Chapter 16: A Dinner among Monsters
Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, the newly crowned emperor of the Baharuth Empire, sat on his throne with a bored expression on his face. Today's meeting went fairly slowly. Even more than he initially anticipated. The nobility used all its might to oppose the new laws on slavery that he wanted to incorporate in the Empire.
Slavery was a common practice in the empire, but the laws concerning it were fairly vague and full of holes to exploit and get away with doing illegal stuff. That lack of order is why the emperor wanted to fully reorganize slavery and, if possible, remove human slavery from the equation. After all, human slavery, while still legal, was very frowned upon by other countries, like The Roble Holy Kingdom and Slane Theocracy; and while he wasn't afraid of the former, the latter could cause severe damage to their public image and possibly cause internal unrest.
'Those idiotic wastes of space are unable to see the bigger picture… who cares if they lose some businesses or working power if, in the end, the whole nation will benefit from my decision?' he asked rhetorically.
"Your Majesty are you unwell?"
The voice of one of his maids brought him out of his mental ranting. He lightly shook his head before addressing her.
"No, I'm fine. This was just a long day."
He said, flashing the maid one of his classic smiles and bringing a blush to her face. Having natural good looks has its perks and he made sure to exploit them as much as possible.
Since he became emperor, he always found maids far more appreciable and useful than noble girls. First, and most importantly, if he took a noble girl into his bed, he was expected to marry her and, if he didn't, he probably just made an enemy out of her family; on the other hand, if he brought a maid into his bed, said maid would most likely shower him in appreciation for the following weeks. That is, of course, if he had the skill to seduce her and not simply use his position against her; if he did that, there was no way to know when his soup may be poisoned.
He also found noble girls to be incredibly idiotic for the most part. They lacked half the brain they needed for their social position and most of them possessed an ego comparable to one of a dragon; the difference was that the dragon most likely earned their ego and not simply claimed it on the basis of their name.
Maids, on the other hand, were commoners and so they were expected to be uneducated; and, while this was true for the most part, a lot of them had a sharp mind trained by their hard lives.
That factor was exactly what brought him and his first, favourite lover together. Kathrine was her name; a blonde, quick witted 16 years old maid who found her way to his bed not more than 7 months ago.
She first piqued his interest when she pointed out a discrepancy in the number on the balance he was analysing at the moment. Sure, he wasn't actually paying attention to the paper at the moment, but still, the discrepancy was so well hidden that it would have been hard to find even for experienced economists.
His fascination with her only grew with time and after they brought their relationship to the bed, he swore to try his best and make her the new minister of economics once he consolidated his power and purged those fools.
"Your Imperial Highness, your guests have arrived."
One of his personal guards announced to him, drawing him back from those happy memories and plunging him into the hard, present reality.
He straightened his posture on his throne. First impressions were important, and his young age didn't help in that matter. True, he was growing, and in a pair of years it should not be a problem anymore. But for now, he should do all in his power to avoid being seen as a child put on a throne by others.
Putting those thoughts aside, the young emperor concentrated on the matter at hand. He had waited a long time for this meeting to happen. If the man he will meet proves himself to be as good as his actions suggest, then a partnership with him could be an important steppingstone for the future of the empire.
As the door of the imperial throne room opened, the announcer immediately presented the newcomers.
"Presenting the illustrious and most talented magic caster Satoru from the Re-Estize kingdom, alongside his companions!"
He announced with a powerful voice that echoed through the whole throne room.
Immediately, Jircniv's eyes began to scan the group of people advancing toward him. The blue haired man on the left seemed to match the description of Brain Unglaus, at least in appearance; he wore a simple but elegant blue dress. The man next to him was a bit taller and more muscular; he wore an elegant brown attire. Jircniv focussed his gaze on him for a few moments. This was the man rumoured to be Gazef Stronoff, but not having ever met the man before, it was hard for him to confirm his identity.
Then, his gaze continued to the man in the centre of the group. He was the tallest among them and his whole body was covered by an impressive dark purple gown, while his face was hidden by a black mask with sapphires in the place of his eyes. Jircniv had no doubt about who this man was; the famous Satoru, a magic caster of incredible power, maybe even on par with Fluder.
