Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[ZeroIchiNi]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Materials no Jikan chapter 2: Such a Long Day

Chapter 1 can be found here. This chapter is much longer

Spoiler for MnJ chapter 2: Such a Long Day:

Yuuno moaned lightly as he awoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He attempted to rise and begin another day, but the arms tightly encircling him made that impossible. Glancing over he was met with a blast of blue resting on his shoulder.

“Not again…” He sighed as he attempted to pry Material-L’s hands away. Rai would often climb into his bed during the night despite him telling her not too. Unfortunately the girl had the strength of a gorilla, so freeing himself always proved to be a difficult task. Sighing again, he let his head roll to the other side.

There his eyes met with Material-S’s.

“Good morning, Yuuno-san.” Seikou greeted flat.

“Gah!” Yuuno jerked. “S-Seikou, what are you doing in my bed too?!”

“… My apologies.” The brunette said calmly as she sat up. “After witnessing Rai-chan do it, I decided to experience it for myself. Is it that much of a bother?”

“Err, well…”

“Hey, peons!” Material-D burst through the bedroom door, only to stop and glare at the scene before her. “And here I was wondering why you weren’t around to serve me! How dare you engage in those activities without your harem mistress present?!”

“No, Yami, you’re…” Yuuno began.

“You are mistaken, Material-D.” Seikou interrupted. “We were merely sharing the same bed, nothing more. If you wanted to join us, you had the opportunity but you are the one who decided she have her own room.”

“Like I’m going to share a room with lowly servents!” Yami huffed. “Well whatever you’re doing doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m hungry and you don’t have breakfast ready!”

“Breakfast?!” Rai suddenly shot up. “I want waffles!”

“Yes, that sounds like a grand idea.” Yami nodded and pointed to Yuuno. “Now get to work!”

Yuuno groaned. How did he end up in this mess?

X-X-X

“… I told you to teach them, not seduce them.” Chrono said flatly.

“I didn’t!” Yuuno insisted. “They just decided on this harem business on their own!”

“Well, I suppose I can’t blame you.” Chrono went on without a hitch. “Teachers often take advantage of their students, and I suppose if you can’t score the real things, their evil clones are a fine substitute.”

“How dare you!” Yuuno exploded. “I would never stoop so low! And even if it’s you Chrono, I won’t stand for you to speak of them like that! They may be copies, but they are not evil nor are they merely substitutes for the others! They’re their own unique individuals and deserve to be treated as such!”

“So you’re saying you have no intention of taking advantage of them.”

“Of course not!” Yuuno shouted.

“Then you should have no problem living with them.”

“No problem at all!”

“Good, it’s decided then.” Chrono smirked.

Yuuno blinked before it dawned on him. “… Wait, what?”

X-X-X

“Chrono that bastard…” The young archaeologist muttered as he mixed the batter. His older friend sure knew how to manipulate him, and it pissed Yuuno off. Yuuno and the Materials had been quickly set up in a house all their own after that. It wasn’t a very large residence, with only two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bath, and a living room. The original intent was for Yuuno to have his own room while the Materials all shared one, however when they arrived Yami wasn’t pleased.

“I object! Why should I have to share? As your king I demand to have my own room!”

Though Yuuno tried to fight it, Yami wouldn’t give in. It also didn’t help that the other two didn’t have a problem with Yami’s proposed arrangement. And so, Yami got the single room to herself while Yuuno had to share with Rai and Seikou.

He considered moving to the couch, but Rai wouldn’t let him.

“But I want to sleep with sensei!” She had pleaded. Yuuno wasn’t sure if he gave in to her puppy dog eyes or the possibility she might break something if he made her mad, but he ended up occupying one of the three single beds all the same.

Yuuno would always have to dash out in the morning and knock on the door before entering since Rai had no qualms about stripping in front of him. Even so, the blue haired girl often forgot to close the door so he did catch the occasional glance. At least Seikou had a sense of shame.

Sometimes he wondered about the nature of the Materials. They were copies of Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate that the Book of Darkness’s defence program had created so it could continue to survive and Yuuno theorized that their personalities were taken from the subconscious of his friends. Rai was extremely childish and prone to temper tantrums, acting like the selfish kid Fate never had the chance to be. On the other hand, Seikou was mature and polite, the kind of girl Nanoha probably aspires to be. While he doubted Hayate secretly wanted to rule the world, she had been confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. That weakness probably had her desiring more power, a desire that the darkness had amplified and twisted.

Even if his theory was true, it didn’t make them any less human in Yuuno’s eyes.

“Hey, mongrel! Stop introspecting and hurry up with those waffles!” Yami demanded.

“Yes, your majesty…” He droned sarcastically before realising it was the wrong thing to say.

“So you finally understand your place.” Yami leaned back smugly. “It’s about time!”

“Please do not mind her.” Seikou said beside him, stirring her own bowl of batter.

“I try not to but sometimes it’s hard…” He sighed before shaking his head and smiling. “Thanks for helping out, Seikou. I really appreciate it.”

“Think nothing of it.” Seikou replied. Yuuno swore he could see a ghost of a smile on her face. He honestly didn’t know how he’d handle things without her around.

“Do you like waffles, yeah we like waffles, do you like pancakes, yeah we like pancakes, do you like French toast, yeah we like French toast, do do do do can’t wait to get a mouthful!” Rai sang happily as she banged the butt of her fork and knife on the table.

“… I hope we don’t have to make pancakes and French toast too…” Yuuno chuckled nervously.

“Do not worry, Yuuno-san.” Seikou reassured him. “I am certain she shall forget about it soon.”

X-X-X

They got away with just the waffles and after cleaning up and getting ready, the four of them headed to the Infinity Library.

On top of teaching the Materials, Yuuno still had the task of organizing the library on his plate and somehow he managed to juggle both. Since he couldn’t let them out of his sight, the three girls had to accompany him to the library, much to Yami’s dismay. She found the place to be boring and unsuited for a great ruler such as herself, but she had been convinced that she had a duty to watch over her subjects.

Of course the ‘watching over’ part didn’t last long, and the silver haired girl often took what she called ‘royal naps.’ She was currently engaged in one of those.

While his magic ran its searches, Yuuno glanced over to Yami’s sleeping form sprawled out on one of the ledges. He couldn’t help but note how serene and down right cute her sleeping face looked. It was far more pleasing than her scowling visage and sharp tongue.

Next he checked on Rai, who was floating off to the side surrounded by books. Yuuno never expected the Infinity Library to stock picture books, but sure enough it did. The twin tailed girl had one open in her hands and was reading it rather intently. Yuuno was somewhat proud to note that she held the book right side up.

“Yuuno-san, here are the books you require.” Seikou announced as she floated up to him with a stack of tomes.

“That’s great, thanks.” Yuuno smiled. “You can just put them there.”

Seikou complied and when her task was complete she merely sat on the air next to Yuuno. He was aware of her closeness, but he actually found some comfort in it. His life had been rather hectic recently, so this nice and quiet moment was extremely welcome.

“I am pleased to see you all getting along so well.” A new voice noted. Yuuno turned to the recent arrival.

“Oh, hello Reinforce.” He greeted the ancient device. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Hey! It’s boobie-book-lady!” Rai bounced up and flew over, grabbing onto Reinforce and burying her face in her chest. “You’re so big and bouncy and soft!”

“I thank you.” Reinforce smiled with a soft blush. Seikou stood and bowed politely and Reinforce returned the gesture to the best of her ability. Yami continued to snooze.

“What can I do for you today?” Yuuno asked.

“Nothing, I just wanted to see how you were doing.” She replied.

“Well, I’m managing to get by somehow.” Yuuno smiled sheepishly.

“Yuuno-sensei is great!” Rai beamed. “He made us waffles!”

“I see,” Reinforce patted Rai’s head. “Thank you for taking such good care of them, Yuuno.”

“No, I’m really not doing that much…” Yuuno scratched the back of his head.

“Yuuno-san is far too modest.” Seikou noted.

“Yes, we all owe you a great deal.” Reinforce nodded. “If it weren’t for you we wouldn’t be able to continue to exist and live peacefully like this. Thanks to your research the defence program has been split up and sealed away within the four of us where it is not powerful enough to cause any more harm.”

“It was the least I could do…” He flushed.

“Oh, look who it is.” Yami yawned as she floated down. “What are you doing here?”

“You look well Material… Pardon, Yami.” Reinforce smiled.

“Call me your majesty!” Yami huffed. “Know your place you dusty old book!”

“The same as always.” Reinforce noted. “If she gives you too much trouble, please feel free to ask for my assistance.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” Yuuno shrunk a bit under Yami’s glare.

“Hrmph, well we should be done for the day!” Yami declared. “We’re leaving!”

“But I’m not…” Yuuno tried, but Yami grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

“I said we’re leaving!”

“Okay!” Rai cheered, pulling herself away from Reinforce and following the others. “See you boobie-book-lady!”

Seikou bowed again and left as well.

“I wish you luck.” Reinforce said softly.

X-X-X

Yuuno sighed for the umpteenth time that day as he flopped down onto the couch. The moment of peace earlier had been fleeting, and his current time alone would probably prove to be the same.

“NO, I DON’T WANNA!!!” Rai’s shout rang through the house. The pounding of footsteps followed and the girl in question ran into the living room.

Completely naked.

Yuuno only had his saliva to do a spit take with as he got a full look at her young naked body. Seikou entered the room soon after, but at least she had to sense to wrap a towel around herself.

“Rai-chan, it is time for your bath.” She said calmly.

“No! I don’t wanna take a bath!” Rai ran up to Yuuno. “Sensei, I don’t have to take a bath, right?!”

“Err, you, ah, um…” Yuuno fumbled with his words as he remembered he should shut his eyes. “Yes, you have to take a bath!”

“Eeeeeh?!” Rai pouted. “But it’s not fair! Sensei never has to take a bath!”

“I do take baths!” Yuuno told her. “I’ll take mine after you’re done yours!”

“I don’t believe you!” Rai crossed her arms. “I’ll take a bath when you take a bath!”

“W-We can’t do that!” Yuuno insisted.

“Why?” Rai asked.

“B-Because, it’s not good if boys and girls take baths together…”

“Why?” Rai asked again.

“Because…”

“Yuuno-san, I do not believe she will relent on this issue.” Seikou said. “Besides, Enforcer Harlaown had informed me that you’ve bathed with girls before… Is it really so undesirable to bathe with us?”

‘Damn that Chrono…’ Yuuno chanced opening an eye to look at Seikou. It was very slight, but he saw a little sadness in her expression and it caused him to relent. “… Okay, okay, I’ll take a bath with you…”

“Yay!” Rai cheered and dragged him by the arm. “Let’s go!”

X-X-X

Yuuno hesitantly stripped himself before entering the bath. He tried to keep from looking at the equally naked Seikou and Rai, but as soon as he opened the door he got a face full of Yami.

“It took you peons long enough!” She scolded, he legs planted firmly apart and her hands on her hips. “What would you do if I caught a cold!”

“Y-Yami!” Yuuno gawked, the image burning into his eyes before he could close them.

“Hm? What your problem, mongrel?” Yami looked at him curiously before breaking out into a smirk. “Aha, is seeing your glorious ruler in the buff too much for you to handle? You should be honoured I am allowing you to see my naked form! There is no need to be embarrassed.”

Yuuno thought back to the time at the hot springs resort, causing him to flush more fiercely. At that time he was able to see the voluptuous forms of Miyuki and Shinobu, and compared to those women, these girls were nothing to blush about but it was the principle of the matter!

“What about you?” He asked. “Have you no sense of shame?”

“What a thing to say!” Yami scoffed. “Do you feel shame when dirt and dust see you changing? This matter is no different.”

“I love dust bunnies!” Rai grinned. “They’re so fluffy and cute but they make me sneeze and then I squish them!”

“Uh, that’s nice…” Yuuno sighed. Well, he should have figured he was no more than dust in Yami’s eyes.

“Now then be a good servant and wash me.” Yami declared, holding her arms out the side.

“Excuse me?” Yuuno risked cracking open an eye to see she was being serious.

“You heard me! Do you honestly expect royalty to wash themselves? We have people to do that for us!” Yami sat on one of the bath stools and gestured to her rear. “Get to it!”

Having given up already, Yuuno sat down behind her, blindly groping for the soap and wash cloth. Creating lather, he kept his eyes closed as he put the cloth against Yami’s flesh.

“Kyah!” She moaned. “My, such a bold servant washing there first!”

