St. Mary’s Cssmancers Club was less than a year old. Despite that, the clubroom had no she of spad equipment. It housed han six puters with strong hardware faming.

  Of course, it was not the school that financed any of this. These maes were far more advahan the relics the school’s puter room had to offer.

  The school was still skeptical of this newly formed club, so it was not willing to allocate ara funds beyond the bare minimum budget. As such, Fiona had to finance everything by herself. Fortunately, her "pocket money" was quite generous pared to the average middle schooler, and it further scaled off with the many athletic achievements that impressed her father.

  With all of these assets bined, purchasing six gaming puters was not a big deal for her. Top-shelf gear was always expensive, regardless of the sport. But, it was always a worthwhile iment for the sake of making practice smoother and more effit.

  A newly formed club like the Valkyries needed any adva could get to keep up with the petition. As such, everything about the gear rofessional from top to bottom. Not only the hardware itself, but also the monitors, mouses, chairs, and eveables.

  Fiona sulted Proter on the equipment they used for official games and then she purchased the exact same models. There was nothing more optimal than practig with the exact same equipment that would be used in the regionals.

  In order to justify all these expenses, Fiona made sure to utilize the club room as frequently as possible. As such, she insisted on holding daily practice sessions even though that was unon for other clubs.

  To her surprise, she was met with a fair amount of resista first. Even Karen was taken a little aback by this demand, though she soon came around and sided with Fiona.

  “As amateurs with a te start, we must practice at least this much,” Fiona expined over and over until she finally persuaded her clubmates. There were still some pints during the first couple of weeks, but those soon died out. Soon enough, daily practice became a routine.

  Humans are adaptable creatures. Even a task that seems incredibly taxing at first bee as natural as ing to school in the ms. It is all about turning the activity into a routine.

  After half a year of training, everybody had grown aced to this routine. Even those who initially called the routine "inhumaually acclimated.

  With that said, not everybody's attitude toractice was equal. Some took it more seriously than others.

  When Fiona and Karen arrived in the clubroom, Lua was already there, absorbed in the puter’s monitor. Every on a while, she pushed her big gsses and wrote down some notes.

  She was so absorbed iask that she did not even notice Fiona and Kareering the clubroom. This level of carelessness was a bit arming, but it went to show just how seriously Lua was researg things.

  "Boo!"

  "A-Ah!" Lua jumped. Her heart almost leapt out of her chest. "O-Oh, it's you, Karen..."

  "Haha, works every time!" Karen ughed at the cartoonish rea. That girl was so easy to mess around with, haha!

  "Watcha doing?" Karen asked as she peered into the s. "Looking into some weird occult stuff?"

  "ould I do something like that?" Lua puffed her cheeks as she pushed her gsses, which almost fell off because of the scarejump. "I was told to study StormBlitz's pyers, so that's what I've been doing."

  "Strom? Why, though?"

  "Um, Fiona asked me to...."

  "Yes, I did," Fiona said. "Good work."

  "Um, thanks. I'm still halfway through, though."

  "It is alright,” Fiona said. “There is still time."

  "Time for what?" Karen raised an eyebrow. "Are we gonna go up against Storm soon or something?"

  "We would most certainly face them in the regionals, so I want to be prepared in advance.”

  “Dang, thinking about the long game, huh.”

  “Of course.” Fiona nodded. “oal is to bee the regional champions, so we must study all the tenders for the title.”

  “Winning the regionals would be awesome, but sidering how our st scrim went down….” Karen quieted down all of a sudden. The chipperness in her voice was o be found.

  “I see that you are still hung up on that defeat.”

  “N-Nah, I’m fine!” Karen puffed her chest. “Sure, we lost and stuff. But it’s the Leopards, you know? We ’t possibly beat them, evehey have a trashy pyer like Cato.”

  “Is that how you genuinely feel?”

  “Yep.”

  “Really?”

  “Y-Yeah...”

  “Do you not feel frustrated at all about the fact we lost an official match?”

  “N-Not really…” Karen lowered her head and looked at the floor. Her bravado was slowly crumbling apart.

  “Is that so.” Fiona sighed. “So, evehe team loses an important match, it does not faze you at all. I see how it is.”

  “T-That’s not how I meant it!” Karen jumped. “Of course I was frustrated and stuff! And, I’m still hel salty about that shit and- ah.” She stopped after realizing what she had just blurted.