His eyes continued to roam over the group until finally setting on the two blond enigmas. Two young girls, surely both younger than him. The older had green eyes and wore an elegant green dress that matched them completely. Her hair was arranged in a drill like style. The younger had sky blue eyes and wore a similar dress to the older. Just a light blue one in her case. Her hair flowed down her back elegantly. He flashed one of his perfect smiles at them; the older blushed a little as she met his gaze while the other remained passive. Her small, elegant smile didn't falter for even a moment.
Finally, the group stood in front of the stairs that led to his throne. The two girls curtsied toward him. The elegant movement immediately identified them as noble of birth to him. The two warriors bowed to him in respect while the masked magic caster limited himself to a small but respectful bow of his head.
"I welcome you, my most honoured guests. It is a pleasure to finally meet you all. I thank you for answering positively to my sudden invite."
The emperor said in his most cordial tone.
"We thank you for the invite, Your Majesty. As you probably already know, my name is Satoru. It is an honour to meet the esteemed Emperor."
Answered the magic caster. He had a powerful deep voice, it almost seemed to scream respect. The emperor nodded before redirecting his gaze to the rest of the group.
"Yes, I heard many tales about you and your incredible proficiency with magic. As the ruler of an empire where magic is one of the most esteemed arts, it is an honour to finally meet you."
He greeted the man before pausing a moment.
"And who might your companions be?"
He inquired. This one of the most focal points in their whole conversation this evening. Once he understands who he is speaking to, he could formulate a plan. The etiquette demanded that the most important person begin introducing themselves first. If the tall brown-haired man was truly Gazef Stronoff, he would be said person. To his surprise instead of the tall man, the one stepping forward was the younger blond girl. He arched an eyebrow in surprise as his eyes focussed on her.
"Greeting, Your Highness. My name is Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, youngest daughter of King Rampossa III and third princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It is an honour to meet you."
She introduced herself, shocking not only Jircniv but even other nobles in the room who gasped. The emperor limited himself to slightly open his mouth. In the meantime, his brain was going into overdrive. This wasn't good, not good at all, for his plans. What was she even doing here? Was his plan discovered? But that should have been impossible. What is her relationship with this magic caster? And why in the world did he know nothing about them having a link in the first place? As he tried to make order in his mind, the other girl stepped forward.
"Greeting Your Majesty, my name is Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, only daughter and sole heir of Marquis Aindra. You honour me with your invite."
As the girl said that Jircniv felt a migraine stirring in his head 'There is no way this is a case! First the princess and then this important noble. Just what does the Aindra family want to obtain from this? Are they simply making a statement? Or are they up to something more?'.
Before he could speak, the brown-haired man stepped forward.
"Greetings, Emperor Jircniv Farlord El-Nix. I am the Warrior Captain, commander of the Warrior Troop of the Re-Estize kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. I am grateful for the invite and in the stead of my King Rampossa III, I congratulate you for your ascension to the throne."
Forget the migraine, this was a nightmare. To the emperor, it almost felt like someone was bashing his head against a wall repeatedly.
The final member of the group stepped forward.
"It is an honour to meet you, Your Majesty. My name is Brain Unglaus. You may have heard my name in the past as an accomplished swordsman. I am honoured to receive your invite to this event."
As the final member introduced himself, Jircniv had to suppress the urge to bring both hands to his face and cover it. There was no other explanation. This whole thing was a giant setup to lure him in. 'But how did they know? How could they have discovered my plans? Is there a traitor in my inner circle? Very few knew about this and still…' in that moment a straight line between the dots appeared 'no… it can't be… was… was this whole thing orchestrated? The visit to the empire, the hiding of the link between this magic caster and the Royal Faction… just to lure me in and trap me; but what will this accomplish? What is the end goal of this move?' as his train of thought departed in every direction, trying to make sense of what was happening, silence descended into the room.
"Uhm, Your Highness?"
Asked one of the ministers seated next to him, his tone wasn't threatening or loud in any way but it almost made the emperor jump from his throne anyway; it surely managed to bring his mind back to reality.
"I-I see, I must admit… I didn't expect such esteemed guests today. I am grateful all of you could come here to meet me."
He said, trying with all his power to not expose his internal unrest. Seeing that no one said anything, he continued.
"Maybe it would be better to continue discussing matters around a dining table? What do you say?"
He asked trying to salvage his façade as much as possible.
