Days passed as the Ina Siblings started working in Maria Bakery.
Pan has new plans in mind, especially about romancing both Clara and Crispina.
But in order to do that, she needs to find a way to be less... Floursack-y
Pan finds herself in front of a mirror, taking a look at her sorry form.
"Damn that stupid goddess, how am I supposed to attract those two if I look like this?" Pan thought as she turns into her pure flour form.
"I have a bit of mastery over my flour, but staying in this form for too long makes me tired quick. I've gotten better with mana control but it still leaves me tired after a few minutes." Pan sighs before turning back into her floursack form.
"Gotta keep training myself until I can confidently pull of this form." Pan says as she glares at her reflection.
She imagined a new body, a new look. A form that is worthy of being seen as a regular human being, and a worthy future wife for the two women she fancies.
"Alright, it's time to train!"
And for about a week, she spent many hours trying to advance her control over flour. The training was surprisingly vigorous for her, as she spent more time sleeping.
While training, she's also been bonding with Clara and Maria. Just some talking and hanging out so they're comfortable with Pan and her personality.
Santiago is fully on board with her daughter marrying a sack of flour, but Basilio is a little skeptical, even territorial for his sister.
Nonetheless, it'll require a bit of effort for Pan to ask them out. So she's doing just that with her masterful training over her floursack.
Alongside her training, she started to introduce more of her world's pastries to the Marias.
Alongside the Pandesals, she introduced a snack that everyone loves, doughnuts. Ofcourse, she doesn't want to reveal the flavours of doughnut, she made glazed and bagels first.
Like the pandesal, it was received positively, pushing up Maria Bakery's fame further up the ladder.
This meant more money for Pan, and more delicious cuisines for Basilio and Crispina.
As the week passed, Pan was confident in her new skills and abilities. So she goes to try her luck with Clara and Crispina.
Clara and Crispina were called in the living room, where they stood and wait for Pan as she had something to say.
A few seconds later, Pan entered the room, still in her floursack form. She intends to try her luck in her true form first.
She bounces onto the living room table and presents herself, clearing her throat.
"Crispina, Clara..." Pan called out.
"Yes?" The two ladies responded, both equally curious to see what she had to say.
Basilio and Santiago watched in the sideline. The old man was excited and curious, rubbing his beard but Basilio has a bad feeling about this.
"If you are so interested to experience it... I'm asking you out!" Pan says before taking out a bouquet of flowers, resting on her flour hand.
"What?" Crispina and Clara asked in unison.
"My dearest beautiful gals! May I ask you out on a date?" Pan says with exaggeration, using both her fire and water control to make it look extravagant.
She lent her bouquet of flowers to them. Clara and Crispina stared for a moment before realising.
"WHAT?!" The two shouted.
Crispin and Clara turned away, blushing crazy. One, Pan had been mutual with the two for the past week and two, they've never been courted in their lives.
"W-Well, you asked so nicely... But, umm..." Clara twiddled her fingers.
"Ehe, I'm not that cute, you know? Plus, umm... I'm not so sure..." Crispina did the same, blushing with a nervous grin.
"Hell no, as if we're going to agree you dating them!" Basilio protested as usual.
"I think otherwise. You're free to date my daughter, Pan." Santiago says with a chuckle.
"W-Well, I don't want my sister dating some sack of flour! We've got standards as human beings, you know?!" Basilio shouted as he pointed at Pan.
"Big Bro..." Crispina muttered.
"Father! You didn't even try to back me up!" Clara says as she shook Santiago, he just chuckled.
"Well, it's not up for you to decide that, Basilio. I want to hear concrete answers from Clara and Crispina." Pan says before jumping down.
"Uh, well..." Crispina scratches the back of her head.
"As for me, I'll have to think about it, Miss Pan. It's just a bit sudden, you know?" Clara says as she let's go of her father.
"That's fine by me, take your time, my dear." Pan nodded.
"Okay... Then I—" Crispina was going to give her answer but Basilio hovers his hand over her mouth.
"Hold on, keep your answer, Sis. I'll handle this." Basilio says before approaching Pan with determined eyes.
"If you're going to date my sister, then you'll have to go through me!" Basilio pointed at himself, with his confident and brave thumb.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Basilio declared as he pointed at Pan.
Crispina, Clara and Santiago all looked in shock. But Pan looked none the wiser, in fact, she looked excited.
"Sure, I accept your challenge, Basilio. Let's take this at the back, don't want to mess things around here." Pan says before she starts waddling to the backyard.
"Don't make a mess in the backyard, especially the garden!" Santiago reminded.