“I’m sorry!” Yuuno’s eyes shot open, only to see that his hand was placed on the middle of her back. Looking up, he saw Yami smirking over her shoulder at him.

“Too easy,” She snorted. “Now pay attention to what you are doing! If you mess up, heads will roll!”

Yuuno gulped, but kept his eyes open. He just hoped she didn’t expect him to wash every part of her body…

“I wanna wash some one too!” Rai suddenly decided, sitting behind Yuuno with another bar of soap. She went to work on his back, which proved to be slightly painful.

“Rai-chan, not so hard!” He pleaded. “Do it more gently…”

“Kay!” She complied some what, but it still felt like she would scrub off a layer of skin.

Yuuno beared with it, focusing his attention on washing Yami’s back without letting his eyes drift down to her butt. He felt a gaze on him, however, and he looked out the corner of his eye to see Seikou. The brown haired girl was already in the tub, the water up to her nose. She quietly blew bubbles as she watched him with half-lidded eyes.

Feeling even more self-conscious, Yuuno clamped his legs together.

“Sensei, you missed a spot!” Rai said as she leaned over his shoulder. Her soapy hand went to Yami’s back, but the action had her pressing up against Yuuno. His body stiffened as he felt two soft mounds squish against his back and rubbed gently against him as Rai fidgeted around.

Knowing full well what was going on, Yuuno felt as if he was about to burst. It didn’t help that at the moment his mind decided to remind him that the developing body currently held against him was the same as another girl he knew. He had never taken a bath with Fate before, but now he could clearly picture the pretty blond girl in his mind, completely naked and looking at him with a bashful expression on her face. He wanted to berate himself, tell himself it was wrong to think of a friend like that, but it seemed the forbiddeness of it had even more blood rushing to his head.

“Hm?” For some reason Rai chose that moment to look down at Yuuno’s front. “Hey look! It’s getting bigger!”

When that was said, steam shot out of the boy’s ears and he toppled over.

X-X-X

“Arg…” Yuuno groaned when he came to. Before his eyes opened, he mentally noted the feeling of fabric against his skin, making him relieved to realise he wasn’t naked anymore. When his eyes fluttered open he saw Seikou looking down at him.

“Yuuno-san, you are finally awake.” This time her gentle smile was noticeable.

“Seikou, what…” He tried to sit up, but when he did the dizziness hit him, causing him to fall back to his horizontal position. His head hit some kind of cushion, but it didn’t take long for it to dawn on him that the cushion was actually Seikou’s lap. “I’m sorry! I’ll…”

“Please don’t push yourself.” She softly chided. “You fainted while we were in the bath.” Her eyes made a quick dart to his midsection. “We were all… curious, but I assure you I prevented the other two from doing anything.”

“O-Oh, thanks…” Yuuno’s face turned red again. “Where are the other two?”

“They have already gone to bed. I remained here to await your awakening.”

Yuuno looked around to see they were on the couch in the living room. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“I feel as though I should be saying that to you.” Seikou said with a touch of sadness. “We are the ones who have caused you so much trouble.”

“No, it’s okay.” He replied. “It’s not that bad…”

“… You are aware that we have had previous care takers before, yes?”

“Yeah,” Yuuno said, thinking back to how he had only taught them while another Bureau appointed person took care of them at home.

“You are our seventh.” Seikou revealed.

“What? Was it really that many?”

“Yes,” She nodded. “Some lasted almost a week, others only a few days. One didn’t even make it an hour.”

“Oh…” Yuuno frowned. That certainly sounded bad.

“I cannot say I didn’t wish them gone.” Seikou went on. “It felt as though they did not care about us at all and were merely doing it for reimbursement. They treated us like objects. While there was one man who appeared to be different, it was only an act and he soon attempted to touch me in an inappropriate manner.”

“What?!” This time when Yuuno shot up he stayed upright. “Then…”

“Do not worry, he did not lay a hand on me before I… forcibly removed him.”

Yuuno’s frowned deepened. He figured the Bureau would have better screening procedures than that, but perhaps at that point they were so desperate they accepted just about anyone. Chrono’s earlier comments suddenly made more sense.

“You are a different matter.” Seikou reached out and gently laid her hand on his. “No matter how much trouble myself, Rai-chan, or Yami cause, you are still here. Despite all the hardships you have never left us and you have always treated us like humans rather than objects. On top of that earlier you were presented a chance to take advantage of us, but you did not do so. You are a kind, considerate man. Rai-chan, myself, and even Yami can all sense this and we are extremely grateful that you are here. Thank you for all you’ve done.”

“Uh, well, you’re welcome…” Yuuno went bashful at the genuine look in her eyes. “I know that none of you are bad girls either, which is why I want you to have a chance at a normal life. You have so many opportunities ahead of you and I’ll do all that I can to help you along the way.”

“I really appreciate that.” Yuuno’s heart skipped a beat when she graced him with the largest smile he had ever seen on her face.

“S-So you have any idea of what you want to do in the future?” He quickly glanced away and asked.

“… I am unsure.” Seikou admitted. “However I do know that I wish to remain with… Would it be appropriate to call them my sisters?”

“Yes!” Yuuno smiled. “I think that’s a great way to think of them.”

“I wish to remain together with my sisters.” Seikou nodded. “Also…” She looked Yuuno right in the eye. “I wish to remain together with Yuuno-san as well.”

“O-Oh…” Yuuno flushed and turned away again. “Well… I can’t promise we’ll always be together, but I’ll be here so long as you need me.”

“That is reassuring.” She said as she rose. “Now I think it is time to retire for the evening. Rai and Yami were quite worried about you and I am certain they will be happy to see you well rested in the morning.”

Yuuno nodded and they returned to their room. He wasn’t surprised at all to see Rai already fast asleep in his bed.

“This girl…” He sighed happily. It felt like it would be a shame to disturb her, so he decided to climb in with her. Just for tonight.

“Good night, Yuuno-san.” Seikou said from her bed.

“Good night, Seik… AH!” The air was squeezed out of him when Rai grabbed hold.

“I’m not letting you get away, Mr big fluffy cloud!” The long haired girl mumbled happily in her sleep.

That was awesome. and Reinforce is there too!

I really want to see how the original Aces react when they find out what they been doing.


I remember writing a bit for my fanfic but due to lack of time I'm not even pass the prologue. I wish I have lots of free time

[vic-vic]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Indeed. Well, the sex bugged me but I can get over that. Otherwise the OOCness was the main concern but not only has that been addressed, but the explanation used has opened the door for so many possibilities.

Well, with all this Materials related happenings lately, I figured I should contribute some of my own. So...

Materials no Jikan chapter 2: Such a Long Day

Chapter 1 can be found here. This chapter is much longer

Spoiler for MnJ chapter 2: Such a Long Day:

Yuuno moaned lightly as he awoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He attempted to rise and begin another day, but the arms tightly encircling him made that impossible. Glancing over he was met with a blast of blue resting on his shoulder.

“Not again…” He sighed as he attempted to pry Material-L’s hands away. Rai would often climb into his bed during the night despite him telling her not too. Unfortunately the girl had the strength of a gorilla, so freeing himself always proved to be a difficult task. Sighing again, he let his head roll to the other side.

There his eyes met with Material-S’s.

“Good morning, Yuuno-san.” Seikou greeted flat.

“Gah!” Yuuno jerked. “S-Seikou, what are you doing in my bed too?!”

“… My apologies.” The brunette said calmly as she sat up. “After witnessing Rai-chan do it, I decided to experience it for myself. Is it that much of a bother?”

“Err, well…”

“Hey, peons!” Material-D burst through the bedroom door, only to stop and glare at the scene before her. “And here I was wondering why you weren’t around to serve me! How dare you engage in those activities without your harem mistress present?!”

“No, Yami, you’re…” Yuuno began.

“You are mistaken, Material-D.” Seikou interrupted. “We were merely sharing the same bed, nothing more. If you wanted to join us, you had the opportunity but you are the one who decided she have her own room.”

“Like I’m going to share a room with lowly servents!” Yami huffed. “Well whatever you’re doing doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m hungry and you don’t have breakfast ready!”

“Breakfast?!” Rai suddenly shot up. “I want waffles!”

“Yes, that sounds like a grand idea.” Yami nodded and pointed to Yuuno. “Now get to work!”

Yuuno groaned. How did he end up in this mess?

X-X-X

“… I told you to teach them, not seduce them.” Chrono said flatly.

“I didn’t!” Yuuno insisted. “They just decided on this harem business on their own!”

“Well, I suppose I can’t blame you.” Chrono went on without a hitch. “Teachers often take advantage of their students, and I suppose if you can’t score the real things, their evil clones are a fine substitute.”

“How dare you!” Yuuno exploded. “I would never stoop so low! And even if it’s you Chrono, I won’t stand for you to speak of them like that! They may be copies, but they are not evil nor are they merely substitutes for the others! They’re their own unique individuals and deserve to be treated as such!”

“So you’re saying you have no intention of taking advantage of them.”

“Of course not!” Yuuno shouted.

“Then you should have no problem living with them.”

“No problem at all!”

“Good, it’s decided then.” Chrono smirked.

Yuuno blinked before it dawned on him. “… Wait, what?”

X-X-X

“Chrono that bastard…” The young archaeologist muttered as he mixed the batter. His older friend sure knew how to manipulate him, and it pissed Yuuno off. Yuuno and the Materials had been quickly set up in a house all their own after that. It wasn’t a very large residence, with only two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bath, and a living room. The original intent was for Yuuno to have his own room while the Materials all shared one, however when they arrived Yami wasn’t pleased.

“I object! Why should I have to share? As your king I demand to have my own room!”

Though Yuuno tried to fight it, Yami wouldn’t give in. It also didn’t help that the other two didn’t have a problem with Yami’s proposed arrangement. And so, Yami got the single room to herself while Yuuno had to share with Rai and Seikou.

He considered moving to the couch, but Rai wouldn’t let him.

“But I want to sleep with sensei!” She had pleaded. Yuuno wasn’t sure if he gave in to her puppy dog eyes or the possibility she might break something if he made her mad, but he ended up occupying one of the three single beds all the same.

Yuuno would always have to dash out in the morning and knock on the door before entering since Rai had no qualms about stripping in front of him. Even so, the blue haired girl often forgot to close the door so he did catch the occasional glance. At least Seikou had a sense of shame.

Sometimes he wondered about the nature of the Materials. They were copies of Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate that the Book of Darkness’s defence program had created so it could continue to survive and Yuuno theorized that their personalities were taken from the subconscious of his friends. Rai was extremely childish and prone to temper tantrums, acting like the selfish kid Fate never had the chance to be. On the other hand, Seikou was mature and polite, the kind of girl Nanoha probably aspires to be. While he doubted Hayate secretly wanted to rule the world, she had been confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. That weakness probably had her desiring more power, a desire that the darkness had amplified and twisted.

Even if his theory was true, it didn’t make them any less human in Yuuno’s eyes.

“Hey, mongrel! Stop introspecting and hurry up with those waffles!” Yami demanded.

“Yes, your majesty…” He droned sarcastically before realising it was the wrong thing to say.

“So you finally understand your place.” Yami leaned back smugly. “It’s about time!”

“Please do not mind her.” Seikou said beside him, stirring her own bowl of batter.

“I try not to but sometimes it’s hard…” He sighed before shaking his head and smiling. “Thanks for helping out, Seikou. I really appreciate it.”

“Think nothing of it.” Seikou replied. Yuuno swore he could see a ghost of a smile on her face. He honestly didn’t know how he’d handle things without her around.

“Do you like waffles, yeah we like waffles, do you like pancakes, yeah we like pancakes, do you like French toast, yeah we like French toast, do do do do can’t wait to get a mouthful!” Rai sang happily as she banged the butt of her fork and knife on the table.

“… I hope we don’t have to make pancakes and French toast too…” Yuuno chuckled nervously.

“Do not worry, Yuuno-san.” Seikou reassured him. “I am certain she shall forget about it soon.”

X-X-X

They got away with just the waffles and after cleaning up and getting ready, the four of them headed to the Infinity Library.

On top of teaching the Materials, Yuuno still had the task of organizing the library on his plate and somehow he managed to juggle both. Since he couldn’t let them out of his sight, the three girls had to accompany him to the library, much to Yami’s dismay. She found the place to be boring and unsuited for a great ruler such as herself, but she had been convinced that she had a duty to watch over her subjects.

Of course the ‘watching over’ part didn’t last long, and the silver haired girl often took what she called ‘royal naps.’ She was currently engaged in one of those.

