Chapter 280

"Oh my, so this is how Abyssal Hunters improve their relationships?"

"No, it's just my personal interest... Whether it's sharks or other people, subordinates or friends, I mostly use it as a starting point for mutual understanding and building rapport... What do you think, Miss Land Cat?"

Seeing the other party use such an aria-like tone that is not used in ordinary life, although Nana still did not know what kind of culture and customs Aegir was, Nana would certainly not refuse a future collaborator and a common companion of Kal'tsit.

So the cat girl smiled and grasped the other person's hand in return:

"Of course, it's my pleasure."

She bowed in farewell... Since she had been given such a formal invitation, Nana naturally felt it was important to take it seriously.

After a long absence, he summoned Eileen for his own private matters, asking the maid to bring him the Sarkaz- style dress that was said to have been passed down from that prince. At the same time, he also brought out the hair tie that the maid had cut off to extend his hair.

Eileen has always carefully preserved something made from her own hair that only Nana has ever used. As the origin of the Sarkaz... or rather, the Teekaz- style dress, which is made by the Elders to this day, has never lost its design elements.

However, it seems that Theresa herself did not like the traditional, overly complicated version, so when Eileen dressed Nana up, she naturally chose a style that was more like that of the prince.

The dress featured multiple layers of white tulle, with gradually sheer black tulle cuffs that transitioned from the shoulders to the sleeves, and an emblem on the left shoulder reminiscent of the Babel Council... If she remembered correctly, Nana recalled meeting Amiya just now, and Amiya, the Little Bunny, had worn a similar style of dress when she was a child.

It's just that the outfit I'm wearing now seems more like something for a formal occasion.

So, she took out the cosmetics she brought back from Columbia a few years ago, applied light makeup, grew her hair out and styled it into a long bun but revealing her neck... she even applied mascara to her eyelashes and carefully applied lip gloss to her lips. Nana dressed herself with the same spirit as if she were attending a formal Gaul ball.

When Nana, so earnest, appeared at the dinner party, she was naturally met with complete silence.

'Your Highness?'

Although she didn't know who it was and the voice was very soft, Nana was Eileen, after all, famous for Feline exceptional hearing... and she immediately understood why everyone was reacting this way... Nana seemed to have used too much force.

You said you requested the highest standard of attire, but is the "highest standard" in your mind just a direct copy of that White Emperor?

With a silent sigh in her heart, Nana smiled and extended her hand to everyone:

"Someone asked me to dance today, so what about you guys? Anyone want to warm up first?"

PS: Waaaaaaah!

The fat fox is preparing to master both gun and sword skills↑

9th Lungmen Seafood: 317 Cat Dance Party

At first, the group, flustered by Nana's elaborate attire, didn't quite grasp the situation. Fortunately, as Nana was a representative of Rhodes Island operators from the Babel era, there were plenty of people skilled at smoothing things over among those attending her banquet.

But just as Huang was busy taking off the belt and gear he had been wearing to ensure he could participate in missions at any time, but which was obviously unsuitable for dancing... attracted by Nana's appearance, and the moment the invitation was sent out, a figure with the quick reflexes of a young child jumped out and appeared. It was a figure wearing two specially made small uniforms in pink and emerald green.

As for the white Feline that was originally the most desired...

She was still reeling from the initial impression of Nana at the long dress banquet, not even noticing the Little Biscuit on the table... until Nana's hands were grabbed by the two short, fake Feline, and only then did Rosemary belatedly realize what had happened, jerking back in shock as her mother and sister gave her a good whack on the head.

"Me! Me me me me me take me a--!"⊙

"Narcissa, you're late~ But don't get so caught up in what's in front of you that you forget what's at hand, didn't you say you were going to take good care of Suzuran of the Valley?"

At Nana's teasing, Rosemary quickly turned around, took two steps, and picked up the lily of the Suzuran that had been left on the dining table. Then, while feeding the Little Fox Little Biscuit, the white little Feline nodded hurriedly.

"Then take us with you! We want to book the next batch!"

Seeing that Nana was quickly surrounded by a group of little ones, Huang, who had been eagerly raising his hand, could only sheepishly shrink back.

As Su Sulo, who had rushed over after work, patted her on the shoulder to comfort her, FrostNova's eyes became incredibly vacant whenever the topic of dance came up. Add to that Typhon, who was happily eating with Lycoris's group, and Jessica, who had raised her hand briefly but was so inconspicuous that no one noticed, and was now silently wiping away tears... All eyes in the hall were immediately drawn to Nana's first dance performance.

