Lancer, Are You an Idiot?

===New Year's Day; 8 a.m.===

Human World, Japan, Kyoto, Youkai Sub-Dimension.

Sitting in the dining hall, Leona, Mizore, Cu Chulainn, Moka, Flora, Ayame, Kunou, Shuna and Shion sat at a long table as they chatted and waited for breakfast to be served. In this lively atmosphere, Moka asked the question that was gnawing at her mind ever since she woke up.

"Hey, do you think they did it, last night?" Moka asked while tapping her pretty lips with her index finger.

"Who knows?" Leona replied with a mischievous smile. "But I'm sure we'll be able to tell when they arrive."

Mizore, Moka, Flora and Ayame nodded in agreement. At the same time, Shuna was blushing, embarrassed by the steamy conversation the other girls were having. Shion, on the other hand, was looking around in confusion. Although she was informed about matters of a sexual matter, she was not the quickest when it comes to noticing subtle subjects of conversation. Then, there was Kunou who was not educated enough to understand the topic. Unlike Shion, however, Kunou was the type of girl to ask when there was something she did not understand.

"Did Mommy and James-Oniichan do what?" Kunou asked while tilting her head cutely.

With that most of the ladies froze. The only exceptions were Leona and Shion. Leona because she already had a plan to downplay the situation. And Shion because she still was unsure of what they were talking about.

"Oh, Kunou, your mother and James were talking about becoming a couple last night." Leona said with a smile. "If they decide to do it, then we would all be part of the same family, for real."

Hearing that, Kunou's eyes opened wide. Then, a big, hopeful, smile appeared on her face.

"I hope they do." Kunou said sincerely. "That way Mommy will be happier."

'Such a mature outlook.' The rest of the ladies thought to themselves.

Meanwhile, Cu Chulainn having not been interested in the conversation, sat with his head lowered and rested on his left palm. While thinking to himself, he let his inner thoughts leak by accident.

"Damn, do women know how to do anything other than gossip." Cu Chulainn muttered.

A moment later, Cu Chulainn went on alert. At the moment the surroundings were too quiet. When he raised his head, he saw all the ladies,' even Kunou's, eyes locked onto him.

"Shit, did I say that out loud?" Cu Chulainn asked in horror.

"That's right." Leona said with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

Seeing the hostility in their eyes, Cu Chulainn realized he only had three options. First, fight. Second, Run. Third, Surrender. Knowing the first two were only shorter paths that led to death, Cu Chulainn di the only thing he could realistically do. Surrender.

"*Sigh* Is there anything I can do to make up for my mistake?" Cu Chulainn asked, resignation heavy in his tone.

Leona, acting as the group's leader, was the one to respond.

"Well, Lancer, the way I see it is you have two options." Leona replied to the [Knight's] question.

"And they are?" Cu Chulainn asked downheartedly.

"First, you let us beat you up until we're satisfied." Leona said with a menacing smile.

"I expected that one." Cu Chulainn said. "And what's the second?"

"The second is to be our pack mule when we go shopping today." Leona replied.

With that, Mizore, Moka, Flora, Kunou, and Shuna's eyes lit up. Shion was more into fighting, so she was mostly unaffected. Ayame on the other hand does not like being that exposed, so she was also uninterested. At the same time, Cu Chulainn shuddered in terror. Traumatic memories of when James took his High-Class promotion exam coming to the forefront of his mind.

"If you choose neither, I'll pass the details of this conversation onto Tsubaki." Leona said, closing off Cu Chulainn's avenues of escape.

Cu Chulainn let his head hang when he realized he was screwed. The ladies allowed him the time to contemplate patiently, which made the time he took to think about it feel like it was moving much slower than usual. Eventually, Cu Chulainn came to a decision.

"*Sigh* Fine..." Cu Chulainn said as he stood from his seat. Then, he walked to a relatively more open area of the room and spread his arms to the sides.

"*Sigh* I choose the first option." Cu Chulainn said with lifeless eyes.

If the girls were being honest; they were disappointed that Cu Chulainn did not choose option number two. There was nothing like having someone to carry their bags while they shopped 'til they dropped. And with James assets from all the manga he had sold to both the human and supernatural worlds, they could shop for a long time.

"I only have one request." Cu Chulainn said as he raised his head to plead.

"We'll at least listen." Leona said with a snort. "I make no promises, though."

"Please, just not the face." Cu Chulainn asked sincerely.

Twenty minutes later, James, with his left arm wrapped by both a pair of arms and enormous breasts, and Yasaka, owner of the aforementioned arms and breasts, made their way into the dining hall. As they approached the table, they saw the ladies smiling and chatting in a lively manner. Then, they saw Cu Chulainn. The sight was not a pretty one. Left in a heap in a corner of the room, he was covered in bruised and damaged clothes.

"Good morning, everyone." James said while steal glances at the human shaped lump in the corner.

"Good morning, James/James-Sama/Onii-Chan." The ladies answered in unison with unusually happy smiles on their faces.

"I'm sure I'll regret asking this question." James said with a wry smile. "But what happened to Lancer?"

"He said something he shouldn't have." Leona responded with a dark smile.

When James looked around, he saw similar dark smiles on the other ladies' faces as well. Then, doing what he thought was best for his mental health, James nodded and smiled.

"Anyway, enough about the moron in the corner." Moka asked with the spirit of gossip flashing in her eyes. "How was last night?"

"Yes, did you to become a couple?" Leona asked while glancing discreetly at Kunou.

Then, smiling gorgeously, Yasaka answered the question as she released James' arm.

"That's right." Yasaka admitted while walking toward her daughter who was looking at her expectantly. "Dana-Sama and I are now officially together."

To Yasaka's surprise, Kunou's eyes began to water after hearing her answer. Then, before she could react, Kunou dashed into Yasaka's arms.