While his magic ran its searches, Yuuno glanced over to Yami’s sleeping form sprawled out on one of the ledges. He couldn’t help but note how serene and down right cute her sleeping face looked. It was far more pleasing than her scowling visage and sharp tongue.

Next he checked on Rai, who was floating off to the side surrounded by books. Yuuno never expected the Infinity Library to stock picture books, but sure enough it did. The twin tailed girl had one open in her hands and was reading it rather intently. Yuuno was somewhat proud to note that she held the book right side up.

“Yuuno-san, here are the books you require.” Seikou announced as she floated up to him with a stack of tomes.

“That’s great, thanks.” Yuuno smiled. “You can just put them there.”

Seikou complied and when her task was complete she merely sat on the air next to Yuuno. He was aware of her closeness, but he actually found some comfort in it. His life had been rather hectic recently, so this nice and quiet moment was extremely welcome.

“I am pleased to see you all getting along so well.” A new voice noted. Yuuno turned to the recent arrival.

“Oh, hello Reinforce.” He greeted the ancient device. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Hey! It’s boobie-book-lady!” Rai bounced up and flew over, grabbing onto Reinforce and burying her face in her chest. “You’re so big and bouncy and soft!”

“I thank you.” Reinforce smiled with a soft blush. Seikou stood and bowed politely and Reinforce returned the gesture to the best of her ability. Yami continued to snooze.

“What can I do for you today?” Yuuno asked.

“Nothing, I just wanted to see how you were doing.” She replied.

“Well, I’m managing to get by somehow.” Yuuno smiled sheepishly.

“Yuuno-sensei is great!” Rai beamed. “He made us waffles!”

“I see,” Reinforce patted Rai’s head. “Thank you for taking such good care of them, Yuuno.”

“No, I’m really not doing that much…” Yuuno scratched the back of his head.

“Yuuno-san is far too modest.” Seikou noted.

“Yes, we all owe you a great deal.” Reinforce nodded. “If it weren’t for you we wouldn’t be able to continue to exist and live peacefully like this. Thanks to your research the defence program has been split up and sealed away within the four of us where it is not powerful enough to cause any more harm.”

“It was the least I could do…” He flushed.

“Oh, look who it is.” Yami yawned as she floated down. “What are you doing here?”

“You look well Material… Pardon, Yami.” Reinforce smiled.

“Call me your majesty!” Yami huffed. “Know your place you dusty old book!”

“The same as always.” Reinforce noted. “If she gives you too much trouble, please feel free to ask for my assistance.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” Yuuno shrunk a bit under Yami’s glare.

“Hrmph, well we should be done for the day!” Yami declared. “We’re leaving!”

“But I’m not…” Yuuno tried, but Yami grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

“I said we’re leaving!”

“Okay!” Rai cheered, pulling herself away from Reinforce and following the others. “See you boobie-book-lady!”

Seikou bowed again and left as well.

“I wish you luck.” Reinforce said softly.

X-X-X

Yuuno sighed for the umpteenth time that day as he flopped down onto the couch. The moment of peace earlier had been fleeting, and his current time alone would probably prove to be the same.

“NO, I DON’T WANNA!!!” Rai’s shout rang through the house. The pounding of footsteps followed and the girl in question ran into the living room.

Completely naked.

Yuuno only had his saliva to do a spit take with as he got a full look at her young naked body. Seikou entered the room soon after, but at least she had to sense to wrap a towel around herself.

“Rai-chan, it is time for your bath.” She said calmly.

“No! I don’t wanna take a bath!” Rai ran up to Yuuno. “Sensei, I don’t have to take a bath, right?!”

“Err, you, ah, um…” Yuuno fumbled with his words as he remembered he should shut his eyes. “Yes, you have to take a bath!”

“Eeeeeh?!” Rai pouted. “But it’s not fair! Sensei never has to take a bath!”

“I do take baths!” Yuuno told her. “I’ll take mine after you’re done yours!”

“I don’t believe you!” Rai crossed her arms. “I’ll take a bath when you take a bath!”

“W-We can’t do that!” Yuuno insisted.

“Why?” Rai asked.

“B-Because, it’s not good if boys and girls take baths together…”

“Why?” Rai asked again.

“Because…”

“Yuuno-san, I do not believe she will relent on this issue.” Seikou said. “Besides, Enforcer Harlaown had informed me that you’ve bathed with girls before… Is it really so undesirable to bathe with us?”

‘Damn that Chrono…’ Yuuno chanced opening an eye to look at Seikou. It was very slight, but he saw a little sadness in her expression and it caused him to relent. “… Okay, okay, I’ll take a bath with you…”

“Yay!” Rai cheered and dragged him by the arm. “Let’s go!”

X-X-X

Yuuno hesitantly stripped himself before entering the bath. He tried to keep from looking at the equally naked Seikou and Rai, but as soon as he opened the door he got a face full of Yami.

“It took you peons long enough!” She scolded, he legs planted firmly apart and her hands on her hips. “What would you do if I caught a cold!”

“Y-Yami!” Yuuno gawked, the image burning into his eyes before he could close them.

“Hm? What your problem, mongrel?” Yami looked at him curiously before breaking out into a smirk. “Aha, is seeing your glorious ruler in the buff too much for you to handle? You should be honoured I am allowing you to see my naked form! There is no need to be embarrassed.”

Yuuno thought back to the time at the hot springs resort, causing him to flush more fiercely. At that time he was able to see the voluptuous forms of Miyuki and Shinobu, and compared to those women, these girls were nothing to blush about but it was the principle of the matter!

“What about you?” He asked. “Have you no sense of shame?”

“What a thing to say!” Yami scoffed. “Do you feel shame when dirt and dust see you changing? This matter is no different.”

“I love dust bunnies!” Rai grinned. “They’re so fluffy and cute but they make me sneeze and then I squish them!”

“Uh, that’s nice…” Yuuno sighed. Well, he should have figured he was no more than dust in Yami’s eyes.

“Now then be a good servant and wash me.” Yami declared, holding her arms out the side.

“Excuse me?” Yuuno risked cracking open an eye to see she was being serious.

“You heard me! Do you honestly expect royalty to wash themselves? We have people to do that for us!” Yami sat on one of the bath stools and gestured to her rear. “Get to it!”

Having given up already, Yuuno sat down behind her, blindly groping for the soap and wash cloth. Creating lather, he kept his eyes closed as he put the cloth against Yami’s flesh.

“Kyah!” She moaned. “My, such a bold servant washing there first!”

“I’m sorry!” Yuuno’s eyes shot open, only to see that his hand was placed on the middle of her back. Looking up, he saw Yami smirking over her shoulder at him.

“Too easy,” She snorted. “Now pay attention to what you are doing! If you mess up, heads will roll!”

Yuuno gulped, but kept his eyes open. He just hoped she didn’t expect him to wash every part of her body…

“I wanna wash some one too!” Rai suddenly decided, sitting behind Yuuno with another bar of soap. She went to work on his back, which proved to be slightly painful.

“Rai-chan, not so hard!” He pleaded. “Do it more gently…”

“Kay!” She complied some what, but it still felt like she would scrub off a layer of skin.

Yuuno beared with it, focusing his attention on washing Yami’s back without letting his eyes drift down to her butt. He felt a gaze on him, however, and he looked out the corner of his eye to see Seikou. The brown haired girl was already in the tub, the water up to her nose. She quietly blew bubbles as she watched him with half-lidded eyes.

Feeling even more self-conscious, Yuuno clamped his legs together.

“Sensei, you missed a spot!” Rai said as she leaned over his shoulder. Her soapy hand went to Yami’s back, but the action had her pressing up against Yuuno. His body stiffened as he felt two soft mounds squish against his back and rubbed gently against him as Rai fidgeted around.

Knowing full well what was going on, Yuuno felt as if he was about to burst. It didn’t help that at the moment his mind decided to remind him that the developing body currently held against him was the same as another girl he knew. He had never taken a bath with Fate before, but now he could clearly picture the pretty blond girl in his mind, completely naked and looking at him with a bashful expression on her face. He wanted to berate himself, tell himself it was wrong to think of a friend like that, but it seemed the forbiddeness of it had even more blood rushing to his head.

“Hm?” For some reason Rai chose that moment to look down at Yuuno’s front. “Hey look! It’s getting bigger!”

When that was said, steam shot out of the boy’s ears and he toppled over.

X-X-X

“Arg…” Yuuno groaned when he came to. Before his eyes opened, he mentally noted the feeling of fabric against his skin, making him relieved to realise he wasn’t naked anymore. When his eyes fluttered open he saw Seikou looking down at him.

“Yuuno-san, you are finally awake.” This time her gentle smile was noticeable.

“Seikou, what…” He tried to sit up, but when he did the dizziness hit him, causing him to fall back to his horizontal position. His head hit some kind of cushion, but it didn’t take long for it to dawn on him that the cushion was actually Seikou’s lap. “I’m sorry! I’ll…”

“Please don’t push yourself.” She softly chided. “You fainted while we were in the bath.” Her eyes made a quick dart to his midsection. “We were all… curious, but I assure you I prevented the other two from doing anything.”

“O-Oh, thanks…” Yuuno’s face turned red again. “Where are the other two?”

“They have already gone to bed. I remained here to await your awakening.”

Yuuno looked around to see they were on the couch in the living room. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“I feel as though I should be saying that to you.” Seikou said with a touch of sadness. “We are the ones who have caused you so much trouble.”

“No, it’s okay.” He replied. “It’s not that bad…”

“… You are aware that we have had previous care takers before, yes?”

“Yeah,” Yuuno said, thinking back to how he had only taught them while another Bureau appointed person took care of them at home.

“You are our seventh.” Seikou revealed.

“What? Was it really that many?”

“Yes,” She nodded. “Some lasted almost a week, others only a few days. One didn’t even make it an hour.”

“Oh…” Yuuno frowned. That certainly sounded bad.

“I cannot say I didn’t wish them gone.” Seikou went on. “It felt as though they did not care about us at all and were merely doing it for reimbursement. They treated us like objects. While there was one man who appeared to be different, it was only an act and he soon attempted to touch me in an inappropriate manner.”

“What?!” This time when Yuuno shot up he stayed upright. “Then…”

“Do not worry, he did not lay a hand on me before I… forcibly removed him.”

Yuuno’s frowned deepened. He figured the Bureau would have better screening procedures than that, but perhaps at that point they were so desperate they accepted just about anyone. Chrono’s earlier comments suddenly made more sense.

“You are a different matter.” Seikou reached out and gently laid her hand on his. “No matter how much trouble myself, Rai-chan, or Yami cause, you are still here. Despite all the hardships you have never left us and you have always treated us like humans rather than objects. On top of that earlier you were presented a chance to take advantage of us, but you did not do so. You are a kind, considerate man. Rai-chan, myself, and even Yami can all sense this and we are extremely grateful that you are here. Thank you for all you’ve done.”

“Uh, well, you’re welcome…” Yuuno went bashful at the genuine look in her eyes. “I know that none of you are bad girls either, which is why I want you to have a chance at a normal life. You have so many opportunities ahead of you and I’ll do all that I can to help you along the way.”

“I really appreciate that.” Yuuno’s heart skipped a beat when she graced him with the largest smile he had ever seen on her face.

“S-So you have any idea of what you want to do in the future?” He quickly glanced away and asked.

“… I am unsure.” Seikou admitted. “However I do know that I wish to remain with… Would it be appropriate to call them my sisters?”

“Yes!” Yuuno smiled. “I think that’s a great way to think of them.”

“I wish to remain together with my sisters.” Seikou nodded. “Also…” She looked Yuuno right in the eye. “I wish to remain together with Yuuno-san as well.”

“O-Oh…” Yuuno flushed and turned away again. “Well… I can’t promise we’ll always be together, but I’ll be here so long as you need me.”

“That is reassuring.” She said as she rose. “Now I think it is time to retire for the evening. Rai and Yami were quite worried about you and I am certain they will be happy to see you well rested in the morning.”

Yuuno nodded and they returned to their room. He wasn’t surprised at all to see Rai already fast asleep in his bed.

“This girl…” He sighed happily. It felt like it would be a shame to disturb her, so he decided to climb in with her. Just for tonight.

“Good night, Yuuno-san.” Seikou said from her bed.

“Good night, Seik… AH!” The air was squeezed out of him when Rai grabbed hold.

“I’m not letting you get away, Mr big fluffy cloud!” The long haired girl mumbled happily in her sleep.

