"Is Darling OK with us using his card like this?" Miia asked nervously as we entered the restaurant.

"Don't worry," I assured her, flipping the green plastic card between my fingers, "The Cultural Exchange covers all living expenses, food included."

Due to the abundance of restaurants in the city, we had many dining options. Though I enjoyed the local cuisine, I have felt nostalgic for home the past few days. Since it was my idea to go out first, the girls let me choose where we ate, so I decided on a pizza joint twenty minutes from home. The choice was made when I confirmed it was large-liminal-friendly and promised Centorea that vegetarian pizza existed.

Suppose you serve the larger species that walk around these days. In that case, you need a well-maintained and quite big place, so the waitress directed us to a large corner booth with a special centaur seat in the back. When I use the term "seat," I mean a hole in the floor where a centaur can easily step in and be the same height as the rest of us.

I first asked Centorea when we slid into our seats: "Are you sure you're comfortable standing the entire time?" She was across from me, and Papi and Miia were to my left and right.

Her response to my concern was a smile as she shrugged her shoulders. She responded, "It is no big deal; centaurs can lock their muscles and tendons as a preventative measure against fatigue. This is typically something we do when sleeping."

My brows furrowed in surprise. "That's pretty cool! As long as you're comfortable, then." I turned to look at the other two. "You guys, Gucci?"

As Papi bounced up and down on her cushioned seat, she paused momentarily and tilted her head at me. "'Goochy'?" she chirped.

"Ah, sorry. Something I say all the time back home with my friends. It slipped out." I explained it as slang for "good."

"Oh, I like it! Goochy, goochy! It's fun to say!"

I laughed at the hyperactive harpy, who bounced in her seat again. "Agreed! How about you, Miia?"

" I'm fine, thanks," she said, "I have enough room for my tail, which is nice."

"Great. So what are we eating?"

The process took some time. Miia wanted eggs in her pizza for some reason, and it took considerable convincing to get her off her path. Despite my doubts that egg pizza existed worldwide, I suspect this restaurant offered it. Ultimately, we settled on getting two large pizzas: one with the classic sausage and pepperoni combo (for Miia and Papi) and one with green peppers, onions, and black olives (for Centorea). I decided to take from both. It looked increasingly like I would mostly choose the veggie option based on the eating habits of the two carnivorous liminals.

While waiting for our food, I checked my watch and saw another hour or so before it got dark. At midnight exactly, the girls lost all control of themselves. I had yet to learn how to keep them out of the house for that long without getting into the marriage topic again.

The situation would have to be rolled with.

I grabbed their attention and said, "I just realized I don't know much about you three. Why did you decide to study abroad?" "Oh, I was just curious, that's all!" Miia replied hastily, blushing furiously and trying to laugh as naturally as possible. "Ha ha, heh, ha ha!" She failed.

I was confident she wouldn't spill the beans to me if she didn't admit to her Darling the real reason she came to Japan. I knew how lamia tribes reproduced and how difficult it would become after introducing the Cultural Exchange Bill. I wanted to hear Miia's response to the question. This confirmed my suspicions that she was a terrible liar.

In either case, I let it slide. There's no point in pressing the matter now, especially since I knew miia didn't intend to abduct Kuruso.

"How about you, Papi?" I asked, noticing Miia's relief.

As she bounced as she had for ten minutes, Papi declared, "Just cuz!". She had the perfect rhythm down.

The answer seems reasonable. There are no shocking revelations to be found here.

The answer Papi gave me made me chuckle. "That sounds about right," I said. "Just wanted to see new sights, huh?"

Papi replied, "Harpies are free-spirited creatures, so we take any chance to explore new places." I was surprised she even explained it.

Even so, I nodded. "So your species is nomadic? That makes sense."

"Mm, no, not nomadic," Papi shook her head, once again impressing me. Why was she so articulate and thoughtful all of a sudden? "More like... immigrantory?"

I see she has returned to her usual self now.

"A migratory species," Centorea replied, "harpies are migratory species."

Then Papi grinned. "Right, that!" We usually go wherever we want, but we always end up at our village at some point."

After taking a sip of water, I hummed. "OK. That covers two of you. With that in mind, how about you, Centorea?"

A confident smile spread across her face as she folded her arms. "There is a proud tradition among my kin of serving a noble lord worth our strength. I fled home to find such a lord, and I am pleased to say I found him in my Master."

A frown spread across my face. "So... you're just OK with that? Being subservient to a stranger that you just met?" I inquired.

There was a classic Centorea blush as she stated, "Master has proved himself worthy ever since he saved me." She concluded softly, "He is a great man."

"Yeah, he is a nice guy," I agreed. Without a doubt, Kuruso was a good guy, caring for anyone regardless of how they looked. He would risk his life, even if it meant saving someone utterly unknown. "I don't understand why that makes him your Master, though. I doubt he is comfortable with that."

"That is why he is the most suitable for the job," Centorea continued, this time with an even more clipped tone. Had I struck a nerve? "I do not see why there is a problem."

In the end, pushing the issue would have been counterproductive. I brought the girls out here so they could relax; arguing about Kuruso wouldn't help anything.

To avoid expressing what occupied my mind, I raised my hands placatingly. "I think I understand what you're saying. I'm just curious."

She nodded and smiled slightly, the tension quickly dissipating. "I'm curious about your journey as well."

The golden eyes of Miia were wide with keen interest as she asked, "What's dimensional travel like?"

"Does it feel like flying?!" Papi bounced closer to me as if proximity might enhance her learning ability.

Suddenly, I was very self-conscious. I laughed nervously and scratched my head, feeling my cheeks warm from the attention. "It wasn't that great. It was just-"

Huh?

In an attempt to remember...my eyebrows furrowed...

"Weird," I murmured, rubbing my temples with my hands.

"Hm?" Each of them tilted their head in confusion.

In a somewhat frustrated voice, I replied, "I don't seem to remember how I got here.". "I could've sworn I did...."

There is your food here!" the waitress announced, jerking me from my thoughts and causing everyone else to startle. "Sorry about the wait. We are swamped right now, so can I offer you a free side as a courtesy?"

Miia asked her for egg-based side dishes; Centorea ordered a salad while Papi dipped into the pizza with all the grace of a drunken ostrich. It was just a matter of hunger, so I dismissed my shoddy memories for now. I always needed to be more mindful of certain things. Still... it would make sense that I would remember something so crazy as dimensional travel, wouldn't it?

Grumble.

Yes, I hear you, stomach. Let's eat now and over-analyze my situation later.

To be continued...