I was going to the large meeting room, and pretty much it was friends again with plenty others. Only nobles and royalty are here, though, as the adults said, to ensure the future and set an example.

I scanned the room and saw familiar faces.

Clover and Riana were huddled together in their seats. A little over the way, I saw Star doing some kind of puzzle which John was looking over his shoulder. Fera, Vera and Suza were gossiping at their corner. On the other side, I could see Sloan telling Red, Ain and Alex an animated story. Milan, Greg and Alyssa were discussing something important that I could see through their gestures.

I sat down on a vacant seat of many that I felt comfortable with, and saw that another stream of kids from the age of 7 to 10, coming in. The adults have prepared of this, thinking the younger generation needed to be set against prejudice, and we are following with the activities.

They would have invited 11 and above, but they have school.

The rest of us don't, not really~

"OK, because we are all here, I guess we will cut into the chase," Red started when everyone was presented and accounted for.

"To start, we are all here to foster international kinship between all of us, so no conflict between kingdoms/republic will happen... again," Red said, looking briefly to me, Ain, Alex, Nate, Zelda and Sloan.

"That is our parents' orders, and of course we have no choice but to follow them. Who knows, this will be good for us," Red said halfheartedly. No one believed it.

"Now, it all starts at Reshiram Kingdom, where we will foster kinship between us all and bring this into our adulthood to maintain peace and prosperity in our upcoming future," Red said carefully. I was wondering whether his parents scripted this.

"You have been to our castle already, and now we like all of you to follow me... and explore more of the things that Kingdom Reshiram has to offer," Red said and got up. Everyone followed suit.

Here we go...

***

"Wow! A hot spring?!" Milan exclaimed with her fiancé Greg by her side with an awe look similar to Milan's on his face.

"Yes, this is one of Kingdom Reshiram's favorite tourist spots!" Red said proudly, "And it's also a mix bath!"

All the boys' eyes sparkled at those words, especially Red's with a devilish smirk. The girls, including me, couldn't help but shiver. Only Red in his own kingdom could turn his own attraction into a woman trap.

Sigh... once a pervert... but it's more that Red was a playboy.

"Come on, let's have some fun! You only live once, you know?" Red said, immediately stripping in front of us.

Amidst the chorus of 'no' and 'don't's and squeals, I couldn't help but thought, 'You are so wrong...' to Red.

Red stopped striping and laughed, "I'm not that stupid. I just wanted to see your reactions!"

Once a child...

"To the baths and once in a lifetime experiences!" Red declares to cheering.

The experience was similar to a play date for kids but in a wider scale.

We all mixed around and had fun in the baths. The girls were having fun together scrubbing each other down and gossiping. The boys were trying to sneak a peek here and there but the fiercer girls always knock them out of it.

Enjoying the bath myself, I felt at ease and restful as the steam danced through my body and fogging my vision. So, of course, I couldn't see who banged onto me but judging by the feel of the body, it was a dude.

"Hey, what are you doing alone here?" That person asked, and the voice was undoubtedly... male.

"To get away from perverts like you," I said, kicking Ain out of the way.

"Hey, it's a mixed bath, there's no such thing as a pervert here," Ain said, as he approached me again.

"Way too early for you," I said, distancing myself away.

"We are still betrothed, so what's wrong with affection?" Ain asked.

"Only in name," I muttered.

"But give them a good show, will you?" Ain asked.

"Hmm..." I said.

"Hey, are you OK, Ro?" Someone else asked. It was Nate, and trailing behind him was Vera. She had a sort of hopeful gaze in her eyes, but at that moment Nate's eyes were for me and only. That is... sad. I really should have fixed this a long time ago, like Edward, Clover and Greg.

No time like the present, I say.

"I'm fine, Nate. What do you want?" I asked cheerfully.

"Nothing in particular. What makes you think that?" Nate immediately asked.

"Nate..." I whispered, "Don't lie to yourself."

Then, Nate slightly crumbled a bit. "Well then, can we talk... alone?"

Both Vera and Ain were narrowing their eyes at both of us, but this was going to come sooner or later. Ever since that prank in Jirachi Kingdom, Nate has taken a special interest in me. Not unlike Alex, Edward, Greg or Clover.

I have dealt with Edward, Clover and Greg by matching them up. I haven't done anything for Alex, but he seems rather to friend zone than take the romantic turn. He sometimes acts like a brother though, warding off men for me...

