As they say, there are few things in this universe that cannot be argued with. Death, taxes, and the slow yet inexorable march of time were some of these… though again, retcons were technically changing time, and since that could be done, resurrections might not have been completely off the table, so…

  On second thought, maybe taxes were the only unchangeable universal constant, but the rest were a close second. Anyways, what prompted this train of thought again?

  "Leo? Earth to Leo?"

  I blinked when a hand waved in front of my face, and stopped in my tracks. The rest of our group followed my example, and a certain hyperactive Celestial cocked her head to the side in front of me.

  "Whatcha thinking about so hard?"

  "Oh, you know? Profound stuff about life, the universe, and everything," I responded with a shrug. "The usual."

  "I get that, but…" Angie sounded like she wanted to ask something, but then her eyes suddenly lit up and she let out an excited squee and dashed past me. "Josh, look! A squirrel! We've got the first squirrel of the spring!"

  "Slow down! You're going to trip!" the only other guy in our group responded with just a hint of exasperation, reflexively following after his girlfriend and leaving me alone with my own.

  More importantly, the mention of spring jolted my mental gears and I finally remembered what I was musing about. Time. As in, how quickly two whole weeks of spring break flew by us. It was already the middle of April, and this was one of those occasions when the whole group was walking to school together. Or rather, most of our group.

  Nothing happened to Amelia during our beach episode in the Elysium, so Lord Grandpa was no longer as over-protective of her as before, but while now she could visit the base and the Dracis mansion more freely than before, attending school was still out of the question. Her floaty magical marbles, while more cooperative than they used to be at the beginning, were still impossible to hide, and there was no good way to expin them to the 'mundane folk'. Due to that, she was still stuck in home-schooling limbo for the time being.

  "Wait, so the child saw Leo? And he introduced himself as Polemos? Isn't that bad?" Elly whispered to Judy by my side, and they both gnced at me in unison.

  We didn't get to properly expin the details of our meeting with the envoys and my jaunt in the Abyss, because she was busy with other things, so my dear assistant was in the process of giving her the footnotes-version of the events. By the looks of it, she honed in on a weird detail.

  "I don't think it matters much."

  "But once he gets rescued, he might tell people that he saw you. Wouldn't that be a problem?" the princess insisted, and while Judy didn't say a word, I could tell that she was in agreement and also curious about how I was going to expin this.

  "Not really. I mean, I've been working on consolidating the expnations of my 'illusions' and my Phasing anyway. I'll just say that I remote-controlled an illusion into the Abyss to scout out the prison, but I couldn't Phase him out because of the anti-magic stuff."

  "That doesn't make sense either," Judy pointed out. "What are you going to say if someone points out that if your ability to teleport was affected by the magic dampening, then your illusions should've been as well?"

  "I'll just smile mysteriously and say 'It's peculiar, isn't it?', and move on," I responded with an example of said mysterious smile, and my lovely assistant subtly rolled her eyes with an 'Oh, you' kind of gesture.

  Meanwhile, my other girlfriend furrowed her brows and asked, "Wasn't that the advice you gave to Penny the other day? About how the dungeon master should deal with a situation when the pyers point out a contradiction?"

  "The same principles apply," I confirmed, and we would've probably continued on this topic, if not for a certain little sister of mine overhearing her name and skipping over to us.

  "Did you call me?"

  "No, kiddo. We were just talking about tabletop RPG stuff." I reassured her, and after a long beat, her face lit up like she just received a revetion and she patted her pockets, looking for her phone.

  "Oh, gosh! Thanks for reminding me! I need to call Agrawain and tell him about our next session!"

  Saying so, she turned around and dashed back to Snowy's side. She was waiting for her at the crosswalk by the end of the street, where they originally stopped when we did. Speaking of which, why did we stop? Oh, right. Because Angie wanted to ask something, and then she went to look for—

  "Squirrel!"

  I was honest to goodness startled when a furry little critter was thrust into my field of vision, and it took me a second or five to realize what was going on.

  "You caught it?" I blurted out on autopilot, and the Celestial girl grinned at me while holding the surprisingly calm critter on the top of her palm.

  "He's a friendly little fel," Angie decred and showed it off to my girlfriends as well.

  "Here we go again," Josh muttered as he also came to a stop by my side. "I dunno why, but she's like an animal magnet."

  "That's nice and all, but this is technically a wild squirrel," I pointed out with just a tinge of reservation. "Is it safe to just grab it like that?"

  "Nah, man. This is normal," Josh asserted, sounding like he was sharing some world-weary wisdom. "I tell you, she's been picking up small animals like this since forever. Sometimes she even had birds nd on her shoulders and stuff."

  I blinked at turned to the grinning Celestial girl.

  "What are you, a fairy tale princess?"

  She didn't respond, but instead she held out the squirrel on one palm and pointed at my sisters.

  "I'll go show him to Snowy and Penny! I'll be right back!"

  "Shouldn't we…" 'be the ones to start moving?', is what I would've asked if she didn't already dash ahead.

  "Squirrels are cuter than expected," Judy noted, and my princess was in full agreement.

  "Let's get a pet squirrel!"

