The Anime Trope System: Arc: Legend of the Stone Father. #21 Page 3

  “But the dojo…”Ako said, ears sagging.

  “You can move it here,” Clyde suggested. He walked over to the catgirl. “If… I ask you to stay, will you?”

  Clyde didn’t mean for that statement to outright fall out of context, but the catgirl’s face blasted into volcanic territory, thus leading her to faint. Tetra shook her head, causing the young man to anime-fall backward. His fiancées had blank stares, even Neko and Alice. He playfully narrowed his eyes at Naoko.

  “Don’t judge me,” he said.

  Fuyoko sighed. “Why do you guys always think that?” That appeared to be a question to herself than to anyone in particular.

  Chiyo gave Clyde a light karate chop on his head. He smiled sheepishly. “Clyde-sama, you shouldn’t waste your aggression on her.”

  “Don’t make me paper fan you, you horny dragon,” Yuki said, tired.

  Alice smiled sadly. “Give her a break this once, Yuki. She’ll learn to be patient.”

  Chiyo sighed. “I’m fine without patience.”

  Alice shrugged. “Give it some dates. Or do that dragon flying thingy. Mating ritual.”

  Chiyo shot her a blank stare. Alice laughed.

  Clyde picked Ako up, tickling her chin a bit until she woke up. Airi passed him a feather stick, but he decided to spare the catgirl the excitement this time. For now.

  “How about this?” Clyde said. “We’ll make a road trip to your Grandmother’s.”

  “You’re coming to the Monster Kingdoms?” Lilith asked.

  “Sure am,” Clyde said.

  “Just one day,” Chika said. “Getting behind in Sato is a death sentence.”

  “Fine,” Clyde said. “Uh, just ask your professors to email your work.” He poked Chika’s forehead softly, then kissed her. “I won’t force anyone to come.”

  “How do you expect me to stay behind after that?” Chika asked.

  Clyde chuckled, then addressed the room. “So yeah, road trip. If you don’t want to miss out on the catgirl homeland and Ako becoming a combat master, be ready to leave tomorrow.”

  “Catgirls… You know, you drive a hard bargain,” Seth said.

  “The great—”

  “We can’t go with them,” Selkie said.

  “What?” Dark asked.

  “We still have work to do,” Selkie told him. “The stone-viper games ending doesn’t mean a damn thing. Call it the first major task over and done with.” She turned to Clyde. “Give Lady Venus my regards.” She smiled. “We’re getting the hell out of here before she wakes up.”

  “Is she a threat to you?” Airi asked.

  “No, but if she ignites her aura upon awaking, Celestial will look at this place,” Selkie said. “Your job is done for now, killing the Viper and all. Dark’s is not.”

  Clyde nodded. “Venus may be here for a while. It’s pretty damn obvious shit went down in Celestial.”

  Episode 94 (Part 2)

  Midmorning…

  Clyde’s house…

  “Come on, Yuki. If he mentions going to Noona’s restaurant, pout. That will make any man fall at your knees,” Airi said.

  Clyde was surprised that didn’t earn the super druid a paper fan.

  “As long as it’s just a snack,” Yuki said.

  “Nya, how many steak plates will the hounds order during this?” Neko asked.

  “How many fatty tuna platters will the cats chomp down?” Matsume retorted.

  Clyde shot both of the starry-eyed women a blank stare. Yuki sighed.

  “No! The Witch of the West is better,” Natalia argued. “She can transform instantly and never misses her shot.”

  “No, the Darkness-eating Vampire is better. She can destroy stars,” the gothic loli said. “Don’t be a dunderhead.”

  Tears swelled into Natalia’s eyes. “Onii-chan!” She anime-dove into Clyde from across the room.

  “Oof,” Clyde grunted.

  “Nina won’t admit to the truth. Tell her the Witch of the West is better,” the loli-witch whined.

  “Is not,” Nina said. “Naoko.” The loli-entity was nowhere to be found. “Naoko?”

  “She left,” Kanako said, causing both lolis to anime-fall to the side.

  Airi chuckled. “She wanted nothing to do with that.”

  “So dinner it is, then, Yuki?” Airi asked.