"Ah yes, but before that, please allow me to present you with a token of friendship from me."
Said the magic caster as his hand disappeared for an instant inside his robe before taking out a small decorated box. Immediately, a servant took it from his hands and proceeded to bring it before the emperor. 'Is this a trap? Or something dangerous? It is standard procedure to magically scan this sort of things… but still… not opening it would be incredibly rude… scanning it before opening it even more so… damn it, I'm trapped!' cried out the emperor inside his head as he accepted the gift. He steeled his nerves before finally deciding to open it.
The box was small and had golden carvings all around it. Surely a packaging worthy of an emperor, but what could the box contain? He wondered.
Finally, he decided to open it only to be greeted by a ring made from what seemed to be white stone. Embedded in it was the strangest rock he ever saw. Its colour continually changed, from red to yellow to blue and then red again. It was surely mesmerizing.
"The ring is a magical item, Your Highness."
Said the magic caster known as Satoru. That powerful voice immediately brought all the room's attention to him.
"The one who wears it becomes immune to all spells from the third tier and below."
He explained. The whole room gasped and some even shouted something, but the emperor couldn't care less. The only thing he could care about was how this man could gift an item that would be considered a national treasure away like that and call it a token of friendship. You could probably buy a land and a title by selling this ring and he simply gave it away like nothing.
'Just, who the hell are you Satoru?' he thought as his gaze now fully focussed on said magic caster.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
The young noble girl didn't know what to think of the boy emperor. He certainly looked charming. She couldn't deny that even if she wasn't interested in love in the first place. But still, there was something unsettling in his eyes. How he looked at all of them as if he was analysing a piece of delicious meat.
Not that the emperor was a bad actor. She was pretty sure that if she hadn't been at Renner's side for a year, she would never have noticed the intention behind the emperor's gaze. She already saw that same look in her princess' eyes many times before, after all, even if the two of them differed in the intent behind the gaze. Renner mostly observed, with stoicism, all that happened around her and didn't concern Satoru. On the other hand, the emperor used fake emotions to hide the machinations in his head. Or, at least, this was how Lakyus saw it with her limited experience.
Her analysis came to a halt as soon as the servants brought in the first dishes of the evening. She gawked a little at the sheer quantity of the food brought in. There was no way they could eat all that stuff.
She was, of course, used to nobility's luscious and extravagant parties and dinners but on all those occasions there were at least 50, if not more, people attending the event. At the moment, there were barely 20 people in the whole room and almost half of them were guards.
'Is he trying to show off? Make a point?' she wandered as she shot a quick glance at the emperor who didn't seem bothered by the current events.
As the servants finished their work and poured some wine in all the attendants' crystal goblets, the emperor stood up, attracting all the attention around him.
"A toast my most noble friends! To the visit of the prestigious magic caster Satoru and his unexpected companions!"
The young man said with his usual gentle smile.
"Long may their visit be!"
The other nobles answered, as all in the room gulped down their wine, except for Renner and Lakyus, who limited themselves to sipping the wine as a true noble lady should, and Satoru who didn't even touch his goblet for obvious reasons.
As the feast began everybody brought food to their plates and began to eat. All except Satoru who didn't even move from his place, his mask still covering his face.
Lakyus saw some empire's nobles glance at him but didn't say anything just ignoring his behaviour.
"Sir Satoru, is something not to your liking? We can arrange other dishes to be brought."
Asked the emperor finally acknowledging Satoru's lack of action toward the food.
"I mean no disrespect, Your Highness, the food you have arranged certainly looks delicious, but unfortunately it is a strict rule of the order of magic casters I belong to that we may not remove our enchanted masks or else we will be banned from using magic ever again."
Explained the masked magic caster with a small bow toward the emperor who just smiled kindly.
"Ah, is that so? A very strict order you belong to then. I certainly hope you don't mind us indulging ourselves with this food then."
The emperor answered, not seeming offended by Satoru's explanation.
"Certainly not, Your Majesty. I am in possession of magical items that avoid starvation for the most part. I seldom need to eat these days."
Satoru continued; the emperor's smile only widened.
"Ah! The wonders of magic! I wouldn't mind having in my possession such items. Only the gods know how much I would enjoy having a bit more free time."
The boy said, as the nobles laughed at his jest. Lakyus noticed Satoru chuckling a bit before everyone resumed their previous occupation.