"Come on, we could've done this in a civil way, you two... Sigh..." Clara as she shook her head.
"I'll get the first aid, just in case!" Clara then heads upstairs to get it.
"Big Bro!" Crispina says as she grabs his arm.
"You don't need to defend me! I can decide for myself!"
"Quit it, Sis." Basilio shrugged off Crispina before turning to her.
"This is something more than you, this is my way to protect you." Basilio says.
"But I can protect myself, you don't have to do something stupid like this! Miss Pan is our boss!" Crispina protested.
"Boss or not, if anyone wants to date my sister, then they have to go through me." Basilio says with determination in his eyes.
Crispina was shocked to see his eyes.
"If they're not strong enough to beat me, then they're not strong enough to protect you."
"Big Bro..." Crispina's eyes glistened before smiling.
"Alright, but don't get yourself hurt. Miss Pan did beat us when we first met her."
"Don't worry, she just got lucky. Now I'm ready for a tussle, she doesn't know the full strength of a Rank D Adventurer." Basilio nodded with a smile.
Basilio then heads to the backyard with Crispina following behind, Clara followed as well as soon as she got downstairs.
"Those two are wonderful siblings, are they?" Santiago chuckled.
"This'll be an interesting bout." Santiago then followed.
Basilio and Pan faced each other in the Maria Household's Backyard. The others watched at a safe distance but their hearts are full of nervousness and curiosity to see how this fight will go.
"We fight till one drops, right?" Pan says as she stretches her little floursack body.
"Yeah, I'm not going to hold back." Basilio says as he takes out his blade, wind magic flowing through it.
"Okay good, cause I'm going to try something new." Pan says before focusing up, flour slowly surrounding her.
"Huh? This feeling..." Basilio's eyes widened, the others did so as well.
Pan had an aura around her, the result of her training is showing itself.
"You see, in order to date those two sweethearts, I needed to strengthen both my resolve and power. I can't romance them in a sorry form like this..." Pan says as she explodes into flour, surrounding herself in it.
Basilio watched in awe to what was happening. He fought monsters, but Pan was beyond him.
"This mana... Is Miss Pan really this strong?" Crispina thought.
"I spent a lot of time learning how to control my flour, and now I'm confident to say that I've achieved what I was striving for!" Pan declared as a silhouette was forming within the cloud of flour.
"Besides good looks and appearance, this new form got me a lot stronger..."
"Firing off flour in high speeds is great and all, but nothing beats a good ol' fashion punch!"
The flour then subsides as it shows Pan's brand new form.
With face and body of a young woman, she had a ponytail hairstyle just like her old life, but her face and body wasn't as old.
Her body was still made of flour but focused and hardened to look and feel like human skin. And her eyes glowed purple, as a result of focused mana.
Despite being naked, she didn't have any visible genitalia.
"Is that, her human form?" Crispina muttered.
"Wow! I didn't think Miss Pan was such an adorable young woman!" Clara says cheerfully.
"I have to admit, she looks cute..." Crispin muttered.
"Now you fawn over me, but that's okay, I did this for you guys~" Pan smirked.
"Hey, come on..." Basilio called.
"Anyways, this is my human form!" Pan poses extravagantly, flour circulating around her body.
"Child of Man: Harina!"
"Cool..." Basilio muttered but he hardens up.
"If we're doing then, then I'll have to pull out my strongest form as well!"
Basilio then changes stance as the wind around his sword strengthens, then it starts to form up into a recognisable figure.
"Big Bro... That technique..." Crispina got nervous.
"So the fight is that serious that you have to use this attack, huh?"
Clara glanced at Crispina, hearing how serious she was made her more nervous.
"Whoa... I got to learn wind magic." Pan says.
"Witness the serpent of Kalakasan!" Basilio shouted as a serpent like figure made of wind formed over him.
"Great Serpent! Basilisk's Blade!"
And now the two get ready for a real tussle. It got more intense than before, so the others got behind cover with Crispina protecting the two from any potential flying debris.
"Alright, let's get started..." Pan muttered.
"I'll end this right now!" Basilio then dashes forward, readying his blade for a slash.
"What's the worse it can do?" Pan says as she takes the slash, her body chopped in half by a hasty blade
Crispina and Clara gasped in shock but soon realized that Pan was still made of flour.
"Unlucky shot, I'll find it sooner or later..." Basilio thought but he couldn't back away in time as Pan engaged.
"Doughnut!" Pan says as she swung her fist and blasted her arm onto Basilio's stomach.
It felt like a sucker punch launched by a cannon, this was Pan's fearsome attack.
But it wasn't over yet as Pan reforms her body and prepares her arm for a swing.