  “I’d rather have lunch here,” Clyde said, “but there’s nothing wrong with getting a quick sushi snack.”

  “Yuki’s food is better,” Ruri said. “If she’s making lots of meat, I don’t mind staying.”

  “What she said,” Matsume said. “I figured we’re going to check up on Noona.”

  “It’s really okay,” Yuki said as she sat at the tea table with Ama-chan and Kitome.

  “How about coming along?” Clyde asked. “You can always watch Ako drool as she decides what to eat first.”

  “I do not drool,” Ako said, almost with a half-pout. The kuudere catgirl didn’t quite commit to the full action. Somehow, this made Clyde even more excited to visit the catgirl village.

  “Go check on Noona for me,” Yuki said. “There… may be a birthday surprise when you get back.”

  Airi gave the demoness a smirk. “I sense a scandal here.”

  “Don’t place Yuki in one of your perverted scenarios,” Alice said, tiredly. Harumi nodded twice in agreement.

  Maki’s eyes seemed to flash for just a second. Clyde shot her a micro glare.

  “Maki, you look free,” Clyde said, causing the purple-haired young woman to flinch. “Come along. My treat. We can hold your trial tonight or tomorrow.”

  He gave Chiyo a playful poke on the cheek then started toward the door.

  The moment the young man opened it, he froze, greeted with the appearance of an unexpected visitor. A busty woman with dark blue hair and the same green eyes as Kitome.

  Kitome’s mother caused the entire room to go silent with just her presence. An angry anime super-model of a woman. Well, her stare was neutral at that moment, but Clyde knew it wouldn’t take much to set her off like an atom bomb.

  “Hello,” she said. “Where’s Kitome? And I certainly hope you didn’t forget about tonight’s dinner.”

  Clyde flinched, as if a giant arrow struck through his center.

  “Uh—We’d like to invite you to eat here,” Clyde said, a drop of sweat falling from the back of his head. “Yuki—”

  “I invited you to our residence,” Kitome’s mom said, voice dark. The sky seemed to darken too as purplish anger aura erupted around her. It seemed to dull when an unexpected force stepped in front of the young man.

  “It’s Clyde and Alice’s birthday, nya,” Ako said. She actually gave Kitome’s mom a Gin smile, her own anger aura bursting into action. “Surely you’re not trying to rain on everyone’s celebration, nya?”

  The glare of Kitome’s mom battled against Ako’s Gin smile, almost emitting the same force from the prior day’s battle.

  Clyde couldn’t tell which force of electric anger aura would win, but he sure as shit didn’t want to be in the middle of it. Or… maybe he did? He immediately slapped the perverted thoughts away. Kitome’s mother could probably chokeslam her prey with just one look.

  “Mom, what are you doing here?” Kitome asked as she emerged from the back. She pulled her mother inside. “Don’t go picking fights. Come on, join Ama-chan, Yuki, and me for some tea.”

  Ama-chan’s flinch at being called that by Kitome almost made Clyde burst into laughter. Airi’s snicker made him strain harder.

  Kitome’s mom seemed a little surprised at the inviting attitude from her daughter. The young man wasn’t sure at first if they got along. The mother and daughter seemed to get into more arguments and disagreements than some married couples.

  “You know, before you go, I’ve got some outfits for Ako and Neko,” Tear said as she emerged from the hall. The succubus held out two rather impressive black dresses. “It’s Clyde’s birthday.”

  “I don’t think so, nya,” Ako said, folding her arms.

  “But he’s treating you, on his birthday,” Tear said. “His world gives gifts on birthdays to show love and appreciation. I have sandals too.” She grinned. “Of course, I’m not going to force you, bu—” She froze as one of the outfits vanished.

  Neko returned, well-dressed and classy. “Nya, can’t say no to a million-dollar dress. Does this make my tail look fat?”

  Clyde’s mouth was agape. Sure, they were only heading to Noona’s for no more than an hour, but he couldn’t complain.

  “Nya, who’s the best wife?” Neko asked, snuggling into the young man. “Don’t be hard on my sister. She’s not into this stuff. So, how do I look?” She spun in front of the young man.