  “Do you see?” Fiona smiled meaningfully. “Even though you try to pretend as if it is all in the past, it is clear that the oute of that scrim left a bad aftertaste. You are not satisfied with losing just because the Leopards are the regional champions, and that’s how it should be..”

  “Yeah.” Karen nodded. “I wanna kick their butts!”

  “That is why I asked Lua to research them in advance,” Fiona expined. “The regionals may still be far away, but it is oo early to prepare.”

  “Yep, makes sense.”

  Lua watched the entire exge with a plicated smile but she said nothing. Shortly, the versation moved to a different topic.

  "They are te," Fiona ented on the whereabouts of the other club members. "Seriously, wasting our precious training time like this..." Fiona muttered. "I will check if they are around. Knowing Andria, she might have stopped nearby."

  "Okay,” Karen said. “Then, I'mma call elia and check what's up."

  "Thank you."

  On that he sisters set out to pursue the two troublemakers of the club.

  Normally, Fiona would use her phoo get in touch with a missing person. However, in Andria’s case, it was uo get a response if the girl was in the middle of one of her "gigs".

  As expected, the girl was going at it right outside the clubroom. Instead of hurrying to the practice, Andria stood in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by a few younger girls. From a distahis looked like an image of a popur boy surrounded by fangirls.

  Andria had short hair and she was taller than most girls her age, even a bit taller than Fiona. As such, it was easy to mistake her for a boy from afar. This surely pyed a big part in why so many younger girls flocked to her. And of course, the reason was Andria's ag...

  "Oh, is that what's troubling you?" Andria smiled as she addressed one of the younger girls. "It's such a troublesome matter, indeed."

  "Right?" the girl nodded repeatedly as she shared her pints. "I mean, it's just make-up, you know? Everybody uses it, so what's s with it? I really hate my parents sometimes!"

  "Yeah, it sounds super strict," anirl ented.

  "Whoa.” A third girl chimed in. “I wouldn't be able to deal with it if my parents tried to ban make-up. Like, it's not even their business in the first pce?"

  , all three girls turo Andria in anticipation. It was as if they were waiting for a figure of authority to speak.

  "Yes, it is true that your parents are unreasonably stri this point," Andria said. "But, o feel so down about it, my flower." Andria raised the girl's and brought their faces closer. "You already possess suatural beauty. Make-up is just ara for you anyway."

  "A-Ah~" the girl blushed and froze ihe presence of this prince charming overwhelmed her.

  "Kyaaa~!" the irls added o the se with their maideement.

  Ohe girls calmed down, Andria tinued her speech. "Perhaps your parents simply wish for you to appreciate your owy before you start relying too mu etics." She spoke with what could only be sidered unfounded fidence. A, her dramatie and exaggerated hand movements turned everything into a ving performahat left little room fument.

  Thankfully, the girl in the ter of the versation raised doubt, as she should. But, it was short-lived. “You really think my parents see it that way…?”

  "I ot say for sure,” Andria said. “All I say for certain is that you are here right now, with no make-up to cover up your natural beauty. A, I find myself captivated by you."

  The girl smiled shyly. "I-Is that so?"

  "Yes, it is. In fact, I feel sly about it that I would gdly go on a date with you at this very moment! Shall you allow it, I will bee a prince who’ll whisk you away!"

  As usual with these sarios, Andria weaved some sophisticated-sounding narrative while sidestepping the seriousness of the topitirely. It was impressive how these girls kept eating up all the theatrionsense Andria was feeding them. It stood testament to how ving Andria's ag was.

  But of course, Fiona was not swayed by any of it at all. "I am sorry, but I am afraid you will have to 'whisk away your princess' at a ter date."

  "Oh, if it's not her majesty!" Andria bowed dramatically. The irls alsnized Fiona and cleared a path for the “La Princess”. However, they insisted on staying by Andira's side at all times, as deg their iion of not letting their "prince" go.

  "You are te for club practice," Fiona said.

  "Oh my, is that time of the day already? Time flies by so fast when I'm in the presence of such beauties~" Andria spouted such cheesy lines so naturally and the younger girls ate it all up. "Kyaa, you're such a flirt~"

  Clearly, Andria had these girls around her finger, but that was none of Fiona’s . "Let us go. The others are waiting."

  "Your wish is my and!" Andria bowed again, theuro the girls beside her. "I'm sorry, flowers. This is the queen's decree, so I must depart now."

