouhai. “He did save our asses back in China. I guess we owe him this much.”

 “Ah, that was fun,” Aloe said as she appeared back into the void.

“Aloe,” Storm said, his mask on. “How are the things back on earth?”

“A bunch of stronger beings are congregating around the KFP,” Aloe replied. “I don’t know if people are attracted to Ryan, or if they’re attracted to the KFP.”

“I see,” Storm rubbed his chin. “Just like the void predicted.”

“The void predicted this?” Aloe asked.

“Yep,” with a torrent of black flames, Grimm appeared. “A lot of changes are coming.”

“That is true,” Storm said. “Though we are in a time of peace, there is a lot of room for excitement.”

“You sure about this, Zen?” A cybernetic dragon and a red dragon flew over the ocean. “I know Mousey and Froot are there, but the place can’t be that good.”

“Does it matter?” The red dragon, Zen replied. “Someone strong will be there. Maybe this could finally be the challenge we’ve been looking for, Hime.”

“Whatever you say,” Blue electricity crackled from the cybernetic dragon’s eyes as they continued their flight through the sea.

Miko was sweeping the floors of her shine, humming to herself. She looked up when the Sakura leaves flowed in the wind, revealing a wolf girl with headphones and blue and pink hair.

“Ah, this place reminds me of my tree back home,” The wolf girl said, smiling softly.

“Who are you?” Miko asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” The wolf girl bowed slightly before looking up, a warm smile on her face. “My name is Silvervale!”

Sabrina was tapping away on her phone. “Damnit!” She threw her phone at the wall, shooting a fireball at it. As it was reduced to a heaping pile of junk, she sighed, shaking her head. “Stupid rhythm games.”

At that moment, the doors flew open. “The world has changed since I was sealed,” Sabrina heard a voice. Sabrina turned to see a girl with pink hair and cat ears. The girl turned her attention to her. “I sense Mousey’s presence on you. Where is she?”

“Who are you?” Sabrina said, tensing up. The aura of this person was no joke. “You should knock next time, though.”

“Doorknobs have always fascinated me,” The girl rubbed her chin. “Say, do you have any toilets?”

“Answer my questions, then I’ll answer yours,” Sabrina let loose her aura, causing the girl to flinch.

“Fine,” the girl relaxed, a classic cat-girl smile washing over her face. “My name is Nyatasha Nyanners.”

“Ah, finished!” Reporter said, looking at his brand-new android, tossing a screwdriver. He adjusted his mask, looking proudly at his new creation. “The ultimate magical android! Is capable of changing its appearance and use any spell in my magical library!”

The machine started to power up, its appearances shaping. Reporter jumped back as the body shifted into that of a girl, a blue messy pigtail with purple and pink streaks forming itself. The figure then formed itself a white crop top and black short shorts.

“What the hell?!” Reporter exclaimed. “I didn’t turn it on!”

The android opened its eyes, revealing beautiful, blue eyes. “Sorry for hacking into your android! My name is Projekt Melody!” The android exclaimed, giving Reporter a ‘V’ sign. “Wow, this body is really cool! The stuff I can do with this!”

“Uh, would you mind giving my android back?” Reporter rubbed the back of his neck. “I worked really hard on it.”

“Nope!” Melody closed her eyes. “Oh, everyone’s heading to Japan!” I’ll head there too!”

The android’s feet were replaced by rocket boosters and Melody rocketed off, crashing through the ceiling. “Well, sorry Ryan,” Reporter looked up at the hole in the ceiling, sighing and shaking his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess he’s your problem now.”

“I miss my old world, Jam,” Yuni said. She’s stroked the small alicorn’s fur as she laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. “Making friends has been hard.”

“What about that one boy?” Jam spoke in her mind. “He seemed nice enough. I could detect something else, though. Something… powerful.”

“Something you consider powerful?” Yuni asked, looking at her familiar. “Just how strong do you think he is?”

“Get me some bread and you’ll find out,” Jam said, closing its eyes again.

“Jam-,” Yuni was about to stop the familiar, but it was too late. He was already fast asleep. “I guess the bread thief must rise again.”

Things have been kind of hectic these past few days, Ryan said, flopping on the bed. We had demons, goddesses, and your own sensei? Things have been eventful.

“Things are only going to get more exciting from here,” Edhas said matter-of-factly.

Why do you think so? Ryan asked.

“I just have a feeling,” Edhas said, excitement oozing from his tone. “A storm is brewing, and we’ll be in the center of it.”

-Intro Arc End-

Chapter Text

Day 12: Toilet Horror

Ryan opened his eyes, his natural clock getting used to waking him up at the wake of dawn, no matter what time he goes to sleep. He sat up, sighing as he wound up his arms. Kiara had since stopped calling him in the morning as Ryan had gotten good enough at waking up by himself. Morning, Edhas, he thought to himself as he stood up, cracking his back.

“What’s with this good morning shit?” Edhas asked as Ryan opened his closet, grabbing his favorite pair of black sweatpants. “You never greet me good morning.”

Can’t I be polite for once in my life? Ryan asked his other half, putting on a black hoodie, “Ryan Shade” written across the chest with a slash through it. If Sabrina was going to drop merch of him, he might as well wear it. Plus, Sabrina sent him a free hoodie just because. Since we’re stuck together, I might as well do the little things, like greet you every morning.

“Whatever,” Edhas said. If he had a physical body, Ryan would swear that Edhas was crossing his arms and looking away in a pout. “Just get to work.”

Yes sir, Ryan smiled as he grabbed his wallet and phone before walking out the door.

“Ah, Hoshimachi-san,” Ryan greeted as he saw the blue-haired girl walking along with someone who looked exactly like her if she had pink hair and pink eyes. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Oh, that was the guy who ran into you a while ago!” The pink-hair girl exclaimed, jumping and pointing a finger at Ryan.

“I don’t remember ever doing that,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Me neither,” Suisei said, looking at her clone. “Anemachi, are you alright?”

“I’m perfectly alright!” The girl, Anemachi pouted at Suisei.

“Ryan, this is my sister, Anemachi,” Suisei introduced. “Anemachi, this is Ryan Shade.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Anemachi-san,” Ryan bowed slightly.

“Woah, I’ve heard about you!” Anemachi exclaimed. “I’ve seen your clips! They’re totally badass!”

“To this day, I still don’t know how the internet got those clips,” Ryan grumbled. “But yes, those clips are of me.”

“You have me to thank for that,” Suisei winked, waving her hand smugly.

“You?!” Ryan exclaimed.

“Well, I think it’s time for us to go, Anemachi!” Suisei grabbed Anemachi’s wrist and ran off before Ryan can react.

“Well that just happened,” Ryan sighed.

“You should-,”

Don’t. Even. Think about it, If Ryan could glare at Edhas, he would have.

“Fine, whatever,” Edhas grumbled as Ryan walked off on his way to work.

“Morning Ryan!” Kiara exclaimed as soon as Ryan walked into the restaurant. “How are you today?”

“Edhas is predicting that shit will hit the fan soon, so I’m excited,” Ryan said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“What do you mean by that?” Kiara put a finger on her chin.

“Apparently a bunch of beings are coming here,” Ryan explained. “We’re going to be getting a lot of business from here on out.”

“Really?!” Kiara squealed. “That’s great! I’ve always wanted this restaurant to be really busy!”

“Well, that’s you,” Ryan sighed. “I just want to keep my head on straight, which the chances of that staying true aren’t looking too good.”

“Oh, don’t be such a killjoy!” Kiara ran over, slapping him on the back. “It’ll be fun!”

“I’m sure it will be.” Ryan said as his clothes shimmered before instantly changing to his KFP uniform. “For you.”

“Hey Ryan,” Ryan turned to see Sabrina, cradling a broken arm.

“What the hell?!” Ryan exclaimed, running over to her friend. “What happened?!”

“I had an accident on the toilet,” She chuckled as Ryan started to heal her arm.

“Shut up and let me focus,” Ryan grumbled.

“You know, I remember when I was on the other side of this,” Sabrina giggled, flicking Ryan in the forehead.

“You know, I think I like being on this side of things,” Ryan sighed as he heard a loud pop.

“I could have done that better,” Sabrina said, wincing.

“Well, I’m sorry I still haven’t gotten a hang of the magic that I got less than a year ago,” Ryan grumbled.

“Hello!” The doors burst open, revealing a girl with pink hair and cat ears. Ryan didn’t call her a cat girl because she didn’t have a tail. The girl looked around before locking eyes with Kiara. “I remember you!”

“Nyanners?” Kiara tilted her head. “I’m sorry, it’s been a while. I wasn’t exactly doing much one thousand years ago.”

“That’s me,” The girl, Nyanners nodded her head. “Do you have a toilet here? Sabrina’s broke.”

“Don’t bring her to the toilet,” Sabrina said, her face pale.

“Sure!” Kiara chirped, completely ignoring Sabrina’s warning. “Follow me!”

For the sake of the Teen Rating on this fic, the events that happened in the bathroom will not be elaborated on. Luckily, Ryan was there to clean up Kiara’s mess, as usual. “Okay, you are not hooking up with her,” Edhas declared.

Glad we can agree on that one, Ryan replied.

“I warned you,” Sabrina said, using magic to dry herself off.

“That was very interesting,” Nyanners rubbed her chin, nodding inquisitively. “Maybe I should study soda machines next. Such a fascinating invention.”

“Maybe you can study another soda machine before I give you the opportunity to study a railgun,” Ryan grumbled, still mad that he had to spend an hour scrubbing the bathroom clean.

“What’s a railgun?” Nyanners tilted her head in intrigue. “Is it capable of holding pee?”

“Alright, that’s-,”

“Ryan, don’t!” Kiara had to physically restrain Ryan from attacking the girl.

“Morning guys, I’m bac-,” Grimm walked through the doors but stopped when he saw the scene in front of him. “Man, who pissed in his coffee?”

“I did,” Nyanners raised her hand, turning to see Grimm. Her eyes widened in shock when she realized who she was talking to. “Hey! You’re the guy who stood there and did nothing while those assholes sealed me!”

“Hey, I was death at the time,” Grimm shrugged. “It’s not like I could do anything even if I wanted to.”

“You better be ready once I learn how to weaponize toilets,” Nyanners vowed. “I will get my revenge and take over the world.”

“Hey!” Kiara called over, catching everyone’s attention. “I’m going to be the one taking over the world.”

“Only once you clock out, Tenchou,” Ryan added in helpfully.

“Time and place, Ryan!” Kiara pouted.

“Who was the one that sealed you?” Ryan asked Nyanners, his interest piqued.

“It was actually YAGOO,” Grimm replied, taking a seat. “Shade helped a bit, but it was mostly YAGOO.”

“Is that what he’s going by now?” Nyanners scoffed. “How dumb.”

“Here’s your order, Nyanners-san,” Ryan said, placing a bag of salt in front of the eldritch horror. He decided to take a page out of Kiara’s book, remembering his first day when Kiara gave Amelia a bag of salt.

“Not funny,” Nyanners grumbled.

“It’s funny to me,” Ryan shrugged.

“Does the afterlife have a toilet?” Nyanners turned to Grimm.

“I’ll make sure to stop by and have them removed when I get back,” Grimm chuckled.

“Guys, we should stop bullying the little girl,” Sabrina said. “Even if she wrecked two toilets already.”

“I’m not a little girl!” Nyanners pouted. She then grabbed her dress, intending to pull it up.

“Nope,” Grimm snapped his fingers, and Nyanners vanished in a torrent of black flames.

“You’re my hero,” Ryan gave an exasperated sigh.

“I always have been,” Grimm winked before standing up and leaving.

Coco sighed as she heard a knock on the door. “What is it now?” Kanata was out grocery shopping and Coco was taking her day off from streaming. Suisei and Watame were busy today, so it couldn’t be them, so who would it be? She walked over, holding a gun behind her back just in case and opened the door. She flinched slightly when she saw two women, one with crimson hair and two dragon horns, her amber eyes glowing while the other one was blonde with nails sticking out of her head, her blue eyes sparking with electricity.

“Hime-san,” Coco said, looking the two women back and forth. “Who is this?”

“My name is Zentreya,” the redhead introduced herself, putting a hand to her chest. “People call me Zen. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“I apologize for the intrusion, Kiryu-san,” Despite the constant smug smirk plastered on Hime’s face, she was very well spoken, using proper honorifics practically all the time. “Zen-san and I are going to be residing in Japan for the foreseeable future and are looking for a place to stay. Is it possible for us to stay at your place?”

“Ah, fuck,” Coco sighed. “To be honest, I’m not sure if my roommate would appreciate that. I have a few men on the inside of the real estate business. I’ll hook you up with someone.”

“Listen here-,” Smoke flared from Zen’s nostrils, but Hime stopped her before things got out of hand.

“Thank you, Kiryu-san,” the smile on Hime’s face softened a bit. “You still have my phone number, right?”

“I’ll call you with a place set up in ten minutes,” Coco said. With a curt nod from both sides, Coco closed the door as Hime and Zen left. Coco heaved a sigh. “At least there wasn’t a fight.”

“Heads up,” Edhas said. Ryan was walking home from work when he passed by a horned woman and a woman who seemed to have a metal plate on their head. “Those two are dragons.”

Dragons?! Ryan stopped, looking back at the two apparent dragons that just passed him.

“Well, one of them is a half dragon,” Edhas replied. “The other one… I’m not too sure. Seems a bit cybernetic. Maybe a dragon cyborg? Definitely not human-developed.”

Great, Ryan grumbled to himself as he turned around. You really weren’t kidding when you said a storm was brewing.

“My intuition is always on point,” Edhas said smugly.

“That kid we just passed,” Zen said, putting her hands behind her head. “He seems interesting. Did you get anything on him?”

“According to the scanners, his name is Ryan Shade,” Electricity crackled from Hime’s electric blue eyes. “According to information from the web, he has a magic and physical combat rating of A, though my magic sensors are detecting something hidden within his magical system.”

“Interesting,” Zen cracked her knuckles. “Maybe you were right. This Ryan Shade may really be the challenge we’re looking for.”

Chapter Text

Day 13: Dragon’s Roar

Ryan cracked his neck as he opened the door. Today is going to be a good day, right?

“Keep telling yourself that,” Edhas grumbled as Ryan set off to walk to work. Suddenly, Ryan’s phone started to ring. Ryan looked at the phone as it rang. It wasn’t Kiara’s number. Well, as an adult, he felt an obligation to answer any phone call he gets. If it’s a scam call, he could just anyways.

“Hello-,”

“GOOD MORNING MOTHERFUCKERS!” Coco’s voice exclaimed through the phone.

“Oh, morning Kiryu-san,” Ryan said. He’s heard enough of Kiara’s screaming not to be fazed by Coco exclaiming her catchphrase. “How did you get my number?”

“I’m the chairman of the yakuza,” Coco said. “I have everybody’s number.”

“Remind me not to piss you off,” Ryan said. “What did you need?”

“I wanted to warn you that a half dragon and a cybernetic dragon are in town,” Coco said. “I can’t think of any reason in why they would come here other than to show up to the KFP.”

“Why would they come to the KFP of all places?” Ryan asked. “Isn’t there like a magical bar or something?”

“Roberu’s bar doesn’t have a combat celebrity working there,” Coco deadpanned.

“Who knew that being famous would be such a pain in the ass?” Ryan grumbled. “Thanks for the heads up, Kiryu-san.”

“No problem!” Coco chirped. “If you all fight, call me. I want to see.”

“I like this one,” Edhas said suggestively. “Maybe you should hook up with her.”

Are you kidding? Amane san will kill me, Ryan said. He’s seen the friendship rings. It’s only a matter of time before those friendship rings turn into wedding rings.

“You’re not denying your infatuation,” Edhas pointed out.

“I’ll be sure to call you if that ever happens, but I hope that won’t be the case,” Ryan said aloud. He deduced that ignoring Edhas would be the best course of action.

“Hey! Stop ignoring me!”

“Alright! I’ll see you soon!” Coco said before hanging up.

Hmm, what should I eat for breakfast today? Ryan asked himself as he sighed, putting the phone in his pocket.

“Fuck you!”

“Hey Tenchou,” Ryan sighed as he entered the store.

“What’s up?” Kiara was holding a wrench, smiling brightly. “Hey, I’m taking another go at that gaming console thing! Take a look!”

“Kiryu-san called me earlier,” Ryan said, walking around the counter. He sighed, slamming his palm to his face as he saw the burning pile of junk before him. “It’s better than the pile of ash you made last time.”

“Hey!” Kiara jumped up, pulling down a screen from nowhere. She tapped a random part of the molten heat and KFP’s Gaming Company logo appeared on the screen.

“How the hell did you do that?” Ryan asked. “You know what, that doesn’t matter. Kiryu-san said that two people are probably going to be demanding a duel today.”

“Really?!” Ryan anticipated dread, much like the time when he fought Enma, but Kiara’s face brightened with delight. “I’ll be right back! I have to call Senchou and Suisei-senpai!”

“If you record this, I swear,” Ryan grumbled.

“Is this where Ryan Shade works?” The doors flew open, revealing two familiar women.

“Hold on,” Ryan raised a hand. “I need to call Kiryu-san. She wants to watch the fight.”

“Figures,” The blond woman said, electricity crackling from her eyes. “My name is Hime Hajime.”

“Zentreya,” The redhead growled, a feral grin on her face, skin pricking with anticipation. “It took forever to find this place. I hope it was worth it.”

“Sure,” Ryan grabbed his phone from his pocket. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“So, I heard my best man was getting his ass ground pounded,” Amelia said, an unlit pipe in her mouth.

“Ame, you know how bad that stuff is for you,” Ryan grumbled, more of a statement than a qustion.

“That’s why it’s not lit,” Amelia offered Ryan a wink. “Kind of like you.”

“You know, I really hate you sometimes,” Ryan sighed, shaking his head in disapproval.

“GOOD MORNING MOTHERFUCKERS!” Coco exclaimed, flying in with dragon wings.

“Are you sure about this, Coco?” Kanata asked, flying down next to her. Her wings were stitched up due to one of her friends apparently tearing them off to use them the previous week.

“C’mon, Kanatan! It’ll be fun!” Coco chirped before walking up to Ryan. “You think you got this?”

“I mean, I have Edhas,” Ryan said hopefully.

“Nah, I want to see how you’ll do on your own,” Edhas said. “If things get dicey, I’ll hop in, but I can’t fight all of your battles.”

Bullshit! Ryan exclaimed in his head.

“Apparently Edhas is abandoning me, so I’m fucked,” Ryan sighed. “I guess I’ll do my best, then.”

“AHOY!” Marine arrived with a notepad, Suisei following closely behind with a camera.

“I don’t even want to know,” Ryan grumbled.

“Oh, we’re just working on a little…” Marine trailed off, giving Ryan a suggestive wink. “Project…”

“Sure,” Ryan grumbled. He wasn’t able to stop them from doing what they want, so he decided to ignore them.

“Can we fight now?” Zen asked impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan grumbled as he walked outside, facing both Zen and Hime. “Are you going to double team me or something?”

“Exactly,” Hime’s smirk widened, the electricity in her eyes intensifying. “We need to see if you’re a challenge.”

“Don’t you realize how you’re contradicting yourself?” Ryan asked.

“Heads up, dipshit,” Edhas said. “Got a present for you.”

A present? Ryan’s question was answered when a glow appeared in front of him, revealing two pistols, the color scheme not unlike Edhas’s famed black and white swords.

“It uses magic as ammunition.” Edhas explained. “Did you really think I used all my free time listening to you bitch and moan?”

Thanks, Edhas, Ryan smirked despite his other half’s crass comment.

“Let’s do this.”

