"S,so... I'm,m not seeing wrong, right?"
Mia stuttered, taking her eyes away from the laptop.
"W,what's going to happen to us from now on?"
"Good things."
I replied while sighing and rubbing my brows.
"Good things..."
"You aren't just saying things to cheer us up, right?"
"No, why would I? With rankings like these, the world would have to be blind if no opportunity came our way."
"B,but..."
"But what?"
"...Is it okay to get my hopes up?"
What?
I turned to look at Mia. And that's when I realized that she wasn't the only one looking at me with hopeful looks.
Ah, I see now.
It finally dawned on me.
For the first time in three years, the girls had finally managed to succeed. Although it wasn't anything considerable in the large scope of things, it was a humongous step forward for them.
Their reactions shouldn't come as a surprise when all they did for the past three years was fail.
And so I nodded.
"You can get your hopes up."
"Really...?"
The girls looked at each other. Seeing their trembling shoulders, I nodded again.
"Yes... Because all you girls really needed were opportunities. Now that you have them, the sky's the limit for you."
I wasn't speaking because I wanted to encourage them. I genuinely believed every word that I said. As someone who had studied Star Chasers for a major part of his life, I knew just how talented the girls were.
Without a doubt, they were unpolished gems that needed a little more polishing in order to captivate the entire world.
And the first step in doing that was...
"Sarah, go get changed and rest. I've booked the training room for 18:00 today. It's good that you want to exercise, but overworking your body like that will only hold you back."
"Okay."
"Good, I'll meet you there at six. For now, I don't want to see you do anything but rest."
"Mhm."
Nodding, Sarah brushed her hair back and headed for the shower. Mia kept fiddling with the laptop, checking the comments and yelping and chiding at every negative one. Olivia went back to her room, and Joana went to grab a tub of yogur... Ah, so that's her addiction.
Why did I only notice it now?
***
"..."
Lyla laid down on the floor blankly staring at the ceiling. The world seemed to have lost its usual color and everything seemed so dark and bleak.
"...What am I living for...?"
Life seemed utterly meaningless at the moment. Evil presided over every corner of the place she once called home
"Get up from the floor. It's dirty."
Blinking her eyes, Lyla slightly turned her head. The Great Guardian. Or so she called him. He was the man who helped her break free from the clutches of the four demon kings of the house.
He was currently sitting on the kitchen desk scribbling something with his pen.
"Up you go. Your little protest has been going on for too long. It's already late in the afternoon. Get up."
Her life used to be bleak before he came.
Every day, her hair and cheeks would endure numerous attacks she couldn't escape from. From morning till night, she'd be under the evil clutches of the four demon kings. That was until he came.
'Stop that, can't you see she doesn't like it?'
'Let me do her hair.'
Life had been good since then.
His face was scary, but he had always been good to her.
He was her Guardian.
...And yet.
"TV."
"No."
"...Please."
"No."
That very same guardian had betrayed her. He had joined the Demon Kings's side.
And so. Lyla did what she knew best to do.
"..."
Cross her arms and pout in protest as she laid on the floor.
"You know I can just lift you up, right?"
"...?"
"I will if you don't get up now..."
"...?!"
"I'm coming."
"...!"
What a formidable foe.
Seeing that he really was going to move, Lyla gave up and stood up. Pouting once more, she sat down on the sofa and crossed her little arms.
After that, this well-respected young lady continued her one-sided protest.
"...Hmph."
Of course, she had to let it be known that she was protesting.
"...Hmp—!!!"
The protest took an abrupt halt when snot came out of her nose.
"Do you need a tissue...?"
"..."
Lyla shook her head.
As if she was going to accept charity from the enemy.
"Do you really not want it? It's going all the way down your chin..."
"..."
Lyla hesitated.
No, she had to be firm about this. She couldn't let herself be corrupted by evil.
"Well, suit yourself. The tissues are next to me if you need them."
What a powerful bewitchment.
As expected of her Ex-Guardian. Even when corrupted, he was powerful.
"...!"
But that was when it suddenly hit her. Sitting up straight, she adjusted her clothes in order to look as professional as she could.
With a determined look, she took a deep breath and took a step forward.
"Are you here for the tissues?"
Shake. Shake.
"Then...?"
"I will free you."
"Free me?"
"Yes."
"Okay...? And how are you going to do that?"
"I will conquer them."
Brushing her hair back in an adult manner she composed her face to look more mature.
"When I do that, will you allow me to watch TV?"
A look of realization suddenly crossed the Ex-Guardian's face.
"Ah, I see now. Well..."
He fell into deep thought.
"...Hmph!"
"Alright, fine."
Riip—!
Ripping a page from his notebook and scribbling a few things on it, the ex-Guardian handed her the page.
What's this?
"If you manage to get all the girls to sign this page in agreement, then I'll give you the remote back. Ah, get Dean's as well."
A quest!
A Demon King subjugation quest!
What an unexpected turn of events.
"...Is that okay?"
Nod. Nod.
Lyla retrieved the paper with both hands. She didn't expect to be successful, but it seems like the Ex-Guardian hadn't been fully corrupt.
A look of solemnity replaced her pouting face.
