“Boil me, burn me, do whatever you want, but tell me one thing!” Aquila demanded, grabbing Kasumi by the bustline of her blue French 18th century dress. “Why are the dresses wider than the doorframes?”

    “I...I don’t know,” Kasumi stammered. “The hoop skirt is flexible, though, so you just have to push the sides in...”

    “It makes no logical sense!” Aquila declared, pointing at the hemline of her green skirts. “Why would you make a garment that won’t let somebody go from one room to another?”

    “We’re in a video game world, so it’s probably an exaggeration,” Kasumi said. “And you look very good in yours.”

    Aquila threw up her hands. “It’s a fire hazard! Once a fire starts, as soon as a woman tries to leave, nobody else will get out of the room alive! And it...it shows off my...my...” She motioned to the exposed cleavage on her bust.

    Kasumi grinned. “And it is very attractive.”

    Aquila flushed. “Yes, but that’s for when we’re...alone.”

    Kasumi took her arm. “Come on – the others are waiting for us.”

    Aquila shook her head. “They’ll wait a little while longer. I’m just going to get changed back into my pants, shirt and coat.”

    Kasumi grabbed Aquila by her bustline. “No! For once in your life, you are going to try to blend in to a story world. You used your powers to insert us into the story as visiting nobility so that we could attend this ball – you are going to look the part!”

    “But my coat has all my pockets,” Aquila muttered.

    “That’s true,” Kasumi said. “And you are going to wear this dress and blend in like the noble lady you are.”

    Aquila frowned. “You’re lucky you’re my creator.”

    Kasumi took her by the arm with a smile. “I know.” She led Aquila to the door to their rooms in the palace, and then stopped and frowned. “Maybe we should just go through sideways.”

    “I told you it made no logical sense.”

    Once they had navigated the door and locked it behind them, they walked arm in arm to the ballroom. The steward took their names and then announced, “Lady Kasumi Agawa and Lady Aquila.”

    Aquila took in the room as they carefully stepped down the stairs into the ballroom. Yukari was off in a corner examining some decorative weapons on the wall at a respectful distance, the purple streaks in her short hair freshly applied and somehow complementing her red dress.

    “How does she do it?” Kasumi asked, shaking her head.

    “Do what?”

    “I gave Yukari that dress right after lunch,” Kasumi said. “There’s been no time to do anything but get ready for the ball. How does she look like she spent the last two days hiking through the wilderness in it?”

    Aquila shrugged. “She’s Yukari. After she discovered that there were dragon rides in the last world, I had to talk her out of trying to do stunt flying on them.”

    Kasumi blinked. “And you succeeded?”

    Aquila nodded. “I convinced her that it would take a month of training before the dragons would be ready.” She looked to the back of the room. Captain Infinite and Yuri were together as usual these days, poking at the buffet. Both looked elegant, Yuri’s dark blue dress complementing Cap’s ruffles, silver waistcoat, and dark blue coat. Aquila smiled as she saw Yuri place a pastry into Cap’s mouth. She spotted Natsuki a bit further down the buffet in a yellow and orange dress, her hair tied back into its now normal ponytail. She couldn’t make out where Sayori had gotten off to. “Let’s go talk to Natsuki.”

    They made their way across the dance floor. A gaggle of women gathered in one of the corners, gossiping. Natsuki saw them approach and waved, holding some sort of delicacy on a stick in her other hand.

    “How’s the food?” Aquila asked.

    “It’s good,” Natsuki replied, popping whatever it was into her mouth, chewing, swallowing, and dropping the stick into a small basket at the end of the table.

    “And what is it?” Aquila said.

    Natsuki shrugged. “I think it was some sort of pork meatball. I’m not sure, though.” For a moment, Aquila thought she saw Natsuki frown, but it passed too quickly for her to be certain.

    Kasumi chuckled. “So, where’s Sayori?”

    Natsuki motioned to the gaggle of women. “She’s trying to out-tsundere the tsundere.”

    “Oh, I see her,” Kasumi said. “It’s been a while since she did something like that. How’s it going?”

    Natsuki cocked her head. “I don’t know. They’ve been at it for an hour, but they’re both being so passive-aggressive I’m not sure either one has managed to communicate anything yet.” She smiled. “You know, harem antics are actually kind of entertaining when you’re not in the middle of one.”

    “There they are at last!” Aquila heard Cap say. She turned to see Cap and Yuri stepping over. Cap looked at her and smiled. “You look good.”

    “I look like somebody upended a spinning top,” Aquila said. “These clothes are ridiculous.”

    Yuri grinned. “You look like a proper lady.” Her grin turned into a smile. “And thank you for doing this for us. I’ve always wanted to be a noble lady at a ball.”

    Aquila nodded. “You’re very welcome.”