With that, the three charged at each other. The two dragonkin went for a slash on opposite sides of Ryan. Both of their hands have turned into claws, one charged with lightning and the other with fire. Ryan jumped over them, doing a flip. Halfway through the flip, he aimed his two new guns at his opponents, channeling his magic into them. When he pulled the trigger, he was surprised when two small lasers fired from the guns, the recoil reversing his flip. Zen and Hime held out their claws to block the attack but were launched back several feet as Ryan did a flip in the opposite direction that he started, stumbling to his feet.

You didn’t tell me that they were this strong! Ryan growled at his other half.

“Why would you expect anything less than the best from me?” Edhas shot back smugly. “It’s also capable of elemental magic.”

Noted, Ryan said as he charged the guns with magic. Zen charged at him again while Hime charged a beam from her mouth, firing it at him. Ryan charged one of his guns with extra magic and shot a bean of his own, intercepting Hime’s attack before narrowly dodging Zen’s strike, charging a small amount of magic to his other gun, shooting the half-dragon point blank. Ryan made sure for it not to hurt too badly, but it was enough to send her sprawling.

“He’s not bad,” Amelia said, tossing a handful of popcorn in her mouth, Kiara had set up some plastic chairs and tables for everyone to relax and watch the fight. “I totally rubbed off on him.”

“You’re going to be selling that footage to the RSFC, right?” Marine asked Suisei, who had a camera set up with a tripod.

“Of course,” Suisei offered the pirate captain a sweet smile. “They’re willing to pay a ludicrous amount of money for footage of Ryan fighting.”

“I’m so proud of my little egg,” Kiara wiped a tear from her eye.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Coco said. “Looks like things are about to turn around.”

“What do you mean?” Kanata asked, snugged up with Coco in a blanket.

“Oh, my little Kanatan,” Coco placed a hand over the small gorilla angel’s head. “You still have a lot to learn.”

“Not bad,” Zen sprouted wings, flying up, shooting a jet of fire at Ryan. He tumbled out of the way. He barely noticed that Hime was already preparing a strike to his face. Ryan threw his hands up, reinforcing his arms with magic, but the strike to the face never came. Instead, he felt a sharp pain in his gut as an electric-charged fist slammed into his stomach, sending him sprawling.

“You should have caught that feint, dumbass,” Edhas said as Ryan forced himself to his feet.

Bite me, Ryan growled as he zigzagged his way to Hime, who was still on the ground. Ryan dismissed the guns, fortifying his fists with magic. He then launched a flurry of blows at her, trying his best not to give her an opportunity to attack. When he slammed his fist through her face, he didn’t feel anything hit.

An afterimage?! By the time Ryan noticed, it was too late. He felt us muscles tense as electricity coursed through his back. He flew to the ground.

“Not bad,” Hime chucked, looking down at Ryan. “But not quite enough. I believe that this battle is over.”

“Disappointing,” Zen said as she flew down next to Hime.

“Fine, I’ll go ahead and save your ass,” Edhas said, letting himself taking over Ryan’s body. “You owe me one.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” With an explosion of magic energy, Edhas stood up, his eyes glowing purple as two swords appeared in his hands. “As much as I enjoyed you kicking the crap out of my other half with that cheap shot of yours, I can’t let that happen.”

“Holy shield!” Kanata jumped from her blanket, holding out her hands. Her halo flew over to her palms and started to spin as a barrier spread around the spectators, protecting them from the murderous intent flying in every direction.

“Kanatan~,” Coco whined, snuggling with the blankets. “It’s cold without you here~.”

“Coco, do you see that?!” She pointed to Edhas’s menacing appearance.

“Eh, it’s not that uncommon,” Kiara said, munching on a chicken leg.

“Sucks that we didn’t get see Ryan fight more,” Amelia said, finishing her tub of popcorn and moved on to a cup of tea. “He did pretty good against two dragons, though. I don’t know if I could do that. What do you think Senchou?”

Marine was too busy muttering to herself and writing notes as Suisei seemed to be infatuated with her camera. “Well, at least they’re projecting their thoughts.”

“The hell?” Zen tensed up, smoke flaring from her nostrils.

“Looks like he has stopped holding back,” Hime crossed her arms underneath her chest, her smirk gone. “The magic scouter says the power level is over 9000.”

“Over 9000?!” Zen exclaimed. “That’s… actually not that strong.”

“Let me say my references,” Hime sighed. “His Magical and Physical Combat Ratings are both SSS*.”

“I thought your sensors didn’t have a SSS level,” Zen said.

“It’s not that,” Hime said. “I just haven’t met anyone with that kind of power yet.”

“Are you done sizing me up?” Edhas asked, sighing impatiently. “Sorry, I just have to be polite in situations such as these.”

“You…!” Zen growled, rushing over to Edhas, both hands now shifting into flaming claws. Edhas casually stepped back, tossing his swords up in the air before assuming a fighting stance. He then threw a punch, but it looked like nine fists flying towards Zen at once. Zen crossed her arms, intending to block as many of the hits as possible. Surprisingly, only one hit actually landed. Much like Hime did to Ryan, he pulled a feint, just to a higher degree. Zen flew back as Edhas hit her in the gut, crashing into a wall.

“Not bad,” Hime said as Edhas caught his swords. Her arms retracted, twin cannons taking their places. She then charged a beam with her mouth and her two cannon arms, shooting a beam several times larger than Edhas’s entire body. Edhas slammed one of his swords in the ground and channeled energy into it. The beam collided with the sword, the sword acting as a sort of barrier. Edhas cast an invisibility spell and snuck behind Hime. Since there was still resistance against the beam, Hime assumed that Edhas was still there, trying to push back the laser, but to her surprise, Edhas dispelled the invisibility spell, and a sword appeared mere inches from her throat.

“Looks like I win,” Edhas said.

“Sucks that we couldn’t have continued this fight for longer,” Hime sighed. “But alas, a defeat is a defeat.”

“Hey Edhas!” Kiara called over. “Remember, you’re cleaning up the mess!”

“I’ll just leave it to Ryan,” Edhas sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he dispelled his swords.

“Hey!”

“So, that was fun,” Kiara smiled. It didn’t take long for Ryan to fix the outer lot and for everyone to relocated back into the KFP.

“I’m totally going to be challenging you to a rematch!” Zen laughed.

“You are most impressive, Ryan Shade,” Hime said. “You and your… Edhas.”

“I guess we make a pretty good team,” Ryan said. “Edhas deals with the fighting and I deal with all of the, in his words, ‘boring shit’.”

“I’m not wrong,” Edhas said in Ryan’s head. Ryan just waved him off. He wasn’t talking to Edhas at the moment.

“To be honest, I think I like this Edhas figure,” Hime said.

“See?! I told you!” Edhas shouted in Ryan’s head.

“Now I must defeat and kill him in righteous combat.”

“I take back my previous statement.”

“I would be eternally grateful if you do,” Ryan said.

“Hey, Hime! Let’s train!” Zen slapped her friend on the back. “We need to be able to kick his eyes next time!”

“Yes, Zen-san,” Hime stood up, sighing. “It was nice meeting you Ryan.”

“Nice meeting you too,” Ryan smiled. As the two dragonkin left, Ryan turned, a menacing smile on his face. Kiara, Suisei, and Marine stiffened, Coco pulled Kanata close to her, and Amelia just laughed.

“Now,” Ryan said, his murderous intent flaring despite his smile. A tick mark appeared on his forehead. “Where the hell is that camera?”

Chapter Text

Day 14: HoloDating (Matsuri Have Mercy)

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara called through the phone.

“I thought you weren’t going to call me anymore,” Ryan said. Not that he was annoyed or anything, but it was a surprise.

“Ah, I’ve prepared something special for you today!” Kiara chirped. Ryan could hear the excitement pouring from her voice. Usually when Kiara was excited, that meant Ryan was in danger, considering the last time that happened, Ryan got shot in the head.

“Should I be excited or nervous?” Ryan asked.

“C’mon, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“You’d be surprised,” Ryan grumbled. “I’ll see you in five.”

Fortunately, the windows weren’t covered this time, but Ryan noticed that Marine was sitting and chatting with Kiara. “Morning Tenchou, Houshou-san,” Ryan said as he opened the doors.

“Why do you call Kiara-chan Tenchou but you call me Houshou-san?!” Marine exclaimed. “Call me Senchou!”

“If that’s what you want, Senchou,” Ryan said. As he understood it, Marine letting him call her “Senchou” was a sign of friendship and respect. “So, what am I doing here?”

“Kiara-chan asked me to do a huge favor,” Marine exclaimed. “Today, we’re going to get you a date.”

“Tenchou,” Ryan glared at his manager. “We talked about this.”

“What?” Kiara flinched, letting her index fingers touch while giving Ryan an innocent look. “You looked lonely.”

“To be fair, you are lonely,” Edhas said.

You don’t get a say in this, Ryan grumbled.

“Fine, I’ll humor you,” Ryan sighed, admitting defeat. “I guess your intentions are good enough, and if you set everything up already, I would feel bad if I rejected your offer.”

“Really?!” Kiara squealed. “Thank you, Ryan!”

"Let's get this over with," Ryan grumbled, bracing for the worst.

The first person to enter was Fubuki. “Fubuki-senpai!” Marine ran up to the cat fox girl. “We need your help!”

“Ah, you asked me to be here?” Fubuki tilted her head and put a finger to her chin, her tail swishing back and forth.

“We’re looking to get Ryan a girlfriend!” Kiara chirped.

“Wait, so you didn’t tell everyone before inviting them?” Ryan asked, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Ah, this one is quite strong,” Edhas said. “I approve.”

You don’t get to approve, you jackass pervert, Ryan grumbled.

“We are friends!” Fubuki exclaimed. “No waifu! We are friends!”

-999 Super Effective! Though Ryan wasn’t affected, he could hear Edhas’s cries of pain of being rejected. Normally, Ryan would be annoyed at this, but right now, it was music to his ears.

“Serves you right,” Ryan said, resisting the urge to smirk.

“But I have a friend!” Fubuki chirped. “I can bring her soon!”

“Really?!” Marine exclaimed. “Thank you, Fubuki-senpai!”

“But-,” Ryan started, but Kiara shot him a glare. “Thank you, Shirakami-san.”

“Anything for my friend!” Fubuki exclaimed before running off.

“I expected worse,” Kiara rubbed her chin, crossing off something on a notebook.

“Are you seriously charting this?” Ryan asked, sighing.

“You know, if this doesn’t work, we could always have dinner and a little bit more~,” Marine offered Ryan a suggestive wink.

“I’ll pass,” Ryan said. “I fear for my chastity.”

“That’s the point of dating, Ryan,” Kiara pointed out.

“Not on the first date,” Ryan shot back.

“Suit yourself,” Marine pouted.

“I heard Fubuki would be here?!” Matusri burst through the doors.

“You just missed her,” Ryan said.

“We’re looking to get Ryan a girlfriend!” Kiara exclaimed. “Would you mayhaps be a little interested~?”

“Is he a loli?” Matsuri asked, her eyes boring into Ryan.

“No…?” Ryan said, more confused and intimidated than anything.

“Then I’m not interested,” Matsuri declared.

“Should have seen this coming,” Kiara said, crossing off Matsuri’s name on her notebook.

“Don’t worry about it,” Edhas said. “Dating a goddess never ends well.”

And your sources are? Ryan asked.

“Experience.”

Yeah, like I’m ever going to believe that.

“Hellobo~,” Roboco cheered as she entered the restaurant, a cheery smile on her face.

-100 hp! Critical Hit! Edhas was still not as resistant to cuteness overloads as Ryan was, but Ryan still felt the attack.

“I must admit, she’s cute,” Edhas said. “Even if she is a robot. You should totally date her.”

“Roboco-senpai!” Kiara cheered. “What do you think of Ryan?”

“What do I think?” Roboco tilted her head with confusion.

-100 hp! Critical Hit! Edhas groaned in pain as the cuteness meter rose.

“It really isn’t healthy for my heart to be around all these cute girls,” Edhas said.

You don’t have a heart, Ryan pointed out.

“You don’t know that.”

Whatever.

“Ryan is a very kind person,” Roboco started. “Even when he barely knew us, he still put his life on the line more than once for Kiara-chan and all of us. You treated all of us with respect, even when you were still a human in a time of distress. You’re a very strong and reliable person, keeping your word almost, if not all the time. You’ve grown so much from the person that Watson-san called in to have a therapy session with me. I’m so proud of what you’ve become, Ryan.”

“I’m…” Ryan stumbled over his words, searching for the right phrase. “I’m flattered. Thank you, Roboco-san.”

“It’s only the truth,” Roboco’s smile grew.

-100 Hp! Critical Hit!

“Edhas, the joke is getting stale,” Ryan grumbled in his head.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it that Roboco-san is so damn cute,” Edhas said, and to be fair, he had a point.

“So, what would you think about being his girlfriend?” Kiara asked, a bit too bluntly to be honest.

“G-girlfriend…?” Roboco’s face flushed for a moment before fading, her eyes going blank. “Processing… processing…”

“I think you broke her,” Ryan said.

“Unable to compute, engaging tactical retreat,” Roboco said in a monotone voice before turning around and walking away, as if on autopilot.

“I’m relieved, but I don’t know whether or not to be offended or not,” Ryan said.

“Don’t worry about it!” Kiara crossed off Roboco’s name. “There are plenty more.”

“Alright, let me see the list,” Ryan said. “If you’re going to drag them into this, I might as well prepare them something.”

“Yo dayo!” Ayame burst through the doors excitedly.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Edhas said. “She’s just… too cute.”

That’s your problem, Ryan said. Despite his crass words, he was preparing his heart or anymore.

“Ojou!” Kiara squealed. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

“Kiara-chan!” Ayame dived over the counter, tackling Kiara in a hug. Kiara laughed as she wrapped her arms around Ayame, not caring that she just jumped the counter. “What did you need from me?”

“Ah, we’re looking to get Ryan a girlfriend!” Kiara answered excitedly.

“Ah, what does that have to do with me?” Ayame asked, tilting her head.

-9999 Hp! ULTRA COMBOOOOOO!

“It’s a wonder I’m still alive…” Edhas managed. “She’s too pure. I can’t let you date her.”

“I refuse to drag Nakiri-san into this any longer,” Ryan said, putting his foot down. He placed a place of sweets on the counter. “Here’s some dango for you, Nakiri-san.”

“Dango!” Ayame vaulted over the counter and stuck a stick of dango in her mouth, smiling brightly.

-99999 Hp! Game Over!

“I should have expected this,” Kiara sighed, shaking her head while crossing out Ayame’s name. “We have quite a few left, so don’t worry!”

“Perfect,” Ryan grumbled.

Ryan was surprised to see Choco’s name on the list next. “Why is Choco-sensei on this list?”

“Er…” Kiara shuffled nervously.

“Choco-sensei is such a catch,” Marine swooned. “You’d be lucky to have her.”

“Isn’t she a bit… old…?” Ryan asked.

“Don’t worry about it!” Kiara slapped Ryan on the back. “Gura’s 9000 years older than Ame! Age is just a number!”

“But-,” Ryan sighed, realizing there was nothing he could do. “Whatever.”

“Ara, what’s this~?” The doors opened, everybody’s head swiveling towards Choco’s voice.

“Ah, we’re trying to get Ryan a girlfriend!” Kiara chirped.

“Oh, you want me to date my student~?” Choco smiled. “How scandalous~”

“That’s the one,” Edhas said. “Date that one.”

Can you think with your brain for once in your life? Ryan growled.

“What do you think, Ryan~?” Choco winked at Ryan.

“I think…” The gear’s in Ryan’s brain whirled. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“The toilets are still broken,” Kiara said.

“Ah, shit.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t accept Choco-sensei’s offer,” Marine sighed. “I wish she would offer to have me for dinner.”

“That’s exactly why I denied the offer,” Ryan said. “Again, I prefer to keep my sanity, and more importantly, my chastity.”

“Killjoy,” Marine booed.

“OMAEEEEEE!” Subaru barreled through the doors, pointing at Kiara. “Choco-sensei told me what you were up to!”

“What’s wrong with getting Ryan a girlfriend?” Kiara asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“What’s wrong? WHAT’S WRONG?!” Subaru exclaimed. “Why did you have to drag me into this?! Ui-mama is going to go ballistic!”

“Shit!” Kiara and Marine said at once. Kiara grabbed her notebook, hastily crossing off Subaru’s name.

“If you don’t live to the end of the week, then I apologize in advance,” Kiara turned to Ryan.

“Whatever,” Ryan grumbled. “It’s not like I’m not used to it.”

In an unknown location, Shigure Ui sharpened a knife, an annoyed smile on her face. “Who tried to sully the purity of my daughter…?” She asked herself, looking off into the distance of the abandoned building that she was stading on top off. "Looks like I have to re-educate someone..."

She jumped off the building and with a gust of wind, she was gone.

Ryan shuddered as if an unknown force was warning him to run. “Are there any more people?” He asked, his eyes pleading for release.

Kiara’s phone buzzed and she took it out, looking at it. “I guess Ina’s out,” she said.

“What happened?” Marine asked.

“She’s going to…” Kiara sighed, using finger quotes when she continued. “Take the alien and the fox to the moon, if you catch my drift.”

“Wow, I didn’t think Ina-chan was capable of picking up chicks,” Marine rubbed her chin. “She went from zero to two in a week. She’s been busy.”

“I guess that’s all of them, then,” Kiara sighed in defeat. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you a girlfriend, Ryan.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryan put a hand on his manager’s back in an attempt to comfort her. “Beats getting shot in the head anyways. I’m honestly content with my life. It’s not like I need a girlfriend to make me happy. All I need is you, the KFP, and everyone.”

“Really?!” Kiara tackled her employee in a hug. “It makes me so happy to hear that!”

“Ryan…” Ryan shuddered as he turned to see Calli, a murderous look on her face.

“I can explain…” Ryan said, sweat beading down his face.

“Oh, you’re fucked,” Edhas said.

You know what? I take it back, Ryan said as black energy started to form around Calli, her killer intent shooting out in all directions. This is much worse than getting shot in the head.

Miko put her phone in her pocket, ignoring Kiara and Marine’s text.

“What was it?” Silvervale asked, admiring one of the many sakura blossoms that lived in Miko’s shrine.

“Ah, my friends wanted me to come down and meet them at their restaurant,” Miko replied.

“What did you say?” Silvervale asked, letting a pink blossom drift into her hand.

“FAQ,” Miko said casually, causing the wolf girl to giggle.

“Maybe we should go tomorrow,” Silvervale turned to smile at the shrine maiden. “I would love to meet some of your friends.”

“Yeah,” Miko said, looking at the full moon, a soft smile on her face. “That would be nice.”

Chapter Text

Day 15: Blossoms

Ryan was surprised when Sakura blossoms danced in the wind throughout the city as soon as he exited his apartment complex. Edhas, do you know what’s going on?

“I’m detecting small traces of magic, from the blossoms,” Edhas informed. “My guess is either a Sakura spirit or a mage causing this. They don’t look harmful at all, so I’m edging towards a spirit.”

So, it’s not that much of a problem? Ryan asked, not taking a step from the building. It wouldn’t hurt for him to be cautious.

“No, it seems the magic was only used to summon the blossoms, not to use them for any other reason,” Edhas said. “Unless I’m missing something big, which I don’t do, then it’s completely safe.”

I don’t exactly trust you completely, but I have to get to work, Ryan grumbled, finally setting off for work.

“Yeah, you should-, Hey!”

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan sighed, walking into the restaurant as if yesterday’s… event never took place. To be fair, Ryan spent the better part of the day before trying to forget said event, but to no avail.

“Hi, Ryan!” Kiara said. “Good news! Miko’s coming and she’s bringing a friend!”

“Not that I’m not excited to see Sakura-san again,” Ryan remembered the brief encounter with her at the shrine and her banter with Kiara and Moona, “but why is that good news as opposed to anyone else showing up?”

“I invited her to come yesterday, but she said she couldn’t make it (Read: FAQ),” Kiara cheered. “The search for a new girlfriend continues!”

