“So, how are you doing nowadays?” Kara asked merrily as Rakna, who had already reverted into a therian, drank with her. Compared to the last time he had that ‘alcoholic competition’ with the mother-daughter pair, he was even less affected now thanks to his new body constitution.

“It’s rather fine, I guess,” he answered the woman’s question.

“Really? I heard you exploded yourself not long ago,” she retorted with a sharp smile.

“…well, put like that, it sounds bad. Which is not, by the way. It’s just that my clone decided to do something extremely dangerous without having any idea of what kind of repercussions it would have on its original self,” the therian said unperturbedly and took a sip of his drink.

Kara raised an eyebrow. “And that is supposed to sound better?”

“Yes.”

“Hahahaha,” the vixen burst out laughing. “Never change, Rara.”

“Don’t call me Rara,” he deadpanned but she nonchalantly continued.

“We need more people like you in this world. The way you gaze at the world is fascinating.”

“…is that so?” Rakna wasn’t sure what to make of that statement. “Is that why you were harassing me through the system messages?”

“Hey, don’t call it harassing. It isn’t my fault that I seek entertainment when I’m bored,” she pouted and gulped down the rest of her cup.

“Right. So, is there something this bored and fair lady here wishes to speak with me about?”

“Oh my, fair lady? Don’t tease an old woman like that,” she mock-blushed and Rakna sighed. Kara chuckled at his reaction and refilled her cup. She set down the bottle and resettled her expression into a calm smile. “Well, I wasn’t lying when I said I just felt like entertaining myself a bit. What better way to do that than spend time with a delightful drinking companion?”

Rakna hummed without saying anything more about it.

“But then again, I figured I could warn you a bit as well,” she said playfully. “In the future, please refrain from making my sweetheart worry like that again. I heard of the stunt you pulled against the vampire on top of the most recent one,” she added seriously and Rakna stopped moving his hands for a short moment.

The vixen then sighed and shrugged. “At this point, my little Kae literally needs you in order for her to continue living, you know?”

“Wha-?” Rakna exclaimed at the outlandish declaration. “How could that--”

“Spiritual foxes, you see,” Kara interrupted him. “Have the innate ability to prey on the opposite sex with charm and attraction. Nine-Tailed Foxes are not an exception. You could say we’re a bit of a mix between vampires and succubus in that regard; we have the charm and the drain.”

The therian scowled. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Hm, do you know what a soulmate is?” She inquired back.

“…”

“Heh, of course, you do. There’s no need to beat around the bush; you are Kae’s soulmate.”

“How do…” Rakna’s words died in his mouth. He sighed and rubbed his temples. “How do you even discern that kind of thing?”

“Ah, no, you’re wrong. Soulmates are not predestined. It just happens. Two soulmates don’t even need to feel instantaneous attraction toward each other. Instead, it’s rather like two people are so compatible that the more time they spend together, the more their souls ‘mark’ each other.”

“…why did you mention the spiritual foxes’ ability?” Rakna followed up, acknowledging what she was saying but now doubtful about why she had started the conversation as she did.

Kara smiled. “Spiritual foxes are bound to the person they love. Especially if they’re soulmates. In this case… Kae may lose her will to live if you were to die.”

Silence fell in the room and Rakna broke it by clicking his tongue and pouring a shot. His fur shone for a short moment and turned red. The abrupt change startled Kara and he scoffed at her.

“I need another mindset to deal with this bullshit,” he spat.

She gaped at him for a few seconds before laughing lightly. “Well, if that makes you feel better, it would understandably be hard for anyone to resist your charm. It’s odd, honestly,” she tilted her head and he frowned at her.

“What?”

“It’s even more obvious to me as a spiritual fox, but you have a constant attraction around you. It’s as if… your entire existence was a pit calling out for help, seeking love in order to be closed. But I suppose, it would be more accurate to call it ‘desperation’.”

“Now, that hits a bit too close to home, so shut up,” Rakna rolled his eyes. “So, what? You’re saying that I have a natural ability that charms the opposite sex? Go write a romance novel already. What kind of surreal idea is that?” He paused as he saw the vixen watching him with a wide smile whilst resting her chin on her hands. “…what are you looking at me like that for?”

“Oh, nothing. But what if I told you that you truly and unironically had the ability to turn anyone affectionate to you into a soulmate?”

“…I would say that it’s terrifying and stupid. If that was true, wouldn’t you…?” Rakna stopped his train of thought right then and there and his eyebrow twitched. His unease wasn’t placated at all when he saw her smile widen and the smell of her emotions change dangerously. He considered her words seriously and Crystal Sight manifested itself.

