Arc 1, Chapter 27: Fate Updated

“…What?”

 

“To be clear, I’m not entirely decided on you two yet. But I have good reason to believe that you’d be good candidates for the job.”

 

“But how? We’ve barely done anything,” Amadeus pointed out.

 

“Like I said, I have a few reasons for doing this,” Tokugawa explained. “For one, while he was treacherous, Dumas was an excellent Seer where it mattered. If things were different, I don’t think anybody would’ve taken his position anytime soon. And you, Amadeus, are another version of him.”

 

“But—”

 

“Let me finish. More importantly, the group Dumas seems be a part of is likely to be a thorn in our side for the foreseeable future, and currently, there’s nobody more knowledgeable or more experienced in dealing with them, which probably isn’t saying much, but in my mind, it counts for a lot.”

 

“…Are those the only reasons, sir?” Amadeus asked.

 

“For the most part, yes,” the Guildmaster confirmed. “And as far as I’m concerned, those are two very good reasons. Again, nothing is decided yet, but I’ll update you should I ultimately decide on you two. In the meantime, think of a team name if you haven’t already. If you have no further questions, you are dismissed. Please return to your guild work in the coming days, if at all possible.”

 

Going back home after news like that left Amadeus in a bit of shock, and Haruhi fighting every cell of her body not to visibly hyperventilate.

 

Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit Amadeus we’re going to be the Seer I mean one of us is going to be seer but really we’re on a team so we’re both technically the seer HOLY SHIT this is above and beyond everything I’ve ever wanted holy shit

 

Calm down. Please. You’re scaring me.

 

Aaaaaaaaaahhh…..

 

The second they got home, Haruhi immediately blew a massive flamethrower into the fireplace, nearly spilling out onto the nearby bookshelf. “Amadeus, holy fuck. Do you have any idea how amazing this is?”

 

“I-I got the idea, yeah… please calm down, we might not get it.”

 

“Okay, deep breaths… One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, one million, ahhh, okay, I’ve calmed down enough to think straight.” Haruhi paused, and sat down. “We never really discussed team names, did we?”

 

“Sparkfire,” Amadeus suggested.

 

“Too obvious.”

 

“Team Apex.”

 

“Too vague. Pretty sure at least two other teams use that one already.”

 

“Flashpoint.”

 

“Trying too hard to sound cool.”

 

“Ion.”

 

“What the hell is an Ion?”

 

“Uh, Lavender.”

 

“That’s just a color.”

 

“Mindfire?”

 

“I feel like you’re leaving yourself out of that one.”

 

“Moguls?”

 

“What is that? The name of a real estate company?”

 

“Reach?”

 

“You’re really reaching for these now.”

 

“You just shot down eight perfectly fine team name ideas in a row.”

 

“…Alright, let’s put a pin in that one for now. No way I’m gonna let us be the team with no name, though.”

 

“…Team with no name. Let’s go with that. It’s perfect!”

 

“I swear to Arceus, that had better be a joke.”

 

In the silence that followed, Amadeus and Haruhi decided to go through a few more of the move books, if only to see what kinds wacky moves were out there. They didn’t find many interesting ones, outside of the odd exclusive move. In the very least, Haruhi calmed all the way down.

 

Eventually, the actual residents of the house finally came home for the day. Fudo and Kohana came home first, followed by Akihiro and Ryo a while later.

 

“Hey kids, how were your days?” Ryo immediately asked as soon as he entered the house.

 

“School was boring. Everyone wants to talk about our cousins now,” Kohana commented. “They’re cool, but it was really annoying.”

 

“I had nothing to do all day,” Fudo commented. “I did get to catch up with my friends, though.”

 

Akihiro walked over to the couch. “Well? How did the meeting go?” he asked expectantly.

 

“The Guildmaster just wanted to know some of the more sensitive details that we couldn’t share with the police,” Haruhi explained, partially lying. “He also said we might be able to form a team sooner than normal because of the role we played in taking Dumas down.” It’s not technically a lie…

 

Uh, didn’t Akihiro say he was the original frontrunner to be the Seer before Dumas came along? Amadeus asked.

 

That’s why I’m saying it like that!

 

“Well, if that happens, that’s good news,” Akihiro pointed out. “For your careers, at least.”

 

“…Man, everyone loves you guys now,” Fudo said, somewhat grumpy.

 

“Hey, you got recognition too, Fudo,” Haruhi pointed out.

 

“In our defense, everyone thinks I was his son, so it makes for a good story,” Amadeus admitted. “Not that I think it’ll last. Give it a month, most people will stop caring by then.”

 

“We’ll have to see about that,” Akihiro commented.

 

The dinner that followed was very similar to last night’s. The only subject that really came up was what happened that required both Akihiro and Ryo to be present at the Guild. A meeting, by the sound of it.

 

“The Guildmaster is saying that he’s narrowed down the pool of candidates to be the next Seer to less than half a dozen. He’s likely to pick who it is by the end of the week. Not that he’s going to actually announce who it is. That’s another few months of guesswork on our part,” Akihiro explained. “More importantly, he’s trying to figure out the extent to which Dumas was working behind his back, and he wants all hands on deck to go through the files lying around his office. We already found something shady related to the Eyelash Isles, apparently.”

