Flawless.
Without flaws and, therefore, perfect.
That was the only word fit to describe the lock sealing in the Younger Sister of Scarlet.
After all, nothing short of perfect could ever hope to hold Remilia's younger sister, Flandre, who could destroy anything in existence.
Honestly, the current lock was a working miracle in itself.
The more complex, moving parts something has, the more it is prone to fail at its seams.
Yet somehow, like an artist surpassing their own skill, all parts came together perfectly, reinforcing the seal instead of weakening it.
The seal's foundation was Patchouli's thaumaturgy, an intricate lattice of countless woven mysteries linked into countless multi-elemental bounded fields, creating a spell-architecture of several high-order logic circles.
The spells surrounding Flandre were designed less like walls and more like a mesh of labyrinths, with each layer recalculating its purpose depending on the day and night cycle of the ever-changing composition of elements present in the atmosphere.
Logic traps, metaphysical mirrors, even false exits—Patchouli had built an ever-changing prison. One that was always different whenever she blinked. One that was always different and never repeated its structure.
Yet, while capable of confining most things already, that would have been a far cry from enough to confine Flandre Scarlet.
Time and space, too, were just another tool used to keep her locked away. Thanks to Sakuya's ability, space was distorted, altered, twisted, and shaped until it was impossible to orient oneself. Forget north, south, east, and west; it was impossible to tell if she was upside down or not, or even whether her arm was not where her left arm should be.
All of that, with the addition of the chamber's time, being out of sync with the rest of the world, like a broken metronome that never held its rhythm, meant that cause and effect never quite lined up as it was supposed to. Flandre's mind was intact.
She could still think and act, but events fluctuated, uncertain when they should happen. A swing might finish before it began, a blink might last several hours, and time and space were uncertain.
But, even if it was just that, escape would have been easy. It was just a question of time in this timeless space.
The theory was genius, but a blueprint without the material to construct it is just a blueprint. A ritual of that scale would need a lot of fuel and an unreasonable amount of magic energy.
All made possible thanks to Meiling. Redirecting the flow of the local ley lines to the mansion was only made possible thanks to Meiling's dragon nature.
Using her molded skin as a catalyst, Meiling merged with the leylines, as another name for "leyline" was "Dragon Vein."
By becoming the living keystone of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Flandre's seal was anchored to Gaia, allowing it to receive virtually infinite magical energy.
As long as the Earth existed, so would the seal.
Still, even with all of this, escape was far from impossible for Flandre.
Ink fades, walls wear down, and energy dissipates.
Unless the seal is maintained, it will naturally crumble. But, of course, there was someone who did that thankless job.
An annoying little imp would occasionally visit, inspect the seal, repair it, and even throw random trinkets into the chamber.
They didn't serve to placate her but to distract her and break her focus.
The occasional interesting book to take her mind off the barrier, the periodic plushies to vent her anger on, even the rare music boxes with soothing melodies that calmed her.
Nonetheless, escape wasn't out of the question.
It would take nothing less than a miracle to stop the seal from collapsing immediately onto itself.
Too many mysteries are densely packed into a small space; even if theoretically possible, having this much energy located in one place was never a good idea.
But, somehow, everything was holding up by some miracle.
A miracle created by someone who held the threads of fate in her hand.
Like the final brush stroke on a painting, fate itself, shaped by Remilia's will, was woven into the foundation of the spell.
Its purpose was not to deny Flandre's powers but to reroute them. Destruction was possible. Easily, just not in the way she wanted. Circles shattered, walls bent, and ceilings crumbled. Flandre's ability destroyed things, but not in a way that mattered or could undo the seal.
In other words, it was a bother trying to destroy this seal.
Sometimes, Flandre traced the lines in her visions with her fingernail, undoing several hours of work, yet the seal would hold.
And other times, she would see the red threads through those cracks, taunting her to get out.
Seeing them meant she could cut them, but something stopped her from doing so.
Every time she raised her hand, she would hesitate long enough for them to disappear again.
It wasn't out of fear. There wasn't even any resistance.
It was simply because... the seal was so flawless.
It was like a work of art, breathtaking and awe-inspiring, something that should be preserved for all eternity.
It was just such a pity to destroy something so beautiful that everyone collaborated to create, even if that creation was meant to lock her up.
Each time she was about to break the seal, she hesitated long enough to let her chance slip away.
Tens, hundreds, thousands of times.
