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“I just noticed, but do you have issues with your legs?”

After their bath, they all gathered in the changing room again.
Hijiri could not stop glancing over at Iris’ legs, and eventually had to ask about them.

“Yes… I’m only able to walk thanks to the Neural Linkage Device my father and your parents developed. I can’t thank them enough.”

Iris brushed the choker-type NLD on her neck with her fingertips, smiling.
Her thin legs were supported by a silver frame, mostly present behind her knees. It was designed to conform to her legs as neatly as possible to not bulge up when wearing clothes, as was common in the latest generation of orthopedic devices, which connected directly to one’s NLD for motion, allowing paralysed people to walk again.
…Then again…

“Although…once my belly grows a bit more, I’ll have to stop using them just to be safe.”

Changes to one’s weight and body shape often made those devices malfunction, so they were forbidden from use during the late stages of pregnancy.

“What will you do when that happens?”
“We’ve already planned for it. We’ll be moving with my mother-in-law for some time, and then Reiji will take me to the hospital as early as possible.”
“Oh… Do you mean the old dojo then?”
“Yes, so you two will soon become my new neighbors.”

They were done changing when the conversation was over, and right outside the changing room they found Reiji, pacing around the corridor looking worried, and quickly ran up to Iris when she got out.
He would be able to watch over Iris if anything happened, so Kou and the rest made their way to the living room, which also had the dining table.

“Kou, I think I saw you talking to *her*?”

On their way there, Kou’s mother, Amari, called to Kou, who replied with a nod.

“Yeah…she seems like a really impressive person.”
“I see… She might look weak, but she’s been through many battles together with that youngster Reiji. It’d do you good to hear her stories. But dinner comes first.”

Together with her mother, Kou reached the living room, where the other guests had already gathered and taken seats.
Kou’s first impression was that she expected there would be more people there…and then Amari explained that many of them were still busy with work, and all of them would be there in two days.
Served on the table there was…a creamy stew with plenty of vegetables, sauteed pork with nicely charred bits, and brown bread that looked plain but was packed with the scent of wheat. There were also various other cooked vegetables, and a large assortment of hors d’oeuvre.
The cooks had also been told beforehand that Kou could not stomach meat, so there was also a fluffy omelette packed with green onions for her, allowing her to fully enjoy her meal without any discomfort as well, something she was greatly thankful for.

***

They had already taken a bath and enjoyed a delectable dinner, when the clock struck 6 o’clock. It was still a bit early in the night, but the only thing left to do was to head to bed and call it a day.
But before that, Kou, Hijiri, Subaru, Kasumi, and Miyuki all went to Kou’s room, shortly after joined by Hinagiku who left Kikyo’s room in the main building.

“Listen up everyone, we’re gathered here because our guild has received a formal request for help from another guild.”

After they all found a good spot to comfortably lay down in the room, they logged into Destiny Unchain Online and gathered in front of Nebel’s Teleporter Plaza. Then Crim raised her voice and addressed all of them.
…Not much earlier, just after she entered the bath, she had received a new message in her NLD, a request for help.

“The sender was Nord Glacier, who we’re all well acquainted with. And the content…to protect a princess.”

She was deeply moved to realize that the day had finally come when she could say those words in earnest.

“We’ll be acting alongside Nord Glacier to accomplish this mission. All of their members will be involved, so it might seem like an overloaded lineup, but we can never be too sure!”
“…Hey, Subaru, don’t you think that Nord Glacier has more than enough power for this?”
“Shh, you shouldn’t point out things like that.”

Freya was a bit taken aback by how seriously they were taking it, and Frey warned her to keep quiet, even if he felt the same way.
Crim was also baffled by Reo’s obsessive behavior towards Julia, as he was Crim’s biggest rival and a good friend. But if it was for the sake of a girl, it would all be worth it.

“Our mission entails traveling to Wyndham and escorting Julia all the way to Castle Seyfert. Our time window is until Julia gets sleepy. We might become a sizable army, so any objections?”
“None!”
“Let’s do our best to bring Julia here!”

Hinagiku and Lycoris were rearing to go, and Crim nodded satisfied.

…Normally a mission like this would benefit from a capable scout like Setsuna, but sadly she wasn’t able to play for now, and seemed genuinely sorry to be absent when she replied to Crim’s message.
And the adults, Ryunosuke, Jade, and Sara, were already getting plastered in their room so they were absent too.
Then again, that wasn’t uncommon for adults freed from their daily responsibilities, so might as well let them enjoy their free time!

“Alright, any questions then?”
“Umm…why can’t we bring Julia here through the teleporter, like we did when Mama joined the guild?”

Lycoris raised her hand and posed that question, Crim nodded approvingly and answered.

“That only worked that time because Jade and Sara joined our guild, allowing us to travel together.”
“Ah, I see. I guess Julia will end up with her cousin…”
“Yes, Julia is already a member of Nord Glacier, hence why we can’t teleport together.”

Someone with such an obsessive behavior would never allow Julia to belong to any other guild, so to Lycoris’ disappointment, they could not be in the same guild.

“It would’ve been so nice to have her in our guild to hang out together though!”
“Mhm mhm, she was so well behaved too, and adorable.”
“I can relate to those feelings, but don’t forget that they’re family. It’s not our place to interfere.”
“That’s too bad…”

In the end Freya, Kasumi, Frey, and Hinagiku also voiced their feelings. But they did not have any further questions.

“Well then… Guild Lua Cheia, to action!”
“”Yeahhh””

The younger members answered the loudest before Crim and the rest of the guild jumped into the teleporter that would take them back to the Starting City.