Just as the three were discussing whether to have dinner at Bayonetta's place or grab some fast food on the way, none of them noticed that Trish was standing behind them, watching.
It was Jeanne, still facing Aiden, who noticed that Trish had been staring at them all along, and she curiously asked, "Miss Trish, is something the matter?"
Trish hesitated to speak, then finally shook her head. She felt she had no reason to make them stay and help her.
Seeing her shake her head, Jeanne shrugged and said, "If nothing's wrong, then we'll be on our way."
"Mm!" Trish nodded. She was just about to wave when Dante's voice rang out, "Miss Trish, last time I came back from Hell, that entrance was already destroyed. Do you still know of any shortcut into Hell?"
Trish had no choice but to answer Dante first, "Mount Fimbulventr. There's a shortcut to Hell there. That's where I… came from."
Aiden, who hadn't yet pushed the door open to leave, stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard Trish's words. He turned toward her with some doubt, "Where did you just say you came from?"
"Mount Fimbulventr."
It was Dante who spoke this time, he remembered clearly what his employer had said.
Then he froze for a moment, his face showing curiosity, though his curiosity was a little different from Aiden's.
"Mount Fimbulventr? Isn't that one of the angels' old nests in the human world? Oh, no wonder so many angels are always stationed there… So there's actually a Gate to Hell there too!"
Dante suddenly looked enlightened.
But Aiden, at this moment, had a strange expression on his face. Of course he knew what Mount Fimbulventr was.
In the plot of Bayonetta 2, Bayonetta had entered Hell through the Hell Gate inside the mountain. There, she even met her father, the true Lumen Sage Balder, the real Balder whose body had not yet been taken over by the evil remnant.
He had originally thought that because of his own appearance here, he wouldn't get to experience the events of the second game. Yet unexpectedly, the overlapping storyline had still managed to drag itself in.
When Bayonetta and Jeanne saw Aiden stop, frozen in place with that strange look, they grew puzzled. Jeanne even waved a hand in front of him, asking, "Darling, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just remembered something all of a sudden." Aiden came back to himself, then fixed his gaze on Trish and said, "Miss Trish, would you need to hire a few more people?"
"Ah! Of course I do." Joy lit up Trish's face and she nodded eagerly. Then she turned to Enzo and called, "Pay up!"
Enzo couldn't refuse, and once again, with a long face, he pulled out his wallet. But right then Aiden said, "One dollar will do."
Before Enzo could express his joy and gratitude, Dante shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! How can you do that? That's malicious competition! One dollar? That's way too cheap! At least ten thousand, minimum, otherwise how the hell am I supposed to stay in business?"
Then he turned and grumbled at Enzo, "I already took the money. Don't you dare tell me to give it back, that's not how it works."
Enzo covered his face helplessly, "Don't worry, I've never once asked to take back money I've already given out."
"That's a relief." Dante clapped his shoulder again. Then he glanced at Trish and asked, "So, when do we head out?"
"Tomorrow," Trish said at once. "After all, that mountain's in Northern Europe. At this time of day, we won't be able to buy a ticket."
"Alright then. We'll rest for the night and set out tomorrow." Dante nodded.
———
Leaving Dante's shop, Enzo immediately ran off to fetch the car, while Trish headed straight for her motorcycle.
Aiden and the two witches strolled leisurely toward the sports car.
"Honestly, just came back from Europe and now we have to run back again, running around everywhere is such a hassle!" Bayonetta complained.
She didn't bother asking why Aiden wanted to get involved in this. Whatever he chose to do, she always supported him unconditionally.
"Think of it as a trip, Cereza. The environment in Northern Europe is wonderful. And this season, we can even go skiing!" Jeanne didn't mind at all.
The last time she came looking for Bayonetta and Aiden, she'd flown back and forth across Europe and America several times in a few days. She was long used to it.
"But I don't want to go skiing." Bayonetta sighed. "It's much nicer staying at home. And when there's nothing else to do, we can contribute to the revival of the witch clan's population… What do you think, Mr. Cat?"
"Think about what?" Aiden, lost in thought, hadn't caught her words.
"About making babies when we get home. What do you think?" Bayonetta said with a teasing smile.
"Cough… I've no objections." Of course Aiden wasn't about to refuse.
"Then let's hurry back home!" Bayonetta said with excitement. The black-haired witch was clearly getting a taste for it.
But just as the three were about to get into Enzo's sports car and head home, Trish suddenly drove her bike in front of the car to block them.
"Something else, Miss Trish?" Aiden leaned out of the window to ask.
Looking a little embarrassed, Trish said, "It's just a small thing, but I think you can help me with it."
"Go ahead and say it. We're friends now," Aiden replied generously. "As long as it's not beyond my limits, I'll help you solve it."
"Good." This was exactly what Trish had been waiting for. She smiled and said, "I need a place to stay."
Hearing Trish say she needed a place to stay, Aiden froze. That really wasn't much of a problem, but from the way she said it, did she mean she wanted to live at his house?
Thinking it over, Aiden said, "I can help you find a hotel."
Bayonetta had just hinted earlier, and he didn't want an outsider disturbing them. Even if that outsider was a flawless blonde beauty, in both figure and looks.
