Smith looked up from her phone with a smirk and greeted, "Oh, Romance Master, just the drunkard I was looking for!" She stood alone in the lobby of the sports club; it seemed like Polt and her friends had already left. "It's good to see you in a condition where you're not slurring your words."

"Hey, Smith," I grunted, not bothering to rise to the bait. "How's it going?"

"Better Now that Preya's situation is all taken care of," she sighed with relief. "And even better, I've heard that some of you will be frequent visitors here." She gave us all a once-over. "At least some of you, anyway."

Kurusu awkwardly chuckled as he tried to explain and cover for miia and the others, "Miia isn't a morning person, and Mero and Rachnee seemed to have other plans, so..."

"Let's devise a schedule that accommodates our late risers," I suggested. "We could switch off and do morning and afternoon shifts or something similar."

"I also have free-roaming privileges due to my association with MON," Cerea added helpfully, "I would not mind providing an escort as well."

"Good deal," I said, turning back to face Smith, "So... Kurusu said something about a dinner date tonight?"

"Did he?" she coyly responded, "And here I thought he wouldn't mention it. Jealousy has made men do far worse."

Kurusu and I groaned and palmed our faces in unison, prompting the other three girls we were with to look on in confusion.

"Anyway," I continued after readjusting my glasses, "When and where? And I vote no on the maid café, by the way. It's starting to feel a little creepy."

"Aw, and here I thought you were one of those men who enjoys being waited on hand and foot," Smith jokingly pouted, "But that's okay; I was considering somewhere else too. I'll come pick you up at six, alright? Don't forget to dress up a bit. It wouldn't be right for me to think you're not putting in any effort for our first date." Her lips curled into a playful smirk as she winked at me.

It wasn't too difficult to see what she was doing here. Aside from Suu, no one else here knew that we were meeting up to talk about some pretty heavy stuff, besides, y'know, a casual date. If Smith was pretending it wasn't a big deal, then there wasn't any reason for the others to think it was. I highly doubted she was up for cluing the others in on what exactly her connection to Katsumi Katsuragi was just yet, just like how I wasn't up for letting everyone know about my advanced knowledge.

Still, I couldn't help but notice Kurusu curiously glancing between the two of us. He was undoubtedly suspicious since he knew I wouldn't go on a date, given the whole Mero and Zombina fiasco from the day before. All in due time, my erstwhile harem protagonist — though the 'harem' part of that was somewhat in doubt these days.

"Sounds Gucci," I told Smith, taking Suu's hand, "Anyway, I'm getting really hungry now. I'm guessing you gotta stay until Preya is done?"

"That I do," she nodded, "Besides, it's a good excuse for not being at the office. All that damn paperwork, just to find a place for a raptor...."

"Couldn't she just say with us?" Papi asked excitedly, "I like her, and she seems like fun!"

Poor Kurusu looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Eh, heh heh, maybe that's not a good idea," he offered weakly, the strain of imagining yet another load of work piled on no doubt taking its toll, "We don't have the room, Papi. Though... if we had to... I suppose..." Hey, quit forcing yourself to be so nice, dude!

"That won't be required," Smith declared, "I have already located a suitable option for her. Now, Romance Master, will you still be meeting with her?"

"I do. I was wondering if I could meet with liminals that need counseling more than once a week. I honestly don't feel like I've done enough lately."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, if you're up for it, I have no objections. I'll bring up some interesting cases that we might as well discuss during our date tonight."

Hey, you didn't have to call it a date every damn time, you know!

"Throw it on the pile, I guess," I sighed. "Anyway, food. Right, meow."

"Papi hungry!"

"I suppose we'll see you around, then," Kurusu waved Smith goodbye as we left.

"I'll see you when I see you," Smith replied dismissively, returning to her phone.

"Alright, who's ready for a hearty meal?" Kurusu asked, smiling broadly once we walked outside.

The rest of us chorused our approval. It was safe to say we'd all worked up quite the appetite. I was damn ready to wolf down an omelet or five myself.

At least until we got home and found ourselves confronted by a somewhat irate Miia, probably upset that she was left behind while we went to the gym

"You guys left me all alone!" she whined, glaring at us with fists clenched.

"I'm so sorry," Kurusu hastily apologized, raising his hands to calm her. "I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't stir... alone? Where are Mero and Rachnee?"

Miia folded her arms and swiveled away from us. "They left a note," she grumpily replied.

Sure enough, there was a note on the dining table, attached by a few paltry strings of the web. The calligraphy was refined and fanciful, making it clear which of the two had written it.

"Dear, whoever finds this humble note,

Rachnera and I have embarked on a journey, and I'm not sure when we shall be back! Don't worry, though, for our longing for freedom stirred us to action. Or do worry if you feel the need.