"And now, Baguette!" Pan shouted before swinging her arm like a sword.
The arm turned into a big mass of flour as it swung onto Basilio, slashing him with a block of flour as he was sent rolling onto the ground.
"Nice, I feel a lot stronger." Pan says before she returns to her position, waiting for Basilio's attack.
"Damn it... She's strong..." Basilio coughed before he pushed himself to stand.
"I'll need to find her core, she maybe invincible from attacks but there's still a core inside a monster like her!" Basilio thought before he charges.
Pan didn't know about a core or anything, so she stood there ready to take it.
"Come on, hit me with your best shot!" Pan shouted.
Basilio then prepares his basilisk blade for one last attack.
"Here I come!" Basilio says before swinging his blade.
"Basilisk's Fang!" Basilio then releases a flurry of slashes against Pan, which kept separating her body to smaller pieces.
Pan chuckles at his attempts but failed to realize that Basilio is searching for something.
"He's going to tire himself out if he keeps attacking Pan with those attacks, it seems nothing can hurt her." Clara commented.
"No, you're wrong, Clara." Crispina says and Clara looked at her curiously.
"Every monster has a weakness. For goblins, it's their constitution, for ghouls, it's sunlight and garlic. But for monsters such as Pan, there's one thing we can hurt her with..." Crispina says.
Basilio then stopped slashing for a moment, a his eyes focused on a something.
When Pan's Body was slashed into flour clouds and pieces, something was hovering in the middle of where her chest laid.
"That's it!" Basilio thought.
A small orb that's transparent, it was small as a penny but such a thing carried significance.
"It's small and almost hard to see. It's a unique core but it's similar to a slime! This is your weakness, Miss Pan. I'm sorry for what I'm about to do!" Basilio then prepares one more slash.
"This is gonna be my everything! Cross Stitch!" Basilio then strikes the small core with an X - formation slash.
Immediately, the core cracked and Pan gasped in sudden pain. As if her whole body suddenly had cuts, Pan groaned in pain.
"What the hell!?" Pan instinctively jumped back, her body regenerating it's flour but she quickly stood in guard.
Basilio was beat, his basilisk's blade dissipating and he started to pant. The fatigue of the technique has caught up.
"Damn it, she's still standing, huh? I thought I could damage it enough to knock her out..." Basilio muttered.
"Miss Pan! Basilio!" Clara shouted with worry.
"This is getting dangerous, stop this now!" Crispina shouted.
"Nuh-uh! I'm going down if I get knocked out, Crispina... Miss Pan just showed her weakness, and if I beat her now, she's not worthy as your protector, let alone your beloved!" Basilio says before standing up, preparing his blade.
"Son of a... It hurts so bad..!" Pan thought as she held her chest in pain.
She then looks up at Basilio, her teeth gritted as her anger grows.
"Fine then, I'll have to end this!" Pan says before standing up, flour circulating her body.
"Hya!" Basilio charges once again.
"Here it comes! Flour plume!" Pan then breathes deep before blowing a massive cloud of flour towards Basilio.
Immediately, Basilio stopped his attack and assessed the situation. But he knows what to do against smoke attacks.
"Hah! I wield the wind with my blade! A breeze can get rid of this." Basilio says as he prepares wind magic.
But suddenly, the flour cloud lit up and exploded. As if a small bomb exploded mid-air.
Basilio got caught at the edge, his clothes charred from it. The others looked in shock and fear, did Pan cast a powerful fire spell?
"Has Miss Pan strengthen her fire skills?" Crispina thought.
"That doesn't look like a normal fire spell. I would've heard the incantation, or atleast see an ember." Basilio thought before looking back at the black smoke cloud.
Suddenly, white fists appeared from it, dozens of it. And Basilio soon realized that he was in danger, as Pan's fists came flying towards him.
"Damn it! I can't dodge!" Basilio froze in place as a white floury fist slams across his face.
And then a barrage of punches slammed onto his body, each one feeling like an above average punch.
"Doughnut..." Pan's voice echoed from the smoke as she slowly walks towards Basilio, sending out flurries of punches.
Then one final punch met Basilio, aimed at his stomach which knocked all the wind out of him and knocking him out completely.
"... Machine!" Pan shouted right after before dropping on her back.
"Miss Pan!" Clara says as she rushed to her side.
"Big Bro!" Crispina rushed to her brother's side.
"Oh my, what a spectacular fight... I felt my old bones rattle at every moment." Santiago says before sighing.
"I'll get some refreshments." He then walks back into the house.
"Miss Pan, are you alright? You looked like you were in so much pain, it had me worried." Clara says as she tried to help Pan sit up, her human body was slowly turning back.