The silence didn't last for too long as the door opened and a very old, robed man entered in the room. His snow-white beard flowing down the front of his body.
"Excuse me for the long wait, Your Majesty. The experiment took longer than I initially anticipated."
The man spoke in a deep but reassuring voice. He quickly glanced at the group of guests before slowly walking toward the table and seating himself next to the emperor.
In that moment the emperor clapped his hands and all the dishes were brought away.
"As we wait for the next round, may I finally introduce my small court since they are all finally here?"
Seeing that no one answered, he continued.
"This old man here is quite famous. You may have heard of him. Fluder Paradyne, the only human known to use the 6th tier of magic."
Introduced the emperor, as the man didn't even acknowledge their existence and proceeded to fill his plate with food.
"This charming man next to me is Loune Vermillion, my personal secretary and scribe."
The emperor introduced the young blond man next to him who then gave them an elegant bow.
"It is an honour to meet you all, esteemed guests."
He said in a calm, pleasant tone. The next one to introduce himself was the noble who sat next to the boy. He was probably the oldest in the room apart from Fluder himself.
"I am Duke Astarr Vint Sue Roht, currently serving as minister of finances for His Majesty since the… unfortunate demise of the previous one. It is a pleasure meeting all of you."
He said as he bowed his head toward Renner; 'a silent statement to show what he thinks of us? Or a simple form of respect toward the most important person among the guests?... I can't say, but I need to pay more attention… like Renner said' Lakyus thought.
"I am Count Lavein Nei Motte, current minister of internal affairs. It is an honour to make your acquaintance."
Said the middle-aged fat man sitting next to Fluder.
"Greetings, I am Count Alfons Rune Grace, ambassador of the empire and His Majesty's cousin by mother."
The last of them said, and, true to his words, Lakyus could clearly see a resemblance between the two cousins. They had the same cheekbones and a similar shade of blond hair.
"Now that we have all finally gotten acquainted with each other, I would suggest enjoying the main course of the dinner; a roasted boar from the forest of the Elven Kingdom."
Sounds of surprise came from all the nobles at the emperor's declaration. Lakyus herself was surprised. After all, it was said that the forest of the Elven Kingdom housed the biggest and greatest animals around the whole continent. Some even believed that by eating those animals you could live as long as an elf.
By bringing such an exotic meal to the table, the emperor was clearly stating his might and superiority against the kingdom; but what was the purpose of all of this? Did he simply wish to assert dominance or was he trying to impress someone? Lakyus didn't know what to think anymore.
{Jircniv's P.O.V.}
The evening may not have started in the best way for the young emperor, but he finally felt at ease. After surpassing the initial shock in the throne room, his plan was finally coming together as he hoped.
Once the main course arrived, consisting in a giant boar that occupied nearly half of the table in length, the emperor proceeded to pass onto the main conversation he hoped to have that evening.
"So, Sir Satoru, what do you think about our capital so far?"
He asked politely but trying to put some curiosity in his tone. The answer would give him a good understanding of the person he was speaking to. Would he answer using his wit to convey a message through his words or would he simply state a vague opinion. The emperor doubted it would be the latter. The man before him was far too intelligent to behave like some simpleton.
"Ah, the city. It is surely a refreshing gaze after spending a whole year in the Re-Estize's capital. I find the architecture greatly to my liking and the streets are very clean compared to some others I saw."
The deep voice of the magic caster answered. The emperor internally smirked. 'It was indeed a good idea to have them all cleaned up for this event' he thought, not feeling as bad as before for the money he had to spend on that, knowing well that in a month time they would be as dirty as before he ordered their cleaning.
"I even visited the Imperial Magic Academy yesterday. Unfortunately, I was denied a visit due to the policy of the magic academy, but the polite receptionist offered to bring my case to his superiors to see if something could be arranged."
The giant magic caster continued. The emperor didn't lose his smile but made a point in glancing at Fluder for a moment. The old magic caster seemed to understand his emperor's wishes and nodded slightly; a movement lost to most of the people in the room but something the emperor immediately recognized as a positive response. Satisfied, the young boy returned his attention to the masked magic caster.
"All in all, the city is fairly lively and a good place to live in…"
The magic caster continued but then seemed to pause for a moment.