 

“Which is why I’m going to be working for the next few days,” Ryo added. “I’m probably going to be spending hours reading the same handful of documents to find anything suspicious.”

 

“I don’t think Dumas would’ve been so sloppy he’d have left incriminating documents with the Guild…” Amadeus commented.

 

“You never know,” Akihiro pointed out. “He clearly expected to be able to blow the Guild sky-high that day, so he may not have seen the point of covering his tracks.”

 

I can’t help but feel like he’d be more paranoid than that… Amadeus was starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable with the direction, so he quickly finished up the rice Ryo made that night, and excused himself. Eventually, he made his way to the balcony on the upstairs floor, and stared off in the distance for a while.

 

He’d forgotten how quiet it was up here.

 

Eventually, Haruhi joined him. “Still kinda rough thinking about Dumas, yeah?”

 

“Yeah…” Amadeus confirmed. “He just… died so suddenly. And there was nothing I could do about it. At least, not practically, anyway.”

 

“I don’t think we’re gonna be able to avoid talking about him for a while, if things keep going the way they’re going.”

 

“…You’re probably right,” Amadeus agreed. “I just hope that he stops being relevant sooner rather than later. Every time he gets brought up, I can’t help but regret what happened.”

 

“I think we did the right thing, Amadeus,” Haruhi reassured him. “He got a relatively painless death, at least.”

 

“Well, when you put it like that…”

 

“The best we can do is assure ourselves that we did what was right,” Haruhi argued. “It’s probably not going to be the last time we have to do that either, especially if that’s a rule to how the Medallions work.”

 

“Yeah…” Amadeus admitted. “I guess I do have to move on from this pretty quickly, huh?”

 

“Don’t worry, I totally get it,” Haruhi added. “You don’t like having to take everything in all at once, right?”

 

“No kidding,” Amadeus replied. For the briefest moment, he was reminded of what happened at the temple, but he pushed those thoughts out of his mind quickly.

 

For a while, the duo was quiet. There wasn’t much else to say on the matter.

 

Eventually, Akihiro joined them.

 

“Hello, you two. Do you mind if I check on something?”

 

“Err, what is it?” Amadeus asked. “We haven’t done anything wrong, have we?”

 

“No, no… just curious about something. Say, you said you might be able to form a team soon? That doesn’t happen very often.”

 

“What about it?” Haruhi asked.

 

“Well, you see, it’s just the Guildmaster said he was prioritizing those who knew the most about Dumas to be considered for the role of Seer, and he never really extends an offer like the one he’s giving you two unless he’s planning something.”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

“He told you two that you’re candidates for being the Seer, didn’t he?”

 

“…Maybe,” Amadeus replied.

 

“I knew it,” Akihiro replied. “He probably imagines you two are a safe bet, given how well Dumas did his job where it mattered. Good luck, I hear it’s a busy job.”

 

“…You’re not jealous?” Amadeus asked.

 

“Jealous?” Akihiro noted. “Well, slightly. But I am happy for you two. Trust me, any ill will is purely imagined. It’s good to see you two being successful after what happened.”

 

“But we haven’t done anything yet,” Amadeus pointed out, getting a slight déjà vu from his conversation with the Guildmaster earlier.

 

“That’s not entirely true,” Akihiro pointed out in turn. “You played a crucial role in Dumas’ defeat, and for that, you should be applauded. If not for you two, there could’ve been a crater where Hakken no Machi is right now. You deserve some praise, in the very least, and you’ve been getting said praise.”

 

Amadeus was silent. Part of him still felt undeserving of it all, but another part of him felt almost proud of what he’d done. The conflicting emotions swirled around inside of him, like bubbling concoction just waiting to overflow. He did, however, understand what Akihiro meant. “I guess I’ll just have to see where this leads, then.”

 

“That’s not a terrible attitude to have,” Akihiro replied. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

 

 

---

 

 

“Hup!” Amadeus dove at Haruhi with a Spark, who ducked out of the way.

 

You did that twice already, Haruhi pointed out, shooting an ember from the tip of her finger. It was weak, but coming from Haruhi, it still hurt enough for him to fall over.

 

“Ow…” Amadeus muttered, defeated. “Alright, round seven goes to you.”

 

With little else to do, their first handful of days back at the Guild were spent doing some sparring and not much else. They couldn’t exactly work on the typing magic Mya had shown them in full view of the rest of the members and trainees, and without many other moves they wanted to learn, sparring with each other was the next best thing.

 

Admittedly, it was fun.

 

Amadeus fished out a Rawst berry from the bag, having gotten slightly burned over the course of multiple rounds—quite frankly, it would be difficult not to with Haruhi. “I think that’s a pretty good place to stop,” he said, mouth full. “I wonder if we should try sparring someone else. We’re probably going to form weird habits if we only fight each other.”

 

“Probably,” Haruhi agreed. She sat down next to Amadeus and patted him on the back. “I think we have to put in a request for that.”

 

Amadeus stretched. “That sounds about right. What was it Fudo said? Something about an exchange? Gotta check that out tomorrow…”

 

Haruhi looked around the room, probably intending to locate said exchange. “Oh. Speaking of Fudo…” Haruhi pointed to Fudo, who was maybe halfway across the room, deep in conversation with a Machoke and Medicham.