I apologize for any trouble this may have caused you. Have faith that whatever is meant to be will be. The storm of fate engulfs us all and cannot be resisted!

Until we meet again,

Meroune Lorelei & Rachnera"

"Yeah, that's Mero," I said, unable to suppress my snorts of amusement, "Sorry they ditched you like that."

"You all ditched me!" Miia fumed.

"That matter can wait," Cerea cut her off grimly, her hand resting firmly on the replica sword that had mysteriously appeared at her hip. "We must now focus on finding them before they are discovered."

"Eh, I'm not worried," I said as I entered the kitchen.

"I beg pardon?" Cerea shot back, dumbfounded, "They could end up deported!"

"Rachnee knows what she's doing," I replied, spotting Suu's giant cup in the cabinet. I grabbed it, along with a few more for the rest of us. "She managed to survive out on her own for quite a while without anyone's help, so I'm sure she won't let anything bad happen to Mero."

Kurusu frowned, unaware of Miia's growing frustration, and said, "Still, I can't help but worry - what if something goes wrong?"

I was silent for a moment as I contemplated the thought. It was certainly something worth mulling over, but...truthfully, I couldn't deny the relief I felt at the thought of Mero getting out of the house for a bit. May she have a chance to experience some semblance of freedom for once in her life, I thought to myself. Lord knew she deserved it.

"Whatever happens, happens," I said while handing Suu and Papi cups of water, "Rachnee's pretty capable, so I doubt they'll easily get out of any trouble they find. And if they're not back in, like, an hour, then Miia and I can keep an eye out for them while we're out."

"Huh? We're going out?" Miia asked, briefly forgetting to be upset.

"To get ingredients," I told her before leaning forward and stage-whispering, "And that other thing...."

Her golden slit eyes widened with surprise as the memory came flooding back. "Yes, that's it!" Miia exclaimed joyfully, her body swaying with delight. It was reassuring to see that the thoughts of her beloved still had such a powerful effect on her. "Let's go do that!"

"Not until you've both had something to eat," Kurusu lightly scolded with a hint of care, "But okay, that does seem reasonable. I'm sure Mero will be safe with Rachnee, wouldn't you agree?"

For some reason, those words seemed to trouble Cerea. She glanced nervously towards the door, anxiously shifting where she stood.

"I believe..." Cerea started, clearly conflicted, "I shall still go out in search of them. Having a member of MON with them, even a novice such as I, should prevent any undue incidents."

"Aren't you hungry at all?" Kurusu asked, a voice full of concern.

Cerea shook her head and gave him a warm, reassuring smile. "I can last without sustenance for much longer than the average person," she assured him, "You needn't worry about me, Master. I solemnly swear on my knightly honor that I won't push myself too hard."

On that bittersweet note, Cerea left. Judging from her reaction to Kurusu's words, it seemed that she still didn't fully trust Rachnera yet. If my memory of the canon serves me right, this was primarily due to the Arachne's initial appearance. With the changed circumstances, the incident in which Cerea tried to protect her Master from Rachnera never happened, and hence she was never forced to admit her dislike of the latter outright.

Although it was unfortunate that the incident, which had started to build trust and development between Cerea and Rachnee, had to be sacrificed, there was little use in lamenting what was missed. Life had vastly improved from what it could have been, and if that one event had to be given up to achieve it, then it was an acceptable cost.

Contemplating canon made me consider the future while the rest indulged in Kurusu's delicious cooking. As far as I could remember, after encountering Polt, Kurusu had received a threatening letter from "D," setting off a series of "dates" with the girls that eventually led to confrontations with Draco, Kii, and Lilith.

I doubted that any of that would come to fruition for various reasons. Chief among them was that the "D" who wrote the letter was none other than Doppel, who was attempting to create tension so that Kurusu would finally choose one of the girls. However, the "harem" had become practically non-existent. Miia and Cerea were still vying for Kurusu's attention, yet even that was much more relaxed than it initially had been. Doppel had no incentive to write the letter anymore, though I wouldn't be surprised if it were an act of trolling on her part.

That aside, Draco and Kii were covered already by this point. Which only left that little devil to try and start shit...

Maybe I should ask Smith if there are any mischievous lesser devils in the area who need counseling. After all, it's not unheard of for their species to be troublesome. The quicker I take care of this issue, the better.

After that, Lala was supposed to show herself, so hopefully, the situation wouldn't be too stressful. However, this seemed unlikely to be the case now, as Kurusu hadn't had any near-death experiences for the past month!

The goddamn butterfly effect, you're messing with my ability to deal with every situation that pops up flawlessly! How dare you!

A dainty finger poked my shoulder, snapping me from my reverie. I looked up to see Miia smiling down at me.

"Shall we, Romance Master?" she asked excitedly.

Well, one thing at a time, I suppose. Helping out a friend took precedence.

To be continued...