"I will never forgive you, Skyler Fogue!!"
Bursting violently into the mansion bedroom, the maid was met with a man kneeling before her in supplication.
"Sorry for not taking the picture, but please... get those people out of my house!"
He cried out, gesturing toward the window. Outside, several people were gathered in front of the mansion, shouting his name and holding up images and videos of his dance with Ferinish Lawhell.
"I won't! You promised you'd take a picture!"
"... I... I'm a terrible man. Kick me, humiliate me, but don't make me deal with more attention."
Skyler remained in a childlike posture, begging.
"... You'll get a little more Lynes and you can leave early."
With a cold, analytical look, the maid nodded.
"Deal accepted. But don't mess up again, or else..."
She looked away, thoughtful.
"I'll make you call me 'queen' while you beg forgiveness for your sins."
The woman left the room, slamming the door behind her. Skyler sighed in relief, adjusted his pajamas, and let his expression return to its usual indifferent air.
"Sometimes I'm afraid of that woman..."
He looked out the window and saw the housekeeper driving the intruders away with a firm tone, impressive, considering how... cute and feminine she looked.
"Good thing she doesn't have a knife."
***
After all the chaos, the maid was cooking and grumbling, still lamenting missing the chance to take a picture of her idol.
Skyler appeared, leaning against the wall and whistling.
"You know, my dear housekeeper... I could arrange for you to meet Ferinish in person, if you dedicated yourself a bit more to your work..."
Frowning, she turned toward Skyler with a suspicious look.
"Seriously? I doubt you could reach her. Ferinish Lawhell is a very busy Pillar."
"You never know... want to take the risk?"
"You... fine, you win."
She went back to cooking, visibly putting in more effort. Skyler laughed inwardly, satisfied with his victory.
"This lunch better be good... maybe someone's coming over to eat."
The doubtful tone in his voice made the maid's eyes widen in panic.
'He's getting too full of himself!'
***
"Look at that, the rumors have gotten out of hand."
Waking up to Aurora's voice commenting on the TV, Ferinish sat up in bed, confused.
"What happened?"
"About the dance between you and Skyler Fogue."
"... What about it?"
"People went to harass him at his mansion. Apparently, someone filmed the two of you dancing, and the public went crazy!"
The scientist laughed, and Ferinish sighed, sitting up.
"I hope this doesn't reach me..."
"Oh, it will, Ferinish. Don't get your hopes up."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and the hotel attendant's voice came from the other side.
"Miss Ferinish Lawhell? There's a phone call for you."
"Who could it be? There's no instability in the Inférius requiring a mission..."
"I'll check, Aurora."
***
Still in her pajamas, Ferinish leaned against the wall and brought the phone to her ear, recognizing a familiar voice.
"Mr. Fogue?... You want me to come to your house?... Yes, I'm free... Should I come cautiously? Why?... Ah, I see, all that attention is a real pain... Alright, I'll be there soon."
Hanging up and pressing the receiver against her chest, Ferinish looked pensive.
"A business visit? I thought..."
She shook her head.
"No, Ferinish, you idiot, stop thinking like that!"
***
"It's really impressive how people, even in such dark times, still manage to get excited over a simple piece of news, don't you think?"
"Don't say that like I'm not still angry with you, Skyler."
"Oh, sorry."
He replied teasingly, taking a sip of wine. The housekeeper rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Enjoy your meal."
She set the plate before him. Skyler turned his head and met her gaze.
"My dear, sit and have lunch."
"Huh?... Why? You don't usually invite me to eat with you."
"I'm not like those annoying bosses. I'm a sweetheart. I want you to sit down and share your plans with me."
"Alright..."
Adjusting her clothes and picking up the spoon, the housekeeper hesitated a moment before taking a bite.
"You know my mother's getting better? I forgot to thank you for all your help."
"It was nothing, my dear. I may have helped financially, but the one truly helping your mother is you."
"It's good to hear that from you, Skyler. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough for her... She's done so much for me..."
"Then never forget, Mary, you're an amazing daughter."
As he stood up, someone knocked at the mansion door. Mary rose as well.
"I'll get it."
"Ah, of course."
Skyler gave a mischievous smile and sat back down. Mary walked to the door and opened it...
"Good morning. I received an invitation from Skyler Fogue. Is this the place?"
"Yes, ma'am..."
Completely red, as if screaming inside, the housekeeper stepped aside to let her in. Ferinish looked toward Skyler, who was serving another plate.
"Good morning, Ferinish Lawhell. Would you like to sit? My dear maid prepared the meal."
"Sure, I can."
The warrior sat across from him. The maid took her own plate and placed herself beside the guest.
"Um... may I sit next to you?"
"Go ahead."
Mary's eyes sparkled as she sat close to the warrior, who ate timidly in the presence of the composed, elegant man.
"You wanted a business meeting, right, Skyler Fogue?"
"Yes. But I... would also appreciate a pleasant moment between us."
"Alright. Let's eat, then..."
The silence during lunch was comfortable. The housekeeper was absolutely radiant, while the warrior, more restrained, rarely took her eyes off the man who ate with absolute calm.
After the meal, Skyler wiped his lips with a napkin and cleared his throat.
"Are you ready to talk?"
"Yes, I am."
Nodding, Skyler looked at Mary.
"Could you leave us alone for a bit?"
"Of course, my lord..."
With a silly, grateful smile, the maid withdrew. Alone, Skyler interlaced his fingers and began:
"It's actually quite simple. Besides being a businessman, I'm also a Demon Hunter. Although I commission some Renkatas from local institutions..."
"I see. Judging by your build, I'm not surprised you're a hunter."
"It's more the result of biological modifications, but good training helps."
"You have technology for that?"
"Undeniably. But that's not the point. I want to propose a deal: due to the restricted access to the borders caused by the Inférius surrounding our city, I intend to supply Renkata models for serious missions. In other words, I'll provide equipment when needed, and you'll pay me with the Renkatas you obtain in that dimension."
"So, you're proposing that you'll supply us with the gear to handle the problem, and instead of giving the ore to an institution, we give it to you?"
"Exactly."
"Understood. But I still have a question. We, the Pillars of Libretãnhya, have full permission to possess Renkatas. However, from my perspective, Aurora could use the ore more efficiently due to her technological expertise. So, why didn't you call her, Skyler?"
"You really got me there..."
He laughed.
"To be honest: Aurora often buys many of my products online. I know her well, as a customer. And knowing her personality, especially after... our dance, she'd ask far more questions than I'd like."
The answer was so absurd that Ferinish couldn't help but laugh.
"I think you win that one. I can't deny Aurora has quite an... eccentric personality. Anyway, I accept the deal on my part, but I'll have to inform her."
"Deal, then."
With a friendly handshake, Ferinish thanked him for lunch and left the mansion. As Skyler was about to clear the plates...
"Thank you, Skyler! I didn't know I could really invite her!"
Mary hugged him tightly from the front. Skyler smiled faintly, placing his hands on her waist.
"It's nothing. Just go home, you can leave early today."
"But it's still really early... won't you need me during the day?"
She asked, resting her chin on his chest. Skyler adjusted his glasses and ran a hand through his hair.
"No. I've got a few things to take care of here. Go look after your mother."
"Thank you."
Grateful, she gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. Within minutes, she was gone from the mansion.
Sitting on the veranda, feeling the cold air on his face and the sound of rain tapping on the roof, Skyler watched the woman walking away toward her mother's house.
"She's been through so much since her partners, Tokimo and Alex, died on a mission... Will she ever become the brilliant person she's meant to be? I hope so..."