A Night Beneath The Stars

Five Months Since Entering

Gritt and Ilse stood before the assembled leadership council of Yamano County, which included Anton, Miriam, Colette, Willem, Sven, Szep, the seven mayors of the various towns throughout the villages, and Randy. With Mitsuha not present, Miriam and Anton co-chaired the meeting.

"First of all, let me clear something up in your report," Anton started. "The girl you reported at the store wasn't an enemy agent, as you probably guessed, based on her staying with the Bozes. Her name is Michiko Nakamura; she's a close childhood friend of Lady Mitsuha from her home country." This revelation brought an audible gasp from the assembled group, but Anton continued. "Lady Mitsuha had discussed bringing her here with me several months ago with the idea of improving the local wineries and possibly even building a distillery to create new industries for the county. She told me Nakamura-san's family has a background in distilled beverages and hospitality and felt she could be trusted. I didn't know she had actually brought her, but based on your description, this can be no one else."

"If she's Lady Mitsuha's close friend, then why would she be staying with the Bozes capital mansion?" Szep asked. "Why not just come here?"

"Because if Lady Mitsuha disappeared before they left the capital, she'd have no way of doing so, not to mention if she's from Lady Mitsuha's home country, she probably has no idea where Yamano County is and was counting on Lady Mitsuha to take her here," Miriam explained. "Think about it; this girl is from another country, suddenly cut off from her means of support, with no money to travel, and no idea of who anyone else is or where any other place is, other than Mitsuha's General Store. Honestly, it's amazing she speaks our language, even if poorly. That's probably why you found her there. Now how she ended up with the Bozes, that might be something worth following up on, but I'm more concerned with what you reported on Count Lansen's place."

"Those weapons were all supposed to be turned in and held by the Kingdom," Willem agreed. "We had a chance to test a few of them before letting them all go. Individually, they're nowhere near as dangerous as our 'emergency firepower' weapons." He was referring to the HK-MP5K PDWs that the five militia officers had used to terrify the Vanel soldiers into submission* that Mitsuha had trained them on. "En masse however, they could represent a significant threat to the Kingdom if they're in the hands of a hostile power."

*see Manga Chps64 /LN Chp27

"If Mitsuha were here, she'd..." Colette started.

"Except she's not here," Sven interrupted. "And that's probably why all this is happening," he concluded.

"That makes sense actually," Willem nodded in agreement. "If I had ill intent for the Kingdom, the first thing I would do would be to find a way to get Lady Mitsuha out of the picture. Any large-scale insurrection would be doomed otherwise, as long as she was still around."

There was a brief pause before Miriam took the floor. "As I see it, we have two avenues that directly concern our County and how it may be related to Lady Mitsuha's disappearance. One, Count Bozes has always been a strong ally of Lady Mitsuha, and by extension, our County. If he's gathering allies for what appears to be a bigger threat to the Kingdom, it may be beneficial for us to send assets to support his efforts. Two, it would appear that whatever suspicious activity is going on, Count Lansen, Baron Turck, and whoever this mysterious warrior Gritt and Ilse identified look to be the heart of it. They may very well also be behind the disappearance of Lady Mitsuha."

That last remark got dark reactions from everyone across the table. It wasn't just that Viscountess Yamano was their leader. She had come to this province by choice. Before she arrived, this land was a poor, dead-end backwater territory at the edge of the country with little prospects and even fewer hopes. In less than a year, her charisma, drive and intellect had transformed the county into a thriving powerhouse that far outmatched its tiny size. Everyone around this table revered her as their star of hope for a brighter future. Now, somewhere out there, someone had taken that star from them. Each and every one of them, here and now, made a silent vow, if they ever found out who those people were, they would pay in full measure for their loss.

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Count Pasteur stood in front of the great hall to greet the invited guests as they arrived. Among them, Count Bozes recognized several familiar faces as the rest of his family mixed with their respective peers. As they were instructed, the servers and staff were lined up in parallel rows, and bowed as the guests were ushered into the main dining area once the initial greetings and dealings were being made. On their way in, a few of the nobles' children visibly gasped at the cakes and cookies that were set to the side, in anticipation of the dessert course later in the evening. They had been set out of the kitchen to spare them from the heat from melting the delicate frosting so one of the staff was on hand to keep an eye on them to prevent anyone from any premature samplings. Michiko quickly noticed Baron Turck and made a mental note that she needed to stay away from that side of the dining room. He could cause trouble if he spotted her, even if he didn't specifically call out why she was here.