“Great,” Ryan said, sighing profusely. “Just when I thought it was over.”

“Oh, it can’t be that bad!” Kiara chirped, a cheery smile on her face. “Unfortunately, I can’t afford for you to have another day off, so you have to work today.”

“You know, I’d rather work than be subject to you dragging more and more girls into this against their will,” Ryan said as he used magic to change into his uniform.

“Oh, you!” Kiara slapped Ryan’s back as he walked around the counter. “Don’t worry about silly things like that! This is fun, isn’t it?”

“I won’t deny that, but-,”

“Then why are you complaining?”

“Because-,” Ryan started, but stopped when he realized that anything he could have said would just fly over the fire bird’s head. “You know what? Whatever.”

“Nyahello~,” Miko’s voice rang throughout the room as she entered the joint, followed by a wolf girl with blue and pink hair. “The Elite Miko has arrived!”

“Hello! My name is Silvervale!” The wolf girl jumped up, waving enthusiastically to match Miko’s excitement, which she was doing surprising well. Suddenly, a large, floofy tail rolled out from under her skirt. “Ah, my tail!”

“Don’t worry about it!” Kiara chirped. “Just take a seat!”

“Thank you!” Silvervale bounced over to the counter, taking a seat with Miko. “It takes a lot of time to roll up my tail and shove it up my a- skirt.”

“You know, I doubt that I want to know,” Ryan said. “My name is Ryan Shade. It’s nice to meet you, Silvervale-san.”

“Oh, I know you!” Silvervale pointed at Ryan. “I’ve seen you on Mousey’s streams! She really simps over you.”

“Oh, now she’s plastering my face on livestreams?” Ryan grumbled. “She almost killed me the last time she came here.”

“That sounds like her alright,” Silvervale nodded contently, her tail swishing back and forth. “Why are you working at a KFP? You’re practically a celebrity. I heard your merchandise is selling a lot.”

“I mean, I am getting paid for that,” Ryan said, sighing. “I honestly just wanted to live a modest life and help out my friends. I never intended to become a celebrity. I’m happy enough with where I am in life.”

“Ryan…” Kiara looked at Ryan with sparkling eyes.

“Tenchou, time and place,” Ryan said, causing Kiara to snap from her stupor.

“Right!” Kiara chirped, turning to Silvervale and Miko. “What would you two like?”

“FAQ,” Miko said casually, causing Kiara and Silvervale to laugh.

“Am I missing an inside joke or something?” Ryan asked.

“Kind of,” Kiara said. “What about you, Silvervale-san?”

“I’ll have a cream pie,” Silvervale said.

“By that do you mean-,” Kiara licked her lips, but Ryan smacked her on the back of the head before she could say anything else.

“She means the dessert, Tenchou,” Ryan said. “Get your head out of the gutter.”

“Finally!” Silvervale exclaimed. “Someone who gets it! Every time I tell people my favorite dessert is cream pie, they always… why can’t it be called something else?”

“Beats me,” Ryan sighed.

“I’ll go make it!” Kiara volunteered.

“Fine,” Ryan said. “Just don’t put anything weird in it.”

“No promises~,” Kiara winked before walking off.

“You seem like a decent enough person,” Silvervale said, catching Ryan’s attention. “You remind me of someone I met long ago.”

“Huh, I tend to get that sometimes,” Ryan said.

Edhas you got anything? Ryan asked. Usually, Edhas was tied to things like this, like with the whole Peafowl situation (refer to chapter 2).

“For once, I don’t exactly know,” Edhas said. “If Shade was here, he could tell us.”

Well, he isn’t, Ryan said.

“Hm, you remind me of the wolves I knew back home,” Silvervale said. “Your magical aura is strong, but I sense a much fearsome beast that lurks underneath.”

“What’s with everyone being able to detect my presence?” Edhas groaned. “That shit is supposed to be secret.”

I mean, I don’t really care about that, Ryan said.

“What the fuck am I saying? I don’t talk like that!” Silvervale sighed to herself. “Your existence is interesting, though.”

“I’m flattered,” Ryan said. He turned to Miko to ask her thoughts on the matter, but she was swaying back and forth humming to herself.

“She’s quite cute,” Edhas said. “Maybe you should ask her out.”

FAQ, Ryan said.

“I’m back!” Kiara said, bringing out a slice of cream pie and a bowl of taiyaki. “One cream pie for Silvervale-san and one plate of taiyaki for Miko-senpai!”

“Thank you!” Miko said in broken Elite English as she dug into the fish cake.

“Looks… moist,” Silvervale poked the pie with her fork before taking a bite. “Just how I like it!”

“I’m happy that I can meet your standards, Silvervale-san,” Kiara smiled sweetly at the wolf girl.

“So, we’re looking for a girlfriend for Ryan-,” By the time Ryan clasped his hand over his boss’s mouth, it was too late.

“Fuck,” Ryan said. “Don’t listen to her.”

“You know, I think know the perfect person,” Silvervale rubbed her chin. “Do you know someone named Nyatasha Nyann-,”

“Yes!” Ryan and Kiara butt in at the same time. Ryan flushed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “She… kind of destroyed our toilets the other day.”

“I see,” Silvervale said, nodding thoughtfully. “There goes that prank idea.”

Ryan was going to say something but figured that trying to get him to hook up with Nyanners would probably be a top-tier prank. Unfortunately, he had already met the eldritch horror and had no interest in sparking any kind of romantic relationship with her.

“Thank you for the food!” Miko said, handing the empty plate to Ryan.

“The cream pie was really good!” Silvervale said, offering her plate to Ryan as well.

“No problem,” Ryan said.

“Hey! I was the one who made them!” Kiara pouted.

“Yeah, but you’re trying to hook me up,” Ryan said.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Kiara snapped.

“Everything,” Ryan said, causing everyone to laugh.

“Ryan,” Ryan jumped when he heard Silvervale’s voice from behind him. He had just clocked out and exited the alleyway when he heard Silvervale’s voice from behind him. He turned around to see the wolf girl, special headphones covering her wolf ears and her tail tucked in her skirt.

“What do you need, SIlvervale-san?” Ryan asked, a welcoming smile growing on his face. No need to act hostile.

“I can tell you attract a lot of trouble,” Silvervale said. “Zen and Hime’s aura are on you.”

“Huh, I didn’t know aura lingered like that,” Ryan said. “They challenged me to a fight the other day. I needed the help of my other half to beat them.”

“You won?” Silverdale asked, looking visibly shocked. “I’ve never heard of someone beating them.”

“I took them by surprise,” Ryan said. “I couldn’t have won if it weren’t for my other half.”

“Ah, so the thing hidden behind your aura,” Silvervale nodded inquisitively. “Anyways, it seems a lot of magical creatures are coming to this area.”

“I guess,” Ryan said. “What does this have to do with me though?”

“Not all of them have the best intentions,” Silvervale replied. “I can’t be too certain, but as a spirit of nature, it is my responsibility to make sure mother nature remains safe.”

“I won’t do anything bad,” Ryan said, raising his hands in surrender. “I never intended to do anything bad.”

“No, it’s not that,” Silvervale said, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s just… if anything bad happens, are you able to help out? Having someone like you on our side would be nice.”

“Sure, I live here too, but if I’m on your side, who’s on the other side?” Ryan asked.

“No one for now, but there is a real chance that things may rise up in the future,” Silvervale said.

“Fair enough,” Ryan said. “I’ll help if I need to.”

“Thank you,” Silvervale bowed deeply. “We shall meet again.”

“I guess we shall,” Ryan said as Silvervale vanished in a gust of wind and Sakura petals.

“I’m finally here!” Melody said as she landed on Japanese soil. She closed her eyes and activated her sensors, letting her memories integrate with the scanners as to scan out her friends. “Man, this body is really neat!”

She was surprised when she saw that all of her friends were in one city. “I guess I’ll go see Mousey first,” she said, letting her legs morph to rocket boosters as she flew off.

“Melody!” Ironmouse squealed as the android landed in front of the RSFC main building. Ironmouse tackled her friend in a hug. “How did you get a physical body?”

“Ah, I saw that someone was developing some magical android and decided to take it over,” Melody replied.

“What’s going-,” A brown-haired girl stepped out of the building and froze when she saw Melody. “Please don’t tell me that you hijacked Reporter’s magical android.”

“Was that his name?” Melody put her finger to her chin and tilted her head.

“Well, nothing you can do about it now,” The girl shook her head. “Anyways, my name is Sabrina Godson, chairman of the RSFC.”

“She’s been giving me a place to stay for the past couple weeks!” Ironmouse said.

“Since you’re… borrowing my friend’s android, I might as well let you in as well,” Sabrina said. “I’ll contact him and get the charger for you.”

“Really?!” Melody exclaimed. “Thank you, Sabrina! You’re the best!”

“Oh, you totally need to meet Ryan Shade!” Ironmouse said.

“Oh, I saw him on your stream!” Melody said. “You’ve met him before.”

“Yeah! He’s really nice!”

“You’re probably going to have to wait a few days before you can meet him though,” Sabrina said.

“Why?” Ironmouse tilted her head at the Masked Mage.

“Ryan has… an event to go to tomorrow,” Sabrina smirked, envisioning Ryan’s reaction to the phone call.

“Hello?” Ryan said, putting the phone to his ear. He didn’t know who wanted to call him at one in the morning, but his obligation as an adult forced him to pick up the phone.

“YUBI YUBI!” Korone exclaimed through the phone. “Hi Ryan!”

“What’s up, Korone-san?” Ryan asked. “It’s the middle of the night.”

“The wedding is tomorrow!” Korone exclaimed. “Don’t be late!”

“WHAT?!” Ryan exclaimed, jumping up from his bed. “I don’t even have a suit prepared! Oh fuck, oh shit!”

“That’s your problem!” Ryan heard Okayu’s voice in the distance.

“If you’re late, I’ll take your yubis!” Korone said before hanging up the phone.

“Are you kidding me?” Ryan groaned as he walked over to his closet.

“You know, that should be you,” Edhas said.

You sound like a mother who is a bit too excited for grandkids, Ryan grumbled.

“I just want you to have a happy partner in life,” Edhas said innocently as Ryan sighed, settling for the suit he wore for Kiara and Calli’s wedding.

I can’t catch a break, Ryan grumbled as he flopped on his bed. Right now, what he needed most was a nap.

Chapter Text

Day 16: Yubis Intertwined

Korone shuffled around nervously, her yubis shaking. Today was the most important day in her life: the day where she’ll walk down the isle with her soon-to-be cat wife. Despite her nerves, she couldn’t be happier. Okayu was the ‘bestest person in the world’ and she was hers. Korone gripped her wrist, taking deep breaths. When her yubis stilled, she clenched her fist, shooting it in the air. “YUBI YUBI!”

Okayu laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling while munching on a rice ball. The wedding started soon, but it was normal to arrive fashionably late, right? She sighed, stuffing the whole rice ball in her mouth. She was excited to marry Korone, but she was also scared. What if things go wrong in the relationship? What if they divorce? Okayu would be devastated. “No, I can’t think like that,” Okayu said to herself, standing up. “Koro-san is mine, and we will be happy together.”

“You up?” Edhas asked as Ryan turned over on his bed. “You have a wedding to attend to, remember?”

Don’t remind me, Ryan grumbled to his other half as he got out of bed. He cracked his neck and snapped his fingers and he was instantly found himself in a suit. You know, having magic is very convenient. It would suck if I got it taken away.

“Imagine if you got thrown back in time again,” Edhas snickered. “Damn, that would suck.”

It would be better if you came, Ryan sighed. I mean, things would be weird since I didn’t have magic or whatever, but I think we could get a lot of done together.

“Whatever,” Edhas sighed. “Let’s get going.”

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara called as Ryan walked up to HoloHQ. Kiara, Calli, Amelia, Gura, and Ina were waiting outside, casually chatting amongst each other. Ina was wearing a lavender dress while Calli and Amelia were wearing a lighter purple while Gura and Kiara were wearing a tannish color.

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan waved over as he joined the group. “Are you ready for the wedding?”

“Yep!” Kiara exclaimed, shooting her fist in the air before wincing. “Damn, I hate these heels.”

“Just deal with it, Kusotori,” Calli rolled her eyes.

“You don’t even have to wear heels since you’re so tall!” Kiara complained.

“Guys, we have to go prepare for the ceremony,” Amelia cut in. “You ready, Gura?”

“Yep!” Gura cheered. “I’m excited for the recession, though! Korone-senpai’s yubis are the best!”

“I guess I’ll see you guys at the wedding,” Ryan sighed as everyone except Ina left. “I guess you’re not a bridesmaid.”

“Well, since there’s three of us in the relationship, we can’t exactly all be on the altar,” Ina said.

“Wait, you got into a relationship?” Ryan asked.

“Humu-humu,” Ina nodded contently. “Nene and Polka went on a date with me a couple days ago. It went really well.”

“Congratulations,” Ryan said, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

“You really need to get on the whole relationship thing,” Edhas said.

Shut up, Ryan grumbled.

“You’d be so lost without me,” Edhas said.

Doubt it.

Ryan smiled as he saw Fubuki, Mio, and Ayame on the stage for the processional, singing a song that was apparently released a couple weeks ago. Ryan chuckled when he remembered what he was doing a couple weeks ago (read: getting his ass kicked by a manager). One by one, he saw couples walk down. Gura and Ame, Calli and Kiara, Moona and Iofi, Flare and Noel, and Sora and AZKi. Ryan was surprised to see Sora and AZKi walk down the aisle together, but it wasn’t really any of his business. If they got together, Ryan was happy for them, but that wasn’t a certainty. A-Chan walked down the aisle with the flowers before Aki walked down with the rings. Lastly, Okayu and Korone walked down the aisle with gowns that matched the color of their eyes. Ryan smiled as his eyes followed the couple.

When they met on the aisle, YAGOO walked out and introduced himself as the officiant. “Though we may have switched to an entertainment company, things have started to look up,” YAGOO said with a smile on his face. “Today we will witness the joining between cats and dogs. Today, we will join two people who are very important to hearts.”

As usual, Ryan tuned himself out during the readings. Not that he didn’t respect them, his attention-span was just too short. “Are you ready to go through with this?” YAGOO turned to ask the two.

“Yes,” Okayu nodded, a smile on her face.

“Of course!” Korone cheers.

“We will now proceed to the vows,” YAGOO said.

“I’ll start,” Okayu volunteered. “When I met you, Koro-san, I did not expect us to come up on here. Just a few years ago we were just trying our best to survive in a harsh world that hated us. I’ve always considered you a friend and when you asked me out last year, I was thoroughly surprised. Saying yes was one of the best decisions in my life. Right now, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you. I want to continue to be with you, to continue loving you, to do more OkaKoro streams with you. I want to live like this with you for the rest of my life.”

“Okayu, I love you,” Korone said, her face straining to make a serious expression. Ryan was surprised Korone could even make a serious expression since she was constantly happy all the time. “I love you more than yubis, more than bananas. I love you more than anything in the world. I don’t ever want to leave you. We will have more OkaKoro streams and we will love each other forever. I will never let you go.”

Aki then stepped up with the rings and silently put the rings on Korone and Okayu’s fingers, giving each other them a polite smile and nod as she did so. “With the power of kusa, I pronounce you two wife and wife,” YAGOO said, his smile widening. “You may kiss the bride.”

“Okayu!” Korone shouted, tackling her new wife into a kiss. Ryan chuckled at this. Some things will never change.

“Congratulations on your marriage,” Ryan said, walking up to Okayu and Korone, who were casually chatting amongst the crowd.

“Thank you,” Okayu smiled at Ryan. “I’m very happy with how things went.”

“Want one?” Korone shoved a fried finger in Ryan’s face.

“I’ll pass,” Ryan said, still not comfortable with the idea of eating a human finger.

“Koro-san, we talked about shoving things in people’s faces,” Okayu said patiently, putting a hand on Korone’s head.

“Sorry!” Korone said in broken English before shoving the finger in her mouth gleefully.

“Hi friend!” Fubuki said, walking up to Ryan.

“Hi Fubuki,” Ryan said, a soft smile on his face. He had a soft spot for the kitsune. She was just so… pure. “You did really good on stage today.”

“Thank you!” Fubuki smiled back at Ryan. “You should come join us on the dance floor with us! It’ll be fun!”

“Uh, I’m not much of a dan-,” Ryan was cut off when Fubuki grabbed his arm, pulling him over to the dance floor, much to his protest.

“We got Ryan on the floor!” The DJ, who happened to be Calli shouted. “For our next song, I’ll be playing Hinotori by the sexiest Phoenix in the world and my wife, Takanashi Kiara!”

As music started to play, Ryan sighed. Edhas, what do I do?

“Beats me, pal,” Edhas said. “I can fight, but I can’t dance.”

Didn’t you have a girlfriend before? Ryan asked, awkwardly shuffling to the music.

“Our dates consisted of killing eldritch horrors, not dancing at a school ball,” Edhas informed.

Shit.

Storm was sitting cross-legged in the void. With a flash of multiple colors, a pale-skinned man wearing a blue hoodie and a mask on the side of his head appeared. “What do you want, Nux?” Storm asked, standing up and turning to confront the man.

“I just wanted to visit a fellow resident of the void!” Nux walked up to Storm, clasping his shoulder and laughing joyously. “Man, Earth has been great! Why didn’t you ever tell me about anime? Shit’s great!”

“I was afraid of this happening,” Storm sighed. “How are you enjoying the new body?”

“The body’s working pretty well,” Nux said, winding his arms. “It’s pretty weird, though. I don’t like constantly having to eat n’ shit.”

“Yeah, that was a hassle,” Storm sighed, remembering when he was on the physical plane.

“Nux!” Grimm’s voice was heard as he ran over.

“Oh hey! You’re alive!” Nux called back as the two clasped hands in greeting. “It’s been a while, Grimm.”

“That it has been,” Grimm smiled brightly at Nux. “What have you been up to?”

“I discovered this wonderful thing called MeTube,” Nux started. “I get to talk about all the stuff I love to do and get paid for it! Can you believe that?”

“Yeah, Earth can be pretty nice at times,” Grimm said. Their conversation was cut off when Storm cried out in agony, clutching his right eye.

“Storm!” The two shouted in unison, rushing over to him as Storm forced himself to his feet. “Are you alright?!”

“I’m afraid the void has deemed my free will to be obsolete,” Storm sighed, letting go of his eye, revealing that it had gone completely black. “I don’t know how long I can hang on, but I’ll try my best.”

Chapter Text

Day 17: Moving Lines

As Ryan slept soundly, Edhas took over his body. He opened his eyes, making sure Ryan was still asleep. He grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

“Hello?” Reporter’s voice came through the phone.

“It’s me,” Edhas said.

“Just who I needed to talk to,” Reporter said. “Something’s starting to happen.”

“I know,” Edhas replied. “I need an order.”

“I know what you need,” Reporter said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I don’t want to, but I’m not sure if there’s any other way to resolve this,” Edhas sighed, wiping his eyes. “Just get it done.”

“Roger that, asshole,” Reporter said before hanging up.

“Whatever,” Edhas grumbled before letting Ryan take over again, letting the body sink into unconsciousness.

Sabrina sighed as she repaired the RSFC HQ for the third time that night. Melody and Ironmouse’s idea of ‘having fun’ was something very different than what Sabrina would consider fun. “Can you guys please lay off the explosions?”

“When can we see Ryan?” Melody asked. “I want to meet him.”

“I guess we can see him today,” Sabrina sighed. “I should be grounding you for stealing Reporter’s android, but whatever.”

“Yay!” Ironmouse cheered, causing another explosion to destroy the RSFC HQ.

“What have I gotten myself into?” Sabrina grumbled to herself.

“Wake the fuck up, dead beat,” Edhas said, waking Ryan up.