"I don't want to stay in a hotel. It's boring living alone in one." Trish shook her head firmly. "I want to stay at your place. I think you're interesting, I like the way you talk."
"Um, Miss Trish, sorry to cut in."
Bayonetta raised her hand from behind Aiden, "If it were a normal time, Jeanne and I probably wouldn't mind. Men, after all, being fickle is normal. But tonight's no good."
'What do you mean 'being fickle is normal'? Who talks about their man like that?'
Aiden shot her a look.
"Why?" Trish turned to Bayonetta.
"You recognize who I am, so you must know, our witch clan has very few left. So tonight Jeanne and I have to work with Mr. Cat for the sake of continuing the bloodline. He won't have time to flirt with you. Understand?"
Bayonetta said this with righteous conviction. If the witches five hundred years ago heard it, they'd probably be moved to tears.
But Trish, after glancing at the figures of Bayonetta and Jeanne, smacked her lips and said, "Can he really handle the two of you?"
"That's none of your concern. We're very satisfied." Jeanne added from the side, "He's strong."
"From the sound of it, he can handle even more women?" Trish exclaimed.
"Probably. But our bed isn't very big. If you're interested too, you'll just have to queue up behind us." Bayonetta even gestured vividly behind her.
"Actually, I don't want to queue… No, I mean, I'm not interested in your man right now. I just want a place to stay." Trish pointed at herself.
"Can't you pity a homeless woman just a little? I'm this pretty, and besides, it's so chaotic here. I saw more than one robbery as soon as I arrived. If something happens to me, that's a loss for the world… That's what you said."
Trish looked at Aiden, the last line was clearly directed at him.
"Uh…" Aiden really wanted to complain, why do they all remember every single thing he says, and then use it against him? But this clearly wasn't the time for that. He had to respond quickly.
If he refused, then he'd be going back on his word from just now, that he'd do anything within his ability. Breaking his word wasn't his style.
But if he agreed, it would definitely annoy the two witches. And he himself wasn't keen on letting another woman in as a live audience.
Just as he was tied in knots, Trish suddenly smiled, "Forget it. Seeing how conflicted you are, I'll just find a place myself."
Before Aiden could react, she flipped her coat with a flourish, started up her bike, and roared off.
Watching the bike vanish in the distance, Aiden scratched his head. He couldn't shake the feeling Trish was teasing him on purpose, trying to trap him with his own words.
At that moment, Bayonetta's displeased voice came from behind, "If you're so reluctant, I'll have Jenny drag her back."
"No, no, no." Aiden shook his head quickly. The most important thing right now was to handle the women at home first.
Shaking his head, he turned to Enzo, "Let's go. To my place!"
———
What happened that night needs no explanation. Anyway, when the three got up the next morning, each of them looked completely refreshed.
After brushing teeth, washing faces, and eating breakfast, the three called a cab and headed for the airport.
Enzo, who'd gone home last night, had already used his connections to book the morning flight. After all, he was the most anxious one, he just wanted to be free of his demon contract as soon as possible.
When Aiden and the two witches arrived at the airport, Enzo was already waiting at the entrance. Not long after, Trish and Dante showed up as well.
They accepted the tickets Enzo handed out, then passed smoothly through security. They all had ways of concealing the equipment they carried, so of course there was no trouble.
Soon after, the plane took off, bound for Northern Europe.
This time, Enzo didn't make them fly across the Pacific and the whole Eurasian continent like last time. The plane took off directly eastward from the East Coast, and just a few hours later they landed in a city in a Northern European country. From there, the group took a train toward Mount Fimbulventr.
Several hours later, they arrived at a small town at the mountain's base called Noatun.
Because of the time difference, when they reached Noatun it was still afternoon. After some discussion, they decided to eat first before entering the mountain.
After all, this wasn't the plot point where Jeanne's soul was dragged into Hell, so Aiden wasn't in any rush.
As a Northern European town, Noatun's cuisine naturally carried a heavy Northern European style. The food was basically fish, with some beef, lamb, and carbs on the side.
For the two witches and Trish, this diet, almost like a weight-loss meal, fit their tastes well. They didn't need to lose weight, but they still enjoyed it.
The ones who suffered were Aiden and Dante. Both of them were hardcore meat lovers and big fans of carbs. With no big steaks or lamb chops, and no pizza for Dante, the two men ate with long faces.
"If we lose to Mundus, it'll be because of this food. Can't even fill our stomachs, how are we supposed to fight?" Dante stabbed a forkful of salad and shoved it into his mouth.
The veggies, with hardly any dressing, made him feel like he was eating grass.
Then he looked at Aiden, who was just as miserable eating seafood, and asked, "Aren't you from Country Z? Shouldn't you be into food like this? It's practically sashimi."
"I'm not from Country R." Aiden had no mood to give him a geography lesson, and answered curtly.
When he saw Aiden didn't want to talk, the restless Dante turned to chat with Trish. But because of her looks, he spoke in an unusually polite way, which made Trish very uncomfortable.
Still, for certain reasons, she had to respond patiently. That only made her long even more for them to hurry into Hell to deal with Mundus, so she could finally become a complete person.
But as they ate in the little restaurant, up in the bell tower of the town's church, a man wearing a golden mask was watching them.
"Rosa… our child has grown up!"
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