    “Did any of you notice a tremor of some sort?” Cap asked. “It was very faint, and about an hour ago. I couldn’t quite make out what it was.”

    Aquila shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t feel anything like that.”

    Kasumi chuckled. “Her attention was otherwise occupied. She was busy fighting to not put on a dress.”

    “We did...other...things too,” Aquila said.

    Kasumi glanced at her and smiled, and then said, “I’m afraid I didn’t notice anything either. Sorry.”

    Natsuki shook her head. “I didn’t either. I suppose micro-tremors are possible. All it takes is for the world to be geologically active and a nearby fault line.” She frowned again, just for an instant.

    “Anyway,” Yuri said, taking Cap by the arm, “nobody is dancing, and this is a ball. Somebody has to start, so it may as well be us. We’ll put on a show, and make them all so jealous that they’ll have to join us.”

    Cap chuckled. “Easy for you to say. If I get carried away, I could accidentally crush somebody’s spine.”

    Yuri grinned, said, “I’m game for trying it rough,” and led Cap into the middle of the room.

    As Aquila watched, Cap and Yuri assumed a dancing position, one of his hands holding Yuri’s, the other on her waist. They began to glide across the dance floor in harmony with the chamber music, their eyes locked, a smile on both of their faces and reflected in both of their eyes.

    Kasumi leaned into Aquila. “Do you think they’ll ever admit that they’re dating?” she asked.

    Aquila gave her a sad smile. “Yuri would in a heartbeat. She’s not the problem, though. Next time Cap and I have a moment alone, I’ll have to talk to him about it. Make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.”

    “He’s a hundred and seven by now,” Kasumi pointed out. “And Yuri’s twenty. They’re both adults.”

    “He’s a superhero,” Aquila said. “Doing stupid self-sacrificing things is built into his DNA. Besides, his issues are...unique.”

    Out of the corner of her eye, Aquila saw Natsuki look around and frown again.

    “Okay, Natsuki, what’s bothering you?” Aquila asked.

    “It’s probably nothing,” Natsuki said.

    “When the genius who figured out the true nature of her reality based on the slightest of clues thinks that something is wrong, only an idiot fails to pay attention,” Aquila stated. “I’m not an idiot. What’s going on?”

    Natsuki sighed. “Where’s the protagonist?”

    “What do you mean?”

    “This is a ball in a dating game,” Natsuki said. “It’s a major story event, and the protagonist isn’t here.”

    “Maybe he’s running fashionably late,” Kasumi said. “We were.”

    “You were just late,” Natsuki said, pulling out a small watch on a chain from the folds of her dress. “This ball has been going on for an hour and a half. The harem is all here – being poked at by Sayori – but they’re in a holding pattern. In fact, this entire room, other than us, is in a holding pattern. It’s all waiting for the protagonist to show up, and he’s not here.”

    “Maybe he had a scene with the villain?” Aquila suggested, and then frowned. “No, that doesn’t work. That would either happen before or at the ball.”

    Natsuki shook her head. “This isn’t right. I’m going to go looking for him.”

    “I’ll come with you,” Aquila said. “On the way, we can grab my clothes and coat.”

    “I’ll come with too,” Kasumi said with a grin, taking Aquila by the arm and leading her towards the door. “And you’re going to stay in the dress.”

    “That’s really not fair,” Aquila protested. “We’re leaving the ball now.”

    “To find the protagonist and come right back,” Kasumi stated. “We are taking a short break from the ball. Leaving the ball before it ends would be very impolite to our hosts.”

    Behind her, Aquila heard Natsuki chuckle.

    “Right, so where should we go?” Kasumi asked.

    Aquila stopped and thought for a moment. “We haven’t met the protagonist yet,” she said. “But, he wouldn’t be royalty, not in a game like this. He’d be some minor nobility. So, the male guest quarters?”

    “Sounds right to me,” Natsuki said.

    Aquila bowed. “Lead on, ‘Detective Natsuki’.”

    Natsuki shook her head with a smile. “I haven’t called myself that since I was seventeen.”

    “Pity,” Aquila said, ambling behind her through the winding corridors arm-in-arm with Kasumi. “You deserve the title.” She looked at Kasumi with a grin. “It’s also a pity that we won’t be able to fit through any doors once we get there, but somebody insisted that I stay in a dress wider than a doorframe.”

    “What are you talking about?” Natsuki said. “Just shorten the hoops. They’re adjustable.”

    Aquila stared at Natsuki. “Adjustable? What do you mean, ‘adjustable’?” She turned to glare at Kasumi. “Did you know...wait, you drew these dresses in your sketchbook, and made me look at the sketches so that they would materialize in front of us, so you knew the entire time...and you just let me – please stop laughing.”

    Kasumi doubled over. “The look on your face!”