Rai as hyper as always, Seikou as calm and polite as always and Yami... well, as mean as always. But poor Yuuno - he just can`t protect himself from Chrono schemes.

Good work 00-Raiser.

[blitz1/2]

Well, if you are still under the moral dilemma if using sex as a means to replenish energy, you can also use the same method as Kyoshiro towa no sora/Shattered Angels by replenishing energy through kissing, you can still incorporate the psychological aspect seeing as (I guess, it's about Yuuno's perspective about the Materials themselves (just like humans, living things, etc or romance)

[Nagumo]

Hello guys, I was wondering what you thought of this fanfic on Fanfiction.net

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5707992/1/Nouveau_Terra

I personally like it a lot. I'm just dropping it here to hear your opinions.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by blitz1/2

Well, if you are still under the moral dilemma if using sex as a means to replenish energy, you can also use the same method as Kyoshiro towa no sora/Shattered Angels by replenishing energy through kissing, you can still incorporate the psychological aspect seeing as (I guess, it's about Yuuno's perspective about the Materials themselves (just like humans, living things, etc or romance)

I suggested that very same method when the issue first came up

Anyways, it's not an issue anymore. I thought the whole sex thing was thrown in just for the sake of giving Yuuno a reason to score with them and nothing more and I didn't like that. But now that it's going to have a larger impact on the plot itself, I don't have as much a problem with it.

In other news, I uploaded the new chapter of Materials no Jikan.

[blitz1/2]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

I suggested that very same method when the issue first came up

Anyways, it's not an issue anymore. I thought the whole sex thing was thrown in just for the sake of giving Yuuno a reason to score with them and nothing more and I didn't like that. But now that it's going to have a larger impact on the plot itself, I don't have as much a problem with it.

In other news, I uploaded the new chapter of Materials no Jikan.

Just read it, and the end was just LOLz.

For some reason, I am reminded of the ending of Rosario capu ending.
Tsukune: Oh, Moka are you ok?
(Moka hugs Tsukune but you hear crunching sounds because she's strong)
Tsukune: AHHHH!!!!

(other girls sweatdrop)

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Anyways, it's not an issue anymore. I thought the whole sex thing was thrown in just for the sake of giving Yuuno a reason to score with them and nothing more and I didn't like that. But now that it's going to have a larger impact on the plot itself, I don't have as much a problem with it.

It's always had a larger purpose. Yasanagi and myself just didn't want to show it until later.

[Megaolix]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

It's always had a larger purpose. Yasanagi and myself just didn't want to show it until later.

Well, that whole mess could have been avoided if you had hinted that something was up in the snippets before.

Also, I've heard that AA is being attacked these days. Viruses, trolling posts and horrible pictures. Don't know if they got to Materials Days, but you might want to be careful.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

It's always had a larger purpose. Yasanagi and myself just didn't want to show it until later.

Yeah, what Megaolix said. I've said this before, but after Yami and Yuuno did it, nothing changed. The dynamic between the two stayed the same as if they didn't have sex at all. As such it felt like the sex had no purpose, which is why I suggested removing it as it wouldn't affect the rest of the story since they acted like nothing happened anyways.

But I suppose Yasanagi has the opportunity to fix it for the FF.net version.

[vic-vic]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Yeah, what Megaolix said. I've said this before, but after Yami and Yuuno did it, nothing changed. The dynamic between the two stayed the same as if they didn't have sex at all. As such it felt like the sex had no purpose, which is why I suggested removing it as it wouldn't affect the rest of the story since they acted like nothing happened anyways.

But I suppose Yasanagi has the opportunity to fix it for the FF.net version.

For now, at last. But after nine months situation can change dramatically.

Spoiler for my imagination go wild:

Hm, i have weird idea - maybe Materials need to get pregnant in order to use their unborn childrens Lincer Cores. Scary.

[Megaolix]

Originally Posted by vic-vic

For now, at last. But after nine months situation can change dramatically.

Spoiler for my imagination go wild:

Hm, i have weird idea - maybe Materials need to get pregnant in order to use their unborn childrens Lincer Cores. Scary.

I'm all for drama now and then, but let's not turn this into a soap opera. The situation with the Aces and Yami's spell will be ugly enough as it is.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by vic-vic

For now, at last. But after nine months situation can change dramatically.

Spoiler for my imagination go wild:

Hm, i have weird idea - maybe Materials need to get pregnant in order to use their unborn childrens Lincer Cores. Scary.

.....

I'm getting flashbacks to the Numbers/Jail scenario revealed at the end of StrikerS when Fate confronted him...

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Yeah, what Megaolix said. I've said this before, but after Yami and Yuuno did it, nothing changed. The dynamic between the two stayed the same as if they didn't have sex at all. As such it felt like the sex had no purpose, which is why I suggested removing it as it wouldn't affect the rest of the story since they acted like nothing happened anyways.

You'll see soon enough... *nods*

And, no, no soap opera stuff here...

[shiroi mahotsukai]

If this turns into a soap opera I'll forsake my God, I just can't escape these days. That scenario with jail and the numbers was just creepy weird, it scared me. I haven't been scared since I watched Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni.

[Tempy]

I said I'd write more, so I did.

Side Dish 1

Spoiler for Side Dish 2: Anxiety:

It would be absurd to assume that a “family” tethered together by legal documents would live
“happily ever after.” Indeed, even with the newly acquired living space (to which they were all
thankful for) everything was not wonderful, just as Kevin expected it to be. The girls seemed to
have trouble settling in, raising a ruckus and threatening to break down the walls just for minor
things. At least, that’s what Material-L, now Lilia, did whenever something she wanted was
denied (usually a sweet of some sort). Material-D, Diana, was a mouthy sort and complained
about every little thing, from the lack of silk bedsheets to wanting champagne to go with dinner.
Material-S, Shana, was the quietest of all three, the most polite and pragmatic of them, but she
was also the most mysterious. It was difficult to tell what she wanted, often giving that blank,
stoic look to every situation. Fortunately, she was also good at corralling her sisters into behaving.

And how thoughtful Shiro and Momoko were to give him the week off, so as to allow him time
to help the girls adjust. But now, Kevin was wondering if one week was enough.

5:40AM

Habit made the chef an early riser, and despite his body’s desire for more sleep, Kevin crawled
out of bed as the sun peeked over the urban jungle of Uminari City. Brushing teeth, a quick
shower, a struggle to get some clothes on, he was still drowsy when he half-stumbled-half-
walked into the kitchen area. There, he found an increasingly common sight.

“Oh. Shana, you’re up early again.”

“Good morning, Father,” the girl greeted, looking up from the morning newspaper. It was an
unusual habit she picked up, but this way she was learning about current events and society.

Kevin blinked, still unused to that title. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Lilia continues to sneak into my bed at times, however.”

“Heh. That’s adorable,” Kevin chuckled quietly. “She’s not bothering you, though?”

Shana shook her head. “No, but sometimes she sneaks into Diana’s bed, and she is less than
appreciative of the disturbance.”

“I wonder if she has a cuddling issue…” Perhaps visiting the toy store for a bear or something
similar would be prudent. For that matter, a trip to the clothing store would be a good idea too.
For now, the girls had a few borrowed sets from Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate, but his newfound
daughters would want to establish their own sense of fashion.

“I think we will go shopping today, to buy you three clothes of your own,” Kevin announced,
looking at Shana for approval, “Does that sound good?”

“The others must be awake by now,” she slipped out of her chair. “Please excuse me. They
have… difficulties dressing in the morning.”

“They do?” Kevin looked at Shana with a raised eyebrow. “Why would they have issues?”

“Diana is lazy, and Lilia is a dunce. Neither are capable of doing it themselves,” Shana gave her
adopted father a flat, completely unamused stare, one that invoked a slightly stronger chuckle.

“Alright. Go wake your sisters. I’ll prepare breakfast. Does muesli sound good?”

“I have trust that whatever you make will be good.”

Kevin blinked again, watching his adopted daughter walk off. The girl was difficult to read, but
she seemed to accept him well enough. It was heartwarming, in a way, to have Shana’s trust so
quickly, as well as the title of “father.”

Well, it would do no good to ruin that trust, would it? If there was one thing he could do well, it
was making sure that the girls stayed well-fed.


4:30 PM

“I’m bored.”

“Yes, Lilia. You have said that many times now.”

“But I’m bored!”

“We were just at the department store. Go try on those clothes we bought.”

“But~ I’m~ Bored~!”

“Cease your complaints! I cannot hear myself taking over the world!” Diana screeched, her
patience at its end. The silver-haired girl sat in front of a desktop computer, the gaily colored
screen showing some sort of terrain with various submenus overlaying the land. Upon the fertile-
looking land, tiny men labored to build a town. This “game” was rather entertaining, the potential
for taking over land from opposing cultures rather befitting a king.

There were several footsteps, and Diana felt someone watching her over her shoulder.

“You’re not even out of that peninsula! How are you taking over the world?”

“One does not dominate all of existence in a blink, fool. A kingdom rises from humble roots and
grows into magnificence.”

“…Like a tree?”

A sigh. “Yes, Lilia, like a tree. A great, big, world-conquering tree.”

“That’s a weird tree.”

Indeed.

Diana tolerated her sister’s presence for a while, though her presence gradually bore down on
her. The incessant questions and occasional bad advice about what to build or develop next
didn’t help to sooth her rapidly deteriorating patience either. Finally, the clone tore her eyes
from the screen and glared at Lilia, “Do you have anything else better to do?”

“Nope!” Lilia answered with a smile.

If she could, Diana would have buried her face in her hands, but as it was her base was under
attack by pagans, and that was not cool. “Why don’t you go bother Shana?”

“Kay!” the blue haired girl skipped off to another part of the apartment. Whereas Diana busied
herself with being a 400 BC Alexander, Shana was found in the kitchen, cautiously stirring a pot
of… something.

“Whatcha doing, Shana~?”

“I am preparing soup,” the short-haired one replied in monotone.

“What kind?”

“Father calls it minestrone. He told me to stir it ‘every now and then.’”

“What’s that mean?”

“I do not know. I have decided to stir every fifteen minutes.”

What a serious and hardworking girl.

“No, I mean ‘mee-na-sta-lo-ne,’” the poor girl butchered the foreign word.

“It is ‘minestrone,’” Shana corrected her sister, tapping the spoon a few times on the pot’s edge
before setting it aside. “Father describes it as an Italian soup with seasonal vegetables and a rich broth. It smells good.”

She was there when the soup was just started, a pot of broth and uncooked vegetables. Over
time, Shana bore witness to the gradual transformation from simple, cut up ingredients into a full,
rich soup. The smells, especially, were the most dramatic.

“Is it done yet? I’m hungry!”

“No, not yet. Father said to let it simmer until supper time.”

“Why do you call him ‘father?’ He’s not your real dad.”

“He is our legal guardian, and since he has adopted us, he is our father.”

“But he’s not related to us, right? Not even Diana thinks so!”

“Bow before my army!” came the distant reply. “Bow before Diana the Great! Ohohoho~!”

… Well, at least she was getting megalomania fix.

The two stared at their sister for a moment before returning to each other, Lilia speaking up first,
“See? She doesn’t even accept him yet!”

“The fact that she refers to herself as Diana means she has accepted him,” the short-haired girl
peered into the gently bubbling pot. “Had she not, our situation would be not nearly as peaceful
as it is.”

“You sound like you like him!”

“Gratitude and respect can infer ‘liking,’ if that is what you meant. You too should be thankful; we may have easily have become tenants of the state, rather than citizens.”

“What do you have against him, Lilia? Do you not like him?”

“I just… I don’t know,” the girl’s shoulders sagged, as if she were carrying a heavy weight. “I just don’t want to be left alone… I don’t want to be separated… I heard someone talking about that on the ship, you know? It’s so scary…”

Lilia was shivering.

“Silly girl,” Shana pulled the blue-haired girl into a hug. “Remember what he said? He would not leave us alone. I, for one, trust him on that.”

“…” Lilia was slow to return the hug, but tightly her arms wrapped around her sister. “…I hope so too.”

“FOOLISH BARBARIANS! THIS LAND IS NOW MINE! BOW BEFORE ME!”



6:30 PM

“I’m hungry~!”

“Why must you complain about everything?”

“Because I’m hungry~!”

Click-clack! The front door’s lock unlatched, opening to reveal the sole male of the house.