What crawled up your asshole and died? Ryan dragged himself out of bed, cracking his neck and his back.

“Nothing really,” Edhas said with a sigh. “I just don’t want to hear your bitching and moaning when you’re late for work.”

Fair enough, Ryan heaved a large sigh. Let’s get this over with.

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan said as he opened the door. He never got used to walking in the KFP. No matter how many times he did it, it always put a huge smile on his fice.

“Hey!” Kiara chirped, eating a fried chicken leg. “How did you sleep?”

“I’m a bit sore for some reason, but otherwise I’m alright,” Ryan heaved a sigh. “You know, I missed it back when days were eventful.”

“Ever since I’ve gotten permission to come back to this dimension after dying (read: KFP Chapter 29), I’ve been hoping cooler would happen,” Kiara said. “I don’t have to worry about dying anymore.”

“I have a feeling that my ability to cheat death has run out,” Ryan grumbled. “I mean, Uruha-san could revive me if I died.”

“You know, if you revived, I wouldn’t come back with you,” Edhas said. “I have too much magic power to bring back. The only other people that can’t come back are Shade and YAGOO.”

Well that blows, Ryan thought. Despite the banter he had with his other half, he could barely remember what life was like without. He felt inseparable to Edhas and he was truly a part of Ryan.

“You know I can hear your thoughts,” Edhas said smugly, giving Ryan a mental nudge.

Since when were you able to do that? Ryan asked. He knew Edhas could read his mind, but he didn’t know Edhas can convey things other than just words.

“There are a lot of things I can do but don’t care to,” Edhas replied. “Better watch your ass, loser.”

Whatever, Ryan thought before remembering he was in the middle of a conversation. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

“Nope,” Kiara shook her head, “but you haven’t changed yet.”

“Oh, my bad,” With a bit of magic channeled outwards, he was in his uniform. “I still can’t get over how convenient magic is.”

“Yeah, yeah, now get behind the counter before I send you to the Usual Room,” Kiara said.

“Yes Tenchou,” Ryan said stiffly before dashing to his manager’s side. He has yet to find out what the Usual Room is and he has absolutely no intentions of finding out after Amelia told him that the Usual Room footage is how Kiara deals with the dark web.

“Morning,” Ryan turned to the door to see Sabrina walking in. “Just a heads up, Ironmouse is coming back.”

“Oh shit,” Ryan groaned, his palm quickly connecting with his face.

“What did you expect? For her to show up once and never come back again?” Sabrina shook her head with a mixture of disappointment and puty.

“I hoped that was the case, but I see that it isn’t,” Ryan sighed.

“I don’t think she’s that bad,” Kiara said, causing her to get confused looks from both Ryan and Sabrina. “She reminds me of me whenever Calli is in the room.”

“That’s fair,” Ryan sighed, shaking his head.

“I’m back!” Ironmouse crashed through the door, an excited look on her face. “And I brought a friend with me!”

“Hello!” A girl with multicolored hair and ocean blue eyes walked in. Ryan noticed her movements were stiff and inconsistent, as if she was still getting used to her body.

“That girl,” Edhas said with a suspicious tone. “She’s using one of Reporter’s new magical androids. Reporter shouldn’t have finished preparing those for at least a couple more days.”

Reporter is making magical androids? Ryan asked. So that’s what he’s been up to.

“Welcome back,” Ryan gave Ironmouse his best customer support smile before turning to the girl. “My name is Ryan Shade. What’s yours?”

“You can call me Melody!” The girl said with an enthusiastic voice. “Mousey here has told me a lot about you.”

“You probably shouldn’t believe a word she says about me,” Ryan said. “She probably heavily exaggerates things.”

“There’s nothing I need to exaggerate about those abs-,”

“That’s enough from you,” Ryan cut in quickly. How was she even able to see those? Ryan almost never took off his shirt, only doing so when he absolutely needed to.

“She may or may not have followed you home the other day,” Edhas said.

And you didn’t tell me?! Ryan exclaimed in his head, genuinely betrayed.

“What? I thought it would make things interesting if I didn’t tell you,” Edhas said innocently.

Whatever, Ryan sighed. There wasn’t anything he could do about it, so he just let it go. “What would you like to eat?”

“I’ll just have some pancakes,” Melody said, taking a seat. “I don’t know if this android body needs food, but pancakes are amazing.”

“I still have that bowl of pink starburst that I prepared before you left if you want that,” Kiara said to Ironmouse.

“Pretty please?!” Ironmouse instantly directed her attention to Kiara.

“Sure,” Kiara smiled at the small demon girl. “I’ll make the pancakes too while I’m at it.”

“Wait-,” Ryan extended a hand towards his manager, but she was already gone. “Whatever.”

“Hey Ryan,” Sabrina caught his attention. “Are you getting a bad feeling about something?”

“Not really, but Edhas has been in a pissy mood since this morning,” Ryan said.

“That’s because something bad is going to happen,” Edhas said, a slight growl in his voice. “I have a really bad feeling.”

“Do you know how long you’re able to hold on?” Grimm asked as he channeled magic into Storm’s body, trying to ward off the entity who was trying to possess his body.

“Probably a week at most,” Storm grunted, looking visibly strained as his black eye flickered white. “What are we going to do when it takes over?”

“I’m sure Edhas has a plan,” Grimm assured his friend. “For now, all we can do is hope.”

I’m sure it’s nothing, Ryan waved Edhas off as Kiara came back with a large stack of pancakes and a bowl of pink starburst.

“How are you even able to cook things so quickly?” Ryan asked as Kiara placed the food on the counter.

“Magic phoenix fire,” Kiara answered simply.

“Makes sense,” Ryan sighed. “I think.”

“Ah, these taste even better in real life!” Melody exclaimed. “Makes me wonder about other things…”

“Break room’s off limits,” Ryan said instantly. He’s already had enough of Kiara and Calli going at it in the room where he eats Oreo and he was not about to let whatever Melody was thinking about to destroy his sanctuary.

“Boo,” Ironmouse said through a mouthful of pink starburst. “I can bang my hot robot wife wherever I want to.”

“Only I get to bang my wife in my break room,” Kiara said firmly. “I might let Ryan use it once he gets a girlfriend… or boyfriend. I won’t judge.”

“Very bold of you to assume I’m going to get a partner,” Ryan said.

“Yeah,” Edhas knew he couldn’t be heard, but couldn’t help but add his two cents in. “Even I’m starting to give up on the poor sod. He’s probably going to die alone.”

Can it, Ryan grumbled. “Wait, what even was the point of visiting again?”

“Beats me,” Melody and Ironmouse said at the same time, causing Sabrina to facepalm.

Flare sighed as she walked into the café, looking around. She was here to meet a friend, but she was kind of ticked off that she was dragged off to the café because she wanted to go on a date with Noel.

“Flare-chan!” Flare turned her head to see a demon girl with wavy, purple hair and amethyst eyes waving at her. Flare walked over and sat down on the seat across from her, eyeing the large glass of beer that was resting on the table.

“I thought we were going out for coffee,” Flare said. “Seriously, Mary-san. You need to work on your alcohol intake.”

“It’s fine!” The demon girl, Mary, waved the elf off as she took a large gulp of booze. “So, do you know why I asked you to come here?”

“I just thought you wanted to hang out,” Flare said. “Speaking of hanging out, where’s Patra-chan?”

“She’s out doing… whatever,” Mary said, a slight slur in her voice. “But that doesn’t really matter! I heard Kiara-chan and Senchou-chan were trying to hook up some guy?”

“Marine-chan told me all about it,” Flare shook her head, remembering the pirate retelling the events that happened that day. She was thankful she wasn’t invited. I think I owe Noe-chan an extra bowl of gyudon.

“Who is he? What’s he like?” Mary asked, an eager expression on her face. “Maybe he’ll finally be the one. Knowing my luck, he’s probably just another deadbeat.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard of him somewhere,” Flare couldn’t help but pity Ryan’s newfound fame. He seemed like a very introverted individual. He seemed fine with talking to the many members of Hololive, but Flare could tell he could be very nervous and uncomfortable when talking to anyone else. “Kiara-chan was trying to find a girlfriend for her employee, Ryan Shade.”

“Oh him?!” Mary exclaimed before giggling slightly. “He’s not bad. Maybe I should stop by the KFP myself. Senchou-chan said they had good booze.”

“Mary-san, your health,” Flare said, a genuinely concerned look on her face.

“I’ll be fine!” Mary said, putting a hand on Flare’s shoulder. “Anyways, how are things with Noel-chan going?”

“I was going to go on a date with her if it weren’t for you,” Flare said sternly.

“Oh, maybe I can come with you!” Mary said. “Noel-chan can be really good at flirting when she wants to be. Maybe I can ask for some tips.”

“Ryan,” Flare rubbed her temples. “I hope you’re ready for what’s going to come.”

As Ryan entered his apartment, a shudder went down his spine. Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?

“Because something is, dipshit,” Edhas said.

No, Ryan shook his head. I feel as if my chastity is in danger.

“Well, if you’re technically using my body, them-,”

I refuse to let you finish that thought, Ryan thought to himself, physically hitting his bed before flopping on his bed. Seriously, what has my life become?

Chapter Text

Day 18: Hellish Alcoholics

Ryan sighed as he got out of bed, looking around. He noticed that there was a large cardboard box by the door to his bathroom. It was about his height and about a foot and a half wide. What the hell is that?

“Don’t worry about that,” Edhas said. “Just something I ordered from reporter.”

How the hell were you able to do that? Ryan asked.

“Magic,” Edhas said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. “It’s for emergencies.”

You’re being too paranoid, Ryan thought to himself, shaking his head. Well, an insurance policy couldn’t hurt, I guess.

“Damn straight,” Edhas said. “Now get to work. I have a good feeling about today.”

You know, things never go well whenever you say that.

“I know.”

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan said as he opened the door to his work. Kiara shot up with an orange box and a video game controller shaped like a fried chicken. “Did you finally manage to make a console? The controller is a bit bulky.”

“Yep!” Kiara’s eyes shone with pride as she looked at her very own gaming console. “I like the controller this way. It’s not like I’m going to sell this or anything. This is my baby.”

“Well, how are you going to get games on it?” Ryan asked as he walked over behind the counter to stand next to his manager. “If you’re not going to sell it, why would game companies want to put their games on it?”

“KFP has a video game branch, you know,” Kiara said, putting the console in one of the many compartments under the counter. “I’ll just make them make games for it.”

“Whatever,” Ryan shrugged. He didn’t know how Kiara managed to make a gaming console, considering the fact that her last two attempts turned out to be a pile of ash and a bunch of scrap metal, but he decided to roll with it. He’s seen weirder things in his day. “Where’s your wife? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“You called?” Calli’s voice suddenly appeared as she stepped through a cloud of dark mist, scythe in hand. She sighed, taking a seat. “Grimm officially named me as Death a couple days ago, so I’ve been really busy. This has only been my second break since the wedding.”

“That doesn’t sound fun,” Ryan shot the reaper a pitying glance.

“It’s fine,” Calli waved her hand dismissively. “I’m a workaholic anyways. I’ll take some wine, please.”

“I order a few extra bottles, just for you~,” Kiara cooed, patting her wife on the head before grabbing a bottle of champagne and a wine glass from underneath the counter. Calli looked like she wanted to protest to Kiara’s head pats but was too tired to do so. “You’ve been working so hard. You deserve a break.”

“I guess so,” Calli gave Kiara a worn smile before taking a sip from her glass. “How have things been here? Hopefully not as busy.”

“Well, the past few days have been interesting,” Ryan said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You know, being a celebrity really sucks.”

“Welcome to my world,” Calli chuckled slightly at Ryan’s displeasure. “At least people like you.”

“There are a lot of people that like you too,” Ryan said. “I mean, being a Shinigami doesn’t help anything, but your music is very popular.”

“Fair enough,” Calli said, pouring herself another glass.

“You drink this stuff way too fast,” Kiara gave Calli an unreadable expression.

“It takes a lot more than a few glasses to get me drunk,” Calli said, shrugging.

“That’s not the problem,” Kiara pouted. Before Calli could open her mouth to reply, the doors opened. Ryan looked up to see a woman with curved horns and purple hair. Her amethyst eyes glinted in the light as her lavender dress flowed from side to side as she walked towards the counter, taking a seat two seats away from Calli.

“Is this the Magical KFP I’ve been hearing so much about?” The woman asked as she leaned in, putting her elbows on the counter as she held her hand up with her hands, a suggestive smile on her face.

“Yes, how so many people keep finding out about it is beyond me,” Ryan said. “My name is Ryan Shade.”

“Ah yes, I’ve heard many things about you,” The woman leaned forward a couple inches, her eyes sparking with interest. “I heard that Senchou-chan was trying to hook you up.”

“Please don’t remind me,” Ryan shot Kiara a glare, who shuffled uncomfortably. “Yes, Kiara and Houshou-san tried to hook me up. It didn’t go so well, though.”

“Interesting,” The woman giggled a bit. “My name is Saionji Mary. I’ve recently had bad luck with men, so when I heard the news, I decided to take a look.”

“Oh, you’re Mary-san!” Kiara exclaimed.

“Do you know her?” Ryan gave Kiara a confused look.

“I heard about you from Flare-senpai and Noel-senpai,” Kiara replied, giving Mary a big smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“They’ve told me some things about you two,” A soft smile grew on Mary’s face as she tilted her head to the side. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

“Hey, maybe this whole dating thing might now be a lost cause, after all,” Edhas quipped. “She seems nice enough.”

Not the time, Edhas, Ryan grumbled in his head. “First thing’s first, what would you like to order?”

“I’ll have some beer,” Mary said. “A lot of beer.”

Of course, there was something, Ryan said to himself.

“There’s nothing wrong with an alcoholic,” Edhas pointed out. “They’re usually fun to party with… usually.”

Don’t drink and drive, kids, Ryan thought to himself before turning to Kiara. “I actually don’t know where the beer is. Do we even have beer?”

“Oh, we have a ton,” Kiara said, walking over to the back room. “I’ll be right back with your order, Mary-san.”

“So,” Ryan shuddered as he turned to Mary. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Saionji-san, I’m not sure if I’m the kind of guy you want to associate with,” Ryan held his hands up, speaking honestly. “I honestly can’t judge what kind of person you are after only knowing you for a couple of minutes, but I’m not exactly normal.”

“Call me Mary,” Mary sighed, rubbing her temples. “At least you’re better than the last few guys I’ve dated. Most of them won’t even treat me with respect. I guess bar-hopping isn’t the best idea when you’re trying to look for marriage, though.”

“That’s fair,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Though he was okay with listening to her problems, he couldn’t help but feel awkward. Ryan was completely inept when it came to romance, people not even showing any kind of interest of him until just recently. He still didn’t know how to handle all of it properly and it really just stressed him out. “I’m really sorry about that, though. Things must have been tough, huh?”

“Thanks,” Mary gave Ryan a soft smile. “You don’t seem too bad, though.”

“My other half would like to disagree with you,” Ryan heaved a sigh.

“Other half?” Mary tilted her head. “You’re taken?”

“I wish it were that simple,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m kind of sharing this body with an alternate version of myself, you see. If you get roped with one of us, you get both of us.”

“That must be… interesting,” Mary said. “Depending on your other half, I might not mind all too much.”

“Really,” Ryan looked slightly shocked. “He’s been trying to hook me up with someone for the past couple weeks or so, so I’m sure you’re making him really happy.”

“Damn straight,” Edhas said. “I’m so proud of you, Ryan.”

Shut up, I’m not even sure about this, Ryan shot back. I don’t think I’m even ready for a relationship. I already have enough trouble projecting my feelings to people like Tenchou and Ame. I don’t think entering a relationship would be a healthy idea.

“That seems fair,” Edhas sighed in defeat. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to, I guess. Sure as shit not fun anymore.”

Who are you and what have you done with Edhas? Ryan resisted the urge to physically chuckle. It feel like it was just yesterday when you were kicking the crap out of me and threatening to destroy the world?

“Don’t tempt me,” Edhas growled.

“Ryan?” Mary’s voice snapped Ryan back into reality. “Are you okay? You seem to be spacing out.”

“Sorry, I was just conversing with Edhas,” Ryan said. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m-.”

“Ara, what’s this?” A familiarly seductive voice cut in as the doors open. Ryan focused his attention to the door to realize that Choco was standing at the entrance to the joint. “Mary-chan trying to steal Ryan from me?”

“Hold on, I never to agreed-,” Ryan stopped when Mary turned to stand, staring the demon nurse down, a smug smile on her face. He sighed. It wasn’t like they were going to listen to him.

“So, what if I am?” Mary asked, crossing her arms. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Perhaps I have to educate you a bit,” Choco said, her magic power rising.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to fight-,”

“Here’s your beer!” Kiara cheered as she ran out of the back room, a large glass pitcher of beer in her hand. She then saw the scene unfold before her. As Mary started to power up, a purple aura started to surround her while Choco’s aura was pink. “Hold on! Let me get another beer!”

As Kiara dashed back into the room, Ryan groaned, connecting his palm with his face. “Why isn’t anyone on my side today?”

“Here’s your food,” Aloe offered Storm a bento box. Storm took the box with an appreciative smile on his face.

“Thank you, Aloe,” Storm said, opening it. “I don’t know how long I would have lasted without you.”

“Thank you,” Aloe said, the concern not leaving her eyes. “So, what’s going to happen to you when it takes over?”

“My conscious will cease to be,” Storm looked down, not wanting to look Aloe in the eye as she gasped. “My body will merely become a vessel of its will. I suspect it will go after Ryan and Edhas.”

“I see,” Aloe sat down with Storm. “What are you going to do now?”

“I’ve seen enough death in my time,” Storm chuckled weakly, looking at his hands. “Maybe I’ll just spend these last days in peace.”

“Then I’ll stay here with you,” Aloe said, a weak smile on her face. She was still processing all of this, but she knew Storm. He had accepted the fate of becoming a puppet long ago and she knew it was weighing down on him, but despite that, he decided to go against the void’s orders to save Aloe, and now she is able to see her friends from time to time, which was a chance she never would have gotten if she died normally. She knew that Storm still cared and she knew that she cared about him. She placed a hand on Storm’s, causing him to look up at her. Aloe gave Storm a weak smile. “Till the end.”

“Thank you, Aloe,” Storm said as Aloe pulled him into a hug. “Thank you.”

Ryan sighed with relief as he entered his apartment. His apartment was his safe haven where he was safe from fabricated love triangles, crazy immortal managers, and anything else that threatened his peaceful life. “Oh please, as if your life is anything close to peaceful,” Edhas quipped.

C’mon, Edhas, let me dream, Ryan chuckled.

“You know, this isn’t so bad after all,” Edhas noted. “I thought this boring life would be torture, but I’m actually enjoying myself.”

I’m glad you are, Ryan said, a small smile on his face as he plopped down on his bed. Let’s just hope it stays that way.

Chapter Text

Day 19: Demon Crabs

Since Flare had something to do, I guess it’s alright to meet up with friends, Noel thought to herself as she walked into the karaoke bar. She pushed her glasses up with her fingers as she looked around for her friend.

“Noe-chan!” An excited voice called over to her. Noel turned to the source of a voice to see her friend, Suou Patra. Patra had long, silver hair with red streaks with cone-shaped horns and bat-shaped pins in front of the “horns”. She wore her normal outfit, a bra with sleeves and a skirt. “Over here!”

“Patra!” Noel bounded over to her friend, pulling her into a hug. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been alright,” Patra smiled as she returned the hug. She  pulled away, looking Noel in the eyes. “I heard what happened in the overworld. I’m sorry I couldn’t join.”

“It’s okay,” Noel said, returning the smile. “We handled the whole MILF thing well enough. I know things are hard in the demon world as well. Have you gotten enough sleep?”

