An hour later, I was seated in my room, rocking in my chair and gazing out the window. My mind was almost entirely overwhelmed by the information I had been presented with at the meeting with Kuroko and the files she had given me. The complexity of the issues between the six liminals staying with Takasaka was intimidating and daunting when all combined into one large mass.

Piper almost fatally poisoned her previous host, who had been exploiting her for his gain. Although there were some similarities between her and Rachnera, the former may have had it much worse than the latter due to the devastating effects of the poison on her former host.

At first glance, Iris seemed like a brat with some severe challenges when it came to physical or emotional contact. I had little experience dealing with this type of person, so I knew that it could be a difficult situation. However, I didn't want to jump to conclusions, as I had to be prepared for anything with this group.

Mako, the ex-pirate, was a sight to behold. With more scars and tattoos than I had ever seen, it was clear that her life had been filled with violence and rage. Yet, despite her hardened exterior, her lidded eyes revealed a hint of good-natured humor, providing me a way to connect with her.

I was not looking forward to meeting Gu, who was caustic in every sense of the word and the most dangerous of the six. Kuroko had said she was her responsibility, though I knew little about her involvement with Enkidu. I wondered if it was what caused her to become a black slime. I knew I had to be careful around her, or I faced dire consequences.

Vera, the potentially-autistic wyvern, is a challenge I'm willing to take on. I wish Miranda were here to help me with this task; her knowledge and experience in teaching autistic children over the years would have been invaluable. Still, I'm determined to make the best of it and do my best no matter what.

Last but not least was Tula, the illegal student who wouldn't go back home for religious reasons; however, I had very little knowledge of arachne religion, having only heard about it from Rachnera. To better understand Tula's situation, I had to ask her for more details. This would be possible only if we could reconcile to some degree.

So yeah, I had a lot of shit to deal with suddenly.

"You know, I hope I don't fuck this all up," I grumbled as I rubbed my eyes. "So, how can I make sure I don't?"

Although my head was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information, I could not afford to stop here. This was not a group I could approach unprepared and rely solely on my social skills to achieve success. Therefore, I had to contemplate the matter further.

So I neatly organized all the files with Piper's on top, opened my notebook, clicked my pen, and got down to deep thinking.

A couple of hours later, I sat at the dinner table, gazing blankly at my food. It felt like I had just spent the entire day working on a comprehensive research paper at college, trying to make sense of and use the sheer amount of information I had taken in. This comparison did not give me much cause for optimism, as I had usually only managed to get C's and B's on those assignments.

"I think big brother broke his head," Papi commented from my side, in-between massive gulps of beef.

Cerea took a bite of lettuce from her fork primly and noted, "Well, after he met with Miss Smith, he seemed to have locked himself up in his room, perhaps hard at work on something."

"He's not too far gone that he can't express his disagreement with you speaking about him as if he isn't present," I said with a hint of sarcasm. Taking a sip of my water, I finally started to dig into my food. "I had a lot to deal with today, so sorry I didn't interact with anyone when I arrived earlier. How are things going around here?"

"Mm, after Miss Kunanzuki left, we decided to go out for a bit," Kurusu answered. "Walked around town, got lunch..."

"Oh, we also stumbled upon the remarkable local aquarium during our travels," Mero exclaimed excitedly. "The exhibits there were nothing short of extraordinary!"

"It was really cool," Miia exclaimed with a broad smile. "It was a bit strange that the employees there treated you like a VIP all the time..."

Mero stumbled over her words, not daring to look away from us. "Maybe they just wanted to make sure we keep coming back," she said.

"We got to see the dolphin show, too!" Papi exclaimed. "I had to protract Suu a couple of times when things got super splashy, though."

"Protect!" several voices corrected in unison. It was almost impossible to discern who had said it first as all of us exchanged glances before we all burst out in laughter at the strange moment of synchrony.

"We also resumed our physical training at Sports Club Kobold," Cerea continued, beaming with pride and setting her hands on her hips. "Lala even bravely took part, though it 'twas her first time."

"My true passion lies in the shadows and death that form my domain," Lala huffed, trying to maintain her dignified composure as she struggled to puncture a piece of beef with her fork. "Physical frivolities mean nothing to me; I have no interest in metal or muscles."

"If that were true," Rachnera said, resting her cheek on an open claw and smirking, "then why did you work so hard to lift those weights? If it was meaningless, why would you bother in the first place?"

"I was merely curious how the living can sustain their fragile bodies and find joy and meaning in such transient moments," Lala replied readily. She blinked and tilted her head down, her scarf now covered in crumbs. "And I admit I was disheartened to discover my form was inadequate for the task."

"Don't worry," Kurusu said with a reassuring smile. "We've only been at this for a couple of weeks, so you still have plenty of time to get up to speed. With some hard work, you might even surpass some of us!"

"I don't even have muscles!" Suu told her, beaming. "So you're already ahead of me!"

"Oh joy," Lala muttered dully amidst the chuckles around her. "I am ahead of primordial ooze in terms of muscle structure." Despite her words, I could've sworn I saw the small inklings of a smile through her scarf.