 

“What are those guys named again? Yogi and Daiskue?” Amadeus asked. “I kinda forgot that Fudo actually had friends. They must’ve been worried.”

 

“Aren’t they waiting to become an actual team?” Haruhi asked.

 

“…I think Dumas might’ve been to blame for their wait.”

 

“Well, in that case, I think we know what our first action as one of us being the Seer is gonna be.”

 

Amadeus chuckled. “Hey, when’s his birthday?”

 

“Amazing question,” Haruhi replied. “I have no idea.”

 

“Oh.”

 

There was an awkward pause.

 

“Alright, we say what our birthdays are on three,” Haruhi asserted.

 

“Wait—”

 

“One, two…”

 

“Third month, third day.”

 

“Fourth of Shaymin.”

 

“…That’s the fourth month, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Haruhi confirmed.

 

“…We both have repdigit birthdays.” Amadeus paused. “That’s when the number repeats,” he explained, thinking Haruhi might not know what that is.

 

“Ah,” Haruhi replied. “Cool. Anyway, library time, yeah?”

 

“Oh, right…” Amadeus muttered.

 

After waiting for their six hours to be up, the Duo headed over to the library, and went back to the books on Dumas’ more famous cases. Now that they knew for sure that Dumas had been up to no good from the beginning, it made sense to pick apart his career to see if they found anything suspicious. Tonight would be their first attempt at doing that.

 

The books we read were in this section, right? Haruhi asked.

 

Yeah, I think so… To the both of them, the Dropeye Trade case seemed like the natural place to start. Not only had it stuck out to them both at the time as odd, but it was also something they’d only really skimmed over. They were bound to find something else if they looked deeper.

 

After checking out nearly twelve different books, Amadeus and Haruhi went home, and after dinner, starting reading through as much as they could.

 

“Karitha’s the name of gang Dumas didn’t gut completely, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Haruhi said, rubbing her forehead. “And now their leaders are practically operating out in the open.”

 

The more they read, the more they realized just how deep the problem had gotten. Karitha, by the look of it, had practically taken over Trader’s Territory from the inside. They had extensive ties to the governments, and full control of the drug trade. If Dumas was trying to consolidate power in the hands of a few individuals, he did an amazing job.

 

“Alright, it looks bad, but nothing concrete…” Amadeus muttered.

 

“They held onto power because the other leader never got caught, and eventually stopped having to hide altogether, right? Let’s look into this Lulu bitch.”

 

A long period of page-flipping noises later, they found an article describing one Lulu Gardevoir.

 

“Lulu Gardevoir, the gang’s current leader, controls Karitha with an iron fist,” Amadeus read. “Very few pictures of her exist, but she is known to regularly meet with members of the government to discuss business and policy, and is believed to have sway over such officials. All attempts to remove her have failed.”

 

“…Anything else?”

 

“Hm…” Amadeus scanned over the article, but it seemed that information on Lulu was scarce. His eyes gently moved up and down the article, re-reading the passages several times, secretly hoping there would be something he missed. Eventually, he looked at the lone image in the article. The caption read, ‘the only image of Lulu that has ever been widely circulated. Above, Lulu is seen with a member of the Tijara Monarchy, one of the largest nations in the Trader’s Territories, somewhere inside of the palace. It is believed that they are discussing matters related to the trade of a new drug that would’ve been freshly in circulation around the time the picture was taken.’

 

Amadeus looked more closely at the image, and at Lulu specifically. She was wearing something around her neck.

 

The image was in black-and-white, but Amadeus was willing to bet good money that the round, circular object he saw was a Medallion.

 

“There it is,” he nearly yelled. “She’s a member of Calamity.”

 

“So, we’ve got… A Snorlax and a Riachu, both from Dumas’ story, a Lucario who tried to kill us and is currently somewhere up north, and now a gang leader. And there’s probably more where that came from,” Haruhi summarized.

 

“Alright,” Amadeus muttered. “Well, we’ve got something to show the Guildmaster when we become Seer. If we become Seer, that is.”

 

“We’re gonna be Seer,” Haruhi said, oddly determined.

“We have no control over that.”

 

“But we’re gonna be Seer,” Haruhi reaffirmed. “Because that’d be really cool.”

 

Amadeus laughed nervously. “Y-yeah, sure…”

 

“Hey, who’d I be if I didn’t aggressively assert what I wanted to happen?”

 

“Fair enough,” Amadeus replied. “I do think you should temper your expectations a tiny bit.”

 

“Alright,” Haruhi replied. “Akihiro’s going to get chosen instead of us and then we get to be seer by proxy.” She winked as she said this.

 

Amadeus chuckled. “Alright, now you’re just joking around.”

 

“It took you that long to notice?” Haruhi replied, chuckling a little herself. “Seriously, though, I might actually explode from excitement if it actually happens.”

 

“…I wonder how your mother’s gonna react to all of this.”

 

Haruhi blinked. “Holy hell, she’s probably losing her mind as she learns about all of this. What do I even say to her?”

 

“Uh…” Amadeus trailed off. “Write a letter saying that you’re fine? Maybe Mayumi reassured her when she got back?”

 

“Holy shit, I haven’t written to Mom since I left…” Haruhi looked a tiny bit frightened. “Uh…”

 

“I-it’ll be fine?”

 

“I don’t like that there’s a question mark at the end of that sentence.”

