An Arrival of a Rival. CH 21

(Previous Chapter:https://touchfluffytail.org/story/an-arrival-of-a-rival-chapter-20/)

Chapter 21

Something to consider and a big surprise.

“Hello, welcome to Aphrodishiack, where equality and pleasures…oh! Welcome, Faulkner, Trisha.” Greeting them inside Aphrodishiack, Vanessa was the one to walk them in. Faulkner casually greeted her with a wave while Trisha came at her for a hug.

“Hey, Vanessa. Table for two.” Squeezing Vanessa a little too tightly, Faulkner grabs Trisha by her left horn and pulls her away. “Owowowowow!”

“Hey, pay attention, Trisha. Can’t you see you’re strangling her?”

“Ehehe…it’s alright. I’m used to it by now. Anyways, table, booth, or the bar stools?” While still holding onto Trisha’s horn, Faulkner looks around the bar. A few things have changed since they last came. The walls have since changed color from black to a grayish color.

Rather than pink stripes, the walls on the bar were decorated with random posters of music artists, both human and monster alike. Alongside them were vinyl albums. Aside from that, there are pictures of staff members and notable regulars, which include Faulkner and Trisha.

“Ah…that’s new. When did Janice redecorate?” Trisha was a little shocked, given the renovations were seemingly done recently since she and Markus had gone to Aphrodishiack just a few weeks ago.

“More importantly, why is there a photo of us here?! And she took a picture of me while eating my burger!” Faulkner lets go of Trisha’s horn and points at their picture. The picture was hung above the booth where they usually sit.

“I-I did tell Mrs. Janice to wait until she could get your permission first…”

“Oh, quit your bellyaching! I think the picture’s fine. We’ll sit over there.”

“Hell no! We’re taking the bar booths!” The ruckus Faulkner and Trisha made naturally got the attention of the patrons. However, upon recognizing the two, they simply smile, with some even covering their mouths to stifle laughter.

“You’re such a pain in the ass. Fine. We’ll do rock paper scissors. If I win, we sit at the booth.”

“Fine.” Counting to three, Faulkner threw scissors, and Trisha threw paper, making Faulkner the victor. “Ha! I win.”

“Tsk!” Clenching her fist in defeat, Vanessa got between them and awkwardly smiled at them.

“So…the bar stools then?”

“Yes…” Trisha begrudgingly honors her loss in a defeated tone as the two sit at two vacant bar stools. There, the two see a new face in the bar. He had his back turned to make drinks, so Trisha and Faulkner couldn’t make out what he looked like.

“Ah, welcome, Faulkner, Trisha.” Dressed in a swallowtail butler suit, the suave gentleman was in the middle of making two drinks. He starts by pouring Guinness into a flute glass. Then, he mixes it with champagne and a dash of orange bitters to make an orange black velvet. The foamy top and rich color show the beer was poured to perfection. The orange wedge on the side was simply for decorative purposes, yet the surface of the orange’s flesh gleams with flavor.

Setting the finished glass aside, the bartender grabs a cocktail glass next to make one of Chelsy’s signature cocktails. Absinthe mixed with fresh calamansi, a Philippine citrus, squeezed into it alongside a dash of gin, orange liqueur, and Lillet blanc. A variation of the ‘Necromancer’ cocktail, Chelsy dubbed it the ‘Pacific Necrotamer.’

With both drinks finished, the bartender turned around, smiled, and gently slid the Orange Black Velvet to Faulkner, then the Pacific Necrotamer to Trisha.

“Hmm…hold on. We didn’t ask for drinks yet.”

“It’s okay. It’s in the house.” Recognizing the wedding ring on his left hand’s ring finger, Faulkner gasped aloud.

“Clyde! What’re you doing here?”

“Wait, Clyde? As in Janice’s hubby, Clyde?!” It took Trisha a moment to recognize who he was since he was dressed differently and had a different hairstyle.

“The one and only. I’m trying my hand at bartending.” Clyde is Janice’s husband. Normally, he does office work, but at the moment, he’s forced to partake in a two-week vacation.

“I thought you do office work. Why’re you here?” Faulkner knew all about Clyde’s work, including his schedule. To see him working here confused Faulkner.

“The boss had me take my PTO. If I didn’t use it, it’d go toward my annual bonus, which he didn’t want.”

“Oof. That sucks.”

“Yeah. I figured I could do extra work by helping Janice with work instead. I was a bartender before I was an office worker, so I have some experience mixing drinks. I’ve been making some for the past few hours and got customer feedback. Some good, some bad.” Faulkner took a sip of his drink and carefully tasted it. The subtle sweetness from the champagne helps cut the bitter flavor of the orange bitters. Overall, it was an interesting flavor contrast that Faulkner found pleasing.

“Hmm…I’d say you’re doing just fine. I like this drink.”

“Heh, thank you.” Turning his attention to someone with a more discernable palate for alcohol, Clyde held his breath, watching Trisha taste her drink. She let it sit on her tongue, letting the flavor tickle her tastebuds. When she’s tasted enough, she swallows before putting the glass down.

“Clyde, what kind of citrus did you use for the drink? It tastes kind of like lime but is less acidic.” Trisha couldn’t guess what it was. That’s when Clyde took some calamansi in the mini-fridge under the bar.

“This. It’s called calamansi. It’s a citrus hybrid made native to the Philippines. The recipe I used is from Chelsy’s recipe book.”

“I see…” Swirling the drink on her glass, Trisha takes another sip. “Normally, the acidic flavor of the lime would cut at the absinthe’s black licorice flavor, but Chelsy’s recipe puts the taste of the citrus out more. However, if I had to say anything, I’d say decrease the ratio of Absinthe to about one-fourth of what you already put in it. That will put the herbal, aromatic flavors out more. It’s not gonna have the same punch as an original necromancer, but it doesn’t have to.”

“I’ll make a note of it.” Taking a notepad from his coat pocket, Clyde scribbles down Trisha’s advice. While he does that, Vanessa returns with two menu cards and hands them to Faulkner and Trisha.

“I know Mr. Clyde just gave you guys some drinks, but do you guys want something different on the menu?”

“Definitely. I’ll start with Cola.” Faulkner didn’t plan to drink too much since he was the one driving, giving Trisha free rein to drink to her heart’s content.

“Water for me, dear.”

“Sure. I’ll be right back with your drinks.” Watching Vanessa heading to the drink station to get their drinks, Faulkner looked around the bar and couldn’t find Janice.

“Clyde, where’s Janice?”

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Trisha was curious too. Normally, Janice would walk around the bar doing all sorts of things, from taking other people’s orders to greeting them.

“She is. Janice is crunching numbers in the office.” Clyde’s side-eyed look was one thing, but when Faulkner and Trisha stared at one another in doubt before staring back at Clyde, his efforts to avoid their gaze made it obvious something was amiss.

“E-excuse me? Crunching numbers? Janice, doing math?!”

“I know, I know. Thing is, she’s gotta take it easy. Doctors orders. Even so, she wanted to work.”

“Doctors orders? Did she get into an accident?”

“Ahaha…kinda?” Before he could elaborate further, the topic of their conversation groans aloud before coming into Faulkner and Trisha’s view.

“Dammit! I hate just sitting around. My legs feel so stiff!” At the first sight of Janice’s belly, Faulkner and Trisha’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. “Oh, Faulkner, Trisha. I didn’t know you two were here.”

“J-Janice…you’re pregnant?” Faulkner was shocked, to say the least. He was unconsciously pointing at her belly for reaffirmation. Trisha was much the same, but rather than stammer and point, she lunged straight for Janice for a hug.

“Oh my god! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!!!” Excitement dulled Trisha’s sense of control as Janice tapped on Triha’s shoulder.

“Arggh! T-Take it easy, you blue brute!”

“Oh, right. The baby.” When Janice recovered from Trisha’s vice-like hug, she leaned close to Trisha with her left paw covering Trisha’s ear and whispered. “Hey…is it true what they say about childbirth?”

“Huh? What about childbirth?!”

“SHH!!! God dammit, Trisha! I was whispering for a reason!” Trisha knew what Janice wanted, but she wanted to screw with Janice and blurted out what Janice asked anyway. In frustration, she grabbed Trisha by her shirt collar and shook her.

“Okay, sorry. So, what’s on your mind?”

“You know what! Like…d-does it hurt?”

“Eh?”

