After the HIA evacuated the residents of Sixteenth Street out of the Hollow, all of them were left without a residence, Illya included.
Thankfully, however, a quick call to the Mayor had solved all his issues.
Like a good boss pitying his suddenly homeless subordinate, the current Head of the Mayflower family extended Illya an invitation to stay with Victoria Housekeeping while the reconstruction of Sixteenth Street was underway.
And thus, after a quick trip back into the Hollow to grab his stuff, Illya met up with Lycaon and Rina on Eighteenth Street.
"Sorry for the sudden request... I wasn't exactly expecting this all to happen."
"No need for apologies, Master Illya. Victoria Housekeeping is practically buzzing with excitement at the thought of having someone of your station board with us."
Illya chuckled awkwardly.
'Maybe I should've crashed with Nicole and the others. It'd probably be way more fun...'
Illya glanced at the rising sun, letting out a sigh.
"Have you all had breakfast yet? I don't know about you, but I'm quite hungry right now."
The two thirens shook their heads.
Illya dug in through the large bag slung on his shoulders, pulling out his wallet.
"Then how about I treat you guys? I know a place on 13th Street that makes the best pancakes you'll ever have~"
Lycaon coughed into his fist.
"That will hardly be necessary, Master Illya. Victoria Housekeeping still has a reputation to uphold."
Illya waved his hand dismissively.
"Bah~ What's the harm in a single breakfast? C'mon, let me at least pay you back for driving all the way here so early in the morning."
Lycaon flashed Rina a hesitant look, to which the Ghost thiren responded with a gentle shrug.
Taking the initiative this time, Rina placed a hand on her chest and gave Illya a polite smile.
"If you insist, then we have no choice but to impose on your wallet."
Illya let out a laugh and tossed his bag into the trunk of the luxury sedan they had brought.
"Then let's hurry! The pancake shop gets packed pretty quickly, and I'd rather not have to wait in a line."
The two Thirens exchanged knowing looks before Lycaon briskly jogged over to the driver's seat with Rina in tow.
-----------------------
-----------------
---------
------
----
---
--
-
The drive had barely taken a few minutes, considering how mild the traffic was this early in the morning, and after they had found a parking spot nearby, the group sauntered over to a very elegantly decorated building.
As Illya quickly led Rina and Lycaon inside, the combined aroma of sweets and plants delicately blanketed their senses, immediately immersing them in the calm and homely vibe of the cafe.
The space inside was larger than the standard bakeries, but with the plush chairs spread so far apart and the numerous decorations occupying a majority of the space, the actual occupancy limit was far less than one might assume.
Thankfully, since they had come so early in the morning, excluding the staff, they were practically the only ones here.
Illya walked over to a receptionist and flashed her a pleasant smile.
"Good morning, miss. Could we get a Table for three, please?"
The receptionist, a middle-aged woman with kind, downturned eyes, greeted him with a warm look.
"Oh my~? You're earlier than usual, Illya. Did something happen?"
Illya shrugged.
"Couldn't sleep."
The woman flashed him a concerned look.
"Did it have to do with the hollow on Sixteenth Street? My husband was talking about it a bit earlier."
Illya scratched the back of his head.
"No, no- Nothing like that. I just uhm... Stayed up late watching horror movies and couldn't fall asleep afterwards."
The woman sighed.
"Please take care of yourself, Illya. I don't know what the cafe would do without your generous tips."
Illya chuckled bashfully.
"Will do~"
Reaching underneath the counter, the woman pulled out a few menus and beckoned the group, leading them to a cluster of seats in a quieter corner of the cafe.
After helping them get seated, the receptionist retreated into the kitchen and came back out with a few cups of tea, setting them down on a nearby wooden table before taking the group's orders.
Being the only one familiar with this place, Illya naturally took the initiative and ordered in Lycaon and Rina's stead, and after waiting for a couple of minutes, an assortment of beautifully dressed pancakes and waffles was spread out before the group.
Without waiting for the others to start, Illya dug in with gusto, his expression contorting with bliss as his mouth filled with a pleasant sweetness.
Seeing the young void hunter like this, the head maid of Victoria Housekeeping smiled gently.
"You certainly look like you're enjoying yourself, Master Illya."
Rina and Lycaon began eating too, though they did so in a far more dignified manner.
Illya let out a breath.
"Can't help it~ I'm a sucker for sweets."
He bit into a fluffy cream-filled pastry and smiled with pure contentment.
Rina watched Illya dismantle pastry after pastry.
"Is that so? Mm, maybe I should brush up on my baking skills."
Lycaon barely choked back a horrified shriek.
Illya smiled brightly, completely oblivious to the utter consternation in the poor wolf Thiren's eyes.
"You bake, Rina? You'll have to let me try it sometime."
The ghost thiren smiled softly.
"It would be my pleasure, Master Illya."
Sweat poured down Lycaon's face, though it was completely obscured by his thick coat of fur.