Flandre sighed, once again just stopping short of breaking the barrier.
She had to admit it. This seal was unbreakable.
"But, it's just such a pity..."
Leaning back on the floor, Flandre chuckled as she lifted her hand and squeezed empty air.
Open and close, close and open, repeating that action, the small vampire seemed to try to regain the sensation in her hand.
Until she stopped midway through that motion, her fingers stuck as if they couldn't move an inch further.
"...that I am going to break it."
At first, nothing happened.
Aside from the occasional circle fading in some places, nothing outside the ordinary happened.
That was until the entire mechanism suddenly came to a screeching halt.
A devious and gleeful smile appeared on the face of the Young Sister of Scarlet.
"Squeeze and..."
Her fingers started to tremble, not from hesitation but from the resistance of the near-unbreakable barrier.
It was tough. Frustratingly so, in fact. But, there was an almost insignificant yet noteworthy difference from all the other times she attempted this.
This time, that feeling of resistance gave in.
"Boom~."
As if she pulled the thread out of the seam, the countless mysteries making up the seal unraveled.
Like the gears of a clock tower suddenly stopping, the destruction started with silence as the countless moving components came to a violent halt.
The seal that had been restlessly moving for centuries stopped.
"And then, there will be none~."
Suddenly, one by one, the magic circles faded as the logic circles lost meaning, and the countless colors woven by the mysteries collapsed like dying stars, as the internal formulas folded in on themselves when their failsafes failed.
The labyrinth of spell-lines twisted before snapping, as their components dissolved into small fragments, glittering like diamond dust as they faded away even before touching the ground.
In an instant, the unbreakable lock broke, and the countless mysteries that made it up were disconnected.
Slowly, but surely, the thread came undone, the magic words silenced, and the original appearance of the basement returned.
A faint tremor went through the entire Scarlet Devil Mansion, alerting its residents.
Meiling softly clutched her chest, Patchouli looked up from her grimoire, Koakuma stumbled because of the quake, and Sakuya shook her head, lamenting the situation.
Everyone expected this to happen at some point. It was only a question of when.
Yet, despite the concerning development, nobody was in a hurry to move to the epicenter of the situation.
After all, it was rude to interrupt a heart-to-heart between sisters.
Entering her little sister's room, the big sister could breathe out with a heavy heart, her sigh containing a multitude of complicated emotions.
Once again, it was time to have a "talk."
"It has been a while, Frandoll."
Remilia greeted her little sister, grasping the unraveling threads of fate within her hand before they could become fully undone.
"?"
Not having noticed her sister's presence, Flandre turned around to see who greeted her.
It took a while for her to recognize the figure in her sight. After all, she was confined inside a chamber adrift in uncertain time and space.
She needed to get used to the normal flow of the world again.
But even while still completely disoriented, it took only a moment for Flandre to identify the silhouette before her.
After all, in the whole wide world, there was only one person like that in her heart.
Feeling that the person in front of her was her sister, a maniacal smile crept on her face.
"Onee-chan! I missed you so much! How much time has passed again?"
Scratching her head, she tried to put a number on her thoughts, only to utterly fail.
"Eh, who cares. It has been a while, and more information is unnecessary."
Finally regaining proper motion in her limbs, Flandre stood up, stretching her body to get a feel of each of her muscle fibers.
Each and every one of them was in place, like always.
It finally set in for Flandre, but once again, she had freed herself.
"Onee-chan, you have been pretty quiet the entire time. Why won't you say anything?"
Yet, Flandre wasn't expecting an answer.
In the first place, that question had no meaning behind it, just an empty conversation to break the silence, to hide her thoughts.
Because, within the blink of an eye, Flandre had disappeared and reappeared before her big sister with a big, mocking smile on her face, she was barely concealing with the hand she raised before her mouth.
Her voice was sharp, taunting, to the point of ridiculing her sister.
"Frandoll? You know I hate that name, Onee-chan! I am Flandre. Say it right, or don't say it at all!"
The silence between the sisters was tangible, the tension only held in check by the sheer vastness of the basement.
Yet, Remilia remained thoroughly unimpressed, her scarlet eyes fixed on the younger devil of scarlet with a familiar, steady gaze.
"Frandoll, Flandre, Frandle, Furandooru..."
495 years, that's the span of the time the ripples of their relationship lasted.