Ain might be my betroth but his interest in me is only business, so otome standards, I don't have to worry much.

But Nate... his endings as a target were troublesome and despite Vera being a wallflower villainess it doesn't mean that she can't make my life hard.

So I have to find a solution to evade the route just like those boys.

"Sure," I finally said.

"What, are you planning to betray your betroth?" Ain asked. Oi, when did you become possessive?

"Are you secretly a lewd woman?" Vera asked, a hint of hostility in her eyes.

"You care?" I asked.

At this, Vera just said, "Because you seem to attract a lot of boys, eh?~"

Not at all, damn it! I wish...

"Sheesh, it's just as friends, alright?" I said, and with that, I wrapped myself in a towel and went further away with Nate until we were alone. I looked around, and saw that everyone was slowly enjoying themselves. All subjects of the Reshiram Kingdom were showing the beautiful ideas of hot spring to others, having fun along the way.

"Everyone seems to be getting along, well~" I said, as I looked around.

"Hmm... sure," Nate said, but his heart wasn't into the words.

I finally faced him, "So, what do you want?"

"Just to say... sorry for all the stuff I said at your party. It was kinda embarrassing and stupid," Nate said.

"You were drunk, it's fine," I said. In fact, I paid no mind to his words. Sure a bit childish but a story worth of any man wanting a woman, however unattainable. It was fine.

"But I meant everything I said," Nate continued.

"So you love me, but I only love you as a friend. What can you do about it?" I asked.

"What makes Ain so special that you are willing to betroth to him, and not me?" Nate asked with a hurt look in his eyes.

"Who said I was in love with Ain? It was a union of benefit, nothing more. Nate... why are you chasing someone who doesn't want your love? I just want to be your friend, as to everyone else. We are too young for love, anyway," I said softly.

"Yeah, but... but... Greg had already found true love already. He's always perfect at everything, and yet I..." Nate mumbled.

"Hey, where was the cheerful prankster I met at Jirachi castle? You have always been you in the best way possible. Why let someone else define you?" I asked.

"That cheerful prankster was a lie," Nate said, "There was nothing else for me to do. I was always second best at everything, except when it came down to fun, but in the end it was all an act... just to prove that I'm better at something so... worthless."

I gave a small sigh. Is he bipolar? A cheerful prankster to a pessimistic defeatist. I don't want to be the person to cheer him up, to help him, to let him face the true reality.

I don't want his interest in me to grow until there's no turning back.

I want to destroy the flags that I unconsciously created, not level them higher to an unpredictable future.

But as a friend, I have to say this to him.

"Whoever said you were worthless? If you were worthless, you cannot make awesome pranks. If you were worthless, you wouldn't have gained admirers for your pranks. If you were worthless, you can't have made plenty of friends left and right, don't think I see that. People like you are the same. So narrow minded that they can't see what's in front of them," I shook my head.

Nate looked at me with wide eyes, then hugged me that my towel almost slipped!

"Oi, I don't want to be buck naked, you know?" I asked.

"But isn't that perfect in a hot spring, especially in mix baths?" Nate asked teasingly.

"Don't become Red!" I snapped.

"Heeh... I rather be me," Nate said, smiling, "And I see what you mean. In fact, you are completely right. I do have a prank worthy of the hot springs. Do you want to start?" Nate asked, showing some kind of detonator.

One minute he was pessimist and he was cheerful all over again. People like Nate are so unreadable.

"As much as I like your pranks, of course!" I said, deciding to let it slide. I took the trigger and pressed the button, waiting for the pizzazz in this already lively hot spring.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

At the bottom of the hot springs, people could feel vibrations and felt ticklish all a sudden. Then, they gasped in surprise when something transparent was going through their bodies.

And in no time flat, bubbles covered bodies either alone or together. Floating, hitting together. A few people who didn't go in the hot spring or gotten out were screaming or laughing.

It was a beautiful sight, and for all the surprised screams riled up my laughter and a few others as well. The bubbles also seem to have a mind of their own. Every time someone laughed, two bubbles collided with each other, merging into one and pushing it's occupants together. Some people fell on top of each other and although they were wearing a bare minimum, somethings were shown which made people gasp and cover their eyes.

Otherwise, it was more childish fun, but as expected of a hot spring event such as this to bring a gale of merriment and cheer. Nate, beside me, was smiling and handed me a bucket of popcorn, just exactly what was needed for the spectacle.