“I’m back~” Kevin announced as he stepped into his abode, a brown paper bag cradled in one
arm. “I brought dessert~”

He was slightly disappointed that only Shana came to greet him, but that was to be expected.
Diana was a little too engrossed at dominating cavemen, while Lilia was strangely silent. Not
even the mention of dessert had her excited, which was a little disconcerting.

“Welcome home, father,” Shana greeted, earning a smile from the older man. The thoughts about
Lilia were pushed to the side.

“Shana, how’s the soup?” Kevin stepped towards the kitchen, breathing in deeply the room’s
bouquet.

She copied the older man’s actions, “It smells good.”

He set the bag down on the counter, chuckling at the girl’s Spartan response, “How does it
look?”

“It looks good.”

A small white box came out from the brown bag. “Heh, you worked hard on it, didn’t you?”

She nodded, “It will taste good.”

“Fantastic,” Kevin mirrored Shana’s nod and pulled out a crusty loaf of bread, still warm from
the oven. “Get your sisters. We’ll eat dinner now.”

“Yes.”

Meals were usually a quiet and uneventful time of the day. Kevin quickly picked up on the little
quirks that each of his girls had. Lilia was the easiest to figure out: though not picky with her
food, she disliked bitter things and adored sweets. Desserts were a part of a complete meal,
even at breakfast and lunch, and God forbid you deny her cake. On the flipside, restricting
dessert was a good deterrent for misbehaving. She also had a propensity towards poultry,
especially chicken. Fried, roasted, baked, she loved that bird; pot pie night was her favorite.
Shana was almost clinical in her analysis and deconstruction of food, though truth be told meals
were exotic adventures in taste and texture. Every flavor, every sort of cuisine amazed her.
Nary an ingredient did she not question and examine, a trait that Kevin found endearing. Being
born into the world as is, Shana’s experience seemed incomplete, though this likely meant the
same for her sisters. Diana seemed to be the pickiest of the three, but fortunately her tastes
were not excessive. Too hot, too cold, too spicy, there was always something wrong with
whatever food was given to her. Yet, eat she did, grudgingly accepting that what she had was
all that was available. She never seemed completely pleased, but never wholly disappointed
either.

Tonight’s meal, minestrone with fresh bread, made for a surprisingly active conversation. The
girls were happy that they had gone on that shopping trip, secretly eager to try on their new
clothes, especially Lilia. Shana tried a number of ways to change how her soup tasted, be it
dipping the bread in the broth, eating soup then bread, even bread straight. An extra dollop of
extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of pepper, her curiosity seemed to have no bounds. Diana
boasted of her exploits, having crushed a number of burgeoning civilizations and merged them
with her own. Apparently the entire east coast of what would be known as North America was
in her control.

What strange daughters he had, but better as girls than warriors.

Dessert, a cake from the Midoriya, was well accepted, and the following clean-up was usually
a team effort (Diana took position as quality inspector). Afterwards, Kevin made an
announcement:

“It took some time and a little work, but we’ve managed to finish your paperwork for Earth,”
the cook announced as he placed a towel down. The girls’ attentions were all drawn to him.

“As such, starting next week, each of you will be transferred to Seishou Elementary School.
You’re going to school.”

The reactions he got were close to what he expected: indifference from Diana and muted
interest from Shana, but Lilia’s was slightly off. Off as in she suddenly transformed into her
Barrier Jacket and summoned her device to her hands. Though her sisters watched in alarm,
Lilia hefted her weapon rather threateningly, causing Kevin to take an unconscious step back.

“You’re just sending us away?!” the girl shrieked, her eyes wide.

“Hey, calm down,” Kevin spoke as calmly as he could. Though outwardly he seemed only
slightly worried, his heart was thundering a mile a minute, and he was struggling to not shake at
all. The girl in front of him appeared only nine-years-old, yet she was the most terrifying thing
the chef had ever seen.

“I am calm!”

“Not while swinging that thing around,” Kevin eyed the axe-like device, something that could
break him in half easily. “Put that away.”

“No! I don’t want to go! You can’t make me!”

A worried Shana took a step towards her sister, “Lilia, please stop this. You are overreacti—”

“Back off, Material-S!” Lilia spat, briefly pointing Vulnificus at Shana, “I don’t

“You’re not going away forever, Lilia,” the older man had his hands out placatingly as he took
a step towards her. “It’s just during the day, and you’ll be with everyone else—”

“Shut up! You’re not my dad!” she screeched, Vulnificus lashing out viciously. Though she was
a tiny girl, her arms were not even as thick as the older man’s wrists, her strength was still
incredible. For that reason, Kevin found himself scrambling to avoid being struck by the device.
For the most part, he did dodge the bladed axe-head of Vulnificus. However, a small part of
the weapon clipped him in the ribs. He was knocked off his feet, set bodily head over heels into
the wall behind him. Crash! The wall groaned as Kevin bounced off the wood and plaster,
leaving a sizable crater in the wall.

“Nnngh,” he groaned, a sign that he was still alive.

The indifferent Diana, silent earlier, uncharacteristically rushed over to the fallen man, beating the
shocked Shana to their guardian. A quick look-over, then she whipped her head over to give
Lilia a rather scathing glare, one that the girl flinched at, “What were you thinking?! He’s a
human, completely unlike us! What you even thought of what could happen if he were to die?!”

“I-I…”

“You fool! What are you doing raising a hand against—”

“Stop. Don’t yell at her,” Kevin’s voice, though weak, could still be heard.

Diana turned her attention back her guardian, her brow furrowed in indignation and… worry?
“But—”

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” he muttered, shakily pushing himself off the floor, “Ugh, that was tough.
Don’t worry, really. It just hurts a bit.”

A warm viridian glow encompassed the silver-haired girl’s hand, “Sit still, then. I will heal you.”

“No, it’s okay. Let me deal with this,” Kevin said, looking at Diana, “Please.”

A number of emotions were visible on Diana’s face, changing from confusion, to frustration,
then finally at tired acceptance, “If you stop interrupting me, fine. But don’t blame me if you
ache in the morning. Really, rejecting my help after I so graciously offered! You had better
appreciate my generosity, servant!”

“Thank you,” the man smiled and patted Diana’s head, causing a blush to form on her cheeks.
With one final push, Kevin managed to stagger to his feet. His steps were unsteady, though
Shana quickly came to support.

“Father, I am sorry, I could not…” she trailed off, looking pleadingly at Kevin. “Please do not
be too harsh on her.”

“It’s alright. I just want to talk to her,” he patted her on the head as well.

“A-ah…” Lilia, speechless, could only watch as Kevin limped towards her. A limp that she
caused…

When he stood in front of her, he kneeled down so he could close to eye level. Though Kevin
tried to look at her in the eyes, she couldn’t meet his gaze. Material-S, Material-D, they
seemed to side with him instead of her. Was she wrong? Or were they blind? She didn’t know.
What she did was that she harmed someone she shouldn’t have, and everyone was angry at her.
Head bowed, looking away, Lilia was ready for whatever punishment this man would bestow.
But to her surprise, Kevin pulled her into a hug. “You don’t need to fight anymore. Do you
remember what I said when I adopted you? You are not alone, I won’t let you be alone ever
again.”

“S-Shana said the same thing…”

“I did say that I wanted to try and be a family, but if you do not want it, that’s fine too. I just
want what any parent would want: the best for their child. While blood does not bind us, and
our time has been short, I view you all as more than mere children. You are my children,
and my hopes and dreams are yours. I am not a mage, nor am I rich and famous, but I will do
everything in my power to ensure each of you live happily and how you wish.”

Ah. This must be why Material-S, Shana, accepted him so readily, and why Material-D, did
not rebel. He truly meant what he said. And if he had to give his life, he probably would. Is this
what a father is? Could this be what a family is? Fighting and magic was all she knew, and yet…
this was something she desired even more.

“I’m sorry…! I-I didn’t mean to—” her voice was muffled as she pressed her face into Kevin’s
shoulder, her tears soaking into his shirt. Sighing with a smile, Kevin brushed Lilia’s hair with a
gentle hand.

“Shh. It’s alright. Everything is all right.”


7:45 PM

Following a good cry and a cup of hot tea, Lilia finally calmed down. The four of them now sat
at the dinner table, quietly discussing the expectations, responsibilities, and what it meant to be a
“family.” So deep into their conversation they were, that they were all surprised when their
doorbell rang.

“Who could that be?” Kevin wondered out loud as he unlocked the door and opened it.
“Yuuno?”

“Err, good evening, sir,” the blond boy bowed. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

Kevin shook his head, “No, not really, but what are you doing here? Did Nanoha kick you out
or something?”

“Ahaha, no, nothing like that,” he laughed weakly, scratching the back of his head. “Actually,
Chrono told me to come here. I got slated for a job…”

“Is that so…” the older man had an idea as to the boy’s task. “Well, come on in. Did you eat?
There’s still a lot of minestrone left.”

“Oh, no, but thank you very much for the offer. I ate just before coming here,” Yuuno seemed
almost regretful that he couldn’t have any, though imagine his confusion when he entered and
took notice of the crater in the wall, “Um, what happened here?”

“A misunderstanding and an accident. Don’t worry, it’s been resolved. Anyways, am I correct
to assume that you are the person the Harlaown boy forced to help in the rehab?”

“He didn’t really force me,” (Note, yes, he did. With blackmail.) “But, yes. I am here to help in
rehabilitation.”

“Hmm,” Kevin looked over to his girls, who all gazed back with curiosity. “Well, we were
expecting this. How long is it going to take? Do you have all the materials?”

“Yes! This should only take a couple of hours, tonight. I intend on just an orientation and
introduction of sorts. Then we could establish a regular schedule.”

“Hmm, alright. Let me just tell the girls…”

The sisters seemed rather interested, though portrayed in varying degrees. Kevin almost pitied
the boy, considering Lilia and Shana’s sudden excitement. Sudden, with Shana, due to the fact
that she had an expression different from the usual stoic look. And Diana, well, she seemed to
accept Yuuno as a new slave/servant, so that was close enough. (Why is she always
mentioned last, anyways?)

“Work hard, you three,” he waved the little group off as they marched into the next room,
leaving Kevin in the living room with his tea, his book, and peace. Maybe he’d bring up some
snacks later on.

Ahh, this isn’t too bad after all…

The teacup came up to his lips, a fragrant jasmine oolong, though before he could take a sip, a
thought entered his mind. He had just now allowed a boy into a bedroom with three girls,
unsupervised.

…

…

Ehhh. It was Yuuno, one of the most harmless guys he knew. And if he tried anything,
everyone would hit him with enough beamspam to make that ship of theirs look silly.

[Yasanagi]

Originally Posted by Tempy

I said I'd write more, so I did.

Side Dish 1

Spoiler for Side Dish 2: Anxiety:

It would be absurd to assume that a “family” tethered together by legal documents would live
“happily ever after.” Indeed, even with the newly acquired living space (to which they were all
thankful for) everything was not wonderful, just as Kevin expected it to be. The girls seemed to
have trouble settling in, raising a ruckus and threatening to break down the walls just for minor
things. At least, that’s what Material-L, now Lilia, did whenever something she wanted was
denied (usually a sweet of some sort). Material-D, Diana, was a mouthy sort and complained
about every little thing, from the lack of silk bedsheets to wanting champagne to go with dinner.
Material-S, Shana, was the quietest of all three, the most polite and pragmatic of them, but she
was also the most mysterious. It was difficult to tell what she wanted, often giving that blank,
stoic look to every situation. Fortunately, she was also good at corralling her sisters into behaving.

And how thoughtful Shiro and Momoko were to give him the week off, so as to allow him time
to help the girls adjust. But now, Kevin was wondering if one week was enough.

5:40AM

Habit made the chef an early riser, and despite his body’s desire for more sleep, Kevin crawled
out of bed as the sun peeked over the urban jungle of Uminari City. Brushing teeth, a quick
shower, a struggle to get some clothes on, he was still drowsy when he half-stumbled-half-
walked into the kitchen area. There, he found an increasingly common sight.

“Oh. Shana, you’re up early again.”

“Good morning, Father,” the girl greeted, looking up from the morning newspaper. It was an
unusual habit she picked up, but this way she was learning about current events and society.

Kevin blinked, still unused to that title. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Lilia continues to sneak into my bed at times, however.”

“Heh. That’s adorable,” Kevin chuckled quietly. “She’s not bothering you, though?”

Shana shook her head. “No, but sometimes she sneaks into Diana’s bed, and she is less than
appreciative of the disturbance.”