If she was taken aback by the golden crosses, she didn’t show it. Instead, she allowed herself to be inspected without any sort of resistance. Rakna didn’t look at her status; no, he pushed his newest skill to a far higher degree and stared at her soul. He peered into the concept she had just explained to him and after a few seconds, incomprehensible characters appeared in his vision that only he could understand.

At that moment, he instinctively knew what it was. One more legacy from the Sage. ‘The Original Language,’ he thought, his mind reading Kara as if she was an open book. When he finally reached what he was looking for, it struck him right back.

He was pulled out of his trance and his sight returned to normal. His crimson eyes widened from what he had just seen and also because Kara had moved from her seat and was hovering her head right in front of his.

“What an overbearing vision. As expected of you. So? Did you see it?” She asked flippantly.

“…you can’t be fucking serious…”

“Oh yes I am,” she retorted impishly and got even closer, forcing him to back away a bit. “So, how about a hug to start things? I’m sure that’s a nice first base.”

“…woman, you cannot fool my instincts. I can tell that you won’t stop at a hug.”

“Oh, really? I suppose I have to go on the offensive then,” she flashed a smirk that promised a world of… whatever it was, and as Rakna was about to make a perfectly noble tactical retreat, a spiral of blue flames appeared in the shop and Kaelith walked out of it.

She froze on the spot when she saw the position of the two in the room. Everyone was silent for a while until crimson embers began to flare around Kaelith’s tails and hair. “Mom…” She said with a dangerous smile, enunciating every letter of the word. “What are you doing?”

Kara straightened herself and giggled. “Nothing much. I’m simply getting to know our soulmate a little better, that’s it,” she uttered sultrily and Kaelith twitched.

At the same time, Rakna felt another presence teleporting close to him. He noticed that it was one of his Imperial Guard members using their privilege to transfer to him. He eyed the sphere of light on the table and it faded away to reveal the feline figure of Higure.

“Hm? It worked. Where is this? The shop?” She said out loud and then looked around. Her eyes fell on the pair of vixens glaring daggers at each other before turning toward Rakna. “Cat fight?”

“Speak for yourself, horny cat…” Rakna mumbled and lifted his drink to his lips.

“Hehehe,” the lioness suddenly had a devious idea, “But, Devourer, you promised that I would be the first to mate with you, didn’t you?”

Rakna choked on the wine and started coughing. The two fox women instantly zeroed on the small feline that had appeared in the room out of nowhere. The tension went through the roof.

Higure grinned widely, Kara giggled softly, and Kaelith smiled dangerously.

As for the therian, he looked the other way and quietly cleaned the spilled alcohol. “[...Neglect My Reality, Enkata,]” he whispered as if nothing was wrong and his body turned into shadows. He promptly ran away from the shop through the gap under the doors, waiting for the storm to pass.

* * *

Meanwhile, the clone waiting inside a private room after Elora went to fetch a certain item, looked up with an odd expression. He was receiving strange feedback from his original self.

“What is he doing…?”

“Lord Obsidian,” Elora opened the door and entered with a small casket in her hands. “I have it. As I mentioned before, for anyone with a territory and high nobility, the Pavilion gives it for free. You and His Majesty are both eligible without a question. Please tell your pupil that he has the right to collect it if he wants.”

“Mhm. You don’t need to worry about that. I’m collecting this one for Rakna’s territory,” the clone said as he retrieved the small box. Since he didn’t have a storage ring with him, he stored it by using a creative application of his nano-mites, creating an empty space inside his body to secure it. “I don’t really have a territory,” he added to his prior statement and she nodded slowly.

“Understood. Um, should we head to the offices? I have contacted the staff already. There should be someone waiting for you.”

“All right. Lead the way,” he said and followed her out of the room. “By the way, may I know who this person is? Considering it is me, I do not think the Pavilion will send just anyone.”

“Well,” Elora smiled wryly and scratched her cheek. “When I called them, they told me that they would be notifying the President. They haven’t told me who it would be…”

“When you say President, you mean the Pavilion’s?”

“Um, yes?”

Rakna mused. “Then I guess it will be him whom I meet.”

“What?! You mean the President is going to come personally!?” The young woman was losing it at this point. She didn’t think she could keep her sanity after meeting so many high-standing figures in such a short time span.

“Well, from experience, fate has a tendency to make fun of me. So, there are high chances for it to be true,” the wolf added and Elora started whimpering cutely whilst holding her head.

“{It is you who makes fun of fate, honestly,}” Fray commented.

‘Shush.’