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☆ this 1k special chapter will be divided into 3 chapters, because of its length! once again, thank you for your support and i hope you continue to read this story!<3

chapter 1: the planning ★

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★ song: ykwim? - yot club

✰- 繁栄の本質

the catatonic state that the mind and the heart has been left in, it leaves me in pure reverence.

✰- 信頼と忠誠

birds of a feather, stick together until the end of time.

synopsis:

the touden party has felt an underlying tension after the arrival of two new members, so laios came up with the genius idea of breaking down the walls that are dividing them all... by going in a camping trip!

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laios finds himself troubled. his party members are in shambles, meaning that they're not ready to go in any expeditions in the dungeon at the moment.

it all started with some of their members quitting all because of stupid affairs in the party. it's the reason why chilchuck warns everyone to not fall in love with someone who you're in a party with in the first place.

of course, the touden siblings tried to salvage the situation as best as they could, but there was already too much damage.

but that's not the worst part. now that the party is in distraught from not only losing two members but also losing friends, they were nowhere near ready to get new members.

but it seems like laios didn't really have any other choice, with the sudden arrival of falin's friends from the magic school she went to.

he was actually quite nervous to meet them, thinking that they held some sort of grudge for "taking" falin away from them, so he tried his best to appease them.

little did he know, that one of them is someone he already knew.

when everything worked out well, laios couldn't just let them go back. they were good additions to the party, plus he had already grown close to both of them.

and do you really think he'll do that after being reunited with his long lost friend? hell nah.

there was a slight problem though. no, scratch that. it was a PRETTY huge problem. his party is quite skeptical of new members, considering their experience with the previous ones.

the fact that they're both elves like their former members didn't make things any better either.

in the end, falin introduced the two to their party, since everyone seems to tolerate her better when it comes to situations where the tension is high.

the first introduction didn't go quite well. you could say that a slight... disagreement almost turned into a fight.

it was mostly marcille and namari at each other's throats, while the rest were just skeptical of the two, giving them dirty glances here and there.

but after a while, things calmed down a bit thanks to falin. she always knew how to make situations more light-hearted. laios thinks highly of his sister because of her friendly and gentle traits.

but despite that, there was still something that's separating the two from his friends. it was as if there's still a crack that's keeping them apart.

and it's quite obvious too. while shuro seems to like one of them, he didn't really seem to fully trust them both. chilchuck keeps to himself around them, but at the very least he doesn't have snarky comments. namari is... well, she's her usual self. she gets along with them both, but is still very awkward towards marcille.

at first, laios didn't pick up on the awkwardness between the party, not until falin made a comment about it saying how worried she is about their friendship's falling apart from the lack of trust. if no one trusted anyone enough to get to know each other, then they won't grow as a group, and they'll more likely fall apart at the slightest inconvenience.

the touden siblings thought hard for a solution on the conflict they're facing, trying to come up with ideas that will somehow become and icebreaker and solve their problems.

"wait, i have an idea."

laios rolls on his stomach and looks down at falin who was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

the girl glanced at him curiously, her eyes squinted as usual.

"what idea?"

"how about we all take a break from dungeon dwelling for a few days and go camping together?"

falin stares at him for a while, and laios almost took back what he said, thinking that he had just said something stupid.

"...that's such a... WONDERFUL idea! you're a genius, big brother!"

the younger touden cheered, sitting up on the floor and shaking him by his shoulders, much to laios' surprise.

he then shared the same smile as her, giving her a thumbs up.

"haha, yeah! i knew you'd agree with me!"

"we should go shopping now, then! we can just use the same stuff we use in the dungeon for our camp. i'm gonna ask the girls out to go food shopping with me!"

"alright, i'll tell the guys about it."

laios watched falin jump to her feet with a small smile, glad that the younger one has finally cheered up. for the past few days that the whole conflict has been going on, falin felt very troubled- worried, even.

she didn't like the thought of her friends not getting along. but now, it seems like things are back to normal again.

laios could only hope that the guys agree with what he planned.

'shuro would most likely agree, he's my best friend after all... i mean, what kind of guy doesn't wanna camp with their best friend?'

the young man cups his chin in thought, nodding to himself.

'chilchuck would also come along if we bring pale ale with us... oh, and namari would be there with enough convincing. yep, i think this is gonna go pretty well. falin can handle the girls by herself, so we'll be set to go after i tell everyone about it!'

frankly, laios is very excited by the idea of camping in the woods with his friends. they never really had a real hang-out session like this. aside from celebrating their big hauls from the dungeon and going dungeon dwelling, the touden party didn't do much together outside their jobs.

yes, they're friends and all, and they see each other every day, but their bond was built purely from their day-to-day jobs. besides, there wasn't really enough time or reason for them to do anything outside their job.

but now, laios can take full advantage of this and hang-out with everyone and possibly even make the best memories while he's at it.

"laios?"

laios almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of someone's voice calling out to him, and he looks up to meet (e/c) eyes staring back at him.