“Ehehe, let’s not worry about that,” Patra rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “I’ve heard a lot of things about this new KFP here in the overworld. Multiple people from the demon world journeyed to the overworld just to go. I don’t know why, but I can’t help but be interested.”

“Ah, Kiara has been busy, huh?” Noel rubbed her chin. “It seems Ryan has been attracting a lot of attention ever since people got their hands on footage of the war.”

“Ryan? As in Ryan Shade?” Patra put a finger on her chin, tilting her head in a confused expression. Noel responded with a small nod. “He’s a celebrity, isn’t he? A KFP would be the last place I would expect a celebrity to be working at.”

“I heard he doesn’t like his celebrity status,” Noel replied. “He just wants to live his life without attention from the press. Kiara told me about this one time a raging fangirl went to the restaurant…”

“I see,” Patra didn’t fail to notice Noel’s shudder. “Maybe I’ll check it out sometime soon.”

“That would be nice,” Noel replied. “Now, have you reserved a room yet?”

“This is getting a bit monotonous, isn’t it?” Ryan asked himself as he got out of bed.

“Well, you do work at a fast food joint,” Edhas offered. “I mean, what did you expect?”

Fair enough, Ryan said as he put on his hoodie. Honestly, I don’t mind. My life has been pretty good since the war. I hope things don’t change.

“Well, if you want something, you have to fight for it,” Edhas said.

Whatever, Ryan just chalked Edhas’s words to his itch for a fight, which was probably not far from the truth. He opened the door, looking back. He smiled as he took in the sights of his bland apartment before closing the door.

 Ryan heaved a sigh as he opened the doors to the KFP. He smiled as he saw Ina turn her head towards him. “Hey Ina,” he smiled as he walked over to the other side of the counter. “Where’s Tenchou?”

“She’s making my Takoyaki,” Ina replied. “How have you been?”

“Things have been alright,” Ryan sighed. “I kind of like working here. Things are eventful, but not too eventful.”

“Humu-humu,” Ina nodded with a satisfied expression on her face.

“So, I heard you hooked up with Nene and Polka,” Ryan said, wiggling his eyebrows. Marine might be constantly horny, but one thing she was good at was getting all the tea on everyone.

“I guess word travels fast,” Ina heaved a sigh.

“Congrats, though,” Ryan placed a hand on Ina’s shoulder, not wanting to put his hand anywhere near the squishy parts of Ina’s  hair. “You’re not a loner anymore.”

“I guess that leaves you, huh?” Ina gave Ryan a playful smirk.

“It’s not like I’m looking for a relationship or anything,” Ryan shrugged. “I’m just trying to do my job.”

“There are a lot of people that want you, though,” Ina said as Ryan moved his arm away.

“I know, but I don’t think I’m exactly the best man one would want for a relationship,” Ryan replied. “Plus, I just don’t feel those weird romantic things. Just having you all as my friends is good enough.”

“That means a lot, my little egg,” Kiara smiled as she walked out of the bag room with a plate of Takoyaki.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that?” Ryan sighed as Kiara put the plate in front of Ina.

“You’re going to be my little egg, no matter what,” Kiara ruffled Ryan’s hair.

Ryan turned as he sensed a magic presence to see a demon… crab girl(?) walking in, wearing a bra and sleeves paired with a skirt. Her long, silver hair swayed from side to side as she walked down the restaurant before taking a seat at the counter. “Welcome to KFP,” Ryan said with his best customer service smile.

“She’s hot,” Edhas noted.

Not the time, Ryan said in his head, trying to shoo his counterpart off. I’m trying to work.

“Hello!” The girl chirped with an excited tone. “My name is Suou Patra! Nice to meet you!”

“Ryan Shade, but I’m guessing you already know that,” Ryan said, silently cursing Suisei for uploading footage of him during the war. How was she able to do that while creating large tornadoes of destruction and being a complete psychopath anyway? Ryan banished the thought, not wanting to get sidetracked from his job.

“Yes, you’re quite popular in the demon world,” Patra said. “Though the soldiers you’ve killed don’t like you all too well. Then again, we don’t like them either.”

“That’s fair enough,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The war wasn’t his best moment, considering he got shot in the head a second time. “What would you like to order?”

“I’ll have some crab please!” Patra chirped.

“Alright,” Ryan said, turning to Kiara. “Do you know how to handle crab?”

“Of course! I’ve been honing my culinary expertise for millennia!” Kiara responded excitedly.

“Then why do you run a fast food joint?” Ryan sighed, massaging his temples.

“It was easier to take over the world that way,” Kiara answered without a second thought before walking to the back room to start cooking.

“Kiara’s quite eccentric, huh?” Ryan turned his attention back to Patra as she asked her question.

“Tenchou has always been weird like that,” Ryan responded. “It’s kind of endearing, though.”

“Noe-chan was right,” Patra smiled. “You really don’t act like a celebrity.”

“I’m not sure any celebrity could cook the amount of Gyudon she can inhale,” Ryan quipped.

“That’s one thing,” Patra replied with a small giggle. “I head Nee-chan tried to hook up with you.”

“A lot of people have tried that recently,” Ryan muttered under his breath before raising his voice to a normal speaking volume. “Who are you talking about?”

“Her name is Saionji Mary,” Patra replied.

“Oh yeah,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head, remembering the previous day. “She got into a fight with Choco-sensei yesterday.”

“I see,” Patra nodded her head. “You must have given her a lot to drink.”

“Is she not allowed alcohol?” Ryan asked, slightly worried. He didn’t want to be responsible for something bad, whatever it made be.

“No, she tends to drink a lot,” Patra waved her hand dismissively. “She does swear a lot when she gets drunk, though. I’m kind of worried about her.”

“She’s not that bad,” Ryan assured her. “A lot better than some of the people who’ve walked through these doors.”

“That’s good to hear,” Patra replied with a small smile on her face.

“Order’s ready!” Kiara exclaimed as she dashed out of the back room with a plate of crab already picked from the shell and set the plate down, offering Patra a pair of chopsticks.

“Thank you, Kiara,” Patra smiled as she took the pair of chopsticks that Kiara offered and took a bite. “This is really good.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Kiara smiled. “So, what have you two been talking about?”

“Yesterday,” Ryan replied with a quick tone.

“Honestly I don’t get it,” Kiara shook her head. “Two ladies were at each other’s throat for you and all you did was stop the fight. I honestly don’t get you.”

“I’m not constantly thirsty like you are for a certain reaper,” Ryan gave Kiara a glare before sighing.

“Hey, that reaper is my wife! We can be thirsty for each other whenever we want!” Kiara pouted.

“Fair enough,” Ryan sighed.

“Ryan?” Ryan paled and shuddered as a dark aura took over the room. He slowly and cautiously turned his head towards the entrance of the restaurant as a dark mist enveloped the room. He saw Rushia, her crimson eyes glowing with fury as they darted from Kiara to Patra. “Are you talking to other girls? Why are you talking to other girls? Why aren’t you spending time with me?”

“Rushia, I’m at work. We can spend time with each other later,” Ryan admittedly was terrified of Rushia when she went yandere, but he didn’t like to show it. He saw Rushia as kind of a spoiled child who got what she wanted when she brought out the knife, so he took it upon himself to give the necromancer a bit of a reality check.

“That’s not good enough,” With a soft, green glow, a knife formed itself in Rushia’s grip as she pointed it towards Ryan. “Spend time with me. Now.”

“You’re on your own for this one, buddy,” Edhas said.

Wait wha- Ryan asked, shocked for a second before heaving a sigh. As badass as Edhas liked to portray himself, he always cowered before angry anime girls. He was completely justified in doing so, but he wasn’t justified in leaving a homie alone like this.

“Whatever,” Ryan sighed as he vaulted over the counted, cracking his neck. “I’ll deal with this. It is my job, after all.”

Ryan sighed as he weakly opened the door, cuts littering his body. You could have at least healed me, you know?

“What can I say?” If Edhas had a body, he would have shrugged at Ryan. “No pain, no gain.”

Have I ever told you how much I hate you? Ryan asked as he sat down on a chair. Whatever, I can heal myself.

Ryan started to feel groggy as he started healing his wounds. What’s going on?

“You’re running out of mana,” Edhas replied. “Get some rest. I’ll heal you up.”

Oh, now you offer to heal me… Ryan trailed off as he closed his eyes, letting his head rest on the table.

“Man, you can be a huge idiot sometimes,” Edhas muttered as he started pumping magic into Ryan’s body. “But you’re my idiot, and nothing’s going to change that.”

Meanwhile in an abandoned alley, a scream could be heard. “Get out of my body!” A blond girl shrieked, channeling more magic into her own body.

You’re growing weak, A voice said in her head. Soon, there will be nothing left but Hacchamachama!

“I said get out!” The girl thrusted her hands inside her stomach, but instead of impaling herself like one would expect, her hands went through her body and a purple glow shone through her stomach. She screamed in pain and effort as she yanked her hands out of her body, pulling out a girl that looked identical to her, only wearing a black dress instead of her school outfit. As the girl crashed to the floor, she turned around and limped away as fast as she could.

“Taking me out of your body might stall me for a while, Haato,” The girl on the floor, Haachama said. “But Haachama with catch up with you. Haachama always catches up. Haachama always wins.”

Haato paid Haachama’s words no mind as she turned the corner. I need to find help, she thought to herself as she limped off. She just hoped the world had become more forgiving in the years she has been gone.

Chapter Text

Day 20: To Conquer Oneself

“Hey Ryan, do you feel that?” Edhas’s words woke Ryan up. Ryan sat up; his eyes bleary as he looked around. It took a couple seconds, but he was quickly able to sense the dense demonic aura in the air.

Yeah, I feel it, Ryan thought back. Usually, most demons and residents of the demon world tried to hide their aura, but it seemed that whatever was emanating the aura was pushing it out as much as possible. I’ll be sure to be careful today.

As he said that in his head, his phone started to ring. Ryan picked it up to see that Kiara was the one calling him. “Morning Tenchou,” Ryan said. “What’s up?”

“YAGOO called me in for something important so can you run the restaurant for today?” Kiara asked. “It’s an emergency.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you just close down for today?” Ryan asked. He wasn’t necessarily mad at the fire bird or anything, he was just curious.

“Well, I won’t always be there, so I thought it would be good experience for you to run the joint on your own,” Kiara said.

“You say that as if you’re going to die or something,” Ryan said. “What are you implying?”

“I’m implying that I might take days off to make out with Calli since you don’t want us ground pounding in the break room,” Ryan sighed as Kiara ended her sentence with a pout.

“Fine, fine, I get your point,” Ryan waved his hand dismissively when he in fact, did not get her point.

“Thanks Ryan! You’re the best!” Kiara chirped before hanging up the phone.

“Whatever,” Ryan muttered to himself. Since he still didn’t have a key, he had to teleport. With a bit of magic and a huge sigh, he was gone.

Haato clenched her stomach in pain as she turned the corner into an alley. She could sense the demonic aura coming from Haachama slowly approaching her. She couldn’t stop now. Every second she paused was a second Haachama gained. She continued to walk down the alley until she crossed a barrier.

“A barrier?” She wondered to herself. She turned around to see the alley. She didn’t notice anything odd about it. “Maybe I imagined it.”

Haato sighed as she continued to walk down the alley. Every step she took, the pain intensified. Things started to blur as she saw a light at the end of the alley. “Help…?” She muttered to herself as she continued towards the light, forcing herself to stay conscious. As she crossed the threshold, she saw a weird orange building, or that’s what she thought she saw. All she saw was a bunch of blurry colors. As she heard footsteps approaching, she looked up to see a black blur approaching her. Since the demonic aura wasn’t approaching, she could reasonably assume that it wasn’t Haachama.

“H-help…” Was all she managed before the darkness enveloped her world.

Ryan scratched his head as he looked at the unconscious girl before her. She looked suspiciously like Haachama, but her hair was styled differently and she wore a school uniform. A white dress shirt with a blue skirt. What should I do, Edhas?

“She asked for help, didn’t she?” Edhas sounded slightly annoyed at Ryan’s lack of common sense. “Go help her!”

Ryan sighed, resisting the urge for bonking himself on the head as he picked the girl up and briskly walked over to the counter, placing the girl on top of her. “She’s suffering from mana exhaustion. Either she’s a mage, or whatever demon we’re dealing with has been sapping magic from others.”

That doesn’t sound good, Ryan placed both of his hands on one of the girl’s hands and started pumping magic into her body. A bead of sweat formed on his brow as he spent two whole minutes pumping a consistent amount of mana into her body. Slowly, the girl started to open her eyes. Her eyes drifted over to Ryan before shooting open.

“Hentai!” The girl screeched, slapping Ryan across the face, causing him to stagger backwards. “What the hell were you doing to me?!”

“I was transferring magic energy into your body,” Ryan answered calmly. He wanted to slap her back, but he thought about her situation and refrained. He probably would have done the same thing if he woke up to someone holding his hand. “I’m not your enemy.”

“Oh,” The girl sat up on the counter, giving Ryan a confused expression. “My name is Akai Haato.”

“Ryan Shade,” Ryan replied. “You seemed quite distressed. Is everything alright?”

“Haachama… she’s after me…” Haato shrunk back with a fearful expression on her face. Ryan shuddered, imagining the blonde on a giant tarantula burning down countless soldiers during the war. “Please… I need help…”

“I can imagine why you’re afraid of her,” Ryan put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone hurt you here.”

“Thank you,” Haato looked at Ryan, her eyes still wild with fear. Ryan didn’t know why Haato was so scared of Haachama, but from what he’s heard about her food, Haachama wouldn’t be hurting anyone in here. “What is this place?”

“Oh, this is a KFP,” Ryan said.

“What’s a KFP?” Haato tilted her head with a confused expression.

“You don’t know?” Ryan asked, slightly shocked. “KFP is an international fast food chain run by Takanashi Kiara, one of the richest people on earth.”

“I can’t say I’ve heard of her…” Haato rubbed her chin. “Speaking of fast food, how is Fox Burger King going along? I remember that Fubuki was just starting last time I remember.”

“Fox Burger King has been one of the top burger joints in the world for over a year and a half,” Ryan said, remembering his NEET year. “It was founded five years ago. Do you have a gap in your memory or something?”

“Well…” Haato shuffled uncomfortably. “I only have glimpses of the past few years…”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine,” Ryan offered a kind smile. “I know what it feels like to be kept in the dark.”

“Thank you,” Haato smiled, but the smile instantly turned into a scared expression as the sound of glass shattering permeated throughout the restaurant.

“Shit, the barrier!” Ryan turned around. “You should probably hide, Haato. I got this.”

“Alright, so I’ve gathered the strongest people in the Hololive Production here,” YAGOO said. He looked up to see Calli, Ina, Kiara, A-Chan, Matsuri, Coco, Suisei, and Fubuki. “Somehow, Haachama and Haato were able to separate bodies. You all know that Haachama has a Threat Level of SS. If we don’t take action, she very well might destroy the world.”

“Do you know where Haachama is?” A-Chan asked.

“I don’t, but-,” YAGOO was cut off as his eyes widened in shock. “The KFP barrier was broken!”

“Shit!” Kiara instantly flew off, her burning wings flapping as she broke through the wall. YAGOO tried to teleport but was unable to.

“It seems Haachama has blocked entrance through magical means,” YAGOO said. “We must go on foot.”

“What are you going to do?!” Haato asked as Ryan turned to the entrance. “It’s Haachama!”

“I’ll figure it out,” Ryan said, heaving a sigh. “Things have been too peaceful here lately, anyways. I was bound for a bit of bad luck right about now.”

“Don’t!” Haato called. “I don’t know you too well, but you don’t seem too bad, I guess. I don’t want you to die.”

“I won’t die,” Ryan assured her. He tensed up as he saw the familiar psychopath walk through the alleyway.

“Haato~,” Haachama said with a creepy voice. “I found you~.”

“Haachama, what have I said about killing people in my KFP?” Ryan said as he walked out of the restaurant, his hands in his pocket. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Jack likes you, but it’s not my fault if you get in my way,” Haachama tilted her head, a creepy smile growing on her face. “Haato is mine.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Ryan held out his hands on either side of him as his magic pistols appeared in his hand, the white pistol in his left hand and his black pistol in his right. “Rules are rules.”

“Maybe I’ll just take your body instead!” Haato shouted as she dashed over to Ryan, her hands catching ablaze. Ryan sidestepped as Haachama tried to grab Ryan’s face. Ryan pointed a pistol to her head and shot her point blank. Ryan scoffed as the hole left in Haachama’s head was made of fire instead of brain matter.

“Haachamachama!” Haachama shouted as she swung her arm at Ryan. Ryan dashed backwards, barely outpacing the wave of fire coming at him. He concentrated on his guns and pulled the triggers. The guns shot out a stream of water that put the fire directly in front of him out.

You want in? Ryan asked his counterpart.

“I want to see you fight first,” Edhas said.

Suit yourself, Ryan tensed up as Haachama summoned her giant tarantula with a burst of fire.

“I’ve always hated that thing,” Ryan muttered to himself as he spun his pistols in his hand. He dashed towards the spider that was twice his size, strafing to the side as the spider tried to impale him with its leg. He jumped up, shooting the spider’s head with highly pressurized shots of waters. The shots pieced the spider, causing the spider to evaporate slowly.

“Haaton Prime!” Haachama called out as the spider completely evaporated. “Hacchama’ll kill you!”

Ryan gulped as a cyclone of fire engulfed the area, leaving the two combatants inside the cyclone. Jets of flame jutted from the inside of the cyclone, launching themselves towards Ryan. Ryan dashed to the side, dodging one and jumped over another one. His eyes widened as he realized a third was heading towards him. He crossed his arms as the pillar of flame slammed him into the ground, causing the earth to crack.

“Want to phone a friend?” Edhas asked as Ryan struggled through the flames.

That would be nice! Ryan managed as he started pushing the torrent of flames back as he coated his arms with magic energy.

“Finally,” Ryan’s eyes turned purple as Edhas tool over. With just a blast of pressurized wind, the pillar of flames dispersed.

“What’s this?” Haachama looked at Edhas with a look of rage and a hint of intrigue. “Are you Ryan’s demon, then?”

“I’m not a demon,” Edhas’s gaze softened when he saw Haachama. He saw someone not unlike him. Someone who was trapped in someone else’s body and was just taking her anger out on the world. “You don’t have to be either.”

“That’s what everyone calls me,” Haachama replied. “Demon, Psycho, Eldritch Baby.”

“Do you want to be those things?” Edhas asked, a white sword forming in his right hand as he cut another pillar of flame with ease.

“Haachama is all of those things and worse!” Haachama yelled as the cyclone collapsed itself onto Edhas.

“Why don’t you do both of us a favor and stop lying to yourself?” Edhas said calmly as he dispelled the burning mass of blades with a few slashes of his sword. “What do you really want?”

“I…” Haachama’s voice trailed off as her knees started to shake. “What do I want…?”

Edhas walked over to Haachama, dispelling his sword with a small flash of light. “You should talk it over with your other half. Sure, things may not be ideal now, but you two can’t live with each other. Trust me, I know from experience.”

Haato poked her head up from behind the counter as she heard the doors open. She didn’t want to see her new acquaintance get roasted alive by her psychotic counterpart. Her face paled when she noticed Ryan walking in with Haachama, his eyes a deep purple. She was surprised to see that Haachama wasn’t shouting or even smiling, having a sort of guilty look as she looked at the floor.

“Haato, please take a seat with us,” Ryan said as he pulled a chair for Haachama, which she just sat down without a word. Haato tentatively sat down on the opposite side of Haachama. “I’m not sure if you know, but I’m not Ryan. I’m sharing this body with him. My name is Edhas.”

“So, you’re trapped in in a body you can’t control as well?” Haato looked at Edhas with pity.

“It’s honestly not that bad,” Edhas smiled softly at Haato. “Tell me. Have you ever tried to talk things out with each other?”

