Crossover: The Problem Human of [Arcadia]

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[No Name] HQ.

In the castle's lounge, Black Rabbit let out a long groan and collapsed onto the sofa, hand pressed to her forehead after listening to Ryo's rundown of everything that had happened.

"What kind of mess is this supposed to be?" she complained.

Beside her, Ryo—who hadn't slept all night—was fiddling with the coffee machine, trying to brew something strong enough to keep himself awake.

Black Rabbit rubbed at her stomach, wincing as if from a stomachache.

"If Hermes hadn't stalled and just delivered the orders properly," she said, "then Aishelia would've known Athena's plan ahead of time. She could've stepped down smoothly, taken her shot at becoming one of the Twelve Olympians… and her successor, Laius, would almost certainly have continued her friendly policies and signed a fairer alliance with us.

"If that had happened, Ryo, you wouldn't have had to cripple Perseus of [Perseus], wouldn't have offended Lady Athena, and you wouldn't be saddled with such a dangerous mission. You could've just stayed in the community, no drama, and we'd have achieved our goal anyway."

Ryo inhaled the rich aroma of the coffee and nodded.

"Barring the part about offending Athena, that's… pretty much how it would've gone, yeah."

If Hermes had actually followed the rules and passed on the letter, things really would've played out the way Black Rabbit described.

Of course, in that version, Ryo would never have teamed up with Athena. He'd probably just be stuck milking Algol for whatever scraps he could.

From the perspective of benefits, though? Things hadn't turned out too badly. They'd gained an alliance with [Perseus] all the same, picked up Athena as a powerful backer, and even scored a blessing. All in all, not the worst outcome.

"Which brings us to the real question…"

Black Rabbit sat upright, leaning forward with her hands folded beneath her chin, face deadly serious.

"…how do we get rid of Hermes?"

Ryo blinked at her, coffee pot in hand.

"Wait a second—shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

Wasn't it supposed to be him talking about taking revenge, and Black Rabbit trying desperately to talk him down?

"I just get angrier the more I think about it!" Black Rabbit puffed out her cheeks, fuming.

"Well, there'll be a chance sooner or later." Ryo sipped his coffee, calm as ever.

"…I guess you're right."

Black Rabbit sighed, realizing the odds weren't in their favor right now. Shaking her head, she muttered, "Still… Aishelia won't hold this against us, right? That was a seat among the Twelve we cost her."

"How should I know?"

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Just wait until Leticia gets back. She'll clear it up."

"True…"

Black Rabbit glanced at the clock on the wall, worry creeping into her expression.

"But she's been gone a while. She left at nine, and it's already noon."

The thought of Leticia getting into a fight with Aishelia left her uneasy. That was a position among the Twelve, after all…

"Maybe they just sat down for lunch. Teacher and student reunion, you know?"

Ryo wasn't worried in the slightest. He trusted Leticia's strength, and besides, Athena had already done the heavy lifting. There was no danger.

Just then, the lounge door creaked open and Lily, the fox-eared girl, peeked in.

"Ryo-niisan, Sister Black Rabbit, Lady Leticia just got back... with Lady Shiroyasha."

"Oh?"

Ryo froze for a second, then downed the rest of his coffee in a gulp.

"They're together, huh. That's rare."

But before he even finished speaking, Black Rabbit had already bolted out of the room.

"…Honestly." Ryo set his cup down, nodded at Lily, and followed her out.

...

Entrance hall

When Ryo arrived, the first thing he saw was Black Rabbit spinning Leticia around in a bear hug. He sighed.

"Black Rabbit… what exactly are you doing?"

Still clutching Leticia, Black Rabbit twirled in place, grinning foolishly.

"Celebrating the alliance, of course!"

"Alright, alright, celebration's over. Put me down already." Leticia patted her arm, looking a little embarrassed.

"Oh, right!" Black Rabbit let go in a hurry. Leticia blinked, and the next moment dropped straight toward the floor—before catching herself in midair and floating upright.

"Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to!" Black Rabbit panicked, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"You…"

Leticia sighed helplessly, then turned with a smile toward Ryo.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"What about Aishelia?" Ryo asked, scanning the group.

"She's busy helping Arkeos with community affairs," Leticia explained quickly. "Don't worry—she isn't sulking over losing her chance. She's just trying to make up for Lady Athena's losses."

Ah, so she's dealing with Algol. Ryo understood immediately.

"Oh, and she left a message for you."

Leticia took a breath, her tone turning solemn.

"She hopes that next time, she can fight side by side with you for real."

"That was her parting message after signing the formal alliance."

Meaning: when it comes time to deal with Hermes, count her in. Ryo gave a knowing nod.

"Got it. I'll remember."

"Tch. What's with all the riddles?" Shiroyasha cut in, clearly annoyed. "Why not just say it straight?"

Leticia and Black Rabbit exchanged wry smiles.

"..."

Shiroyasha snapped her fan open with a sharp flick. "Anyway, brat, grab your alliance banner already. I've got rain to schedule over the East Area today and not much time to waste."

At that, Ryo looked over at Leticia.

She nodded, pulling a flag from her gift card and handing it to him.

The flag's base was a deep, dark violet.

Across its surface stretched a star map of the Zodiac, the constellations traced out in white lines.

And at the center of those constellations stood the silhouette of a black-haired young man, back turned.

Looking closer, the figure resembled Ryo himself.

"The Zodiac, huh? Suits you perfectly."

Shiroyasha studied it with interest, then nodded repeatedly as she thought of Ryo's simulated star map.

Bearing the inheritance of the Zodiac and possessing its Pseudo Star Map Creation—that kind of flag could absolutely qualify as the emblem of a Three-Digit community.

"Who knows," she mused, rubbing her chin, "if you ever finish developing that little trick of yours, this banner might even be upgraded to the level of [Thousand Eyes]'s flag someday."

"Wha—?!"

Black Rabbit's cheeks flushed crimson.

"A Thousand Eyes flag? That's way too much! Their banner carries the legacy of two different cosmic truths!"

It wasn't that she didn't believe Ryo could grow their community that far—but Shiroyasha's praise was far too loud and risky. If word spread, it could cause trouble.

So even though she was secretly thrilled, she had to shoot it down on the spot.

"I did say maybe," Shiroyasha rolled her eyes and smacked Black Rabbit lightly on the head with her fan, clearly seeing through her fake humility.

"Ow!" Black Rabbit clutched her head, eyes welling up.

Shiroyasha just huffed and turned back to Ryo. "Well then, brat. Ready?"

"Yeah." Ryo nodded firmly.

Shiroyasha's lips curled into a grin.

"Good. Then let's begin."

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