Archive of Our Own

“All yours, Sandrone~”

Columbina's melodic voice whispered next to Sandrone’s ear as the marionette groaned, summoning Fagio and taking aim at what was left of their enemy.

Sometimes she wondered why she was even here for these fights. By the time Columbina's angelic wings unfurled behind her, by the time that robot maid had her barriers up and running, and—can't forget—by the time that insufferable fox woman had her turrets planted, whatever they were up against was already down to half its health before Sandrone so much as raised a hand.

Honestly, she was fairly certain Columbina and Ineffa alone could tear through anything they'd faced up to now without her. It was almost irritating how well the two of them worked together—though, what irritated her more was having to admit just how well her own powers meshed with that shrine maiden! Why couldn’t she have synergy with Columbina instead?! Hell, she would even take Ineffa at this point!

Sandrone swallowed all that down as she lined up her shot and Fagio fired one last blast of Stellar-Conduct, the beam tearing clean through the round automaton's core and reducing it to scrap in a single burst.

The wooden chest it had been guarding unlocked on its own, spilling out the usual pieces of junk—rusty weapons cluttering to the ground along with scrolls of dubious knowledge and shoddy quality artifacts. 

The sole exception to all this trash was the whopping 2 (two!!!) glimmering jewels shaped like the stars. Primogems, the Traveler called them. 

Ugh. All that work for this…

“What did you find?” Columbina floated behind her, placing her hands on Sandrone’s shoulders.

“It’s all the same,” Sandrone sighed, waving her sword away as she did so. “...Just go pick them up. That’s what we went all this way for, right?”

“Proceeding with gathering loot,” Ineffa’s voice announced somewhere behind her, the robot’s vacuum device activating and sucking away all the items until nothing was left.

Seriously, why was Sandrone wasting her time like this? And on the moon, of all places?!

Ah, right, she remembered…

It was been a quiet evening at the Silvermoon Hall. Sandrone had decided to come visit, inviting the moon goddess for a personal get-together. Between the mess of her own personal troubles and a film that needed shooting, there hadn’t been much time for the two of them to properly sit down and talk, after all.

Their teatime had settled into a comfortable silence by then, the two of them sitting together atop the moon-shaped pedestal at the cave’s center. Sandrone was perfectly content to just sit there, letting her mind drift somewhere pleasant in the moon goddess’s melody…

…until, of course, a certain someone just had to ruin the mood.

“Columbina, I’m here~” the Traveler’s voice echoed from the entrance, the blonde girl’s head coming into view. Golden eyes locked onto Sandrone’s blue and Lumine froze mid-step, clearly startled to find her there. “S-Sorry. Did I interrupt something?”

Sandrone wanted to answer, but Columbina beat her to it.

“Mhm. Not really,” Columbina answered—Sandrone would have said yes, actually—ceasing her singing. “Are you here for the usual?”

…The usual? Sandrone tilted her head.

Lumine nodded. “Today’s blessing, if you’d please.”

Today’s blessing…? So the Traveler has been visiting her daily and Sandrone never even knew…?

Columbina hopped off the pedestal, leaving Sandrone sitting alone at the top of it. Some small, petty part of her was annoyed at the absence, but she wanted to see where this was going first.

Lumine stretched out her hand, and Columbina reached into the folds of her dress, withdrawing a small handful of star-shaped jewels that she let fall one by one into the Traveler’s palm.

“...Huh.”

Sandrone slid off the pedestal and walked over for a closer look.

“What in the world are those?” the marionette asked, her curiosity piqued.

Columbina tilted her head, seemingly equally as puzzled for some reason. “Ever since I acquired the tri-lunar authority, they’ve just been appearing around me every day.”

Sandrone narrowed her eyes. A manifestation of her powers as the moon goddess, perhaps? But if that were true, and the Traveler went around collecting them everyday…

“You’re not putting her out by doing this, are you?” Sandrone shot a glare at the blonde-haired girl, who only raised her arms in surrender and shook her head rapidly as if to dispel the allegations.