 

“S-sorry…”

 

Haruhi took in a deep breath. “Alright, I’ve got a letter to write. Where does Akihiro keep his pens and paper again?”

 

“I think it’s in his desk, second drawer down?”

 

“Got it…” Haruhi said, quickly exiting the room. In the meantime, Amadeus tucked away the pile of books they’d checked out earlier. They’d have to make time to return them.

 

 

---

 

 

The following day of training was uneventful for the both of them, so they decided to explore town a little after the six hours were up. At this point, they were just waiting with bated breath for Tokugawa to decide. If they were even going to hear from him in the first place, that was.

 

“The view of the bay from here is amazing…” Haruhi muttered.

 

Amadeus couldn’t help but agree. The water was gorgeous, and the crowd of ships coming in and out was a sight to behold, and the crowd managed to block out their view of the street. “Imagine walking through that crowd.”

 

“I feel like we’re gonna have to someday,” Haruhi muttered.

 

The duo were sitting in a park a good distance away from the docks, and quite a ways uphill. It wasn’t exactly a very quiet park, but it was quiet enough for them to not be interrupted by much.

 

“What did you write to your Mom, anyway?”

 

“I told her that I’m safely back in Akihiro’s house now, and not to worry.”

 

She’s probably still gonna have a few questions.

 

Yeah, no kidding. I just hope she doesn’t have a total freakout.

 

She was really apprehensive about you going off on your own, right?

 

That’s a bit of an understatement, actually. She wouldn’t have ever let me go if not for Dumas.

 

Arceus…

 

“Yeah,” Haruhi muttered. “I couldn’t imagine living in my hometown after all of this. Part of me doesn’t want to go back ever.”

 

“Because of how they treated you?”

 

“Something to that effect, yeah,” Haruhi replied. “There’s not a doubt in my mind that they’d go right back to the way they treated me before I left.”

 

“Well, good thing you don’t have to,” Amadeus pointed out.

 

“Yeah,” Haruhi agreed. “I like it here. Everything’s so exciting, even if that isn’t always a good thing.”

 

“Speaking of exciting,” Amadeus continued. “I don’t think anyone is looking, you wanna give the typing magic another try?”

 

“Sure, sure…” Haruhi turned to face Amadeus directly, and then stared at him for a bit. I swear, I can slip into this without thinking about it one second, then I can’t get it working the next…

 

Keep going, you’ve got this.

 

Eventually, Amadeus felt a gentle tug on his ears. I’m starting to think that it just takes a second… Haruhi commented. I’m still not sure how exactly to trigger it, though.

 

On the bright side, you got it working just now.

 

This is true.

 

The tug on Amadeus’ face relaxed a little. We’re definitely going to need to go back to Inner Meade at some point, he added. Especially since Mya implied we’re barely scratching the surface of what’s possible.

 

Uh, only tangentially related, but remind me again what using Electric moves is like for you?

 

It’s a bit of a tingly feeling, and you have to feel out the electric currents in your own body. Why?

 

…I was thinking about seeing if I could do anything with that. If the Typing Magic lets me manipulate the rules of how types work, then maybe I could do something with electric?

 

Would you like me to go in more depth about how electric type moves work? Because there’s about a seventy percent chance this doesn’t do anything, Amadeus replied, having no evidence.

 

Actually, can you share a memory with me? Haruhi asked. It’d be faster if I could just see the sensation for myself, and it should be possible as long as our minds are linked. I think.

 

Oh, that makes sense. Amadeus paused. Wait, how do I do that?

 

One agonizingly long attempt by Haruhi and Amadeus to get the correct memory from his mind to hers later, Haruhi was ready to give it a shot.

 

Wow, that is a weird sensation. It’s like you’re cold, but not at all.

 

That’s… not inaccurate, honestly.

 

Haruhi closed her eyes, and concentrated.

 

Not one second later, she opened them. “W-why was that so easy?” Parts of her fur were sticking up from what looked like static electricity.

 

Wait, you got it already?

 

Yes. Arceus, that’s a weird feeling. A tiny spark formed in her paw. Seconds later, it switched to a flame. Then back to a spark, then a flame, before Haruhi extinguished it herself. Again, why the hell was that so easy?

 

I mean, you did get an example to work off of, and you are linked to me, an electric type…

 

That shouldn’t make it easier than another type I naturally have! This is nonsense!

 

…Alright, we’re definitely asking about that the second we get the chance.

 

“Which won’t be for a while,” Haruhi pointed out, returning to spoken words.

 

“I mean, we could probably make an excuse to go there. We’re going to have to eventually, if we want to deal with Jack.”

 

“Not looking forward to that…” Haruhi muttered, flinching slightly. In hindsight, they’d gotten lucky several times in quick succession that day.

 

A while of small talk later, the duo headed home, without much else to do for the day.

 

“Tomorrow is the end of the week, right?” Haruhi asked Akihiro, just before dinner. “I’m getting anxious over this wait!”

 

“I believe so,” Akihiro responded. “One can only imagine why you, of all people, might be excited for the end of the week,” he added, somewhat teasingly.

 

“Damn right,” she quipped. “I’m gonna try not to be upset if it doesn’t go my way, buuuuuuut…”

 

“Haruhi, I think you’re gonna be pouting about it all day tomorrow if it doesn’t work out,” Amadeus pointed out.