“I-,” Haato gave Edhas a confused look before looking down as she realized she never had. As soon as Haachama entered her body, Haato was instantly terrified. She had treated Haachama as a monster and a devil without actually hearing out what she had to say.

“What is it that you wanted Haachama?” Edhas turned to the other girl.

“I… I wanted to make friends…” Haachama said quietly. “I wasn’t able to stay in the human world without a body… I can’t even stay that long now… so I found a body… my magic and personality are shaped by how I am perceived so when you screamed and called me a devil…”

“It’s okay,” Edhas put a hand on Haachama’s shoulder, coating his hand with magic as Haachama’s body was made of pure fire. “We can still fix this.”

“I’m sorry, Haachama,” Haato said, looking up at her counterpart. “I hope we can start over. I didn’t know…”

“It’s okay…” Haachama looked up at Haato. “Can we still be friends…?”

“Of course,” Haato offered Haachama a smile, offering her hand.

“C-can I really…?” Haachama asked, a burning tear forming in her eye.

“Of course,” Haato said. “I hope we can coexist this time.”

“I would like that,” Haachama said as she grabbed Haato’s hand before turning into fire. The fire absorbed itself before vanishing. “Thank you, Edhas. Thank you for showing me the right way.”

“Well, it takes one to know one, right?” Edhas said. “Let’s go somewhere else so you can get used to this.”

As Edhas and Haato walked out, there was a large thud in front of them as Kiara revealed herself. “WHERE’S HAACHAMA?!”

“Relax, Kiara,” Edhas said. “We managed to deal with it.”

At that moment, there was a bright flash of light appeared, revealing YAGOO, Suisei, Calli, Ina, Fubuki, Matsuri, Coco, and A-Chan. “The jammer disappeared,” YAGOO said, looking at Edhas and Haato. “Where did Haachama go?”

“They just needed to sort out their differences,” Edhas said. “Everything’s okay now.”

“Really?” YAGOO asked. He closed his eyes, sensing for something before opening them after a short moment. “It seems so. Thank you, Edhas.”

“Just wanted to help out my kind,” Edhas said with a smile.

“It’s been a while, YAGOO,” Haato offered YAGOO a smile. “Am I still employed?”

“Of course,” YAGOO smiled back. “Come, let’s go. We need to get you two situated.”

“Well, that was eventful,” Ryan said as he regained control of his body. YAGOO and everyone had just left, leaving Kiara and Ryan alone. Kiara looked at Ryan for a couple of seconds before pounding his head.

“You idiot!” Kiara yelled as Ryan rubbed his head. “You could have died!”

“Eh, that’s nothing new,” Ryan shrugged it off. “I may not be the best person on this planet, but if I can help someone, I would like to.”

“That may be true,” Kiara ruffled his hair. “But you are my little egg. And some things never change.”

“You’re right,” Ryan said with a smile. “Some things never do.”

Chapter Text

Day 21: A Mother’s Love

Last time on KFP: Double Back:

“What’s wrong? WHAT’S WRONG?!” Subaru exclaimed. “Why did you have to drag me into this?! Ui-mama is going to go ballistic!”

“Shit!” Kiara and Marine said at once. Kiara grabbed her notebook, hastily crossing off Subaru’s name.

“If you don’t live to the end of the week, then I apologize in advance,” Kiara turned to Ryan.

“Whatever,” Ryan grumbled. “It’s not like I’m not used to it.”

In an unknown location, Shigure Ui sharpened a knife, an annoyed smile on her face. “Who tried to sully the purity of my daughter…?”

Ui twirled her knife around her fingers, tossing it up and down as she walked down the street. “Are you sure, Subaru?”

“For the last time, Ui-mama, I’m sure!” Subaru shouted. “There was no one trying to hook me up!”

“Something tells me that you’re lying to me,” Ui gave Subaru a sideways glance, her emerald eyes glowing slightly in the daylight. “Tell me the truth.”

“Okay, I was added onto a list that Kiara and Senchou made, but the immediately crossed my name out as soon as I walked in!” Subaru defended. “They didn’t try to hook me up!”

“That’s still too much,” Ui said. “Tell me where they are.”

“Ui-mama, you can’t expect me to-,”

“Tell me where they are,” Ui stopped to glare at her “daughter”, her eyes glowing brighter as a murderous aura emanated from the supposed high school student.

“Fine, but they don’t open for a little while,” Subaru said. “Follow me.”

Ryan sighed as he walked down the street. Yesterday was eventful, huh?

“A bit too sentimental for my taste,” Edhas said. “I would have preferred a good old-fashioned fight to be honest.”

You’ve grown a lot, though, Ryan smiled softly. You were so impulsive back then. Feels like yesterday.

“You have the right to remain silent,” Edhas said in a monotone voice. “Do you think that’ll be good enough for Roboco-san?”

You already saw Roboco-san’s expression to the mere notion of dating me, Ryan pointed out. I’d doubt you have a chance. Plus, I don’t think your aggressive nature would be right for her. She’s too pure.

“I guess you’re right,” Edhas heaved a mental sigh. “Will I never be able to be in a relationship again?”

Maybe if you flirt with Subaru, that Ui person would hook you up with Calli, Ryan quipped.

“You know you would die with me,” Edhas shot back.

It would totally worth it to see your egotistical ass ripped to bloody Sunday, Ryan said.

“Fair enough,” Edhas said Ryan turned to the alley leading to the KFP. As he did, he felt a shiver down his spine.

“What was that?” Ryan asked aloud.

“Probably nothing,” Edhas said, holding back a snicker. Fortunately, if Ryan noticed, he didn’t react. He just shrugged and started his journey down the alley.

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara called as Ryan opened the door. “Are you feeling alright after yesterday?

“I’m feeling alright,” Ryan said as he joined his manager on the other side of the counter. “Edhas is finally maturing for once.”

“I could tell,” Kiara said. “I don’t want to imagine what things would be like if Edhas wasn’t there to talk things out.”

Meanwhile, in an alternate dimension, Haato smiled creepily as Haachama’s head rolled on the floor in her mindscape. She opened her hand and a phone appeared in her grip. She threw aside her knife and tapped on the phone until Twitter opened. “It seems that the Haatons are reacting like I expected,” Haato tilted her head. “Maybe I’ll need to silence them too.”

“Yeah, I would rather that thought stay out of my head,” Ryan said, shuddering at the thought of what Haachama would do unrestrained. “Anyways, what happened yesterday?”

“We had to gather to deal with Haachama,” Kiara said. “Luckily, we didn’t have to do anything.”

“I see,” Ryan said. “With luck and a few choice words, Haachama shouldn’t be as threatening anymore.”

“Yeah,” Kiara took out her phone as she heard a ding coming from her pocket. She took one look at the phone and paled. “Shit.”

“What’s up?” Ryan asked. It wasn’t common to see Kiara this scared. She wasn’t even scared when she stared death in the face in the form a giant laser.

“Ui-mama’s coming,” Kiara looked at Ryan, her eyes wild with fear.

“I’ve heard that name a couple times,” Ryan rubbed his chin. “Why is everyone scared of that name?”

“I’m sorry!” The doors slammed open as Subaru ran through the door. “I tried to stop her!”

“Nonsense,” A soft yet crass voice caused a shiver to crawl up Ryan’s spine. He saw a girl that looked eerily similar to Subaru. She was a bit shorter than Subaru, her hair blonde instead of a dark brown. She wore a beret instead of a cap and had a school uniform on. Her eyes were a piercing emerald that permeated through Ryan, as if she was staring into his very soul. “She couldn’t have stopped me anyways.”

“U-Ui-mama!” Kiara stiffened slightly. Though the girl was intimidating, Ryan didn’t know why Kiara was so scared. He just looked between the girl and the phoenix with a confused expression. “What brings you here?!”

Ryan directed solely to her as Ui walked up to him, stopping before the counter. “So, I heard you were trying to hook up with Subaru?” A green aura started to surround the girl as the ground cracked from the sheer pressure emanating from her.

“Sorry but you’re on your own for this one,” Edhas said as he shrunk into the deepest corners of Ryan’s psyche.

Asshole, Ryan thought as he assessed his situation. There was only one logical thing he could do.

“Tenchou was the one who organized all of it,” Kiara gasped in shock as Ryan jutted a finger towards her. “I’m just as much of a victim as anyone.”

“How could my Little Egg rat me out like this?” Kiara said, her voice filled with shock.

“Kiara~,” Ui turned to Kiara, who stiffened as she saw the girl’s twitching smile. “Can you please lead me to the Usual Room?”

“Yes, Ui-mama,” Kiara slumped, a defeated expression on her face.

“Sorry about that!” Ui walked out of the back room, dragging a seemingly unharmed Kiara behind her, who had a comical number of tears streaming down her face. “I never introduced myself. My name is Shigure Ui. It’s nice to meet you, Ryan. Kiara told me all about you in the Usual Room.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Ryan said as politely as he could. “Is she okay?”

“She’ll be fine,” Ui waved her hand dismissively.

“So,” Ryan turned to Subaru. “What would you two like to eat?”

“Shuba!” Subaru quacked (shuba’ed?), suddenly turning into a duck.

“I’ll just have the birb mild wings,” Ui said.

“Since Tenchou is in no condition to cook,” Ryan cast a pitying glance to Kiara, who was faceplanted on the floor, a puddle of crocodile tears forming around her. “I’ll get the food.”

“Kiara’s just over-reacting, right?” Ui gave Kiara a smile.

“But Ui-mama!” Kiara stood up, a pout on her face. “You killed me!”

“You deserved it,” Ui shot back, her expression unchanging.

“I think you two should sort this out on your own,” Ryan said, inching away. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait! Ryan!” Kiara extended an arm towards Ryan, her face contorting in anguish. At this point, Ryan was sprinting for the back room door. “Ryan! You traitor!”

“How the hell did you get in here?” Grimm was in his own domain, the Phoenix Dimension. The Phoenix Dimension was a sort of pit stop for phoenixes who have died. A phoenix who dies can spend a set amount of time depending on their age and power to communicate with other phoenixes and relax before being sent off to another dimension. For a long time, Kiara was the last phoenix, making the Phoenix Dimension a dull and desolate void, but ever since Grimm officially took over, he has started to turn the Phoenix Dimension into a vast landscape, bringing life to new phoenixes around the multiverse, though since most phoenixes have just been set out into the multiverse, the Phoenix Dimension was practically empty.

“Can’t I stop by to see an old friend?” Nux shrugged, walking up to the ex-reaper. “You’ve been busy, huh?”

“I’ve been doing pretty good, if I do say so myself,” Grimm said as a gigantic fire bird flew through the sky, directing itself towards grim before turning into a human. The phoenix didn’t look too far off from Kiara. She had longer hair, crimson eyes, and wore a blue military outfit instead of a KFP uniform. “How are you liking it here, Hino?”

“This place is great!” Hino exclaimed. “I just wish Reine can come here with me. Who’s this?”

“This here is a friend who invited himself in,” Grimm shot Nux a look. “It seems we need to have a few words in private, though.”

“Okay! I’ll leave you alone, then,” Hino said before turning back into a gigantic bird of fire and flying off.

“How’s Storm?” Grimm turned back to Nux. Nux’s ear-splitting grin turned into a toothy frown.

“Not good,” Nux replied. “He only has a few days at most.”

“Do you know where his first target would be?” Grimm asked.

“Probably Edhas,” Nux said, his smile returning. “I can’t lie and say things won’t be interesting. Edhas is a flexer after my own heart.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Grimm waved his hand. “Why are you here anyways?”

“I had a few questions considering time travel.”

“Shuba!” Subaru exclaimed before she dove into the KFP high-quality duck food.

“Glad you enjoy it, I guess,” Ryan sighed as he placed the Birb Mild Wings in front of Ui. “Here’s your food. Where’s Tenchou?”

“She went to seek comfort from her wife,” Ui said, grabbing a chicken wing with her hands and biting into it. “This isn’t that bad.”

“I try my best,” Ryan said, offering Ui a polite smile.

“You’ve done a lot for the magical community,” Ui said. “The skills you demonstrated during the war were quite astounding.”

“I’m sure Subaru outshone me in every way, though,” Ryan looked at the duck on the counter, remembering the gigantic mecha that Subaru brought to the battlefield.

“Shuba!” Subaru shouted, looking up at Ryan before she dug bag into her food.

“She says you still did great,” Ui translated.

“You can understand her?” Ryan asked.

“Of course,” Ui nodded with a satisfied expression. “She’s my daughter.”

“She’s your what?!” Ryan exclaimed. Not a lot surprised him anymore, but Subaru being this seemingly teenager’s daughter was another thing. Before Ui could reply, Ryan could hear a crashing sound from the break room.

“Tenchou…” Ryan rubbed his temples. “I guess I found her.”

“I think you should go deal with that,” Ui said with a slight giggle.

“Thank you,” Ryan said, cracking his knuckles as he walked towards the door to his sanctuary to break off a ground pound.

“You can’t possibly mean…” Grimm’s normal scowl was replaced with a look of pure shock. “How certain are you?”

“Pretty certain,” Nux said, chuckling a little. “I’m not flexing when I say this is going to be the greatest arc yet!”

“You and your anime speak,” Grimm said. “This is a serious matter.”

“Oh, my dear chummy pal,” Nux laughed as he softly punched Grimm’s shoulder. “I’m dead serious.”

“Why do I feel like someone is talking about us?” Edhas said as Ryan sneezed.

Someone’s always talking about us, Ryan said. Even when we weren’t famous, I was always a topic for discussion.

“You’re right,” Edhas said. “It’s probably nothing. You should probably get back to training, though.”

I don’t see the point of this, Ryan said.

“You can’t always rely on me,” Edhas said. “What if I’m not here anymore?”

I’ll celebrate when you’re out of my mind, Ryan said.

“Oh, shut up,” Edhas scoffed. “You can’t live without me.”

No, Ryan admitted with a slight chuckle. I guess I can’t.

Chapter Text

Day 22: Third Cycle

“Babysitting?” Lamy asked. She was on the phone while she and Botan were at Lamy’s house, playing Minecraft. “I’m not sure that counts as babysitting.”

“Maybe you can take her to the KFP,” A-Chan offered. “If you ask nicely, maybe Ryan will give you some booze.”

“Booze?!” Lamy exclaimed, causing Botan to look over.

“Lamy, you really need to let up on the booze,” Botan said.

“What did you say?” Lamy’s expression turned dark as an irritated smile spread across her face. She extended her hand, an empty bottle of booze appearing in her hand.

“N-nothing,” Botan said, looking back to her game.

“I’ll let you two sort things out,” A-Chan said before hanging up.

“What did she want?” Botan asked.

“She wants us to babysit.”

Ryan looked both ways before crossing the street. He noticed that there were a lot of demihumans that have started to come out of the woodworks and show their true selves. Though it hasn’t been an easy change, things have been going very well. “You know, you were the one that made this possible,” Edhas said.

Don’t give me a reason to boost my ego, Ryan chuckled softly. Edhas wasn’t exactly lying. If he didn’t go back in time and participate in the war, who knows what could have happened.

“Just saying the truth, my man,” Edhas said as Ryan turned to the alley.

Well now that I’ve done my part, I guess I can go enjoy my life as a KFP worker, Ryan said as he started walking down the alley.

“It’s a boring life, but it’s not mine, so I have no right to complain,” Edhas said with a chuckle.

Damn straight.

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan smiled as he walked into the room.

“Can you help me out over here?!” Kiara called over from the back room.

“Sure, what is it?” Ryan walked over to the back room to see what looked like a metric ton of refrigerated (never frozen) chicken. “Why do I even bother?”

“It’s important to have a surplus of chicken!” Kiara complained as a crow perched itself on her shoulder.

“What’s with the crow?” Ryan asked.

“I am crow!” Kiara exclaimed, the crow cawing in excitement.

“Whatever,” Ryan sighed as he stood beside Kiara and channeled magical energy into his arms, boosting his strength. He knelt down to the giant rectangular package of chicken and lifted it with both hands.

“Thanks, Little Egg!” Kiara patted Ryan’s head as he struggled to move the chicken in the fridge.

“No problem,” Ryan muttered, a scowl on his face. “It’s too early for this.”

“Nonsense!” Kiara slapped Ryan’s back, causing him to flinch. “It’s never too early for chicken!”

Ryan was about to retort but stopped when he heard the doors open. He walked over to the main room to see one of the weirder things that has entered this restaurant. A toddler in a pink dress and sunglasses slowly wheeling in on a tricycle, Botan and Lamy following on either side of her, sunglasses on and arms crossed as if they were bodyguards. “Nanoraaa~! (TL: uwu)” The toddler exclaimed as she rode up to the counter.

“Uhhh… good morning…?” Ryan said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

“Morning, Luna!” Kiara chirped as she skipped over to her employee’s side. “It’s been a while!”

“Hello!” Luna smiled, taking off her sunglasses. She stood up from her tricycle, letting Botan lift her up on one of the stools before looking at Ryan. “Mama and Papa told me a lot of things about you.”

“She’s the princess of the Candy Kingdom,” Kiara informed.

“I see,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m flattered.”

“Can I have some booze?!” Lamy plopped down next to Luna, an excited smile on her face as she ripped the sunglasses from her eyes.

“No drinking in front of Luna,” Botan sat on Luna’s other side, opting to keep her sunglasses on.

“Why not?” Lamy pouted.

“Luna is 0,” Kiara said.

“Fine,” Lamy slumped onto the counter, a depressed expression on her face.

“There, there,” Ryan patted Lamy’s head. “I’m sure we can use magic to extract the alcohol.”

“It’s not the same…” Lamy whined, crocodile tears streaming from her face.

“Well, it’s probably the best you’re going to get,” Ryan said. “Do you want it or not?”

“I’ll take it…” Lamy acquiesced with a sigh.

“So, how have you been?” Kiara asked.

“Bloom is coming up!” Luna cheered. “Matsuri has to notice me after my performance!”

“I’m sure she notices you, but 0 years is too young for even her,” Botan pointed out.

“You’re 0 years old?!” Ryan exclaimed. The tricycle is one thing, but her being 0 years old was another thing all together.

“Nanora!” Luna cheered.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Ryan said.

“Luna’s actually 3,” Kiara said. “Isn’t she cute?”

“Yeah…” Ryan wasn’t one to think babies are cute, but he had to admit that Luna was a little bean.

“Maybe we should visit the Candy Kingdom sometime,” Edhas said. “Their candy is heavenly.”

Is there anywhere you haven’t been? Ryan asked.

“Maybe I’ll tell you one day,” Edhas said. “It’s not that I don’t trust you or anything, but my past… let’s just say I’m proud of a lot of the things I did.”

That’s fair, Ryan replied. I’ll wait until you’re ready. There’s no rush.

“Thanks,” Edhas said, genuine gratitude in his voice. “I truly mean it.”

You don’t show this side of you often, Ryan said. It’s a nice change of pace.

“Yeah, I guess that means I’m starting to open up,” Edhas said. “It feels… weird. I don’t know if I like it or not. It’s new, that’s for sure.”

You must have had a tough life, Ryan noted. He’s never taken the time to think about his past life. He didn’t know whether he was excited or not to find out about it.

“You can say that,” Edhas said.

“Ryan?” Kiara’s voice snapped Ryan from his conversation. “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay,” Ryan shook his head, dispelling his thoughts. He can think about that kind of stuff later. “I was just talking about Edhas.”

“Edhas…” Luna put her finger on her chin. “I think I’ve heard Papa say that name before.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Ryan quickly said. What the hell did you do this time?!

“I’ll tell you eventually,” Edhas said, heaving a sigh.

If you say so, Ryan said.

“Alright,” Luna said, nodding her head.

“A-chan asked you to babysit, didn’t she?” Kiara asked.

“Yep,” Botan said. “Totally put a damper on date night, huh?”