"would you like to come with us? you plan to invite the others to come along, right? we can go to town together."

he smiled and got up to his feet, picking up his boots next to the door.

"sure. let me just grab some money."

laios snatched the small bag of gold on his bedside table and made his way to join the elf girl in the hallway.

"did you cut your hair or something, [name]? it looks a little different."

he couldn't help but comment as he picks up a few strands of her (h/c) strands.

"mhm, i have used a knife to cut it off. marcille got mad at me for it."

"i think it looks cool. especially the little braids over here."

[name] blinks at him a few times, shocked. then, she smiled.

"thanks, i did it myself. i thought they looked bad, since i don't know how to do braids. marcille would usually do it for me, but i guess she's still upset."

"i think they look nice. makes you look like that one cool phoenix monster i read about in books."

"...thank you?"

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"i am in need of new glass bottles..."

"you already have thousands of them, though."

"and all of them already contain potions in them, marcille."

marcille donato felt like a mother scolding her child that was asking to buy another set of toys despite already having enough to fill her room with right at this moment as they both stood in front of a supply shop that sells all magic and potion making stuff.

this was her greatest fear- having [name] discover a whole shop that had everything she needs in her strange fascination with brewing stuff altogether by using magic.

trust me, once [name] finds a whole shop with everything she needs inside, they're not leaving empty-handed. she'll either buy the whole shop, or take 80% of what's inside, and it's a nightmare because marcille knows full well she doesn't have the money for that kind of haul.

marcille can confirm that alchemy is not really a healthy hobby for [name], considering she drops everything she's doing just to gather some materials that she'll brew in her cauldron and possibly make another concoction that will either kill you the moment it touches your skin, explode, or give you physical abilities that no normal magic spells can do.

she's a genius in alchemy, marcille won't deny that. but her bad habits are slowly killing her.

and also putting her in serious debt.

"[name], we are not having this conversation in front of the harvy's arcanum general supply store."

marcille narrowed her eyes at the girl while crossing her arms, while [name] merely looks at her with a deadpan.

"yes, we are having this conversation in front of harvy's arcanum general supply shop."

"oh no, we're not!"

"yes, we are."

"hm? what's wrong, you two?"

marcille groaned and turned to falin who had come back from shopping in a nearby stand.

"falin! tell [name] she shouldn't buy anymore stuff that she doesn't need!"

"but i do need it."

"you have 746 potion bottles in your room, and that's not even counting in the small vials! plus, you have a big freaking cauldron you carry around everywhere."

marcille points an accusing finger at [name] who looks away with an innocent whistle.

"no i do not."

falin glanced between the two before laughing, shaking her head.

"what do you need to buy exactly, [name]?"

"just a few bottles and crystal dust."

[name] perks up at falin's question, literally hovering her way to the taller girl with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"and do you have the money for it?"

she visibly droops at that, shaking her head.

"no, that is why i mentioned it to marcille."

marcille huffed with a small grin, thinking she came out of the argument victorious.

"alright, here's some coins to cover half your expenses. make sure to only get the things you need, alright?"

[name]'s pupils dilated in excitement like a cat sniffing catnip for the first time and nodded, immediately bolting her way inside the shop as marcille watched in disbelief, her jaw dropped.

"wait, what?! why'd you let her do that?!"

"i'm sure she really needs those things, marcille. i don't think [name] is the type to spend her money on useless stuff."

falin smiled, and marcille sighed in defeat.

"yes, i know... she's not the type to get stuff she wouldn't use, but still... it's a bad habit to recklessly use all your money on one thing only. what about food, clothes and stuff like that? heck, we even have taxes to pay."

"well, that's why i gave her some of my money. the only reason i allowed it is because it's from me."

"falin, you're too giving..."

marcille pouted.

"i mean, don't get me wrong... i do the same for [name], but i don't want her developing any more unhealthy habits."

"i know, marcille. you always want the best for people."

marcille flushed red as falin patted her head, avoiding her gaze.

"stop that... just because you're taller than me now, doesn't mean you have to rub it on my face."

the girl said jokingly, trying to appear "upset" but clearly failing with that goofy smile on her face.

falin only chuckles, adjusting her hold on the basket she held.

"i have returned."

[name] pops out of nowhere, carrying a huge bag that was slung over her shoulder and marcille yelps, startled.

"please warn us next time before popping out of nowhere..."

"hm..?"

on the other side of town was laios with the guys, roaming around the market place in search of whatever they need for the camping trip because apparently, they're gonna need a tent and more stuff, according to chilchuck.

"camping is not the same as sleeping in the dungeon. in the dungeon, we can easily find a place to settle in for the night, like abandoned rooms or something of that sort. it's not the same in the woods!"

the half-foot was quite insistent on it, so laios just went along with what he wanted.

"just so you guys know, we're gonna be using our funds here."

laios says, waving around the bag of gold coins he held.

"this better be worth it... and by the way, why the hell am i hanging out with y'all?"

namari crossed her arms, earning shrugs from the boys.