"Thanks for worrying about me, dear..." Pan smirked before she pierces through her own chest, grabbing the core.
She then pulls it out so she can see what damaged it.
"What the hell? This is my weakness? That sucks..." Pan sighed as she looked at it.
But suddenly, Crispina's hand placed over Pan's core. Pan was a little surprised.
"Hey, Crispina... Tend to your brother." Pan says.
"Basilio's fine, Miss Pan. A few scratches and bruises is a regular for us. But just in case, you can tend to him, Miss Clara." Crispina turns to Clara, nodding at her.
"Very well, please treat Miss Pan, Crispina." Clara then hurries to Basilio's side, carrying the first aid.
Then Crispina grasps Pan's hand and the core, focuses her senses and mana.
"Agh... It hurts to touch it." Pan says in pain, her body still deteriorating slowly into her true form.
"Bear with it, it'll be over soon. I know a little bit of healing magic." Crispina smiled before focusing some more.
And slowly, a green glow emitted from their clasped hands. Pan felt warm, as if she was embraced.
Pan's body stopped deteriorating and stayed in her human form. The core didn't have any cracks.
Crispina sighed, the healing magic was effective but it took a lot of mana from her.
"Wow, I definitely need to learn this." Pan says as she looks at her hand.
The core was inside her palm, but now that she knows what and where it is, she can freely move it inside her body.
Though before doing that, she grabs Crispina's hand softly and firmly grasped it.
Crispina flinched but she calms down as she soon glanced at Pan's magic-filled eyes.
"Never in my life I've felt a warmth like this." Pan says.
"I wish to hold it forever, and indulge in its comfort."
Crispina's eyes widened, and her heart flutters at Pan's suddenly calm voice. She held her chest before slowly looking away, smiling.
"You jerk, don't say stupid things..." Crispina says before pulling her hand away, blushing red.
"Ah- Sorry, hehe!" Pan chuckled but she suddenly poofs and turns back into her floursack form.
"Damn, ran out of mana. Oh well, let's put your brother to bed, and I'm sure you guys are hungry too." Pan says before waddling towards the house.
"Yeah, sure." Crispina takes a deep breath to compose herself before heading back to Basilio.
Clara was watching Pan and Crispina, but she did her job healing Basilio.
Crispina carries her brother without any effort, though she glances at Clara since she was looking.
"Ah- It's nothing, Crispina. I'm just looking." Clara says with a nervous chuckle.
"Ah, it's fine. I was just thinking if you're ready to answer Pan's question for a date." Crispina mentioned.
"Because I'm ready, I'm going out on a date with her."
"Ah..." Clara was a little surprised, but she just looks down and sighs, unsure of what to say.
"I'm still thinking about it. I'll tell my answer tomorrow." Clara answered.
Crispina smiles before heading back to the house.
"Hmm... How conflicting, why did I feel a little angry when they held hands?" Clara thought before shaking her head.
"Nevermind that, I have to start my day. I'm just happy the fight is over"
And so Clara goes back in the house. Basilio recovered quickly with Crispina's aid, and once he does, he confidently said that Pan is worthy of his sister's hand and approves of their future relationship.
Speaking of which, the next day came fast and it was on a calming Sunday. A perfect day for dates, don't you think?
This time, Pan was called over by Clara and Crispina. The three sat at the living room while Basilio and Santiago got to work on preparing for tomorrow's products.
"So, what shall be your answers?" Pan was in her human form, she was still naked.
"I have my answer, Miss Pan!" Crispina says as she stands up, a blush across her cheek yet she was determined.
"I'll go on a date with you."
Pan smiles cheerfully, chuckling at Crispina's enthusiasm. Though she pans to Clara, who was twiddling her fingers and looking down nervously.
"Clara? How about you? Don't need to force yourself, you know? I'm fine with Crispina." Pan says.
"That's the issue though..." Clara thought before closing her eyes.
Her imagination started running wild as she thought of the many wholesome and romantic situations Pan and Crispina will go through.
The love and affection they're surrounded with as they smile, cry and care for each other made Clara jealous.
She's happy for them, but she wanted to be a part of that love.
So she stands up and declares with her entire heart and soul.
"I'll join you, Miss Pan. Please take me on a date!"
Pan lights up before jumping off the couch and landing in between them, hugging them close.
"Alright! It's decided! Let's go on a date this afternoon. I want to see the town, so I'll be happy if you take me around." Pan says before letting them go, she looks up at them with a joyous smile.
"Sure, I'd be happy to take you around, Miss Pan." Clara says with a slight blush.
