Weiss's group had picked up a simple goblin-hunting quest. Once they slew twenty-five goblins, the quest was complete.
Bianca groaned as she followed behind weiss. "Why'd we have to pick the goblins? The quest to hunt thirty wolves had a higher reward."
Both Blake and Koneko's ears twitched before folding down flat against their heads. In perfect unison, they muttered with visible discomfort, "No dogs."
Weiss crossed her arms and gave Bianca a knowing look, her tone half amused, half resigned. "That's why. When you're working with cat girls, dogs and dog-related things are a no-go."
Bianca blinked before sighing in defeat. "Noted."
---
Elsewhere, Bill lounged back in a chair, watching the group through a floating, translucent screen. The black cat perched comfortably on his shoulder flicked one of her two tails lazily. Turning his head slightly, Bill asked dryly, "What's your opinion on dogs?"
Kuroka yawned, stretching before replying with a casual flick of her ear. "I mean, they're not my favorite, but I'm not scared of them, nya. Those two are letting their instincts control them a bit too much. I hope they grow out of it, nya."
Bill shot her a sidelong glance. "Do you really gotta end all your sentences like that?"
She smirked, eyes glinting with amusement. "No, I just do it for a laugh, nya."
Bill groaned under his breath. "Great. That's not gonna get old fast."
Kuroka tilted her head, curiosity replacing her playful look. "So, that girl next to Shirone is your sister, right, nya?"
He blinked, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "How'd you know that?"
Kuroka's expression softened slightly as her tails swayed behind her. "I noticed before she left town that she has a similar aura to you, nya."
Bill leaned back, his tone quieter but tinged with something nostalgic. "Yeah, she's my little sis. She's been in a timeless casino for the last seventy years… while I've been dead for the last seventy years."
Kuroka's eyes widened slightly before she let out a soft, sympathetic sound. "That's rough, buddy."
Bill gave her a wry smile. "So why do you stalk your sister instead of talking to her?"
Kuroka's fur bristled slightly. "First of all, I don't stalk her! And second of all, how do you know that, nya?"
He chuckled, tapping the side of his head. "I've got my sources. Now spill."
Kuroka's playful demeanor faltered, replaced by a rare look of guilt. "It's… complicated. I sort of killed my former master because he was going to perform inhumane experiments on her. After that, I had to go on the run, nya."
Bill's expression turned serious for a moment. "You know, the older devils were dead set on executing your sister—until Sirzechs stepped in."
Kuroka went completely still, her tails frozen mid-sway. "I did not know that."
Bill exhaled slowly, glancing at her sideways. "By the way, you gonna stay curled around my neck like that? There's plenty of chairs, you know."
Kuroka purred softly, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. "But I'm so comfy, nya. You don't mind, right?"
A half-smile tugged at Bill's lips. "Stick around like this too much, and I might end up keeping you."
Her golden eyes gleamed mischievously. "Oooh, is that a threat or a promise, nya?"
Bill chuckled, shaking his head with a grin. "Who knows. That's enough for now though—they've finally found the goblins."
The two returned their attention to the ethereal screen, the faint glow reflecting in their eyes as the scene of Weiss's group continued to unfold before them.
Weiss took out a couple of goblins with Frazil, the freezing mist pouring out of her staff and encasing the monsters in shimmering ice sculptures. Koneko followed up immediately, blasting another with Ingle—a large fireball that shot forth from her staff and slammed into the nearest goblin, sending it flying through the forest with a fiery explosion.
Bianca covered Blake's flank with precise, well-placed shots from her bow, her arrows whistling through the air. Blake dashed forward in a blur of motion, slicing cleanly through any goblins that came too close, her movements fluid and lethal.
Working together in that formation, the group cut through ten goblins with practiced coordination before searching the forest for more prey. By evening, they had cleared the quest entirely, earning four thousand gold each and reaching level two.
Koneko stretched her arms above her head, a satisfied grin forming on her face. "Sweet! Think we can buy some new gear?"
Weiss placed a thoughtful hand under her chin, her eyes narrowing slightly in contemplation. "Let's complete a couple more quests before we think about upgrades. I'd prefer the whole group get new gear at the same time. I just wish we didn't have to walk all the way to the nearest town to pick up a new quest."
Bianca slung her bow over her shoulder and smirked. "Well, look at it this way—we have to defeat enemies to level our vocations. So think of it as extra training."
Blake nodded in agreement, her tone calm but firm. "I agree with Bianca, Weiss. Besides, it's nice walking through nature. The air is fresh and peaceful."
Koneko glanced around at the trees, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, it's not bad. By the way, Blake, I've been meaning to ask—where's your tail?"
Blake blinked, turning to her with mild confusion. "I don't have one."
Koneko's eyes widened in surprise. "Did it get cut off?"
Blake shook her head. "No, I wasn't born with one. Besides, I don't really need—"
Before she could finish, a burst of kaleidoscopic light suddenly surrounded her. The others shielded their eyes until it dissipated, leaving Blake standing in the same spot, unharmed but visibly confused. She looked herself over quickly, patting her arms and sides. "What was that about?"
Weiss pressed a hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she pointed behind Blake. "Blake… look behind you."
Blake turned her head—and froze. A long, sleek black cat tail swayed slowly behind her. Her expression morphed from disbelief to outrage. "What the hell is this?! How did this happen?!"
