Build Up

Aida wandered around the castle of Memoria Auspice. It has been a few days since she was invited to the school and it was still such a strange new environment to her. There were dozens more people in each class than in her old village and there were multiple classes that she both had to attend and didn't attend. And she didn't understand most of the things they were trying to teach her. Everything just kinda went over her head. But today everybody seemed to be rushing around and putting up all sorts of weird stuff everywhere. There was talk of some sort of festival but Aida didn't know what it was about exactly. With everyone too busy to give her much of an attention, Aida just wandered around watching everybody rush about until she wandered into the courtyard and spotted Roko standing there with Corissa and Helena. Intrigued, Aida walked up to them and pulled on Roko's shirt. Roko turned around and looked down, "Oh! Aida. What are you doing?"

"I don't know." Aida frowned, "Class his canceled but everyone seems busy preparing for a festival, whatever than means."

"We're doing a culture festival, Aida." Helena explained as she knelt down to speak to her, "It's an event where everyone in class sets up little attractions so people from all over the world can come and enjoy themselves."

"So it's like a party?"

"Think of it as a party but with games and fun places to go."

"Okay." Aida nodded, "But I haven't been told to do anything."

"Probably because you're still too young to really help out." Roko said.

"Well that's rude." Aida crossed her arms, "I can hunt and stuff."

"That's not really necessary here." Helena smiled, "Plus Paramnesia Wildwood is still devoid of monsters for you to hunt anyway."

"Guess so..." Aida frowned, "Then what do I do?"

"Do you want to come along?" Corissa asked, "Roko and I are going around to check up on everyone and help out. You can come along to see what kind of things people are preparing for the festival."

"Sounds boring." Aida frowned.

"Umm...uhhh..." Corissa gulped unsure of how to reply.

"Now come on, Aida. What else are you going to do?" Helena said, "We're not asking you to do anything for us. We just want to keep an eye on you. Plus you get to spend some time with Roko. Isn't that nice?"

Aida looked towards Roko and then away mumbling, "I don't really care about Roko..."

Helena's smile widened and she stood up. "Ah, that's right, I have something for you."

Helena reached into her pocket and pulled out a stick of chocolate, "Here you go. Want to come along now?"

"Okay..." Aida tried to sound reluctant as she took the chocolate but it was clear she was happy...about the chocolate at least.

"You really like chocolate don't you?" Corissa smiled.

"It's alright." Aida said as she unwrapped the chocolate and began nibbling it.

"You always nibble it though." Helena noted, "Why don't you just take a big bite of it?"

"It's too sweet." Aida said as she continued to nibble her chocolate, "I'm eating as much as I think I should."

"How responsible." Helena said surprised, "Still, I think you can eat a bit more than that. At this rate, that one bar will take you like four days to finish."

"I eat until I'm satisfied." Aida replied, "This bar should last for a week at least."

"Wooow..." Helena whistled, "That's some restraint."

"More restraint than most girls her age." Corissa nodded, "And more than most women older than her."

"Kinda like you huh?" Helena grinned as she hugged Corissa, "I see you eating sweets all the time! Where are you hiding all that fat?!"

"What do you mean?!" Corissa cried as Helena began to touch all over her body, "I don't eat that much!"

"Sure you don't! Where does it all go?! These boobs?! This ass?! Or even your thighs?!"

"Why my thighs?!"

"Is this okay?" Aida asked as Helena continued to grope Corissa.

"Probably not." Roko sighed.

"Should we stop them?"

"If we do, that knight over there will be very cross with us." Roko said as he glanced over to Roland who was watching very intensely.

"Alright." Roko sighed, "Since we're at the courtyard already, we can go check up on Momo's attraction. It's a pretty complex one so it's best to get it done soon."

"What's she doing?" Aida asked.

"A fighting arena."

"That's an attraction?!"

"According to Momo."

"Can that girl think of anything besides fighting?"

"Baking mostly. But they're also doing a few exhibition matches and even a mini tournament among the knights. There's an open invite for any festival goers to enter the ring."