Because there was no prior preparation, the accompaniment for the three's dance was merely a slightly unformed, random tune hummed by Aili and Xiya. And because of the Sarkaz's long history of war, not only had their dance music evolved and assimilated from other cultures, but even their folk songs, which should have been quite distinct, were now blurred and indistinct.

But... the children of Kazdel still remember the rhymes passed down from adults when they were young.

In that patched-up Mobile City, under the scorching sun of Kazdel, and once in the shade of the Babel's buildings... there once was a lady in white who would teach children melodies that no one cared about, but which were eventually passed down, during her passing or breaks from Council work.

The girls sang the 'la la' sound, with their footsteps as the rhythm and applause as the beat. The three of them simply walked in circles, their figures moving as they only needed to extend their arms in unison... The hands of three different people, one long and two short, sometimes circled and rotated, sometimes crossed and embraced each other.

To accommodate the children's height, Nana would slightly turn to the side so that Little Peach and Little Green could easily hold onto her when they turned around... What Nana didn't know was that even this slight turn was coincidentally the same as that of the pink-haired demon king.

And so the girls' simple rhythm reached its climax. By this point, even those who didn't live in Kazdel regularly, as long as they were Sarkaz, could more or less recognize the rhythm and hummed along to the rest.

This is a prayer song for a bountiful harvest, a requiem for a funeral. When you're happy, you can speed up the tempo to enhance the atmosphere, and when you're serious, you can slow down the tempo to make it solemn and earnest... But when operators like Su Sulo from the pre -Babel era ask everyone what this song, which seems to be known by everyone, is called, no one can say for sure.

Finally, the Sarkaz operators all turned to Logos, the most authoritative source on the topic:

"It's just a folk tune from Kazdel... and the dance steps were just improvised."

As she spoke, the Banshee twirled the Bone Pen, and the light of magic slanted down from the tip, the flowing light constructing, like a musical melody, the folk tune from the Banshee's memory... At that moment, the applause of Scout, Mantra, and other Sarkaz operators also merged and harmonized in the rhythm of the magic.

Although it looked rather strange that the Halo Sankta and Medic were dancing Sarkaz folk dance, the Executor, who knew the style of the music, simply held his ice cream scoop and remained silent. Victoria's orange cat, Sister Mary, happily clapped along to the rhythm. As Aili and Xiya ran out of energy, Nana gently lifted the hem of her skirt and escorted the two little ones back to their seats... The atmosphere in the venue finally returned to its initial enthusiasm.

"So what comes next?"

"It's me! It's me!"

Despite the enthusiastic participation of little Feline, who was as bubbly as a cloud, Huang, who had lived on Rhodes Island since childhood and whose daily activities were no secret among the Elite Operator, asked Rosemary, who was too shy to approach, "I'm so eager to hold Nana's hand."

"This is dancing, you know! Rosemary barely touches the ground... Are you sure you can handle it? Stepping on Nana is fine, but don't make yourself dizzy!"

Seeing Huang Da Mao smirking and contradicting her, Rosemary glared at her, then, unwilling to give up, landed on the ground and tried to jump a bit, mimicking the movements of Little Peach Little Green... The result, of course, perfectly matched everyone's imagination of this usually timid Little Cat. Rosemary tripped over her own feet and almost fell to the ground, which earned her a good-natured burst of laughter from everyone.

"Look~ you're no good enough, dancing is way beyond your reach Little Cat! Get down, let me take your turn!"

"Huang, are you sure you can handle this?!"

"Look at what you're saying. Although I don't have any musical talent, I've at least played some music before... You can leave the drums to me."

As he spoke, Huang even picked up a pair of chopsticks and used them as drumsticks to play a short tune, which made Rosemary puff out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

[I told you to learn from me more often and walk on your own more often...]

Seeing her own dead mother sighing and complaining to her like this, Rosemary immediately puffed out her cheeks and her eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing that Cole had taken the Little Cat away, Nana stopped paying attention to Rosemary, who seemed extremely aggrieved. Looking at Suzuran of the Valley, who had once again been forgotten by the Little Cat, Nana smiled and reached out her hand to the Little Fox.

"Don't be nervous. Dancing isn't that serious. The simplest kind... well, just spin around like those two older ladies did."

"That's some kind of folk dance, isn't it?"

To everyone's surprise, it seems the new Little Fox has some knowledge of dance?

As the logos that had been playing with magic stopped their rhythm and looked over curiously, Suzuran twitched her ears, wagged her tail, and nervously pointed her fingers, saying:

"But, compared to those cheerful dances... I only know a few dances that my mother taught me, which my father supposedly knows... called 'Kagura'... but that's a solo dance. Other than that... ah! Ballet, my godfather hired a ballet teacher for me."