Inside the kitchen, dinner portions were being prepared; plates of beef poached in broth, boiled seasonal root vegetables and starches that had been lightly buttered, along with bottles of the local wine. Michiko had some thoughts about the plate but kept them to herself. She wasn't the head nor sous chef tonight and she personally hated giving negative comments because she didn't like hurting a fellow chef's feelings. I mean... it's perfectly fine for what it was. It reminded her of cafeteria food... safe, edible, and fills the belly. Besides, from what Mitsuha told her, that's what the normal food of the Kingdom was like before she showed up*, so hopefully the nobles should be OK with that, right?

*see Manga Chp7 /LN Chp5 / Anime Epi3

Out on the dining area, Michiko and Daniel, along with the other servers quietly placed the plates onto the tables as the nobles discussed their deals and made their usual pleasantries. Michiko kept her head down and ears open as she paid attention as best she could to the conversations being made while placing dinner plates onto the tables, while keeping track of which nobles were talking to each other.

At their table, Count Bozes, Viscount Ryner, and Count Bader sat at one table to discuss matters of state, while their families were spread across several other tables. Ordinarily, they might have stayed with their respective families but in this case, Claus Bozes had requested the other two heads of households meet with him to discuss his concerns about what he was seeing, and he trusted these two men's loyalties.

"Those are some very serious concerns," Count Bader said in a low voice. "A brewing insurrection?"

"Primarily from some of the southern districts, from what I'm able to tell," Count Bozes nodded, keeping his voice discreet. He didn't have proof, so he couldn't make wild accusations recklessly but at the same time, he also needed to start marshalling resources for the loyalist's side.

"And you say this time, we could be dealing with muskets?" Viscount Ryner asked. "The same kind as the capital siege last year*?"

*see Manga Chp32-33 /LN Chp14 / Anime Epi11-12

"Thankfully no," Count Bozes corrected. "From what I've been told, these weapons are nowhere near as dangerous as those. But we can't underestimate them either. Of greater concern are the cannons, which I'm told can smash a building or kill many men in a formation with a single blast."

The other two men blanched at that last statement before regaining their composure. "So why is this happening?" Viscount Ryner asked. "Does it have anything to do with...?" He trailed off, not sure if he wanted to speak of Mitsuha's disappearance in front of Count Bader, much to the latter man's confusion.

Count Bozes looked at both men, then after some consideration, sighed. "For the past several months, the Lightning ArchPriestess has gone missing, and we fear foul play. More to the point, we suspect that action was the first step in this plot."

Count Bader grimaced. He was at the capital the night of the Aldar invasion, even witnessing Claus' own son Alexis nearly giving his own life to save Mitsuha and Marquis Eibinger, right before she vanished with him to save his life with her advanced medical technology*. She returned two days later as promised, with a divine military force by her side, defending the capital with such overwhelming power that he almost pitied the Aldar soldiers as they were brutally driven off, even slaying dragons, wyverns and monsters in the process. Ever since then, he knew the Kingdom was in good hands so long as she was around as its stalwart protector, as those poor fools from Vanel found out the hard way. But if she were to suddenly disappear? He nodded, the gravity of what Count Bozes was saying slowly dawning on him. "I'll start putting together what assets I have. If it comes to that, we'll stand with you and the Kingdom."

*see Manga Chp29 /LN Chp13 / Anime Epi10

____________________________________________________________________________________

The head waiter called the assembled wait staff together; it was time to remove the dinner plates and start the dessert and digestif courses. Daniel and Michiko headed to their sections as he gave her a smile. "How are you holding up?" he asked quietly.

"It's OK, it's not my first noble dinner," Michiko answered. She then looked at the table and paused. They were supposed to clear off the plates, but those plates were supposed to be empty. Instead, they were all in various states of half-full to barely touched. "Umm..." as she unintentionally glanced at Count Lansen.

"Oh, go ahead," Count Lansen assured absent-mindedly. "We're all done here."

Regaining her composure, Michiko nodded and cleared the table, carrying the plates with their unwanted food back to the dinner area so the dishes could be dumped and washed. Maybe this was just a fluke and Count Lansen's family just preferred chicken dishes. She carried the heavier-than-expected tray back to the kitchen. Next to her, she glanced at Daniel. He looked back with surprise; his tray was also laden with dishes full of half-eaten food. What the hell...? she wondered.