 

“Oh, come on, I’m not that entitl—”

 

The conversation was cut off by a rather loud and aggressive knocking at the door.

 

“I got it!” Fudo said, jumping up from his seat on the couch, and heading over to the door to open it.

 

On the other side, to nearly the surprise of everyone, was Haya.

 

Haruhi, in particular, froze. “Oh, hey Mom, didn’t expect to, uh… see you?”

 

Haya said nothing at first, but simply walked over to where her daughter was seated and hugged her.

 

“Arceus, I can’t believe you’re still safe.”

 

“H-how did you even know—”

 

“You think I wouldn’t recognize my own daughter?”

 

“N-no, I—”

 

“Haruhi,” Haya said, cutting her off, and moving away slightly to put her hands on her shoulders, “We’re going home. Come on.”

 

“W-what? I can’t just go home now, I—”

 

“Haruhi, it’s dangerous now, you can’t stay—”

 

“I can handle myself!” Haruhi immediately insisted. “I’m way stronger now, and more experienced, too!”

 

“You’re still—”

 

“I’m—”

 

“Alright, alright, everyone relax…” Akihiro said, cutting in. He took a deep breath. “It’s good to see you again, Haya.”

 

“…Hello, Akihiro,” Haya said, looking almost ashamed. “I want to take my daughter back.”

 

“I can see that. How has life been treating you this past decade?”

 

“Fine…”

 

The silence in the room caused by the screeching halt in the conversation that followed was almost painful.

 

“Mom, I’m not going back home,” Haruhi said, breaking the silence.

 

“After all of that? Can’t you understand how afraid I am for you?”

 

“I know, but… I can’t go back! I just can’t!”

 

“Why not? Don’t you miss being home?”

 

Haruhi was silent for a while. “…No,” she finally admitted. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”

 

“…You don’t miss it? Not even a little?”

 

“Everyone treated me like garbage back home,” Haruhi replied. “I don’t think that’s gonna change if I come back now.”

 

“…But it’s still dangerous for you here!” Haya continued to protest. “Doesn’t that stress you out a little bit? It stresses me out, you know!”

 

“I get that, but…” Haruhi began. “My life here is so much better than it was back home. People respect me, value me for my skills, and as a person. Back home, I couldn’t go a day out in town without being on the receiving end of some kind of vitriol! I can’t go back to living like that! Not after everything.”

 

Haya was silent for a moment, before she took in a deep breath. “I… don’t want that for you, but—” Haya paused mid-sentence.

 

Haruhi decided to take advantage of the pause. “Mom, I’m going to be fine here. I’m more than strong enough to hold my own, and I’m in more control of that strength than ever before. Besides…” she gave a nod to Amadeus. “I’ve got someone watching my back.”

 

Thanks, Amadeus said internally.

 

I’d be lying if I said you didn’t save my ass at least once, Haruhi replied.

 

Haya stared at her for a moment, clearly unsure what to say. After a long pause, she took her hands off of Haruhi’s shoulders and turned around. “…Excuse me for a moment.” Haya, without another word, attempted to leave almost as suddenly as she arrived.

 

“Wait!” Haruhi said, standing up and running over. “You don’t have to go, I—”

 

“I don’t have anything else to do here if you’re not coming,” Haya said, somewhat somber. “I’ll go back to the teleporter that took me here.”

 

“…You can stay for dinner,” Haruhi suggested.

 

Haya seemed to contemplate this for a while. “…It does get lonely eating by yourself,” she replied, walking back towards the living room.

 

“Besides,” Akihiro added, walking right up to her and putting a hand on her shoulder, “You have more than a little bit of explaining to do.”

 

“What?” Haya asked.

 

“You barely wrote at all, and the last time I heard anything was a decade ago. I have a thousand questions.”

 

“In my defense, you really seemed to dislike Ken, despite the fact that you were friends for years.”

 

“I was worried he was leading my little sister on! Besides, he looked just older enough to make it weird!”

 

“…That was why you disapproved of our relationship?”

 

“Knowing him, I wouldn’t have put it past him…” Ryo commented, stirring a pot. “Not to rag on him too much, but he was a strange guy.”

 

“You two realize he’s dead now, right?” Haya asked, offended.

 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Akihiro replied. “I didn’t mean to drive you away, I was only concerned.”

 

“…I know.” Haya sat down on a chair at the table. “For the record, I think I’m a better cook than Ryo,” she said, changing the topic.

 

“Why don’t you do it then, uh… Aunt Haya?” Fudo asked, clearly unsure what to make of Haya.

 

“Akihiro, your son just asked the woman to do the cooking. Raise him to be less of a chauvinist, please.”

 

“Hey!” Fudo complained. “You brought it up!”

 

Haya disregarded Fudo, only having a mischievous smirk. “Anyway, whatever happened to your sister, Ryo? Is she still around? I’m guessing all three of you only do bureaucracy these days.”

 

“Oh, Tadame?” Ryo answered. “She got stationed in the outpost on the Eyelash Isles about eight years ago. Still visits from time to time, but that hasn’t happened in the past few months.”