As shouts of embarrassment, or pleasure in Red's case who was gaining a polygamy from his bubble, I couldn't help smile at this spectacle and said to Nate, "Never stop pranking, and never stop being my friend."

Nate was giving off a wide smile, saying, "Of course, Ro."

I sincerely don't know how to trigger a normal ending with Nate, because even when acting as friends, he will still want to be attached to me. Not to say it's hateful as I really love the pranks, but c'mon, where's the simple life without the harem?

The bubbles seem to never pop... unless encountering a sharp object, and the hot springs have a few sharp rocks here and there. They pierced the bubble, bring occupants, splashing back down into the baths to be recovered into bubbles.

Some were fast enough to get out of the hot springs to avoid being encased within bubbles and others just fell on the floor. One of them was Ain, who was looking sullen and staring at Nate spitefully.

"I should have known that you would do something like this..." Ain mumbled. I helped him get up.

Nate was pursing his lips at the scene, but he said innocently, "What do you mean?"

"I have never forgotten..." Ain said, still giving a suspicious glance toward Nate.

I guess he meant that 'present' of our betrothing. It was still very sweet of Nate.

I looked around and saw that even if the prank was aggravating, it managed to lift up plenty of spirits, loosening the tension between species and connecting them in better ways. Some people who managed to get out of the bubbles were met with others who weren't, smiling off and laughing about it.

Some people had mischievous smiles on their face, especially boys. They were inching nearer to the girls and pushed them off into the baths, going along with them, to be joined together in a bubble. Others were sparked by the idea and Ain, holding a mischievous smile at both me and Nate, had pushed both of us in separate directions where he dived toward me. Soon, I was in a bubble with Ain and Nate in another.

"What was that for?" I asked with a laugh.

"You should have a taste of what it feels like," Ain smiled, "And no one's going to disturb us in here," he said smiling.

"Oh my god! Are all men like this?!" I asked, in mock surprise.

"Sometimes, there is no such thing as a gentleman," Ain whispered toward me.

As a feminist, this doesn't surprise me in the least.

"Oi!" Ain said suddenly, and pushed the bubble to a different direction. Of course it didn't pop, but the change of direction pushed me toward Ain. Within my sight, I saw a frustrated Nate looking at both of us and then a surprised Nate when his bubble emerged with that of Vera's instead.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vera and Nate tumbling together. Vera was blushing and let out a high pitch scream worthy of the opera, and that power alone was enough to break all the bubbles.

"Wahh!" We all screamed, those coming out of the bubbles. Fera, who was standing at the edge of the hot spring immediately cast an air spell, followed by many others, giving us a safe landing away from the hot spring. But everyone cast a look at Vera, who was immediately blushing.

A few had to laugh including me and Nate. 

"Amazing. Who knew that Vera can scream so high that those unpopable bubbles would pop?! And I thought I had made it foolproof..." Nate muttered the last sentence to himself.

"Shut up!" Vera shouted, completely embarrassed, that she punched Nate in the stomach, "And whose fault is that?"

"Ouch, you didn't have to hit so hard," Nate said, rubbing his stomach, "But who else screamed so loud that this happened?"

"And who wouldn't screamed so if they were bumped just like that?" Vera asked, totally irritated.

"Heh, look at this. All the time you tried to hang out with me, you were always so shy, and now you are so fierce. Which one is the real one?" Nate asked.

"Shut up," Vera said, turning shy this time.

"But it was really interesting..." Nate mumbled.

"Interesting how?" Vera asked, and both their squabble continued.

I was enjoying this moment when I realized I stepped on something. It was a letter, which I immediately picked up.

Big words lettered up as the tittle which couldn't help but catch the eye.

"Protection of the Lust Choker?" I read out loud, and as soon as the words came out, the letter was snatched away from my hands into someone else's. I had to look up to see that it was Sloan, who was looking at me slightly darkly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have read that letter," I said sheepishly. Even though Sloan was a kid like me, I felt like I was facing those strict commanders or something.

Sloan sighed, "It's fine..."

But there was something about that letter that bugged me, "What is the 'Lust Choker'?"

"You will find out soon enough when we get to Terakion Kingdom," Sloan said slightly dismissively and left without a word.

Lust Choker... and the next place we are visiting is actually Terakion Kingdom next week. I have a bad feeling already.