"You're saying... some unknown agencies caught wind of our existence or something?" my eyes narrowed as I stared at Joseph, who was looking down in thought.
"Yes... but also no."
"What's that supposed to mean...?" my brows furrowed further, a hand moving to pinch the bridge of my nose.
"Why would politics get involved in something like this...? And what gave us away exactly?"
Silence.
Then-
"That's what I'd like to know as well,"
A familiar voice sounded behind me, making even Robert himself turn back as he watched whatever appeared behind us. But as I turned, the familiar red gothic dress materialized before my eyes. Long white hair cascading down as a person appeared.
"How's it going?"
Anathasia tilted her head slightly, a smile forming on her face as her dress slowly shifted into her usual cardigan and shirt. Coupled with a long flowy skirt she often wore.
Behind me, a dry, almost terrified chuckle sounded.
"...Crap, so it really is true..."
The color from Robert's face drained, an awkward smile forming on his lips as it twitched slightly. Joseph stayed rooted on where he stood, his legs trembling slightly while Anathasia just casually walked up and stood next to me.
"They already know anyway," she waved a dismissive hand before glancing at me with a faint smile. "So it's fine. Right?"
My eyes drifted to the 'thing' emanating behind her. Looming over us but having no shadow of its own. I glanced at Robert and Joseph again, and they seemed to see it as well.
"I guess that's fine," I murmured, letting out a breath before reaching to ruffle her hair. "But maybe tone the eldritch presence a little?"
I gestured to the two guys in front of us.
"Robert and Joseph can see it too, y'know? I'm pretty sure humans shouldn't see something like that."
Anathasia paused briefly, glancing back at the looming extension behind her before nodding once and pulling it back inside her, suppressing it again.
"That should be good enough," she looked at me again with a slight shrug. "Right?"
My gaze went back to the two guys in front of us, standing near the railing. Still sweating buckets, but the colors from their faces had returned, so I gave her a nod.
"Yeah... that should be enough."
Robert pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, fumbling with it for a moment before finally wiping the sweat off his face.
"I think... I get what Mr. Mingyuan meant back then." he shot Joseph a glance, who was barely standing up and had to lean against the railing for support. A shaky laugh slipping from his lips.
"I see..." he murmured, staring at the floor under our feet. "So that's... what Dunaleff-" he cut himself off.
"No... Anathasia herself is..."
Joseph reluctantly lifted his head, meeting Anathasia's gaze. He flinched for a moment before finally managing to barely steady himself.
"That's why Mr. Mingyuan and Mr. Fuyukawa were instantly on the same boat as me, is it...?"
"Yes, yes," Anathasia cut in casually, waving another dismissive hand. "So that's why you had all of those things underground. Huh?"
Robert and Joseph stiffened, then slowly steadied themselves, clearing their throats before meeting our gazes. Joseph himself spoke first.
"Mainly, yes. Mr. Mingyuan specifically told me about your agreement from over two decades ago,"
"About the Li family acting as a buffer for the world against the knowledge of..." he gestured at us vaguely.
"...Your existence."
Anathasia's eyes widened for a second, then she folded her arms over her chest as her brows furrowed in thought. A finger tapping her cheek.
"We had that kind of agreement...?"
"No, girl," I chimed in, pulling one hand out of my pockets. "Remember when Hinami brought Mei to us? The thing about getting rid of Mr. Mingyuan's cancer."
"That was over two decades ago," I added. "During the second semester in second year."
She froze, her face slowly shifting before as looked at me. Clapping once as her eyes widened in realization and pointed a finger at me.
"Oh yeah... I think I remember that now."
Anathasia gave them a lazy look.
"Anyway, what's with all the secrecy? You're making it sound like a big deal."
"Because it is a big deal...?" I said dryly, letting out a small sigh. "I mean, even we didn't pick it up."
"It is really our fault their signatures are tinier than ants though?" she retorted, raising an eyebrow at me this time.
My expression flattened instantly as I stared at her, giving her a once-over before shaking my head slowly.
"Anathasia, you..."
Another sigh escaped my lips.
"Those things were targeting our family, isn't that enough of a big deal?"