 

“The Eyelash Isles?” Haya asked, sounding shocked. “All the way on the other side of the continent? Isn’t that nearly three weeks by boat? Arceus, that’s absolutely brutal. Must be hard for her to get a teleport over that kind of distance.”

 

“She tells us she has to get them nearly a month in advance for personal travel,” Akihiro said with an ironic chuckle. “She’s been trying to get stationed somewhere closer for the past two years now, but apparently that’s a no-go because we’re too short-staffed there. She says she has to take jobs for clients on top of the paperwork she has to do occasionally because of the lack of free hands. It doesn’t help that the Eyelash Isles aren’t exactly known for peace.”

 

“…Did she piss someone off?” Haya asked, almost jokingly.

 

“There are a few candidates for that,” Akihiro admitted. “Enough about her. How has living on the farm been?”

 

“It was… a bit rough, at first, I’ll admit. It takes grit. It was slightly easier after Haruhi stopped going to school, and was old enough to help on the farm. It’s been lonely ever since she left.”

 

“I could imagine…” Akihiro replied, sitting down next to her.

 

“Wait, why did Haruhi stop going to school?” Fudo asked. “Is she really uneducated? Is that why she can be a moron sometimes?”

 

I’m going to kill Fudo, Amadeus heard Haruhi think.

 

Please don’t.

 

“If you’re so smart, why’d you not believe us that time in the woods?” Haruhi asked.

 

“Did you really just go there?” Fudo asked, annoyed.

 

“Anyway,” Haya interrupted, “Haruhi stopped going to school because of a certain incident which is not appropriate subject matter for this dinner table. New topic, please.”

 

“Alrighty then…” Akihiro muttered.

 

The conversation was rather lively for the rest of the night, if a bit awkward. Amadeus could feel that Haruhi did, in the very least, miss her mother, even if she had no real intentions of going back with her. It was nice to see, especially given how that night could’ve gone.

 

 

---

 

 

Amadeus awoke the next morning in Haruhi’s arms again, barely able to move, and yawned pleasantly. He wasn’t sure when exactly he’d gone to sleep the previous night, but it seemed he did so after Haruhi.

 

She was already awake.

 

You’re sleeping almost as heavily as you did when we first met, she pointed out.

 

I hope not, because that would make us late to our Guild work for the day.

 

Well, I was exaggerating… Haruhi replied. It’s good to see you sleeping so well, honestly.

 

Love you too, Haruhi.

 

Haruhi giggled. “Love you,” she muttered. “But it’s time to get up. I can’t feel my arm.”

 

“Oh, shit…” Amadeus jolted up suddenly, remorseful for having slept on top of her arm.

 

Haruhi leaned up, and watched as her arm hung at her side, limp. “That’s gonna take a minute…”

 

Amadeus moved a bit closer and tried rubbing Haruhi’s arm a bit. Is this helping?

 

Uh… not really. You’re fine, just give it a minute…

 

Amadeus awkwardly jumped down from the bed and stretched. If you say so… Amadeus wandered into the hall, and got on with his morning routine for the day. He was still getting used to doing things like brushing his teeth in the morning again, but it was a welcome return. You think today’s gonna be the day, Haruhi? He asked from the bathroom.

 

It’s gotta be, right? Haruhi asked in kind. We’re basically at the end of the week already.

 

Yeah, we are, Amadeus noted. It’s today or never, that’s why I asked.

 

You already know how I feel about our chances, then.

 

That’s true…

 

Amadeus walked downstairs into the living room, and saw Haya and Akihiro sitting next to each other on the couch, mid-conversation. Haya was taking sips from a cup of tea as they spoke. It seemed to be a rather serious conversation, all things considered.

 

“I think Haruhi was just lonely, honestly…” Haya said in response to something Akihiro said before Amadeus entered earshot. “I tried to be there for her to make up for it, but I guess it wasn’t enough… In more ways than one, maybe.”

 

“I think you tried her best to give her what you had in Nōgyō No Machi,” Akihiro reassured her. “She just wanted something only leaving could give her.”

 

Haya looked into her teacup. “I was fighting the inevitable, wasn’t I?” She said bitterly. “It just wasn’t meant to be.” She looked up and made eye contact with Amadeus. “Good morning. Can I ask you something?”

 

Amadeus instinctively looked away. “What is it?”

 

“How do you think Haruhi’s been doing since you two got here?”

 

“I think she’s been pretty happy, disasters aside,” Amadeus answered honestly.

 

“Akihiro was saying something to that effect, too…” she sighed. “I probably should’ve realized it sooner, but I was afraid of losing her.” Haya stood up from the couch, drinking the last of the tea.

 

“That’s understandable…” Amadeus commented. She was definitely more pushy than was warranted, though… Amadeus thought back to the time he’d seen Haya tell Haruhi that she was a farmer and that it was ‘time to accept that’. Amadeus figured Haruhi was owed a bit of an apology.

 

Eventually, Haruhi and everyone else came downstairs for breakfast to properly begin. Breakfast discussions had never been particularly lively, but there still seemed to be a bit of unresolved tension at the table.

 

Most likely, it was because of Haya.

 

Haya seemed to notice that Haruhi was only eating with one hand for most of breakfast, and strangely flexing the other.

 

“You know you can use both hands, right, kid? They’re both better at grabbing things now.”

 

“I know, it’s just that my other arm fell asleep,” Haruhi explained. “Amadeus was on top of it. He’s kinda heavy.”