"The only thing that i found slightly... unsettling was how much the practice of slavery is still practiced in an advanced country such as this… a shame if you ask me. Even the Re-Estize kingdom is slowly losing such old-fashioned practices and there are only a few markets where selling slaves is acceptable."
Those words caused a reaction in the room as most nobles fixed their eyes on him but only a few made their displeasure known through their gaze.
"It would be advised to respect others' traditions when visiting a country which is not yours, don't you think Sir Satoru?"
Said Duke Astarr Vint Sue Roht in an icy tone, earning a silent glare from the emperor that the Duke probably didn't even notice as his eyes were fixed on the foreign magic caster.
"I am sure Sir Satoru meant no offense with his comment. I, myself, think that certain laws on slavery are fairly outdated and should be renewed to adapt them to the current time."
Interfered the emperor, trying to stop the situation from escalating. The Duke just grumbled something under his breath.
"No offense meant, of course. The land I come from simply frowns upon practices like slavery. It is mostly a cultural difference. Still, I wouldn't pretend to tell His Majesty how to rule his empire."
The magic caster explained, making the rest of the room relax. 'What game are you playing, magic caster? First you lull me into a sense of security just to rip the floor from under my feet at the most unexpected time… is he testing me? Does he want to see how much my title is earned?' the boy emperor thought in annoyance at the sly move of the man before him. 'Not a fool, but surely a bold one. To test me in my own house… but two can play that game… and I have a lot more cards under the table'.
As the emperor was pondering his next move, a voice caught him by surprise. It was young and sweet. His eyes immediately darted from the magic caster to the speaker who was revealed to be none other than the third princess herself.
"It is indeed as Satoru said. We of the Re-Estize kingdom realize how much beneath us such a practice is and we are working to completely eradicate it from existence; possibly even banning it from our soil. Isn't that right, Lakyus?"
The princess said with her childish innocent tone while the other child nodded vigorously. The whole scene made the empire's nobles chuckle at her tone and demeanour, like adults looking at a child who wished to ride a dragon.
The only one who didn't laugh was the emperor, who lost his smile and almost frowned directly at the princess. But the reason of that abrupt change wasn't caused by the words of the princess but of what she had just done with almost no effort.
'She made fun of them and managed to make them laugh at the insult they just received, like fools…' he realized as some cold sweat began to form on his neck.
'No… she is just a child. Nothing to be feared… she has some wits, but that doesn't mean much without the power to use it' he mentally reassured himself. The conversation resumed without anymore problems for 10 more minutes, until the half-eaten boar was brought away.
In that time, the emperor was as tense as possible, his eyes passing from the foreign magic caster to the third princess. His mind was trying to calm him down but his more irrational part couldn't lift that sense of uneasiness that pervaded him from the moment the princess spoke.
Taking a deep breath, the emperor relaxed his muscles. 'very well then, I will… I will end this farce once and for all…I may not look so dignified but, at least, it will show me that this princess is nothing more than a witty child' he said as he forced himself to look at the princess directly with his stern gaze. A bold and direct move. It could result in quite the embarrassment for him to look like that at a foreign princess, but the risk was worth the gain in his mind.
The princess didn't even flinch for a moment under his hard gaze and just tilted her head to the side in confusion and in a rather cute manner, like a puppy.
"Excuse my curiosity, Princess, but I heard a rumour regarding the Crown Prince. It is said that he assaulted a daughter of a minor noble and she is currently carrying his child. Of course, it isn't my place to judge the Crown Prince's actions, but I would like to know if the child would become part of the royal line. Unfortunately, I'm not too sure about how your laws regarding heirs work in such… delicate matters."
This was a very private matter and only the royal family and 6 great nobles were aware of it, so it could be considered a national secret. For a foreign ruler to know such a thing would be preposterous and should cause much distress to the receiver.
'How will you react? Feigning ignorance? Denying? Lowering your pride and accepting the public shame?' he thought as he ignored the stares he received from his fellow countrymen who didn't seem pleased at all with his boldness. 'a necessary sacrifice' he mentally sighed, not removing his eyes from the princess for even a moment.
Then the only thing he didn't expect happened. The princess smiled brightly at him.
