"Ugggh....!"
'I'm seriously going to die...!!'
For the past few days, Akumo had to force his body to move, struggling against a sense of extreme exhaustion.
Stagger, stagger—
It was only natural, considering he had been semi-forcibly pressed into acting as an errand boy for the Hermes Familia.
Then there was the workload of his own Familia, which had grown even heavier as the end of the year approached.
And above all...
Stiff—!
"Dammit...."
His physical condition, worn down by the brutal retribution and the aftermath of the recent incident, was deeply irritating.
"What a rotten world... why must I face such trials...."
He had broken his back to save everyone, only for them all to turn into fierce lionesses.
"Hell...."
Trudge, trudge—
Still, work had to be done.
Dragging his heavy body along, Akumo was mobilized as part of the preparation crew for the upcoming year-end festivities, forced to roam every corner of Orario once again.
Sway, sway—
"...."
A small figure secretly watched him from behind.
Flash—!
The figure vanished in an instant, disappearing like the wind.
Slide—
Leaving behind a few strands of white hair that resembled someone specific.
**
"I'm always grateful, you know? It's been so busy with the end of the year, you've been a lifesaver~"
"Just give me the goods already... I've already got a mountain of things to process..."
"Hehe! Just so you know, I've placed an additional order with the Soma Familia, so take care of that too, okay?"
".....Fine."
The end of the year. A time to wait for the new year and conclude the current one.
It was the perfect season for parties and festivals, which meant goods in Orario moved fast and in large quantities—and that meant someone had to suffer for it.
Most Familias were busy with supply deliveries, settlements, and various public activities, but...
"I'm counting on you again this time~"
"I'm leavin' it to ya~"
The two Tricksters had no intention of letting Akumo—a man who had built countless connections as a mercenary and was highly skilled in field work—go to waste.
"[Pioneer]! You're here for the trade, right?"
"Yes... Here's the wheat, the potatoes, and six sets of timber. I've already prepared the quality certificates and the invoices for the additional stock..."
"Oh! Quick as always!"
Scribble, scribble—
Managing payments and deposits, haggling during transactions, and calculating additional orders.
Then there was the transportation process, quality checks, inventory verification, and so on.
"[Pioneer]! If you have time, come to our party!! We bought a lot of stuff, so do us a favor~"
"No."
"Then come to our banquet!"
"Not interested."
Recruitment offers and invitations coming in every hour while he worked had already become a daily routine.
"Ugggh.... so busy...."
Thud—!
"Huh...? Asfi? What's this...."
"What do you think? These are the delivery plans and cooperation proposals for next week, along with information trades and requests."
The end of the year was still far off, and the work remaining was both long and massive.
"Uwaaaagh....!!!!!"
In contrast to Akumo, who was becoming increasingly exhausted, Asfi's eyes were full of life. Trusting in Akumo, she had taken on more work than usual.
By the time a month had passed and it was nearly two months into this routine...
"Ah!!! Seriously...!!!!"
Flop—!
'It's the end of the year, let me rest a bit too....'
Ultimately, Akumo ended up lying down on a quiet hill to take a brief break.
Thump—
"There's only a few weeks left of the year... and I can't even rest because of overtime and whatever else..."
'Taking care of the Familia and family events on top of it, my body's going to break....'
He wanted to go lie down in a cozy room and sleep deeply right this second, but...
"Huaaa...!!!"
'If I go back to the Familia, Loki and Riveria will be there... If I go home, Alfia will be there... And if I run away, Asfi will track me down....'
"Aaaah...."
Akumo writhed at the headache-inducing situation, but he had no intention of getting up.
"Ugggh...."
One minute passed... two minutes... five minutes....
Slide—
'Ah.... so sleepy....'
Unstoppable fatigue washed over him, and Akumo's consciousness gradually sank into the depths of sleep.
"Just ten minutes...."
Thus, Akumo fell into a peaceful slumber.
"...."
Tiptoe, tiptoe—
Beside him, an unidentified figure approached.
**
"ZZZ....."
Sway—
"....!"
Thump—!
A hand that could only be described as adorable.
Squish, squish—
"...."
That hand was kneading Akumo's cheek as if it were a toy.
"....!"
Yet, for some reason, Akumo remained peacefully asleep, while the mysterious hand continued to play with his cheek in amusement.
"Hehee!"
After playing with his cheek for a while, the figure let out a cute hum, seemingly in a good mood.
Slip—
"Heh!"