 

“…Is that so?” Haya asked, sounding somewhat suspicious of the duo.

 

“We have to share a bed,” Amadeus quickly added. “There’s no room anywhere else in the house.”

 

“I wasn’t suggesting anything…” Haya said, annoyed.

 

“…Hey, mom?” Haruhi asked.

 

“Yes, Haruhi?”

 

“When are you leaving?”

 

Haya paused. “Not long after breakfast, probably. Why?”

 

“I just wanted to say goodbye to you before you left. I’m gonna be heading to the Guild with Amadeus to get our work done there for the day in a bit.”

 

“That’s… alright.”

 

“Okay,” Haruhi replied. She seemed a bit worried, but she didn’t say it.

 

The unease continued into the rest of the breakfast, as very little would be said for the next few minutes. Amadeus could feel that there was a tension in the air.

 

Finally, Haya spoke. “Haruhi, I’m sorry.”

 

“…Sorry for what?” Haruhi asked.

 

“Sorry I couldn’t be a better mother for you. I held you back for so long just for my own selfish desires at your expense, and I just… didn’t help you with what you were going through at all. All I did was leave you to fester.”

 

“Mom, I—” Haruhi paused. “It’s alright. I forgive you.”

 

Haya got up from where she was sitting and hugged Haruhi. “Goodbye, Haruhi. I hope life treats you well.”

 

Tears started forming in Haruhi’s eyes. “You too, mom.”

 

One finished breakfast and heartwarming apology later, Amadeus and Haruhi were headed to the Guild. Amadeus honestly couldn’t describe the joy he felt seeing the smile on Haruhi’s face as they walked down the street. It made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside in a way that he hadn’t since he first confessed his love for her.

 

You seem really happy… Amadeus pointed out.

 

I am, she replied. It’s like a weight’s been lifted from my chest! I feel like nothing could go wrong today after what just happened.

 

Don’t say that out loud, now. You’re gonna jinx us.

 

Paranoid as ever, I see, Haruhi joked. Good to know that you’re still you.

 

Yeah, I can see that…

 

Using a flyer to get around the city was something that Amadeus still had to get used to. In hindsight, Mya’s ability to teleport them probably relied on the typing magic to some degree. The wind in his face wasn’t all that fun the twentieth time. In the very least, though, he could still talk to Haruhi relatively clearly using the link in their heads.

 

If we ever get our own apartment, we’re getting one closer to the guild. I don’t know if I can take the wind in my face every single day for the rest of my life.

 

I’m guessing most dark types around the city probably feel the same, Haruhi replied. I’m also guessing the rent prices spike to hell and back as you get closer and closer to the Guild.

 

Oh, Arceus, I didn’t even think about paying rent… Amadeus griped. I’ve never had to do that before!

 

Well, hopefully being the Seer pays well. It’d be pretty shitty if it didn’t.

 

Amadeus glanced towards the guild with apprehension. I’m starting to get a little nervous about this…

 

I am too. But I’m just as excited to be there!

 

I agree…

 

Landing was still a bit rough, which Haruhi made no secret of to an apologetic Staraptor.

 

“My legs hurt,” she groaned as the flyer flew away. “You think we can complain about that to someone?”

 

“Later…” Amadeus replied, already over it by this point. “Let’s just focus on our training for the day for now.”

 

Gonna be real hard to focus, given what might happen today!

 

No kidding…

 

For what felt like forever, the duo did the most basic training they could think of. Firing off a handful of moves at training dummies, doing a few stretches, and even a single sparring match. Even so, neither of them could fight the urge to look at the clock on the wall, knowing that if it rolled all the way to the end, they’d be going home disappointed.

 

Finally…

 

“You two,” a rather disgruntled-looking Politoed told them. Amadeus could’ve sworn he’d seen this person before, but their name was escaping him.

 

“Y-Yes?” Haruhi replied immediately, looking more alert than Amadeus had ever seen her.

 

“Guildmaster wants to talk. Head on over, now.” The Politoed promptly walked off, perhaps unaware of what their words meant.

 

Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit it’s happening, Amadeus heard.

 

C-calm down, please.

 

I’m trying… “One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand…” Let’s just go…

 

Amadeus found himself moving at a rather brisk pace just to keep up with Haruhi’s speed-walking. It seemed her much larger stride was speeding her up significantly, although her speed was far more easily attributed to her excitement. He couldn’t blame her. He was excited himself, despite his apprehension to the role.

 

After taking a moment to collect herself, Amadeus watched as Haruhi confidently pushed open the door, and strode right through it. He felt that maybe she was being a little too open about her enthusiasm, but he wasn’t going to fault her for it.

 

“You wanted to see us, sir?” Haruhi asked, beaming.

 

“Indeed I did,” Tokugawa confirmed, stepping down from his throne. “Do try to contain your excitement. This is serious.”

 

“M-my apologies, sir…” Haruhi said rather sheepishly.

 

“I’m sure you two have been anticipating this meeting for the past few days,” the Guildmaster continued. “First and foremost, some housekeeping. What team name did you two decide on?”