“I wonder if she has a cuddling issue…” Perhaps visiting the toy store for a bear or something
similar would be prudent. For that matter, a trip to the clothing store would be a good idea too.
For now, the girls had a few borrowed sets from Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate, but his newfound
daughters would want to establish their own sense of fashion.

“I think we will go shopping today, to buy you three clothes of your own,” Kevin announced,
looking at Shana for approval, “Does that sound good?”

“The others must be awake by now,” she slipped out of her chair. “Please excuse me. They
have… difficulties dressing in the morning.”

“They do?” Kevin looked at Shana with a raised eyebrow. “Why would they have issues?”

“Diana is lazy, and Lilia is a dunce. Neither are capable of doing it themselves,” Shana gave her
adopted father a flat, completely unamused stare, one that invoked a slightly stronger chuckle.

“Alright. Go wake your sisters. I’ll prepare breakfast. Does muesli sound good?”

“I have trust that whatever you make will be good.”

Kevin blinked again, watching his adopted daughter walk off. The girl was difficult to read, but
she seemed to accept him well enough. It was heartwarming, in a way, to have Shana’s trust so
quickly, as well as the title of “father.”

Well, it would do no good to ruin that trust, would it? If there was one thing he could do well, it
was making sure that the girls stayed well-fed.


4:30 PM

“I’m bored.”

“Yes, Lilia. You have said that many times now.”

“But I’m bored!”

“We were just at the department store. Go try on those clothes we bought.”

“But~ I’m~ Bored~!”

“Cease your complaints! I cannot hear myself taking over the world!” Diana screeched, her
patience at its end. The silver-haired girl sat in front of a desktop computer, the gaily colored
screen showing some sort of terrain with various submenus overlaying the land. Upon the fertile-
looking land, tiny men labored to build a town. This “game” was rather entertaining, the potential
for taking over land from opposing cultures rather befitting a king.

There were several footsteps, and Diana felt someone watching her over her shoulder.

“You’re not even out of that peninsula! How are you taking over the world?”

“One does not dominate all of existence in a blink, fool. A kingdom rises from humble roots and
grows into magnificence.”

“…Like a tree?”

A sigh. “Yes, Lilia, like a tree. A great, big, world-conquering tree.”

“That’s a weird tree.”

Indeed.

Diana tolerated her sister’s presence for a while, though her presence gradually bore down on
her. The incessant questions and occasional bad advice about what to build or develop next
didn’t help to sooth her rapidly deteriorating patience either. Finally, the clone tore her eyes
from the screen and glared at Lilia, “Do you have anything else better to do?”

“Nope!” Lilia answered with a smile.

If she could, Diana would have buried her face in her hands, but as it was her base was under
attack by pagans, and that was not cool. “Why don’t you go bother Shana?”

“Kay!” the blue haired girl skipped off to another part of the apartment. Whereas Diana busied
herself with being a 400 BC Alexander, Shana was found in the kitchen, cautiously stirring a pot
of… something.

“Whatcha doing, Shana~?”

“I am preparing soup,” the short-haired one replied in monotone.

“What kind?”

“Father calls it minestrone. He told me to stir it ‘every now and then.’”

“What’s that mean?”

“I do not know. I have decided to stir every fifteen minutes.”

What a serious and hardworking girl.

“No, I mean ‘mee-na-sta-lo-ne,’” the poor girl butchered the foreign word.

“It is ‘minestrone,’” Shana corrected her sister, tapping the spoon a few times on the pot’s edge
before setting it aside. “Father describes it as an Italian soup with seasonal vegetables and a rich broth. It smells good.”

She was there when the soup was just started, a pot of broth and uncooked vegetables. Over
time, Shana bore witness to the gradual transformation from simple, cut up ingredients into a full,
rich soup. The smells, especially, were the most dramatic.

“Is it done yet? I’m hungry!”

“No, not yet. Father said to let it simmer until supper time.”

“Why do you call him ‘father?’ He’s not your real dad.”

“He is our legal guardian, and since he has adopted us, he is our father.”

“But he’s not related to us, right? Not even Diana thinks so!”

“Bow before my army!” came the distant reply. “Bow before Diana the Great! Ohohoho~!”

… Well, at least she was getting megalomania fix.

The two stared at their sister for a moment before returning to each other, Lilia speaking up first,
“See? She doesn’t even accept him yet!”

“The fact that she refers to herself as Diana means she has accepted him,” the short-haired girl
peered into the gently bubbling pot. “Had she not, our situation would be not nearly as peaceful
as it is.”

“You sound like you like him!”

“Gratitude and respect can infer ‘liking,’ if that is what you meant. You too should be thankful; we may have easily have become tenants of the state, rather than citizens.”

“What do you have against him, Lilia? Do you not like him?”

“I just… I don’t know,” the girl’s shoulders sagged, as if she were carrying a heavy weight. “I just don’t want to be left alone… I don’t want to be separated… I heard someone talking about that on the ship, you know? It’s so scary…”

Lilia was shivering.

“Silly girl,” Shana pulled the blue-haired girl into a hug. “Remember what he said? He would not leave us alone. I, for one, trust him on that.”

“…” Lilia was slow to return the hug, but tightly her arms wrapped around her sister. “…I hope so too.”

“FOOLISH BARBARIANS! THIS LAND IS NOW MINE! BOW BEFORE ME!”



6:30 PM

“I’m hungry~!”

“Why must you complain about everything?”

“Because I’m hungry~!”

Click-clack! The front door’s lock unlatched, opening to reveal the sole male of the house.

“I’m back~” Kevin announced as he stepped into his abode, a brown paper bag cradled in one
arm. “I brought dessert~”

He was slightly disappointed that only Shana came to greet him, but that was to be expected.
Diana was a little too engrossed at dominating cavemen, while Lilia was strangely silent. Not
even the mention of dessert had her excited, which was a little disconcerting.

“Welcome home, father,” Shana greeted, earning a smile from the older man. The thoughts about
Lilia were pushed to the side.

“Shana, how’s the soup?” Kevin stepped towards the kitchen, breathing in deeply the room’s
bouquet.

She copied the older man’s actions, “It smells good.”

He set the bag down on the counter, chuckling at the girl’s Spartan response, “How does it
look?”

“It looks good.”

A small white box came out from the brown bag. “Heh, you worked hard on it, didn’t you?”

She nodded, “It will taste good.”

“Fantastic,” Kevin mirrored Shana’s nod and pulled out a crusty loaf of bread, still warm from
the oven. “Get your sisters. We’ll eat dinner now.”

“Yes.”

Meals were usually a quiet and uneventful time of the day. Kevin quickly picked up on the little
quirks that each of his girls had. Lilia was the easiest to figure out: though not picky with her
food, she disliked bitter things and adored sweets. Desserts were a part of a complete meal,
even at breakfast and lunch, and God forbid you deny her cake. On the flipside, restricting
dessert was a good deterrent for misbehaving. She also had a propensity towards poultry,
especially chicken. Fried, roasted, baked, she loved that bird; pot pie night was her favorite.
Shana was almost clinical in her analysis and deconstruction of food, though truth be told meals
were exotic adventures in taste and texture. Every flavor, every sort of cuisine amazed her.
Nary an ingredient did she not question and examine, a trait that Kevin found endearing. Being
born into the world as is, Shana’s experience seemed incomplete, though this likely meant the
same for her sisters. Diana seemed to be the pickiest of the three, but fortunately her tastes
were not excessive. Too hot, too cold, too spicy, there was always something wrong with
whatever food was given to her. Yet, eat she did, grudgingly accepting that what she had was
all that was available. She never seemed completely pleased, but never wholly disappointed
either.

Tonight’s meal, minestrone with fresh bread, made for a surprisingly active conversation. The
girls were happy that they had gone on that shopping trip, secretly eager to try on their new
clothes, especially Lilia. Shana tried a number of ways to change how her soup tasted, be it
dipping the bread in the broth, eating soup then bread, even bread straight. An extra dollop of
extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of pepper, her curiosity seemed to have no bounds. Diana
boasted of her exploits, having crushed a number of burgeoning civilizations and merged them
with her own. Apparently the entire east coast of what would be known as North America was
in her control.

What strange daughters he had, but better as girls than warriors.

Dessert, a cake from the Midoriya, was well accepted, and the following clean-up was usually
a team effort (Diana took position as quality inspector). Afterwards, Kevin made an
announcement:

“It took some time and a little work, but we’ve managed to finish your paperwork for Earth,”
the cook announced as he placed a towel down. The girls’ attentions were all drawn to him.

“As such, starting next week, each of you will be transferred to Seishou Elementary School.
You’re going to school.”

The reactions he got were close to what he expected: indifference from Diana and muted
interest from Shana, but Lilia’s was slightly off. Off as in she suddenly transformed into her
Barrier Jacket and summoned her device to her hands. Though her sisters watched in alarm,
Lilia hefted her weapon rather threateningly, causing Kevin to take an unconscious step back.

“You’re just sending us away?!” the girl shrieked, her eyes wide.

“Hey, calm down,” Kevin spoke as calmly as he could. Though outwardly he seemed only
slightly worried, his heart was thundering a mile a minute, and he was struggling to not shake at
all. The girl in front of him appeared only nine-years-old, yet she was the most terrifying thing
the chef had ever seen.

“I am calm!”

“Not while swinging that thing around,” Kevin eyed the axe-like device, something that could
break him in half easily. “Put that away.”

“No! I don’t want to go! You can’t make me!”

A worried Shana took a step towards her sister, “Lilia, please stop this. You are overreacti—”

“Back off, Material-S!” Lilia spat, briefly pointing Vulnificus at Shana, “I don’t

“You’re not going away forever, Lilia,” the older man had his hands out placatingly as he took
a step towards her. “It’s just during the day, and you’ll be with everyone else—”

“Shut up! You’re not my dad!” she screeched, Vulnificus lashing out viciously. Though she was
a tiny girl, her arms were not even as thick as the older man’s wrists, her strength was still
incredible. For that reason, Kevin found himself scrambling to avoid being struck by the device.
For the most part, he did dodge the bladed axe-head of Vulnificus. However, a small part of
the weapon clipped him in the ribs. He was knocked off his feet, set bodily head over heels into
the wall behind him. Crash! The wall groaned as Kevin bounced off the wood and plaster,
leaving a sizable crater in the wall.

“Nnngh,” he groaned, a sign that he was still alive.

The indifferent Diana, silent earlier, uncharacteristically rushed over to the fallen man, beating the
shocked Shana to their guardian. A quick look-over, then she whipped her head over to give
Lilia a rather scathing glare, one that the girl flinched at, “What were you thinking?! He’s a
human, completely unlike us! What you even thought of what could happen if he were to die?!”

“I-I…”

“You fool! What are you doing raising a hand against—”

“Stop. Don’t yell at her,” Kevin’s voice, though weak, could still be heard.

Diana turned her attention back her guardian, her brow furrowed in indignation and… worry?
“But—”

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” he muttered, shakily pushing himself off the floor, “Ugh, that was tough.
Don’t worry, really. It just hurts a bit.”

A warm viridian glow encompassed the silver-haired girl’s hand, “Sit still, then. I will heal you.”

“No, it’s okay. Let me deal with this,” Kevin said, looking at Diana, “Please.”

A number of emotions were visible on Diana’s face, changing from confusion, to frustration,
then finally at tired acceptance, “If you stop interrupting me, fine. But don’t blame me if you
ache in the morning. Really, rejecting my help after I so graciously offered! You had better
appreciate my generosity, servant!”

“Thank you,” the man smiled and patted Diana’s head, causing a blush to form on her cheeks.
With one final push, Kevin managed to stagger to his feet. His steps were unsteady, though
Shana quickly came to support.

“Father, I am sorry, I could not…” she trailed off, looking pleadingly at Kevin. “Please do not
be too harsh on her.”

“It’s alright. I just want to talk to her,” he patted her on the head as well.

“A-ah…” Lilia, speechless, could only watch as Kevin limped towards her. A limp that she
caused…

When he stood in front of her, he kneeled down so he could close to eye level. Though Kevin
tried to look at her in the eyes, she couldn’t meet his gaze. Material-S, Material-D, they
seemed to side with him instead of her. Was she wrong? Or were they blind? She didn’t know.
What she did was that she harmed someone she shouldn’t have, and everyone was angry at her.
Head bowed, looking away, Lilia was ready for whatever punishment this man would bestow.
But to her surprise, Kevin pulled her into a hug. “You don’t need to fight anymore. Do you
remember what I said when I adopted you? You are not alone, I won’t let you be alone ever
again.”