  "Eeeh?" "Do you really have to?" "Stay with us a little longer~" The girls begged to no end. But, Fiona merely shot them an indifferent look. "Andria is part of the Cssmancers club and we have scheduled practice at this hour. If you wish to hang out with her, please do so when she is avaible."

  "Boo." "So strict." "Not fun." The three girls pouted.

  "Don't worry about it, flowers," Andria reassured. "I'll be yain tomorrow and the day after that. Do not let this momentary separation ruin your mood."

  "But, you promised me a date~"

  "And I shall deliver on that promise! At a ter date, that is. Don't worry, natural beauty. I will escort you thhly."

  "Then, me !" "And me!"

  "Worry not. I shall apany ead every one of you without failure. A gentleman ought to be able to do this much."

  "I believe that a 'gentleman' also ought to not be te to club practice," Fiona added.

  "Normally, that is true," Andria agreed. "However, today I had to aid a dy in peril!"

  "That’s right, Andri was helping us out!" "Yeah, don't bme Andri." The younger girls mustered the ce to gang up on Fiona here in order to protect their prince.

  “Alright, I uand,” Fiona gave in in order to sidestep any potential flict. She did not want to waste any more time than they had already wasted here. “Either way, it is time for club activities now, so I must borrow Andria.”

  “Okay…” “Not fun…” The girls pouted once again but their objes were weak. Fiona’s firm tohem no choice but to give up.

  “Do not worry,” Andria reassured. “We shall reunite before long, my flowers!” On that note, Andria finally left the se, practically dragged away by Fiona.

  On the way back to the clubroom, Fiona sighed. “I really do not prehend the nature of this rolepy you so frequently partake in,”

  “I figured you wouldn’t.” Andria nodded. “You are too much of a realist, my fair dy. You are not like these young girls who wish to indulge themselves in a sweet fantasy in order tet their problems.”

  “If you say so.” Fiona shrugged. They have had tless simir exges on this topic, yet every time Fio like she uood less and less about what Andria was actually trying to aplish with that ag.

  Whose “fantasy” was that in the first pce? Was it about fulfilling the girls’ yearning for an “ideal prince”? Or, was it about Andria enjoying a make-believe harem?

  Perhaps it is both. Fiona cluded. The two fantasies mix together and form one big rolepy. At least, that is how I see it.

  It was all rather bizarre but Fiona did not feel like delving any deeper into these matters. The only thing that mattered was for Andria to attend practi time, which she frequently failed to aplish because of her rolepy sessions. Perhaps punctuality was not part of being a “gentleman” in her eyes.

  "We have returned," Fiona announced as they ehe clubroom. elia had also arrived in the mea she looked worse to wear. Despite that, the loud girl wasted no time lighting up a heated argument with Karen…

  "Hmph. I'm under no obligation to expin anything to a oner like you!" elia crossed her arms and lifted her .

  "You little shit...!" Karen hissed.

  "Enough, you two." Fiona stepped iweewo wild animals before they tear each other apart.

  "But sis, this dang bitch is-"

  "Language, Karen."

  "Geh.” Karen clicked her tongue and rephrased. “But, listen to this, sis! This… this loudmouth over here wasted so much of your precious time and she won't even apologize for it!"

  "I do apologize, Fiona." elia bowed lightly. "It is indeed unbeing for a noble such as myself to be te like this."

  "Say whaaaaat?" Karen's jaw dropped. "Hey now, that's a pletely different tune from what you were singing a moment ago! You were all like 'I have no reason to apologize, ohohoho!'"

  "Indeed, I have no reason to apologize to the likes of you," elia crified. "However, as a fellow noble, Fiona's time is as precious as my own, therefore I must apologize for wasting it."

  “Huh.” Karen sighed. "And what were you doing, anyway?"

  "Hmph. That is not your pedestrian business."

  "Oh , you're te by so damn much. You owe us an expnation."

  "Any noble dy worth her salt ought to have a secret or two."

  "Hah.” Karen made a face. “Such a ve rule you just pulled outta your ass."

  "Karen, that is enough." Fiona pced a hand on Karen's head to soothe the feral kitten.

  "Mrrr~” Karen ehe head pat a bit too much. “But sis, she always does this! ing te and not expining shit!"

  "First, nguage. Sed, I am well aware of the matter." Fiona nodded. "Do not worry, I have discussed this many times with elia by now."

  "Well, doesn't look like it helped at all."