“Don’t ‘Eh’ me! I asked you if it hurts or not.” Letting go of Trisha, she smiles at Janice before putting her hands on her shoulders for comfort.

“Oh, Janice…” Trisha’s smile faded instantaneously as she got serious. “Yes. It is easily the most painful thing I have experienced in my life. And that’s coming from a former merc.” The color on Janice’s face fades as Trisha tells her the truth with a smile afterward. “Don’t worry, you’re a tough o’l gal, right?” A chuckle escaped Clyde’s mouth, much to Janice’s embarrassment.

“Clyde?!”

“Word of advice. You might want to bring something to squeeze…or, in your case, chew on. You’ll probably be gritting your teeth so hard that you might chip a tooth. I broke the hospital bed I was laying on when I was poppin’ out Vey.” The additional bills given to Trisha after her discharge were still fresh in her mind.

“What? Do you have a low pain tolerance?” Faulkner didn’t think Janice would be scared of much, but a fear of childbirth was not what he was expecting.

“I wouldn’t say she can’t handle pain. Janice is just much more vocal about it…” Speaking from past experiences, Clyde would often lose his hearing from Janice screaming profanity every time she got hurt in their home.

“Ugh! That’s it. Clyde, make me an ice cream sundae! Preferably with a lemon wedge on top…”

“So that’s your weird craving. I remember mine were steaks marinated in pickle juice.” Faulkner and Clyde raise their eyebrows before Clyde leaves to make Janice’s sundae.

While all this was happening, Vanessa had just returned with Faulkner and Trisha’s drinks. She waited for the right time to hand them their drinks before asking for their order.

“So…uh…what would you like to eat, Faulkner?”

“Ah, Vanessa. Hmm…I’ll start with some pretzel stick with beer-battered cheese dip. I think I’ll go with the twelve-piece wings for my main course, half lemon pepper, the other medium buffalo. Seasoned fries for my side.” Writing his order down, Vanessa waits for Trisha to finish her conversation with her boss.

“You know, when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound so bad. I should get some pickles on the way home and try it.”

“You should probably try pouring some of the juices on the steak after you cook it before marinating it in the pickle juice. Your tastes may differ from mine.” To this day, Markus still gives Trisha an apprehensive stare when she asks him to cook her steak this way.

“Um…Trisha? Have you decided what you want to eat yet?” Vanessa found her chance to ask Trisha while she was in thought.

“Oh, right. Hehehe. I’ll take the two loaded tacos for apps. Then, I’ll have the double bacon burger with extra pickles and no tomatoes. Tater tots for the side.”

“Got it. I’ll be right back with your apps.” Just as Vanessa leaves, Clyde comes back with Janice’s sundae. Faulkner found the concern on Clyde’s face amusing as he handed the sundae to Janice.

“Here you go, Janice. With a lemon wedge on top.”

“Thanks.” Janice squeezes the lemon wedge over the sundae without hesitation, dripping its sour juices all over the chocolate fudge-covered vanilla sundae. “Hmm! So good! Who knew the combination of sour and sweet would work this well?!”

“They do, just not this way…”

“You wouldn’t understand, Clyde. We women are sophisticated and complex creatures. Our cravings are beyond your measly comprehension.”

“Good. I’ll keep it that way.” As Vanessa returns with Trisha and Faulkner’s appetizers, she notices Faulkner staring vacantly at Janice. And while Vanessa was partially right, Faulkner focused more on Janice’s belly. Or rather, the baby brewing inside.

‘First Trisha. Now Janice. I wonder…just when it’ll be Karika or Reiza’s turn? When will it happen? Am I…no. Are WE gonna be ready? With how often we have sex, I figured we would’ve had kids by now. But then again, it’s only been three years since I’ve been with Karika and two with Reiza. Am I missing something? Then again, compared to humans, monsters have a lower chance of pregnancy.’

Faulkner had gone through this thought process several times already. He constantly questioned if he’d be ready to raise a child. He’s talked it over with Karika and Reiza more than once, and each time he brought it up, they would tell him the same thing.

‘Whatever happens, happens.’

“Um…here’s your pretzel sticks, Faulkner.”

“Oh, thank you, Vanessa.”

“Are you alright? You seem troubled.” Vanessa had set Trisha’s apps beside her but was too busy talking with Clyde and Janice to notice.

“…Vanessa. You have a significant other, right?”

“Yeah. Carmen. What about him?”

“Have you two ever thought about having children?” Normally, Vanessa would’ve avoided the question altogether, given how personal Faulkner’s question was. But, taking contextual clues from the topic of discussion Clyde, Janice, and Trisha were having, the most she did was blush before answering.

“The thought did cross our minds for a while. But we still live in an apartment complex. From a financial standpoint, I don’t think we’re ready.” Carmen, Vanessa’s lover, works as an eroge game illustrator. She works for Vanessa as a waitress. Their combined income is just enough to let them afford their rent with a decent chunk of money left over for frivolous purchases. Considering their expenses, raising a child was the last thing on their minds.

“I see. Though, what if you’re both financially set?”

“In that case…we might just warm up to the idea. At least I do. We haven’t really talked about it much.” Taking Vanessa’s thoughts on the matter into account, Faulkner felt a little more at ease, knowing he wasn’t alone. “What about you, Mister Faulkner? Between you and Karika, I’m sure money isn’t an issue.”

“Heh. Well…honestly, if I got either of them pregnant, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be happy.” Letting his mind wander, Faulkner pictured Karika and Reiza holding their babies with smiles only a mother could give. The thought alone made Faulkner smile subconsciously.

____________________

“Alright, what should we do first?!” Speaking of Karika and Reiza, they and the other gals in Zone Zeta headed downstairs to the recreational room.

Karika got more than she bargained for when she saw all the different things they could do there. A virtual golf course, baseball throwing and batting, darts, pool, bowling, basketball, axe throwing, and many other activities were available. Her ears and tail spoke volumes of her excitement from how feverishly they wiggled.

“Someone’s excited…” Saying so under her breath, Zedrada suggested they all stick together this time, to which all but Karika, who had already wandered off, agreed.

“Shit, we might as well follow Porky’s lead since she’s already staring at that axe-throwing game.”

Axe throwing was a simple enough game. The goal was to throw an axe accurately at a target. The catch comes from the proper throwing technique that’s conveniently shown on a monitor above the booths.

There were four axe-throwing booths, and two were free to use.

“So, who wants to go against me?” Karika had already decided she’d go first. Seeing the smug look on her face, Tera steps up to the challenge.

“Me, naturally.” The girls didn’t say it aloud, but they all said the same thing in their minds.

‘This isn’t good…’

After briefly watching the tutorial on how to throw, Karika and Tera decided who’d go first with rock paper scissors.

“Ha! Good ole reliable rock! I go first!” Having won, Karika went to throw the axe as shown but put too much emphasis on strength and didn’t let go on time, resulting in her axe plunging straight down. “Gah!”

“Pfft. Dumbass…” Tera was more patient and did a few practice swings before lobbing her axe, missing the bullseye by two inches. “Hey, not bad for a first-time throw.” Followed by applause from the other girls, Karika grits her teeth and gets her axe back for another go.

“Don’t get cocky! I’ll get it this time…” Karika tries to mimic Tera’s throw but does not put enough strength into it, landing her axe at the bottom of the target.

“Oh! You showed me alright. You actually hit part of the target this time.” Laughing at Karika, Tera takes joy in showing off in front of the girls and manages to hit close to the target’s bullseye once more. ”And that’s another score for me…” Karika’s face turned red from frustration, and the wooden handle on her axe creaked from how tightly she gripped it.

“S-shut it! I’m getting this one for sure!” Amusing as it was seeing Karika frothing in anger, Tera realized how dangerous it’d be to let Karika throw her axe in anger.

“Hey, calm down. Don’t throw your axe too-” Ignoring Tera, Karika swung her arm with so much force that the head of the axe flew off the handle. Striking the target dead center with a wood-splitting thud, Karika cut the target in half before realizing she was still holding the axe’s handle, which partially broke from how tightly she was holding it.

“Ah…” Instead of pointing out the obvious, Karika chuckles and stares at the girls from behind. “So…that counts, right?”

“Uh…I mean, you did hit the target. So, it does count. Though, you might want to ask for a new axe.” Looking around for an employee, Chelsy calls out to one.

