The Order never did anything without reason. Everything they did is well thought of. Even when our forefathers and the original members named it the Order, they chose the name precisely to avoid drawing attention.

  After all, anyone saying “the Order” aloud in public could be referring to any number of Orders that exist in the world. To our enemies of course, is a grand game of subtle anonymity and plausible deniability.

  That is why, within the Order, even decisions as simple as naming, or as complex as implementing ideas, laws, or rules, were never taken lightly.

  Usually, it involved three methods. First, they would debate it for three days straight. Then they would get drunk and debate it again while drunk, which, unsurprisingly, led to frequent fistfights, but also proved a valuable point: a good idea must sound good, both sober and drunk.

  And lastly, when the bruises faded and hangovers subsided, they would put the matter to a vote, not by majority, but by endurance. Whoever could still argue coherently after all that would usually get their way. A brutal yet oddly efficient system, born of chaos and tradition in equal measure.

  A tradition, oddly enough still persist to this day.

  -excerpt from the personal lecture notes of Rami Abdallah, Teacher, and member of the Order.

  ========================================================================

  I do not know, for the love of me, how she came to that conclusion.

  But, I really, really, wish, I could be somewhere else right now. In desperation, my mind seems to always think of something. I drew on my power, a single drop, and I zoned out again. To pass the time, I talked to some idiots and apparently, they were already here and were just chatting.

  Meaning the bastards saw me, likely guessed what was happening and wanted no part of it, so they left. That’s fair, it’s what I would do. It can’t be helped. I sent them all instructions.

  Yuki, bring noods. Remy, bring booze. Wei, bring snacks. Kat, bring pizza. Elli, bring the thing. Also, can someone call me, I am neck deep in whatever—thing—I am now, and I need a way to bail out.

  I cut off the link and waited for the hand of God to deliver me from this torment. Beside me, Reika, and Shizuku’s mother, argued over something vaguely related to me. A few minutes later the boys came back and were watching the argument with a mixture of amusement and confusion.

  They were saying things like, who’s better for this, or this person’s that. Yeah, I am not going into that stupid level of argument. As I was thinking of accidentally upending the table and running for it, my phone finally rang.

  Airi who was still looking at pictures of my boys, jumped, nearly dropping it. I gestured for it, but Reika, true to form, grabbed it first.

  “Ae, you have a call, from an unknown number,” she said slowly, looking at me with suspicious eyes.

  “Vi-kun, I will not tolerate cheating,” Tsukiyo said coolly. Shizuku just groaned, content with her mother just yapping.

  I, of course, magnificently ignored those comments, and got my phone back. I then proceeded to respond in the most civil manner imaginable.

  “Who the hell are you, and how did you get this number?”

  Now, before you all start judging me like everyone around me currently is—this phone is special, only a few people even know my number. The reply that came shocked me a bit.

  “Henrietta! Hi! Hello! It’s been a while!” I responded, genuinely happy. Suddenly Reika tried to grab my phone but I managed to dodge. I absolutely do not need this right now.

  “Hold on a sec,” I said and turned to Reika. She didn’t have any light in her eyes and was smiling rather sweetly for someone holding a fork. And people call me dramatic.

  “You know her, Nana baa-san knows her,” I hissed at her silently.

  She seemed to hesitate a moment, fortunately she lowered the fork on the table.

  “Oh? I know her?” she said sounding like that earlier display didn’t happen.

  “Yes, you slapped her on the face some years back,” I replied hastily then returned to the call. “If Nana baa, finds out again, imagine what will happen to you.”

  Off to the side, the boys, fresh from the bathroom, had just finished catching up on what had gone down from the girls.

  ========================================================================

  Voices of ‘Wait, so Reika slapped someone?’, ‘This is the first I’m hearing of it’ and ‘Was Reika-san always like this?’, could be heard.

  “Oh yeah, she’s always been like that, especially when it comes to him,” Arthur answered joyfully. “You guys are just seeing this side of her for the first time.”

  “Meaning this level of—” Hanzo started, then leaned closer to Arthur and finished in a whisper, “crazy—is?”

  Arthur didn’t even hesitate.

  “Is normal, yeah,” he answered with a nod, which made Hanzo scratch the back of his head in disbelief.

  “Even with the fork?” Shunsuke whispered, his voice wavering with uncertainty.

  “Fork, no, it’s my first time seeing her threaten him with one,” Arthur replied after pondering a bit. “Though, I’ve seen her threaten him with a book, a bottle, and a knife before.”

  Yuuto sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Man… I thought she was just—normal.”

  “She really did that?” Airi whispered, sounding skeptical.

  But before Arthur could reply, Reika called

  “You guys talking about something,” she asked sweetly, though the fork was suspiciously back in her hands.

