In the Yakumo Household. Yukari Yakumo lounged within the quiet peace of her home, a fan fluttering in her hand. On the shimmering border before them, the image of Nowa reluctantly handing a tray to a fairy maid shimmered and faded.
"It seems the Scarlet Devil Mansion's chief maid is making notable progress with our Mr. Beckitzer," Yukari mused, a knowing smile playing on her lips. Her gaze shifted, the smile softening into something more serious. "Ran, how was the progress of our own defenses?"
Her shikigami met her master's gaze, her nine tails twitching with anxiety. "The primary detection wards are layered throughout Gensokyo's hidden layer," Ran reported. "I am integrating secondary arrays to prevent another... severment event." She paused, her composure cracking slightly. "I was so powerless when my connection to you was cut, Milady. And with Zero's confirmed ability to invade and remove memories..." She straightened her back, a firm resolve hardening her face. "I will not leave your side again. I cannot allow that to happen again."
From nearby, the young Chen perked up, her two tails swishing. "Me too! I wanna help! I helped Mr. Warm-Hand wake up, hehe!" She declared, puffing out her chest with pride.
Yukari offered them a genuine smile. "Very well. Your vigilance is my greatest shield, my dear Ran. I trust no other more." Her gaze then fell upon the eager two-tailed cat. "You will be tasked with delivering messages from now on. And be on standby. I suspect a major shift in our gamble later, once night has settled."
Chen nodded with cheerful determination. "You can count on me!"
Ran, however, looked at her master, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean, Milady?"
Yukari's smile remained enigmatic and unreadable as she continued to watch the unseen scene of Nowa's progress. "Just a hunch, my dear Ran. It could be another gamble... or perhaps fate is finally aligning in our favor."
Meanwhile, inside the library, Sakuya found the room empty. Without pause, she altered her course, until she reached her mistress's study. She knocked.
"I'm coming in, Milady."
A voice from within. "Come in."
Sakuya entered to find Remilia and Patchouli deep in conversation, with a little devil girl, the librarian's assistant, standing attentively beside her master. All three sets of eyes immediately turned to the plate in Sakuya's hands.
"What is that, Sakuya?" Remilia asked, her eyes lit with curiosity.
The librarian's assistant girl sniffed the air, a line of drool escaping her lips. "Wow! That smells delicious! Did you make it, Lady Sakuya?"
"No," Sakuya replied, shaking her head. She approached the table and placed the plate with the pizza slice before them. "But Beckitzer conjured it, which is a Dough-omato-meat-Cheese Disc type of food. Lady Patchouli, I suspected it might possess magical properties, but upon eating it, it merely tastes... remarkably colorful, with no observable enchantment. I believe you might find the answers I cannot."
Patchouli carefully set down the rune revolver, its concealer broken away to reveal the swirling, abstract ancient runes beneath and leaned forward. "A specific, sustained conjuration of 'Dough-omato-meat-Cheese Disc' type of food? How fascinating..."
Sakuya reappeared in the space between one blink and the next, a set of silver forks held neatly in her hands. "Forks, everyone," she announced, already slicing the pizza into precise, even sections.
The librarian's assistant girl darted forward, snatching the first piece with her bare hands before Sakuya could stop her. "Ohh! It smells so good!"
Sakuya frowned. "Koakuma."
Patchouli took hers using the fork to lift a slice from the plate. She examined it. "The cheese is congealing," she observed. "Fascinating."
"Just eat it, Lady Patchouli," Koakuma said, already chewing. "It's delicious!"
Patchouli took a cautious bite. Then another. Then a third. "The saltiness of the meat balances the acidity of the tomato sauce. The crust is both crisp and yielding. This is… unexpectedly sophisticated."
"Unexpectedly?" Sakuya echoed.
Patchouli cleared her throat, recomposing herself. "I mean to say, it is acceptable."
Koakuma grinned. "She means it's amazing."
Patchouli was already reaching for another slice. "I require a second sample. For academic purposes."
"For academic purposes," Remilia repeated dryly. "Is that what we are calling gluttony now?"
"Milady," Sakuya said, with the faintest trace of amusement in her voice, "I believe we are calling it research."
Remilia let out a small, elegant laugh. "Then by all means, let the research continue."
Koakuma giggled. "You're just eating it because it's tasty."
"Silence, assistant." Patchouli retorted.
Remilia watched the scene with an amused smile. When Sakuya offered her a slice, she accepted it with a delicate motion, holding it delicately.
She took a single bite. Chewed slowly. Swallowed.
"Too salty," she declared.
"Yet you are still eating it," Sakuya observed.
Remilia took another bite. "I am evaluating it thoroughly. It would be rude not to finish what my guest has provided."
"Of course, Milady."
Then Remilia set the remaining crust down on the plate.
"It is the food of commoners," she said. "Heavy. Oily. Loud in flavor."
Koakuma tilted her head. "Is that a compliment, Lady Remilia?"
"It is an observation." Remilia's smile widened. Then she set her fork aside and dabbed at her lips with a napkin.
