Chapter 248: That Rule Applies to You Too
Alexandra stroked the left head’s muzzle.
"He still planned half our date like a dungeon route, so don’t praise him too much."
All three heads barked.
"Exactly."
She raised the pouch again but kept it closed.
"One last question. When he starts taking the others out, who keeps me from doing something petty?"
Kumoe stared at her.
The curious head licked her hand. The middle pressed closer, while the right gave Alexandra the flat look she usually reserved for especially foolish questions.
"Yes, it was my idea. I remember."
The right head huffed through her nose.
"You’re very judgmental for someone who shares every meal with two sisters."
Three tails continued wagging behind Kumoe.
Alexandra scratched beneath the right head’s chin.
"I can still hate it a little without making it everyone else’s problem. If I start acting stupid, bite my sleeve."
The left head immediately caught the edge of Alexandra’s sleeve between her teeth.
"I said if."
Kumoe released the fabric.
"No ruining anyone else’s date," Alexandra continued. "We’ll just have to make ours harder to beat."
That answer earned a full assault.
Kumoe surged upward and crowded Alexandra’s face with all three heads. Tongues swept across her cheeks and chin while the tails behind them struck the bench and one another. Alexandra laughed and tried to push the wolf back, but Kumoe had become far too large to manage gracefully.
"Fine. Fine! You’re all hired."
The attack continued until Alexandra wrapped both arms around Kumoe’s neck and buried her face in the thick white fur.
The thought of Martin dating the others still pinched. At least she had stopped pretending that choosing the harem meant she would never feel jealous. She had told him the truth once, and she could do it again when the feeling returned.
That did not mean she intended to fall behind.
"You’ll still help me stay at the top, won’t you?"
The curious head barked, and the sleepy one nuzzled Alexandra’s shoulder. The right looked at the pouch again.
Alexandra pulled back. "Your loyalty is remarkably expensive."
Kumoe did not deny it.
"Then I suppose it’s time for today’s competition."
All three heads lifted at once.
The Head of the Day game had started after breakfast became a three-mouth argument every morning. Kumoe had one stomach, yet each head remained convinced that she deserved the first bite.
The winner received the first snack, extra praise, and the right to look smug while the other two waited. Everyone got an equal share afterward because Alexandra was competitive, not cruel, although the losing heads behaved as though starvation remained a serious possibility.
She held a strip of dried meat between two fingers.
"First test: attention."
Six eyes locked onto the treat.
Alexandra flicked her empty hand toward the grass. Kumoe’s left head spun immediately, searching for the snack that had never left Alexandra’s fingers. The middle followed half a second later but lost interest before completing the turn.
The right head did not move. Her eyes stayed on Alexandra’s closed hand.
Alexandra opened her fingers and revealed the strip.
"One point to the right."
The winner lifted her chin with the weary dignity of someone who had expected nothing less. When the curious head returned and bumped her sister in annoyance, Kumoe’s entire body shifted sideways on the bench.
"No fighting. You’ll have other chances."
Alexandra tucked the snack away before any of the mouths could steal it, then opened the guild interface.
Night Espresso’s Development Project sat at the top of the notices. Their attempt to unlock a route into the Level Sixty Hidden Dungeon for the rest of the guild had failed, and Forest Hidden still needed another facility before the deadline.
The officers had left their last meeting with orders to find alternatives. So far, every report had led nowhere.
Martin had managed to forget that pressure for one evening. Alexandra had watched it leave his face during their date until the guild, the dungeon, and his work finally stopped competing with her for space in his head.
Giving him that evening had felt good, but one date did not solve the problem waiting for him afterward.
He had told Alexandra not to carry everything alone. He had a bad habit of ignoring his own advice.
Forest Hidden still lacked the specialized facilities other academies had uncovered, including Endless Rain’s Auction House and Mountain Risen’s alchemy facility. Players across the game world were finding maps, keys, deeds, old contracts, and dungeon records whose value was not always obvious to the person selling them.
Alexandra could not purchase a finished facility and carry it home, but she might find the clue that led to one.
The Auction House also offered equipment and evolution materials gathered from several academies. Kumoe deserved proper gear, especially now that she had grown large enough to hold her own beside Alexandra instead of being treated like a fragile pup.
She opened her private chat with Martin.
[Alexandra: I’m taking Kumoe shopping in Endless Rain.]
[Alexandra: I’ll check the Auction House for facility leads while I’m there.]
[Alexandra: You don’t get to tell me not to carry everything alone and then do exactly that yourself.]
[Alexandra: Kumoe also blames you for giving her expensive tastes.]
Martin remained offline, but Alexandra smiled after sending the messages.
She left a shorter notice in the officers’ channel.
[Chaosgraphy: I’m traveling to the Endless Rain Auction House. I’ll check listings connected to facilities, hidden dungeons, land rights, and academy development. I’ll report anything useful.]
The officers would see it when they logged in.
Alexandra closed the interface and stood.
"The interview is over."
The black dress from her date dissolved into particles. Dark leather and lacquered wood formed around her body, fitting tightly along her waist, hips, and thighs. Silver fang motifs decorated the armor, with thin crimson lines running between them.
Her twin swords appeared at her sides. A moment later, she looked ready to hunt rather than flirt.
Kumoe immediately bit one of the hanging fang charms.