December 20, Dark Continent, the ancient labyrinth's high tower.
The stench of the blood sea had been completely replaced by the peculiar fragrance emitted from the dissolved corpse of the Bloodthirsty Apostle. The aroma was overwhelming.
It lingered around the tower, drifted across the blood sea, passed through the forest-like cubic stone pillars, and spread to the outside world.
Germain stood atop the tower's west-facing platform, brushing his teeth as he gazed into the distance.
There was no sign of anyone.
As expected, Ging had missed their agreed-upon return date on the 15th. Now it was the 20th. Who knew how much longer he would delay?
The toothbrush bristles gently grazed Germain's teeth and gums. The minty toothpaste foam filled his mouth, and he could taste a faint sweetness on the tip of his tongue.
He took a sip of water, swished it around with his cheeks, making a bubbling sound as the water mixed with the toothpaste foam.
Finally, he tilted his head down and spat the water out below the tower. It didn't land in the blood sea but splashed onto the stone slabs instead.
Those stone slabs formed the ground surrounding the tower—a project they had worked on over the past few days.
As for the fresh water, it came from the Greed Island cards and the water sources outside the ancient labyrinth.
"Hmm…"
Germain heard a lazy hum and turned his head to see Shizuku approaching.
Shizuku seemed half-asleep. Wearing her glasses, she alternated between squinting and opening her eyes, as if caught in a loop between dozing and waking.
"Ah…ha…" She raised her hand to her mouth and let out a yawn.
That didn't seem to be enough to shake off her sleepiness. She straightened her upper body and stretched like a cat, her posture accentuating the graceful curves of her upper figure.
The inverted cross necklace on her chest glimmered in the sunlight.
At that moment, her half-open eyes met Germain's, but she soon closed them lightly again.
"Germain… good morning."
Shizuku greeted him casually, still half-asleep, while she fumbled around the iron rack embedded in the wall of the platform.
"Good morning, Shizuku."
Germain greeted her briefly, turning his head back and continuing to brush his teeth. He had just finished cleaning the front and was now focusing on the top, bottom, and inner sides.
Watching her unsteady movements, Germain couldn't help but worry that she might collapse onto the floor at any moment—or worse, tumble off the top of the tower entirely.
Finally, Shizuku managed to locate her toothbrush and cup, picking them up with her usual sluggish movements before wobbling toward the platform's edge.
Thanks to Bisky's thoughtfulness, Shizuku's toothbrush and cup were adorned with cute cartoon deer stickers, her personal markers. This made it easy for her to find them.
With slow and deliberate steps, Shizuku made her way to Germain's side, squeezed a bit of toothpaste onto her toothbrush, and began brushing her teeth.
But as she brushed, her eyes started to close again, her head nodding like a student drifting off during a boring lecture.
"Didn't sleep well last night?" Germain asked.
"Mm..."
Shizuku didn't give a clear answer. Her response was drawn-out, like an echo fading into the distance.
Slowly, her brushing motions became slower and more lethargic. Eventually, her body swayed, and her head tilted to one side—coming to rest against Germain's arm.
"Mm..." Finding something to lean on, Shizuku finally relaxed.
Germain glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her head was leaning on his arm, eyes still closed, as if she'd shifted most of her weight onto him.
Even so, she continued her mechanical brushing, moving the pink toothbrush back and forth in her mouth.
Germain didn't say anything more. He calmly finished brushing his teeth and waited patiently for Shizuku to finish as well. When she seemed done, he asked, "All set?"
"Mm..."
Shizuku stood up groggily, took a sip of water from her cup, and immediately spat it out. This time, she finally opened her eyes completely.
Her daily morning nap was now complete.
She always felt that only after a second round of sleep could she feel fully refreshed for the day.
"Hehe..."
Suddenly, she heard a giggle from above. Confused, she tilted her head upward, only to see half a face peeking down from the spherical dome at the top of the tower.
Bisky had her hands gripping the edge of the dome, hiding the lower half of her face behind its rim.
She looked down at Shizuku and Germain, her large wine-red eyes blinking mischievously.
"What are you doing up there?" Shizuku asked curiously, not thinking anything was odd about the situation.
"Morning 'Shingen-ryu' practice, of course," Bisky replied, making a gesture of gratitude similar to what Netero often did. She closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. "I'm very diligent, you know."
"Oh," Shizuku responded simply, saying nothing more.
Bisky seemed like she wanted to say something else, but when she saw Germain bringing towels for himself and Shizuku to wash up, she just smiled and withdrew her face back behind the dome.
One by one, everyone woke up in the early morning. After a quick wash-up, they each got busy with their own tasks.
Bisky, having given up on her unruly doll Menchi, turned her attention to easier targets—Shizuku and Sanbica.
With a light push of her hands, Bisky pressed both Shizuku and Sanbica onto the soft blanket spread out on the floor. In front of them, she laid out an array of makeup tools.
Shizuku, seemingly used to this, sat cross-legged with interest, gazing at the eyeliners, puffs, lipsticks, and other items she rarely used.
Anyone who spent enough time with Bisky was bound to experience this treatment at some point. Shizuku herself had already been dressed up like a doll before.
Sanbica, on the other hand, looked like a startled deer, sitting on the carpet with her legs tucked under her in a duck-like position.
Her anxious eyes darted around, glancing at the makeup kit as if it were a set of torture devices.
The reflection in the mirror showed her pale face and frightened expression, as though she was about to endure some terrible ordeal.
Bisky summoned "Miss Cookie," her nen beast, to assist. The two of them always worked together seamlessly.
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