“Are you worried about me, Sandrone?” Columbina smiled, floating to Sandrone’s side and looping their arms together. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t inconvenience me at all.”

“I’m not!” Sandrone denied, tugging at her arm—but Columbina’s grip was firm, so she gave up. “A-anyway, like I said, what in the world are those? Give me one, I want to take a closer look.”

“Sorry, Sandrone! I can’t spare even a single one for anybody, not even Paimon!” Lumine immediately tensed, clutching the gems to her chest as if Sandrone might steal them away. “Besides, you already took a bunch from me! I had to force you and your brick of a weapon to come home!”

“Haaaah? What are you even talking about?” Sandrone retorted, and if not for Columbina’s hold, she probably would have (lightly) smacked the Traveler for this slander. “I came back all by myself! And excuse you, this weapon of mine is more than just a ‘brick’!”

“You wouldn’t understand…” Lumine said, a resigned sigh leaving her lips as she wiped tears from her eyes. “But it’s okay, I'm happy enough just seeing the two of you together once again…”

Sandrone glanced sideways at Columbina, her gaze communicating a wordless question—”is she always this weird?”, to which Columbina only answered with a small shrug.

“Anyway, more importantly! It’s a good thing that you’re both here…” Lumine clapped her hands, a smile back on her face, as if her earlier sentimental mood earlier didn’t happen at all. “I’m going to be really busy over the next few weeks, so I have a favor to ask of you two…”

Sandrone sighed. “What could you possibly be so busy with that you have to resort to us for help?”

“Sleeping.”

“Sleeping?!”

“Once again, you wouldn’t understand, Sandrone…”

“I’m sure I’ve heard or done stranger things in all the centuries I have been alive.”

“Fine, if you insist,” Lumine said. “So when I go to sleep, I dream that I’m in another world, flying through the vast cosmos on a train as a trailblazer. And you know, there’s this woman who looks a lot like Mavuika but sounds like Lisa and is like my mother figure—”

“—Never mind, I regret asking. Just tell us what you want,” Sandrone cut her off flatly.

“I knew you wouldn’t understand after all!”

…Right. Yes. The Traveler had begged her to help gather these stupid things on the moon some time back. Unfortunately, Sandrone wasn’t the type of person to leave her debts unpaid, and she supposed that the girl and her small companion did help her out, so she’d agreed, if a little begrudgingly…

Besides… Columbina was more than thrilled at the idea of inviting Sandrone into her home. The marionette wouldn't deny she'd been curious to see the place for herself, but… she just didn’t expect to get dragged into housecleaning!

As interesting as the structures scattered across the moon were, full of puzzles and old mechanisms Sandrone’s genius mind picked apart without much effort, most of what they’d actually spent their time on only boiled down to chores with a dash of violence!

Sandrone walked away from the now quiet battlefield, kicking away a scrap of a Precursor's Secret Source Matrix of Overseer Network that they felled earlier. The metallic piece that had fallen off its chassis bounced off the ground and drifted upwards into the sky, thanks to the low gravity here.

She supposed she should at least be glad for the chance to field test not only her upgraded body but also Fagio at the same time. All the running and fighting made for a decent stress benchmark, both in and out of combat. And watching her body hold up under conditions like this only proved once again that Alain's genius was ahead of its time, after all.

…Though sometimes she honestly couldn’t tell where Alain’s engineering ended and Columbina’s assistance began. There was some sort of force she’d started to recognize—something resembling kuuvahki—that seemed to settle around her when things got just a little too… unsafe.

She couldn’t prove it was the moon goddess, but then again, she didn’t really want to bring it up either. It felt like giving up or admitting defeat, for some reason—and besides, there wasn’t really any good time to broach the topic, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to do it in front of guests in the first place.

…Right now, though? She could definitely tell that Columbina was trying to “help” her.

In fact, not only could she physically feel it, she could see it plainly in front of her own eyes!

