Cocolia was the calmest one. After all, she had already experienced the worst things imaginable, whatever was happening now couldn't possibly be worse.
Gepard, on the other hand, had become the number-one fanboy of the Emiya family, he was about to surpass even ordinary citizens in his admiration for them.
In his eyes, no matter what the Emiya family did, there had to be dozens of layers of thought behind it. Even the Interastral Peace Corporation, in the end, would only find itself being toyed with in their hands.
All he needed to do was quietly sit on the train and make sure not to cause them any trouble.
Bronya, though, was still just a young girl. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself to trust the Emiya family, she couldn't stop the anxiety that kept creeping up in her heart.
'But what if… what if something really does happen? What'll happen to Jarilo then…?'
She lifted the curtain just a little, poking her small head out to peek outside.
"Damn you all! You're all dead! Every last one of you will die!!!"
Howard was still roaring like a madman, his fury so intense it seemed almost tangible. The very air on the grasslands trembled with it, the wind changed, the sky darkened, as if it were a sign that an apocalyptic disaster was about to fall.
'It's over, it's all over! That's the Company! The most untouchable overlord in the entire universe! Jarilo's going to be wiped off the map, not even ashes left behind!'
Meanwhile, Zoe was sitting off to the side, swinging her little legs as she munched happily on a meat bun, watching Bronya's panicked face with amusement.
Normally, Bronya always put on the act of a strong, capable woman, which was cute in its own way, but truth be told, Zoe found this scared, small-animal look of hers far more entertaining.
"Zoe… are you sure they're not gonna bomb Jarilo right away?"
"Haha, don't worry! We've got a perfect plan. Honestly, if they did bomb us, it'd actually save us some trouble!"
Zoe's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled. She patted Bronya's shoulder and handed her a meat bun with her oily little hands. "Last one! You can have it."
"I'm not hungry…"
gurgleee~
Her stomach betrayed her immediately, cutting off her stubborn words.
Taking tiny bites of the bun, Bronya felt the magic within it slowly spread through her limbs and bones, easing the tension that had been gnawing at her all day. At last, she began to feel calmer and clearer.
"Zoe… can you tell me why you had to make them angry on purpose?"
That was the question that bothered Bronya the most.
According to Zoe, even if the Company had made outrageous demands, she had the means to pay them off.
So why not just give them what they wanted and avoid trouble altogether?
As the saying goes, it's not the thief you fear, it's the thief who keeps thinking about you.
With a force as massive as the Company, once they got angry, they could keep coming back to cause trouble forever. Jarilo would never know peace again.
"You really think if I just gave them money, they'd stop showing up every few days?" Zoe rolled her eyes. Such an obvious truth, and Bronya still hadn't caught on.
"Looks like all the stuff I've been teaching you hasn't made you any smarter, maybe it's even made you dumber."
"Eh?" Bronya looked blank, still not getting it.
"I told you before, the Company always has satellites orbiting your planet." Zoe pointed in the direction of Belobog. "Now think about it. Are they watching over your safety, or are they eyeing Jarilo's treasures?"
"Oh… so that's how it is!"
These past days following Zoe and Himeko around, Bronya had learned a lot about science and seen much of the wider world.
She wasn't that clueless village girl anymore. With Zoe's blunt hint, she quickly pieced together the full picture.
The Interastral Peace Corporation, despite the word Peace in its name and its claim of being followers of the Preservation Aeon, were merchants, pure and simple.
For profit, they'd do anything. Destroying an entire city, even a whole planet, wouldn't make them blink.
Bronya had already seen proof of that firsthand, in the memories of the Vanguard's commander.
A miracle like Jarilo's, where the Preservation Aeon personally descended, was extremely rare across the universe. There was no way a company that claimed to serve that Aeon would ever just leave such a place alone.
And then there was Jarilo's abundant supply of Geomarrow, one of the most valuable resources in the cosmos.
According to the old records she'd found in the Landau family's secret library, it was because the Company's trade officers discovered the unique uses of Geomarrow that ancient Jarilo was able to reach the stars.
After the Company's promotion, Jarilo had risen as a shining new star in the universe, even drawing the Builders to visit and construct the Creation Engine, bringing the planet to an age of prosperity.
But with prosperity came danger. Naturally, Jarilo attracted the attention of the Antimatter Legion, and in no time, that bright new star plummeted into ruin.
The Company had likely planned to wait it out, to let Belobog's people perish on their own before stepping in to claim the planet legally.
But now Zoe's group had not only solved the Stellaron crisis, they'd even cleared away the planet-wide blizzards. With the prize about to slip from their grasp, the Company rushed over in panic.
The so-called "debt collection" was just an excuse. Their real goal was to dominate Jarilo and take Belobog for themselves.
Zoe wasn't just trying to snatch back what the Company coveted, she'd even killed their Vanguard team.
Given the Company's arrogance, their self-proclaimed status as rulers of the universe, there was no way they'd ever forgive that.
No matter how nicely Zoe behaved, punishment was inevitable. So she didn't even bother pretending anymore, she chose to go head-to-head with them instead.
"Zoe, I've asked this before… but I really want you to give me a serious answer."
"Go ahead! We're such good friends, I'll tell you whatever I can."
"Why are you helping Jarilo so much? It can't just be because of the Preservation Aeon's miracle, right?"
Bronya could tell that neither the miracle nor the Geomarrow were of any use to the Emiya family. And if they truly wanted those things, they could easily take them by force, no one could stop them.
Anyone who had seen Emiya draw his sword would never doubt his strength. Even if Belobog had ten more cities, they'd all fall just as easily.
"You're curious too, huh?"
Zoe glanced around the kitchen, everyone had paused their work, all eyes turning toward her with curiosity. She smiled and pointed toward Emiya, who was busy cooking with full concentration.
"Our head of the household once said, when you see injustice, you shout it out loud. When it's time to take action, you take action. And we just happen to have the power to do that. It's that simple!"
"Hahahaha… hahahaha…"
Seeing Zoe's proud little face, everyone burst out laughing, even Bronya, who finally shook off her gloom and laughed out loud.
The words might've sounded rough, but the meaning behind them wasn't wrong at all. Anyone who truly knew the Emiya family could tell Zoe meant every word.
"Thank you, Zoe. Meeting you all has been the greatest blessing of my life!"
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Bronya almost knelt before Zoe, but Zoe quickly stopped her.
"It's not something you need to thank me for. You paid half your planet for this, that's a fair trade." Zoe said seriously.
"This whole planet owes you so much. Why don't we just go with the first agreement and let all of Jarilo..."
"No way! I'm not gonna be your babysitter forever." Zoe puffed up her cheeks in mock annoyance. "We agreed, once the Company's dealt with, we all go our own ways."
"Okay. Deal!" Bronya nodded hard. "But… can I still come visit you?"
"Of course! You're all my good friends. Even if you don't come see me, I'll show up at your door myself!"
"Mm! It's a promise then!"
Bronya stretched out both her hands. Cocolia and Gepard joined in too.
"Wait, let me wash my hands first!"
Zoe, still wearing her fuzzy slippers, zipped into the bathroom. She wanted to scrub her little hands clean with soap and change into something more formal.
"Huh? You guys are..."
When Zoe came out again, she was stunned, everyone in the kitchen was already in a big group hug. Conductor Pom-Pom stood on Emiya's arm, placing its tiny paw on top of everyone's hands.
"Quit dawdling! Come on, my pot's about to burn!" Emiya waved at her, grinning.
"Hahaha, coming! I wanna stand on Emiya's arm and hold the bunny too, let's take a picture together!"
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