Seeing Suzuran looking at her expectantly, Nana nodded readily, then raised her hand and tiptoed to perform a ballet practice step:

"Ballet, is that how it is? Which section would Suzuran like to dance?"

"... The Nutcracker? Ah... that one I know is also solo... then, Swan Lake?"

When the Little Fox twitched its ears slightly at the suggestion, Nana looked at Closure.

Seeing that Closure had taken charge of managing the situation, she gave Nana a thumbs up. Nana then led the little Suzuran, whom everyone had only met that day, into the room.

But as Closure pulled out the Dance of the Little Swans from the pile of CDs, Black Horn, and tapes and began to play it, the Little Fox, realizing the symphony was out of place with the atmosphere, tugged at her skirt and said shyly in a low voice:

"... Um, the clothes don't seem to fit... and if I need to raise my arms..."

Seeing the Little Fox nervously tug at the small shawl on her dress, Nana remembered that it was the spot on Lily of the Suzuran's Oripathy. Even adults would find the sight of those Originium Crystals protruding from flesh incredibly gruesome, let alone in a dance that should be showcasing the graceful curves of the body...

Although Suzuran was young, she knew she had said something inappropriate, but she was facing Nana... and besides, this was Rhodes Island, so Nana's response was only natural:

"Don't worry~ Come on, since we're not the same height, we'll just hold one hand, then lift up the hem of your skirt... Ready to begin~"

As Nana moved to Suzuran's right, guiding the Little Fox to subtly conceal the Originium on her right shoulder by lifting her skirt, Suzuran gradually relaxed under Nana's guidance. Although the dance was supposed to be Dance of the Little Swans, depicting four friends, it now clearly appeared as the two, one big and one small, moving in perfect harmony with the music...

Although they couldn't coordinate their movements and rhythm at first because they weren't used to it, once the music reached the second measure, Nana and Suzuran's movements, whether lifting a corner of their skirts, rising and falling on their tiptoes, or their steps, which were always staggered, all became synchronized.

They didn't need to wear dance shoes and costumes, and although the music was somewhat inappropriate, as the people around them saw the two gradually synchronize their movements and begin to show the beauty that the dance should have, the Little Fox naturally received cheers and applause from the crowd.

As the dance ended, Suzuran the Valley, her face slightly flushed, was surrounded by Little Peach and Little Green and pulled to a corner of the children's room, chattering away. Several Rhodes Island operators who had previously been inspired to dance by Little Peach Little Green also took on the role of Nana on the dance floor.

Medic gently wiped away the beads of sweat, preparing to look at Huang, who seemed to have been drawing his attention the whole time.

However, to Nana's great surprise, Huang didn't make the "I'll do it, I'll do it~" sound like before. Following the big cat's surprised gaze into the distance, Nana saw a little cat trying to stroke the Closure had brought, walking on its own two legs, and its expression... made Nana miss Little Cat very much.

"... Is Rosemary a child who... laughs like that?"

Nana's expression was initially confused upon seeing Folinic's puzzled look, then she looked disappointed for a while before finally giving off a smile almost identical to that of the Little Cat.

"No, that's Cole ...she's... Rosemary's birth mother..."

Just as Nana hesitated about how to explain to everyone that Rosemary was currently 'reading' her mother's memories or skills through the Halo submachine she had given her, 'Cole' saw Nana. It was as if she had returned to that day. The white-haired Feline came to Nana's side just like she had done years ago. The white-haired girl with azure eyes tilted her head slightly and stretched out her hands:

"Hug~"

The girl's voice, though coquettish, was no different from usual, but Nana knew that if it were Rosemary, the cloud-like Feline Little Cat would prefer to use reduplicated words with her... Without a doubt, the person in front of her was 'Cole'. After all, Rosemary deeply hated the instrument her mother had always made her learn, so how could she possibly have been interested in observing Closure's music collection for so long? Only Cole, a high school rock musician, would show that kind of nostalgic expression.

Just as Nana was unusually dazed and lost in thought as she faced the Little Cat, a tall hunter entered the venue. Dressed in a clean hunter's outfit Gladiia went straight to Nana's side with a clear purpose:

"Miss Kitty, as promised in our dance, I have come to keep my appointment."

Seeing this guy, whom he had to look up to, suddenly appear and take Nana's hand, 'Cole,' who had initially treated Nana like a daughter but was now unsure of their relationship, raised an eyebrow and grabbed Nana's other hand:

"Please wait a moment, miss. How about we consider the order of arrival?"

