If Amber could hear Kotori's inner thoughts, she'd definitely reply: 'You bet.'
And hearing such a clear answer from Amber, it was impossible for Kotori not to be tempted.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, Shiori's heart was currently leaning toward Schicksal.
Even though Kotori had been raised with Ratatoskr's teachings, the most important person in her heart was still her older sister.
If forced to choose between the two, she'd pick her sister's side.
'But... all of this hinges on whether Durandal is telling the truth.'
It wasn't that she suspected Durandal of lying to her, but Mobius's reputation preceded her, and Kotori honestly found it hard to trust.
Anyone could see Durandal had a straightforward heart—you could say she had one, but expecting much beyond that was difficult. She might even help count the money after being sold out by Mobius.
The only useful piece of information Kotori could glean from her words was that 'Schicksal is entirely under Mobius's control.'
If things came to a point where Mobius directly seized control of her, Shiori, and the Princess, then found some excuse to send Durandal away, they'd be completely trapped.
Staying with Ratatoskr was safer, at least they could protect themselves.
Even so, Kotori knew that, even with an element of gambling involved, she had to consider Durandal's proposal.
"Let's talk about this later. The most important thing right now is the matter of the Spirits."
Kotori leaned back in her chair again, closing her eyes for a moment before setting the topic aside for now and turning to the matter at hand.
The appearance and disappearance of Spirits were unpredictable; the top priority was to leave a deeper impression on the Princess.
Given how things looked now, they might be able to resolve this all at once.
Although she changed the subject, the crew aboard the Fraxinus secretly exchanged a series of glances.
They were all personnel Kotori had personally recruited. As the commander, she certainly had that authority.
Therefore, their future course would naturally depend on Kotori's decision. If Kotori really decided to go to Schicksal, they had no reason not to follow.
Unless they were no longer needed.
Still, it wasn't as if everyone here was solely Kotori's person. This was, after all, a Ratatoskr vessel. It was normal for a spy to be placed aboard, who then later caught Kotori's eye.
Kannazuki was currently deeply conflicted. When he first came aboard, he was simply told to report the happenings on the Fraxinus to headquarters—a task he was familiar with. But now, with such a major situation unfolding, he felt somewhat lost.
To be honest, having followed Kotori for over three years, the scales in his heart had tipped to an almost absurd degree in her favor.
After all... Kotori was an excellent superior. Not only was she adorable in appearance, but she also possessed the qualities of a great leader: strong decision-making skills, never shifting blame arbitrarily, and highly capable of taking responsibility.
Most importantly, she trusted her subordinates deeply. Despite her usual irritable demeanor, she almost never punished those under her.
After thinking it over carefully, Kannazuki decided to keep this matter to himself for now.
Shiori also knew that the more pressing matter now was sealing the Reiryoku. Before that was done, any other discussions were meaningless.
"Well then... Princess... no, Tohka. Next, we need to seal your Reiryoku. Is that alright?"
Shiori asked.
"I don't have a problem with it..."
Tohka's thought process, while not diminished in intelligence, had its own unique simplicity.
Since Durandal could defeat her but chose not to, that meant Durandal was trustworthy. So, she didn't have many doubts.
"But, what do I need to do for that?"
"Um... well, first, let's go on a date."
Shiori felt too embarrassed to bring up things like 'affection' and 'kissing,' afraid the other girl would think she was shameless.
Although suggesting a date also carried that kind of implication, at least its original meaning was simply 'meeting up,' allowing her to deceive herself a little.
"Date? What does that mean?"
However, Tohka was far less knowledgeable about these matters than Shiori had imagined.
"Huh?"
For a moment, Shiori couldn't tell if Tohka was teasing her or genuinely didn't know.
"It means you two go out and have fun together."
Amber said: "Go out, have fun, and develop feelings for each other. That's a date."
"Fun?"
Tohka still didn't have much concept of that, but she didn't seem to mind. "I'll leave human matters to you all. Don't betray my trust, okay!"
"Leave that to Shiori. She'll make the plans... probably."
Amber started with confidence, but then remembered that in the original story, the goofballs on the Fraxinus never really gave any useful advice beyond material support.
Well, they were primarily responsible for operating the Fraxinus and monitoring equipment anyway. No wonder they were all failures in love.
Was it really okay to have these love failures act as Shiori's dating coaches...?
"Huh? Durandal, aren't you coming along?"
Shiori was surprised.
"Well, it is a date. If I tagged along, I'd probably just get in the way of your progress."
Amber actually did want to go, since watching the Date A Live operation up close sounded fun, but after some thought, she decided against it.
Rather than spectating here, it was better to contact her other self and make some arrangements in advance.
"Ah... right, you have a point..."
Shiori caught on, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.
"?"
Tohka, however, was confused. Why couldn't all three of them go? Why was two people better?
But she knew she was currently lacking in common human knowledge, so she didn't speak up. She'd said she'd leave it to them, so she would.
After the two left, Amber spoke to Kotori. "Kotori, shall we talk tonight?"
"I knew there was something. You need to discuss the situation with Mobius, right?"
Kotori wasn't surprised by the invitation. "But, bringing it up so openly in front of everyone... is that really okay?"
"I don't think it's something that needs to be hidden."
Amber replied. "I need to report the current situation to Bishop Mobius. The cooperation between Schicksal and Ratatoskr might undergo some changes, so I need you, as the point of contact, to discuss it."
Kotori wanted to say that such discussions usually required a formal setting, with recording, video, and minutes.
But considering the other party's lack of negotiation experience, and remembering that the last agreement was also reached at her home, she simply nodded.
"I understand. You said before that your relationship with Mobius isn't bad... so, will Mobius be participating this time?"
The question came out a bit eagerly, but their earlier conversation had already hinted at Kotori's leaning. The Fraxinus crew would follow Kotori unconditionally anyway, so no one commented.
Amber knew Kotori wanted to confirm Mobius's stance directly, testing the waters before potentially aligning with Schicksal. She had no reason to refuse.
"I'll explain it to the Bishop."
She felt a thrill of excitement inside. She originally thought she was just here to watch the show, but now it seemed she might manage to bring the Itsuka sisters into Schicksal in one fell swoop—with Murasame Reine as a bonus.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.