She perked up for a second, then suddenly snickered before turning into a full on cackle as she clutched her stomach while hitting her own lap.
The three of us stared at her. My eyes narrowed while Robert and Joseph looked at her wide-eyed. But after a while, she finally let up, catching a tear bead from the edge of her eyes before looking at me.
"That's funny..." she said between laughs. "Cause the last time I checked, brushing against the specific presence I had surrounding both our home and the space around us, including all of our information..."
She shook her head, still snickering before meeting my eyes.
"...Was more than enough to make anyone dumb enough to dig too deep go poof instantly."
I went silent, just staring at her before looking elsewhere. Watching as more jets flew overhead.
"You seriously still have the same thing that almost drove Mei into insanity twenty-one years ago...?"
Her smile widened as she snapped her fingers casually.
"Mhm. It's the most effective one around. Prevention is better than cure, right?"
"We're not talking about diseases here..."
She huffed, shaking her head before scoffing and waving her hand dismissively. Then she folded her arms over her chest, her gaze shifting to the planes still cutting through the sky.
"It's essentially the same when you think about it," she said. Her form flickered for a moment before reappearing outside the open platform, standing on nothing but air.
She glanced back at me, lips curving into a smile.
"I don't take chances. Especially since I don't have my omniscience on every second. So of course..."
Anathasia drifted over, hovering just above me like a ghost before lowering herself to my height, her feet still not touching the ground.
"I love living as your wife, you know?" she added softly, her hand reaching up to trace my cheek.
"And I hope you're not forgetting who I am."
Her eyes glowed faintly red as she pulled back just a little.
"Because I don't care about how stories work if it hurts the ones I care about."
A small pause.
"I will ruin it."
Silence fell between all four of us as she slowly descended, landing softly on her feet. Her gaze dipped to the floor for a second before lifting again to meet ours, a smile lighting up her face.
"Anyways~ someone actually had the guts to try and dig into us, huh..." Anathasia continued, crossing her arms as she closed her eyes, brows furrowing.
"That sounds troublesome..."
My eyes stayed on her, then flattened slightly as her words settled in. Joseph, who'd been silent since she started talking, finally spoke.
"Our forces are keeping them at bay as we speak. Though they've been making repeated attempts to recover personal information... mostly from Kyle."
He gave me a small nod.
Beside me, Anathasia hummed.
"You really are a magnet for trouble-"
THWACK!
"I don't wanna hear that from you," I cut in, pulling my hand back as she winced, rubbing her forehead.
"I was just saying..." she muttered, still rubbing it before letting out a small sigh, tapping her arm in thought.
"But that being said..."
Her gaze shifted to Joseph and Robert. Both of them had steadied themselves by now.
She gave a small nod.
"Looks like I won't have to take drastic measures then," she said after a brief pause.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Think you two could identify the ringleader behind all this?"
"Consider it done," Robert chimed in. His voice was still a little shaky before he let out a wry laugh. "Though... we might already have an idea who's pulling the strings. We'll deal with it."
Anathasia gave him a quick nod, then casually grabbed my wrist as she turned. My eyes narrowed slightly.
"What are you-"
"We're dealing with the alumni reunion stuff," she cut in quickly, our forms beginning to dissolve.
"Reunion...?"
I shot a look at Robert and Joseph, waiting for them to say something.
For a moment, they just stood there...
Then-
"Oh yeah... there was some sort of... fine for people who didn't attend," Robert said, glancing off to the side.
Joseph stayed quiet.
And just like that, we disappeared.
-
A second later, we reappeared inside our car parked just outside NGSU.
"What's this even about...? We didn't even-"
"Before that," she raised a finger, cutting me off as she met my gaze, now serious. "We need to deal with the alumni head's questions."
I raised an eyebrow, tilting my head slightly.
"I thought you told them we were visiting an important family member?"
Her gaze dropped.
She avoided my eyes, fidgeting with her fingers as she stared at the dashboard. Occasionally nudging the small doll version of herself she'd placed there.
"Yeah, so... about that..." she trailed off.
A small pause.
"I kinda forgot..."