As the servers all reached the kitchen area, they were all given smaller dishes loaded with portions of banana foster layer cake, along with two pecan praline cookies each. Daniel, Michiko, and the rest of the servers dutifully placed individual portions to each of the guests, then stepped away, so they could enjoy the offerings. Michiko noticed that Count Lansen and his party immediately started into the cake and cookies; well, they barely touched their dinner, of course they're still hungry. One of the guests at her table then immediately got her attention. "Could we get additional portions?"

"Ah, of course," she nodded and retrieved the empty dessert plates and headed back to the kitchen. In her peripheral vision, she saw other servers also coming back and forth. This wasn't what we were told to expect; dessert service should have been a one-and-done action, other than maybe a few additional drinks. Just then, someone grabbed her by the shoulder.

"We have a problem!"

Michiko turned and saw it was one of the kitchen line chefs who she had met earlier that day. She had an anxious look on her face that bordered on panic, "Please come quickly!"

Michiko glanced at Daniel, who nodded firmly. I'll handle our section, go ahead, his facial expression assured. She then followed the chef to the kitchen, dropping off the empty tray enroute. Inside, she was stunned to see they were down to only two of the large round cakes and half the cookies were gone. They had started the evening with eight; with a party headcount around 250, they should have ended the evening with more than three. Even if a few people had an extra piece, this should have been more than enough. But judging from the pacing they were serving, it looked like they were going to come up short.

"大変 だ*! How did this happen!?"

*Taihen da/Oh no (emergency)

"People love your cake and cookies!" the head waiter explained. "They saw them on the tables as they came in, and when dinner didn't match up, many decided to hold off for dessert. The servers told me that one bite and they're all instantly hooked and want more! At this rate, we'll be out of cake way before the evening is done!"

"How can that be?! Those cakes are huge! Each one was supposed to be cut into fifty-six portions, along with two cookies per plate!" Michiko exclaimed. Of course, her idea of 'portion' was a small, sensible serving one would dole out at the end of a satisfying dinner, not meant to be the entire night's meal.

"But people are asking for double portions! Even triple portions!" the head server replied urgently. "Some of the children want even more!"

"Tr-triple portions...?!" Michiko's eye twitched with exasperation. Did no one eat their dinner...?! She looked over to the Pasteur's head chef in house, who hung his head in shame, then immediately felt bad for the guy. It's not like I was trying to show the guy up; I just wanted the Pasteur's daughter to have a happy birthday.

"Also, several noble families are wanting cookies to go!" another server added.

"C-Cookies to g...!" Michiko stopped herself before she said something she would regret. This wasn't a bakery, damn it...!

"Please...!" the head chef beseeched. "You have to make more cake, or the party will be ruined!"

"まさか*...!" Michiko nearly shouted before recovering. "Layer cakes that size and complex take hours! Not even the best chef in the world could make more on the fly!" She looked around the kitchen. There were supposed to be enough cookies left over after the party for the family to enjoy for days, but at the current rate of consumption, the ones on the tray would run out in the next half-hour, right along with the last two large cakes. She had thirty... forty-five minutes, tops to come up with a solution or else the Pasteur's house would suffer quite an embarrassing hit to their reputation among the nobility. Ordinarily, Michiko wouldn't have thought much about such matters, but these people were friends with the Bozes and were nice enough to invite her into their home to try and gain intelligence to find Mitsuha. Letting them down now wouldn't be right.

*Masaka / Impossible

Michiko closed her eyes and centered herself. Think... something sweet... something filling... fast... and will distract them from eating more cake and cookies... "OK, bring me all the fruit and leftover cookies and cake you may have in your pantries. I'll also need whiskey, bourbon, rum, cognac, vodka, Kahlua if you have it, coffee liqueur if you don't." She set up four pots onto the stoves to start heating them up. All around her, the chefs followed her instructions without question; although she wasn't one of their normal members, they had watched her bake and assemble the cakes earlier that afternoon, so there was no questioning her competence in the kitchen. She then called out to the head waiter. "I know it goes against everything you've been taught but tell your staff to slow down... buy me some time." He was slightly taken aback but nodded.