"Now you can be happy again." Kunou said while crying happily in her mother's arms. "Now you won't cry while looking at the picture of Daddy."

With that, Yasaka also started to cry. She never realized that Kunou had seen her during those times. Not to mention, Yasaka had put that burden down a couple of years ago. To think Kunou was so worried about her, she felt she was truly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter.

While the mother and daughter cried in each other's arms, James quietly made his way over to them and wrapped both in a hug. Then the two nine-tailed foxes cried even harder. Happy that they now had a complete family.

Meanwhile, the rest of the ladies smiled happily. The more emotional of the group, like Mizore, shed a few tears as well. They were sincerely happy for the mother and daughter. Shuna and Shion also saw James in a better light due to his care. Even Cu Chulainn who was unable to move at the moment would have smiled if pain did not shoot through his entire body with the slightest movement on his part.

Eventually the situation calmed, and everyone took their seats. Except for Cu Chulainn that is. Then a servant brought meals for James and Yasaka. As they ate, they continued their conversations and made plans for the day.

"So, what are your plans for today?" James asked the ladies at the table.

"I was going to go shopping with Mizore, Moka, Flora, and Kunou." Leona said with a smile.

"I'll be working on a kimono I was making." Shuna said.

"So, that would make you something like a seamstress, right?" James asked with interest.

"Yes, creating clothing is something I enjoy." Shuna replied with a nod.

"Interesting." James said with his eyes lighting up while stroking his chin in thought.

"Like James said, things may get interesting." Leona said while looking at the Oni Princess.

Mizore, Moka, and Flora nodded. They all knew what that look meant. James made that face when he was about to draw a new manga. More importantly, that face always led to James making quite an amount of money.

"Anyway, what about you, Shion?" James asked after ending his contemplations.

"I'll stay here as well; I can't be too far away from the Princess." Shion replied valiantly.

James nodded in understanding. Then, he turned his attention toward his new lover who had remained silent. When he saw her, she seemed a little upset.

"What's wrong, Yasaka?" James asked with concern.

Hearing James' tone, everyone else at the table looked in Yasaka's direction. When they saw she looked upset, they were also concerned. Eventually, Yasaka responded.

*Bang!*

"It's not fair!" Yasaka exclaimed after slamming both palms onto the dining room table. "All of you get to have fun and do what you want! Meanwhile, I have to meet with those stubborn old men from the council to discuss things for the new year. It's not fair!"

Hearing Yasaka's outburst, James and his peerage deflated. They were worried something was wrong after last night. Instead, she was just throwing a tantrum because she did not want to work. Shuna and Shion, on the other hand, were stunned into silence. They could not believe the leader of the Kyoto Youkai Faction was throwing a tantrum like that.

Eventually, James was unable to hold back his laughter any longer. Laughing boisterously, James was brought to tears. Yasaka pouted in his direction, unhappy that her new lover was laughing at her misfortune.

"So, you think it's funny?" Yasaka asked in a huff.

"No... Haha... I'm sorry... Ha..." James replied trying to get his laughter under control. After calming down, James explained why he laughed. "I was seriously concerned that something was wrong. So, when I heard that you just didn't wanna go to work, I was so relieved that I laughed."

Hearing the way James put it, Yasaka blushed in embarrassment. Then, James wrapped his arm around her waist. Before she could react, Yasaka had been moved from the cushion she had been sitting on, to James' lap. Then, with his arms wrapped around her and pressing Yasaka to his chest, James spoke into her ear.

"Well, I was planning to stay here and train." James said tenderly. "So, as soon as you're done, I'd be happy to spend the rest of the day with you."

"*Whistle* That was some kinda smooth." Leona said with a teasing grin before Yasaka could reply.

"I learned from the best." James said with a big smile and a thumbs up.

That led to the rest of the room, apart from Cu Chulainn, bursting into laughter. At the same time, Yasaka hid her face in James' chest out of embarrassment. Eventually, the laughter died down and the group finished their breakfast. Then, they broke up into the groups they discussed earlier. Leona, Mizore, Moka, Flora, and Kunou left to go shopping. Shuna left to work on her kimono while Shion accompanied her, occasionally playing the role of a manikin. Ayame decided to train like James. And Yasaka went to perform her official duties.

Shortly after the ladies went to do their own things, James and Cu Chulainn were walking toward the training field for Yasaka's elite guards.

"So, what did you say that got the shit kicked out of you earlier?" James asked as the duo walked.

"I said something about women only knowing how to gossip." Cu Chulainn said with a grimace.

"You're an idiot, right?" James asked with a deadpan.

"i didn't mean to say it out loud." Cu Chulainn said, trying to defend himself.

James could only look at him like an idiot. The thing that made Cu Chulainn the most depressed was that he could not even defend himself. Saying that aloud, even if it were accidental, would definitely make him an idiot. Feeling that James stare was becoming painful, Cu Chulainn tried to change the subject.

"Anyway, what's up with your mom?" Cu Chulainn asked with slight fear in his expression.

Noticing his best friend's expression, James decided to leave the joke he was going to make about Cu Chulainn pursuing a married woman and trying to become his stepdad in his head.

"What do you mean?" James asked with a frown. "What happened?"

"Even though she's only at the intermediate-level of the middle-rank, it hurt so much more when she hit me than when the others did." Cu Chulainn said, grimacing at the thought of the pain Leona was able to leave him in. "Even more than that Oni Woman, Shion, with her supernatural strength.

"Hmm." James hummed as he stopped to think. "I don't know, I've only ever known her as a housewife."

"Like hell that's all there is to her!" Cu Chulainn shouted in disagreement.

"Who knows." James said with a shrug. "If there really is something, we'll find out if we're supposed to know."