“You know, you can let go of me, Columbina.” Sandrone said, gesturing to the pair of hands gripping her hips belonging to the girl in front of her. She could feel a leering gaze on the back of her neck too—no doubt belonging to that annoying fox lady, and up to no good!

“But I don’t want you floating out of my sight too,” Columbina’s stupidly melodic voice murmured right next to her ear.

Sandrone groaned in an effort to hide the flush creeping up her face. “I’m not as light as paper like you seem to think I am.”

“Mhm… I suppose that’s true,” Columbina nodded, letting go and floating back a few steps. Her gaze dropped, lingering on Sandrone’s chest, then lower to her thighs. “Sandrone has gotten heavier, after all. But I like it.”

“What did you just—?!” Sandrone smoothed down her skirt with her hands—curses, maybe a skirt this short was a mistake after all! She had to fight the urge to strangle the girl right there in front of their new-found ‘adventuring party’. “Besides, that’s not the point! I can literally fly, you idiot!”

“If you say so, Sandrone,” Columbina said, turning away with a smile still on her lips. Her hands weren't there anymore, but Sandrone's sensors could still pick up the faint thread of energy tethering the two of them together by her waist. This girl… She really thought she was being subtle!

...But Sandrone decided to let it go, for now.

Having decided to take a break, the group found a quiet spot to rest in Ungien's Circle. The biosphere at least made for pleasant surroundings—gravity closer to what three of the four of them were used to, and strange alien trees rising overhead that Sandrone had never laid eyes on before. Biology wasn't exactly her field, but even she had to admit they were intriguing.

The Marionette sat against a rock, holographic screens surrounding her as she tended to Fagio. It wasn’t like there were any issues with her companion, exactly, aside from the rampant overheating after sustained use. No, Sandrone simply only wanted to look busy because she wasn’t in the mood for socializing, and these screens around her were like a ward that screamed “don’t talk to me”.

A few steps away, Columbina sat across rather than beside her for once, apparently reading the room—Sandrone wasn’t exactly sure whether she should be glad or not at that. The goddess settled down next to Ineffa instead, who seemed to be running some kind of self-diagnostic, judging by the way her eyes flickered.

After a few moments of silence, Ineffa’s eyes returned to normal, and she turned her attention to the person next to her.

“Would you like some krumkakes, Miss Columbina? I heard from the Traveler that you like treats, much like Aino.”

“Mm,” Columbina nodded. “That sounds nice.”

The robot maid nodded back, a “ding!” sounding somewhere from within her body. Her fist retracted, forearm splitting open as her other hand whipped out a plate from seemingly nowhere, and a moment later, freshly baked krumkakes shot out of the now empty arm socket right onto the dish.

Sandrone watched from the corner of her eye as as Columbina made a small, delighted sound at the display, clapping once before taking the plate from Ineffa's hand. She picked up one between her fingers and bit into it like she'd never eaten anything in her life, cream and crumbs adorably catching at the corners of her lips.

Strange. It shouldn’t have been unusual to watch Columbina savoring food that was neither made nor served by Sandrone’s own hands. After all, she had seen the goddess eat plenty of times before, back in their days with the Fatui, at gatherings far more public than this.

And yet, something about this spectacle now made Sandrone’s core a little restless.

…She wondered if maybe her body still had room for an oven, too.

Sandrone tore her eyes away, only to find them drifting right back a moment later, still ruminating the same thought. No, a baking module built into her own body would be out of the question—there simply wasn’t room for it, and she already had to… enlarge certain parts to fit some new features. Retrofitting Fagio, then. It might work, in theory, though it would mean sacrificing processing power she'd rather keep reserved for combat. Or maybe something built into her hoverchair instead—no, scratch that, she could just build an entirely new unit…

“You’ve been staring,” Columbina’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Do you want some, Sandrone? Want me to feed you?”

“—No thank you, and also no!” Sandrone quickly denied.

“If you say so…” Columbina said, her eyebrows dropping in slight disappointment before she turned back to her plate.