A knowing smile formed on Remilia's lips as she glanced from the pizza to Sakuya. "And the information gathering?"
Sakuya bowed. "He's deflecting some questions, but progress is being made. He managed to unveil a little bit of information about his history, it's one constant conflict after another. It's no wonder his culture is different from ours. And finally, he has shown a definitive shift in behavior when met with wit and a non-hostile approach." She paused. "Though he engages on an intellectual level, albeit through the lens of sarcasm."
Remilia tapped a single finger against the arm of her chair, her eyes thoughtful. "Sarcasm as a shield. Wit as a bridge. And food as a peace offering." She glanced at the half-empty pizza plate. "This dish tells me more about our guest than any of his evasive answers. He is loud in flavor. Heavy with history. Unrefined by the standards of this mansion. And yet…" She smiled. "We are all still eating."
Koakuma, reaching for another slice, paused. "Does that mean you like it, Lady Remilia?"
"It means," Remilia said, "that I understand him a little better." She leaned back in her chair, satisfied. "And that is worth more than a clean plate." Her gaze returned to Sakuya. "Then we shall adapt our approach accordingly. We certainly cannot afford to lose his side now."
Sakuya gave a curt nod and continued. "He is currently making an effort to adapt to our formalities and, as a gesture of thanks, gifted me the recipe for this dish." She took out the conjured paper and presented it to her mistress.
Remilia took the offered relic, her eyes scanning the foreign scripting with awe. "A complete, Dough-omato-meat-Cheese Disc step-by-step guide… Fascinating." She looked up at Sakuya. "Can you recreate it?"
"I will begin the experimentation shortly after this," Sakuya affirmed. "It provides all the necessary instructions to recreate it through organic means."
"Magnificent," Remilia said. She then handed the recipe to Patchouli, who accepted it. The magician ran a faintly glowing hand over the paper, her eyes widening.
"It's…" Patchouli shuddered, not from weakness, but from academic excitement. "It's alive. How? The metaphysical energy is self-sustaining. I must speak with him. This transcends mere conjuration." She gestured frantically to the revealed ancient runes on the revolver on the table. "I just broke the concealer on his firearm and cannot trace these ancient rune language, and now this... The principles are connected, I am sure of it!"
A soft, triumphant chuckle escaped Remilia. All eyes in the room turned to her. "The timing is perfect. Sakuya," she commanded. "Send a formal request for Nowa Beckitzer to join us in the study. It is time we had a proper conversation. The slow taming of a force of nature begins in earnest."
Sakuya let her lips smile then bowed. "As you wish, Milady."
She turned and exited the study, the door closing with a soft click. As she moved down the grand hall, she encountered the squadron of fairy maids returning from their mission, now carrying clean trays and the collapsed cardboard box.
The leader spotted Sakuya and immediately bowed, the others followed. "Lady Sakuya! Master Nowa gave us the task of cleaning his dishes and this… greasy box!"
Another fairy piped up, giggling. "Master Nowa isn't so scary after all! He's actually kinda shy when he asks for help, teehee!"
A third, looking thoughtful, asked the pressing question. "But he really doesn't like being called 'Master.' What should we call him, Lady Sakuya?"
Sakuya regarded them, and that fleeting, imperceptible smile touched her lips once more, her small test was a success, before vanishing into her usual composure.
"You have done well. You may address him as you see fit, so long as it is respectful." She said, "Your efficiency will be rewarded later. For now, be advised that Lady Remilia is formally summoning Mr. Beckitzer. Do not disturb them."
The fairies bowed in unison. "Thank you, Lady Sakuya!"
With a final nod, Sakuya continued her walk towards Nowa's room.
Meanwhile, in Nowa's room, he lay sprawled on the bedside, both of his feet on the floor, holding the rune pouch above him in both hands, then turning it over.
"No damage," he murmured to the empty room. "And they didn't know the passcode." A faint, proud smirk touched his lips. "Your teaching is so old and ancient, no one can understand it, Oldman."
He let his arms fall to his sides, the pouch resting by his side as he stared at the ornate ceiling. A long, silent moment stretched out.
"Why do I feel like this?" he whispered. "Is it because she looked like Amy… or was it her? I can't tell."
He sat up, curling in on himself slightly, both of his elbow resting on his knee, holding his face together. "No, Nowa. You're a monster, you know that. This is their plan. Using a woman to make you open up. You can't give in." He forced the words out.
"I have had enough of this shit already. This three-day deadline is so long. All while my past was fleeting. So why? Why does it have to come to this. I have no future. No branches of the timeline. I've killed all of me to become this powerful and to kill all of them. So why?!" he quietly snarled at the end. "Building a future with me is now meaningless, every being has fates. I gave up mine so that others can alter theirs…"
'Even if they manage to persuade me… True ending will come due…'
He fell into silence. Remembering Sakuya's quiet company, her way of approaching him.
"...This deadline is fucking killing me… So please, fast forward this shit. I don't want to give myself another false hope, not after what happened to Fenlia…"
But the words landed with a half-hollow thud in his soul, their power to convince him was slowly burning inward through his decade of armor.