  "No," I responded categorically, much to Elly's shock.

  "Chipmunk?"

  "Again, no. We already have a Dormouse."

  "Oh, you're right!"

  And then she immediately hugged my other girlfriend, much to her ck of amusement. True story.

  Jokes aside, were squirrels even native to Critias? Maybe this guy was someone's escaped pet, and that's why he was so friendly. Or maybe I was overthinking it, and Angie being the lead heroine just gave her Disney princess fiat to instantly befriend animals. Who knew?

  Meanwhile, we finally started moving again and I couldn't help but notice that Josh looked like he wanted to talk about something. The girls were still interested in the squirrel, so I gently pushed them forward while I gged behind with the guy. My hunch was proven right in just a few seconds.

  "Hey. So, you know about that whole tournament thing?"

  My sideways gnce wasn't enough to get the message across and he kept looking at me expectantly, so I squeezed out a curt, "Of course."

  "Yeah, I guess it makes sense. Ms Yamako is involved, and all, so…" He suddenly shook his head. "Never mind, that's not important. Listen, I need some advice."

  "… About the tournament?"

  "Yeah. I won the st one, right? So, you know, this is technically a different tournament, but it's also held here, with the same audience and a lot of the same contestants and stuff, and…" He paused to scratch the back of his neck. "The thing is, I was kinda invited to the closing ceremony. Because I'm the champion, technically speaking."

  "Sounds reasonable. What's the problem?"

  "I'm… kinda expected to have an exhibition match with the winner."

  "Oh. Well, these are Draconians we're talking about here, so that's still within expectations."

  "Yeah, but…" Josh gnced around and sidled closer before continuing in a low voice. "Zihao is practically guaranteed to win this time."

  "So it will be a rematch. I still don't see the issue. Can you be a bit more specific?"

  He gred at me and let out an exasperated sigh.

  "Dude. I sparred with him a couple of times, and I never managed to beat him with my Celestial powers."

  "Was that before or after the training camp?"

  "It was…" He stopped his response in the middle and let out a thoughtful hum. "Actually, we didn't have time to spar in a while. I mean, between the trip to Elysium and the spring homework and everything…" He fell silent for a while, visibly pondering. "Do you think I can beat him now?"

  "I have no idea, but if you use your new weapons and everything you learned, you should be fine."

  "Yeah, but… Last time I was using Draconic powers to fight him, so won't people question why I'm using Celestial powers in public?"

  "You've been using them in public for a while now though," I pointed out and patted him on the back. "Just ignore the naysayers and go for it."

  "I… Yeah, I guess I will." Josh let out a grunt filled with newfound determination, followed by a sheepish smile. "I guess asking for advice was the right call."

  I was tempted to tease him a little, like saying that every broken clock is right twice a day, but I never got around to it, because we caught up to the girls, all of them waiting at a crossing for the light to turn to green.

  "Goodbye to Sir Bouncealot!" Angie called out, and we just caught the st glimpse of the cheeky rodent hopping away and disappearing into the green embrace of a nearby treetop. She then turned to us and added, "You guys missed the best part! Sir Bouncealot stuffed, like, five peanuts into his face! It was so cute!"

  "Very cute!" Penny echoed her, and the rest seemed to agree wholeheartedly.

  "Where did you even get peanuts?" Josh voiced the same question that came to my mind, and his girlfriend looked at him like he just asked the silliest thing in existence.

  "All self-respecting animal lovers should have peanuts on them all the time! Don't you know anything?"

  "Um… I like animals, but… I don't carry peanuts," Snowy commented on the side, and Penny hesitantly nodded along.

  "Ditto," Judy noted, and the princess seemed conflicted by her side.

  "I don't carry any either. Do you think I should? Do dogs like peanuts?"

  "They like peanut butter, so maybe?" Penny noted and took out her phone. "I'll check!."

  In the meantime, Angie's expression was practically screaming 'Wait, am I seriously the only one?', but then the light turned green and we started walking, and the topic quickly got washed away as we rearranged ourselves. This time, I ended up in the front along with Judy and Elly, while the rest clustered together behind us and continued to discuss the merits of peanuts.

  "What were you talking about with Joshua?"

  Judy's question was expected, and there was nothing to hide, so I responded truthfully.

  "He was invited for an exhibition match at the closing ceremony of the Draconian tournament, and he needed some encouragement."

  "Oh, right. That's just wrapped up," Elly uttered, her voice sounding rather contemptive. "I nearly forgot about it."

  "It's only to be expected." Judy's comment made my draconic girlfriend raise a brow, so she eborated. "Since we're not involved this time around, it was much easier to overlook."

  "True, but… Isn't it kind of strange that absolutely nothing happened during the tournament?"

  "I repeat: we weren't involved, so it's only natural that nothing happened."

  Judy's insistence only made Elly furrow her brows harder, so I lightly poked the crease between them.

  "How about we forget about it altogether? I actively tried my best to ignore the whole kerfuffle, and I would like it to stay that way."

  "I get it, but…" Elly rubbed the spot between her brows, but then both her fingers and her words came to a halt, followed by a slight tilting of her head. "Actually, couldn't the two things be reted?"

