This place really needs work, he mumbled, scanning the dim interior.
No electricity. No stocked pantry. Barely livable. I really need to fix—
jiggle jiggle
His voice cut off.
A strange, bouncy sound echoed from the dark corner of the room.
Before he—or Shyuu—could react, something soft, warm, and catastrophically massive slammed into them like a tidal wave of squish.
"Guh—!" Piers's eyes bulged. Oh no. Not this again—!
It was Liel.
She rocketed into a full‑force hug, all teenage body and zero restraint, smothering him like a human pillow trap, completely oblivious to personal space.
"...Damn these suffocating giant boobies—Piers groaned internally."
"Aww, Piers-sama, you came back!" Liel cooed, squeezing tighter as she lovingly buried his entire face into her chest.
"ACK! M-move these juggernauts—!"
Came his muffled scream, barely audible inside the fleshy prison.
He flailed, tiny hands pushing uselessly against her smothering embrace.
"Wait! Stop, Liel! I can't breathe!"
But Liel, lost in her clingy bliss, only pressed him closer, humming happily.
Poor Shyuu squealed pitifully, also trapped somewhere in the marshmallow massacre.
Finally, Piers wriggled free, gasping like a drowning man breaking the surface. With a desperate swipe, he conjured several glowing orbs, flooding the room with light.
The sudden brightness revealed another door creaking open. Luci stumbled out, hair messy, still rubbing sleep from her eyes—until she saw it.
Her drowsiness evaporated instantly.
"Liel… WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO PIERS-SAMA?!"
Luci roared, her voice cracking with fury.
In a blur, she stormed across the room, practically ripping Piers from Liel's suffocating grip and clutching him like he was the crown jewel of creation.
Her glare burned like fire.
"You were choking him! He's turning blue, you oversized marshmallow!"
Liel just blinked innocently, tilting her head like a confused puppy.
"Huh?"
Just then, Thog lumbered in behind her, and floating lazily over his shoulder, Gyuunyuu rubbed one eye with a tiny hand, voice dripping with sleepy disinterest.
"…What's the commotion?" she yawned. Her gaze slid to Piers.
"Oh, Master, you came back." Another blink.
She squinted at his drool-smeared, chest-polished face.
"Uh… what happened to your face?"
Seizing the distraction, Piers wriggled free, dropping onto the floor with Shyuu in tow.
He yanked the slime off his cheek and drew a deep breath.
Seriously, he grumbled inwardly, rubbing his face back to neutrality.
That was way too close. I need to figure out electricity for this place… and maybe some kind of early-warning system for surprise attacks.
His gaze darted from Liel's innocent face to her overly generous chest.
He then noticed they were all still wearing those same ridiculously revealing leaf-and-scrap outfits they'd adopted in the abyss.
Yeah… and clothing too, he added silently.
Maybe something a little less… revealing.
He sighed and straightened, tone sharpening like a command whip.
"Listen, everyone. We need to talk about something important. Gather in the living room."
They straightened instantly.
From the doorway, Mutou's calm voice drifted in. "Young Master. Some Raven-folk await outside. Are they to be considered allies?"
"Yeah, they're allies," Piers replied. Then pointed to Liel.
"Liel, I've got a job for you. Go give them some food—they're hungry."
"Yes, Piers-sama!" Liel chirped, already bounding toward the kitchen with a mission-driven sparkle in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Luci and Gyuunyuu were fixated on Shyuu, still nestled safely in Piers's arms.
"Piers-sama, is this… a slime?" Luci whispered, awe lacing her voice. "It's so jiggly!"
Gyuunyuu floated close, eyebrow twitching with jealousy.
"Master, why do you have a slime monster? And it even has… that weird mark."
Piers puffed his chest slightly, a rare smug grin curling across his lips. He held Shyuu aloft like a champion raising a trophy.
"Yep! This is my new pet. His name's Shyuu, and he's officially part of our team now!"
Luci's eyes sparkled. Gyuunyuu pouted. Thog stared with curious wonder.
From the kitchen doorway, Liel peeked out and gasped softly.
"Okay," Piers cut in, tone firm again. "Living room. Now. We've got things to discuss."
"Yes, Master!" they chimed.
Inside, Piers's gaze immediately found Lien—perched dangerously close to his Fantasy TV, eyes glued to the flickering screen.
Seriously, Piers thought.
That thing's already rotting his brain.
He turned to Gyuunyuu. "How long's he been like this?"
She let out a bored sigh.
"Ever since Master Rigas's 'training.' He's completely hooked."
Piers's eyebrow twitched.
"Great. Totally addicted."