  “Fucking amazing,” Clyde said.

  Ako snatched the dress and sandals from Tear then stomped toward the back, muttering to herself. That brought the entire house to silence. Even Chiyo gasped. Chesire peeked into the hall after her. The succubus manifested five top-level digital cameras, which floated in midair, aimed and ready. A few snapped at Neko before repositioning to the hall.

  Neko, the trap spawner, had a cat-like blank smug stare on her face. When Ako reemerged from the hall, the first nosebleed came from an unexpected person.

  Alice.

  Tear looked proudly at her cousin, her cameras snapping wildly as if a celebrity had walked into the room.

  Ako looked divine in the outfit.

  “You, of all people, I thought could be saved,” Kitome said to Alice.

  “But she never wears anything,” Alice said. “You’ve got to admit it’s really cute on her.”

  “So you were the one who picked out the dresses after all,” Kitome said, causing the half-demoness to anime-fall to the side.


  Kitome’s mother, despite having a glare off with the catgirl moments ago, seemed to have found a new respect for her.

  “Kitome, what’s that on your finger?”

  “Nya, can we go now?” Chesire asked.

  “Fine,” Clyde said, not complaining.

  “To Noona’s!” Natalia said as she hopped onto the young man’s back.

  Midmorning…

  Lot City, Yaponiya…

  Hotel…

  Dark sighed as he packed the rest of his bags, warping them to his inventory afterward. He tried and failed to get Myriad out of his room, so he just let her sit there in a chair, reading one of the great Ming’s masterpieces. Honestly, if it weren’t for that, his mood would be far more soured.

  The young man still felt the chills of the previous day’s battle as if the breath of Antarctica washed over him at that moment. Perhaps the most unsettling thing was Clyde’s calm. He… continued on as if nothing happened, not even so much as bringing up a conversation regarding the Viper.

  Sure, it was his birthday and Venus dropping from the sky meant larger problems, but… he just fucking won the stone-viper games.

  Dark witnessed Aunder’s health drop to zero percent himself. Soul seal… That was a unique status effect that could only manifest during a death event. The young man wasn’t sure if one had to be completely dead, but the Viper’s HP was definitely zero. Hell, Dark enabled the Health Bar UI to check and sure enough, all of the remaining red of the bar was empty and with a gray zero percent. He also didn’t sense any kind of respawn doll usage.

  Clyde’s new form seemed to be only a moment from completely annihilating Aunder’s essence, but for some reason the World Star… the creepy thing felt the need to absorb the Viper.

  Maybe the entity was right. Maybe it took the correct action in order to prevent Aunder from escaping Hell or being freed by the Bright Ones, like Sol.

  Aunder’s fate terrified Dark, but he didn’t pity him. After bringing down five moons on an innocent population, that sin had to be paid for. At least that was what Selkie told him.

  Dark was just glad that the games were over and done with. Only his quest to help Selkie remained. He… hoped it would be enough to express his gratitude to the entity.

  He’d do anything to make her happy… She’d saved his life, after all. Sure, she was an angry sort that could use the anime-boost of cultured-fuel that allowed the great lord of the dark to thrive. But despite that, Selkie would always be Dark’s hero.

  He turned to Myriad, curious.

  “Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Dark asked. “Don’t lie to the great lord of the dark. He used more of your power than that contract could take. I didn’t form this contract to hurt you.”

  Myriad’s eyes widened. “Selkie! Hurry, come here!”

  Selkie burst through the door, saw that nothing seemed to be amiss, and subjected the duo to a blank glare. “What the hell did you call me in here for?”

  “Dark, repeat what you just said,” Myriad said.

  “Wha—do not order the great lord of the dark around,” Dark said.

  “He actually does care about others,” Myriad said. She… tapped the screen of her phone, which of course played back Dark’s embarrassing words.

  Selkie chuckled. “You still have a long way to go if you’re just now figuring out Charles’s mask.”

  “I told you not to call me that,” Dark said. “It’s Dark! To become great, I shed that old name.”

  “The chuuni is one thing that hasn’t changed,” Myriad said, carrying on the conversation as if Dark hadn’t said a word.