"I doubt they're going to get any takers."

"Actually a notable amount of people have already said they will be attending the festival for this sport."

"Seriously?!" Aida cried.

"Yeah." Roko said as he looked over his notes, "That's why we need to make sure they're well stocked on weapons."

"Don't we have an armory to begin with?" Corissa asked.

"We do but we also have to make sure those weapons and armors are in working shape so we have been testing them individually. We don't need too many pieces of most stuff but we do need to provide a wide variety."

"Can't you just use your weird spell on them?" Aida asked.

"I have been." Roko sighed, "I have been for a while before I even got appointed as organizer. Still, I can't get it all done by myself so Momo has been leading the efforts for a while. That's on top of securing a space, building a ring and scheduling the events."

"Maybe she's not such a muscle head after all." Aida smirked.

"You shouldn't say that about people, Aida." Corissa scolded gently.

"I never said I didn't like those type of people." Aida shrugged, "I've done my own share of physical labor before. Try hunting and making traps for yourself."

Off to the side of the castle, a wooden ring had been set up with the grass cleared away for well packed and solid dirt. A few banners were set up around the ring and a wooden board was being set up by the knights there. Off to the side, Momo was chatting with a few people, a mix of royalty and knights over a sizable stack of paper.

"Momo!" Roko called out.

Momo turned around, noticing Roko's approach and quickly gave one last message to the group before they disbanded.

"Roko!" Momo smiled as their group arrived, "Nice to see you! And you bought Corissa and Aida with you?"

"They're following me around due to circumstances." Roko explained, "Anyway, give me a report on what you've gotten done so far."

"All the weapons and armors have been checked, prepared and set aside!" Momo grinned, "That was the big thing that was setting us back. We've only really started putting effort into building the ring now."

"Can't you just use one of the school's existing training ground?" Corissa asked.

"Those are located pretty far back in the campus. We wanted this to be a major event so we applied for a space closer to the entrance."

"You call this close?" Aida scoffed, "This is still a good seven minute walk from the main courtyard. It's still kinda off to the side if you ask me."

"We can supplement that with some advertisement." Roko nodded, "If we set down a road and decorate it so it clearly stands out, people will be drawn to it regardless."

"Right." Momo took a deep breath, "I like your ideas but after getting only the ring done so far, I'm not sure we can finish all this before the festival tomorrow."

"I can always assign more people to help out here." Roko said as he consulted his clipboard, "With your reinforcement magic, they don't have to be all that strong to help out."

"Ahhh, I've already asked for some help from the staff in the main venue, I can't possibly ask for more helpers." Momo grimaced.

"So that's why the progress on the stalls were so slow." Roko nodded, "Then we definitely need some outside help."

"Sorry!" Momo bowed, "It's my fault we're behind schedule!"

"It's fine." Roko said as he looked through the notes on his clipboard, "There are some people who can help out. It shouldn't be too much of a bother to restructure."

"I-I'll help too!" Corissa volunteered.

"You?" Momo giggled, "But I don't want to get in the way of your date."

"I-I-It's not a date!" Corissa stuttered.

"At any rate, I already have Varis helping me out here so I'd feel bad about making you both work for me."

"Varis is here?!" Corissa cried as she looked around and spotted her knight chopping some wood off to the side in full black armor, "Varis!"

Roko turned back to Momo as Corissa ran off to reunite with her knight, "At any rate, I've always intended to call in some professional help from Galia when the construction gets underway."

"Professional construction workers?" Momo scratched her cheek, "I don't know if we need something that fancy."

"Beyond just being a helping hand, they have knowledge about construction that none of us have." Roko replied, "What's more, the ground of the ring and the planned path are supposed to be laid with stone bricks so we need to dig stuff up anyway."

"I...gave up on that." Momo admitted, "We just cleared away the grass and made a dirt ring. We figured it would be enough. And the new path leading here was definitely out of our abilities to make so we just scrapped it and hoped some people might wander in."

"I imagine neither you or anyone you worked with would be satisfied with your efforts if you had to pull back on so much of your plans. Can you really look at those working with you at the end of the day and say you at least tried?"

