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Elysion headquarters. The barracks where Elysion Nikkes rested before they went off to their next deployments.
There, in a certain room, a Nikke with black braided twin-tails, yellow highlights, a yellow bikini top and black tights paced back and forth, staring at her phone.
Fragile quickly typed another message to Liveryn, only to hit an immediate 'user could not be found' message. "Liveryn... what happened? Where are you? Did you do it again?"
A lot had been going on in the Ark.
Fragile knew that.
At the same time, there was definitely a decrease in demand for courier jobs. But they were making it by. Instructor Ingrid had even stepped in to help them out.
But...
Fragile clenched her phone, making it creak a bit. "Did you take another job from that person...?"
Sixo. The mysterious entity who offered courier jobs for illegal activity. One that Liveryn had taken before, and one who led to the death of Fragile's little sister after a botched job.
If Liveryn had taken another one of those jobs, then-
A brief text message buzzed on Fragile's phone. Her eyes widened and she quickly opened it up to see if it was Liveryn. But it wasn't. Instead...
"Huh?" Fragile blinked. "...Commander Hoopa?"
She recognized the name. There wasn't a Nikke or person in the Ark who didn't at this point.
But for him to contact her...
Fragile frowned and opened the message.
===
[Commander Hoopa]
Sorry to bother you. This is Fragile, right? If you are free, can you come to the Royal Road at attached cafe location? I have a long standing job offer for you, as well as some other details to go over with you.
===
It was a short and professional message.
But at the same time, Fragile felt it was off. That there was something he wasn't saying.
Most of all...
"It isn't just a transfer request, is it?"
...Fragile realized that a man like that wouldn't personally reach out to her unless it involved her.
Nikke transfers usually were filed through the company itself. And so if Commander Hoopa wanted her to transfer to the Brave Squad and under his command, then she would have gotten a message from Instructor Ingrid.
For him to reach out directly...
Fragile remembered the lack of contact from Liveryn. And she remembered the events that had happened recently in the Ark.
...Her anxiety was acting up. For some reason, Fragile felt like her heart would break if she went to meet the Commander.
But she let out a slow breath and got ready. "...I have to face it."
There was no point in just sitting around. And if Commander Hoopa really did have work, then she needed to at least hear him out.
So, with that in mind, Fragile went towards the cafe that Commander Hoopa left on the message.
===
I had reserved the party room in the cafe.
It was a relatively fancy one on Royal Road called 'Le blanc.'
...No relation to the certain cafe known for its coffee and curry. Probably.
But right now, I was seated in the back of said party room waiting for Miss Fragile to show up.
Acedia was on my left, standing prim and proper, looking out for any threats.
Avaritia was on my right, standing with a casual stance and with her almost unsettling bright smile.
Viper was seated on my left, idly leaning against me, completely comfortable with the lack of personal space.
And Jackal was literally sitting on my lap.
...I kind of felt like I'd adopted another daughter with Jackal, especially with how cutesy she was acting.
Viper was absolutely a landmine, but she'd be going through the gauntlet when we got back anyway, so it'd sort itself out.
Probably.
For now though...
Viper hummed and said, "You really don't hesitate in confronting tough things, do you, Honey? You realize that Fragile's heart might actually break seeing Liveryn like this?"
"I'm aware." I nodded. "But better to get it out of the way now than later. Also better to do it in a controlled environment."
I didn't know the full details about Liveryn and Fragile's situation, but I knew enough to get the gist that Fragile wouldn't take kindly to Liveryn being a Heretic now.
Or at least, 'Prototype Abnormal Nikke.'
But I also knew that I genuinely needed some Nikke who specialized in supply chains, and the Scout squad under Elysion who I would have requested were currently out looking for Lost Sectors.
Hence, the current situation.
Avaritia hummed and said, "Is this going to trouble you, my King?"
"Not trouble, so much as... a mandatory event?" I tapped my finger on the table, not sure how to phrase it. "Well, it's better than the alternatives, I think."
After all, if Fragile knew who Avaritia was before and if she really was as 'fragile' as her name suggested, it could be a PR bomb blowing up in our face later.
Not that it would affect *too* much since I had all the things going for me at this point. But it would still be more things in the mix that I could preemptively remove.
Viper hummed. "That's true. A controlled release is better than an unexpected explosion."
"Right. And so..." I watched as the door to the party room opened and a Nikke I didn't recognize walked in.
Black braided twin-tails, yellow highlights... Since she was out in casual gear, she wore a simple white hoodie and black sweatpants.
I stood up and walked over to greet her. "You must be Miss Fragile. I'm Commander Hoopa. Nice to meet you."
Fragile didn't respond. Instead, her blue eyes went directly to Avaritia, trembling in disbelief. "...No." She slowly walked forward. "Liveryn...?"