“S-Shana said the same thing…”

“I did say that I wanted to try and be a family, but if you do not want it, that’s fine too. I just
want what any parent would want: the best for their child. While blood does not bind us, and
our time has been short, I view you all as more than mere children. You are my children,
and my hopes and dreams are yours. I am not a mage, nor am I rich and famous, but I will do
everything in my power to ensure each of you live happily and how you wish.”

Ah. This must be why Material-S, Shana, accepted him so readily, and why Material-D, did
not rebel. He truly meant what he said. And if he had to give his life, he probably would. Is this
what a father is? Could this be what a family is? Fighting and magic was all she knew, and yet…
this was something she desired even more.

“I’m sorry…! I-I didn’t mean to—” her voice was muffled as she pressed her face into Kevin’s
shoulder, her tears soaking into his shirt. Sighing with a smile, Kevin brushed Lilia’s hair with a
gentle hand.

“Shh. It’s alright. Everything is all right.”


7:45 PM

Following a good cry and a cup of hot tea, Lilia finally calmed down. The four of them now sat
at the dinner table, quietly discussing the expectations, responsibilities, and what it meant to be a
“family.” So deep into their conversation they were, that they were all surprised when their
doorbell rang.

“Who could that be?” Kevin wondered out loud as he unlocked the door and opened it.
“Yuuno?”

“Err, good evening, sir,” the blond boy bowed. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

Kevin shook his head, “No, not really, but what are you doing here? Did Nanoha kick you out
or something?”

“Ahaha, no, nothing like that,” he laughed weakly, scratching the back of his head. “Actually,
Chrono told me to come here. I got slated for a job…”

“Is that so…” the older man had an idea as to the boy’s task. “Well, come on in. Did you eat?
There’s still a lot of minestrone left.”

“Oh, no, but thank you very much for the offer. I ate just before coming here,” Yuuno seemed
almost regretful that he couldn’t have any, though imagine his confusion when he entered and
took notice of the crater in the wall, “Um, what happened here?”

“A misunderstanding and an accident. Don’t worry, it’s been resolved. Anyways, am I correct
to assume that you are the person the Harlaown boy forced to help in the rehab?”

“He didn’t really force me,” (Note, yes, he did. With blackmail.) “But, yes. I am here to help in
rehabilitation.”

“Hmm,” Kevin looked over to his girls, who all gazed back with curiosity. “Well, we were
expecting this. How long is it going to take? Do you have all the materials?”

“Yes! This should only take a couple of hours, tonight. I intend on just an orientation and
introduction of sorts. Then we could establish a regular schedule.”

“Hmm, alright. Let me just tell the girls…”

The sisters seemed rather interested, though portrayed in varying degrees. Kevin almost pitied
the boy, considering Lilia and Shana’s sudden excitement. Sudden, with Shana, due to the fact
that she had an expression different from the usual stoic look. And Diana, well, she seemed to
accept Yuuno as a new slave/servant, so that was close enough. (Why is she always
mentioned last, anyways?)

“Work hard, you three,” he waved the little group off as they marched into the next room,
leaving Kevin in the living room with his tea, his book, and peace. Maybe he’d bring up some
snacks later on.

Ahh, this isn’t too bad after all…

The teacup came up to his lips, a fragrant jasmine oolong, though before he could take a sip, a
thought entered his mind. He had just now allowed a boy into a bedroom with three girls,
unsupervised.

…

…

Ehhh. It was Yuuno, one of the most harmless guys he knew. And if he tried anything,
everyone would hit him with enough beamspam to make that ship of theirs look silly.

Tempy, you rock. I love seeing Diana get her fix of megalomania via computer games. And it was pretty WAFFy in how Kev comforted Lilia. Shana as always is a treat to read.

Hm... I wonder if Diana's computer game fixation carries into the future if she ever gets to a TSAB officer post. I would love it if she used game lingo in her abuse of her subordinates while they conduct an operation...

"THAT'S A 50 F**KING DKP MINUS!!!"

[MeisterBabylon]

Then we'd better pray that Diana don't ever need to go raid a dragon's nest.

[AlexSilvara]

Originally Posted by Nagumo

Hello guys, I was wondering what you thought of this fanfic on Fanfiction.net

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5707992/1/Nouveau_Terra

I personally like it a lot. I'm just dropping it here to hear your opinions.

I've got this on my watch list, actually; I tend to like well-written stories that borrow a little from the universe but aren't so much... an excuse to use the series as a whole. For that reason Infinity is also on my watch list. (Of course, so's Material Days, or at least it was until the last few pages made me wonder if I really want to see what's coming soon in that.)

...That reminds me, I need to drop FFN reviews on a number of stories, particularly the above-mentioned; but while I'm here, I should mention Material Days, since I get the vague sense Yasanagi and Nanya check here more often.

Spoiler for Thoughts on Material Days:

I liked how the first "chunk" started out, but I think it got a little too out of hand as time went on. By the point FFN chapter 3 is at, it's turned into more of a running joke than what it started out as... and I honestly think Yuuno would have, by now, just tried to petition Chrono to let him teleport away and remotely destroy his ship. Personally I always got the feeling that Yuuno likes to be alone - that's why he wanted to leave Nanoha in the first anime season, and that's why he works in the Infinity Library as the ultimate bookworm. Meh, maybe I'm just overreacting though. Hopefully the next batch chapter will work a little better for me.

...I need to lurk less, I think. Stuff happens while I'm ignoring the reply button. I also need to actually finish reading Future Tense. And check over the last few pages, I think I saw things I wanted to look for. That OC description linked at the beginning of Side Dish makes me want to go back and look at that, in particular.

[deathcurse]

Been a while since I updated this story, but I've been distracted with other works . Sorry!

Previous parts:Revised Part 1-4A and Revised Part 4B. Previous section of Trial Day 1:Revised Part 5: Trial Day 1, part A

Crime Never Sleeps
Revised Part 5: Trial Day 1, part B

Spoiler for Crime Never Sleeps, Part 5: Trial Day 1, part B:

****
Cheat Sheet to refresh your memory:
Prosecutors: Hayate Yagami and Auris Gaiz, on behalf of NSIS Agent Keen Touring (killed by Raven Gallant during his undercover mission)
Defence: Officers Thomas Jettal and Carina Favager, on behalf of Raven Gallant, an 11-year old girl who killed Agent Touring and 11 other Hellhound gang members
****

Trial Day 1 - Expert Witness Testimony #1
“Defence, your first witness?”

Favager stood, her stance rigid with unease. “We would like to call Inspector Verossa Acous to the stand.” The young officer’s voice was smooth compared to her partner, and Auris found herself impressed even as she smiled confidently. Favager continued, addressing the judge and the courtroom. “Inspector Acous was the TSAB officer who arrived on the scene after the Vaizen authorities reported the incident. Inspector, please describe the initial scene.”

Verossa looked utterly at ease—court cases had to be routine for him. His meticulously pressed white suit appeared a grade nicer than the usual one he wore for work, although his hair still looked scruffy. The only emotion he showed was a brief, ambiguous glance at the prosecutor’s stand. Auris flicked her eyes sideways, but if Hayate had reacted, Auris was too late to see.

“I was called to investigate the murder of twelve gang members, the Hellhounds, in their warehouse hide-out. Due to the presence of an illegal weapon being used in the crime, the TSAB was initially called as no more than a formality.” He didn’t bother explaining the details of weapons policy, of which Auris was grateful. In a military trial, everybody was (or should have been) familiar with the policies, and she had been part of some trials where whole sections from the dreary policies document had been quoted at length. “When I arrived, I saw the defendant, Raven Gallant, in the custody of the local officers.”

“How did the local police gain custody of Raven?” asked Favager, walking out from behind the table.

“She had surrendered to the first officers on the scene, having confessed to the crime.”

“Was there any struggle or attempt to escape the authorities?”

“No,” answered Verossa.

“From the officers’ statements, they had attempted to release Raven once, because they disbelieved that an eleven-year old girl could have killed so many people, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And yet Raven did not try to flee, but turned herself in peacefully?”

“Yes.”

They were being clever—sticking to the facts made it hard for Auris or Hayate to derail their train of thought with objections. Auris simply tapped her pen on the table, then made a note for herself, flipping the pad over before Hayate could look.

Favager walked over to Verossa and slid a sheet of paper in a plastic covering onto the witness stand. “Please read aloud the exact statement that Raven gave as to why she didn’t resist arrest when you questioned her.”

Verossa glanced down, and recited, “She had said, ‘The police need to know that they killed my parents.’”

Hayate tapped Auris’ elbow, silently placing a sheet before her. Auris skimmed the words and smiled darkly.

“Clearly, Raven’s mindset was still firmly set in grief over the horror of losing her family in such a violent way to this gang. For a young girl, losing her parents is the most traumatizing event that can happen to a young child. That kind of trauma cannot be easily shed nor forgotten in time.”

“Objection.” Hayate’s soft, clear voice startled everyone. She tilted her head towards Favager. “Officer Favager has no expert medical knowledge to be able to support such a statement.”

“Sustained.” Judge Grangaitz nodded once.

Starting again, Favager took a breath. “Although Raven had the opportunity to flee from the scene or resist arrest, she chose to take responsibility for her actions. By turning herself in to the authorities, the defendant demonstrated a remarkable show of accountability.” She looked at the judge. “That’s all.”

Auris rose now, walking right up to Verossa and placing her document before him. “Inspector, could you please read the full statement Gallant gave to the police when she was arrested?”

Verossa picked up the sheet, dispirited. Quietly, he read, “‘They killed my parents, so I killed them…The police need to know that they killed my parents.’”

“That statement there clearly shows intent,” Auris said, keeping her smugness carefully hidden. “The defendant was retaliating—an eye for an eye.” She returned to the prosecutor’s table, but remained standing. “Inspector Acous, you became aware that a TSAB officer was one of the victims of the massacre after the NSIS contacted you shortly after your arrival, correct?”

“Yes. At that moment, I claimed jurisdiction of the investigation from the local authorities due to the possible TSAB connections to the case.”

“Did you then examine the bodies of the victims?”

“Yes, I did.”

“In your professional opinion, did the Hellhounds appear to be skilled fighters?”

Verossa nodded. “From the state of their weaponry and the reputation that their gang has on Vaizen, yes, I would say so.”

Auris pushed on with a deeper question. “Is it plausible for you, under normal conditions, that an average eleven-year old girl would be capable of killing eleven Hellhounds and one seasoned NSIS agent without any of them retaliating while the others were being killed?”

And just like she expected, Acous answered, “Not impossible, but highly improbable. Most of the Hellhounds had been close together in the room, but at least four of them were spaced further from the rest and under relative cover.”

Auris held up a printed TSAB message. “This message from Special Agent Touring prior to his murder states that the Hellhounds were celebrating their mission by getting drunk. The time-frame between the Gallants’ deaths and the Hellhounds’ murder is 6 to 7 hours. From the set-up of the room and the precise timing, is it logical that Raven Gallant would have required time to study the scene before she acted in order to guarantee 100% kills?”

“With scant evidence or witness testimony, I can only speculate upon the capabilities of Agent Touring and the Hellhound gang members.” Verossa hesitated, but finally said, “But yes. I would say that substantial planning must have been involved in order to achieve such a high body count without any of the targets having the opportunity to defend themselves. She had to have waited until most of them were too drunk to react and also the order and location of her targets in order to cause the outcome that I saw.”

“The evidence at the scene and the Inspector’s professional opinion appears to be pre-mediated murder, not an impulsive, mindless attempt to gain revenge.” Auris let her words sink into the jury’s minds before she nodded at Verossa. “Thank you, Inspector.”

**O**

“What are they trying to do?” Nanoha whispered in Fate’s ear.

“Raven has already confessed to murder,” Fate whispered back. “It’s doubtful that the Defence can overturn a first-degree murder charge, but if they convince the jury that Raven wasn’t responsible for her actions, then they might be able to lower the charges.”

“You make it sound like they’ve already decided that she should be punished!”

Fate didn’t want to tell Nanoha that cases involving officers were usually biased. The part that hurt a lot was because it was how she and Hayate had gotten lighter sentences, as the TSAB officers they had assaulted had refused to press charges and actually spoke in their defence.

Not so with Raven Gallant.

“It’s too early to be able to tell. The defence council have some good expert witnesses coming up, Nanoha, so I wouldn’t lose hope yet.”

Nanoha wasn’t looking at her, but at the back of Hayate’s head, bent over in discussion with Auris on the other side of the room. “I hope that Hayate is only doing this because she has something up her sleeve. It’s…it’s Hayate-chan.”