"Hey, hey, Lalalala," Papi started, bouncing in her seat. "Do you like volleyball?"

"I detest everything!" Lala declared with a dramatic flair. Beside her, Rachnera must have already anticipated what Papi was about to say and gave a skeptical snort, shaking her head as she continued to enjoy her meal.

"So, do you wanna play sometime?" Papi pressed a certain gleam in her eye.

Lala regarded her warily. "... I dislike your train of thought," she decided.

"Oh, come on!" Papi pouted. "It'd be soooo much fun playing with your head like that, going all bouncy bouncy bouncy~!"

"Maybe not the best suggestion, Papi," Kurusu said, trying to defuse the situation as Lala fumed in her seat. "Would you like it if someone wanted to play a game with your body parts?"

"Yeah, that'd be really, really cool!" she shouted without a moment's hesitation.

Kurusu sighed in exasperation, and he cupped his hands to his forehead. Mero pondered the strange and disconcerting image before her, a perplexed expression on her face. "It's an odd sight, and I can't help but find myself amused by it," she remarked thoughtfully.

"I think it's gross," Miia complained, making a blech sound and sticking out her forked tongue. "I vote no."

"Since when was there a-!" Lala tried to protest before being cut off.

"I wanna try it!" Suu chimed. "And I could be the backup ball!" Lala stared at her with mounting horror.

"Perhaps we are getting too excited about this," Cerea cautioned.

"Ooh, ooh, Suu can be a ball, too!" Papi jumped on the bandwagon with her usual enthusiasm.

"I would be the best-suited to be the referee if it's alright with everyone," Rachnera declared. "I would be the most prepared to catch her head if anything were to happen; plus, if we are playing in the sand, then I would prefer to keep my energy levels in check."

"Pray tell what this ominous 'inevitable' maybe?" Lala asked lowly.

"Why, cracking your head, of course," Rachnera offered coyly. "Though you may also vomit everywhere with all that rapid movement...."

"Gross, gross, gross," Miia grumbled.

"Hold on," I asked seriously, poking my fork at Lala for emphasis. "Would she vomit, though? If her head isn't connected to her body, wouldn't it just splurt out her neck? Do you even have a neck?"

"Romance Master, please," Miia begged. "We're eating here!"

"Just wondering," I told her in placation, backing off and raising my hands. "That's all."

"From this day forward, I shall not answer any inquiries related to my physical functions," Lala declared, resembling those people in the Middle Ages who used to proclaim royal edicts in the city squares. Was that a thing? "And volleyball," she quickly added.

"Fiiiiiine," Papi whined, dejectedly poking at the meager scraps on her plate.

"I shall mourn it as an opportunity lost," Mero added remorsefully, though she didn't seem upset about it.

Kurusu chuckled nervously and said, "Probably for the best." He then asked the group, "Hey, didn't all of you get the mail today?" Miia, Papi, and Cerea seemed a bit uneasy, especially Papi, which made the situation even more peculiar.

My ears perked a bit.

"Yeahhhh," Miia drawled, fidgeting in her seat. "Well, it, uh, looks like my Mama is coming into town in a couple of days..."

"So is Papi's Mommy."

"And my Mother will be here as well," Cerea sighed, clearly unhappy with the idea.

"Oh! Well, th-that's nice!" Nice try, Kurusu, but I noticed your nervous stutter. I'd vocally poke fun at you for it, but that'd be pretty hypocritical, considering I wasn't exactly optimistic, either. "Um, so when will they be here?"

"This Thursday," Miia answered.

"Caturday!" Papi followed.

"And Monday is mine, of all the days," Cerea finished with a hint of disappointment. "Which is particularly unfortunate considering it's my first day 'in the field,' as Miss Smith so eloquently put it."

"I guess it's a blessing in disguise that they are a day apart," Kurusu said, his expression determinedly chipper. "That just means we all must put in even more effort to clean the house thoroughly!"

A chorus of meek affirmatives reverberated around the dinner table. Kurusu seemed content with the proposal, but Suu, with her distinct priorities that differed from the rest of the mortals present, was the only one who seemed truly at peace with the idea.

Handling the moms would be a challenge, but not an impossible one. I just had to ensure nobody was poisoned, kidnapped, or subjected to a ridiculously violent and inappropriate jousting match to justify their way of life. It sounded easy enough. Thankfully, I still had a few days to prepare before they arrived. I could take it one step at a time.

Speaking of...

"Hey, Rachnera," I said quietly as we all began to clean up the table. "Talk for a bit outside?"

She regarded me briefly before letting out a weary sigh. "I suppose we should, shouldn't we?" Rachnera finally conceded, her eyes closing as she shook her head slowly. "Let's get it over with then, Counselor."

I acknowledged what was said with a nod, before returning to assisting with the dishes. I tried to ignore the fact that my hands were shaking slightly as I held the plates firmly. Maybe it was because they were a bit heavier than I'd anticipated.

To be continued...