“Ah, no problem. I’ll get a new axe for you in a jiffy.” While the employee went to get a new axe for Karika, Reiza pats her on the head to calm her down.

“Geezus, Porky. I’m glad the axe landed on the blade. If it hadn’t, it might’ve bounced off and hit who knows what.”

“Yeah, my bad. Sorry for getting carried away…” Coming back with Karika’s replacement, she turns and apologizes to the employee.

“I’m sorry for breaking the axe. I’ll pay for it if needed.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that. It happens quite often with strong Monsters. Now, if you break four or more, then yes, we would ask for compensation. We just ask you to watch your strength after your first break.”

“But, I could’ve hurt someone if the axe head had bounced off.”

“There’s no need to worry about that either. You see, all the booths here are magically enhanced. For the axe-throwing booth, you can throw things into the throwing area, but once inside, they cannot come back out on their own. They must be held by someone to pull them back out.” Going far as to demonstrate, the employee purposely throws the axe incorrectly, causing it to bounce back. The girls reflexively moved out of the way, but the employee stood perfectly still. About three feet before it could hit him, the axe bounced off a barrier that was only visible during impact before landing on the throwing zone.

“See? There’s nothing to fear. Though, I wouldn’t test how strong the barrier is. So do control your strength if you girls could.” Handing the axe back to Karika, the employee resumes his patrol around the floor.

“Huh…that’s convenient. And all of the booths have some protective measures like that?” Erma couldn’t believe all the games they could play on the recreational floor were all built with magic as their safety measure.

“It’s certainly great. However, I wonder how they power the barriers. Do they have people somewhere supplying the barriers with demonic energy to fuel them, or are they restocked like a battery?” Kilala was just as curious as Erma. However, their train of thought was interrupted by Fereida.

“Look, Zedrada! The other two booths opened up! Let’s give axe-throwing a try!”

“Fine. Don’t expect me to be any good at it though.”

“Hey, it’ll be my first time too, you know?”

“Karika, we should continue our match too. And this time, make sure you throw the axe properly.” Returning to their rivalry mode, Tera mocks Karika’s lack of control, causing her to retort with a toothy grin.

“Fuck off. I won’t! More importantly, I scored a bullseye. That ties up our score, right?” Karika forgot that Tera hadn’t thrown in her third turn yet. With confidence and style, Tera lobs the axe with precision and lands a bullseye.

“Correction. We WERE tied. Now I’m ahead again.”

“Tsk! Wipe that smug grin off your face! We still have five more turns to go! I’ll turn this around!”

Karika did not turn it around. She lost to Tera by a landslide.

“Aww…it’s okay! If we play something that requires raw power, you might have the edge on me. Oh, who am I kidding? I know I’m stronger too.”

“*Snap* You bitch…” Taking their place, Chelsy looks on with a worried expression before turning to Reiza.

“Hey, Reiza. Maybe you should calm Karika down before she pops a blood vessel?”

“Nah, she should be fine this time around. I hope.” Reiza was used to Karika’s short fuse, so she knew whether Karika was truly angry or if she was just fuming.

“If you say so.” After everyone got their turn throwing axes, they moved on to their next activity, or so they thought.

“Really? Fuck…” They were about to try pool next, but Karika spotted a punching machine.

The machine wasn’t your typical punching machine. Rather than a stand with a punching bag dangling on a stem, it was shaped more like a box with a soft, round pad for players to punch. Above the pad was an LED screen that displayed the top scores and the number of players participating.

Wanting to vent, Karika again leads the girls to their next activity. Looking to even the score with Tera.

“What? Don’t you want to know who’s the strongest in our group, sis?”

“No, I don’t. I already know I’ll place near the bottom of the list.”

“At least you won’t BE the bottom…” Kilala had as much faith in her physical brawn as she does in Karika’s brains. That is to say, she has none.

“In that case, why don’t you go first?”

“Fine. Might as well rip this off like a band-aid and get it over with.” Only three players could play at a time, so Kilala, Chelsy, and Zedrada were the first to go. Getting herself ready, Kilala throws a punch, landing a score of two hundred and sixty-nine. “That’s about right…”

“If it makes you feel any better, I won’t do much better.” Zedrada was next to step up to the machine. Rather than throw a straight, Zedrada twists her hips back before lunging forward to punch. This produced a score of three hundred eighty-three, but she hoped for higher. “Damn. I was hoping for higher.”

“Aww, poor ladies. Step back and let me take a swing…” Stepping up to the challenge, Chelsy’s smug demeanor had Zedrada rolling all of her eyes in doubt.

“Please. You’re smaller than me, midget.

“Maybe, but I’m a lot smarter.” Inside Chelsy’s backpack, which she had on her, she pulled out a hydraulic gauntlet. Unfolding the gauntlet, she slips it on and straps on her right wrist, elbow, and shoulder. In addition to the hydraulic pistons above her knuckles, extended pistons next to her forearm and shoulder were there for shock absorption.

“Hey, wait a fucking second. That’s not fair at all!” Zedrada called bullshit on Chelsy’s contraption, only for her to wave her right pointing finger in mockery.

“Tsk tsk tsk. We’re here to see who’s the strongest. No one ever said how we’d get said strength. Now stand back and watch my baby at work!” Winding her right arm in circles, Chelsy lands a downward punch. The moment her fist made contact with the punching pad, a satisfying boom from the hydraulic pistons caused the girls and other patrons near them to look her way. Seeing the numbers rise, Chelsy scored a whopping nine hundred thirty-three. Satisfied with her score, Chelsy blows on the knuckles of her gauntlets.

“Beat that, girls…”Between Erma, Reiza, and Fereida, they stare at one another, wondering who’d go next.

“Ugh…I’ll go next…” Getting their turns over with, Fereida scored three hundred thirty. Reiza didn’t do much better, scoring three hundred and forty-five. Erma was the closest to Chelsy’s score at seven hundred and ninety-two.

When it was the Orc’s turn, Persha scored the highest at eight hundred and fifty-seven, while Sena scored the lowest at seven hundred eighty-five.

Growing confident, Chelsy’s bravado reaches new peaks when even the Orcs couldn’t beat her score.

“Wow, I guess that proves brains CAN beat brawn.” Just as Chelsy’s ego gets too big for her head, Tera steps up to the punching machine.

“You’re about to eat those words, Chelsy…” All eyes were on Tera as she stretched her arms and cracked her knuckles in preparation.

“Oh boy. I wonder if it’s possible to break these machines…” Erma knows Tera’s strength firsthand. She challenged Tera before Karika attended TMRC. While she was faster and outmaneuvered Tera, all it took was one misread for Tera to get a solid hit in, knocking Erma out.

“Guess we’ll find out.” Clenching her right hand, Tera steps back, stomping hard on the floor, her hooves scraping against the carpeted floor. Flexing the muscles from her legs first, she lunges forward, twists her hips, and throws an underarm punch at the punching machine.

*SMACK!* The force of her punch was enough to lift the machine a few inches off the ground. As the machine rounds her score, the numbers jumped to quadruple digits, nailing her an impressive fourteen-hundred and twenty-six.

“Holy crap! The damn thing even moved! Aren’t punching machines like these supposed to weigh tons?”

“Yup. They’re made with Monsters in mind. Otherwise, Tera’s score would’ve been unreadable. And also because she would’ve broken the machine.” Kilala wasn’t surprised at all, explaining to Fereida how it’d take more force than that to break the punching machine.

“Alright, I won’t lie. That’s impressive. Enjoy your record while you can. Because I’m about to smash it!” Finally, it was Karika’s turn. She and Tera are undoubtedly the strongest among them. While they have sparred many times, they’d always even the score. And Karika was planning to do just that after her one-sided loss at axe-throwing.

With a deep breath, Karika channels the frustration of her loss into her fist. Once she felt she had gathered sufficient strength, Karika poised herself by stepping back like Tera. Only, she wounds and twists her body as she rears back. Focusing all her strength on her legs, she lunges forward like a spring, transferring the released energy to her arm before hitting the punching machine with a forward-swinging hook punch.

*SLAM!* Creating a sound that caught everyone’s attention, the machine was pushed two feet back from the force of Karika’s punch. The numbers shot past the triple digits before landing at a score of sixteen-hundred and seventy-seven.

*Whistle* Accompanied by her hands clapping, Tera pats Reiza on the back, graciously taking her loss of their match.

“Hot damn. Now THAT was a punch. Nice one, Karika.”