  Everyone else froze and shook their heads.

  ========================================================================

  I managed to talk for at least five minutes and after putting down my phone, I turned to the idiots crammed around the table. Reika was—had a fork in her hand, again. Will her stupidity ever cease? That, I cannot say.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Okay, listen up you idiots. A few other idiots are going to treat us to milk tea and donuts… maybe pizza,” I called out as I readied my phone. “So, let me get your milk tea flavors.”

  “But we just ate,” Trayn said, though he looked excited.

  “So, you don’t want any?” I raised an eyebrow. “Okay, minus one.”

  “No! Wait a minute,” he quickly protested. “I never said I wouldn’t want any! I’ll have Taro! Taro!”

  “Me! Me! Vi-kun, I’ll have Caramel,” Suzu chirped enthusiastically. “Strawberry is also good! Also, if there are tapioca that would be better!”

  Well, at least she was honest. I smiled slightly at the somewhat brazen attitude this girl was showing as I took down her order.

  “You will have chocolate with tapioca,” I said, pointing to Shizuku. It was not up for discussions.

  “You see, Reika-chan,” Tsukiyo said smugly, “he knows my Shizuku’s preference.”

  That remark made Reika pout, and Shizuku groaned, as she, once again, buried her face in her hands. I ignored their shenanigans and moved on.

  “You will have matcha, cream cheese, and tapioca,” I said to Reika. She somehow looked even smugger than the mother of her best friend.

  “You will have none,” I pointed at the woman.

  “How rude, Vi-kun,” she said, looking mildly amused—which, honestly, was weird. “And don’t call me ‘you.’ Always remember to call me Mother.”

  “Please elaborate, in great detail, when exactly I consented to that,” I deadpanned, continuing as I listed my brother’s preferences, then Arthur’s and Takas’.

  It took another five minutes for the rest to finalize their orders, but I managed to send everything in on time. Checking the clock, I sighed.

  “Okay, it’s 3:00,” I said, stifling a yawn. “Meet back in my room after 3. Dismissed.”

  And with that, I turned on my heels and practically ran towards the exit and into the elevator. The last words I heard were from Hanzo, “Wow, your brother can move fast when he wants to,” who sounded genuinely surprised, maybe even impressed.

  ========================================================================

  I managed to get back to my room in record time, but to my horror, a few minutes later, everyone showed up.

  Dammit!

  I needed a few minutes of alone time to decompress from earlier. And, of course, she came. Then again, I did say after 3:00 and 3:01 is after 3:00 so, I suppose that one is on me.

  “Hmm. So, this is your room, Vi-kun,” she said while looking out at the view. “And they told me you paid extra? Mother approves!”

  She gave me a wide smile and a thumbs-up. I stared at Shizuku, exerting an inordinate amount of willpower to make her do—something. Anything. But she wouldn’t look me in the eyes. Dammit! For crying out loud, woman, this is about your mother!

  Wait—that sentence sounded weird.

  A few more minutes later, after everyone had finally settled—one way or another—there was a knock at the door, and since Yuuto had gone to the bathroom earlier, he was the one who opened it.

  “We’ve brought gifts!” Remy announced cheerfully. Arthur and Trayn immediately cheered when they saw what he meant. Remy came in with Yuki, both of them were pushing a hotel trolley loaded with every kind of booze imaginable—hard, soft, and even the nonalcoholic stuff for the kids.

  “And the pizza!” said a brown skinned woman as she deftly maneuvered through the crowd and set her boxes down on the low table. Her warm brown eyes scanned the room, twinkling with amusement.

  I crossed over to her side with a grin. “Everyone, this person is a good friend of mine—Kathyayani Sharma,” I said in Japanese.

  Without hesitation, she wrapped an arm around me and pressed her cheek to mine. Off to the side, Reika was vibrating—visibly. Heh.

  “Hello, everyone! Don’t let him bully you too much,” Kat said cheerfully, pointing at me.

  “Oi! That was uncalled for,” I protested after she had let me go. I mean, I haven’t even begun the bullying yet.

  I then pointed at Reika, who was startled out of her brooding. Clearly, she was not expecting to be called.

  “She’s Nana baa’s granddaughter,” I said to Kat, who blinked in recognition. “Don’t worry, she’s not going to do anything, Nana baa’s just across the hall.”

  “Wait, she’s the one who slapped little Henri?” Kat asked, eyes wide in surprise as she stared at Reika like she was a talking, dancing cat.

  “Heh. I mean, yeah,” I said, trying not to laugh but failing—a bit. Turning back to Reika, I added, “See, Rai? You’re famous.”

  Reika’s face turned crimson, and she stomped her foot on the floor. Everyone else, of course, couldn’t help but snicker. She had just opened her mouth to reply when my phone rang.