 

“Team Newlight,” Amadeus said, still a tiny bit unsure on the name. Haruhi had suggested the name, arguing that Dumas would’ve been the old light, as well as the one that burned the sky, so their new light would heal the world by being the ones to defeat the rest of Calamity. It was as hasty as it was cheesy, but they both agreed that it was a fitting name. Besides, it sounded cool, which was important.

 

“Excellent,” Tokugawa commented. “Team leader?”

 

There was an awkward pause.

 

“We, uh, didn’t think of that…” Amadeus admitted.

 

“It’s alright if you two don’t have a definitive leader, but I do need someone to be the leader for record keeping purposes.”

 

“Alright, Amadeus is the leader, then,” Haruhi replied, suspiciously quickly.

 

Haruhi?

 

I think he’s gonna make you the Seer.

 

Aren’t you the more active one between us, though? You’re much better for the role.

 

Too late, I already said it.

 

Okay…

 

“Alright,” Tokugawa continued, oblivious to their internal dialogue. “Amadeus, leader of Team Newlight, I have something to ask of you.”

 

“Yes, sir?”

 

“Would you be the next Seer of the Guild of Honor?”

 

Amadeus paused, nerves getting to him ever so slightly. “I would be honored to accept.”

 

Tokugawa nodded in approval. “Very well. I have to file away a few things to make this official and get you both your new licenses, but for now, I’d like to outline some of your duties, as well as your privileges as Seer. First of all, your job is primarily that of a detective, so you’ll work mostly within Hakken no Machi solving ordinary crimes on a day-to-day basis. You are, however, free to explore or investigate nearly anything you deem important or notable, provided that you run it by me first. That means most of the continent’s activities are fair game. I will occasionally mandate you investigate certain things, although not often. From time to time, you will be also expected to carry out more diplomatic missions with other members of guild as well. I also expect you to report anything of note at the end of every week. Is all of this clear to you?”

“Yes, sir,” Amadeus replied. I think I got most of that, anyway…

 

“Good. Now then, as Seer, you will have access to files and intelligence that most normal members of the Guild do not. That means the Guild’s deepest secrets, and by extension, some of the continent’s, are yours to learn. You’ve already heard of Inner Meade, so you might have an idea on some of the things we know about. You’re also free to ask questions about nearly anything, and get an answer if appropriate. All of this should ideally be in service to investigations, though, not purely for curiosity, although that is allowed somewhat. Again, I ask, is this clear to you?”

 

“Yes, sir,” Amadeus replied again. Is that the end of the exposition, or…?

 

“Good. Now both of you come forward, and hand over your old badges.”

 

Amadeus and Haruhi walked closer to Tokugawa, who handed them a trio of badges, one of which closely resembled the badge Dumas showed Amadeus all the way back when they first met, and the other two appearing to be colorless versions of the same design.

 

“These are your new badges. They’re not technically official yet, but they do have the ability to teleport you directly to the guild, which you still need permission and clearance to activate. As does everyone else. If you expected to be able to teleport wherever you wanted, I am sorry to disappoint you. As with your previous badges, they act as radios and trackers. The more ornate badge can be used to identify either of you as the Seer if absolutely necessary. I ask that you refrain from doing so otherwise, since being the Seer is supposed to be a secret. You should use the other versions in your day-to-day activities.”

 

“Understood,” Amadeus replied, worried that his ear was about to be talked off. He knew that this was important, but it was getting to be a bit much.

 

“Do you two have any further questions?” Tokugawa asked, finally at the end of his spiel.

 

“You want us to look into the other members of Calamity, right? The group Dumas claimed to be a part of?” Haruhi asked.

 

“That’s why you two are here in the first place,” Tokugawa answered. “I assume that’s already something you have a personal stake in. I also imagine it will take years to deal with all of Dumas’ confidants fully, so I don’t expect every waking moment to be devoted to that task. If anything, I’ll be ordering you to look into something else from time to time. Remember, you are free to decide what to investigate whenever you’re not preoccupied with something else. You two don’t need prompting to look into this matter, do you?”

 

“Well, no…” Amadeus replied. We’re already kinda looking into it.

 

“Then it’s not an order, but I’ll assume you’re working on it anyway. How many years until you’re done looking into it, I don’t know. How many times something else will come up, I also don’t know. But I’ll look forward to it. Anything else?”

 

“I don’t believe so, sir,” Amadeus answered.

 

“Good. You are dismissed for the day. Report back here tomorrow for more housekeeping, as well as your new licenses and to help ease you into your new workflow.”

 

Amadeus and Haruhi said their very respectful goodbyes to the Guildmaster and exited the room. Immediately, Haruhi took out their new badges and just stared at them for a while.

 

“They’re so pretty…” she mumbled.

 

“Maybe don’t hold them out for everyone to see?” Amadeus suggested, helpfully.

 

“…Just a second longer?” Haruhi asked.

 

“Just a second,” Amadeus conceded.

 

After far longer than a second, Haruhi put the badges away. “Okay, deep breaths…” she muttered. Several seconds of deep breathing later, she continued. “You have no idea how hard I was fighting the urge to squeal that entire time.”

 

“I can imagine that,” Amadeus replied.

 

I’m so giddy… Amadeus heard. “Let’s head home and see how long it takes Akihiro to figure out that we got the job,” Haruhi said, smiling like it was her birthday.

 

That night, Amadeus and Haruhi slept more comfortably than they would for years afterwards.