“Alright, I’m convinced. You two are muscle-headed freaks.” Zedrada was next to Fereida, who took a closer look at the punching machine to assess the damage.

“Huh? Even though your punch was strong enough to send the machine back, it doesn’t look like you made a dent in the machine itself.”

“Wouldn’t be much of a punching machine if it broke from a few punches, right? Anyway, it looks like I even the score, Tera.” Before Karika could boast about her victory, a prompt on the punching machine’s screen asked for her name.

“Oh? Karika, look! You must’ve scored high enough to make it into the leaderboards!” Looking at the number of characters she could put in, there was just enough for her to put her name in.

“Aww, hell yeah!” Karika types her name from an entry pad under the display before her score zooms out, showing she placed fourteen of the top twenty. “What? I only placed fourteen?” The scores above Karika weren’t that much higher than hers. But the same couldn’t be said for the top five.

“Whoa, check that score out! Twenty-hundred and fifty-six. And the name next to the score. Denise?!”

“Whoa, calm down. That could be any ‘Denise.'”

“Yeah, but someone who scored fifth on the leaderboards HAS to be strong.” Reiza made a valid point that Kilala couldn’t argue.

“Speaking of scores, the person on top’s insane.” With a score of thirty-three hundred and seventy-two that left even Tera’s jaw hanging, the only person who wasn’t left surprised was Karika.

It wasn’t due to her inflated ego. Her face said it all, and the Orcs were the first to see it.

‘Bria…that doesn’t surprise me…’

“Uh…are you alright, Karika? You seem down all of a sudden?” Jun ended up asking if Karika was alright. With a slow turn, the color on Karika’s face fades in defeat.

“Oh, me? Yeah, I’m alright. I just realized how meaningless my score compared to the top five is all…”

“Quit complaining! You scored higher than me! Or are you telling me that I’m trash too?” Cheering Karika up, Tera slaps her in the back hard enough to leave a mark.

“OW! Dammit, Tera.”

“Quit sulking! There are more things to do here. I ain’t leaving our score to a tie.” Karika snaps from her short-lived woes and smiles back at Tera.

“Neither am I!”

____________________

“Wait, what did you say?”

“You heard me. Missus Butters is going to be on Maternity leave starting next year. So…a month from now.” While enjoying their meal, Faulkner nearly dropped his wings when Trisha told him of Missus Butters’s interest in leaving TMRC temporarily. “I had a feeling she would at some point.”

“Really? Isn’t Missus Butters in her late fifties? Not to mention, she already has seven kids.”

“Took me by surprise as well. I know I’d only have two or three kids at most.” Faulkner briefly imagined what it’d be like to have seven kids like Missus Butters. The chaos that would ensue made him shudder before he shook his head.

“Bless her soul. Having eight kids would be too overwhelming for many. So, how far is Missus Butters in her pregnancy?”

“Well…” Recalling her conversation with Missus Butters, Trisha casually took a bite of her burger before retelling the conversation to Faulkner

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Pregnant?! Since when?!”

“Ah…I found out a month ago. I figured I could still work since all I’m doing is cooking, but even that’s been too taxing these days.” During lunch break in TMRC, Missus Butters came to Trisha to discuss her Maternity leave with her. “I’m sorry if this seems sudden. If I had known I couldn’t take it, I would’ve told you sooner.”

“It’s fine, Missus Butters. There are still cooks here. Though, I’ll have to find an extra hand or two. At least until you come back.” Enjoying her banana cup pudding for dessert, Trisha stared at Missus Butter’s stomach closely, seeing that she was indeed pregnant. Missus Butters was on the chubbier side, so it was hard to tell at first.

“I appreciate it, Trisha.” Aside from her belly, the sardines slathered in creamy peanut butter Missus Butters was eating was another dead giveaway.

“If you don’t mind me asking. What suddenly brought the interest of having another kid? I thought you were done after your seventh kid?”

“You see, when you invited me to your wedding as a friend and caterer, seeing the smile on your face while carrying Vey in your belly stirred me into wanting another child. I talked about it with my hubby, Garret. And well…a few serious talks and some cuddle time later…”

“Heh, I getcha. Like I said, don’t sweat it. Take as much time as you need.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ah. Garret sure has a lot of energy for his age. He’s one year away from the senior menu.”

“Don’t forget. Garret is an incubized man. I’d say he’s got more strength and stamina than you do.” Polishing off her last loaded taco, Trisha sighs satisfactorily after finishing her meal. “While we’re on the subject, I’m surprised your incubization’s taking a long time. Hell, Markus’s progress is better than yours. Just two nights ago, he lasted fi-”

“I don’t need to hear it. As for my incubization, I’m not sure. Look, can we get back on the matter of hand?” Faulkner plans to visit a specialist to look into the stunted progress of his incubization. However, it’s not a big priority since he can still satisfy Karika and Reiza’s sexual urges.

“Fine. So, do you have any suggestions on who could replace Missus Butter’s role until she returns?”

“Can you be more specific? Why would it be important to ask who replaces Missus Butters? The other two cooks have most of Missus Butters’s recipes memorized already. Honestly, I don’t see a need to find another cook since the two cooks and two other workers manning the cafeteria. They’re more than enough, aren’t they?”

“Ugh! Manpower isn’t the issue. It’s diversity! You know, different dishes from different cultures, you dolt.”

“Oh! That’s what you meant.” Giving it a thought while licking his fingers clean of wing sauce, most breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes consist of Western-style meals. “Have there been complaints about the lunch menu?”

“I wouldn’t say there’s been complaints. Rather, some students and staff members are beginning to find it dull. It doesn’t matter how good the food is. Any person would get tired of eating the same thing. I was thinking of hiring two cooks from different countries. I know I want one that cooks Asian food…” It was short, but Faulkner snickered when Trisha mentioned Asian cuisine. Not surprising, given where she was born. “But, I don’t know whether to pick between Spaniard, Mexican, Polish, British, and other national cuisines. Do you have any thoughts, Faulkner?” The choices Trisha presented could’ve all been fair candidates. Still, Faulkner felt Trisha was forgetting something.

“Trisha…you’re time here on Earth’s made you narrow-minded too. Aren’t you forgetting the native dishes in Faelinth?” Matching Faulkner’s dumbfounded stare, Trisha’s eyes lit up in revelation before she slammed her fists on the bar table. Thankfully, she didn’t hit it hard enough to cause the food and drinks of the other patrons to fall over.

“Fuck me! Why didn’t I think of that?! But…I can’t exactly go to Faelinth to look for a cook willing to come here.”

“Uh…we have Nakoto. We can ask her to scout for potential cooks in Faelinth who are willing to come here on Earth, you know?” Again, Trisha’s face lit up before nearly slamming her hands on the bar table again. Thankfully, she stopped because the other customers and Clyde stared at her.

“See, this is why I like discussing work with you. You always pick up where I lack, and vice versa! I’ll make arrangements with Nakoto later.” After finishing their meals, Vanessa comes and picks up their empty plates.

“So, you two have room for dessert?”

“Hmm, you know what. I do. And there’s one item in particular that caught my interest!” A peculiar ice cream caught Trisha’s eye when she read the menu earlier. “I’ll have the Banana Split sundae with Sundew Alraune nectar.” Vanessa’s cheeks turned red before Janice, who was helping Clyde serve drinks after finishing her duties, chuckled in delight.

“Nice! I know you’ll love it, Trisha! Vanessa’s nectar adds a distinct flavor to the sundae that hooked many regulars here.”

“Man…I’m flattered but also embarrassed.”

“Well, if it’s that good, I’ll also take one.” Requesting one himself, Faulkner smiles at Vanessa.

“Aww…alright. I’ll be right back with your desserts.” While Vanessa leaves to take care of their orders, Trisha turns to Clyde and raises her empty drink.

“Hey! I’d like a refill, Clyde!”

“Coming right up. And you, Faulkner?”

“I’m good. I won’t be able to drive if I take any more alcohol. I’ll take a glass of water, though.”

“Sure thing.” Clyde gets to work on making another Pacific Necrotamer for Trisha, leaving Janice to poke Trisha with questions on how to cope with pregnancy.

“Okay, so. Babies should be breastfed exclusively during their first six months, right? Does that mean I always have to be around to feed her when she gets hungry?” Before Trisha could answer, Faulkner reminded everyone that he, Karika, and Reiza raised Vey when she was six months old.