Darn it, maybe something was still wrong with Sandrone’s emotional module after all. First, she shouldn't be feeling anything like this to begin with. Second, that look on Columbina's face had no business making her feel this guilty!

She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it the instant she felt someone settle down beside her. She let out a groan.

The mischievous voice spoke, amused. “Mora for your thoughts, Lady Harbinger?”

Ugh, forget Columbina and baking for a second! This stupid fox next to her was infuriating, and not in the good way that the moon goddess managed to be, which Sandrone could at least tolerate!

“Pray tell, I’ve been curious…” Yae Miko or Lady Guuji or whatever her name leaned in with a whisper. “What exactly is your relationship with the moon goddess over there, hm?”

“Why in the world would I tell you that?!” Sandrone retorted.

“The future of Inazuma’s literary industry depends on it.”

“...And why in the world would you think that's a part of my concern?”

“A shame,” Yae sighed. “I was even willing to pay for it. It's not every day one comes across such good reference material, after all.”

Sandrone scoffed. “Pay me with what? I’m not exactly short on Mora, for your information.”

“Well, I heard from a certain little one that you’re quite fond of fluffy things,” Yae said, smirking now. “And I happen to know someone who can turn into a very adorable tiny fox if she wants to…”

“I’m not going to pet you!” Sandrone snapped back. “...T-Though, your tail does look pretty soft, I’ll admit… But it's not like I want to touch it or anything…”

Yae scooted closer from where she sat, and Sandrone had no more room on this rock she sat on to get away. “Are you sure? This is an once-in-a-lifetime chance, even for someone who's lived as long as you have.…”

Before Sandrone could refuse any better, a shadow fell over the two of them. Both looked up to find Columbina standing there.

“Oh my, Columbina,” Yae greeted. “Is there something you need?”

“Mhm,” Columbina only hummed. “I just noticed that we haven’t really become friends yet, Ms. Miko.”

“Ah, is that so? Here I thought we already were,” Yae tilted her head, an amused smile still on her lips. “So, what would you have me do about it?”

“I learned that in Fontaine, this is how you do it.”

Whatever Yae meant to say died in her throat, replaced by a pained wheeze as Columbina's fist sank into her stomach. She doubled over, gasping, wiping a thin line of blood from her chin with the back of her hand.

“I-I see… This, too, is good reference material…”

“Columbinaaaa! I told you, you can't just punch people to become friends with them!!” Sandrone stood up, grabbing the other girl by the shoulders. “What is this, some Inazuman comic?! Who taught you this and let you believe there was nothing wrong with it?!”

Columbina tilted her head. “Wriothesley did?”

“...Why would the Duke of the Meropide teach you something so strange?!”

“Shall we go home, Sandrone?”

Columbina’s voice came behind Sandrone now that they were both in Nasha Town. With their “adventuring” wrapped up for the day, the group had decided to go to their separate homes, courtesy of Columbina’s teleportation (after she had to convince Sandrone that doing it no longer harmed her in any way, of course). They'd already dropped Yae back in Inazuma, and now only Ineffa was left before the two of them could head home to Fontaine.

“...Actually,” Sandrone answered. “I need to talk to Ineffa for a bit. You can bring me back in… 15 minutes, I’d say.”

Columbina nodded. “It’s okay. I can wait.”

“No, you can’t.” Sandrone crossed her arms, looking away. “It’s… private. Just between me and her.”

“Oh.” The moon goddess’s face fell, just slightly. “Okay.”

With a hesitant flash, Columbina disappeared in a blink of an eye. Sandrone sighed—she felt bad for driving the girl away, but if this plan of hers worked out, it would more than make up for it.

“...How can I help you, Miss Sandrone?” Ineffa tilted her head, hands folded in front of her as always.

“W-Well…” Sandrone turned around, facing the robot maid. “I was curious about that baking function of yours. I'd like a closer look, if you don't mind.”

Ineffa nodded, eyes flashing once as she processed the request. “Aino has my schematics. Should I take you to see her?”

