"You what...?" I murmured, my expression flattening even further.
"I forgot, alright?" she shot back, flicking the small doll of herself on the dashboard. Still avoiding my gaze. "I thought I already sent the email... but it's still in my drafts..."
"...Sorry."
For a moment, I just stared at her.
My hand came up to my temple, rubbing slowly as I let out a quiet sigh.
"Alright... it's not that serious-"
"Alexandria's pissed..." she cut in.
I stiffened slightly, my eyes dropping to the steering wheel.
Another sigh slipped out.
"Yeah... let's just go home-"
Her hand suddenly clamped onto my wrist.
"No." She shook her head, eyes locking onto mine. "She personally messaged me."
A pause.
"We're both being called in to explain ourselves."
My lips pressed into a thin line as I stared at her hand around my wrist.
-
Before I knew it, we were already walking across the quad of NGSU.
My hands stayed buried in my pockets while Anathasia walked beside me, quietly spiraling as she muttered under her breath.
"We'll just have to make it sound believable..." I whispered.
She didn't respond and just kept mumbling.
I glanced at her once, then sighed and kept walking toward the alumni office. Which was, of course, all the way across campus.
As we passed a group of students, bits of their conversation drifted over.
"Say, isn't that..."
"Yeah. That's Mr. Abe himself."
"And the white-haired woman behind him... isn't that-"
I ignored the rest and kept my gaze forward.
Beside me-
"Should I just rewrite this entire situation..." Anathasia mumbled, leaning slightly toward me.
Is it really that serious...?
After weaving through the hallways, we finally reached the door at the end of another building.
A small sign hung neatly on it.
Alumni Chairman Office
I took a quiet breath, reached out, and turned the knob. Inside, a woman was already seated behind the desk.
Alexandria.
I didn't quite remember what she looked like back then. But now, she carried herself with a composed, almost imposing presence.
Anathasia stepped in behind me, noticeably quieter.
Alexandria stood as soon as we entered.
"Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Abe," she greeted, hands clasped lightly before gesturing toward the seats in front of her.
"We'll keep this brief, so please-have a seat."
A small pause.
"...Or don't. Either way."
She sat back down as we took our seats.
I raised a hand slightly.
"Regarding the alumni reunion a few days ago..."
She smiled, tilting her head as she nodded for me to continue.
"I apologize for not being able to attend," I said. "We had an urgent family matter that required our attention."
A brief pause.
As her lips parted-
"We originally intended to inform the group," I added, glancing at Anathasia, "but due to certain circumstances... we weren't able to."
I looked at her, waiting.
After a moment, she finally lifted her head with an apologetic smile.
"Mhm, I'd like to apologize on our behalf again..." she said, lowering her head slightly.
"We had to go to them immediately, which is why we couldn't notify everyone else..."
[Because if we didn't, thousands-maybe millions-would've died.] her voice suddenly echoed in my head.
[Why are you using our link to finish your lines...?]
[It's more convenient. And I don't want to accidentally say something like 'we had to stop an insane woman from starting a war because she's lonely.']
[...Fair. Your mouth does tend to run ahead of you sometimes-]
A sharp jolt hit my side.
I forced myself to stay still, shooting her a subtle glare.
[What the hell was that for!?]
She scoffed lightly, eyes drifting elsewhere.
[Didn't like what I heard.]
[You just don't like getting called out-] I shot back, my expression flattening.
Before it could go any further-
"Ahem."
Alexandria cleared her throat, raising an eyebrow at us.
We both straightened instantly, putting on polite smiles. With a quiet huff, she glanced down at the papers on her desk before sliding one toward us.
"These are the fines the two of you are obligated to pay."
I reached out and took the paper, scanning through it while Anathasia leaned in slightly from my side.
Our expressions narrowed.
Then widened.
"...Four thousand..." Anathasia murmured, rubbing her eyes before looking again.
"Four thousand...?" I echoed under my breath, a small, disbelieving laugh slipping out.
Silence.
We exchanged a glance.
Looked back at the paper.
Then again.
And finally-
we both turned to Alexandria.
"Is this..."