They gathered in the living area, settling into a loose circle while waiting for Piers to speak.
Out in the corridor, Rook's party sat neatly in a row, each now served a steaming plate of flower rice by Liel's careful hands.
In the garden, Piers' summoned beasts—Blaze, Asphyx, Ventus, Arc, and Ondine—stood silent and vigilant, their aura radiating a protective stillness.
Piers, still clutching Shyuu, realized with a blink that he was perched somewhat awkwardly on Luci's lap.
He blinked.
"...Why am I sitting on your lap, Luci?" her answer was smooth, matter-of-fact.
"Piers-sama, the floor is cold. You'd catch a chill."
"Right. Inward thought: You just wanted an excuse to hold me."
Across the circle, Liel bristled, shooting Luci a pointed glare.
Luci only returned a subtle, smug smirk, sparking a silent duel of glances between them—daggers of jealousy clashing in total silence.
Gyuunyuu, floating lazily above Thog's shoulder, grinned impishly.
"Oh, and Liel? Try not to choke Master again."
Liel puffed her cheeks, pouting instantly.
"B-but he's so soft! And he smells nice!"
she protested, her whining only making her cheeks pinker.
"That's not an excuse for suffocation,"
Luci replied flatly, not even breaking her eye-lock.
Meanwhile, Lien still remained utterly detached from the drama, sitting dangerously close to the glowing "magical box" as he gawked, wide-eyed, at the flickering screen.
Totally mesmerized.
Piers cleared his throat loudly, snapping their attention back.
"Alright, enough. First things first—we really need to do something about your clothing."
His small brow furrowed.
"You all look like you've been living in leaf bikinis. Especially you, Liel."
"Eh? Why me alone?" she squeaked, pointing to herself in confusion.
"I mean all of you need clothes!"
Piers shot back, exasperation dripping from every word.
In the corridor, Klak and Rapi were too busy shoveling food into their mouths to notice the drama inside.
"This is amazing!" Rapi cried, cheeks stuffed full.
"Seriously! I've never eaten anything this good in my life!" Klak agreed, practically in tears as he scarfed another bite.
A little ways off, Skree leaned toward Rook, voice hushed.
"Can you feel it? Their aura… every single one of them. It's on a whole another level."
Rook nodded grimly.
"Yeah. standing in the middle of a storm while pretending you're not about to get swept away."
He stepped forward, squaring his shoulders.
"Lord Piers. If I may—one of my abilities might be of use."
All eyes turned toward him.
Piers gave the smallest nod.
Rook's fingers traced a practiced motion. "Kage-Sokki."
Smoke burst outward. From the haze, an intricately patterned scroll appeared, floating into his hand. The watchers gasped—Liel clasped her hands in awe, and even Lien tore his gaze away from the glowing box long enough to shout.
"Whoa! So cool!"
Without hesitation, Rook formed another seal. "Shōton: Busshin Sōzō!"
The scroll unraveled, its patterns glowing with light. With a rush of smoke and shimmer, it collapsed into a neatly folded pile of fine-quality clothing.
The room fell silent.
Piers's expression unreadable, shadowed eyes locked on Rook.
Rook's heartbeat quickened.
Did I… do something wrong? Did I displease him?
Then, without warning—
Piers leapt from Luci's lap, plopping Shyuu gently onto the floor.
He leaned forward.
"WOOOAH! How did you do that?! voice bursting with rare, booming excitement. And you even spoke Japanese?! Why didn't you say earlier you knew Japanese?!"
His violet-black eyes sparkled like fireworks, genuine admiration radiating from every inch of him.
Skree, quicker to recover, dropped into a bow.
"Lord, it's one of our hidden arts! These abilities were passed down from our great-great-greater ancestors!"
"Ohhh, I see" Piers muttered, his voice sliding back to its deadpan drawl—but eyes still gleamed with hungry curiosity.
Off to the side, Mutou inspected one of the garments with care, pinching the fabric between his gloved fingers.
"Young Master. This cloth… it is of exceptional quality," he remarked, rare approval in his tone.
Piers paused,
watching Mutou inspect the fabric—then a slow smirk crawled across his face, mischief flickering like a spark catching flame.
"Alright. You showed me something cool…"
He spread his small arms wide.
"…Now it's my turn to show you what I can do."
His crew lit up instantly—Liel squealing, Lien pumping his fists, Luci's eyes burning with pride, Gyuunyuu smirking with anticipation, Thog grinning like a mountain about to move, and Mutou nodding silently in approval.
Rook's team, meanwhile, shifted uneasily.
Their feathers bristled, unease gnawing at them.
They couldn't decide if they should brace themselves for awe… or brace for chaos.