“Yes and no. Six months is just the bare minimum time most choose to wean their babies off breast milk. When Karika, Reiza, and I took care of Vey during Trisha and Markus’s honeymoon, we fed Vey with bottled breast milk for most of the week. We then used baby formula Vey happened to like for the rest. Ultimately, it’s up to you and your baby when to stop feeding them breast milk.”

“Hey! Hold on, Faulkner. You’re making it sound like I left Vey in your hands while I was off having fun.”

“That’s…exactly what you did.” Even Clyde and Janice agreed, causing the color on Trisha’s face to fade from shock and betrayal.

“Aww, you guys are assholes!” Coming back with their desserts, Vanessa couldn’t have timed it better as the sight of sweet, delicious ice cream would surely cheer Trisha up.

“Alright. Here’s your sundae, Trisha. And here’s yours, Faulkner.”

“Thank you.” Looking at their dessert, it seemed no different from a usual banana split sundae. However, the golden nectar sitting delicately on the vanilla ice cream and the one pooled below where the banana is gave a tantalizing presentation.

“It doesn’t look much different from a typical sundae. But what matters is the taste.” Taking the first bite, Vanessa eagerly watches as Trisha hums before her face lit up. “Whoa! Now that’s sweet! It’s kind of like honey but has more of a bite to it.” Observing Trisha’s reaction, Faulkner took a bite of his and reacted much the same as she did.

“You’re right. If I had to describe it, it feels a bit prickly going down the throat. And the banana coated in the nectar somehow tastes sweeter. This desert’s fantastic.” Clenching her right hand into a victorious fist, Vanessa felt relieved knowing her nectar was well-received.

“Phew. I’m glad you two like it.”

“Stop acting all shy, Vanessa. Hardly anyone’s complained about nectar on the sundaes.” Most of the customers who ordered the sundae were happy customers. However, a few stragglers found the prickly feeling of the nectar bothersome. It wasn’t much, but the few who didn’t like it scared Vanessa.

“The only person who’s tasted my nectar before you suggested it is my boyfriend, Carmen.”

“Well, I can confidently say this tastes great! I’d say keep it. That is if you can keep up with the demand. I imagine you don’t want to dry our hair out.” As a Sundew Alraune, Vanessa is a rarity among her species. They produce nectar on the tips of the countless red tentacles that stick out of their hair. Since they’re based on a carnivorous plant native to Earth, their nectar can dissolve flesh. Thankfully, Vanessa can control the acidity of her nectar. For example, the nectar on the sundaes Faulkner and Trisha are eating is at its lowest acidity level, matching that of Pinneaple juice.

“Hey Faulkner, how’s Karika and Reiza, anyway? Are they off doing something together?”

“Oh, thanks for reminding me, Janice. They’re having a girl’s night with their classmate friends. I should call them real quick and ask if they need a ride.”

____________________

“Well, shit. Looks like we’re tied.” Returning to the girls, Karika and Tera have played just about everything on the recreational floor.

“It was honestly surprised with how good Tera was with darts. She’s got good aim.” Chelsy was impressed with Tera’s display of accuracy, compared to Karika, whose performance was terrible.

“Yeah, but did you see how well she did in the pitching range? When given the chance to throw with full force, Karika seems to have better control than Tera.” Erma, in contrast, sided with Karika’s pitching abilities. Tera wasn’t terrible, but Karika got a higher score.

“This leaves us with one more activity…” Standing in front of the bowling alley, Kilala wasn’t too confident in her bowling skills.

“Okay…how are we gonna do this? Each bowling alley row has a maximum of eight players. We have fourteen people here.” Zedrada and the others tried to think of a way for them to bowl with the number of people there.

“Ugh! I don’t know why you guys are struggling with this! It’s simple, isn’t it?! This will be the last game we can play here. In other words, this will be the tie-breaker between Tera and I. If each row has a maximum of eight players, we can split into a seven-man team.” Zedrada, Chelsy, Erma, Fereida, Kilala, Tera, and Reiza were irritated that they couldn’t have thought of something so simple before Karika did. Most likely due to them overthinking it. On the other hand, Persha and the other Orcs clapped and cheered for Karika for having thought of it first.

“Wow, I’m impressed, Porky. That’s actually pretty smart.” Taking note of Reiza’s sarcasm, Karika stuck her tongue out before continuing.

“Ha! You’re all just jelly I came up with it first. Anyway, Tera and I will be team captains. As for our members, Tera’s team will consist of Sis, Erma, Kilala, Fereida, Chelsy, and Zedrada. And mine will be Persha, Jun, Naeomi, Sarah, Kami, and Sena.

“In other words, it’s the Orcs vs the rest, is that it? You’re gonna regret lacking in team diversity, Karika.” Tera initially succeeded in taunting Karika to throw her off her game. But thinking about it halfway through, Karika thought of something even better than she initially planned.

“Is that right? Tell you what, Tera. If you’re so damn confident about your team, why don’t we make this final game a team effort?”

“I’m listening…” While Persha and the other orcs seemed unbothered, Reiza and the others in Tera’s team felt something ominous was about to happen.

“Rather than just settling the score between you and me, let’s decide the winner of this last match through the overall team score! And, to up the ante, the losing team has to do whatever the winning team tells them!”

“H-hey! Hold on a second, you two! We never agreed to-” Zedrada tried to intervene, but it was too late. Karika and Tera had already shaken hands and agreed to the terms of the match without consulting their teammates first.

“Fine! Don’t go complaining when you lose.” In contrast to Karika’s team, who were cheering and confident in their chances of winning, Reiza and the others in Tera’s team had their jaws open in disbelief. Erma was the first to voice her complaints as she grabbed Tera by her shoulders.

“Tera, are you fucking insane?! How can you make a deal like that without consulting us first?!”

“Relax, Erma. Just look at Karika and her team. No offense to Persha and the others, but they lack diversity. But us? We have the clear advantage here!”

“Sure, except you’re forgetting that not all of us are good at bowling. Like me, who’s never bowled before!”

“Ah, relax. We’ll win, I know it.” Tera was putting on a confident front. But at the back of her mind, she realized she might’ve made a mistake.

“Do you think we’ll win, Karika?” Tera and the others don’t know it, but Jun has no experience bowling herself. So she feels terrible she might bring her team down.

“What? Of course we will! We have our unbridled teamwork!”

“But the last time we did anything as a group was when we were still attending TMRC.” Kami brought up a valid to Karika.

“Come on, girls, have fate! Look at the noodle arms Tera has on her team! They’re no match for us.” Karika’s blatant insult did not fall on deaf ears. Erma especially wanted to get back at Karika but was held back by Tera.

“Uh…the noodle arms over there are our friends, you know?”

“Hah! During competitions, friendship means nothing when they’re on the opposing team! Come on, Persha, Jun, Kami, Sena, Sarah, Naeomi! Let’s kick their butts!” They all bring their right hands and pile on Karika’s hand. “Break!” Meanwhile, Tera has her team huddled up similarly, but they all have their arms resting on one another’s backs in a circle.

“Hah. Let that idiot cheer with her kiss-up group. All they have going for them are muscles. It takes more than strong arms to do well in bowling.” Karika’s insult really got to everyone. Zedrada didn’t hesitate to mock their team composition in retaliation.

“We’ll just win using our brains. We can do this, girls!” Cheering her fellow teammates on, Chelsy wasn’t bothered by her lack of experience and was confident in her teammate’s capabilities.

But before that, the girls get themselves fitted with proper footwear.

“Ah, you’re a Minotaur, right miss? In that case, we have hoof shoes for you over here.” An employee at the shoe exchange station had alternate footwear for monsters with non-human-shaped feet. Handing an adjustable one for Tera, the fit was surprisingly snug as Tera gave it a test drive.

“Huh? How convenient. I can’t imagine you have shoes for all monsters, right?”

“In those cases, we can cast spells that protect our patrons’ feet and the floor. However, we prefer to give you shoes if we can.”

“I see. Thank you. Are there other rules we should consider?” The rules were quite simple. As with most games, the only major rule to follow was the prohibited use of magic. Controlling one’s strength was also strongly advised.

Once the girls who’ve never bowled learn the rest of the rules, they head to their assigned lanes and set up their names. They determined who’d go first by having the team leader Karika and Tera do rock, paper, scissors.