“...The walk there would take too long, and I can’t keep that stupid girl waiting…” Sandrone admitted. Maybe she should have just had Columbina teleport them to the workshop instead.

“I understand. You wish to see Miss Columbina and go home with her as soon as possible.”

“I said none of those words!”

“If you wish, you may scan my internal structures,” Ineffa continued on, ignoring her. “I don’t think Aino would mind.”

“Yes, that would probably be faster,” Sandrone sighed, activating her internal scanners as she approached Ineffa.

“The main unit is in my abdomen.”

Sandrone nodded, flexing her fingers before pressing one hand flat against the left side of Ineffa's waist. Once her scanners finished calibrating, she set her other hand against the opposite hip, and the mapping began.

Readouts scrolled by in a stream of data that only her eyes could see—

—Ah, a core made of ancient dragon technology. No wonder. A power source that potent, packed into something so compact, left room for practically everything else. So this was how Ineffa managed to carry an entire miniature automated kitchen's worth of machinery inside her frame while still maintaining her capacity for cleaning and even combat.

A part of Sandrone, the engineer side of her, felt that it was truly unfortunate—Ineffa could have been so much more than what she was, if only she and her mechanic wished for it.

But as long as the two of them were happy with what they had, she supposed it wasn't her place to say otherwise.

“...Okay,” Sandrone finally said, letting go of Ineffa and stepping back. “You have my gratitude for indulging me, Ineffa.”

“It is no problem at all,” Ineffa bowed. “If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.”

“...Hmm, now that you mention it…”

Unbeknownst to these two, a certain someone hadn’t gone quite as far as she’d let on. A pair of lilac moonlit eyes had been watching them all along from a distance, half-hidden behind a pillar.

Stare…

“...And that’s when I saw Sandrone’s hand traveling all over Ineffa’s body.”

At Columbina's words, Lumine choked on her tea, spraying a mouthful clean across the table of the little Fontainian cafe they were in and straight onto Paimon's face.

“H-Hey! Watch it!” Paimon sputtered, wiping her face with her tiny hands.

“A-Are you sure that’s what you saw?” Lumine coughed, dabbing at her chin with a small napkin.

“Yes.” Columbina nodded

“I’m… sure she had a good reason for it…?” Lumine offered. She wasn’t quite sure of it herself, but it had to be a misunderstanding.

“Well, Paimon’s not surprised,” Paimon butted in now that she considered herself dry enough. “After all, they’re both clanke—”

“Paimon, you can’t say that!” Lumine quickly snatched her companion, clamping the damp napkin over her mouth before she could finish, silencing whatever atrocity of a word Paimon was about to teach Columbina into nothing but muffled ‘hmmphs’ and ‘mmfs’.

Columbina, for her part, paid no mind to the antics—partly because she had closed her eyes again and partly because her mind was clearly somewhere else. “I know she must have had a good reason. But what could it be?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you just ask her, Columbina?”

The moon goddess shook her head. “It feels… strange.”

“What does?”

“Watching Sandrone touch her like that. It made me feel… hm, bad. I don’t think I like the idea of bringing it up with her. Even though I can usually talk to Sandrone about anything, no matter how much she complains...”

“Are you afraid of what she might say?”

“...I’m not sure.”

Lumine sighed, though a soft smile tugged at her lips. She picked up the cup of tea she’d abandoned earlier, taking a small sip. Such fragrant blooming liliesyuri—truly what she worked her butt off grinding daily commissions for, every single day. “I think you’re just jealous, Columbina.”

“Jealous?” Columbina tilted her head in confusion.

“Yes, as in—”

“—I want Sandrone to touch me?”

Lumine spat her drink out a second time, drenching the still-gagged Paimon in her lap all over again. Her companion wriggled free at last, flailing her tiny limbs in protest.

“Can someone grab Paimon a towel already!”

Sandrone was elbow-deep in Fagio’s chassis, a dozen holographic windows hovering around her as she wired in a set of new coolant units. Her little pet project had wrapped up sooner than expected, which finally left her room to work on something more important—

That is, until the door to her childhood home creaked open without so much as a knock. She didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Only one person dared—and was allowed, anyway—to enter as if this house also belonged to her too.