In the first pot, Michiko poured in a large amount of sugar. The next three, she added water, sugar, white wine, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, and lemon zest to build simple syrups. Around her, the staff had produced a variety of produce and day-old treats; pears, apples, bananas, day-old cookies and yellow and white cake. "OK..." Michiko paused as she assembled her plans in her head. "Please peel and core the apples and pears. Peel the bananas and cut them lengthwise then into one-inch blocks." As they started to follow her instructions, she assembled four more pans to melt butter, brown sugar and rum before passing the pans to two sous chefs to sauté the bananas in shifts.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Daniel asked. Michiko turned, surprised to see him. "The head waiter said we had to slow down, so he reduced our numbers. I'm your partner tonight. Let me help."

Michiko nodded. "Brew several pots of coffee, extra strong," she instructed. "Then set up glasses; you're my bartender."

Daniel nodded, then got immediately to work. Michiko took a moment to assess; twenty minutes down... caramel almost ready... first batch of fruit is poaching and needs another five to ten... the day-old cakes have been cubed and plated; they'll be the base for our banana foster, since ice cream isn't available here. On a whim, she took one more flat pan out and toasted some nuts; texture was always a good thing to add.

"Coffee is ready," Daniel reported. "How are we serving it?"

"Follow these portions," Michiko instructed. She filled the first cup up to half, added a shot of whiskey and Kahlua, a small amount of the sugar solution she had been poaching the fruits, then a dash of heavy cream. "Repeat that for all these glasses. If the whiskey runs out, switch to bourbon."

Daniel looked impressed. "Wow... what kind of drink is this?"

"It's a coffee cocktail, a variation on the 'Eye Opener*'. It's not a perfect version, but it's the closest I can come up with on a rush," Michiko explained. "As Otoosan once said, if you pour enough booze into your customer, he'll always be satisfied."

*Irish whiskey, cold-brew coffee, stout beer, ginger-brown-sugar syrup

As the sugar began to melt into caramel, she added butter, then cream, salt then finally cognac, the last being a special touch of her own. At this temperature, the alcohol would quickly evaporate, but the cognac would add a rich smokiness to the caramel that made it distinct. She checked with the sous chefs working on the fruits, who confirmed they were finally ready. Lastly, she checked with Daniel, who had finished the first batch of cocktails, and was ready to go. We'll make a bartender out of you yet!

"OK, start assembling," she ordered. "Each dish gets one pear or one apple, covered with caramel, then sprinkle on some toasted nuts, then a splash of vodka." She then poured some bananas foster over the cubed cake, turning old dry cake into soaked sponges of sweet buttery caramel, then handed the task off to the sous to replicate. Lastly the old cookies, mostly plain sugar cookies each got a half-moon dip into the caramel, giving them new flavors they didn't have before. Yes, I'm using the same caramel for all three desserts... some might call that lazy; in the chef world, we call that being a multi-tasker! The original banana foster cake was down to only one left, but we made it just under the wire; it was time to deploy the reinforcements!

"Tell the guests that new desserts are now available," she told the head waiter. "Encourage them to give them a try; emphasize that they have a special surprise. And when you serve them..." she handed him some stick lighters that the kitchen normally used to light the wood stoves, no doubt bought from Mitsuha's General Store, "...light them on fire."

The head waiter stared at Michiko as if she was some kind of witch.

"Each fruit dish has high-proof alcohol," she explained. "The flame will only burn briefly, but it will quickly caramelize the fruit and sugars, burns off the alcohol and also provide a quick show." It'll also with any luck distract them from noticing just how slapdash ugly the presentations are, she hoped.

The head waiter hesitantly passed the instructions to the rest of the waitstaff. Flaming desserts were a thing back around the 1960s Michiko knew, but kind of died out by the 80s as fads in the culinary world tend to. Well, we're bringing it back... or since we're in Zegleus, premiering it for the first time.

Out in the dining room, soon there were gasps, some in fear, others in surprise, but soon people settled down, and then eating resumed. The head chef stared out into the dining room with amazement. "The day-old cookies... they're eating them...?"