The first to go was…

“Yes! I win again! Man, you suck at rock paper scissors, Tera.” Rather than entertain Karika with a retort, Tera clicks her tongue and returns to her team. “Watch me spearhead out victory, girls!” Cheered by her Orc contemporaries, Karika flexes her arms and makes a scene for everyone.

“Dumbass…” Arrogantly and dangerously winding her bowling ball, Reiza knows what will happen as she insults her sister under her breath.

Then, with her first throw, Karika immediately misses as the ball curves to the right into the gutter lane.

“Ah…” Watching her bowling ball roll down the right foul lane, she turned her head back to Tera, who carried a smug grin.

“Damn, you sure showed me. You showed me exactly what NOT to do. Hahahah!”

“Tch! Fuck you, bitch! I can still get it at my next attempt.” As soon as her ball came back, Karika didn’t even take a walking start and lobbed the ball. Unsurprisingly, it landed on the right gutter again. “…” On the display that showed their score, an animated short of a succubus getting hit by a bowling ball in place of the pins plays.

If that wasn’t enough, Tera clapped her hands in mockery before it was her turn.

“What a killer opening performance, Karika. It’d be hard to beat that.” Now that it’s Tera’s turn, she eyes the lane for the perfect shot. With a straight throw, the satisfying sound of all the bowling ball pins clacking had Tera throw her right fist high as she got a strike. “Oh, would you look at that? I did so terribly compared to you, Karika…”

“You smug, two-horned bitch! Just you wait…” Tera still had another shot. Thankfully, for the sake of Karika’s rising blood pressure, Tera only managed to knock down seven pins that time.

“Hey, don’t worry, Karika. We got this.” Persha was next to bowl. She had some experience with bowling and managed to score a six and a spare. “Phew. I still got it.”

“I guess it’s my turn.” Rolling her right shoulder, Reiza had experience bowling as well. “A gutter and a four. That’s better than I expected…” But her experience wasn’t a good one.

“Oh! This is our chance to catch up! Come on, Sena. You can do this!” Karika cheered Sena on as it was her turn on the lane. With swift and precise throws, Sena manages a split and one, tallying her score to nine points.

“Shit. They’re catching up. You can do this, Chelsy!” Coming in with a confident smirk, Chelsy figured it’d be a breeze throwing the bowling ball with her bionic gauntlet. It doesn’t just make her stronger. It can also correct her arm’s positioning automatically, allowing her to throw the ball optimally.

“Hey hey hey! Hold on, midget! There’s no way using that fucking gauntlet is fair. Take that shit off before you throw the ball.” Chelsy looks to Tera, to which she responds with a shrug.

“Karika does have a point. Unlike the punching machine earlier, there are stakes here. This is a competition, after all.” Pinned down by her team leader, Chelsy begrudgingly took her gauntlet off. With her strength and coordination assisted gauntlet off, Chelsy performed as expected and scored a two and a seven.

“Damn! I could’ve scored easy strikes if I had my gauntlet on!” Still miffed at her loss, Chelsy watched Jun outperform her with a seven and a spare.

“Wow, I didn’t do as bad as I thought I would.” Walking to the lane with confidence in her flaming eyes, Erma scored an easy strike on her first throw.

“Damn! That’s a nice shot, Erma!” Despite what she considered an embarrassing performance, Chelsy couldn’t help but smile and cheer for Erma after witnessing a perfect strike and an eight.

“Thank, shorty! There’s no chance of us losing as long as I’m on the team!”

“Don’t be so sure!” Stepping up to the lane was Sarah. Her confident stride as she threw the bowling ball wasn’t just a bluff, scoring a strike and a five herself.

“Hot damn. Karika might be a terrible leader, but Porsha and the others are killing it so far.” Erma didn’t seem too hopeful as it was Fereida’s turn to throw. That all changed when she scored a strike and a six. “Eh?! Wait, what?!”

“I may not look it, but I went bowling with my family pretty frequently while living with them. Seems I still got it!” Tallying the score so far, Karika already felt the pressure. Seeing they’re twenty points behind Tera, their hope of a turnaround came to Naeomi and Kami.

“I’m counting on you, Naeomi! We can’t lose to Tera and her team!”

“Heh. It’s just the first round, team leader. That said, you can leave it to me.” Naeomi was as skilled as she was confident, securing a double strike for team Karika. “See? I got this.” Giving Naeomi a well-deserved high-five, Karika flashes Tera a shit-eating grin.

“Don’t be so confident! You’ve only tied the score.” Confident as Tera’s voice was, it was all a facade. After all, the next person up to bowl was…

“Don’t get your hopes up. I’ve never done this before.” Kilala was never into sports, or most physical activities for that matter. She’s only ever seen bowling from TV shows, so she only has a basic idea of what to do. “Here goes.” Throwing the ball purely from what she’s observed so far, Kilala misses both shots like Karika did. “Shit.”

“Bwahahaha! What the hell was that?!” Laughing so hard that she held her stomach in pain, Kilala flew toward Karika before punching her on top of her head. “Ow! What was that for?!” Karika’s head was harder than Kilala anticipated as she held her right in pain.

“Ow?! I should be the one saying that! Moreover, you shouldn’t laugh. You scored just as terribly as I did!”

“Ah…right. Sorry.” Accepting Karika’s apology, Kilala walks back to her team as the last member of Karika’s team, Kami, steps up to break the tie.

“Aww man. This is nerve-racking…” Taking deep breaths, Kami threw her bowling ball and scored a four and a two. “Well, better than I expected…” At last, Zedrada was up.

“They only scored above us by six points. You can do it, Zedrada.” Try as she might, Tera’s ‘gentle’ pat on the back still hurt Zedrada.

“Ouch. Alright. I got it.” Zedrada wasn’t confident in her skills. It didn’t help the others were staring at her, which only made her nervous. ‘You can do this. Just focus on the lane.’ With laser focus, Zedrada scored a score of nine and a spare. “Oh! I did it.” Before she could react, Tera jumped Zedrada from behind and hugged her.

“Nice. We’re back on the lead!” Tera’s confidence perked back up after seeing their first-round ends with her team in the lead.

“Don’t get carried away, Tera! There’s still nine more rounds to go.” With their dignity on the line, the girls steel themselves for a long, arduous battle. Whoever loses will be at the mercy of the winners.

____________________

“Oh! And you’d better make sure Clyde doesn’t go hogging the baby! Otherwise, they’ll *Hic* start playing favorites and ignore you!” Giving Janice tips on how to raise their baby, Trisha held nothing back and gave Janice somewhat nebulous advice. Most were Trisha’s grievances and jealousy toward Markus since Vey seems to dote on him more.

“Okay, I think you’ve had enough to drink for the night, Trisha.” Trisha had a higher alcohol tolerance than most Blue Oni. Even so, six ‘Pacific Necrotamers’ and two whiskey sours finally got Trisha red on the cheeks.

“What? But I’m not done yet! Janice, remember to burp your baby after each feeding. And for the love of god, just have your baby’s crib in your bedroom. It saves you time from going back and forth between rooms.” Having paid for their drinks and meal earlier, Clyde returns with Faulkner and Trish’s debit cards.

“Heh, I’ll keep that in mind, Trisha.”

“Here you go, guys. Come again soon.”

“Yeah, count on it.” Faulkner pulls out a hefty twenty-dollar tip for Vanessa. “Here you go, Vanessa.”

“Oh. Thank you, Mister Faulkner.”

“Uwah…oh yeah…” Digging through her purse, Trisha gave Vanessa another twenty as well. “Hehe. I hope you guys get married soon.”

“M-married? I would like that. Someday.” Faulkner and Trisha also left another twenty for Clyde before they waved goodbye to them for the night. Trisha could walk by herself, but Faulkner walked next to her anyway just to be safe.

“It’s always nice to hear young couples talking about their love life, isn’t it?”

“You say that, but we’re really not that old.” Stopping just before they got to Faulkner’s car, Trisha stared Faulkner dead in the eyes and glared at him.

“Faulkner, I’m turning forty next month. Forty! That’s ten years above the middle-aged milestone! I rue the day I find a wrinkle on my face every day. And you’re already past thirty yourself! As my friend, you’re supposed to say things like, ‘Oh, you’re still as young as when I first saw you.’”

”That’s a bit of a stretch. Just get in the car so I can get you home, alright?”