Perhaps because 'Cole' had lost the original childlike innocence of Little Cat, even though Gladiia, who would normally question her fighting ability based on Nana's reaction, was surprisingly polite and bowed to the Little Cat first when she saw the smaller 'Cole' reacting this way.

"Yes, you're right... It's clear that our princess has prepared a lot for this dance; she seems to be a very popular person."

"Of course~ after all, it's Nana."

Seeing the Little Cat cross its arms and nod in satisfaction with what Gladiia had said, Gladiia noticed the terrified looks in everyone's eyes, even though it was the first time she had met them.

It's fair to say that Rosemary's usual lazy and carefree demeanor is too deeply ingrained in people's minds. At most, people know what she's like on the battlefield, but she doesn't know how to get along with people. Apart from Kal'tsit, who has been teaching her all this time, only Amiya, who possesses the Demon King Authority (a fact that most Rhodes Island operators are unaware of), can get along with her...

Seeing the Little Cat's sudden awakening of emotional intelligence, Huang swallowed hard and whispered his guess to the people around him:

"Is the Little Cat possessed by a ghost?"

Having recently been studying intensively and somewhat escaping illiteracy, FrostNova hesitated before speaking, "... No, Nana didn't say..."

"According to Nana, doesn't that mean there really are ghosts?!"

Seeing Su Sulo's tail fur standing on end, Folinic, equally at a loss, tried hard to pry Su Sulo's hand off her wrist, but couldn't get any strength out of her... Although she had known about 'Cole' and the Little Cat's family for a long time, this was the first time she had spoken to them face to face.

"Maybe it's some kind of special Originium Arts... Haha..."

Thus, Folinic, also a prized student of Kal'tsit, spoke with trembling words that came closest to the truth. At the same time, with Gladiia's voluntary surrender, Nana, with a complicated expression, took the hand of... 'Cole' floating in the air.

"... Does this mean I've touched you again?"

Faced with Nana's bewildered question, 'Cole's' smile widened even more:

"I don't know~ But it's rare to see Little Cat so competitive, so I'll reluctantly show off my skills for that kid's colleagues~ Nana, Baroque steps, Gaul court dance... Generally speaking, given our current height, you should be dancing the male part, but I'm in a good mood today, so how about I take the initiative?"

Nana finally smiled with relief as 'Cole' took her hand.

"Of course, as you wish."

PS: Waaaaaaah!

Pink z... cat!↑

PSS: I originally planned to just give a brief overview of the ball... but as I wrote, I realized that the relationship between Nana and Theresa, as well as the reactions of the other characters at the ball... especially Cole, who is portrayed as an unconventional young lady, Rosemary's mother, should have a significant storyline... so as I wrote, the entire chapter ended up being about dancing.

Well... if it were Cole, Nana would definitely keep dancing no matter what.

There was supposed to be a part about the Doctor saying, "Wow, I love dancing..." but because there are just too many characters to write about, I'll leave it at that.

Looks like I still need to find an opportunity to send everyone on business trips, so that I can keep the characters I write about within a certain scope each time (rambling)...

PS3: What did I change...? How come correcting a typo makes the word count shorter than before?

9th Lungmen Seafood: 318 The happy times are over (referring to dancing)

Those who attend Nana's party are generally familiar with Rosemary. However, when Rosemary temporarily becomes 'Cole', the laziness unique to children like Feline transforms into a mature quality that she doesn't inherently possess.

The graceful arrival was perhaps the best description of 'Cole' when dancing with Nana.

However, perhaps it was the sublime atmosphere of the retro Baroque music itself, or the solemn and dignified atmosphere of the court dances... or perhaps it was because Nana looked at the Little Cat smiling at her now, Nana always remembered the fact that she and Cole were separated by death.

A subtle sadness lingered in their dance steps.

Although this is itself a beauty of Baroque court dance rules and order, it carries an inherent elegance and melancholy that cannot be imitated... The applause from the Rhodes Island companions was still the same, but even Huang's gaze towards the Little Cat was full of hesitation, and the atmosphere at the banquet visibly cooled down considerably.

Just as Nana stepped off the stage, picked up her water glass, and rested briefly to catch her breath, letting the Little Cat, having satisfied its desire to perform and exiting 'Cole Mode,' be dragged away by Huang and the others to tentatively ask it all sorts of questions, Nana realized that Gladiia had returned from Closure's side at some point.

The vampire, who preferred cola to blood, was adjusting the equipment with apparent satisfaction. Soon, the orderly dance music that had been playing stopped at the next section, and what followed was the sound of folk guitar strumming, very characteristic of Iberia.

"This is... flamingo?"