Yes, for it has been 495 years since the accursed birth of the vampire known as Flandre Scarlet.
And in those 495 years, the total time she could be considered 'free' was only 5.
5 years, the same amount of time that represented the gap between their ages.
500 years, just five more years than her little sister, an almost insignificant amount of time compared to the five centuries she's been walking on this blue marble.
Yet, no matter how much time passed, Flandre could never surmount that 5-year gap in her lifetime.
Remilia would always remain her big sister. No matter how much her little sister would act out.
"Who cares anymore. It's just a name. I'll call you however you prefer, but we both know you need to actually settle on one for that to happen. Isn't that the case, my dear little sister~?"
And befitting an elder sibling, she remained calm in the face of her little sister's provocation.
Remilia's scarlet eyes flickered, pushing her little sister back. Her voice was calm, collected, regal, a stark contrast to Flandre's jovial mockery.
The air crackled, the sheer energy radiating between the sisters destabilizing space.
"Bored again? Couldn't you have sat still for one more year, maybe two? When was the last time one of your escapades happened anyway? Ten years ago?"
Rather amused at her sister's musings, Flandre giggled, her voice soft and gentle this time, like a little sister holding light conversation during tea time.
"Does it truly matter, Remilia-onee-sama? We both know that no seal in existence could possibly hold me. Whenever you 'catch' me, it is only a question of 'time' before I escape again."
"Which is why we messed with the basement's space time this time."
"And yet, no matter what is done, time will keep passing. Even Sakuya's oh-so omnipotent ability to stop time isn't an exception."
Once again, the two sisters reached an impasse as they silently continued to keep each other in check.
As time started to drag on, the air between them grew tense. Neither could afford to make the first move, as doing so would spell certain doom for either of them, for Remilia could control fate, and Flandre could destroy anything.
As their heartbeat quickens, so does the pressure upon each other, their scarlet pupils contracting.
Seconds stretched to minutes, and minutes to hours, as several perceived hours had already passed between them.
Yet, the first to break the stalemate between them was Remilia, letting go of the red threads in her hands.
"That is true. No matter what is done, 'time' will always pass. Even for Sakuya, her perceived, subjective time will always tick toward the inevitable end, and even outside of that, she will always have to resume time to keep living."
Looking at her palm, she put herself in her sister's small shoes. In her small, fragile hands would always lie a destroyer that could unravel the fabric of reality as long as she could perceive it.
She could kill anything that exists, even if it's a god.
"Yes, no matter how much we try, time will always tick down. It is equal to everyone."
Having let go of her threads, the final remains of the thaumaturgy ultimately faded, disappearing into nothing as the basement turned back into an ordinary, albeit rather large, room.
Seeing that nothing held her back anymore, Flandre lifted up her hand, palm raised toward her big sister, ready to squeeze.
"I am glad we agree for once, Onee-chan. If you understand then..."
The expression on her face was crazed, the face of someone who lacked the word 'control' in their dictionary.
"How about we stop this charade!"
Without hesitation, Flandre snapped her palms shut, her scarlet eyes coloring into a deep crimson as the light refracted from her pupils, giving the impression of jewels.
Flandre wasn't playing around. She really was going to 'squeeze' her palm and make her big sister go 'boom', consequences be damned.
However, as her hand snapped shut, something blocked their path. A soft, warm sensation that reminded her of family.
"Time is equal for everyone. That is the truth. But you also forgot that that particular truth holds another fact that you can't change, even with your ability, Flandre."
Having grasped her palm, Remilia looked into the jewel eyes of her sister, staring deep into her soul.
They were truly captivating. Yet, they were a gift more akin to a curse than a blessing.
Losing herself in them, Remilia cursed fate. If it weren't for those eyes, Flandre would have lived a different life, the life of a princess beloved by all.
Yet, it was also the truth that Remilia would have never met her if it weren't for them.
Fate, truly, was absurd.
Still, no matter how absurd their bond...
"No matter how much time passes..."
...it's one she cherished.
"...I'll always be the big sister, your big sister, Flan."
Hearing those words leave her sister's mouth, Flandre avoided her sister's eyes, looking down at the ground as a heavy shadow concealed her eyes, hiding them from view.
A short snortle left her mouth, as the only action she could find was to laugh at the situation, laugh at the absurdity.
But she already laughed too much, laughed to the point where she was tired of it.
In the end, that is what it always came down to between the two sisters. Their familial ties and her seniority over her.