“Fine. But I’m not done with you yet.” Faulkner prepared himself for the inevitable earful he’d get once they were out of the parking lot. But five minutes into their car ride, Trisha fell asleep from work fatigue.

‘She must’ve been more tired than I thought.’ Faulkner thought about being considerate by staying quiet, but after five minutes, Trisha woke up.

“Uugh. Did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t for long. Five minutes at most.”

“*Yawn!* Sorry about that.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for. So don’t worry about it.” Trisha couldn’t remember what she wanted to say to Faulkner earlier. Most of the car ride was quiet.

“Faulkner.”

“Yeah?”

“I know you’re concerned about the eventual future where you get Karika or Reiza pregnant. But I feel like you’re forgetting something just as important.”

“What’s that?” Rolling her eyes, Trisha sighed in disappointment.

“Marriage, you dolt. When are you going to propose to Karika and Reiza?” Faulkner couldn’t even fault Trisha for that. She was right. Faulkner was so busy wondering how to raise his future children that he didn’t have a plan in mind for marriage.

“Right. Marriage.”

“It’s great you’re building up funds to spoil your kids rotten when they’re born. But you gotta spoil your wives first.” Again, Trisha was on point, and Faulkner knows it. Even so.

“I get that. But Karika and Reiza rarely bring up marriage. Wouldn’t that mean they’re not ready yet?”

“Dumbass. That could be it. However, more than likely, they’re probably holding back due to their consideration for you.” Thinking back on their conversations, Faulkner recalls Karika and Reiza going along with his plans with little protest. Maybe he was being unfair to their needs. ”Just something to think about, yeah?”

“Of course. Thanks.” Once they arrived at Trisha’s house, it was already ten thirty in the evening. Markus greets them alone while Vey was asleep in her room.

“Whoa. I haven’t seen your face that red in a while. You enjoyed yourself quite a bit, didn’t you, honey?”

“You damn right I did! Hey, did you know Janice is pregnant?!”

“She is? Wow. I should congratulate them the next time I see them.” While Markus and Trisha talked, Faulkner texted Reiza and asked if she and Karika were done with their playdate. It took less than a minute for Reiza to respond with an image of them bowling and a text that read…

‘No. We’ll be here for at least another hour. It’ll likely be close to midnight before we’re done here.’ Seeing he has another hour to kill, Faulkner takes a deep breath before jumping into Markus and Trisha’s conversation.

“Hey, Trisha.”

“Hmm? What is it, Faulkner?”

“I’m sorry if I’m imposing. But about what we were talking about earlier. Could I get some advice on how to go about it?”

“Advice, what were you two talking about?”

“On our way here, I brought up marriage to Faulkner, which he somehow never thought about.” Answering Markus’s question, Trisha pats Faulkner on the shoulder. “Alright, you hopeless bastard. Come on in.”

____________________

“N-no way…” Thirty minutes after Faulkner had texted her, Reiza and the rest of Tera’s team were in shock as they lost at the last round of bowling.

“YES! WE DID!!!” Jumping in glee, the MVPs of Karika’s team were Jun and Naeomi. Jun had more consistent scores, while Naeomi pulled a triple strike in the last round, resulting in a crushing thirty-point lead.

Tera’s team was no slouches either. Erma, Fereida, and Tera herself were scoring well, with consistent strikes between the three of them. Unfortunately, Kilala and Reiza were far behind their teammates, with Kilala scoring the highest between the two.

“Man, I didn’t know you two were so good at bowling! C’mere!” Karika hoists Naeomi and Jun on each arm before Karika flaunts in front of Tera. “Guess that means we win! And you know what the losers have to do, right?” Tera had to hold Zedrada, who was about to slug Karika in the face back.

“Uh-huh. We have to do what the winners say.”

“We’ll honor our end of the deal. So if you could, I’d appreciate it if you could wipe that shit-eating grin off your face before I hit you.”

“Sure, sure.” Setting Naeomi and Jun down, the sound of Karika’s stomach growling. “Well…before we think of something for you losers to do. Why don’t we grab dinner?” Zedrada could not argue as her stomach growled in response to Karika’s shortly after.

“…sure. Food sounds good right about now.” With all in agreement, the girls went upstairs to quench their hunger.

Upon arriving at the third floor’s food court, the girls all gasped in wonder at the walls lined with vendors and several standalone food concession stands. And right in the middle of it all was…

“Whoa! Look at that! They have a conveyor sushi bar!” Reiza’s childlike wonder was revealed for all the girls to see. They’d never seen her look that excited before.

“Gee, sis. I didn’t know you liked sushi so much.”

“I’ve had sushi before, obviously. But conveyor sushi bars are an experience I’ve always wanted to try. So I don’t know about you, porky, but I will eat there.” Scratching her head, Karika felt inclined to join her.

“Dammit! At least look around the other vendors first!” Leaving the rest of the girls behind, Tera sighed before looking back at the rest of the group.

“Alright. I guess it’s a free-for-all all. Just go wherever you girls want to eat. Then, we can all group up at that big table right over there when we get our meals.” Tera points at a large party table in front of the conveyor sushi bar. There were more than enough seats to accommodate them all.

“Sounds good to me. I’m feeling something greasy after our humiliating loss.” Erma was the first to leave. Chelsy follows her before the rest disbanded momentarily to grab their meals.

While that was happening, Reiza found a spot to sit in the Sushi bar before being greeted by the one making the sushi, a Yuki-Onna.

“Iraisshaimase!”

“Uh…hello…” Unaware of how a conveyor sushi bar works, she looks around and finds another worker, a human man, cooking the hot and fried items in the bar.

“Huh? So they have hot meals here too?” Taking the adjacent seat, two more of the girls join them. “Eh, Kilala, Zedrada?”

“I’ve never tried a conveyor sushi bar myself, so I figured I’d try it with my bestie.” Kilala took the other unoccupied seat beside Reiza while Zedrada sat beside Karika.

“Not me. I’ve been to one with my parents before.”

“That right? And why are you here, Zedrada?”

“I want something light.” Waiting for everyone to settle in, the Yuki-Onna points to the menu pamphlets in front of them.

“Okay. Since we have newbies here, I’ll explain how it works here. The sushi dishes and other plates come from the conveyor belt before you. If anything strikes your fancy, you can go and take it. You can also make a custom order if you want something specific. Custom orders have flags with the recipient’s name to prevent someone else from taking them. Once you’re done with a plate, you keep it next to you. Stack the plates you have finished. That way, we can tally your order and charge you appropriately. And that’s it.”

“Huh? That simple?”

“Yup. It’s that easy. However, I’m sure you ladies would want drinks with your sushi. With that in mind, what can I get you all?” Writing down their drinks, Kilala went with water while Karika, Reiza, and Zedrada ordered warm sake. Kilala noticed a wide grin on Reiza’s face when she showed her ID to the Yuki-Onna to verify she was of drinking age. “Got it. I’ll get your drinks out shortly.”

“Ah…it’s nice that I can finally order alcohol out in the open.”

“That’s right, your birthday was just two months ago, right?”

“Yup. October eighteenth. I went to Aphrodishiack to get some drinks to celebrate. Good stuff.”

“Ah. Well, I should say happy belated birthday, Reiza.” Zedrada’s toothy smile warmed Reiza’s heart as the flames on her horn changed into a warm orangish-red color.

“Thanks, Zedrada.” Once their drinks arrived, Karika, Zedrada, and Reiza raised their cups before siping. “OH! Oh wow! Hot sake goes down differently compared to when it’s served cold. It hits you harder, but it goes down smoother too.”

“The fruity flavor’s more subdued, but at this time of the year, a hot cup of sake does wonders to warm you up.” Zedrada and Rezia were enjoying their hot sake.

“Ugh. It’s a bit harsh, in my opinion.” Karika, not so much.

“I dunno about you girls, but I’m getting started.” Kilala had been quiet this whole time and had already picked out three plates for herself. “You’ll miss your favorites if you three dawdle.” Not wanting to be left behind, Karika and Reiza scrambled to look for any plates that carried what they wanted. Reiza ended up with fatty tuna nigiri, California roll, and squid nigiri. Karika opted for fried dishes like panko fried shrimp, veggies, and Karaage.

“Here, I’d like these specific rolls if you could.”

“Sure thing.” Zedrada pointed out what she wanted for the Yuki-Onna server since she wanted something specific.