"The total sum, yes," she nodded, removing her glasses and folding them neatly before setting them on the desk.
"That said," she added, leaning back slightly, "it shouldn't be too much for millionaires like yourselves. Hm?"
We both went silent at that.
-
In the end, we got home about an hour later.
The moment we stepped inside, we collapsed onto the couch. Anathasia immediately using me as her mattress.
Again.
"...Girl, you're heavy..."
"I'm not," she shot back, shifting on top of me before suddenly-
POMFP.
A white cat with red eyes curled up on my stomach, its eyes slowly fluttering shut.
"...How convenient..."
"It is," she replied, rolling slightly before lifting her head to look at me.
"What, you wanna be a cat too?"
I paused for a second, my eyes fixed on her soft white fur as I reached out, gently running my fingers through it.
"I think I'll pass."
I lifted her slightly and set her more comfortably on my chest, continuing to pet her.
"I just think it's pretty convenient..."
"And I like carrying you like this more anyway."
Her tail flicked once, coiling loosely around my wrist as she rubbed her head against my arm. A soft purr vibrated through her as she nestled into the crook of my neck.
The house fell quiet.
Even the air felt still.
Just as our eyes were about to close-
"Miss Veridielle! Sir Kyle-!"
The sudden voice jolted us both awake.
Anathasia's fur bristled as she turned toward the source, only to relax a second later, her expression flattening.
"Roselia...? What're you doing here?"
She hopped off my chest, a soft cloud of white forming around her as she shifted back. Her long white hair cascaded down her back as she brushed it away from her face.
Behind Roselia, I caught a glimpse of something pink hiding.
Then-
it flickered.
And reappeared right in front of us just as I sat up.
"Mom-!"
The girl launched herself forward, tackling Anathasia to the floor with a soft thud.
"Ngh-what..."
"Ah... it's Grace."
Grace rubbed her cheek against Anathasia's shirt, arms wrapped tightly around her as she clung on. Behind them, Roselia remained where she stood, only flinching slightly when my gaze shifted toward her.
A moment later, Anathasia managed to sit up, lifting Grace by her sides before turning to Roselia.
"What's with the sudden visit?"
Despite that, Grace just flickered and reappeared hugging her again.
Then she glanced my way.
And in the next instant-
she was right in front of me, arms wide open.
"Dad!"
She slammed into me, knocking me back into the couch.
"Oof... rough..." I muttered as she clung to me, practically crushing my head.
"The little one was missing her parents," Roselia finally spoke, her gaze settling on us.
Grace eventually loosened her grip, pulling back just enough before settling beside me.
"And... well, I was worried she might lose control if I ignored her requests, so..."
A small pause.
"...here we are."
-
A few minutes later, Grace was out cold on the couch. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she slept, her head resting comfortably on my lap.
"...What is it with everyone in my family wanting lap pillows..." I muttered under my breath.
"Your lap's basically premium-grade," Anathasia replied lazily, gesturing at me from the other end of the couch, legs crossed.
"I don't really blame her."
Her voice softened slightly as she looked over at Grace.
Then, in an instant, her attention snapped to Roselia, who had been sitting quietly across from us the whole time.
"So..." Anathasia gave her a once-over. "How are things over at Aegea?"
Roselia straightened slightly, meeting her gaze. She cleared her throat before answering.
"Well... it's finally reached something close to what Earth experienced during its industrial revolution. That was centuries ago for us."
Anathasia raised a brow, leaning forward slightly.
"Really now?"
Roselia nodded, her gaze drifting briefly toward Grace before continuing.
"A group from the Academy of Elements and History managed to recreate something similar to early steam-powered locomotives from Earth's past."
She paused briefly.
"Using steam pressure to drive pistons and generate movement..."
Her eyes lowered slightly.
"It's still quite primitive, but it's a start."
Anathasia nodded once, leaning back again and crossing her legs, resting her arms along the backrest.
For a moment, it seemed like the conversation might end there.
But-
"And... after visiting the Academy shortly following my release from house arrest..."
Roselia lifted her gaze again, meeting ours.
"I noticed something..."
A slight pause.
"...out of place."