Then, it slid right into Akumo's embrace.
Wiggle, wiggle—
"Uuung...!"
Something nestled itself into Akumo's arms with small, busy movements.
"....Mmm-ph."
Slide—
Had it become tired from following Akumo around?
The mysterious figure's movements gradually slowed until its eyes closed, leaving only the sound of small, rhythmic breaths.
"Z.... Z.... Z....."
**
Flutter, flutter—
"Honestly...."
A blue-haired girl was flying through the sky.
"Where has Akumo hidden himself this time...."
Asfi Andromeda was flying over Orario in her winged shoes, searching for the vanished Akumo as she always did.
"There's still a mountain of work to do~ where could he have gone...."
Flutter—!
"If you come quietly, I'll even brew you some coffee~ So why don't you come out now~?"
Thanks to Akumo, her workload had decreased to a level that would have been unimaginable in the past, and Asfi was relaxed enough to make jokes.
"Of course, you still have to work~"
Smile—!
Which was exactly why Asfi had no intention of letting Akumo off the hook.
".....Hmm."
Meanwhile, in another location.
Click, clack—
"As the end of the year approaches, we need to step up our efforts to maintain public order."
"Right! Sister!"
Shakti and Ardee were patrolling the streets, which were more crowded than usual, focusing their search to prevent any potential crimes.
"Hmm-hmm~ 𝅘𝅥𝅮"
'I should drop off some materials for Vel-kichi and drag that Akumo guy along too~'
Tsubaki, who was planning to visit her acquaintances for a drink even during the year-end season, was moving at her own pace as always.
Her habit of destroying schedules was one of the reasons Akumo had been suffering from headaches lately.
Step, step—
As the day in year-end Orario continued as usual.
""""Huh?""""
A sharp intuition pierced through their minds.
Or rather, it was because of the strange sight unfolding before their eyes.
"What on earth...."
"Is that...."
"What is it...?"
"Eh?"
It was faint, but they could see it clearly.
Whish—!
The clouds were gathered in a way that looked like an arrow pointing somewhere.
Patter, patter—!
It was a coincidence that one might ignore if they weren't paying attention, but the women's feet moved for their own respective reasons.
'If it's another incident...!'
'I'll stop it with my sister!'
Since there had been so many chaotic and dangerous incidents this year, Shakti and Ardee, their sense of justice burning even brighter, could not ignore the suspicious sight.
'Is this Hermes's doing again!?'
Whoosh—!
Feeling a sense of déjà vu for the first time in a long while, Asfi flew toward the scene, more proactive than usual in her quest for the truth.
'This looks like it'll be fun!'
Dash—!
Even Tsubaki ran toward it, driven by pure, squirrel-like curiosity.
Whoosh—!
They all headed toward the location beneath the strange clouds.
To a secluded hill on the outskirts of Orario.
"Eh? You guys are...."
"[Cyclops]....? Why are you here...."
"Asfi and Tsubaki too... is it really an incident!?"
"....Everyone, quiet. I sense a presence."
And so, they all ended up gathering by chance.
Rustle! Rustle!
""""!!""""
The sound of grass being crushed continued to reach their ears.
"""".....""""
Nod—
Shakti didn't know what it was, but she felt certain it was something significant.
Gesture, gesture—
She signaled the others to follow her, and they all moved into position together.
Rustle—!
"—!!"
Step, step—
"!!"
As they moved, the sound grew closer.
A state of tension, not knowing what awaited them.
"...."
'It's here...!'
Finally, they pushed through the bushes and reached the source of the sound.
"Waaa!"
Bounce, bounce—!
"Hehee!!"
Sway, sway—!
"""".....?""""
They saw a small child running around frantically while occasionally rubbing against Akumo's chest.
"....A tail?"
And the child was wagging a tail.
"Who on earth is that child...."
"Uuung?"
""""Ah.""""
The child had beautiful white hair that resembled 'someone'.
"....Eh?"
"Wait...."
The child's eyes were a brilliant emerald green, resembling 'someone'.
"Whaaat!?"
"Huh....?"
And most decisively.
"Abba!"
Stroke—
"Hehee!"
"""".....Ah.""""
Even in his sleep, Akumo's hand reached out to stroke the child's fluffy hair as if cherishing him.
The sight of the child laughing brightly at his touch and uttering that specific word.
"....Right now."
"Yeah, sister."
"I know a place to hide him—no, a place to bury him."
"....Holy shit."
They looked exactly like a father and son.
========================
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