“Columbina?” Sandrone called over her shoulder. “My hands are full right now. Wait there for a bit, will you?”

The marionette didn’t receive an answer—only the sound of barely there footsteps stopping nearby.

That, more than anything, was what made her drop all her work and turn around. Usually a line like that would get her at least some melodic hum in reply, or Columbina making herself comfortable regardless—draping herself over Sandrone's shoulder, or sitting somewhere she shouldn’t. Instead, the goddess stood just past the doorway, her closed eyes fixed on Sandrone with an expression she couldn’t name.

“...What is it,” Sandrone set her tools down, getting up and dusting off her skirt. “Seriously. What’s wrong?”

“I learned a new word today,” Columbina said, floating further into the roomuntil she stood right in front of the marionette. “Lumine thinks I might be… ‘jealous’.”

“What?” Sandrone crossed her arms, baffled at the admission. “What could have possibly brought this on? Who are you jealous of?”

“Ineffa.”

“Huh?!”

“I saw it happen,” Columbina tilted her head, the eyemask around her face fading as her eyes opened, meeting Sandrone's as if to prove her point. “Your hands were on her and I didn’t like it.”

…What was possibly going through this stupid dove’s head?!

“...I thought you’d already teleported away by then.”

“I did,” Columbina frowned. “Just not far enough. I didn’t really want to go home alone.”

Sandrone sighed, though a flush did crawl up her neck—whether due to annoyance or because she felt flattered, she couldn’t tell. Still, a part of her was glad that this was just a misunderstanding easy enough to clear up, though another was annoyed because this would ruin the surprise she had been planning all along!

“Look, that was… I don’t know what you think she and I did, but I was simply running a scan. I wanted to see how certain parts of her body worked. Nothing more!”

“Mhm… I know it was probably nothing. I believe you.”

“You knew?” Sandrone tilted her head. “Well, that’s good, then…”

“..But it didn’t make the feeling go away. I think I still didn’t like watching it happen,” Columbina paused. “Am I… strange?”

Sandrone sighed.

“Yes, you’ve always been a weirdo, Columbina.” She grabbed the other girl’s hand, intertwining their fingers together.

Columbina smiled fondly even at the jab. “I’m sorry. Am I being overbearing?”

“...It’s not… You don’t need to…” Sandrone cut off her own words, deciding action would serve them both better here. “Ugh. Come here.”

She set her other hand against Columbina's waist and pulled by the wrist, drawing the moon goddess into an embrace. She let go of Columbina's hand only once it found its place against her back, her own palm trailing slow down the curve of Columbina's spine.

“...Y-You’re the only one I would ever do this… and more… with, okay?” Sandrone murmured against Columbina’s ear. “So stop sulking and getting jealous over stupid things.”

“...More?” Columbina titled her head, clearly delighted at the idea.

“W-We are saving those for later. Don’t ask.”

“Okay…” The moon goddess relented, resting her head against the marionette’s shoulder. “...You’re right. I was being silly. Maybe I just missed you too much.”

“If you really missed me that much, maybe we can stop going off on those adventures and spend a little more alone time together,” Sandrone suggested, half-jokingly.

“That sounds nice… but being able to explore the world with you is fun, too.”

“There’s just no satisfying you…” Sandrone chuckled, hugging the girl tighter. “You really think it's fun even when you have to watch over me like a hawk? Don't think I haven't noticed.”

“Being able to see you gives me peace of mind, so yes,” Columbina hummed. “And you are the only one allowed to bask in the moon's brightest light.”

Sandrone's decoder for Columbina's language conveniently decided to fail her just this time. “...I'm not sure I know exactly what you mean by that.”

Columbina withdrew just slightly to meet the other girl in the eyes. "It means I love you, my dearest Sandrone."