Blood is thicker than water, and no matter how small five years will appear down the line, Remilia will always be there at her side, for better or for worse.
"Yes, you will always be my big sis, won't you...?"
Strength left her palm. Not squeezing as hard anymore, Flandre let her sister's hand go.
Seeing that Flandre calmed down, a big smile appeared on Remilia's face as she started to roughly pat the blonde vampire's head.
"Yes! Yes, big sis will always be here for you. No matter how big the tantrum you throw. So, be a good little sister and stay a couple more days...? No, weeks...? Months...?"
And there goes her big sister's dignity again. She always was like this. Dignified in one moment, and acting like a small child in the next. In a way, she was really unpredictable.
In a way, she was similar to her in that regard.
"Alright, I figured it out. We'll try something next week-ish and if that fails we'll try again in a cent-"
After all, the emotions of 495 years weren't so small as that they could be 'talked' away just like that.
Without mercy, Flandre skipped the 'squeezing' part and went right for a 'fist' as she threw a 'rock' right at her sister's face.
Of course, she blocked it with 'paper'.
"So, in the end, it still comes down to this..."
The smile had faded from Remilia's face, donning a rather menacing expression instead.
Naturally, this was far from her little sister's first attempt to escape from the basement. If she had to tally all her successful attempts that made it past a completed barrier, or seal, it would be in the thousands.
The only reason the Little Sister of Scarlet never escaped was that her big sister was always there to stop her.
In the end, the sisters would always end up fighting, with the big sister sealing the younger sister away once again.
"It's been a hot while since I last got out to play. So, unless I get my fill of entertainment you can forget locking me up again."
Flandre lifted her head from the ground, revealing her horrifying, twisted expression.
Her eyes were painfully wide open to the point where you would fear that they could fall out.
The corners of her mouth rose so far as to even pass her ears, as her teeth were clenched so hard you could hear them crack.
Her skin was stretched so taut that it could barely support the expression, seeming to want to rip apart.
Overall, it was the face of someone who was far over 'ecstatic' and was clearly in the deep end of 'manic'.
Remilia sighed. She'd lie if she said she wasn't disappointed in the development of the situation. But if she were honest, at this point, her heart was less filled with disappointment and more with resignation.
After all, she had an equal part of responsibility for how things turned out. This was just payment for her past actions.
Bearing resolve, Remilia's face sank as all warmth drained from it. A dark shadow blanketed Remilia's expression; only her eyes staring back at her sister's manic expression were visible.
It was time for the same old song and dance.
"Alright, let's play then."
That was the signal for the two sisters. No more words needed to be exchanged.
Pulling back from each other, without any regard for their surroundings, the two scarlets clashed.
Bones cracked, blood splattered, and stone broke.
If someone were to enter this scene, don't.
Each punch thrown was lethal, each attack strong enough to be considered a secret move or a finisher.
With reckless abandon, two scarlet streaks clashed over and over and over and over again, not stopping for a single moment.
Crossing innumerable times, with each clash, the dull colors of the basement were painted over with scarlet.
With each heartbeat, their exchange grew more violent.
Faster, stronger, sharper, until—
*Rrshhk*
One of them lost their limbs.
"Sigh... So, it's one of those days, huh?"
Not phased with the loss of her right arm, Remilia started to roll her shoulders, as if trying to get rid of some stiffness after having sat for too long.
Looking at her arm now uselessly lying on the ground, Remilia stretched out her other hand as if to call out to it.
At first, nothing happened, until it started to twitch and morph, taking on a whole different form as her arm transformed into a bunch of bats.
Meanwhile, her younger sister was patiently waiting for her to be done. Her face, while still manic, looked a lot less crazed than when they began fighting.
"Fufufu~, big sister~. It would be best for you not to hold back now~. After all, I am in a considerably worse mood than I've ever felt since you locked me up."
Her words were said with a sickly sweet tone, laced with so many emotions that it was difficult to hear the sarcasm in there.
Flandre herself didn't really understand why she felt the way she did in this moment.
After all, this time wasn't really any different from all the other times she escaped.
She'd waste a perfect prison, and as the warden, her big sis would come out and stop her, putting her back inside.
This was far from the first time, nor would it be the last time. Yet, for some reason, Flandre felt a lot more irritated than usual.
"You know, if you are careless for even a moment, then pop~."