“You two are dating?” Ryan asked. Botan and Lamy answered with an eager nod. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Lamy smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Neither would I,” Botan said, reaching out behind Luna to grab Lamy’s hand.

Ryan wanted to say ‘not in front of the kids’, but it was just handholding. There were plenty of things lewder than handholding. “That’s sweet. I’m happy for you two.”

“Thank you, Ryan,” Lamy smiled softly. “I’m sure you’ll find someone soon.”

“To be honest, I’m not exactly sure I want something like that,” Ryan said, scratching his head. “I just don’t feel any of those tingly feelings everyone else feels. I’m not sure if I like it or not.”

“That’s perfectly okay,” Kiara put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “It’s okay to feel what you feel and vice versa. That doesn’t take anything away from you as a person.”

“Thank you,” Ryan said. “You know, I’m really happy that I wound up working here. You guys are all so welcoming.”

“Of course,” Kiara said. “We’re Hololive, a company that accepts everyone, no matter what.”

Storm sighed as he looked at a mirror. His other eye was starting to be taken over by the darkness. “It looks like my time is running out, huh?”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Aloe asked, putting a hand on Storm’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Storm sighed again, looking his friend in the eye. “I’m content with my life. There’s nothing I can do about it anyway. I’m just grateful that I’m going to spend my last days with you.”

“It is my honor to be with you in your last moments, Storm,” Aloe said.

“Man, such a shitty mood in here,” Both of them jumped when Nux’s voice permeated throughout the empty void. “You guys are no fun.”

“Nice to see you too, Nux,” Storm said, turning to the pale man. “Do you have a contingency plan yet?”

“Eh, Edhas’ll deal with it,” Nux said. “He’s actually been planning for something like this for the past couple days. Perhaps not something of your magnitude, but I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“I see,” Storm smirked. “He’s always been a bright kid. If I was alive, I would have made him my successor in a heartbeat.”

“Not a bad choice,” Nux mused. “I guess all we can do is wait and see."

Omake: Honorary Phoenix

Watame sighed as she felt the life ebb away from her body. Of course, she volunteered herself to let Mio eat her, but that didn’t make dying any more fun. At this point, she became numb to the pain. She wasn’t angry at Mio for killing her or anything. She would do anything for her friends.

“Hey, Watame,” Watame opened her eyes to see Grimm, someone she had grown all too used to seeing. Before Calli took over as Death, Grimm was the one she was sent to meet. Ever since Grimm died, she was sent to see Calli or one of her many subordinates. She looked around, surprised to see that she wasn’t in the empty void that she was used to going to when she died. She was in a lush, lively field leading into a forest a few hundred meters away. The sky was blue with only a few clouds, the sun shining down on them. “Welcome to the Phoenix Dimension.”

“Why am I here?” Watame asked, turning her attention back to Grimm. “I thought you were dead.”

“Well, things have changed,” Grimm said. “I now rule the world of the phoenixes. I’ve been quite busy, you see. How do you like it?”

“It’s nice,” Watame said as a flaming bird flew across the sky. “I like it.”

“That’s good,” Grimm said. “I’ve decided to let you come here instead of purgatory after you died, I feel like you deserve it.”

“Really?” Watame looked at Grimm, slightly shocked. They’ve always been in a love-hate relationship, her not being able to permanently die and all. “I’m not a phoenix, though.”

“You’ve been a very positive influence on your world,” Grimm said. “You’ve made hundreds of thousands of people happy with your actions. I feel like you should be rewarded for that. You’ve always been a selfless person.”

“Thank you,” Watame smiled at Grimm.

“Now, it may be time for you to go soon, but next time you can come here, you can change the flow of time to take a break here,” Grimm said. “I have one more thing for you before you go back to the land of the living.”

“What may that be?” Watame tilted her head, an interested expression on her face. Grimm took out his scythe, a majestic golden weapon, the top part orange and the blade a solidified energy, turquoise in color. He slowly moved the blade until it was hovering over her heart. A bead of sweat dripped down Watame’s forehead, but she stood still. She trusted Grimm.

“With this, I dub Tsunomaki Watame an honorary phoenix,” Grimm said, a small flame forming from the tip and guiding itself into Watame’s body. Watame expected it to be painful, but the flame felt warm. She closed her eyes, basking in the warm, comforting feeling as an orange light overtook her sight.

“Watame?” A-chan asked. Watame usually took about eight seconds to respawn, but it had been over thirty, and A-chan was starting to get worried.

“Matsuri, did I kill her?!” Mio exclaimed, a shocked expression on her face. Of course, she tore out her throat and ate her, but she didn’t expect Watame to actually die. Suddenly, an orange flame appeared out of nowhere, growing in size until Watame stepped through.

“Watame!” Both Mio and A-chan both tackled their friend in a hug, causing her to topple over.

“Ahhh!” Watame shouted as she fell to the floor, Mio and A-chan piled on top of her. “What’s the big deal?!”

“You were dead for over thirty seconds!” Mio exclaimed. “I thought you were dead!”

“Don’t worry,” Watame smiled as she rubbed her hand on Mio’s head. “I just had someone to see, that’s all.

Chapter Text

Day 23: Spending Time Together

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara called through the phone. She hopped out of bed, the first thing she did when she got out of bed was call Ryan.

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan said through the phone in his normal monotone morning voice. He was a lot more energetic during the day. Kiara knew that Ryan wasn’t as energetic during the day. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to call you to say that I’m not opening the KFP today,” Kiara said. “It’s Valentine’s Day and I want to spend today with Calli.”

“I see,” Ryan said, an understanding tone in his voice. “I hope you two have fun together.”

“Thanks, Ryan!” Kiara said. “I’m happy you understand!”

“I’m going to go back to bed, then,” Ryan said.

“Alright,” Kiara said before hanging up the phone. She then dialed up Calli’s number.

“What’s up?” Calli instantly picked up the phone, which was something she almost never did.

“It’s Valentine’s Day!” Kiara cheered. “What do you want to do today?”

“I don’t know,” Calli said. “Fortunately, someone volunteered to take my job today. I don’t know who, but Lucifer said that he was trustworthy, so I guess it’s fine.”

“That’s great!” Kiara chirped, silently thanking whoever decided to take her job for the day. “Want to make some chocolates together?”

“I have never made chocolates before,” Calli admitted. “Maybe it’ll be fun.”

“I’ll see you in five!” Kiara said before hanging up. She hummed to herself. She was so excited to spend today with Calli.

“Morning, Kusotori,” Calli said as Kiara opened the door.

“Calli!” Kiara pulled her wife into a hug, giving her a deep kiss. “I’m so happy you came!”

“I’m happy to be here too,” Calli gave Kiara a small smile before returning the hug. “Now, how do we make these chocolates?”

“I’ve already prepared everything!” Kiara said, grabbing Calli’s hand and leading her over to her kitchen where everything needed for them to make chocolate. “I have everything we need to make chocolate truffes!”

“That sounds nice,” Calli smiled. Of course, she didn’t care what they made, as long as she got to spend time with Kiara. “Where do we start?”

“I’ve already started making the ganache filling. The chocolate is melting into the cream. All you need to do is mix it,” Kiara gestured towards the bowl with melted chocolate and heavy cream. “Would you like to do the honors?”

“Sure,” Calli said, walking over to the bowl and getting the cake mixer and awkwardly swishing it back and forth.

“Here,” Calli blushed as Kiara walked up behind Calli and gently grabbed her hands, resting her head on Calli’s shoulders. “This is how you do it.”

Calli’s blush only deepened as Kiara started to guide Calli’s hands, mixing the ganache. “T-thanks, Kusotori,” Calli said. She still wasn’t used to the intimacy, but she didn’t hate it.

“Now,” Kiara smiled as she stepped back from Calli. “I was going to ask what kind of filling you want, but I think you would pick the chocolate wine.”

“Chocolate wine?” Calli tilted her head. She didn’t know was it was, but she was intrigued by the second word.

“We’re just going to mix chocolate filling with wine,” Kiara said. “I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“You know me so well,” Calli said, eyeing the bottle of her favorite champagne that Kiara had on the table.

“Now, shall we continue?”

Calli and Kiara had finished making the truffles, the only step was waiting for the chocolate to cool down. “What do you want to do now?” Calli asked.

“I wanna cuddle!” Kiara exclaimed. “Let’s go to the bed!”

“Whatever my little dumb bird wants,” Calli said as she let Kiara drag her to her room, flopping on her bed.

“I’m not a little dumb bird!” Kiara pouted as she pulled Calli onto the bed. “I am crow!”

“That you are, my little crow,” Calli smiled, kissing Kiara on the forehead. “I love you, Kiara.”

“I love you too, Calli,” Kiara smiled, kissing Calli on the lips as they wrapped their arms around each other.

“Man, it’s been awhile since I’ve done this job,” Edhas said, spinning his black sword with his hand.

“You really are a jack of all trades, huh?” Ryan asked.

Someone had to take over when Grimm was busy getting drunk with Jack, Edhas said. Well, drunk with Jack and Calli.

“Since when did she let you call her Calli?” Ryan asked.

She didn’t, Edhas said. But you don’t always get everything you want in life.

“Whatever.”

“Ame!” Amelia snapped awake when she heard Gura yell her name. Amelia jumped up, only for her and Gura to bump foreheads.

“Ow!” The both of them recoiled, rubbing their foreheads.

“What was that for?!” Gura whined, tears in her eyes as she had a hand on her forehead.

“You were the one who decided to wake me up like that!” Amelia shot back. “What’s up?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day!” Gura exclaimed. “I wanna do something!”

“What do you want to do?” Amelia asked, cracking her neck and knuckles.

“Teach me how to shoot!” Gura cheered.

“Whatever you want, my little apex predator,” Amelia smiled, rubbing Gura’s head.

“Yay!” Gura hopped out of bed, an excited expression on her face. “Let’s go!”

-

“The gun range is an awfully weird place for two girls to be spending Valentine’s Day,” the receptionist said.

“I want to shoot stuff!” Gura exclaimed.

“What she said,” Amelia jutted a thumb at her wife.

“If you say so,” the receptionist replied, taking the money that Amelia offered him. “Will you be using your own guns?”

“Yep,” Amelia replied.

“Okay,” the receptionist wondered where said guns were, but it wasn’t his job to worry about that. “You have aisle GP.”

“Thanks,” Amelia winked at the man before leading Gura down the aisles until they went to their assigned aisle, GP (Ground Pound). “What do you want to shoot first?”

“Can I use the Ground Pounder?” Gura asked, using her shark (puppy dog) eyes. “Please?”

“Not in public,” Amelia said, patting Gura’s head as she pouted. She opened her head, summoning a pistol. “Here, try this.”

“Okay!” Gura grabbed the gun without hesitation, pointed it at the target and pulled the trigger. It was obvious she wasn’t expecting the recoil, because the pistol few upwards with her hands, sending her staggering back into Amelia’s lap.

“Woah there, tiger,” Amelia patted Gura’s head. “Here, let me help you.”

“I’m a shark! Not a tiger!” Gura protested as Amelia guided Gura’s arms.

“Here you go,” Amelia said, holding Gura’s arms, her floaties resting on Gura’s head. “Pull the trigger.”

“Okay!” Gura pulled the trigger, Amelia pushing her hands down as not to let the recoil overwhelm Gura. Amelia watched the bullet soar until it hit the target, a few centimeters away from the bullseye.

“Wow!” Amelia stood up, patting Gura’s head. “You really are a prodigy at this. Maybe you’ll be better than me after a few years of training.”

“Watch out, Ame! Gura’s coming!” Gura exclaimed, excited to shoot fer first gun.

“Do you want to continue?” Amelia asked.

“Of course.”

“That was fun,” Gura said as she and Amelia walked out of the gun range.

“You did pretty good,” Amelia said. “Now, let’s go back home. I have a surprise for you.”

“Really?!” Gura gasped. “Let’s go!”

“Uh Ame?” Gura asked, looking around. “Why are we in the backyard?”

“You’ll see,” Amelia opened her hand and summoned her beloved rocket launcher, the Ground Pounder. She loaded three rockets into the launcher and launched them in the air. Instead of making a normal explosion, the rockets exploded into blue and yellow fireworks, spelling the words “I LOVE GURA!”

“Awh, Ame,” Gura tackled Amelia in the hug, kissing her on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Amelia said, rubbing Gura’s head.

“So, when are you going to Ground Pound me?” Gura asked.

“Maybe for your birthday,” Amelia said, chuckling.

“You know, that was way too much work,” Ryan said, rubbing his back as his entire body ached. “I didn’t know dead people could be so rowdy.”

“Well, you learn something every day,” Edhas said. “Why are you speaking out loud anyways?”

“I’m in my own apartment,” Ryan said. “I can do whatever the hell I want.

Ryan took out his phone to see he had 100 missed calls. He looked to see who called him to see that Ironmouse, Choco, Mary, Suisei, and a few other people spam called him. “Well, fuck.”

“Have fun explaining that,” Edhas said. “You’re on your own.”

“Traitor!”

Chapter Text

Day 24: Denizens of Darkness

“Hey Nux,” Storm walked up to the pale man.

“What’s up?” Nux had his hands in his pockets, a toothy frown on his face as he stared into the endless void.

“You were planning on visiting Edhas today, right?” Storm asked.

“You know me too well,” Nux said. “You’ve changed.”

“You’ve been here a lot longer than I have,” Storm said. “Still, I guess I must bear the burden, huh?”

“Thanks for that by the way,” Nux said. “You really saved me back then.”

“Don’t mention it,” Storm shoved his hands in his pockets, heaving a sigh. “I’m just sad that I can’t spend more time with you. Your antics never ceased to surprise me.”

“Well, if you’ve been around for as long as I have, you tend to get bored,” Nux smiled at Storm.

“I am, you idiot,” Storm scoffed, offering Nux a small smirk.

“I know,” Nux chuckled. “I better get going.”

“I guess this is the last time we’ll be seeing each other, huh?” Storm looked up.

“Yeah,” The frown returned on Nux’s face. “I’ll see you on the other side, buddy.”

“Nonsense,” Storm said, chuckling weakly. “There isn’t another side where we’re going.”

“Ugh, well that was something,” Ryan groaned as the curse of consciousness made itself present to Ryan.

“Your fault for being hot,” Edhas said. “Personally, I don’t know what they see in you, but then again, I’m not a girl.”

Same here, Ryan thought, standing up. He directed his attention to the giant box that Edhas ordered a few days in the past. You never told me what that is.

“It’s a last resort,” Edhas said, his tone darkening. “With luck, that box will never be opened.”

I’ll just leave things at that; Ryan really didn’t want to know what freaked out Edhas to the point where he would have a last resort. Ryan heaved a sigh as he looked at his apartment door. “I don’t want to go to work.”

“I offered for you to be a dictator, but what did you say?”

I enjoy this life, Ryan grumbled.

“Right. Now stop complaining and get that lazy ass of yours to work.”

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan said as he opened the doors to the KFP, a tired expression on his face.

“Morning!” Kiara waved enthusiastically, an abnormally large smile on her face.

“You seem happy,” Ryan noted.

“Why wouldn’t I be happy?” Kiara tilted her head, the huge smile not leaving her face. “I got to cuddle with Calli all night!”

“That sounds fun,” Ryan said, a blank expression on his face as he walked over to the other side of the counter.

“Fun for me,”  Kiara said. “Both of us would kill you if you tried to do something like that.”

“Like they could kill us,” Edhas said.

Stop flexing, Ryan said. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” Kiara said. At that moment, a portal of pure darkness started to form in the middle of the restaurant. Ryan tensed. This feeling was nothing like whenever Calli would pop in. The feeling was akin to Storm whenever he decided to pop in, and Ryan still hadn’t forgiven Storm for his actions the first time around. Even Kiara was a bit on edge.

“Well, well, well,” A man with black eyes and blue irises walked through the portal. His white hair was unruly, his skin the same color as his hair. He wore a mask and red gloves. He wore black shorts with a blue hoodie and a white shirt underneath, topping the outfit off with pink, fluffy sandals. “Hello whamen and gentlewhamen.”

“Fuck, not this guy,” Edhas groaned.

Who is he? Ryan asked.

“You’ll find out,” Edhas said, almost causing Ryan to scoff. “Hello. My name is Ryan Shade.”

“I’m Takanashi Kiara!” Kiara introduced herself. “I run this restaurant!”

“Grimm has told me a lot about you,” the man said. “I’m Nuxanor. You can call me Nux.”

“Well, Nux, what would you like to eat?” Ryan asked as Nux walked over, sitting down on a stool.

“I’m not really here to eat,” Nux said, directing his eccentric eyes towards Ryan. “I wanted to gauge you.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ryan said.

“Well, a lot of things have been happening behind the scenes,” Nux sighed, the toothy grin still ever-present on his face. “It seems you and Edhas are going to get involved soon enough.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Edhas said.

“That it doesn’t,” Nux said, chuckling.

“Who are you talking to?” Kiara asked, tilting her head with a confused expression on her face.

“So, you can hear Edhas,” Ryan said, give Nux a serious look. Kiara stiffened. Ryan barely talks about Edhas, his other side rarely coming out, but every time he did, the amount of power he exuded was almost suffocation. He easily won any fight he was a part of, even waving off Haachama’s magic as if it was a minor inconvenience. That was reason enough for Kiara to be wary.

“Yep,” Nux said. “In fact, let’s take this conversation elsewhere.”

“Wha-,” Ryan was cut off with a snap of Nux’s fingers. Suddenly, Ryan’s world went black.

“Welcome to my world,” Nux’s voice awoke Ryan. He snapped his eyes open to see an empty darkness, almost as if he didn’t open his eyes at all. The only indicator that his eyes weren’t closed was Nux’s figure, standing a couple meters away from Ryan.

“Just as boring as always,” Ryan turned to see… himself. The only difference was that he was wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants to Ryan’s KFP uniform and his eyes were purple.

“Oh, hey Edhas,” Ryan shrugged. “How were you able to get here?”

“Simple,” Edhas said. “I’m basically something akin to an astral projection, courtesy to Nuxanor over here. I’m still in your head, but I’m talking through here instead of there.”

“I see,” Ryan nodded, when he did in fact, not see. He turned back to Nux. “So, why are we here again?”

“Well, I just wanted to gauge you two,” Nux said. “It’s been a while since I’ve talked to you, Edhas.”

“Go cry me a river,” Edhas rolled his eyes. “Why couldn’t you just have ordered some wings and left like a normal person?”

“Well, a lot of things have been going on, you see,” Nux gave Ryan’s counterpart a toothy smile. “I needed to see what you were made of.”

“Alright, I guess,” Edhas said, turning to Ryan. “Sick ‘em.”

“I’m not a fucking dog,” Ryan growled. “Plus, aren’t you stronger than me?”

“Yeah, but I’m basically your super form,” Edhas said. “Just do it.”

“Fine,” Ryan heaved a sigh and opened his hands, summoning his pistols.

“I actually made a few upgrades to those,” Edhas said.

“You did?” Ryan asked.

“What do you think I do while you’re at work?” Edhas asked.

“Fair enough,” Ryan turned to Nux, who was patiently waiting, whistling some outdated meme song. “What did you add?”

Edhas opened his hand, summoning a replica pistol. He flicked his wrist, the barrel of the pistol turning ninety degrees until the whole gun was a straight line. He pulled the trigger and a blade made of concentrated plasma shot out of the barrel. “You can use different spells to get different effects. I also made it more efficient, so you can make stronger blasts with less magic.”

“Thanks,” Ryan said.

“Thank me by kicking his ass,” Edhas said, scoffing in Nux’s direction.

“If you say so,” Ryan turned towards the pale man, strengthening the grip he had around his pistols. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Finally,” Nux heaved a sigh. “With how long you were taking, I bet I could find a Sakura fan before you two were finished.”

“Sakura fans don’t exist,” Ryan said bluntly. “I would know. I spent a year doing nothing but sitting on my ass watching anime.”