Avaritia tilted her head, that same smile on her face. "Hello there! I am Avaritia, Arbiter of Greed and one of Ki- Commander Hoopa's retainers. Do I know you?"
Fragile visibly recoiled before turning to look at me. "...Commander Hoopa. What... What's going on?" Her shock started to wear off before replaced with anger and grief. She pointed at Avaritia and said, "That's Liveryn! That's definitely Liveryn! Why is she...?!"
I slowly spoke and said, "Through certain events and after working with an entity known as Sixo, Miss Liveryn was... Well. 'Converted' by Sixo into this form by incorporating Rapture components. I am sorry to say, but the person you know is likely long gone. Avaritia has traces of her, but Miss Liveryn as a person is functionally deceased."
Fragile crumpled to her knees. "I... see." She let out a helpless laugh, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at Avaritia. "Liveryn, you stupid, stupid, stupid person..."
Avaritia tilted her head and knelt down to wipe Fragile's tears away. "You shouldn't cry, you know? You're too pretty to mess up your face like this."
Fragile's breath hitched and she cried harder, hugging Avaritia. "You...! It's not fair! We were supposed to go together...!"
Avaritia looked towards me, confused.
I nodded and gestured for her to comfort Fragile.
Avaritia nodded and patted Fragile's back.
At that time, the staff peeked into the party room, rolling over a cart with food. It was a middle-aged woman. One that I vaguely remembered having met before while out trick-or-treating with Indi.
"Commander. Should I... come back?"
I waved her in. "It's fine. It's better for us to talk over food."
===
After Fragile calmed herself down, she let out a faint smile, eating one of the sandwiches I'd ordered. "...Thank you for this, Commander. And... um, sorry for the outburst."
I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm sure it's a bit of a shock."
I didn't blame her. Having a dear friend betraying the promise to not take any more shady jobs, only to find out that she took one and then had her body turned into a Heretic and something else entirely...
Honestly, I was surprised that Fragile was still conscious, let alone functional. It was definitely enough of a shock to cause a mind switch.
Fragile sighed, staring at Avaritia with mixed emotions. "...She's not the same. But at least she's... okay." Fragile let out a thin smile before looking at me. "You'll take care of her, right, Commander? Like you will your other women?"
"Obviously." I paused. "...Wait. What other women?"
Fragile blinked. "...Don't you go around collecting Nikke for your harem?" She blushed. "That's what everyone is saying..."
"First of all, it's not a harem-" I paused, stopping my reflexive response to the comment. Then I sighed. "Actually, forget it. Sure. Let's call it a harem. The momentum's already gone too far at this point to redefine it..."
Viper giggled. "I told you, Honey~"
Jackal scarfed down a sandwich and nodded. "Mmhm! Owner has a lot of other women too!"
Acedia tucked a strand of her crimson hair behind her ear and said, "Yes. King possesses numerous consorts. As he should."
Fragile glanced over at Acedia and frowned. "...Wait. Are you... Logey?"
Acedia tilted her head. "I do not know that name."
Fragile furrowed her brow in thought. But then she sighed. "No. I guess it doesn't matter." Forcing a smile back on her face, she said, "Commander Hoopa. Did you really have a job for me then? And not just... um. You know?" Her eyes reflexively glanced down before she blushed.
"...It must be the face." I murmured and rubbed my chin. "I'm too handsome, huh?"
Fragile blushed harder.
I laughed and said, "But yes, I really do have a job for you. Since you have experience with courier work, I wanted your help to design the supply chains and routes for the Surface between various checkpoints and facilities."
Fragile composed herself and then looked genuinely interested. "...Really? You have work? Real work? For me and what I know how to do?"
I nodded. "That's right. You'll be charting unknown territory in a manner of speaking. But since we're working on expanding operations on the surface, your expertise will help out a lot." I looked at Avaritia and said, "Honestly, it would have been ideal if Avaritia still retained her memories and past self, but..."
Fragile's expression dimmed a bit. But she nodded and said, "It's okay. Liveryn was better at me in delivering things in person, but I was always the one who developed the routes. If... If it's okay with you, I'd be happy to help, Commander."
I held out my hand to her. "Then it'd be a pleasure to welcome you aboard, Fragile."
Fragile hesitated and said, "I just have one condition."
I blinked. "A condition?"
Fragile nodded and shook my hand. "Yes. If... If Liveryn- Or, Avaritia, I suppose. If she ever falls in battle or dies... Please send me off after her. We promised. If one of us goes, the other does too. It's... all we have left, you see."
I held her hand tight and said, "You don't have to worry about that. No matter what happens, everyone will live on my watch. Even if I have to cheat fate to do it."
Fragile's eyes widened. Then she let out a genuine laugh. "...I see why you have a harem, Commander. You really are too kind to us all."
"I've come to just accept that's the natural state of affairs for me, so... yes." I chuckled. "Now, come on. Let's have a nice lunch and talk logistics. There's a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it..."