  “Nice ringtone,” Arthur remarked, clearly amused, as I reached over to grab my phone from the table.

  “Is it another woman again!?” Reika demanded, her tone sharp enough to cut glass.

  “Yep,” I replied without missing a beat. “Remy’s father—is a woman.”

  The guys — and even Remy — chuckled at that. Reika just crossed her arms with a huff.

  “You can tell by ringtone?” Train asked, just as amused as Arthur. “But that band’s Australian, last time I checked.”

  “I know, and it’s hilarious that way,” I replied proudly. The ringtone in question is, Thunders-track by AC/Desi.

  Reika seemed to calm down a bit, while Yuki and Remy started passing out drinks to the few who could actually legally drink them — about six people total. Kat, meanwhile, was busy handing out pizza.

  “Right, looks like they’re going to come over,” I said lazily after finishing the call.

  “Are we going to be alright?” Hanzo asked, half-joking but clearly nervous. “We’re not getting punished or anything, right?”

  I wordlessly opened a bottle of wine and took a long swig. After wiping my mouth, I raised a quick eyebrow at him. He got the message and managed a small, wry smile.

  After that the room gradually filled with chatter. Remy and Yuki were laughing with the boys, Kat was animatedly showing pictures of her horses to the girls, and Reika, though still sulking, she was at least pretending to participate.

  About ten minutes of banter and offhand laughter passed before there was another knock at the door. I got up, opened it, and smiled at the people who had arrived.

  “Everyone, these are some more friends of mine!” I called out enthusiastically. “élo?se Delacroix and Li Weilong!”

  élo?se Delacroix standing at 164 centimeters of effortless French grace, stepped in carrying a handbag. Her dark hair fell to her waist, her long lashes framed calm, knowing eyes; she was the very picture of that elusive French balance between elegance and natural charm.

  In contrast, Li Weilong, as tall as me with his hair styled in a sharp quiff, walked in. He carried himself like a gangster would, with boundless confidence.

  Eli brought our cheeks together twice, one on each cheek then went to take her place beside Kat, who happily reintroduced her to the girls. Wei and I locked hands and pulled each other in for a one-armed embrace.

  “Burbank,” I called to Arthur, after Wei and I separated. I then turned back to Wei and I jabbed a thumb in Arthur’s direction. “Chico.”

  The two locked eyes, assessing each other like cowboys in a Western, and possibly, even came to a weird conclusion.

  “Wow, Chico,” Wei said sizing up Arthur, his Chinese accent replaced with his American one. “You got, like, what, one Starbucks up there or something? Do you guys even have Uber out there?”

  “Yeah, well, we don’t like our coffee with a side of honking horns,” Arthur replied coolly with a small smirk. “And we don’t wait twenty minutes in traffic just to get Botox.”

  Remy’s mouth went wide, his hand halfway from covering his mouth. Yuki was eagerly waving his hand, like he was fanning flames. Fighting words already. I love it.

  I was about to close the door when someone shouted from the hall.

  “Stop, mach die Tür nicht zu!”

  I stopped and looked out.

  Only to see two familiar faces who had just arrived, both grinning from ear to ear. One was pushing another trolley, this time, stacked with milk tea and donut boxes. Like any good host, I stepped aside to let them in before I called everyone’s attention again.

  “These two are, Henrietta de Martine, and Karl Konrad Friedrich von Liechtenstein-Hohenzollern,” I announced. “They are cousins, and their grandfather is Konrad the organizer.”

  Henrietta, looking every bit like a porcelain doll at 155 centimeters, curtsied gracefully. Her wavy blonde hair shifted with the motion, completing the picture of delicate elegance. Karl Konrad Friedrich who was taller than his grandfather by 5 cm, looked like a younger, beardless version of him, lean but less muscular.

  After being introduced to everyone, Henri greeted me the same way Eli had. Off to the side, I spotted Reika pointing at me. She looked extremely manic, and was saying something while shaking Shizuku who looked extremely unamused being shaken like a ragdoll. Shizuku’s mother was staring at me as well, but I ignored both of them.

  With this number of people, it can’t be helped if it gets too loud. It’s not often people from the order gather like this. I can feel myself getting teary-eyed just looking at this scene. The chaos, the laughter, the overlapping voices, all unrestricted. It made me remember better days, when my own group was-—

  “Eli, did you bring the thing?” I asked, trying to distract myself.

  “Can’t you just call it a randomizer?” she replied, casually tossing me a small square device from her bag.

  I of course ignored her comment and went to the boys.

  “Okay Chico, Burbank, you’re both up,” I said fearlessly as Remy and Yuki, having read my mind, were already setting up a spare table.

  These peasants are about to get a taste of how the Order plays.