"Oh! I'll take you to the guild! And you can apply to be an adventurer! It's fun to do some adventuring stuff, you know?" Crispina says with excitement, she's very into adventuring.
"Sure, that sounds like a lot of fun. Oh, and by the way, you can just call me 'Pan' or any nickname you want. Since we're dating, I want us to be casual with each other." Pan says.
"Then call my 'Crispy', it's what my brother calls me sometimes." Crispina chuckled.
"Clara is fine by me, but you may also call me any nickname you want, Miss P- I mean, Pan." Clara smiles sincerely.
"Sure, I'll think of one a few months into the relationship. For now, let's have a date!" Pan says excitingly and the two cheered on.
And so in the afternoon, Pan, Crispina and Clara had their date. Surprisingly, Pan was able to accommodate both of her time to the two, and Crispina and Clara got to know each other as well.
Pan was shown around Anihan Village, it was a fairly large and it had a few bakeries around. It's the baking capital of Kalakasan afterall.
But she listed down her potential competitors in the future and tested out their bread. Some even tried to replicate the success of her pandesal and doughnuts, she just scoffed at their half-baked (no pun intended) attempts of her products.
Crispina also showed Pan the local adventurers guild, where she met some unique people. Though she didn't stay for long since Crispina sighted that they're detecting Pan's unnaturally prominent mana from her body.
Their first date was splendid, and the 3 had an equally excellent time.
As the evening fell, they hung around an inn where they drank a bit of alcohol.
Pan was drinking down an entire pint, sighing right after chugging it all down.
"Wow! Figuring out this core thing works is great! I can practically feel and taste what I want as long as I move it around." Pan chuckled.
"Is that so? I heard that hitting a Slime's core is painful for them but it seems yours is much more sensitive." Clara says.
"Does that mean you can feel stuff with your tongue since the core is in it?" Crispina says as she takes a sip of ale.
"Why ofcourse! Why don't I test it with your tongue?" Pan says as she sticks out her tongue sensually-
BONK! Clara and Crispina hit her head.
"D-Don't joke around like that!" Crispina says with a blush.
"Y-Yes! Please be civil in a public area!" Clara says with a red blush as well.
"Ouch... My core isn't even there and I felt that..." Pan muttered as she rubbed her head.
The two chuckled at Pan's sudden pain but their enjoyment was suddenly interrupted by two men in armor.
They approached their table, seeking someone.
"Miss Clara Maria?" One of the Knight asked.
Clara, Pan and Crispina looked to see who they are.
"Anihan Knights, why do they want Crispina?" Crispina muttered.
Pan heard her mutter, so she prepares herself but still look relaxed.
"Yes, I'm Clara Maria. What is it you want?" Clara asked nicely yet she was a little nervous.
"We have questions about suspicious activity. If you come with us, we'll talk about it privately." The Knight said.
"W-What is it about?" Clara was getting more nervous.
It was getting tense, Crispina was also getting nervous. She can't stop them if she tried.
But when she glanced at Pan, her eyed widened in shock as she sees her getting more serious.
She looked relaxed but it was clear in her magic-filled eyes that she was ready to tussle against these Knights if it comes down to it.
"We can't tell you the details here, Miss Maria. It's highly confidential, we need to talk alone." The Knight was getting more persuasive.
Though one of the knights glanced at Pan, she looked suspicious to him but he focused on Maria first.
"I-If you're gonna tell me, then they also deserve to know..." Clara stood her ground, the knights didn't like that.
"It's either you come with us quietly, or we force you to." The Knight slightly unsheathed his blade, threatening Clara.
Clara flinched and Crispina held her blade under the table, the tension was high and it looked like there's going to be a fight.
But suddenly, Pan slammed her leg on the table, getting the attention of the two Knights.
"If you're going to talk to her about something, then you have to share it with me." Pan declared.
"What was that? You have no authority to ask about something that crucial, peasant!" The Knight said.
"Who are you to demand that? You white skinned monster." The Other Knight said before taking out their blade.
Everyone in the inn got up and left, some cowered in fear as it seems like a fight might break out.
Though Pan just scoffed before glaring at them.
"Who am I?" Pan said, and the two Knights felt her glare.
The tension was getting higher, and the two ladies were getting nervous. Fighting these Knights mean they'll fight Anihan Village.
But Pan suddenly pulls Clara in, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. The two Knights were shocked.
But Pan ended the tension with one sentence, declaring herself a part of this dangerous case.
"I'm her future wife, ofcourse."
The Two Knights, Crispina and Clara were awestruck. But Pan is dead serious.
"So tell me what's going on..."
"Or I'll beat it out of you."