"Guh, you can't just say that out of the blue! That's unfair!" Sandrone pulled the goddess back into the hug, if only to avoid returning her gaze. "I-I love you too..."

They stayed like that for a while until a “ding!” echoed throughout the room. Sandrone pulled back a little, and Columbina was reluctant to let go—until a warm buttery smell reached her nostrils, after which she resisted slightly less.

“Were you making something?”

“...Since you’re here already… I might as well just show you.”

Hand in hand, Sandrone led her across the workshop, where a large thing sat on the desk—something resembling… a backpack? Slightly too big for either Sandrone’s or Columbina’s back, though.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Sandrone said, as if reading Columbina’s thoughts. “It’s meant to go on Fagio.”

Sandrone released her grip from Columbina’s as she walked over, opening the round-shaped window on the backpack. She reached one hand inside and pulled out… a plate of freshly baked krumkakes.

“Eh…?”

“This is what I was talking to Ineffa about. I was trying to work out how her body could fit an entire baking module without compromising her performance,” Sandrone flushed, offering the plate to her. “But I figured out it was impossible for me to replicate that 1:1, so instead I built it as a detachable unit for Fagio instead. Still not as good as anything I usually make myself, though.”

“Sandrone…” Columbina slowly took the offered plate, a smile spreading across face. “You did all this for me?”

“Huh?!” Sandrone slammed the backpack’s window shut as if the noise could hide how red her face was. “W-Who said I made this for you?”

“Could it be…” Columbina covered her mouth with one hand, though the smug grin beneath it was far too wide to actually hide. “You were also ‘jealous’…?”

“No! And stop doing that! You’ve been hanging around that annoying fox lady too much!”

Stomping her feet, Sandrone marched over to her tea set on the other side of the room, pouring herself a cup to calm herself down.

“Oh. Speaking of Ms. Miko…” Columbina said, suddenly reminded of something. “She wanted to give us a present.”

Sandrone narrowed her eyes, already suspicious. “What could that possibly be…”

Columbina swung her hand through the air, opening a small, palm-sized portal. She reached in and pulled out a book, carrying it over to Sandrone.

“Here.”

Sandrone eyed the offered book like it was laced with poison before taking it, sipping her tea as she studied the cover—a decision she came to regret almost immediately!

For starters, the cover! Legally distinct enough to technically be someone else, sure, but there was no mistaking it—that was Sandrone and Columbina, in the middle of a hug, and the illustrator had the gall to draw her looking away with a shy blush while Columbina held her close!

And worst of all was the title…

The Moon Goddess Thinks Her Clockwork Princess Can’t Be This Cute!

Sandrone spat out her tea, Columbina narrowly dodging the projectile with a smile, utterly unfazed. The marionette coughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Oh, maybe she should thank Yae Miko, actually, because this just gave her a great idea.

She should build Fagio a flamethrower, just so she could burn every last copy of this damn book! And while at it, maybe roast that damn Traveler alive too for leaking her cringe-inducing past!

Later on, in the Fortress of Meripede…

“Sir, two letters have arrived for you.”

“Oh? Thank you.”

Wriothesley dismissed the guard as he left, taking the two envelopes into his desk.

“Let’s see… One from Miss Columbina, and… the Seventh of the Fatui Harbinger?” He raised an eyebrow. “Not everyday you receive a letter from someone of that caliber…”

He opened the light blue envelope first, taking out a thick light novel and a small folded note.

‘A new friend of mine wrote about Sandrone and I. I think you will like it.’

He flipped the note over. ‘Sponsored by the Yae Publishing House’.

…Must be a new marketing campaign, he supposed.

Placing the book and the promotional slip aside for now, he opened the one sent by the Marionette, his eyes widening a fraction with every line.

'It has come to my attention that you’ve been a bad influence on a certain someone.
Sleep with one eye open tonight.
Better cash in all those favors with the Iudex while you still can.'

Wriothesley let out a long sigh, dropping his suddenly aching head into one hand.

“This sounds like a misunderstanding, but…” he groaned. “Where did my life go wrong, I wonder…"