Fate glanced at the front, seeing that the proceedings had temporarily halted due to some kind of delay with the next witness. “Anything can happen, Nanoha.” The chamber door opened and a senior doctor was escorted in, his white coat buttoned up over a business suit. “Ah, this is going to be important.”

“What? It is?”

“Yes. The easiest way for the defence to strike down the charges is for them to convince the jury that Raven wasn’t acting in her right mind when she killed the Hellhounds.” Fate nodded at Jettal and Favager, who were intently conversing with each other. “Depending on the answers they pull from the psychiatrist, it could lend a lot of weight to their arguments.”

“I heard that Shamal was asked, but she refused.” Nanoha frowned, not liking that Shamal had dodged her civil duty. “I understand that it’s Hayate, but still.”

“I doubt they would have let her.” Fate watched as the gray-haired doctor took the stand, only half-paying attention as Officer Jettal introduced the man and started listing his extensive credentials. “Conflict of interest.”

“She and the other Wolkenritter still slip sometimes and call Hayate their Master.” Nanoha sighed, tense with fretting. “It’s no surprise that it would be considered a conflict of interest.”

“It was almost amusing,” Fate admitted, rubbing Nanoha’s thigh soothingly. “There was so much debate before the trial over the list of expert witnesses, because nearly all of us have some possible conflict of interest with Hayate. She sure does know a lot of people.”

“Really? When did this happen?” Nanoha frowned, although she did smile a little and Fate could feel her muscles relax slightly. “I didn’t hear anything about it.”

“Much of this trial has already happened behind closed doors, Nanoha.”

“Then…” Nanoha stared at her, confused. Fate dreaded the question that would follow, because she wasn’t sure how to answer it. “What is the point of this trial?”

She swallowed and replied, “There are still elements of the trial that require judicial deliberation.”

Her wife blinked twice at Fate’s sudden shift in tone, but she turned back to the proceedings, squeezing Fate’s hand lightly in understanding. They would talk about it later, in private. Because even though most people had guessed, Fate didn’t want to accidentally seem like she was confirming any suspicions.

Something greater than Raven Gallant was at trial here.

To be continued in Part 5: Trial Day 1, part C

Spoiler for Author's Note:

Yeah, I'm sorry for how screwed up the labeled parts are ....right now I'm just trying to write out all the parts, and since I did revisions all my numbers are screwed up. I'm debating just splitting it into distinct chapters (my original plan was to just post it as one short long story.)

Thanks to Dezo for helping me out with all this legal law stuff! Any weird errors are due to my incompetence and creative license .

Hopefully I can finish Trial Day 1 quickly, as I've got so many other scenes after this one just ready to go!

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Been a while since I updated this story, but I've been distracted with other works . Sorry!

Previous parts:Revised Part 1-4A and Revised Part 4B. Previous section of Trial Day 1:Revised Part 5: Trial Day 1, part A

Crime Never Sleeps
Revised Part 5: Trial Day 1, part B

Spoiler for Crime Never Sleeps, Part 5: Trial Day 1, part B:

****
Cheat Sheet to refresh your memory:
Prosecutors: Hayate Yagami and Auris Gaiz, on behalf of NSIS Agent Keen Touring (killed by Raven Gallant during his undercover mission)
Defence: Officers Thomas Jettal and Carina Favager, on behalf of Raven Gallant, an 11-year old girl who killed Agent Touring and 11 other Hellhound gang members
****

Trial Day 1 - Expert Witness Testimony #1
“Defence, your first witness?”

Favager stood, her stance rigid with unease. “We would like to call Inspector Verossa Acous to the stand.” The young officer’s voice was smooth compared to her partner, and Auris found herself impressed even as she smiled confidently. Favager continued, addressing the judge and the courtroom. “Inspector Acous was the TSAB officer who arrived on the scene after the Vaizen authorities reported the incident. Inspector, please describe the initial scene.”

Verossa looked utterly at ease—court cases had to be routine for him. His meticulously pressed white suit appeared a grade nicer than the usual one he wore for work, although his hair still looked scruffy. The only emotion he showed was a brief, ambiguous glance at the prosecutor’s stand. Auris flicked her eyes sideways, but if Hayate had reacted, Auris was too late to see.

“I was called to investigate the murder of twelve gang members, the Hellhounds, in their warehouse hide-out. Due to the presence of an illegal weapon being used in the crime, the TSAB was initially called as no more than a formality.” He didn’t bother explaining the details of weapons policy, of which Auris was grateful. In a military trial, everybody was (or should have been) familiar with the policies, and she had been part of some trials where whole sections from the dreary policies document had been quoted at length. “When I arrived, I saw the defendant, Raven Gallant, in the custody of the local officers.”

“How did the local police gain custody of Raven?” asked Favager, walking out from behind the table.

“She had surrendered to the first officers on the scene, having confessed to the crime.”

“Was there any struggle or attempt to escape the authorities?”

“No,” answered Verossa.

“From the officers’ statements, they had attempted to release Raven once, because they disbelieved that an eleven-year old girl could have killed so many people, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And yet Raven did not try to flee, but turned herself in peacefully?”

“Yes.”

They were being clever—sticking to the facts made it hard for Auris or Hayate to derail their train of thought with objections. Auris simply tapped her pen on the table, then made a note for herself, flipping the pad over before Hayate could look.

Favager walked over to Verossa and slid a sheet of paper in a plastic covering onto the witness stand. “Please read aloud the exact statement that Raven gave as to why she didn’t resist arrest when you questioned her.”

Verossa glanced down, and recited, “She had said, ‘The police need to know that they killed my parents.’”

Hayate tapped Auris’ elbow, silently placing a sheet before her. Auris skimmed the words and smiled darkly.

“Clearly, Raven’s mindset was still firmly set in grief over the horror of losing her family in such a violent way to this gang. For a young girl, losing her parents is the most traumatizing event that can happen to a young child. That kind of trauma cannot be easily shed nor forgotten in time.”

“Objection.” Hayate’s soft, clear voice startled everyone. She tilted her head towards Favager. “Officer Favager has no expert medical knowledge to be able to support such a statement.”

“Sustained.” Judge Grangaitz nodded once.

Starting again, Favager took a breath. “Although Raven had the opportunity to flee from the scene or resist arrest, she chose to take responsibility for her actions. By turning herself in to the authorities, the defendant demonstrated a remarkable show of accountability.” She looked at the judge. “That’s all.”

Auris rose now, walking right up to Verossa and placing her document before him. “Inspector, could you please read the full statement Gallant gave to the police when she was arrested?”

Verossa picked up the sheet, dispirited. Quietly, he read, “‘They killed my parents, so I killed them…The police need to know that they killed my parents.’”

“That statement there clearly shows intent,” Auris said, keeping her smugness carefully hidden. “The defendant was retaliating—an eye for an eye.” She returned to the prosecutor’s table, but remained standing. “Inspector Acous, you became aware that a TSAB officer was one of the victims of the massacre after the NSIS contacted you shortly after your arrival, correct?”

“Yes. At that moment, I claimed jurisdiction of the investigation from the local authorities due to the possible TSAB connections to the case.”

“Did you then examine the bodies of the victims?”

“Yes, I did.”

“In your professional opinion, did the Hellhounds appear to be skilled fighters?”

Verossa nodded. “From the state of their weaponry and the reputation that their gang has on Vaizen, yes, I would say so.”

Auris pushed on with a deeper question. “Is it plausible for you, under normal conditions, that an average eleven-year old girl would be capable of killing eleven Hellhounds and one seasoned NSIS agent without any of them retaliating while the others were being killed?”

And just like she expected, Acous answered, “Not impossible, but highly improbable. Most of the Hellhounds had been close together in the room, but at least four of them were spaced further from the rest and under relative cover.”

Auris held up a printed TSAB message. “This message from Special Agent Touring prior to his murder states that the Hellhounds were celebrating their mission by getting drunk. The time-frame between the Gallants’ deaths and the Hellhounds’ murder is 6 to 7 hours. From the set-up of the room and the precise timing, is it logical that Raven Gallant would have required time to study the scene before she acted in order to guarantee 100% kills?”

“With scant evidence or witness testimony, I can only speculate upon the capabilities of Agent Touring and the Hellhound gang members.” Verossa hesitated, but finally said, “But yes. I would say that substantial planning must have been involved in order to achieve such a high body count without any of the targets having the opportunity to defend themselves. She had to have waited until most of them were too drunk to react and also the order and location of her targets in order to cause the outcome that I saw.”

“The evidence at the scene and the Inspector’s professional opinion appears to be pre-mediated murder, not an impulsive, mindless attempt to gain revenge.” Auris let her words sink into the jury’s minds before she nodded at Verossa. “Thank you, Inspector.”

**O**

“What are they trying to do?” Nanoha whispered in Fate’s ear.

“Raven has already confessed to murder,” Fate whispered back. “It’s doubtful that the Defence can overturn a first-degree murder charge, but if they convince the jury that Raven wasn’t responsible for her actions, then they might be able to lower the charges.”

“You make it sound like they’ve already decided that she should be punished!”

Fate didn’t want to tell Nanoha that cases involving officers were usually biased. The part that hurt a lot was because it was how she and Hayate had gotten lighter sentences, as the TSAB officers they had assaulted had refused to press charges and actually spoke in their defence.

Not so with Raven Gallant.

“It’s too early to be able to tell. The defence council have some good expert witnesses coming up, Nanoha, so I wouldn’t lose hope yet.”

Nanoha wasn’t looking at her, but at the back of Hayate’s head, bent over in discussion with Auris on the other side of the room. “I hope that Hayate is only doing this because she has something up her sleeve. It’s…it’s Hayate-chan.”

Fate glanced at the front, seeing that the proceedings had temporarily halted due to some kind of delay with the next witness. “Anything can happen, Nanoha.” The chamber door opened and a senior doctor was escorted in, his white coat buttoned up over a business suit. “Ah, this is going to be important.”

“What? It is?”

“Yes. The easiest way for the defence to strike down the charges is for them to convince the jury that Raven wasn’t acting in her right mind when she killed the Hellhounds.” Fate nodded at Jettal and Favager, who were intently conversing with each other. “Depending on the answers they pull from the psychiatrist, it could lend a lot of weight to their arguments.”

“I heard that Shamal was asked, but she refused.” Nanoha frowned, not liking that Shamal had dodged her civil duty. “I understand that it’s Hayate, but still.”

“I doubt they would have let her.” Fate watched as the gray-haired doctor took the stand, only half-paying attention as Officer Jettal introduced the man and started listing his extensive credentials. “Conflict of interest.”

“She and the other Wolkenritter still slip sometimes and call Hayate their Master.” Nanoha sighed, tense with fretting. “It’s no surprise that it would be considered a conflict of interest.”

“It was almost amusing,” Fate admitted, rubbing Nanoha’s thigh soothingly. “There was so much debate before the trial over the list of expert witnesses, because nearly all of us have some possible conflict of interest with Hayate. She sure does know a lot of people.”

“Really? When did this happen?” Nanoha frowned, although she did smile a little and Fate could feel her muscles relax slightly. “I didn’t hear anything about it.”

“Much of this trial has already happened behind closed doors, Nanoha.”

“Then…” Nanoha stared at her, confused. Fate dreaded the question that would follow, because she wasn’t sure how to answer it. “What is the point of this trial?”

She swallowed and replied, “There are still elements of the trial that require judicial deliberation.”

Her wife blinked twice at Fate’s sudden shift in tone, but she turned back to the proceedings, squeezing Fate’s hand lightly in understanding. They would talk about it later, in private. Because even though most people had guessed, Fate didn’t want to accidentally seem like she was confirming any suspicions.

Something greater than Raven Gallant was at trial here.

To be continued in Part 5: Trial Day 1, part C

Spoiler for Author's Note:

Yeah, I'm sorry for how screwed up the labeled parts are ....right now I'm just trying to write out all the parts, and since I did revisions all my numbers are screwed up. I'm debating just splitting it into distinct chapters (my original plan was to just post it as one short long story.)

Thanks to Dezo for helping me out with all this legal law stuff! Any weird errors are due to my incompetence and creative license .

Hopefully I can finish Trial Day 1 quickly, as I've got so many other scenes after this one just ready to go!

.....

I have a very cold, very nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach after reading this. I don't doubt Hayate has a plan up her sleeve, but somehow, I just cannot see this ending well for Raven.

EDIT: Pageclaim for part 5!