So, in the end, it had come to this. She had known for a long time such a day was going to come, but she hadn't expected it to come this early.
...The day that she would subjugate the Demon Kings.
"Huu."
Lyla took a deep breath, calming her trembling heart.
She could do this.
She knew she could.
And so, she took a step forward. A step toward her great conquest.
"Ah, Lyla wait."
"...!"
"Here. Your snot is drying up. Let me wipe it for you before it's too late."
But who would've thought she'd experience a setback the moment she took her first step?
*
'No journey starts off smoothly. All great heroes face setbacks.'
A quote Lyla learned from Justice Man. As if to justify the setback she faced during the start of her quest.
Lyla stood in front of a familiar door. The words [Mia] were imprinted right on that very door.
It had been a room she had frequented often, but today...
Today the door looked towering. As if it would swallow her whole with one wrong step.
To Tok—!
Through her hesitation, she managed to knock on the door.
"Nn...? Lyla?"
Ha. The first Demon King had appeared.
"Is there something you need from me?"
"...Sign."
Lyla handed the piece of paper.
"Sign...? What for?"
"Freedom."
"Ah?"
Mia, who was staring at the paper, suddenly looked up.
"Freedom?"
Nod.
"Freedom."
Lyla reiterated.
"What would a child like you know about freedom? ...Wait a second."
But that was when Mia suddenly noticed the words written on the paper. She read them out loud.
"Lyla television permission slip. By signing this, I agree to grant Lyla the privilege of watching the TV again... Hey."
Mia looked at Lyla.
"Is this the freedom you were talking about?"
Nod.
"Freedom."
"Oh? So freedom is being able to watch TV?"
"...Um. Freedom. Human right."
Mia suddenly smiled, as if finding the situation amusing.
Evil witch.
"Ho~ When did you learn about Human rights?"
"...Give me back what's mine."
"Mhhh."
Mia placed her finger over her chin and pondered. But she eventually shook her head.
"I don't want to~"
Lyla clenched the paper.
"Why."
"...How long did you sleep for?"
"I will sleep."
"You haven't answered the question. How long?"
"..."
"Exactly."
"So...?"
"I won't sign it. You need to sleep. You can't stay up all night, watching TV. Especially someone as young as you and who is still growing."
"...!"
Lyla's expression cracked and so did something within her.
As expected of a Demon King. They were a tough nut to crack. But it wasn't as though she was unprepared.
She had spent the past three years studying and analyzing each of the Demon Kings. She knew everything she needed to know about them. Their habits, their hobbies, their way of speaking, and...
Their weaknesses.
"Sniff... Sniff..."
"Eh..? Eh! Lyla!?"
"Snifff..."
"A,are you crying?"
Flustered, Mia rushed to Lyla and wiped the tears that were falling from her cheeks with the sleeves of her cardigan.
"Hey... Hey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry Lyla."
"Sniff..."
"Oh, no."
Mia's eyes trembled. She hadn't expected Lyla to suddenly cry like that. She was extremely flustered.
"W... ah, fine! Fine! I'll sign it! I'll sign it!"
"R,really?"
Lyla immediately stopped crying as she looked up with hopeful eyes.
"Yes! Yes! Give it here. Let me sign it."
After handing the paper to Mia, Lyla tried her best to stop her lips from curling up.
"Ukh."
Oh no.
Lyla covered her mouth with both hands. She had almost blown her cover with her laugh.
"Here you go... Don't cry anymore. Okay?"
"Um."
Lyla retrieved the paper and stared at the signature.
What an extraordinary signature.
The ink, gracefully etched on the paper, glowed beneath the ceiling lights, casting an otherworldly aura that enveloped her surroundings.
If she could, she'd bask in the afterglow of the signature, but she knew she was pressed for time.
Evil waited for no one.
And so...
She continued on her quest.
The first Demon King had been conquered.
***
"Haaa."
I rubbed my face.
Just how much did they spoil Lyla? For her to blankly stare at the ceiling for the entire morning until now... I was both shocked and impressed.
'Well, at least, she now has a goal to work on.'
Thinking back about her face which seemed to have finally seen hope again, I shook my head.
They really were... a bad influence on her.
"Now then..."
I circled a couple of words on my notepad.
'Project selection.'
This was the most pressing matter at the moment. The deadline was set for tomorrow, and yet, I still didn't know which project to take.
'Will the project still fail now that the Guild Master talked to the Lotus Guild...?'
In all honesty, I thought this was improbable. This was that, and that was that. Unless I proved that the Lotus Guild had a hand on this matter, if they had a hand on this matter, then the projects would still most likely fail.
"But there has to be a way..."
A way out for me.
A way that wouldn't force me to choose a project that was likely to fail.
And if that problem wasn't enough. There was another problem that I needed to handle.
'Sarah.'
I circled her name.
Her situation was rather delicate. Somehow, I managed to convince her to stay and practice with me. Today was going to be the first day that I would observe her training.
I thought everything was going for the better.
However, it still seemed as though she wasn't confident in herself. It was to the point where she was starting to overwork her own body.
Something needed to change, and fast.
But how was I going to do that...?
That moment, when I was thinking about Sarah, the world around me darkened.
And it was then that I knew.
I was experiencing another vision.