3: The Alliance Strikes Back (I) 3/4

Yeah... We might not have thought this all the way through.

Your plan was just to bring them refreshments and do errands, but they can't really stop themselves from asking your advice...

...so now you're working five times as hard as at the last ServantFes. It's too much for one person!

And then there's the Singularity investigation BB asked you to handle on top of all that...

I'll focus on that for a while, so you just focus on helping the alliance, Fujimaru.

Whoever this Singularity thief may be...

...my intuition is telling me we'll also need to make sure ServantFes succeeds in order to close this case.

？！

I overheard the whole thing! Looks like it's finally my time to shine!

There we go.

They just cracked our door's lock like it was nothing! Who goes there!?

Hi, Master♪ My other business is all taken care of, so I'm back!

Oh, Mash! You're here, too! Hi!

It's me, Chloe! I came here with Master to help solve this case!

I see. And you said this other business of yours is all taken care of now?

...Just so you know, it's a very, VERY long story...

Someone's at the door, Illya. Did you order room service or something?

Hm? Maybe it's the housekeeper. Comiiing.

Chloe!? Oh wow, you're already here!?

How did you find our room!? I thought you were going to text us when you arrived!

What kind of response is that?

Well, I guess it is partly my fault for not meeting up with you as soon as I got here, but still.

Anyway, to answer your question, I got your room number from Jekyll. Aloha☆ And aloha to you too, Miyu☆

Aloha, Chloe. I'm glad you're here.

I'm jealous that you and Illya both have swimsuit Spirit Origins now since I still don't, but I won't let it affect our friendship.

Anyway, we were just about to go on a jeep tour. Want to come with us?

A jeep tour? Like the kind we see in filming locations? You bet I'll come!

But first, I need to take a look at your current draft. Don't worry.

I didn't forget how we agreed you two would work on our book in Luluhawa while I gathered reference material...

...so we could make sure to participate in ServantFes this year.

I also know that this island's now called Hawaltria, and that it's been weeks since you first got here...

...so you've gotta be done with the draft by now. I know we originally agreed on thirty-two pages, but...

...knowing you two, I wouldn't be surprised if you're up to a hundred and twenty by now.

Oh, uh, right. I guess...we might've maybe discussed something like that...

But, you know, traveling is always unpredictable, and there's so many fun things to do in the tropics...

So, um...it's very, VERY hard for me to say this, but...

...! (Oh no. Every editor bone in my body is telling me bad news is coming!)

Illya. Don't tell me...you haven't even started inking it yet?

That's right. Here, this is our script outline. It's like a list of all the recommended shops in Hawaltria...or something like that.

Script outline!? It's even worse than I'd imagined!

Let me see your desk! ...Okay, good. Everything's in place for drawing. But...

...you still haven't drafted a single page!? What the hell were you doing all this time!? You too, Miyu!

I KNEW Illya couldn't possibly resist temptation if left on her own! That's why I had you go with her!

Huh? What could be more important than enjoying a vacation with her?

Also, I only do background art, so without a rough draft, there was nothing I could do.

Ahaha... After the first reset, we thought we had time to relax and enjoy ourselves...

...and before we knew it...it was today...

I'm so sorry! I promise I'll take this seriously just as soon as the next reset happens, so please let us go on the jeep tour today!

You two are absolutely unbelievable! Did all those strawberry parfaits just rot your brains or something!?

Illya, grab your notebook and sit right here. Miyu, go make us some tea.

Forget about the jeep tour. I'm going to be lectugoing over our next steps in excruciating detail for the rest of the day!

？！

So...you put Miyu and Illya under house arrest?

Nn... They both seemed genuinely sorry, so no, I wasn't quite that hard on them.

All I did was calmly, realistically, and only slightly superhumanly go over what they could accomplish in three days.

So we're all set there!

They both agreed to my proposed schedule and everything!

So leave it to me to manage the schedule and oversee production for our artists!

Really, that's the whole reason I came along in the first place☆

？！

Of course. I won't be able to help with your investigation, but I'll do whatever I can to help on this end.

Good luck, Fujimaru. There's a LOT of strange things happening on this island right now.