Once again, Flandre tried to crush her sister's point of death. With a casual smile, she lifted her hand, and...
...lost it.
Within an instant, her sister had pulled out her spear and thrown it, completely evaporating her arm.
"Gungnir..."
She said after the act was done, red steam coming out from her mouth as she flexed her new right arm, breaking it in.
"Ghhrrhhhhh-hehhahh-hhhhAAA-haaa—!"
Jarring and dissonant, her little sister's laugh sounded less like a noble vampire and more like a cackling hyena.
A shadow stretched out where her lost arm was, slowly taking on the shape of an arm, her expression not any calmer than it was before.
This was going to be a long evening.
"Big sister, two can play that game~."
As her arm finished regenerating, a wand appeared to be firmly placed in the palm of the younger devil.
Crooked and twisted, it resembled more a clock needle than anything else. Long and unwieldy, the staff seemed absolutely useless for any purpose.
The shape was too impractical to serve as a walking stick, the head too small and dull to act as a weapon, and the design too unstable to wield in any way.
It resembled more like a piece of trash, found at the bottom of a smithing furnace, yet in the hands of Flandre, that thing radiated an unmistakably infernal aura.
Seeing the "weapon," Remilia sighed, her scarlet spear reappearing in her hand.
She was left with no other choice but to bring out the big guns. Poising herself...
"Lævateinn—!"
"Gungnir!"
...Remilia lunged toward her sister, Gungnir firmly placed in her arms, it seemed that her sister had the same idea she had.
In not even a millisecond, the two Norse weapons violently clashed. The instant they met, a deafening crack split the air—a white-hot flash swallowed the entire basement.
*KRRRSHH-THWOOOM*
Despite being frozen in time, the mansion's foundation gave in as cracks started to appear along the basement's wall, the ground shaking as their clash created a localized earthquake.
Meanwhile, amidst the two sisters' violent altercation, still blowing on her freshly poured hot tea, Patchouli sighed as she set the cup down, standing up for once.
"It seems things didn't end with just a conversation."
As she saw the magician stand up, Sakuya gently set down the teapot, snapping her fingers as she stopped time on Patchouli's cup.
"Is it really all that surprising? The two of them were never really good with words to begin with."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Patchouli felt that a migraine was starting to form.
Whether it was due to concern or the fact that she had stood up for the first time in years was unknown.
"That's true, isn't it. This is far from the first time the Scarlet Devil Mansion exploded."
As Patchouli mentioned, the occurrence that was far too common for this household, Sakuya flinched as she felt a shiver run down her spine.
Looking to the side to avoid showing weakness to Patchouli, she instead noticed the shortcuts only she could see engraved inside the mansion's construction.
Marks of shame that showed her weakness.
Averting her eyes, Sakuya continued to follow the magician with her eyes closed.
"Please don't mention it, Lady Patchouli. After all, I am the person who has to rebuild the entire mansion every time it happens."
Noticing the sweat on the maid's forehead, Patchouli got some sick, twisted sense of amusement out of it. After all, it was exceedingly rare to see a chip in the perfect veneer of the maid.
Still, this was hardly the situation to make fun of her. Solely considering that she was walking instead of floating to conserve her magical energy proved how dangerous the circumstances were.
If she had the choice, she wouldn't even have left her library.
But things have already escalated too much. Unless Remilia stops Flandre right now, the potential fallout between the Scarlet Devil Mansion and Gensokyo would be too big to imagine.
Even if her actions ultimately proved pointless in hindsight, it was better to be safe than sorry.
It was not yet time for Flandre's debutante.
Even if each of her steps tired her out physically and the whole situation annoyed her to no end, she had to make sure.
Despite walking at a slow pace, the two reached the basement door in due time.
A door she couldn't open.
Despite her advanced mastery over the elements, the door to the basement proved an insurmountable obstacle. Blocking her with...
"What's the holdup, Sakuya? How about you unlock the door already?"
...common decency.
There was a natural at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and that order resembled that of Victorian nobility.
Patchouli was a 'guest' and Sakuya was the 'headmaid', and as a guest, it would be unnatural to have access to all the rooms of a mansion. Thus, she needed to wait for the headmaid to unlock it before she could enter.
What was before her was nothing but a simple lock, a lock she could annihilate in her sleep. But because Remilia insisted on the 'setting' as her friend, Patchouli felt obliged to play her role.
That being said, Sakuya still didn't open the door despite a considerable amount of time having passed.
