We all went home to rest after grabbing lunch, except for Cerea, who had to attend something MON related at the Cultural Exchange building. Kurusu promised to join her tomorrow morning to go to the Sports Club Kobold, while the rest gave tentative confirmations. I was probably going to join them either way. Getting up early isn't my favorite thing to do, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice for the sake of getting some serious gains and swole, bro.

It was definitely in the best interests of everyone in the house to stay in shape, not only for health reasons but also because one never knows what kind of trouble could arise. Even though Enkidu was gone, there could potentially be more sinister entities, whether human or not, that would put us in danger. I usually wouldn't think that anyone like that would come knocking, but I suspected things would not turn out as expected.

First, Kii's sudden appearance occurred. It was something that even Doppel seemed intent on erasing without any explanation. The series dropped the whole matter when the credits rolled, but Doppel's behavior gave me pause. She seemed to view this as a potential danger, so I had to take it seriously. It was clear that someone had put those "experimental nutrients" there, so I had to keep a close eye on them. Even if it was accidental, whoever had done it was worth monitoring.

Secondly, Mero, a princess from a faraway land, was relatively unprotected in a bustling city and was a fish out of water. This brought attention from those of ill intent. Even though this hadn't occurred in the manga until I had read it, it was still a good possibility. Groups such as Enkidu or even the Charybdis she had spoken of could appear to take her hostage or do something worse.

Perhaps that was what Smith had in mind when she made her suggestion. None of us were professional combatants, though Rachnera was likely the closest, and Cerea was sure to become one soon enough. Still, it was something, and it was best to be prepared for anything coming our way. So while I could list many more of these scenarios, I'd rather not devolve into bitter paranoia.

Until then, I'd play some video games.

Papi and Suu wanted to play Wii Tennis, but I was uninterested. Instead, I decided to indulge my love of real-time strategy (RTS) games by playing one of my old favorites.

Miia's eyes widened in shock as she heard a guttural, hate-filled voice bellow from my laptop, "Why aren't we killing yet?!"

"That game sounds intense," she said, winding around the couch to sit at the other end. Kurusu was doing something in the kitchen, which was probably the only reason she was over by me in the first place. "Can you only play as those not-so-nice characters?"

The faction I was playing as was composed of blood-soaked lunatics, mutated super-soldiers with more spikes on their shoulders than any semblance of reason, and slavering daemons born of pure, unbridled insanity, and she described them as "not-so-nice."

"No," I answered, suppressing my urge to laugh, "But they're enjoyable, and playing as the antagonists is a refreshing change. Furthermore, bloodthirsters are incredibly metal."

"Hm... do I want to know what those are?"

"Eh, if you keep watching, you'll see one soon enough."

I spent about an hour playing Dawn of War while Miia watched and switched back and forth between watching Papi and Suu playing their games. I would have guessed that Miia was exhausted from her workout earlier that day if I hadn't known her so well. She was usually quite energetic and passionate, but she was generally content with lounging around and being lazy unless Kurusu was around. But the real reason she stayed with me soon became apparent after Kurusu left to do some errand.

"So..." she started in a tone that sounded way too nonchalant to be nonchalant, "Did you learn anything from Darling~...."

"Huh?" I grunted, briefly looking away from my Khorne Berzerkers smashing against a horde of Nobz. "Oh, right, the drunk thing. Yeah, I learned some stuff."

"Like WHAT?!" Miia shouted, practically in my face and making me feel uncomfortable. Papi and Suu stopped their game and looked at us in bewilderment.

"Could you please take a step back?" I asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with how close the attractive girl was. "I'm not sure that what I'm about to tell you will help much. Plus, he could walk in anytime, so I'd rather not divulge sensitive information."

That was bullshit, and I was sure that Miia would be grateful for knowing that he had chosen her, although I wasn't aware of the reason why. Despite my hesitance to reveal the events of our drunken night, I had promised Miia to do so. So, with a heavy heart, that was what I had to do. That pretty much summed up my feelings on the matter.

