Good Morning, Ceruno!

(Ceruno)

Still half asleep, I felt something moving under the covers...

Oh, it's Mono.

Miluno is no longer by my side; she's already up. But this little rascal keeps stubbornly trying to crawl into my blankets.

"Ceruno ~ You're awake?"

I was basically woken up by her; how dare she ask such a question?

Even after she broke free from the witch's spell, she was still under the covers, tilting her head back to greet me.

"Miluno is already up and making breakfast! She asked me to tell you that if you wake up, hurry up and get up; you're going for a morning run after breakfast!"

After saying that, she buried her head in my chest again, poking my chest with the blunt fleshy tip of her forehead.

"Okay, then don't hug me, okay?"

"But I want to be intimate with Ceruno for a while!"

She's still acting spoiled; although she's Witch Persona born from Miluno's body, her personality is like a child's.

"No!"

I pushed her face to make her let go, and only then did I have a chance to get up.

Leaving the bedroom, Miluno was in the kitchen, tossing a pan around, seemingly making fried rice with leftover rice from last night. As a finishing touch, she sprinkled a handful of bright green scallions on top, and the aroma could be smelled even through the living room.

However, eating fried rice so early in the morning seems a bit greasy, doesn't it?

"You're up? That's pretty early!"

"Um..."

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock on the wall; it was only 7:30.

Sunday is indeed a bit early, but we really don't have much time to enjoy the weekend.

"Go wake those two girls up for breakfast, then they'll come with me for a morning run along the Ring Corridor, and then we'll pick up Barbara and Halley."

"Oh? Is Miss Barbara coming too?"

The legendary Ancient Tree magical girl, the creator of the healing potion, is quite famous, so I'm rather curious about her.

Since this being is an ancient Ancient Tree that has lived longer than humans, it must be a mature and composed elder, right?

"Yes, I just contacted her and persuaded her to come to the City School to check out the stage space. We also need to rehearse the program for the fundraising concert. When Halley arrives, I'll open the door and bring Barbara over."

The venue is the Garden District north of the City School, which is not only the "lungs" of the entire City School, but also where Miss Fran, known as the "Harvest Goddess," planted many flowers and plants, including many herbs, which are said to be specially for Miss Barbara to make medicine.

Are you going to hold a concert there?

"Okay, then I'll go wake Xiaoling and the others up for breakfast!"

The moment I turned around, my phone rang in my pocket... It was my mother calling?

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Why did you all just go back to the City School like that?

There was a hint of reproach in her mother's words.

"Huh? Can't we go back to the City School?"

"You're still leaving the Doggy at home? If you're not going to take it back, I'll stay home and take care of it?"

Ah...

So, the Golden hasn't come back with us yet.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Mom, could you please take Doggy to the Sky Branch? Let her make the wormhole herself and come back!"

"I'm fine, but Big Yellow isn't happy because you guys abandoned it and it's throwing a tantrum."

"Is that so? Then Mom, you go and comfort her. I'll tell Miluno, and then I'll go pick her up from home."

When I went to pick up Miss Barbara, I took a detour to her house.

As a battery supplying Dark Energy, Mono allows Miluno's teleportation magic to travel to any place she has been, even "the Other Side"...

I'm somewhat envious of the efficient, convenient, and free-flowing teleportation. The Vega Crystal has been successfully purified by Mono; can I also advance and become stronger like Miluno and Heat Haze?

I hung up the phone with my mother.

I sneaked into Xiaoling and Xiaojie's dorm room. The decoration and furnishings were the same as ours, but Xiaoling had put up a lot of anime posters on the walls, and her desk was covered with figurines, game consoles, and chuunibyou gadgets. The anime and manga atmosphere was off the charts.

I also really like these things, but I haven't had a chance to enjoy my hobbies lately. When I have some free time, it would be nice to drag Xiaoling and the others to try cosplay. I used to be a couch potato, so I never had the chance, but now I should definitely give it a try...

Xiaojie didn't have many personal belongings; her bed only had some little girl dolls, and she herself slept next to Xiaoling.

Yes, the two little girls also share a bed with me, just like Miluno and I do.

Xiaoling is only fourteen years old, Xiaojie is even younger than ten, both at an innocent and pure age. Their reason for sleeping together is equally innocent...

"Wow?!"

Xiaoling's head peeked out from under the blanket at the foot of the bed, fast asleep with her eyes closed. Her sleep was unusually reversed, with two arms wrapped around her thighs beside her head, while the other thigh was used as a pillow under Xiaojie's head. Xiaoling was also using Xiaojie's slender body as a body pillow, holding it close to her chest...

This is a hellish drawing, like a dismemberment scene.

Even I was startled.

"You two, it's time to get up."

I lifted Xiaoling's head from the bed, gently rocking and patting her cheeks, while whispering in her ear.

"Miluno rarely prepares breakfast, so it won't taste good if it gets cold, right?"

"...Hmm."

She opened her eyes and blinked. The always energetic girl quickly perked up, her scattered body on the bed all straightening up... she was stretching.

"Ah! Good morning, Ceruno ~ Could you please assemble me?"

I pursed my lips, pulled her body out of Xiaojie's arms, and then pressed my head against her neck.

I asked, "Do you have to disassemble yourself like this when you sleep?"

"This is a magic practice."

"What's the use of mastering this move? You'd be truly powerful if you could dismantle an enemy's body at will."

I then helped her put her arms up again, and started urging another maid to hurry up.

"Xiaojie, wake up! Wake up!"

The dark-skinned girl rubbed her eyes and sat on the bed in a duck-like position.

"Sister Ceruno... good morning... ah..."

Even greeting her required yawning; she was still bubbling and not fully awake.

"Sister, Xiaojie is so sleepy, Xiaojie wants to sleep a little longer."

"Wake up! Miluno and I are having a concert at the City School, and we need to go to rehearsal later. Are you two interested?"

As soon as they heard they were going out to play...

Xiaojie, her eyes still closed, weakly raised her hands and cheered.

"Yay! I want to go!"

She's cuter than her own doll.

The two little girls went into the bathroom together to wash up. I folded their blankets for them, then went back to the living room and sat down at the dining table to wait.

Miluno even prepared an appetizer of tomato soup.

"You put so much effort into breakfast?"

"Cooking is also one of my hobbies, especially cooking for you."

Hehe~ My hobby is eating things made by Miluno.

"When we go to pick up Barbara later, shall we also pick up the Doggy? Mom said she's being naughty because we didn't take her with us."

Miluno thought for a moment and then gave a wry smile.

"After all, it gets nothing to eat when it stays with Aunt Yuehan."

My mother's cooking was like a construction site, full of smoke and fumes. The kitchen was like a construction site, not to mention kitchen disasters like oil frying fires or flooding.

I'm even a bit better than her...

"Knew."

Miluno placed the fried rice in front of me.

"I'll pick her up in a bit. Halley comes from the branch at eight o'clock, which will give us time to... go for a run."

Serious running.