"..."

"I'm not saying it's entirely possible to finish your ring by the end of the day but there are people who want to see your event. Not just those working with you but you also planned a small jousting show using the main venue right? People want to see that as well, including the students manning the stalls there. Well, at the end of the day, it's up to you."

"..." Momo bit her lip, "...Alright. Let's do it. Let's call in the professionals."

"Got it." Roko said as he pulled his phone out, "This is pretty urgent so I'm going to call Zadkiel to hurry things along. The rest is up to you."

"I understand." Momo nodded.

Aida sat off to the side as Roko called the principal and had a short chat with her.

"They'll arrive in 15 minutes." Roko reported as he put back his phone.

"That quickly?!" Momo cried.

"We're bending space a little here." Roko smirked, "They should arrive right in front of you."

"Wow." Momo whistled, "The principal is pitching in too?"

"More than hosting a fun event, she wants you all to do your very best without worry." Roko sighed, "Though that means the one who has to worry about everything is me."

"Well, if that's what Zadkiel wants, I'd say she chose the best person to organize everything." Momo grinned.

"I'd take the rest of your time to explain the situation to your workers." Roko said, "If there's any delay in the worker's arrival, call Zadkiel and she should be able to handle it."

"Got it!" Momo saluted with the biggest smile on her face.

"I have to go check on the rest of the classes." Roko said as he turned around, "If there's anything else you need, you can call me."

"I'd feel bad about it but I got it." Momo chuckled.

"So long as you understand. Come on Aida, we're moving on."

"What about Corissa?" Aida said as she stood up.

"Corissa!" Roko called out to the princess, "You coming with us or are you staying here?!"

Corissa looked up and looked around, panicked and confused. She looked to Momo who gave her a thumbs up.

"I-I'm coming!" Corissa cried as she bowed politely to Varis and quickly ran back towards them.

For the rest of the day, Corissa and Aida followed Roko around as he made his rounds to each class. They tried finding someplace for Corissa to work at but there was always one complication or another. While Roko worked on the side, Corissa and Aida took full advantage of their tour to try out everything they could, sampling all the food and playing some of the arcade stalls that were set up already. Occasionally they would drag Roko into their activities. But by the end of the day, everyone was exhausted and Corissa was still jobless.

"This doesn't bode well for when Corissa goes out into the workforce." Roko sighed.

"Good thing she is a princess and doesn't need to find a job, right?" Kaguya smiled as she shuffled a deck of cards.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Roko sighed again, louder this time, "Anyway, what are you doing?"

"I'm a fortune teller." Kaguya smiled as she held up a tarot card, "Do you want to have your fortune told?"

"Why not?" Roko said, "I guess you don't need much help here."

"Nope." Kaguya chuckled in her black booth with drapes of thin black cloth and mysterious trinkets, "My class didn't want to do anything so we decided on the least effort attraction possible."

"You can read tarot cards?"

"Among other things." Kaguya said as she fixed her black robe and witch's hat, "I have quite a few hobbies, I'll have you know."

"Is that right?"

"So let's see your fortune." Kaguya split the deck and tapped the top card, "Go on and draw a card."

Roko took the top card of the deck and revealed it.

"Oh my!" Kaguya cried, "A reversed card right from the start? Let's see...Seven of Pentacles reversed. That represents...work with little reward. Stagnation and wasted efforts. Hmm...that doesn't seem right. The first card is supposed to represent your past up til now. You've worked hard and your rewards may not be significant but I can't say it's wholly wasted."

"I think that might be telling of me before I arrived in this world." Roko said.

"Oh! Really?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow, "Fascinating."

"Do you mind if I draw another card for my past?" Roko said as he set down the card, "This one for after I arrived in this world?"

"Well it is unorthodox but why not?" Kaguya shrugged, "Go on then."

Roko drew the next card and flipped it up.

"The Moon." Kaguya said, "How curious. Uncertainty, confusion met with intuition. But it can also symbolize secrets and illusions. What could that mean?"