  “Maybe one day he won’t be such a chuuni-for-brains,” Selkie said, then poked the young man’s forehead. Then her eyes lit up, signaling to Dark that an idea had formed within her. He really hoped it wasn’t more training. After the battle of the previous day, he just wanted to rest. “I know exactly where we’re going.”

  “Does it have something to do with this mystery mission of ours?” Myriad asked. “Or are we destroying more Crusader camps? Not killing them is such a human thing… despite all of the crimes they’ve committed, genocides they carried out.”

  “You’re looking at this in a simple-minded way,” Dark said. “An eye for an eye won’t solve every problem. Becoming the very thing we’re trying to stop will only make things worse.”

  Selkie smiled. “You really do listen to me. I thought all of my lessons were just splatting against a brick wall to no avail.”

  Dark rolled his eyes. “Oh please. The great lord of the dark may get angry sometimes, but even he knows basic common sense. No offense, bird brain. It’s just how we humans do things. Sometimes.”

  Myriad shot him a blank stare.

  “There are too many Crusaders out there,” Dark continued. “They work under a hierarchy that goes from the normies to the researchers to the Pillars to the Order. I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty obvious to me that this Order’s working on something big. If we destroy the project or take it, whatever, then we’ll hit them where it hurts the most. Oh, and Clyde and his team have a beef to pick with them, so they’re going to most likely die anyway.”

  “Oh!” Myriad said. “Well, if you thought that far ahead, chuuni, say so. I’m not some mindless one-track idiot, you know.”

  “Yeah, but you still are a birdbrain,” Dark said. He turned to Selkie. “So where are we going?”

  “Back to the palace,” Selkie said. “I think you’ve grown enough—”

  “You don’t have to try to convince me,” Dark interrupted as he held up a hand. “After yesterday… I’m just glad I didn’t bite the dust before getting the chance to apologize.”

  Selkie nodded.

  Celestial…

  Grand Capital City of Celestial…

  Mansion of Fuyumi…

  Fatalus handed her coat off to the servants at the door before walking in. This would be her second day at the new mansion, given to her for just being a Director. She was Fuyumi, the new mystery, the new power, but also protected by a faction within the Watchers.

  Years of hard work was finally paying off.

  The Alliance of the Void was among the Watchers the entire time, waiting, and judging the weakness of Celestial leadership.

  Unfortunately, without the World Star, their plan was as good as frozen. Not unless they could find another way to get into the land of the supreme gods. Damn that Viper. His last dying breath was to get in her way again.

  When Fatalus entered her room, she dismissed the maid with a gesture and shut the door. With a sigh, she dove into her fluffy bed.

  To think that only decades ago she was just a country girl days away from being forcibly married to her uncle for political reasons.

  Had she not followed that mysterious girl, curious, she wouldn’t have nearly fallen to her death, only to be saved by her. Then she disappeared without a trace. It was at that time, Fatalus realized life was too short and could be taken away at a moment’s notice. She had to escape. Find her own path to power. That eventually led her to the Alliance of the Void.

  To think that the person that saved her those years ago, the little girl, was a chaos goddess.

  Fatalus opened her phone to stare at a picture. Her hands slipped into her panties as she imagined herself with him.

  She blushed heavily, eyes shining with lust, as she jerked her hand away, realizing what she was doing.

  She had to have him, no matter what.

  Besides, marrying the Stone was perfect for her plans.

  She still felt just a ghost of the surprise-kick the Stone gave her when he rescued the Venus sister. She refused to believe that it made her somewhat of a masochist…

  But if he wanted to choke her a bit, she wouldn’t mind…

  Fatalus snapped out of her thoughts. This was certainly the result of not having any time for pleasures.

  She… wasn’t sure if she’d ever actually had sex. Pathetic… just pathetic. She had poems written about her beauty… Proposals from members of the alliance, turned down of course. Marrying within the alliance meant having to leave it. This wasn’t an option for her at that moment.

  Fatalus… stole four photos from Venus’s private room issued by the capital. Well, she took pictures of them with her phone. She wasn’t sure how the other woman got such photos of him. Maybe she knew someone on Team Stone?