Chapter 46

The crisis had been successfully averted!

The store remained undamaged, and Takumi was undisturbed in his room, deeply focused on writing code.

Cresselia scanned the surroundings with her psychic senses and, seeing that Takumi hadn't noticed the commotion, let out a sigh of relief. In her mind's eye, it was as if a small version of herself was waving a determined pink fist, saying:

"Takumi asked me to watch over the store—nothing can go wrong!"

With her mental power retracted, Cresselia composed herself, her elegant, swan-like body floating gracefully out from behind the counter. She looked down at the sleeping La Signora.

"Isn't she technically a guest?" Cresselia murmured. "Takumi said to treat guests politely, but her spirit was filled with malice and chaos. She was here to cause destruction…"

With a shake of her head, she sighed, "Oh well, let's reinforce the sleep spell."

She used Hypnosis once more, deepening the woman's sleep. With Cresselia's psychic strength, it was unlikely that La Signora would awaken anytime soon on her own.

"Let's let Takumi finish his work. I'll leave this to him later."

With a light flick of telekinesis, Cresselia gently moved La Signora's sleeping form, treating her as though she were a discarded object, and deposited her in the store's utility room.

Satisfied, Cresselia turned back to Albedo and his assistants, speaking in a voice laced with polite cheerfulness:

"Thank you for your patience! The disturbance has been resolved, and I apologize for the scare. Please, leave a five-star review, and come back again soon!"

With that, Cresselia deactivated the Magic Room time-dilation effect.

Albedo looked on, wide-eyed, as the infamous eighth Harbinger of the Fatui had been subdued in an instant by a sleep spell. The deadly ice swords she had summoned had all been sent… elsewhere.

Albedo, now dry-throated, cleared his voice and nodded.

"Then… we'll take our leave."

Sucrose and Timaeus were equally stunned and followed Albedo out of the store, their minds racing as the cool breeze from Cider Lake revived them a little.

Neither spoke a word as they made their way back to the Knights' headquarters, their expressions marked by reverence and awe.

Acting Grand Master's Office

"What?! La Signora went to the Pokémon House to cause trouble?!"

Jean, who had been drafting new policies on Pokémon integration in Mondstadt, stood up in shock.

"We can't allow the Fatui to act like this in Mondstadt!"

She took a deep breath, her gaze steeling with determination.

Clearly, Jean, who had realized the strategic importance of the Pokémon and the influence of the Pokémon House, had made up her mind to stand firm against the Fatui. No longer would she tolerate the intrusions of their counselors and envoys without consequence.

As long as the Mondstadt branch remained open and a "trainee store manager" could be arranged, Mondstadt's people would have reliable access to Pokémon, training, and friendly competitions. The store's unique items, such as Poké Balls and Pokédexes, provided a direct gateway to the future…

And La Signora had dared to threaten it all.

Jean was prepared to face the risk of diplomatic fallout and to issue a full expulsion of La Signora and all Fatui from Mondstadt.

But before she could issue her summons to the Knights, Albedo interrupted:

"The matter has already been handled."

"How?"

Albedo replied, "Mr. Takumi's legendary Pokémon subdued La Signora in a single move with a sleep spell."

Jean stared at him for a moment before chuckling in disbelief and sitting back in her chair, resuming her work with her quill.

"Well, that explains it," she said. "A legendary Pokémon… A Level 2 deity? La Signora, unaware of the power she was meddling with, crossed a line with a force far beyond her reach. That was inevitable."

"So, do we need to take any action now?" Albedo asked.

Jean raised an eyebrow, "What action would be necessary? Do you think anyone from the Fatui could pose a threat to that store after this?"

Albedo nodded in agreement, saying, "Good point!" before making his way back to Dragonspine to complete Mr. Takumi's commission.

As Albedo left, Jean glanced out her office window toward the Goethe Hotel, where the Fatui emissaries resided.

With a slight smirk, she thought to herself, After today's events, Mr. Takumi may not be so keen on welcoming all 'guests' as before.

As evening settled in, Takumi's growling stomach finally snapped him out of his coding trance. Stretching, he stood up and felt a pang of satisfaction.

"Not bad… high technical skill, high efficiency… I never thought programming could be so rewarding."

He walked out to the living room, where the aroma of freshly prepared food greeted him. Cresselia had laid out a spread of steaming dishes.

"Great work, Cresselia!" Takumi said, giving her a thumbs-up.

Cresselia let out a cheerful giggle. "As long as Takumi's happy!"

While clearing the dishes, Cresselia suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, Takumi," she said thoughtfully. "A rather strange person came to the store today, causing some trouble. I put her to sleep and tossed her in the utility room."

Takumi paused, blinking. "Wait, what?!"

Was there really a person locked in his utility room the entire afternoon?

If he didn't know Cresselia to be the kind and lawful type, he might have worried that she'd caused some unintended chaos.

With a mixture of curiosity and concern, Takumi opened the utility room.

There, sprawled on the floor, lay a tall woman with striking features. She wore a scanty, intricately designed outfit with high slits and fair, rounded thighs that displayed her alluring form. Her curvaceous figure was impossible to ignore, her deep cleavage nearly eye-catching enough to make him avert his gaze.

Takumi quickly backed out, turning to Cresselia with a serious look.

"Just how 'effective' is your sleep spell, Cresselia?"