"Who knows?" Roko said, setting the card down, "Next?"

"Next is your present. Where you stand right now."

Roko drew the next card.

"Four of Swords." Kaguya nodded, "That sounds about right. Rest, recovery and contemplation."

Roko looked at his clipboard that was now riddled with notes. And he turned the card upside down.

"Roko..." Kaguya smiled.

"Kidding." Roko said as he righted the card again, "So next is my future right?"

"That's right. The final card."

Roko drew the card and stared at it for a moment before revealing it.

"Wheel of Fortune." Kaguya mused, "Cyclical, repeating ups and down. It also represents an unknowable force that controls nature and therefore brings fate."

"That doesn't tell us much." Roko said as he placed the last card down.

"Indeed." Kaguya nodded, "It could mean things are going to get a bit chaotic for you but it's best to keep in mind that any bad situation you find yourself in is bound to improve given time."

"Well, it's not like I'm going to stand around and wait until my fortune changes." Roko scoffed.

"That's true." Kaguya giggled, "Is fate something that we are all subjected to or do we change our fate by our own hands?"

"Who's to say it's not both?" Roko said as he got up.

Walking out of the booth, Corissa and Aida turned to him, "How was it?"

"Well, it's accurate in a way, I guess." Roko shrugged.

"Do you actually believe in things like that?" Aida frowned.

"If you know how to use it, it's harmless to believe in it I think."

"Well, aren't you pragmatic?" Kaguya smiled as she walked out behind him, "How about you then, Aida? Would you like your fortune told?"

"I dunno..." Aida looked unconvinced.

"I have a piece of chocolate inside."

"Well, one try shouldn't hurt." Aida said as she followed Kaguya into the booth.

…

"That girl's going to get kidnapped." Roko said.

"Well...not if we can help it." Corissa giggled, "Good work today, Roko. It was a treat seeing you at work."

"It's nothing special." Roko sighed, "I didn't manage to find a job for you anyway."

"It's okay." Corissa smiled, "I think I have an idea of what I want to do on festival day."

"What's that?"

"Event organizer!" Corissa grinned, "I've watched you all day so I'm pretty sure I can do it myself now!"

"..." Roko just stared at her, "You know this isn't exactly an easy job right?"

"More than anyone else." Corissa nodded, "But I think it'll be good for me."

"Good for you?"

"I...really admire you, you know." Corissa looked towards Roko, "You're always in the back supporting everyone. You can inspire people, bring people together and solve everyone's problem all at once."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration." Roko looked away, unable to look Corissa in the eyes.

"No, I really think so!" Corissa cried, "And I think that's the kind of person I want to be someday."

"...There's no real trick to it." Roko turned back, having reigned in his embarrassment, "You just work hard."

"Hmmmm...I wonder." Corissa looked over the hall's railings, at the moon that was starting its journey in the sky.

"We're done!" Kaguya suddenly came out of the booth, startling the two as they remembered where they were, "Aida's all tuckered out so I think it's best we all retire for the night."

"Oh, okay." Corissa said as Kaguya handed a sleeping Aida gently over to Roko, "It's probably a good idea to go to sleep early for tomorrow."

"Oh, do allow me to borrow a little bit more of your time." Kaguya turned to Corissa with a sly smile, "I haven't managed to divine your fortune yet."

"Eh?! I mean, I don't really-"

"Nonsense. Come now. I can even read your future in romance."

"Huh?! Wait, what do you-" Corissa blushed lightly as Kaguya pulled her into the booth.

Left alone with a sleeping child, Roko just left.

After dropping Aida off in her room, Roko was about to retire to his own room for the night when he ran into Zadkiel on the way.

"Excellent work today, Roko." Zadkiel said, smiling as always, "I'm happy to say that all the preparations for tomorrow's events are all done."

"Thank god." Roko rubbed his eyes, "I feel like I can sleep for days."

"Well, there is one last thing we must check up on." Zadkiel said, "Are you ready for what you have to do tomorrow?"

…

Roko walked past Zadkiel, "Of course."