A small note drifted down from above. Weiss caught it delicately between her fingers, reading it aloud with a smirk. "It just says, 'You're welcome. Love, Tet.'"
Blake's tail bristled immediately. She threw her head back and shouted toward the sky, "I'm not thanking you!"
Koneko tilted her head, her expression softening. "I think it looks nice. It was honestly weird seeing another cat girl with no tail."
Blake groaned, rubbing her temple in exasperation. "I guess I'll have to get used to it…"
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Weiss stepped closer and lightly grabbed Blake's new tail.
The reaction was instant. Blake let out a loud, involuntary moan before clapping her hands over her mouth, her face turning crimson. Weiss's eyes went wide, and she jumped back quickly, raising her hands defensively and backing out of punching range.
Koneko sighed knowingly. "Oh yeah, watch out for that. Our tails are very sensitive—and we usually only let people we like touch them."
Blake's eyes narrowed into a sharp glare at Weiss, her tail twitching angrily behind her. Weiss covered her face, looking anywhere but at her companion, clearly mortified. "A-alright, let's head to the nearest town," she muttered quickly, turning and starting to walk.
Blake stomped after her, voice dripping with irritation. "Yeah, you better run!"
Bianca burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. "I'm having so much fun!"
Koneko grinned, her tone warm and amused. "Same! It's not every day you get to play a real-life RPG."
With the tension fading into laughter and teasing, the girls set off down the forest path toward the nearest town, the evening sun casting long, golden shadows behind them.
Back in Gran Soren, Bill and Kuroka were watching the group with interest through the floating screen. Bill leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a faint grin on his face. "Alright, they'll be fine for now. They did pretty well too."
Kuroka flicked her tail lazily, perched comfortably on his shoulder. "I must say, I'm surprised Shirone picked mage of all things. Is she finally willing to embrace her mystical side, nya?"
Bill gave a small shrug. "I've been encouraging her to. Looks like she's taking the advice—but I doubt she knows how to use her yokai abilities yet."
Kuroka tapped looked at the screen thoughtfully, her eyes glinting. "Well, that depends. She should know the basics by instinct, but the more advanced stuff needs to be taught. I'd gladly handle it if it wasn't for the whole wanted criminal thing, nya."
Bill chuckled softly. "I'll talk to Sirzechs when he comes back from vacation with his family."
"Oh right, he's here too nya," Kuroka purred. "I noticed you didn't put that level restriction on him or his wife and son, nya."
"Sirzechs and Grayfia are already strong," Bill replied evenly. "And I'd imagine they'd want to train their son their own way, so I'm not interfering."
"Fair enough," Kuroka said with a grin. "Shall we see how the boys are doing, nya?"
Bill nodded. "Alright."
With a wave of his hand, the screen shifted to show Sam and his group in the middle of a battle.
Issei and Saji stood at the front, shields raised and swords drawn, holding the line against a pack of snarling wolves. The two kept their footing steady, blocking attacks and keeping the creatures focused on them while Sam loosed precise arrows into their flanks. Kiba stood a few paces back with his staff raised, arcs of bright lightning bursting from the sky as Levin Bolts rained down on any wolf that got too close.
After a few more minutes of fighting, the last wolf fell. The group caught their breath before heading back toward Gran Soren.
Sam looked over at them, his tone firm but encouraging. "Alright, Issei, Saji—not bad. But try to spread out a bit more and cover a wider area. I can handle anything that slips past you. Our priority is keeping them off Kiba so he can get his spells ready."
Issei and Saji nodded in unison. "Got it, Sam."
Kiba brushed a bit of dust off his cloak, smiling faintly. "I appreciate the help. Magic is fun, but it takes a bit more time than I'd like."
"Yeah, well, we leveled up," Sam said with a grin. "What do you guys think—goblins next?"
Issei's eyes lit up immediately. "Dude, we gotta! Goblins are iconic in RPGs!"
Saji nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah, definitely a goblin quest."
Kiba crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Yes, they should be better practice than wolves. After that, I'd say we go after bandits, then get some new equipment."
Sam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we'd definitely need better gear. I did ask Bill about treasure, and he said most of it's in dungeons—but I don't think we're ready for a dungeon dive yet."
Issei rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, but I heard that in the dungeon under Gran Soren we can get a teleportation stone—and I really want fast travel."
Saji groaned dramatically. "Same. All this walking sucks."
Sam chuckled. "I don't know, I kinda like it. But Issei, Saji—I noticed the two of you don't really know what you're doing with those swords. Other than the sword skills your vocations give you, you've got nothing. So from now on, I want you both to take some basic lessons from Kiba, and I'll teach all three of you some hand-to-hand."
The other three nodded firmly. "Got it. Thanks, Sam."
Back in Gran Soren, Bill smirked as he watched the group on the screen. "Huh. Those three are actually listening to Sam and taking his advice. They'll go far if they keep it up."
Kuroka stretched, her tail swaying lazily as she looked up at him. "Hey, Bill—you can make this screen appear wherever you are, right, nya?"
"Yeah, I can," he replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Then let's go explore," she said with a mischievous grin. "I mean, come on—you've gotta be bored just sitting here, nya."
Bill sighed but couldn't help a small smirk. "Alright, fine—but only 'cause I wanna stretch. And you'll be picking up a vocation before we leave. You'll be doing most of the fighting. If I do it, everything we run into will be dead instantly."
Kuroka's grin widened. "Awesome! I'm gonna be a mage. I want some new spells, nya!"