    “Wait...if you knew, then why didn’t you adjust yours?”

    Kasumi wiped tears away from her eyes. “I couldn’t just let you be alone in wearing the widest dress at the ball! I think my sides are hurting.”

    Aquila rolled her eyes. “That would be the corset. Honestly, these clothes...unless...” She sighed. “That’s adjustable too, isn’t it.”

    Kasumi slid down the wall in laughter.

    “Well, at least Natsuki is taking this seriously!” Aquila declared, turning to look at Natsuki. Aquila sighed again. Tears rolled down Natsuki’s cheek as she held her hand to her mouth, her shoulders shaking.

    “You are terrible people,” Aquila stated.

    Natsuki dropped her hand from her mouth, revealing a wide grin. “Says the former god of destruction.”

    “Okay, fair enough,” Aquila said. “Would one of you please adjust these? I’d like to fit through doors and be able to bend over without...things...popping out.”

    “I’ve got it,” Natsuki said, moving to work on Aquila’s dress. “Kasumi, do you want me to do you too?”

    Kasumi pulled herself to her feet. “Yes please. I think I’ve suffered enough in solidarity today.”

    “I think the phrase you’re looking for is ‘to prank your beloved’,” Aquila stated.

    “And it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if you would actually take an interest in dresses,” Kasumi said. “It wouldn’t kill you to enjoy the more feminine side of women’s fashion.”

    “I keep telling you, I’m not a dress-wearing person,” Aquila declared as Natsuki finished up. “Comfortable pants, shirt, boots, and my coat with all of its pockets, that’s me. Thank you Natsuki.”

    “You know, these dresses are made for dancing,” Natsuki said, moving over to Kasumi. “When they’re fitted properly, they’re quite comfortable and easy to move in.”

    “And my shirt, pants, and coat are even better,” Aquila said. She stared at Kasumi. “Seriously, the corset too?”

    “You tied mine up first, remember?” Kasumi said. “I just returned the favour. Besides, I liked what I saw. Thank you, Natsuki, that feels a lot better.”

    “The male guest quarters shouldn’t be much farther,” Aquila said. They ventured onwards, Aquila occasionally glancing at Kasumi and shaking her head, and Kasumi chuckling.

    “Are we there yet?” Natsuki asked after a few more minutes had passed.

    “We should be,” Aquila said. “This is looking a lot like the hallway to our quarters.”

    “So here’s a puzzle,” Natsuki stated. “We’re three young noblewomen, who as far as anybody knows are single and unattached maidens. We have entered the men’s quarters without an escort or chaperone. There is nobody here to protect our honour should some rogue nobleman decide to overpower and ravish us. This, by itself, should be scandalous, yes?”

    “I’m not sure it’s any more scandalous than the necklines to these dresses, but okay,” Aquila said. “Where are you going with this?”

    Natsuki looked around. “So why isn’t there anybody here to stop us?”

    A chill went down Aquila’s spine. She glanced up and down the hallway. It was deserted.

    “She’s right,” Kasumi said. “There should be security of some sort.”

    “Okay, something is very wrong,” Aquila stated. “I think I’d better take the lead.”

    “Are you going to have enough space if you have to–” Kasumi began.

    Aquila shook her head as she moved to the front. “I’ll make do, somehow.”

    As she walked forward, she reached out with her senses. A residue of information stream energy lay behind a door at the end of the hall. And then there was the smell as they got closer.

    “What is that?” Natsuki asked, sniffing the air. Aquila glanced back at her. Kasumi had gone pale.

    “It’s blood and viscera,” Aquila replied. “The reason there is no security here is because they’re dead. And so is the protagonist.” She stared at the door. “Natsuki, what’s behind that door can’t be unseen. You might not want to look.”

    Natsuki took a deep breath. “I came this far.”

    Aquila nodded. “Okay.” She stepped up to the door and opened it.

    “I think I’m going to be sick,” Natsuki said. But Aquila didn’t look back. Her eyes remained fixed on the wreckage that had once been the protagonist’s quarters. There had been three guards, based on what was left of them. The protagonist lay in the centre of the room on his back, his chest and guts ripped open. The walls were littered with holes, the floor seared with scorch marks.

    “You’re okay, Natsuki,” she heard Kasumi say behind her. “Just breathe deeply. Concentrate on your breathing. Spit if you have to.”

    Aquila turned. Natsuki was on her hands and knees, a small puddle of vomit in front of her. Kasumi was cradling her by her back and arm.

    Natsuki gagged and spit. Then she stared up at Aquila with wide eyes. “This is a dating game,” she said. “It’s just a dating game! Who would do something like this in a dating game?”

    Aquila closed her eyes and sighed. “I would,” she said. “During my war.”

NEXT: “Investigation”