  "That is not correct,” Fiona said. “I believe we have made plenty ress. As, days like these still happen, unfortunately."

  "Hmph." elia looked away. "Some things are beyond trol even for a noble such as myself."

  "I see.” Fiona nodded. “Did you fall asleep in the nurse's room?"

  "hat!?" elia jumped. "H-How did you know I was in the nurse's room!?"

  So, I was right. Fiona nodded in satisfa as her leading question bore fruit. "You looked worse to wear after our tennis match, so I suspected you went to rest until club practice."

  "Hmph. I'll have you know I didn't break a sweat during our noble duel,” elia insisted. “It was a majestic bout for sure, but not something that would affect a resilient noble such as myself."

  "Is that so."

  Of course, all of that was a hoax. As always elia poured her everything into the match against Fiona, to the point of breaking herself apart. Truly, this girl did not know the cepts of pag araint. Sigh.

  "Pft, seriously?" Karen giggled. “So, lemme get this straight. You were te because you knocked yourself out from fatigue? That's rich, haha!"

  "No such a thing happened!" elia was desperate to cover it up. However, the more desperate she was, the more it proved that all the allegations were correct.

  The two girls bickered for a while longer. Fiona did her best to calm them down but it was not going as smoothly as she hoped.

  Meanwhile, Andria and Lua only watched from the sideline. Lua wore a troubled expression while Andria was enjoying the spectacle with a smile. "Ah, such beautiful friendship, don't you find?"

  "Eh?" Lua made a dumb face. "Friendship? Where?"

  "Don't you think they only fight so passionately because they're so close?"

  "Um, I'm not so sure about that..."

  "It’s defihe case. I have seen this exact pattern tless times by now. First, they fight, then they make up. It's a cssic plot."

  "I don't know if that applies to these two..."

  "Don't worry your pretty little head about it." Andria stepped closer aly pulled Lua by the . "Instead of stressing over this insequential flict, why don't you give some of that passioention to me, o pretty dy?"

  "E-Eh? P-Pretty?" Lua stammered as she looked into Andria's deep eyes. She felt like she was getting sucked into that unwavering, fident gaze.

  "Um… I…. eh..."

  "Rex. o be so nervous. I won't bite."

  "R-Right..." Lua gulped. The one in front of her was definitely a fellow girl, so there shouldn't be any reason for Lua to be so nervous. A, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

  There was something so princely charming about Andria when she was ag like this. Her words were sweet and filled with reassuring fide was so easy for Lua to imagine herself as a fragile princess in the hands of a handsome prince.

  Did this illusion work so well because Lua's imagination had a tendency to run wild? Or, was it all thanks to Andria's superb ag skills? Either way, just as Lua started getting cozy with the situation - it burst like a bubble.

  “hew!” Karen whistled. “Look at these two flirts~!”

  “E-Eh!?” Lua jumped away from the prince. “I-It’s nothing like that!”

  “Hmph. How shameless.” elia lifted her . “Ag shamelessly like that in publid in the clubroom no less.”

  “I-I’m sorry…”

  “There’s nothing for you to apologize for, my flower,” Andria reassured as she turo the two attackers. “I merely distracted her for a moment from your friendly quarrel, that is all. You see, she found your bickering very unpleasant for the room’s atmosphere.”

  “I cur with the se” Fiona ented. “You two have a bad habit of ign everybody around you when you quarrel. I uand that, for you two, such fights are as natural as breathing at this point. However, for the outlookers, it might seem like a serious fight. It creates an unpleasant atmosphere in the room.”

  “Sorry, sis…”

  “Hmph. I suppose it’s unbeing of a noble, so I apologize for that…”

  The twave in against the bined pressure from both Fiona and Andria. It was nigh impossible to stand up to this duo. One of them was the team’s captain and the renowned “La Princess”, while the other was a senior with professional ag skills. When united, it was impossible to talk back to them in any shape or form.

  “Now that everything is sorted out, let us begin our training,” Fiona said. “Keep in mind that we are running half an hour te, so we will have to stay overtime to pensate for it.”

  “Oh, how wonderful…” Andria rolled her eyes.

  “I hope you realize you pyed a big role in this.”

  “No objes there.” Andria bowed elegantly like a gentleman. “It appears I will have to apany you dies past the agreed hours.”

  And so, after a loour that was unfortunately way too on for this club, everybody finally gathered to practice…

  DarkestCymore