Wednesday . Week 1 . Month 2 . Year 1 . Season: Autumn .

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City: Niyoto, Satovia

[Current quest: Investigate Niyoto . Step 4!]

Day three!

[Card bearers in the immediate area: 2 . Ming, Unknown . ]

[Cook-off opponents in the immediate area: 5 . Harumi, Advanced chef Yuki, Alice, Kitome, unknown . ]

Yeah…his quest log took priority . He'd try not to get involved in any extra s.h.i.+t . Also…Kitome?

Clyde could hear an argument between two sworn nemesis . One that he hoped was over and done with . Chika and Melody . No…that wasn't quite an argument . They seemed to be just a few doors from his room .

"I told you, it was my fault, and that's final," Melody said . "I'll buy your lunch . "

"No, no, no, I—"

Clyde tuned them out when he heard someone groan next to him . Will this be a game of who he'd wake up with in the morning? He expected to see Alice, a known sleep-in, but found Kitome there instead . And Natalia . Well, so much for a morning of teasing the magical girl in order to gain a cute reaction . He considered snapping of a photo of her sleeping, but tossed away the idea . p.i.s.sing her off would take away this side of her .

The loli, thankfully fully dressed for the day, hummed to herself while playing Nina's handheld game . It resembled a PlayStation Vita . Wait…a f.u.c.king minute . The previous day, he remembered Kitome yelling at her . She couldn't be…

"Pervy nii-chan, what's she doing in your bed?"

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Clyde rolled his eyes .

"Kids say the darndest things," he said . "Now don't go pestering her . And how'd you get in here?"

Natalia grinned .

"Onii-chan, whatever could you be talking around?" She casually unwrapped a chocolate bar . A familiar brand . "By the way, these are so many things—"

The door burst open and Alice stormed in, pink aura blazing around her . He frowned, but for some reason, Kitome didn't wake .

He was surprised to see the look of absolute terror in Natalia eyes . Tears poured . OH, the candy . Clyde stifled a laugh .

"Please," she said, voice barely above a whisper . Alice dashed toward her . The loli dove toward Clyde .

"Alice is bullying me, onii-chan!"

She didn't make it to the young man, stopped in midair by Alice's use of the force .

"I hope you enjoy hanging on the ceiling for most of our day off," Alice said . She kissed Clyde before leaving . He wondered if she noticed that Kitome ducked under the covers at the last second . The loli's crying and apologizes could still be heard even when they entered another hall .

"Serves her right," Kitome said . "Do you think Alice saw me?" They made eye contact then laughed .

The duo messed around for half an hour before conducting standard morning activities . h.e.l.l, he brushed his teeth and showered while inside of her . She somewhat competed with Chika in that aspect .

Clyde almost called a morning meeting, but remembered he gave the party a day off . A good way to p.i.s.s off a party is to make them work on their free time, he thought . Kitome was eventually pulled away by Harumi, Chika, and Yuki . Ruri chatted with Alice about old times while ignoring the anime that played on the lobby's TV . Natalia whimpered on the ceiling, held there by the force . Maki and her cousin Ming were at a table in a far corner, talking . Ming shuffled her deck of cards repeatedly which seemed to give her hands something to do . He nodded in approval . They didn't know the others that well, but chatting as cousins could smooth away the loneliness . In two more months, Clyde would place Maki before the team and they would determine if she atoned enough to be cut a little slack . If enough votes run through, factoring in Yuki's mentoring, therapy, and recovery program, along with the all-day work which included labor and volunteer events, lack of privileges, a behavior a.n.a.lysis, he could tell Yuki to proceed to trust training . He'd personally step in to make sure his relations.h.i.+p with her was as high as possible before they converted her to his spy .

He knew a three-month full punishment in place of the five-year original pushed it, even for a first offense, but world-saving took priority . As much as he didn't want to think of people as tools, he knew Maki would make a great one .

It was a nice and mild day with few clouds in the sky . Clyde walked, feeling at peace a little—or at least he pushed his current problems into the procrastination box . Two streets later, he caught sight of Melody exiting a bookstore, smiling . The daughter of he who cannot be named and of she who dawns time, giddy over romance novels .

He was about to walk toward her when someone tapped his leg . He turned to see a boy who looked about ten .

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"Mister, are you really him?" he said . "I saw you on TV and your super friends . Are you going to save the world?"

Clyde smiled .

"You say that . But . " He looked around then placed a finger on his lips . In a conspiratorial low voice, he said, "You must not tell anyone that I'm here . I'm looking for bad guys . "

The kid saluted .