"Hmph," Miia huffed, though thankfully, she was backed off. "I wanna know! This is gonna bother me all night!"

Oh shit, right. The full moon. Think, think, think...

"I'll tell you what," I offered, "Tonight's the full moon, right?"

"It is?"

You'd think you'd keep better track of the one time of the month when your body undergoes an uncontrollable transformation, resulting in an influx of hormones that can cause intense emotions. Wait... is this a metaphor for something else?

"Yes, it is," I confirmed, suppressing a sigh. "To be honest, I have no idea what happens to liminals when the full moon is out, so I'm going to have to ask you: how hard is it for you to stay in control during those times?"

Miia hummed in thought, tapping her chin as she pondered. "I guess it depends. I'm unsure; it's never really been an issue until I started living with humans. But now that I think about it, back in my village, we'd have this big and super fun festival the day before the full moon. Oh, the delicious omelets on every corner were the best, and there were many other great activities like tug-o'-wars, dances, and contests!"

"... Huh. So lamias celebrate every full moon?" I asked.

Miia answered bashfully, "Kinda? It was more to ensure we were all too exhausted by nightfall to do anything other than sleep. The men would join us for the festivities, but the matriarchs always locked them up in an incredibly secure room before sundown and gave them the key again when the sun rose the next morning."

I nodded, picking up the implications. "You were making sure the only humans around wouldn't be killed while you were in a moon-fueled frenzy."

Miia's face lit up with joy as she exclaimed, "That's right! Although it's usually safe for us lamias to be intimate with humans, that isn't quite the case when the full moon is out." Her mood suddenly shifted to a more somber tone as she hung her head in embarrassment. "Just like what would have happened if I had got to Darling during last month's full moon..."

"Probably," I responded with a shrug. Kurusu was a tough cookie, but I doubted he would've been able to handle an unleashed lamia. "However, recently, you've been making great strides towards keeping your emotions in check. Can you manage to keep yourself in check tonight?"

"I..." She shifted in her seat, fidgeting with her hands. "I wanna say yes, but...."

"If you can, I'll tell you what he told me," I promised her, "If you can't, I can ask Suu to help you if need be."

Miia looked conflicted; her brow furrowed in uncertainty as she wondered if she could do what was asked of her. After a few moments of deep contemplation, she finally inhaled deeply and looked at me intently with intense determination.

"If I am ever blessed enough to call him my husband, I must learn to control myself on the full moon," Miia said with a determined glint in her eyes. "Otherwise, my strength could cause more harm than he could bear. But I am determined to do it, Romance Master! You can trust me!"

"I believe you," I told her warmly. "You don't have to do it just for Kurusu, though. It'd help you a hell of a lot, too, I'm sure."

"If it helps Darling, then it helps me!" Miia responded with a sweet smile.

I tried my best, and I'm sure that as time passes, miia will gain more independence from Kurusu. He is a fantastic person, and I'm sure he would rather have a wife with her own life and ambitions outside of the relationship. I find that much more attractive than someone who doesn't have any of their interests.

"If you say so," I conceded, folding my arms. "By the way, would you like me to help you make that doro wat tomorrow? It's been a while since I offered to lend a hand with that..."

"Sure, that'd be great!" Miia replied, "That should be fun! And while we do that, you can tell me all about what Darling told you!"

"You're that sure you'll hold up your end of the bargain?" I asked in a joking tone, playfully quirking an eyebrow at her.

Miia stuck her forked tongue out at me, winked, and gave me a mock salute.

"Consider it done and done, Romance Master."

Our expressions lingered for a moment before we both burst into laughter. There was no real reason for it, but it felt like the perfect thing to do.

"Um... Aki?" a soft voice came from the living room door.

Wiping the tears, I looked over to find Mero waiting. Ah, right, that other thing I needed to have done today. Cool.

"Got it," I responded, shutting my laptop off and standing up. I'd put it off for too long, anyhow. "I'll talk to you later, Miia."

"Have fun, you two~" Miia called after us.

Thanks for the support, Miia. Your Romance Master will need it before the day is over.

To be continued!