  "What two things?" I asked back reflexively, and even Judy looked intrigued.

  "I mean, maybe nothing remarkable happened during the tournament precisely because you were actively ignoring it."

  "Are you implying that if the Chief got involved, something would've happened?" Judy asked, and Elly nodded without a moment of hesitation.

  "That's how things always worked, right? With the whole Narrative concept?" Her eyes, practically shining, opened wide as she was suddenly struck by a new idea. "Hey, guys? Do you think we can use this to our benefit?"

  "You have to be more specific than that," I pointed out, and the princess took a deep breath, no doubt to organize her thoughts, and she soon continued in a vehement yet quiet voice, lest the others would overhear us.

  "We talked about this before, right? Leo is the Narrative, and the Narrative's job is to make sure that there's enough drama to satisfy the Simucrum. That means that if Leo is involved, something dramatic would inevitably happen, but if he's not, then… erm… not. Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

  "I think I do," Judy replied with a hint of uncertainty. "You think that if Leo is the one that makes things proceed in a dramatic direction, whether consciously or subconsciously, then if he's not paying attention to something, it would conversely mean that it would proceed without any problems or twists."

  "Yes, that! I'm thinking that maybe we could use that to our advantage!"

  "I get that, but how?"

  I didn't mean to do it, but my question still made my girlfriend's enthusiasm wither in real-time, and she ultimately muttered a soft, "I… I don't know yet, but I'll think about it…"

  It was time to encourage her a little, so I hastily told her, "If you think of something, please do tell. I'd appreciate anything that could give us a bit more breathing room before the whole Abyss comes crashing down on us."

  "I… think that might be a bit too much to ask right away, but I'll do my best!" my princess decred, back to full enthusiasm.

  We were getting close to the school by this point, so I gestured for everyone to quiet down and drop any supernatural discussions. There were more and more other students of Blue Cherry High in sight, and unlike at the beginning of the school year, most of them had already developed from simple pceholders to actual people, so them overhearing our discussions and spreading them around was starting to become an actual thing to consider.

  Like that, we shifted the conversation over to more mundane topics, such as the spring homework, or the upcoming sports festival, and before long we were already climbing the hill leading to the school gates. It was a very familiar sight, yet after the long break it also felt fresh somehow. Spring was in full force right now, and the trees lining the path leading to the gates were already past budding and were in their full green splendour.

  The seasons were changing, time couldn't be stopped, and yet…

  "Ya-hoo! Like, morning, y'all!"

  "Do not shout. You are disturbing the morning commute."

  "Easy there, Paz. Like, nobody minds, right?"

  Some things remained the same, huh?

  Standing on the left and right of the gates, Sahi and Pascal were watching over the steady stream of students flowing through. They were both wearing the disciplinary committee's red armband on their uniforms (to this day, I still couldn't figure out how Sahi managed to convince them to let her join), and the brown girl etedly waved at us. Armband Guy, on the other hand, remained stoic as ever and only greeted us with a few modest nods. At least until his eyes nded on me, that is. When our gazes met, he unsubtly gestured for me to come over to his side.

  "Dunning," he uttered, sounding almost as deadpan as Judy.

  "Morning. Do you need me for something?"

  "Not me," he stated and jerked his head towards the main building. "Lord Ambrose requested that I tell you to find him at your earliest convenience. He wishes to speak with you about certain official matters."

  "The third Grimoire Key?" I guessed, and he nodded.

  "Most likely."

  "All right. Message received."

  "Good. Now, please move along. You are holding up the other students."

  "Sure, sure."

  I also shared a few short words with the revitalized incognito arch-mage, and after bidding farewell to Sahi, we entered the courtyard of the school campus, and…

  "Wow! Leo, look!" Elly excimed excitedly and pointed at the treetops lining the footpath leading to the main entrance, like fluffy pink clouds arranged in two neat rows. "Cherry blossoms!"

  "It's the season," I noted a touch absently, only looking away when Judy tugged on my shoulder.

  "Chief? Do you want to do the trope?"

  "Which one?"

  "Flower viewing."

  "Oh?" Elly's ears picked up our conversation, and she grinned at me expectantly. "Isn't that when you have a picnic under the cherry trees?"

  Judy nodded.

  "Yes. It's a very specific custom and trope, but since we have the necessary props, we might as well use them."

  "It's a date, then!" the princess decred without asking for my input, though to be honest, I wasn't against the idea. More importantly…

  "These are pink," I noted, and my girlfriends looked at me funny in turn.

  "Of course they are. They're cherry trees," my dear assistant pointed out, which drew a hum from me.

  "Hm. True, but it still feels wrong." I paused and then dramatically pointed at the rge namepte over the school's main entrance. "I'm going to tell Lord Grandpa that this is false advertising. Do you think it's actionable?"

  "Maybe?" Elly responded immediately, while Judy just rolled her eyes and pulled us towards the school building.

  That's how yet another mostly average school day started, and—

  "Wait. Maybe it's the fruit that's blue. I should look it up."

  "Chief, stop it."

  — and how my short-lived interest in the horticulture of unusually coloured fruits began and ended. In other words, another rare peaceful day to cherish.