Of course they are, Michiko thought to herself with satisfaction. You could put that caramel on a car bumper, and it'd taste good. As for the rest... well... they're not as fancy as those big cakes... but tried and true recipes are classics for a reason. Even without that caramel, poached fruits were tasty, sweet and delicious. Out in the dining room, the nobles were satiated, finishing their cocktails and smiling with satisfaction. Some of them however whispered with curiosity, wondering what was going on in the kitchen, with such a mundane dinner but exceptional desserts and asking who was running the Pasteur's kitchen and if it was a situation they could poach from his talent pool. In the kitchen, the team of chefs all breathed a sigh of relief. The head chef thanked Michiko profusely, asking her if he could study with her for her techniques. She demurred, suggesting that she now worked under Count Bozes but that she would be willing if he approved, and he promised he would follow up on that.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Outside the mansion, Michiko saw Daniel waiting for her outside the Pasteur household. It was the late of night and most of the wagons had left. He had changed out of his waiter's uniform and back to casual clothes that were typical of Zegleus. She also noticed he had a short sword tucked discreetly on his belt, which seemed to be the norm in this town, at least among many noblemen and wealthier merchants.

"Can I walk you home?" Daniel offered.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Michiko asked coyly. This was far from the first time a boy had asked to walk her home; she was quite popular with the boys in high school.

"Well, it is quite late, and we can't have anything happening to the best chef in Zegleus," he replied with a smile.

OK, I've heard worse pickup lines in my time, she thought and nodded. All around her, despite the lateness of the hour, the city was alive with activity. This was the Capital city, after all, and they were in the noble district. Despite Daniel's concerns, crime tended to be fairly low in this part of town, as it was pretty well-patrolled. The skies above were brightly lit with the moon and stars, Michiko noticed. Unlike modern Japan, light pollution was minimal, so the natural sources of light were much more pronounced, and it was something to see.

"So, is it normal for everyone to carry a weapon where you're from?" Michiko asked as they started walking towards the Bozes' estate.

"Pretty much," Daniel confirmed. "Nobles and wealthy merchants have been trained in weapons in our society since boyhood. Even most girls from nobility are, at least to some extent." He paused. "They don't do that where you're from?"

Michiko shook her head. "Weapons are pretty much illegal, and for the most part, unnecessary. Japan is one of the safest places in the world," she confirmed, with a slight amount of pride.

"That sounds nice," Daniel admitted. "Here though... you should carry something, even if it's just a dagger. Even girls need to protect themselves. Our society... well... I guess we're not so enlightened, neither back home nor in Zegleus."

"So, your family just moved here?" Michiko asked.

"We've been here... I'd say... less than a year," Daniel said absent-mindedly then sighed. "Some... messy political matters back home, and we needed a fresh start. My family lost a lot of money during the move. So, I try and pick up odd jobs here and there to help them make ends meet," he concluded with a smile.

"I guess...I'm in the same boat," Michiko said, trying to return the smile. "I'm just... trying to make some money to support myself."

"But... that's crazy," Daniel insisted with some confusion. "I saw you in that kitchen! I heard all those nobles praising your food! With your skills, you could set up a high-end restaurant or bakery in the noble district tomorrow and have wealthy customers lining up out the door every night! Why are you wasting time with menial jobs like waiting tables?"

"Well... this is just temporary. You see, I'm waiting for a friend of mine to return. Once Mitsuha comes back, she'll..." Michiko trailed off, as the smile slowly faded from her face. "Once she comes back..." she repeated, only fainter and with less conviction as she came to a halt. How many times have I been telling myself that... It's been nearly six months. I've put myself on this quest to find out who attacked her, just for my own sense of morality... but if I'm being honest with myself... even if I succeed... that won't change a thing. Even if the bad guys are caught... I'll still be here... As the finality of that thought began to slowly dawn on her, her eyes began to tear up.

"M-Michiko..." Daniel said with concern, as he watched her began to break down. He reached into his pocket and offered a handkerchief.

"Daniel... am I a terrible person...?" Michiko asked softly as she wiped her eyes.

"Wh-what...?" Daniel asked in confusion. The two of them had come to a stop on a bridge that crossed a canal that split two sections of town.

"I know in my heart... that my friend would never just leave me here on purpose... which means she's either lost somewhere out in space... or she's..." Michiko couldn't even finish the conclusion, but Daniel understood where she was leading up to. "Meanwhile, here I am... alive and well... I still have my health. I'm staying with people who have been... nothing but kind and accepting to me. I should be grateful. Maybe even do exactly what you suggest... try and build that restaurant and a future for myself. Instead... I keep clinging to the hope that... she'll still come back... But every day she doesn't... there's a small part of me that blames her for the idea that... I'll never see my parents ever again... that my time at college is over for me... that I'll never see my home in Japan ever again... and I hate myself for thinking that...!" She started to break down and cry. "She's the closest thing I have to a sister... and I could never imagine ever feeling resentment for her... but... but... "