Illya smiled pleasantly as he took another bite, but before he could respond, his train of thought was interrupted by a faint vibration in his back pocket.
"Oops, excuse me for a moment."
The young Void Hunter took out his phone and peered at the notification list.
'A text from... That number was Nicole's, right?'
He set down his fork.
Hey, boss! Don't know when you'll see this, but we'll be busy with a commission for a few days!
A look of surprise crossed Illya's face.
'They're... quite dedicated.'
Illya didn't think too deeply about it and quickly sent a reply.
No prob. Just shoot me a call or text if yg need help w smth.
Closing out the message app, Illya's attention was caught by the title of a news article.
"Huh. Did you guys know those Vision scumbags got put in charge of the construction project for the Dead End Hollow?"
"Scum bags? Did Vision perhaps do something to offend Master Illya?"
Illya shrugged.
"The last house I lived in was built by Vision, and that piece of shit collapsed a year after I bought it."
He let out a sigh.
"Knowing that they're in charge of construction doesn't exactly inspire confidence."
Lycaon nodded thoughtfully.
"I'll be sure to mention it to the Master when we get back."
"That's... Probably for the best."
Illya turned off his phone and tossed it onto the table.
"Hah~ They really should've given the job to Belobog. Those guys do quality work."
"... You certainly know a lot about construction, Master Illya."
The walking explosive smiled awkwardly.
"I... Renovate quite often."
Rina smiled politely.
"Then perhaps we should ask you for some recommendations next time Victoria Housekeeping needs some remodeling done."
"I'd be happy to help, but I think the Boss is probably more knowledgeable about this stuff than I am."
Illya sighed as he bit into a jam-covered strawberry, a random thought crossing his mind.
"Hey, by the way, how's your investigation into the sacrifices going?"
The two Thirens stiffened.
"It... It's not going too well. The exaltists have been more thorough in covering their tracks than we expected."
Rina let out an exasperated breath.
"Most of the leads that we've found have ultimately come up empty, but we're hoping that we'll have a bit of luck soon."
Illya thought for a moment.
"The exaltists aren't the type to stay silent for very long, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm sure you'll find something soon."
/////////////////////////
////////////////
/////////
//////
////
///
/
(In a private office at the Vision Corp headquarters.)
An elegantly dressed woman massaged her temples gently, a small but noticeable irritation marring her features.
"Bringer, why couldn't you have just sent me a call?"
Sarah crossed her legs and tapped her index finger on her desk impatiently.
Across from her was a burly man with blonde hair shifted uncomfortably.
"... The messengers have brought grim news, Sarah."
The supposed secretary raised an eyebrow, a sultry hum of curiosity coming from her mouth.
"Hoh~? And what might this news be?"
Inspector Justin Bringer closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
Reaching into his comically large breast pocket, he pulled out a thin stack of photos and tossed them onto the table.
"This...!"
Sarah's irritation immediately vanished, a look of utter fear spreading across her features.
She shot to her feet.
"Are these real??!"
Bringer nodded.
"These were taken by a few of our scouts in Zone A17."
Sarah furrowed her brow.
"... Geppetto."
"Indeed. It seems that it was annihilated."
Sarah sank back into her seat.
"Do you think they caught our scent?"
Bringer shivered.
"Dear Creator- I fucking hope not!!!"
A brief bout of silence fell over the two cultists.
"Are we still to continue...?"
Bringer nodded hesitantly.
"The higher-ups still want us to proceed, but they warned us to be more careful than we were before."
Sarah let out a dejected laugh.
"We've been hiding so carefully for a full decade, and now, when we're finally ready to emerge once more, that thing had to stir..."
A cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach.
No one among the Exaltists truly knew what they looked like, as no one had lived after encountering them.
Some speculated that they bore the visage of the devil, while others thought that they were a catastrophe given form.
The Calamity.
The Disaster.
The Destroyer.
They had been given many such titles by the exaltists, but none fully encapsulated the sheer terror they had wrought on the cult.
Sarah stared at the hulking crater in the photo and shivered, recognizing the handiwork of the one who had nearly ended their glorious pursuit of evolution.
____________________________________________________________________
(A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed your first bonus chapter~
I put up a poll in the auxiliary volume for the FML cuz I'm honestly having second thoughts about Belle atp.
All of you guys lwk want someone different, so I'll just let it sit there for a while to soak up votes, and eventually, when I start getting around to writing the romance, I'll choose whichever one has the most votes.
If you feel like there are some names missing, feel free to tell me, but there are some that I purposely omitted, like Vivian, Corrin, Jane Doe, Ellen, (etc), because I either liked them better with someone else (ie, Seth + Jane) or because of age issues.
Of course, I'm 100% up for someone who's a way older than Illya~ (*cough* Isolde *cough*).
Tell me what you guys think of the direction of the story so far, and let me know if you have any suggestions about where I should go from here.
Add this fic to your collection, leave a comment, and gimme stones if you want more bonus chapters!
See y'all in the next chapter~!)