“Yum! The fatty tuna’s so damn good!” Reiza was in glee at the melt-in-your-mouth flavor of the fatty tuna. The squid nigiri was as fresh as could be, and the California roll was the best of the ones she’d had compared to other places she’d eaten them.

“Is it really that good? Guess I’ll grab some sushi when they come around then.” Karika wanted to eat something on the greasier side. But after seeing Reiza smile with every bite she took, Karika had to try at least a few of the sushi there.

“You should try to broaden your palate more, Karika.”

“I can’t help it, alright? For me, it’s weird to eat raw fish.” Karika had never eaten raw fish before. Illina had always cooked any fish they ate. With nothing to lose, Karika grabbed a plate of salmon nigiri, as suggested by Kilala. “Well…here goes.” Taking a small bite, Karika was caught off guard by how cold it was. Still, after chewing and tasting, she found the taste surprisingly palatable. “Huh? You know, this isn’t as bad as I thought.”

“See? Here, try the mackerel next.” With Zedrada’s help, Reiza and Kilala helped pick out various sushi dishes for Karika to try. Considering Karika’s appetite, the number of plates on her end began stacking up beyond her head.

Behind them, Tera and the rest of the girls gathered with their meals and chatted amongst themselves.

“Subs, huh? I thought you’d get something…meatier.” Chelsey sat across from Tera, eating chicken tenders and fries. Tera didn’t feel like stuffing herself and opted for a light, fulfilling meatball sub sandwich.

“Meatball sub has plenty of meat in it. At least compared to the other options on the menu.” Tera had an excellent chance to look around the third-floor food court earlier while getting her food. Like the ground and bottom floors, several capsule and game card reloading stations are scattered around the walls. There are also display monitors hanging from the roof placed strategically around the floor so patrons can watch TV shows comfortably from at least two monitors.

“I was pleasantly surprised to find a salad joint here. With this place being an arcade and all, I thought all the food in it would’ve been greasy crap.” Fereida hardly ate fried food. If she could help it, she’d only eat organic grilled meats or various salads. She usually favors the latter over the former.

“If you keep eating like that, you’ll remain as flat as an ironing board. You gotta have some fats and protein in your diet.” Erma’s meal, in contrast, consisted of two slices of meat lovers’ pizza and twenty-four spicy wings.

“That’s not how that works. I bet you probably believe drinking milk every day helps you get bigger boobs too, huh?” Fereida’s sarcastic remark irked Erma as she bit into the bones of her wings rather than take it out.

“No. But drinking milk does help you develop strong bones.” Fereida flinched with every bone-crushing bite Erma took, unbothered by eating the wings whole.

“Yeah, yeah. Must be so easy having such a hyperactive metabolism.” Persha and the other Orc girls had just come back with their food. Unsurprisingly, they got a mix of burgers, hot dogs, fries, and other fatty, greasy meals.

“Hehe. After playing around in the recreational room, we worked up a hell of an appetite, didn’t we girls?”

“Absolutely. I just wish there was something we could do that was more intimate. Like boxing.”

“Or wrestling! That would’ve been fun!” Jun. Persha, Sena, Kami, Sarah, and Naeomi frequently hung out to hone their fighting skills. Their nature to fight was embedded in them by their parents, who also sparred against one another.

“Hell, I’d be down for some roughhousing.”

“Of course you’d be down, Erma.” Chelsy and Fereida weren’t too keen on slugging it out. Erma and Tera, on the otherhand, were.

“The last time I slugged it out with Karika was when we fought at the outside hall in TMRC. That’s when we first found out how strong Missus Butters was. Yo, Karika!” Shouting her name, Karika turns around to face Tera. “Remember when Missus Butters knocked us out after ignoring her in our first true fight?”

“Hah! Yeah! You hit me hard enough to draw blood. But not even your fists hit as hard as Missus Butters’s paws did.” The two laugh off what was their first incident. They couldn’t even remember what they fought each other for. Regardless, both were suspended for a day after.

“Makes me wonder. If you and I fought now, who’d come out on top?” The change of tone in Tera’s voice was matched by Karika’s eager smile.

“Me, obviously. If you think you could tank one of my straights, then you’re delusional.”

“Fighting’s more than just raw strength! I may not look it, but I have taken boxing lessons at my local Gym. An upper is all I need for you.” They haven’t even made it official, yet the girls already knew Karika and Tera would be dead set on setting up a match later.

“I look forward to your feeble attempt. But first…” Karika sneeringly looks Reiza, Kilala, and Zedrada’s way before looking back at Tera. “I and the rest of the Orcies have to decide your punishment for losing earlier! Mwahahaha!” Karika gives her best impression of an evil laugh, and the smugness from Tera’s face fades into defeat.

“Fuck…don’t remind me…” Reiza had already downed her third cup of warm sake in preparation for whatever punishment Karika could think of.

“Shit. And here I was enjoying sushi…” Zedrada didn’t have much hope either before joining Reiza in her reckless drinking.

“Oh! Karika! Can we individually pick what punishment to give someone?”

“Eh? I mean…I don’t mind. Why’d you ask, Sena?”

“Good. Because now, we can ask Fereida what she knows about Nala and Mala!” Feeling all eyes on her, Fereida couldn’t even turn to Tera for help as she was also curious.

“Good call, Sena! Well, are you gonna fess up now, Fereida?” No matter who she turned to, nearly all her friends eagerly stared at her, probing for an answer.

“Th-this isn’t fair, Karika! You can’t use your victory against us for something like this!”

“Sure we can. We won fair and square. It’s high time you tell us, Fereida…” Sena did not let up. And no one spoke up in Fereida’s defense this time.

“Keep it down, girls. You don’t want to bother the other customers around us.” Kilala was the only one in the group who seemed uninterested. But really, she didn’t want to get lumped into them in case they got scolded by staff members. She kept herself busy by watching what was on the monitor above the sushi stand.

The monitor was going over the news worldwide when it switched to entertainment.

*”Oh, and in other news, Monster Girl idols’ rising popularity has crushed their human competitors. While some call their unique monstrous charms an unfair advantage, many fans defend them by stating it takes more than looks to get views.”

“Indeed. And those human idols better stay on their toes as two newcomers enter the fray!” The two news reporters, one human, and one Harpy, talked about Monster Idols, which unsurprisingly took the idol entertainment industry by storm.

While they have advantages in that their monstrous charms have mass appeal, many also discriminate against them. It all came down to dispelling fears stemming from the monsters they’re based on and how effectively they bring their viewers joy and happiness.

Today marked a surprise reveal of two new idols shown on screen. The moment Kilala saw their faces, she nearly spat her drink from surprise.*

“PFFTT!!! I-is that?!” Hearing Kilala, the girls all turned to where Kilala was looking before everyone, save for one, screamed out in surprise simultaneously.

“WHAAAATTT?!?!?!” The news showed Nala and Mala dancing in perfect sync as they were singing a pop idol song the girls didn’t recognize. To match their synchronized dancing, Nala wore a black frilly dress with cute ribbon designs adorning the bell of the dress, while Mala wore a white frilly dress with transparent bells, with streamers hanging on the bottom of her dress’s bell.

Their costumes seemed to contradict yet match one another.

*”The Cheshire twins Natalice and Matilda, also called the ‘Queenie Kitties,’ will make their official premiere at the Tokyo Dome in February next year.”

“Oh! Their costumes are so cute! I love how elegant yet cute they look!”

“Well, Natalice and Matildla have Fereida to thank for that. She’s the one who designed their outfits. Fereida’s new line of dresses will surely be a hit in the cosplay scene.”

“I just hope they’re not too pricey! I want to see if there are any cute outfits for me to wear. Now, onto sports…”*

Slowly but surely, the girls turn their attention to Fereida.

“B-but I thought they wouldn’t make that announcement for another week…” A certain secretary had told Fereida to keep details of Nala’s and Mala’s jobs secret when they first got hired. Due to the nature of their jobs, they debut with the alias ‘Natalice’ and ‘Matilda’ for privacy reasons.

“Fereida, explain. NOW!” Even when Jun’s question was answered, she wanted to prod Fereida with more questions than before. Starting with how Fereida kept her job a secret from everyone for so long.

“I…uh…” Left with little choice but to squeal, the girls all shared a collective gasp when Fereida told them how Nala and Mala ended up as Idols…

(Next Chapter:https://touchfluffytail.org/story/an-arrival-of-a-rival-ch-22/)

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