Turning around, Patchouli saw that the maid was still lost in thought.
Knowing her background, Patchouli doubted that she dreaded facing the young mistress, even if she could destroy anything as long as she willed it.
So, was it her concern for the residents of this manor, or worry about herself that distracted her?
Realising Sakuya's worry, Patchouli rubbed the back of her head in frustration as she, too, wasn't good with words.
She didn't know the right words to cheer her up, so she just said the first thing that came to her mind.
"Look, Sakuya. I can understand that you are worried. But, now is hardly the time for that."
Her words didn't make Sakuya feel better. Instead, it did nothing at all. Really, she couldn't even tell if they even registered inside the maid's mind at all.
The silver lining was that it didn't exacerbate the situation. Then again, this maid was always pretty composed, all things considered.
Seriously, the people of this mansion needed to work on their communication skills.
Frustrated, Patchouli just told things as they are.
"Sakuya..."
Despite everything, there was some empathy toward others inside the witch.
"Don't worry. My gut tells me that this time won't be like the other times. I am saying the Scarlet Devil Mansion won't explode today."
Even if she wasn't so sure in her mind about her own words, her intuition rarely misled her.
The words registered in the maid's mind, and the trembling stopped. Her unfocused eyes focused, and after understanding her words, she looked at Patchouli with a confused expression.
Still, before she let Patchouli continue with the explanation, she had already opened the door while she was still calm.
Seeing that the door was open, Patchouli entered the basement and walked down the stairs, ahead of Sakuya.
"Wait, Lady Patchouli! I don't understand. What makes you say that?"
Not looking back, Patchouli continued down the stairs, not saying another word.
Seeing that Patchouli dropped the conversation, Sakuya didn't pursue the conversation any further. After all, it would be unbecoming of a maid to do so.
Walking the stairs down in silence, the pair continued their way in full alert. Yet, amidst the tension, surprisingly, Patchouli was the first to cut the silence again.
"In a way, just like that Shrine Maiden, Remi is a cheater."
Then again, silence.
"What do you mean with that, Lady Patchouli?"
Once again, the conversation was paused until further notice. Until Patchouli decided to open her mouth once again.
"I am saying that for the first time in a while, Remilia will actually utilize her ability proper."
Sakuya nodded, considering her question answered.
Yet, there was still one question stuck in the back of her mind. One burning question that wouldn't go away.
The simple question of...
"If my lady were so much stronger, if she actually used her ability, why didn't she use it against the shrine maiden? You know, cheat against a cheater."
Suddenly, Patchouli abruptly stopped descending the stairs, a soft giggle escaping her mouth as she slowly turned her head back to Sakuya.
Her expression was...
...gentle, amused, like an auntie laughing at a child when they say, "my dad could beat your dad," it was such a smile.
"Sakuya, even if Remilia used her ability, she'd still have lost then."
And with that, Patchouli turned around and continued descending the stairs. This time, with a pace faster than the previous one, leaving the maid behind to ponder her thoughts.
"Is that the case?"
Still, what use was contemplating hypotheticals?
If she really wanted to explore them, all she had to do was use her ability.
Putting those distracting thoughts behind, Sakuya hurried after Patchouli.
Descending the stairs, each footstep echoed loudly through the dark halls of the basement.
Each echo is clear and distinct, making it clear that if the young mistress escaped, they'd at least know she was coming up.
Seconds, minutes, and hours passed, putting a smile on Sakuya's face.
Pulling out her pocketwatch, she checked to see the actual time.
This was one of her proudest works every time she reconstructed the mansion.
Knowing for sure that her watch was still in top condition, its minute handle had only moved by 9 places the last time she checked.
Meaning that only nine minutes had passed since she entered the basement.
For her, manipulating something as simple as the perception of time was as effortless as breathing.
Still, there is only so much she can twist and turn. Taking her usual pace, it was about time she would arrive at the bottom of the basement, the place where they put Flandre's 'room'.
Standing before the massive door, two familiar silhouettes silently observed it, unmoving.
She, too, followed suit. Walking toward the door and stopping right before it, taking a position in the middle.
"So, what are you doing here, Meiling? Leaving the gate unguarded is hardly commendable."
Her expression not wavering, Meiling continued to look ahead, only acknowledging the maid's words by answering.
"Considering the construction of this time's seal, can you really blame me for leaving my position?"