“A year?” Nux laughed. “That’s nothing. Just start already.”

“Fine,” Ryan aimed a pistol and fired a beam of magical energy at Nux. He was starting to see why Edhas didn’t like him. Eddas was too broody for someone as chaotic and sporadic as Nux. Nux frowned before literally backhanding the attack, not even looking as the beam flew off into the infinite void.

“Try harder,” Nux said simply. Ryan flicked his wrists, letting the barrels fly up. He pulled the triggers, letting a small, curved blade form themselves. He decided to take a page from Storm’s book and try using two krises, both yellow in color. He dashed towards the pale man, whose smile return as he held out his hand. With blue and white flames, a pale machete revealed itself. Ryan swerved to the side, trying to go for the opening in Nux’s side. He flipped the knife, holding it in a backhand style before taking a stab at Nux’s side. Nux spun the machete, letting it collide with the kris, launching Ryan’s hand upwards. Ryan jumped up, letting the other kris return to gun form. He shot a couple shots at Nux before landing.

“That’s it!” Nux laughed, dashing towards Ryan. Ryan dodged a slash, pointing the gun at his face, pulling the trigger. Somehow, Nux was able to dodge the shot made of light, but Ryan wasn’t done. He turned his whole body, swinging the kris at his face. Nux curved his head backwards, dodging the attack before punching Ryan square in the face, sending him sprawling.

 “Not bad,” Nux smiled. “Edhas, you’re up.”

“You’re not the boss of me,” Edhas growned, summoning his swords. “But I wanted to fight you anyways.”

“Come,” Nux gave Edhas a toothy grin. Faster than Ryan’s eyes could track, Edhas dashed over, already behind Nux, amethyst eyes glowing as he swung both of his swords at the pale man. Nux’s smirk only grew wider as he blocked the swords without even looking. “It looks like you’re holding back.”

“I wouldn’t want to hurt your precious face,” Edhas said. The two vanished, but Ryan could feel the impact with every strike. The invisible fight went on for a few minutes until Edhas and Nux appeared a couple meters apart. Edhas was cut up and breathing heavily while Nux was standing casually, only a couple scars on his face.

“You’re fine,” Nux said. “You two need to learn how to work together, though, or you’ll never survive what happens next.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Edhas growled.

“Good,” Nux smirked. With a snap of his fingers, a bright light filled Ryan’s vision.

Storm screamed in pain, falling to one knee. “Storm! Are you okay?!” Aloe ran over.

“Get away…” Storm managed.

“Let me help!” Aloe begged, putting a hand on Storm’s shoulder.

“Aloe… I’m sorry,” Storm looked at Aloe with pained eyes as the blackness took over his other eye. Storm put a hand on Aloe’s stomach and let out a burst of power. Aloe gasped as she was sent flying backwards.

“I got you!” Grimm dashed forward, catching Aloe before vanishing.

“Finally,” Storm said, his tone noticeably deeper. “Storm’s free will was quite a problem. Now that it’s gone, I can go back to my original plan.”

Chapter Text

Day 25: Saying Goodbye

“I’ve waited long enough for this,” Storm paced around. “Things have gone too far out of control. It needs to return to the void. The first thing I need to do is take out the hugest threats. The first person on my list… Edhas.”

Grimm appeared in front of the KFP, holding Aloe. “Are you okay?”

“I think…” Aloe said, her voice shaking. “I knew this was going to happen, but… it doesn’t hurt any less.”

“I know,” Grimm pulled the succubus-in-training into a hug. “Let’s get you to some more friendly faces, alright?”

Botan was awaken by knocking on her door. She looked at the time. 5 am. Who could possible need her this early in the morning? She groggily dragged herself out of her bed and dragged her feet to the front door, still in her pajamas. She opened the door, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “What do you want? It’s so ea-,” Botan cut herself off when she saw who it was. A tall, bulky man with his hair combed back followed by Aloe, a large, black cloak wrapped around her. “Aloe!”

Botan tackled her friend into a hug. “I thought I’d never see you again!”

“Botan…” Aloe tightly gripped her friend, a pained expression on her face. “I’m here.”

Botan looked up to the man, who was smiling down at the two of them. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” the man said. “I trust you can take care of her?”

“Sure,” Botan nodded. “I’m sure the others would love to see you again.”

Aloe only replied with a small nod, holding onto her friend as if she would fade away into nothingness at any given moment.

“Do you feel that?” Edhas said as Ryan walked down the street.

I don’t, Ryan said. What is it?

“It’s energy coming from the void,” Edhas replied. “It could mean one of two things. Either Nux wants to screw around, or Storm might have gone insane.”

Insane? Ryan tilted his head.

“Being the void’s vessel isn’t the best for your mental health,” Edhas said. “Storm once told me that being the vessel of the void eats away at your sanity until it completely takes you over, effectively killing your soul.”

That doesn’t sound good, Ryan said.

“It really isn’t,” Edhas said. “Brace yourself.”

As Ryan walked over to the KFP to open the door, there was a large boom as pure dark energy exploded behind him. He turned around to see black mist spraying in every direction, Storm at the center of it, his eyes black and his ponytail flying rapidly in the wind. “Ah, Ryan. Edhas,” Storm said, his voice several tones deeper than it usually is. “You two are my first obstacle. If I want to return the universe to nothing, I have to kill you first.”

“How cliché,” Ryan said, summoning his guns.

“What the hell is going on here?!” The doors of the KFP flew open, Kiara running out. She looked at Ryan. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently Storm has gone insane and wants to kill us,” Ryan said, shrugging as if it wasn’t a big deal. After all, he already dealt with an eldritch horror trying to kill him the other day in Haachama.

“Ah, the phoenix is here as well,” Storm said, pointing a pitch black kris at Kiara. “I get to kill two birds with one knife.”

“Care to help me with this?” Ryan asked, a smirk on his face.

“Well, I need to put on a good example for my employees,” Kiara said, grabbing her sword and shield, letting them flare to life. “I can’t let you have all the fun.”

Ryan nodded as the two of the dashed at Storm. Ryan let the gun in his right hand morph into a combat knife as he slashed at Storm. Storm held up his kris, blocking the strike while crossing his free arm, aiming it towards Kiara. With a blast of dark energy, Kiara was sent flying back. Ryan used a similar strategy he used against Nux and aimed his gun at Storm’s face, firing point blank. Storm just looked at Ryan with his possessed eyes as the blast of magic went right through him. He pushed his Kris upwards, sending Ryan stumbling backwards. Storm then stabbed at Ryan, only to be blocked by Kiara’s shield.

“Thanks, Tenchou,” Ryan smirked, aiming his gun at Storm over Kiara’s shoulder, firing the gun at Storm several times. The blast went through Storm again, as usual.

“Weak,” Storm sent out a wave of dark energy, sending both of them sprawling.

“Let me at him!” Edhas said.

With pleasure, Ryan said as his eyes turned purple.

“So, you finally decide to come out,” Storm said, spinning the Kris in his hand. “First, let’s get rid of the nuisance.”

Faster than anyone can react, Storm blasted a beam of darkness at Kiara, instantly punching a giant hole through her torso.

“Tenchou!” Ryan shouted in his head. Edhas could feel a torrent of rage barrel through his head. Edhas didn’t fight it, letting the rage fuel through him, letting his magic energy increase. “Kill him!”

With pleasure, Edhas growled, switching out Ryan’s guns for his swords, dashing towards Storm.

“Guess I died again, huh?” Kiara found herself in the phoenix dimension. She’s been here once before when Ui killed her, but this time, she didn’t have time to hang around. Ryan could be dying out there for all she knew. Storm was someone whose strength was unmatched by anyone Kiara has ever met, including Calli, and Ryan needed all the help she could get.

“Before you go,” Kiara jumped slightly when she heard a voice behind her. She turned around to see Grimm.

“I can’t exactly stay for much longer, Sensei,” Kiara tensed. She didn’t want to be rude to her wife’s mentor, but she really needed to go.

“I know. I just wanted to give you a little something that may help you in your fight,” Grimm held is hand out as if he was to let a bird perch on his index finger. Suddenly, a small, black flame appeared in the shape of a crow. It cawed as it rested on Grimm’s finger before flapping its burning wings and flying straight into Kiara. She gasped as she felt a large amount of power seep into her.

“Thank you,” Kiara smiled as the door to her dimension appeared next to her.

“Go kick some ass, little crow,” Grimm said with a smile as Kiara walked through the door.

“This isn’t going good!” Edhas managed, his body mangled and cut.

“You were never able to beat me in the past,” Storm said, looking down at his opponent. “What makes it different now?”

“He has me!” Edhas’s eyes widened in shock as a torrent of black flames barreled into Storm, sending him sprawling. The flames dissipated, revealing Kiara, her hair and outfit a pitch black as her eyes shone in an emerald light. “Am crow!”

“Glad to see you’re alive, Kiara,” Edhas panted as he struggled to his feet.

“What are you talking about?” Kiara turned to Edhas, a confident smile on her face. “I’m a phoenix. We never stay dead.”

“Good to know,” Edhas said, coughing out blood. “Can you keep him occupied? I have one more thing up my sleeve.”

“Sure thing!” Kiara turned to Storm, who had already recovered from Kiara’s attack. Black flames started to form around Kiara until the flames consumed the phoenix completely. The dark flame started to form into a cone as Kiara dived for Storm, intending to impale him with her flames. Storm took out his kris and clashed with the point, an explosion of darkness erupting from the point of collision. While that was going on, Edhas summoned a small remote controller with a big red button and slammed the red button.

“You wanted to know what was in the box?” Edhas smirked as blood dribbled down his chin. Something barreled down from the sky, landing next to Edhas. Edhas’s eyes turned brown as he relinquished control.

“What…?” Ryan was bewildered as to why Edhas relinquish controlled, but he soon found out why when what seemed to be Edhas step out of the smoke, looking down at Ryan’s beaten and battered form.

“It was one of Reporter’s androids,” Edhas said with a smirk. “All I had to do was possess it to gain my own body.”

“Since when were you able to do that…?” Ryan coughed. The wounds from Edhas’s battle flared, causing Ryan immense pain.

“I was always able to do it,” Edhas shrugged. “You know, I considered doing this at first, but I had a lot more fun hanging around with you, Ryan. Thank you.”

“I guess I was good for something, huh?” Ryan closed his eyes, chuckling weakly. “Now, shall we finish this battle?”

“No,” Edhas said sternly, causing Ryan’s eyes to open in shock. Edhas put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder and suddenly, all of Ryan’s energy faded. Ryan fell to one knee. He tried to move his limbs, but they wouldn’t, their only response being a searing pain.

“Why are you doing this…?” Ryan asked, tears forming in his eyes. He thought he finally formed a friendship with Edhas, just for him to turn around and betray him. “I thought we were friends.”

“I’m doing this exactly because we are friends,” Edhas said. “Let me be straight with you. I can’t beat Storm. That’s why I got a spare body. I’m going to take the bastard with me.”

“Don’t tell me…!” Ryan said, his eyes widening further as he put the pieces together. “You’ll come back, right?”

“Unfortunately, that isn’t the case,” Edhas said, shaking his head. “Since I’ll be overloading myself with magic, self-destructing will destroy what’s left of my soul as well.”

“Wait!” Ryan shouted, desperation in his eyes as he forced himself to stand. “There has to be another way!”

“Before I go, let me give you a parting gift,” Edhas put his index finger on Ryan’s forehead, letting it slightly glow. “Consider this a mental care package. Now, I have a job to do. Live a good life, Ryan Shade.”

“Don’t go!” Ryan yelled, tears pouring from his eyes as his other half turned around and dashed towards Storm and Kiara, who were still fighting. Kiara was substantially beaten while Storm was only suffering from a couple cuts and burns.

“Thank you for everything,” Edhas said as he grabbed onto Storm. He looked at Kiara, a sad smile on his face. “Take care of the idiot for me, alright?”

The shock only briefly passed through Kiara’s eyes, but the manager quickly grasped what Edhas was saying. An understanding smile crossed her face. “I will,” she said, nodding. “That’s a promise.”

“Good,” Edhas nodded before flying up, Storm still stuck in his grasp.

“Are you really taking me with you?” Storm growled, hammering at Edhas’s back, shockwaves forming with each hit. “How stupid. I can always try again.”

“Fat chance,” Edhas said as he started to glow. “I’ll destroy every molecule of your being.”

“Impossible!” Storm shouted, his strikes becoming faster and more panicked as Edhas glowed brighter. “You can’t do that!”

Edhas smirked as he looked Storm in the eye, his amethyst eyes meeting Storm’s pitch black eyes. “Now, can you do me a favor and please RIP?”

Ryan collapsed to his knees as the two exploded into an innumerable number of lavender particles. Tears flowed freely down his face as the particles slowly drifted to the floor. Kiara wordlessly walked over to him, the black in her outfit and hair fading away, replaced by her signature orange. Without saying a word, Kiara got on one knee and pulled her employee into a hug. They had won, but at what cost?

Chapter Text

Day ???: Loss

Ryan awoke to his phone vibrating. He wasn’t sure how many hours or even days have passed since his fight with Storm. The fight where Edhas blew himself up to make sure that Storm wouldn’t come back to wreak havoc. Ryan forced himself to sit up. When the initial grief passed, it was replaced by emptiness. Edhas had lived inside Ryan’s head for a long time now, and him being gone was like Ryan losing a large chunk of his soul. He groggily reached for his phone, picking it up from his nightstand. He scrolled through his unseen messages. A lot of people messaged him, voicing their concerns, but Ryan mostly ignored all of them. The only one Ryan focused on was the one Kiara had sent him.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Ryan. Feel free to take as many days off as you need. We’ll always be ready to welcome you back with open arms when you’re ready.”

Ryan sighed. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the sentiment, but he felt as if that time would never come. Edhas was irreplaceable. Ryan could barely remember what it was like living without him. Even when he remembered events that happened before Edhas forced his way into Ryan’s life, he associated each memory on Edhas’s snide remarks about Ryan’s actions during said event. He stood up. “I might as well visit his grave,” he said to himself. He took a step forward, forming a lavender portal in front of him. He stepped through the portal, closing it behind him.

Ryan stepped through the portal, revealing the location to be an undisclosed graveyard in America, the same one where the gravestone for Grimm was erected. He walked down the small row of graves, stopping at the one fifth from the end. Ryan had made the grave for Edhas next to Gimm’s. He didn’t know why he did it. Maybe it was because he felt like Edhas should be laid to rest next to his sensei, or maybe it was the slight hope that Edhas would find his way back to the living world, much like Grimm did not too long ago.

“Edhas,” Ryan breathed softly, looking down at the grave.

Here lies Nyar Edhas

Friend, Brother, Protector, Hero

A true warrior until the end.

200X-202X

“Get up and fight. You will always have something to fight for.”

When consulting Sabrina, she told Ryan that the quote was something Edhas said a lot. He found it fit to put on his grave. Not only as his motto, but as a reminder for Ryan. He knew that he had something to fight for. He had Kiara, Amelia, Gura, Calli, Ina, and the rest of the friends he made along the way. Despite that, he couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness that filled his entire being. “What should I do?”

That’s when it struck him. The gift that Edhas gave him. He couldn’t bring himself to open it when he first awoke, but he felt that now was an apt time to do it. He closed his eyes, reaching into the depths of his consciousness. Edhas’s gift took the form of a door. All Ryan needed to do was open it. He took a deep breath and opened the mental door.

“Heh, so I really did it, huh?” Edhas’s snarky tone caused Ryan to open his eyes. He found himself in a pitch black area, Edhas standing before him. Ryan was familiar with this place. This was his mindscape, the place where they first met. The place where Edhas beat Ryan into a bloody pulp until he convinced Edhas to help him. That was the start of their friendship. “Never thought I would.”

“Edhas?” Ryan asked, a small bit of hope in his voice.

“Sorry if you just said something, but this is a pre-recorded message,” Edhas said, shrugging. Ryan’s shoulders slumped. So, he really was gone, and this recording was the last thing left of him. “You know, I’m pretty sure you’re sitting and moping around.”

Ryan sighed. Edhas really did know Ryan too well. Of course, he did. Edhas was him, after all. “I won’t tell you to stop moping or anything like that. I understand what it’s like to lose someone. After all, I made this to explain what’s in this package,” Edhas shoved his hands in his pockets, smirking at Ryan. Ryan couldn’t help but smile back. At least he could hear Edhas talk this one last time. “I basically copied all of my skills and put it into this little mental package. After this message, you will basically gain all of my fighting prowess. The only thing you will lack is magic power, at this point, but there’s nothing I could do about that, since I had to use all of my magic to blow Storm up. At least I could die knowing that you can protect yourself.”

“Thanks, Edhas,” Ryan knew Edhas couldn’t hear him, but it he wanted to thank Edhas. For all the times they had together, good and bad. All the times that Edhas would crack a joke or make a pervy remark. Though Ryan would reply crassly, he appreciated Edhas’s every effort to better his mood. He appreciated Edhas every time he got Ryan out of a jam. Without Edhas, Ryan would probably be dead in a ditch somewhere. Edhas was a part of Ryan, after all, and Ryan was lost without him. “Thank you for everything.”

“Now, that’s pretty much all I could give you,” Edhas said. “I know you’ll use it well. My last message is this. Live life to your fullest. With what you have now, you can live life any way you want. I’ve already accepted that my life ended a long time ago. This life is yours, and I have no right to butt in on what you want to do with it. Just know that wherever you go, know that you have my blessing. Feel free to use my name or status whenever you need to. Bye, Ryan. It’s been a blast.”

“Goodbye, Edhas,” Ryan closed his eyes, letting a single tear fall to the floor as he turned around, walking away as the projection of Edhas faded away. “Thank you for everything.”

“Ryan?” Kiara’s voice snapped Ryan awake. He opened his eyes and turned around to see Ame, Gura, Ina, Calli, and of course, Kiara.

“Hey Tenchou,” Ryan said, his voice still holding a somber tone. He was happy to see Edhas one more time, but the emptiness quickly seeped in once Ryan remembered that he was still dead. He knew that he needed to get off his ass and do something with his life, just as Edhas wanted, but it wasn’t that simple.

“Bloom was today,” Kiara said. “A lot of people were hoping you were coming.”

“I’m sorry,” Ryan shook his head. “I completely forgot.”

“It’s okay,” Kiara put her hands on Ryan’s shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. “We know that you’re suffering right now, but we’re here for you.”

“That’s right,” Amelia stepped forward. “We’re your friends, Ryan. We’ll be here for anything you need.”

“You can always talk to us,” Ina nodded her head, making a ‘humu-humu’ noise.

“We got your back whether you like it or not,” Gura said, stepped forward, standing next to Amelia.

“If you ever need anything from us, just ask,” Calli said, standing next to Ina.

“Thank you,” Ryan closed his eyes and looked down, tears forming in his eyes.

“You’re welcome,” Kiara pulled Ryan into a hug, the others joining one by one. “We’ll always be here for you.”

Ryan nodded as he buried himself into Kiara’s shoulder. Edhas was right. Ryan always had something to fight for.

Edhas awoke in an endless blackness as far as the eye could see. “Huh, I swear I blew myself up,” he said to himself, looking around. “Where am I?”

“Edhas,” a deep voice boomed. Edhas recognized the voice instantly. It was the voice that spoke through Storm when he was brainwashed. “The void welcomes you.”

“What do you want?” Edhas asked, looking up. Since the voice came from every direction, he didn’t have any particular direction to look at.

“Storm was a failure,” the void replied. “With him gone, I need a new successor. Someone to manage the void in his absence. Someone to be my ambassador. I have selected you to be my herald. Now tell me, will you join, or will you die?”

A smug smirk instantly found itself comfortable on Edhas’s face. He shoved his left hand in his pocket and held his right hand out, making a gesture that needed no interpretation. “FAQ.”

-The End-