Daniel sighed and gently put his hands on Michiko's shoulders. "I... I can't say I know what it's like to feel like you've lost a sister...I'm an only child. But I do know what it's like to lose your parents." He sighed sympathetically. "I lost my mother during the last war... and to tell the truth... my father was never the same. I tell myself... to try and make this place my new home. But the truth is... I know what it's like to miss your homeland. To imagine that you'll do anything to go back home." He pulled her head up to meet her gaze. "To answer your question... no, you're not a bad person. It's only natural to wish to go home. And who knows what the future holds? It may still happen. And if it doesn't... you said it yourself... the people here have been kind and accepting to you. Maybe make this place your home?"

Michiko wiped her face and took a moment to collect herself. Should I still keep holding out for Mitsuha's return? Or is that an empty hope... and should I move on and make the most of my life here...? This wasn't the worst place I could have ended up, she thought. Then again... if what Count Bozes told me was true, then we have that brewing problem of a building rebellion to deal with. As they continued another few blocks, they finally reached the last street. "I'm at this section. Thanks for walking with me... and putting up with my sad story," she said, finally regaining her composure.

"It's no problem," Daniel said with a smile. He paused, then turned back to her. "Could we... see each other again sometime? Maybe go out for a drink someplace?"

"Um... sure... maybe," Michiko suggested. She wasn't sure; it depended on what Count Bozes thought, she realized, and what would happen in the Kingdom in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Daniel paused at her response, then handed Michiko a sheathed dagger. She stared at it with trepidation. "Please take it," he offered. "Like I said, even a girl should learn to defend herself in this country, and I would hate for anything to happen to you."

Michiko took the dagger tentatively. It was so different from what she expected. Her kitchen knives were an extension of her arm and fit like a glove; she could peel, slice or dice most common produce and break down proteins into fillets with speed and precision, even blindfolded. In contrast, this dagger felt heavy and awkward, feeling more likely to cut herself than anyone who threatened her. Something else to ask the Count about, I suppose.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Jerome Lafette finished going over his maps as the skies were beginning to slowly show the first signs of dawn. It would still be many more months before their side had enough muskets and ammunition to make their move, but fortunately, their plan wasn't supposed to take place until certain pieces were in place. They still had time.

"I'm back," Daniel's voice came from the front door of their small house.

"You're late," Jerome replied with irritation.

"Sorry, I was... with someone," Daniel apologized.

Jerome looked at Daniel with suspicion. "Who?"

Daniel looked at his father with a small amount of fear, then relented. "A girl I met at the party. I just walked her home, that's all."

Jerome shook his head and scoffed. Just what I need... my own son distracted with such trivialities...! "Did you at least get the information you were supposed to get?"

Daniel nodded. "You were right. Count Bozes was meeting with Count Bader and Viscount Ryner for most of the night. They kept their voices down whenever anyone came near though, so I couldn't get the details. They also would call our host Count Pasteur to talk from time to time. I also saw Baron Turck make some kind of loud commotion during the dessert course, saying something about the host stealing his chef. He had to be escorted from the party."

Jerome shook his head. He was already regretting recruiting Turck; the man flip-flopped more than a beached fish. If things got tough, he'd just as likely flip back to the loyalist's side and claim he was 'playing the inside man' to try and get back on their good graces. As for the rest, it just confirmed what he already suspected; it was always the northerners... they always stuck together, and Count Bozes was their leading voice. He was one of the Kingdom's most influential figures, outside the Royal family, and commanded quite a bit of political power, especially ever since becoming the Lightning ArchPriestess' designated guardian family. If taking her off the board hurt him, then all the better. He nodded and patted Daniel on the shoulder. "Well done... as for the other matter... just... remember where your head is at. Don't let yourself be distracted by such unimportant things."

Daniel sighed. "Yes father. It's just... Michiko's just like us. She's lost her home... and I felt really bad for her. I just hope that her friend Mitsuha returns... then maybe we could be friends... and get to know each other better."

Jerome scoffed at his son's ramblings, continued to pace, then returned to his maps and scrolls, but then slowed to a halt. He turned to face Daniel, with realization dawning on his face. "What did you say...?"

"That we could be friends...?" Daniel asked with confusion.

"Not that... that girl... what was the girl's missing friend's name?" Jerome demanded.

"Mitsuha... her name was Mitsuha."