"you can try to find the girls. they're probably wandering around the food area in the market place."

"aight."

and just like that, namari dipped and left them behind without another word, leaving the three standing there like statues.

"...she really just left, huh."

"i don't blame her. falin and [name]'s company are something you'd look forward to."

chilchuck gave shuro a judgemental look, side-eyeing him and all that.

"just say that you're in love and be done with it."

"wha-"

"you're in love with [name]?"

laios blinked, staring at shuro like a deer in headlights.

shuro gulped, nervously looking around as if he was just caught stealing from the cookie jar or something.

"what?"

"huh, now that i think about it..."

chilchuck snatched laios' right hand, raising it up to his face and narrowing his eyes at the ring around his finger.

"are you engaged to her? she has the same ring."

"what??"

it was now laios' turn to flush red, looking down at chilchuck in embarrassment.

"as a matter of fact, you reacted on the fact that she's in love with a girl that you are friends with, instead of the fact that he's in love with your sister. isn't that suspicious?"

"who says i'm in love with anyone???"

chilchuck ignored shuro's weak comeback, giving laios the suspicious glare.

"so shuro is in love with [name], but you two have something going on. the question is, who will she choose?"

the two tall-men looked at each other blankly before glancing back down at chilchuck.

laios suddenly snatched the half-foot and held a hand over his mouth, starting to walk forward once again as if nothing just happened while chilchuck struggled around like a rabid animal.

"so what should we get next?"

"definitely a new pan. namari broke the last one by using it as a weapon."

"mhpphmmnnn?!!??"

chilchuck has been silenced. press f to pay respect.

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"it's way too early..."

"we have to get there early, we're gonna be hiking up a mountain after all!"

"what?!?"

a messily dressed marcille limped around like a blind sloth as she followed a very much awake falin and laios, reaching [name]'s room and knocking on it.

the door slowly opened and [name] peeks out, heavy bags below her eyes.

"...yes?"

"are you ready for the camping trip, [name]? got your things packed?"

"oh, we're doing that today?"

marcille groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"seriously, [name]? i told you yesterday that we need to wake up early for this."

"..oh."

"...don't tell me you didn't sleep at all."

"now now, marcille. i'm sure she slept even a little bit before the trip. isn't that right,

[name]?"

falin quickly tried to calm down the groggy elf, as [name] began sweating nervously. she, in fact, did not sleep at all.

"we're gonna be waiting for you downstairs. don't take too long, alright?"

"i'll help her pack up."

laios offered and marcille was about to disagree but was pulled along by falin, and the elf girl kinda just let herself be dragged either because she's too sleepy, or she's gay. i think both.

"i am not planning to bring too much, just my brewing stand and cauldron."

"alright, i'll carry them for you. you can carry the basket of fruits instead."

[name] was surprised for a moment, before nodding her head with a satisfied hum. laios has always been a gentleman, how could she forget?

"thank you, laios."

"what about clothes though? don't you plan to bring anything you can change into? we'll be there for at least a whole day and a half."

"i already have them."

[name] points to the small leather backpack on the ground, and laios sweatdrops.

"oh, you sure you brought enough?"

"positive. if we're weighing the important options to bring, i'd definitely put my brewing stand and cauldron first priorities."

"well, can't say i disagree with you. your potions really did saved my butt when we went in the dungeon last week."

"speaking of which..."

[name] suddenly knelt down and grabbed a glass bottle containing magenta coloured liquid from under her bed, presenting it to laios.

"i have created a new variation of the previous one you've tried. i am quite confident that this one will not fail like the last one."

"huh? the last one was a fail?"

the young man took the potion bottle from her, looking at the liquid inside curiously.

"yes. it succeeded in providing you magic that you can use to cast spells like a professional mage, but as a side effect, it gave you severe mana sickness. that wasn't supposed to happen. however, with this one..."

[name] takes the bottle and twisted the lid off, standing on the tip of her toes, attempting to get laios to drink it.

"it should work perfectly well without the mana sickness side effect. i had the right amount of crystal powder and magic spirits this time, after all."

"wait, this has spirits-? mmphhm!"

laios quickly gulped the potion down, touching his chest when he felt a cool sensation spread inside his body the same time he swallowed it.

"woah..."

"how do you feel?"

[name] pulls out her book and pencil, looking up at him expectantly.

"i feel... normal, i guess?"

"brilliant, that's exactly what i expected. now, let us head to marcille and have her teach you a few spells to test out."

"ah, wait! you still haven't finished packing your things, [name]!"

after packing everything they needed for the trip and a little bit of scolding from marcille for letting [name] a whole cauldron for a single day trip, they met up with the others who were waiting for them right outside the town.

"took you guys long enough."

chilchuck hops off of the wooden fence he sat on and met the four half-way, with shuro and namari right behind him.

"it's [name]'s fault for packing up a whole brewing kit and cauldron..."

marcille poked the girl's cheek, to which she didn't really fight back from and just let her do what she wants.

"i take responsibility for the