That was true; this time around, they anchored the seal around Meiling, and now that it was broken...
"The recoil wasn't too hard on you, right?"
Showing Meiling a hint of concern, Sakuya meekly asked the gatekeeper.
Though rare to see the headmaid so flustered, this time her expression failed to move the gatekeeper.
"I am fine, Sakuya. All I have is my health. Something like a little bit of recoil is hardly enough to put me out of commission."
Having received her answer, Sakuya hesitantly nodded, unsure if what Meiling gave her was a white lie or not.
Still, if Meiling of all people lied, that meant she had a good reason to do so.
Even if it still bothered her, if Meiling said she was fine, she had to believe that she was indeed so.
And, unlike the gate before them, Meiling indeed seemed to be practically uninjured.
With each clash behind those closed doors, the one-meter-thick silver door warped and bent more and more out of shape.
Seeing all this silver turn to trash, Sakuya sighed as she felt another headache coming.
"Lady Patchouli, I thought you personally enchanted this silver."
The magician nodded slightly, not bothering to answer with words.
"Ugh, this means resmelting this will be a pain in the rear."
If a vein were to pop somewhere inside her head now, Sakuya wouldn't be surprised.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sakuya was only barely maintaining her patience.
"You all know that just because it appears to happen instantly for you on the outside, for me, who has to work during stopped time, this takes countless hours, right?"
For the first time in this conversation, the two physically reacted to what Sakuya said, averting their gaze.
Seeing that they at the very least knew, she decided to not press on, letting the topic be.
For now.
"Sigh, I am seriously not getting compensated enough for this..."
And the moment those words left her mouth, the thick silver door burst open, flying from its hinges towards the three ladies of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Seeing the door fly toward them at the speed of sound, Sakuya's gaze was empty since with a simple snap of her fingers, the doors halted mid-air.
But, Sakuya wasn't the only one who reacted in that split second, as before she could stop the door's time entirely, Meiling had already kicked with a roundhouse kick, sending them flying towards the wall, as Patchouli ignited them with a simple fire spell, melting them down.
'Oh, hey, finally a silver lining today.'
That was what crossed Sakuya's mind when she saw the melting doors.
Still, the many hours of work she had to do soon weren't what was important in this moment.
No, what was important was how the argument between the scarlet sisters ended.
Despite the lack of a door, the visibility within the room was still poor as the dust kicked up into the air during their fight still filled it to the brim.
But, at this point, there was no point in wasting more time.
Whether Flandre or Remilia won, it was now time for them to act.
Taking a deep breath, Meiling swung her palm, cleanly cutting the dust inside the room in half, revealing the scarlet sisters.
As the dust slowly cleared, the first thing revealed was the younger sister's golden hair, still standing strong.
Seeing that Flandre was not the one who fell in this fight, Sakuya, Patchouli, and Meiling all took their fighting positions, ready to restrain the young mistress through force if necessary.
But as more of the dust cleared, they noticed that a hand was grabbing onto the younger sister's yellow tie, holding it firmly and not letting it go.
An air of relief washed over everyone.
This time, Remilia had won the sibling squabble.
"Oh my~, how kind of you all to come and check up on me. But it was unnecessary. As you all can see, I am unscathed. You can go back to your regular schedule now."
Having seen that her mistress was fine, Meiling nodded as she bowed to her mistress, being the first to leave.
"I am sorry for worrying you, Patchouli. I'll make it up to you later."
"You better do."
With a huff, Patchouli snapped her fingers as she teleported away, probably to her library.
"Oh my, Sakuya? What are you still doing here? Didn't I tell you to go back already?"
Having received her order, Sakuya could only chuckle. Really, the reason why she hadn't left yet couldn't be simpler.
"A headmaid's job is to serve her mistress. In that sense, aren't I doing my usual duty right now?"
That was Sakuya's answer to her master's inquiry as she bowed and gave Remilia a charming smile.
Really, how could a mere human and a maid be so handsome?
Feeling her answer satisfactory, Remilia stepped out of the dust, revealing her bare body.
Without so much as a reaction, Sakuya had already rushed to her mistress, covering her shame with a large black cloth.
"Good job as always, Sakuya."
Sakuya nodded, receiving Remilia's gratitude with grace.
Still, as she saw the Scarlet Devil's back ascend the stairs, one question remained in Sakuya's mind.
Since when was Remilia this tall?