"Sir yes sir! You can do it, Mr . Stone . " He bowed j.a.panese style and ran off to join his mother . She gave Clyde an apologetic style .

It was nothing short of a miracle that the Viper hadn't discovered him yet . Then again, he couldn't be too much stronger than Clyde, right? They were both whisked to Satovia at the same time . Possible . He probably had access to the power too, plus Mortem described him as incredibly strong . He wondered if the Viper was more informed on the world .

"You're a sweet guy . "

He turned to see Melody standing there, grasping her new book .

"I don't know about that," Clyde said . Melody shot him a blank stare . He waved it off while internally examining his quest log .

[Quest: Talk to Melody… . again . ]

For s.h.i.+ts and giggles, he asked a silly question . System, does this count? He thought .

[Step 1 of quest completed . Step 2: spend time with Melody . Reward: unknown . This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused . ]

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He almost laughed, but wasn't complaining . Who the h.e.l.l would complain about spending time with a beautiful woman? Clyde let that be a rhetorical question because there were many factors that branched beneath that, starting with: is she a yandere?

Clyde made his decision . He still had to date each female member of his party, which was an unreasonably long quest, but at least it wasn't mandatory .

"Melody, do you mind dropping all the plans you have today just to hang out with me?" Clyde said . "It'd be a date . "

"As if I had plans," she said under her breath .

"What?" Clyde said .

"N—nothing," she said, fl.u.s.tered . "I'd love to hang out . Just put this book in your inventory so I don't have to carry it out around . "

He almost expected her to protest and demand to get changed, but that would've been pointless since she already wore casual clothing that looked expensive and popular to the ma.s.ses . Well, not ma.s.ses, but the rich .

[You received The G.o.ddess and Her Lover from Melody . ]

Melody grabbed Clyde's arm . "I've never been on a date before . "Clyde gave her a skeptical look . "You'd understand if you were from my realm," she said, a slight blush on her face . "Anyway, I don't want to think about it—let's go . "

Her cheerfulness enveloped him . Her luck at "Seducing" the young man didn't exist . The first attempt after the movie was to pull Clyde into an alley way for what he a.s.sumed would be a "surprise" moment of pa.s.sion, just like in the film . Another couple was already there, riding so furiously, the young man disabled his mystic senses just to stop feeling the vibrations, which felt like punches, in the air . The sight proved to be too much for the demiG.o.ddess . She hurried off in a fast walk, nearly a run .

It took Clyde just a tidbit of effort to catch and calm her down . When she tried to kiss him, the ground gave way beneath her . He caught her in time before she fell into the sink hole . The third time, a large crowd of people seemingly formed out of nowhere and engulfed the duo as some idol girl pa.s.sed by, waving outside her car . She even winked and blew Clyde a kiss which broke the spirit of the redhead even farther .

And that's how she ended up locking herself in her room . He lured her out once for her book, but she refused any advances or comforting .

Clyde sighed .

[Quest failed . Talk to Melody step 2 . Penalty: none, due to the circ.u.mstances being out of your hands . ]

[Your relations.h.i.+p with Melody has increased to Absolute Endearment, friend closer level 2 . You do not receive any bonus increases due to failing step 2 of the quest . ]

Clyde stopped his eyes from widening and just shook his head . What utter horses.h.i.+t . Well, he couldn't expect everything to be one hundred percent easy mode all the time .

[Quest: Wait for Melody to come to you . This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused . It also dependent on her, regardless of your actions . ]

Another failed attempt with Melody . The girl was the epitome of bad luck . Clyde wondered if he should just focus on the others and just leave the redhead be . Failing a quest invoked penalties . Her awful luck would just complicate things . A challenge .

Thoughts for later . Maybe if the potential of everyone dying to a demon lord wasn't a thing .

He left the hotel to do more exploring and thinking . Clyde didn't expect to catch Detective Tetra arguing with the crusader from afar . To make matters worse, he wasn't alone . One of his friends suddenly slugged the detective to the ground .

"NO SUPREME DEMON LORD WORs.h.i.+PPERS ALLOWED HERE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs . "The Great Ones leave it to us to keep sc.u.m like you off the street . "

The third crusader bounded her in bright white ropes . They stuffed her into a nearby van and off they sped . Tetra's scream still echoed through the wind .

And no one was on this street to witness any of it . Today was just not his day . Seriously, what the f.u.c.k just happened, he thought .

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