"Ah, you heard about that Your Majesty? You like your gossip I see. You must know that I as well like partaking in this hobby. We are very similar, it seems… you wouldn't believe how much I have learned concerning the empire by listening to Marquis Blumrush… he always has the most… juicy news."
The short blond said with an innocent, cordial tone, like she was discussing some trivial matter. In response, the emperor went on full alert. His muscles tensed even more than before and some sweat began to form on his face. 'How… how does she know… our best spy is compromised?... what is this… there is no way…' as his mind tried to make sense of what he just heard, his eyes focussed on Renner's, trying to catch something more. Something that would indicate that she was just a child speaking nonsense. What he found instead terrified him.
The princess' eyes were dead. Completely devoid of any emotion, like a dead body moving. He stared into that blue abyss, unable to gaze away from it as if he was drowning in it. He saw many types of eyes directed at him in his life. Some filled with malice, others filled with admiration, others ambition and many more; but never, in his life, has he seen such a gaze directed at him.
He couldn't read it. He couldn't even fathom what in the world there was hiding behind that mask on the princess' face. He felt his hands begin to shake as he was sinking into that abyss even more, and in an instant, that nightmarish madness ended as the princess gaze was directed elsewhere.
In that moment, all the sounds around him returned with full force, and he released a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
His hands were still shaking under the table but he managed to calm them down. Now the sweat was falling freely from his face.
"Ah, you seem quite red, Your Majesty. It is indeed quite hot inside here. It would be a good idea to open a window or two, don't you think?"
The third princess proposed. His eyes gazed once again on her form, focussing directly on her thin lips curved in a pleasant smile, not daring to go any higher.
The Bloody Emperor felt like tears were about to stream down his face as only one word came to his mind in that moment.
'Monster'
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
All things considered, the dinner went quite well in Satoru's opinion.
Sure, the boy emperor looked quite nervous at the beginning, but he couldn't blame the young man. Being an emperor must have been very stressful at that age. A lot of expectations were put on him after all.
The gift he decided to give him wasn't anything special in his view. He had a ton of those rings in his inventory both from gacha and random drops. They would be useful until level 40 then they would be discarded forever since no one uses low tier spells for attack once over level 50.
Returning to the evening, he appreciated the effort of the emperor in making a well-rounded and exotic banquet even if he couldn't have any of it. His opinion of the boy went up even more when he helped him deescalating that situation with the older noble. If he didn't intervene, Satoru wasn't sure if he could deal with him by himself without escalating it into a diplomatic incident.
Unfortunately, the emperor seemed to have something against the Crown Prince of the Re-Estize Kingdom, not that the magic caster could blame him for it. After all, he too didn't like the stuck-up prince at all, either.
Well, maybe he should have refrained from stating certain things so publicly in front of his sister, though. The boy was lucky Renner didn't seem to like her brother either but the glare she gave to the emperor was fully deserved. As a leader of a nation, he should learn to hold his tongue on certain matters.
But aside from that little incident, the evening had been quite enjoyable and both Renner and Lakyus seemed like they enjoyed themselves. Who knows, a friendship between the emperor and princess may be possible. It certainly would help their countries' relationship.
'Umu, let's see if it is doable. The emperor may be able to grant some favours to a friend of a friend after all' now that he thought about it, seeing the similar age, a future match could also be arranged to link both nations even further. But that was a thought for a distant future. They were still children after all.
The most confusing character that evening was the famous magic caster, Fluder Paradyne. Not because the man himself had anything strange. What puzzled Satoru the most was the man's presence during their initial meeting in the throne room. Even if the man stated otherwise afterwards, Satoru still noticed him not too far away from the emperor during their initial meeting. Sure, he was using an invisibility spell to try and hide. In fact, Satoru was probably the only one capable of seeing him in the room, but the incident still unnerved him to no end.
'Was the emperor fearful of me? But if that is the case, why invite me in the first place? Also, why in the world did that old man stare at me the whole time like a creepy stalker?' he asked himself quite unnerved by the whole thing. He will need to understand the man's motive. 'Maybe speaking with him could give me some insight?' he wondered, deciding to set the matter aside for now since he had no lead to follow.
As his group reached the inn they were staying at, they bid each other goodnight before retiring to their own rooms. But Satoru was sure that he would soon receive another visit from the two blond girls for a bedtime story once more.
He sighed 'well let's see what comes next' he thought, looking forward to the next day.