“I just realised that I have a huge problem,” said Gaius.

Isabelle, who was dressed to the nines in a flowing dress of blue and white, turned to look at the boy, who was wearing a tunic, a cloak draped around it. Her immaculate appearance made Gaius feel somewhat awkward, a feeling that was made so much stronger by the fact that he was wearing, for all intents and purposes, a combat outfit.

“What problem?” Isabelle asked.

“I don’t have a formal outfit,” said Gaius. “And for someone my age to get it makes no economic sense whatsoever, since I’m in my growing years. Functions like these…might be a bit problematic for me to go to.”

“That’s okay,” said Isabelle. “A lot of people come in more casual wear than yours, so it won’t be a problem.”

Gaius eyed the Knight, who was wearing a dress that was fit for a function in a palace, and arched an eyebrow.

“It’s been some time since I wore something as pretty as this,” Isabelle replied, a lovely smile on her face. “Rarely do I get the chance and occasion to show my charms off to a certain someone.”

“To who?”

Nexus popped its head out from Gaius’ tunic and said, “Dolt.”

Isabelle, who was on the verge of saying something, nodded her head thoughtfully at the sculpture’s words and said, “Dolt.”

“Et tu, Nexus?” Gaius shook his head. “Forget it. Back to the topic at hand — are you really sure wearing this won’t be an issue?”

“No worries,” Isabelle replied. “No one’s going to blink or stop you if you aren’t showing off any weapons openly. And, like I said earlier, people come in outfits more casual than yours, so there’s no need to feel worried. Nakama’s not going to be affected by this either.”

“Well, if you put it that way…” Gaius relaxed his shoulders somewhat. “It should be okay, then.”

After checking for the ninth time that the Moonshot and the Terminus were safely tucked away in his clothes, Gaius opened the door and left the house. Slogans and posters were pasted everywhere around the walls, and what looked like a small puddle of blood was drying up along the pavement as Gaius led the way out of the garden.

“Looks like more violence happened while we were asleep,” said Gaius. “How is this conflict getting out of hand that fast? Is there someone else behind the whole thing?”

“A good question, Master Gaius,” replied Nexus. “Keep your eyes peeled — something like this usually indicates that there’s a significant backer behind both sides of this issue. Remember what you did at Elinaris?”

“When I funded, err, what’s his name…”

“Flynn,” Nexus replied helpfully. “Yes. Do not underestimate the power of resources. Give enough to someone with a starving family, and he or she will not hesitate to sell themselves into slavery for it, let alone cause some street violence.”

“Many people and organisations in Mi-Zu have the ability to escalate a conflict,” Isabelle added on. “When things you don’t want passed are brought to the table, and it is inconvenient for you to make a public stand, riling up sentiments and movements like these is an easy way to do something about it. It’s a tactic used by many Houses in the South.”

“So, if we extrapolate this to the politics of the East…are you saying that this whole thing could be caused by two competing zaibatsus?” Gaius asked.

“Very possible,” Isabelle replied. “If two Houses in the South are stirring up conflict on this scale, the Assembly is usually powerless to prevent the conflict from going on.”

“Which accounts for the Plenum’s inaction.” Gaius shook his head. “This is unbelievable.”

He shook his head, but before he could lapse into his usual silence, a hand reached out and started to style his hair down.

“Stop that, I’m not a kid—”

“Your hair is styled horribly,” said Isabelle. “Nakama’s going to be jeered at if you show up to her school looking like this.”

“You could have done that in the house, no?”

“I just thought of it,” said Isabelle. Her hands continued to manipulate the boy’s hair, flattening and bending it like a master hairstylist. Gaius wanted to protest, but her words were enough to convince the boy to accept the impromptu styling on the road.

Fortunately, the streets leading to Kishi Gakuen were relatively deserted, so the boy was spared the shame of being pointed at by others. After a few hair-raising minutes, Isabelle finally relinquished Gaius’ hair, and then produced a mirror to show the boy his new hair style.

“What do you think?” Isabelle asked.

Gaius examined his hair, which had somehow lost its unruly streak under the machinations of Isabelle, and said, “I think I’m in love.”

“Your words change faster than the wind,” Isabelle remarked.

“I don’t think that’s a problem, however,” said Gaius. “I’m always ready to change my mind when there’s ample evidence for a certain viewpoint. Where did you learn to do something like this?”

“Back at home, I often helped my younger sisters do up their hair,” Isabelle replied, a smile on her face. “It would drive the servants mad, of course, but they couldn’t stop me from dressing up the others and styling them the way I thought was best.”

“Your siblings are lucky to have you,” said Gaius. “After all this is over, we should return to the South or something. You should spend some time with your family and stuff.”

“How about you?”

“There’s nothing left for me in the South,” said Gaius. “Ark City’s gone. I think I’ll go with you when we return to the South. It’ll be nice to see how the new Republic is holding up. And then after that…I’ll think about it. After all, in such chaotic times, there’s no point in making too many plans.”

“That’s true,” said Isabelle. “A step at a time is best now.”

“Enjoy life for the little things,” said Gaius.

The shadow of Kishi Gakuen appeared as the two turned a corner, and Gaius reached for his hair absentmindedly. He never really paid attention to his looks before, but now that he was here as Nakama’s guardian, the boy felt a twinge of nervousness. It was a novel feeling, something that Gaius didn’t know how to react to…but again, to have such an emotion was nothing short of luxury.

Those who had it from the start probably wouldn’t treat it that way, but for Gaius, who lived through untold years of struggle, it was a different story. Nakama, who had spent a lot of time in the slums back at Ark City, treasured her school life so much more for this very reason.

One should always count their fortunes and cherish them.